- Joined
- Feb 8, 2004
- Messages
- 4,172
We planned out a trip for this past weekend. The trail loop is right at 16 miles or so, but with additional hiking it ended up being a 20+mile trek. The hike in wasnt too bad but it took longer than I would have liked. There are a few river crossings once you get into the Jack river area and we decided to get little head-start by starting out early to get on top of the ridge for our final hike out
that was a good decision, because it took us about four hours to do four miles; very slow going and significant elevation hump!
I really wished I had more time fly fishing; I could see several nice sized trout but little luck on the few dry flies I tried. The falls were quite nice and our next visit I would like to spend a little more time climbing around them.
Bear hunting season had just opened (primitive bow/black powder) so we didnt see any bears but had one crash through the underbrush on our last night. I did pack my pistol and saw four other individuals (three separate groups) who were open carrying; it was good to see!
Three of us used hammocks and my son wanted to try a bivi and tarp set up (he needs more work on setting up a tarp) First night, camp set up. Just to show my new under quilt. The temperatures were excellent with almost a zero percent chance of rain. We put the flies up but really didnt need them; I had mine up high and fully opened.
It was a new area and we really just need to get a good hike in this fall. The temperatures were perfect and although I wanted to evaluate my new under-quilt for my hammock, it didnt give me a good test as I was pretty hot except for the first night. I think the lows dipped to the upper 40s and it was simply beautiful all weekend.
Gear used:
Osprey Atmos pack with water bladder
Warbonnet Black Bird hammock
KAQ under quilt (Jarbidge model)
Arrowhead-Equip sil-nylon tarp
Sea-to-Summit Micro McIII 850 fill down bag
Food bag and bear line
Snowpeak 900 pot with pan and lid
Bushbuddy stove
Ti Alcohol stove (8oz fuel for three days)
Water filter kit (Sawyer filter, squeeze/gravity bags, water container/bottle and purification backup)
Sleep clothes
Hygiene kit
Repair kit
Electronics (kindle, phone, camera, charger, headlamp)
Exped hiking poles
I was wearing some convertible soft shell pants and decided to pack a pair of swim-cargo shorts as I knew we were going to be around and crossing the river. Wool T-Shirt, long sleeve synthetic shirt, micro-fleece pullover (stayed packed but used in the morning) and a light-weight rain jacket which wasnt needed, but always kept in my pack.
Packed clothing is really just my sleep clothes; lightweight merino wool hoodie, silk-weight long underwear, two pair extra wool socks and an extra pair of underwear. I wash the Ex Officio underwear I wear and let them dry over night. I also packed a fleece watch cap. A couple silk bandanas serve numerous purposes to include a wash cloth/towel.
Hygiene, repair and power kit:
I wasnt going to take my heavy-duty knife, but at the last minute decided to. I didnt use it at all except for the last night and it came in quite handy. We didnt make it to the gap where we planned to stay the last night and ended up setting up in a small area on the ridge. We had to do a little clearing and my fixed blade came in very handy as daylight was running out and we were exhausted.
We didnt do any cool meals, just Mt. House entrées for dinner, oatmeal in the AM and some snacks for lunch (pepperoni, cheese, Clif/Pro-Bars, instant pudding, trail mix, etc.). We had more than enough food and I could have easily stayed another day and half if needed (and would have loved to!).
An older picture of my preferred cook kit which includes a Snowpeak 900 pot/pan plus extra lid; Bushbuddy gasification stove, titanium alcohol stove and Im now using a collapsible Sea-to-Summit mug which I really like; a little aluminum foil, Bic lighter and tinder. I usually use the alcohol stove as its fast and easy, but I like having the wood-gasification stove which is also very efficient. Of course I could use an open fire, but fires were supposedly banned (although several were seen).
The two ridgelines were void of running water, so we had to make sure we had enough to get us in and out. The river was beautifully clear. Our first night we camped in an area we evidently werent supposed to so we moved up from the river. We were still close enough to do water runs. My wife and I used our Sawyer squeeze filters and I set mine up for gravity filtering. Hauling enough water up the ridge on the way out because we didnt expect a decent water source was painful. My son and I carried the majority and we were packing a little over a gallon each it sucked. It was a little more than needed for drinking and cooking that last night and next morning along with enough to keep us hydrated on the hike out, but it was good to have.
