Bye Bye UL, SUL etc

SUL? Mt. Baker RTM gear (95 miles bike/hike)

Although I am no longer a paying member, I regularly check in to the forums over at BPL; there's a lot of experience in those pages. There was recently a discussion on SUL (Super Ultra Light) and the lack of posting activity, which got me to thinking about it. Actually, there have been discussions all over the web about this subject for years. When Jardine's book came out it made a huge difference in my approach to backpacking, and I became very cognizant of weights. But at some point along the way, after cutting my total load to less than 20 pounds, I have put very little thought into gear weights, as the quality of gear is generally good and the weights have lowered over the decades. Been a long time since I puts weights into a spreadsheet or list. I no longer concern myself with useless "base weights".....what does that mean? When you are wearing your clothes, pick up your pack with food and water and that's what you're schlepping. I've even heard of people stuffing their pockets with various gear to keep their "base weight" down.

Base Weight: weight of your entire gear kit, excluding consumables which are food, water, and fuel

Not to be confused with skin-out weight, which means the weight of everything you're carrying AND wearing.

It appears UL is defined as a base weight of 10 pounds or less, and SUL starts at 5. When I put on my pack and start down the trail, my measure of a load is how comfortable I feel over hours, do I have to take off the pack frequently, or does the extra load beyond my body weight interfere with my enjoyment? Now, although I don't own a scale, this doesn't mean I don't pay attention to the published weights of gear I may pick up. In my selection process I look at function first and foremost, then weight along with durability, cost and other factors. I look at volume; how much room does my gear need? How can it be packed for maximum efficiency? What gear do I need during the day? How am I going to carry liquids, how much do I need to carry, do I want to add something like Tailwind to my water, do I need to filter?  How much food, cook or not? What temperatures will I deal with on the trip, weather, clothing requirements? Bivy? Tent? 50 degree? 20 degree? Do I even need a sleeping bag or quilt? These are but a few considerations that go into trip planning, and these considerations dictate what gear I will bring on any given event. From there I make my gear selection and pack up. I heft the pack, loaded with food and water, and do a quick assessment. Anything I can cut? Anything I need to add? Nowhere in this process do I consider UL or SUL weights, I have retired these terms from any trip planning I have done in the past 10 years or so, and it seems I am not the only one. The state of the industry has changed tremendously over the past 20 years and perhaps the UL and SUL monikers will be put on the shelf and gather dust, just like Jardine's book, having served their purpose but are no longer needed.

EXAMPLE HIKES

not posed: sagging with UL base weight

For illustration purposes I'd like to offer experiences from two different hikes on either end of the spectrum, yet both are considered UL or SUL according to base weights: An 8 day hike into Washington's Pasayten Wilderness in August of 2014 with my daughter (101 miles), and a Wonderland Trail fastpack (solo, 93 miles) in September of 2015. The Pasayten trip had us carrying 10 days of food with a flexible itinerary. I had a ZPacks Duplex tent, a 9.75 ounce 50 degree quilt, plus other cutting edge light gear. We both used older Gossamer Gear Mariposa packs because they could swallow the gear, especially all the food (full bear canister and Ursack). My daughter likes to eat hot food, so we had the utensils and cookware, albeit super light. However, the packs were weighty, with mine at 35 pounds and hers at 30. But once underway (starting with a 4,000 foot climb), it became obvious that she was struggling with the weight. I repacked, taking all the food, bringing my pack weight to probably just under 40 pounds and reducing hers to less than 30. It was the trip of a lifetime, but I've never suffered so mightily. That older GG pack destroyed me with this load; if I took the weight off my shoulders I had to cinch up the waist belt so tight that I had temporary nerve damage in my legs. When I took the weight on my shoulders I had to pop Advil to deal with the pain. Yet I'll bet that my "base weight" on that trip was 10 pounds or less.

tiny packs for the Wonderland: SUL? stuff sack includes quilt, down sweater, booties, Hoodlum

In 2015, with a favorable weather forecast in hand, I fastpacked the Wonderland Trail in 3 days, and my base weight was under 5 pounds (SUL baby!); NeoAir Xlite, Borah Gear cuben bivy, 50 degree quilt, clothing, trekking poles and assundries, including camera gear. I remember putting my full pack(s) on a bathroom scale, with food and water, and it came in under 10 pounds. I even packed a ZPacks Pocket Tarp with stakes, just in case the weather changed. My pack was unnoticeable on my back (and front). What a difference compared to the Pasayten trip!

