glacier national park | prep + packing

the stats:
aug 17-aug 26, 2012
5 friends. 
5 days. 4 nights. (original plan was 6 days, 5 night, but we hiked out 19.5m the final day)
backpacking at glacier national park. 55.5 mile, many glacier loop.
oh, and 22+ hours (of drive time, not including rest) and 1,298 miles in a "trusty" vw pop top van as bookends of the trip.

the results:
5 earthy-smelling friends with a whole lot more stories, connections to random strangers on the trail, a few significant lessons learned, experiences we just can't make up, and sights you can only experience in the backcountry.

i love montana, and this year i got to experience my beloved state at glacier, hiking through it's glorious peaks and lakes. it was perfect in so many ways. except, well...i took way too much food and managed to have to lug a heavy pack (again). mr. ultralight-backpacker phil brown (who i met last year on the trail) would be disappointed.

anyway, this is most of what i packed for the trip. not including things like my actual pack, trekking poles, camelbak, the food, hiking shoes + crocs, and two unnecessary stuff sacks i took to keep my stuff organized.

addt'l notes: i took 100% deet but didn't use it once. the mosquitos were almost non-existent due to such a dry year. didn't feel like flossing this year b/c i took a normal sized toothbrush head. interesting.

addt'l notes: i ended up only using one sports bra. fine idea, but the sports bra i decided on was no bueno! it did not dry fast enough, which lead to wearing it slightly damp every day (b/c i washed it every night). this eventually lead to it smelling bad because of some mildew. (i know, gross!) i'm looking into sports bras that wick sweat and dry fast. also, i loved my night time change of clothes. black tights + cotton tank + med thickness wool socks, puffy + hat. i felt so cozy and (not so) sexy and i found it to be very easy way to feel clean and warm each night.

addt'l notes: all my clothes fit into the yellow stuff sack above, including what i'd be wearing every day (pants, t-shirt, socks, underwear, sports bra). this year, i tried to take a very minimalist approach to clothes, taking only what was essential.

addt'l notes: i went generous with the toilet paper. what?

addt'l notes: shared the tent with robel (aka roBEAR), so we shared the 4lb 9oz between the two of us. 

addt'l notes: i took a 4oz fuel canister (instead of the 8oz pictured here) just in case we (b&d+me) used the entire 8oz can (which by the way, they carried). we had plenty of fuel left. good to know for next time that an 8oz fuel can last 3 people at 2 hot meals/day (water boiling only) for 5 days! 

also, i met ryan on the trail and he had this fantastic cook system that i couldn't help but admire. so i bought one immediately when i got home. after i clicked purchase, i realized i had just spent $35 on a cup. eep.

the eve of our road trip, we weighed our packs and mine came out to a whopping ~48lbs. this also includes my camera and a few camera accessories that added at least 5lbs to my total pack weight. i was easily carrying more than 35% of my body weight, which is a hell of a lot to carry. later, i found out it was all of my food. um...  :\

update: i got my chops busted...again. received a long email detailing where i went wrong and where i can go right by the trusty mr. phil. yikes. 

what do you think of my system? how would you make it more efficient and cut weight?

high sierra trail | packing

"not bad liz!" 
that's what i thought to myself about my packing before the journey started. 

but what i realized during the trip is that i want to go ultralight to whatever degree that i can without cutting off my limbs. carrying a heavy pack is really hard and it unnecessarily multiplies the "i'm miserable" factor by some unquantifiable but noticeable amount.


for you geeks out there, this was my packing list:


essentials
mountain hardware skyledge 2.1 tent + footprint
mountain hardware phantom 15 bag
thermarest women's prolite plus
leki women's poles
osprey women's ariel 65
rei raincover (depends on location/weather)
headlamp + extra batteries
bear canister (rented from the ranger station)
mini swiss army knife
mini flash light
s-biner (eh, not essential)
2 boxes of matches (stormproof, regular)


cookware
soto od-1r
msr isopro 8oz
spork
cup
pot (also used as bowl)
cloth napkin
1/5 of a sponge
45 water tablets


clothes/accessories
rei pants
patagonia pullover puffy
rei rain jacket
patagonia long johns
patagonia short sleeve base layer
patagonia long sleeve merino wool base layer (would not take next time)
patagonia zip up base (would not take next time)
2 sports bras (could possibly go with just one)
2 underwear
1 bikini
3 medium thickness wool socks (would bring only 2 really thick pairs next time)
2 thin socks (need only one for evenings)
bandana
bug bucket (mosquito net hat; would not take next time)
mountain hardware gloves
mizuno arm warmers
2 beanies (only needed one)
chacos (will be replaced with lime green crocs)
micro towel
3 dry sacks: 20L, 8L, 4L


hygiene
mini deodorant, 2oz
mini toothpaste, 1oz
colgate wisp toothbrush
7 strands of dental floss in ziploc
lemon eucalyptus bug spray (need to take less, transfer into smaller container)
ultrathon, 2oz
chapstick, .5oz
biodegradeable soap, 2oz
sunblock, 2oz
first aid kit
one roll of trader joe's toilet paper minus the cardboard roll
3 baby wipes
5 tampons (needed more, thanks di!)


camera equipment
canon 5d
24mm, 1.4 mark II
3 batteries
4 memory cards (4gbx3, 8gb)
camera strap
bag for accessories
lens cleaning rag


"luxury" items
the way of the heart by henri nouwen (a small thin book)
thin paper journal
pen


then, add the consumables
3L of water
21 oz water bottle + water
7 days of dinners + snacks (i shared meals with one person, she took care of breakfast and lunches)


at my fullest load, i was probably carrying just about 50lbs. i'd like to figure out a way to get my total weight down to about 33-37lbs with a base weight of 18-20lbs. this means i need to shave off about 10-12lbs from the non-consumables list. yipes! i better start throwin' out those matches.