I carried my pistol in my HPG Kit Bag along with a few essentials, map/compass and accessible snacks.
Its a great area and we would like to do some more exploration.
ROCK6
I really wished I had more time fly fishing; I could see several nice sized trout but little luck on the few dry flies I tried. The falls were quite nice and our next visit I would like to spend a little more time climbing around them.
Bear hunting season had just opened (primitive bow/black powder) so we didnt see any bears but had one crash through the underbrush on our last night. I did pack my pistol and saw four other individuals (three separate groups) who were open carrying; it was good to see!
Three of us used hammocks and my son wanted to try a bivi and tarp set up (he needs more work on setting up a tarp) First night, camp set up. Just to show my new under quilt. The temperatures were excellent with almost a zero percent chance of rain. We put the flies up but really didnt need them; I had mine up high and fully opened.
It was a new area and we really just need to get a good hike in this fall. The temperatures were perfect and although I wanted to evaluate my new under-quilt for my hammock, it didnt give me a good test as I was pretty hot except for the first night. I think the lows dipped to the upper 40s and it was simply beautiful all weekend.
Gear used:
Osprey Atmos pack with water bladder
Warbonnet Black Bird hammock
KAQ under quilt (Jarbidge model)
Arrowhead-Equip sil-nylon tarp
Sea-to-Summit Micro McIII 850 fill down bag
Food bag and bear line
Snowpeak 900 pot with pan and lid
Bushbuddy stove
Ti Alcohol stove (8oz fuel for three days)
Water filter kit (Sawyer filter, squeeze/gravity bags, water container/bottle and purification backup)
Sleep clothes
Hygiene kit
Repair kit
Electronics (kindle, phone, camera, charger, headlamp)
Exped hiking poles
I was wearing some convertible soft shell pants and decided to pack a pair of swim-cargo shorts as I knew we were going to be around and crossing the river. Wool T-Shirt, long sleeve synthetic shirt, micro-fleece pullover (stayed packed but used in the morning) and a light-weight rain jacket which wasnt needed, but always kept in my pack.
Packed clothing is really just my sleep clothes; lightweight merino wool hoodie, silk-weight long underwear, two pair extra wool socks and an extra pair of underwear. I wash the Ex Officio underwear I wear and let them dry over night. I also packed a fleece watch cap. A couple silk bandanas serve numerous purposes to include a wash cloth/towel.
Hygiene, repair and power kit:
I wasnt going to take my heavy-duty knife, but at the last minute decided to. I didnt use it at all except for the last night and it came in quite handy. We didnt make it to the gap where we planned to stay the last night and ended up setting up in a small area on the ridge. We had to do a little clearing and my fixed blade came in very handy as daylight was running out and we were exhausted.
We didnt do any cool meals, just Mt. House entrées for dinner, oatmeal in the AM and some snacks for lunch (pepperoni, cheese, Clif/Pro-Bars, instant pudding, trail mix, etc.). We had more than enough food and I could have easily stayed another day and half if needed (and would have loved to!).
An older picture of my preferred cook kit which includes a Snowpeak 900 pot/pan plus extra lid; Bushbuddy gasification stove, titanium alcohol stove and Im now using a collapsible Sea-to-Summit mug which I really like; a little aluminum foil, Bic lighter and tinder. I usually use the alcohol stove as its fast and easy, but I like having the wood-gasification stove which is also very efficient. Of course I could use an open fire, but fires were supposedly banned (although several were seen).
The two ridgelines were void of running water, so we had to make sure we had enough to get us in and out. The river was beautifully clear. Our first night we camped in an area we evidently werent supposed to so we moved up from the river. We were still close enough to do water runs. My wife and I used our Sawyer squeeze filters and I set mine up for gravity filtering. Hauling enough water up the ridge on the way out because we didnt expect a decent water source was painful. My son and I carried the majority and we were packing a little over a gallon each it sucked. It was a little more than needed for drinking and cooking that last night and next morning along with enough to keep us hydrated on the hike out, but it was good to have.
I carried my pistol in my HPG Kit Bag along with a few essentials, map/compass and accessible snacks.
Its a great area and we would like to do some more exploration.
ROCK6