As I research and plan this season's trips, my mind goes to clothing and gear, not to weights. But I'll bet that even my toughest trip will not have me thinking about the load on my back, and not have me wondering if I can get my "base weight" down to UL or SUL; familiarity with my gear allows me to generally assess what I'll be carrying on my back without having to create a spreadsheet. Seems, without really thinking about it, I've replaced the SUL/UL terms with C (Comfortable) or RC (Relatively Comfortable) or even ID (It'll Do). And so it goes.

Hiking Tools: Design, Trial, Assess, Repeat

typical sketch process for designs

My daughter laughs when I tell her I'm an engineer, as she is about to graduate with an engineering degree. But is my process so different? Every year I learn something after being outside, and of late I've been trying to customize my kit to optimize my trips based on these trials. In truth I could get away with one pack and some of my 15 year old clothing, but the thing I've been fiddling with the most has been my sleep system. I tend to run on the warm side but last year's trip to The Colonnade had me wondering how I could improve the experience. I'm comfortable with a bivy on these types of trips where I am not dealing with rain, but even with a 30 degree quilt and NeoAir XLite pad I resorted to donning my rain shells to stave off the chill, and I'm guessing the temperature didn't get below freezing. The 3.2 R Factor for the XLite has been fine for summer trips so my chilliness is probably due to my sleep layers. I also have to factor in usage, as I spent some considerable time sitting up in my bag to experiment with night photography. So with these factors in mind and my trip goals for this year, I will be trying a system built on an old climbers concept, but slightly altered.

I can safely say that most of today's cottage manufacturers of outdoor gear came about because the user/founder(s) couldn't find anything on the market that fit their needs, and out of frustration started making their own gear. Fortunately for me, I don't have to learn how to sew, weld, tape, resource or glue because there have been people willing to do this for me.

Daughter's friend takes refuge from hoards of mosquitoes (2011) in B4

B4: This was a simple concept based on a dire need; my daughter has a physiology such that any type of biting insect seems to gravitate toward her feastable flesh. Many a time I would escape unscathed yet she would sport numerous welts from biting bugs. The B4 was a way to lounge at campsites free from attack without having to resort to tentage. In this case I took advantage of a buddy's wife who had all the tools and was able to sew up this design lickity split. Our B4s have been in use since 2011 and have proven to be the most effective solution for keeping bugs at bay while taking breaks on the trail. After using this once her skepticism disappeared.

custom 3/4 length WB bivy, ZPacks circa 2013 (bottom side up)

Although his business model no longer supports it, Joe from ZPacks has also done some custom work for me in the past, including two front packs and a 3/4 length bivy made from the older version of breathable cuben. This bivy has made it into my pack many times since 2013 and is still a viable option for many of my trips (mostly as an emergency shelter combined with a WB shell) . I have also had custom packs made by Chris over at Zimmerbuilt. But to address my sleep situation previously mentioned, I am trying an old but new concept; a multiple use system based on the climber's concept of an Elephant's Foot half bag and Parka for the top, utilizing the parka as the "top half" of the sleep system to minimize weight. Feathered Friends still makes the Vireo, with more insulation in the lower part of the bag with the premise that users will be wearing a down sweater or parka on top to supplement the less lofty upper section of the bag. MLD offers their FKT Quilt on the same lines.  I should also mention that both my daughter and I have the Feathered Friends Rock Wren. However, real world usage of the Wren as an insulated top (I have had a Wren since 1996) is marginal, useful for midnight bladder calls or standing in one spot for short periods.

I have found a hopeful solution with Nunatak, specifically their new offering of the Skaha APEX Ultralight Climashield Jacket. The amount of on line customization makes for this synthetic is as close to ordering a custom garment as one can get. I was able to specify Apex 3.6 oz/yd for the body and the lighter 2.5 oz/yd in the (full) sleeves. Instead of a hood, I opted for the extra tall collar. Other pulldown options I chose: 6 inch extra back length (making the entire jacket a lower covering cut), a full handwarmer front pocket,  inside left zip pocket, and an outer shell of Robic ripstop (WPB). The cut is roomy and made for layering, and although I don't anticipate that it will be roomy enough to comfortably pull my arms inside, I am sure this will be an option if absolutely necessary.

Nunatak is also making a custom elephants foot half bag with the 2.5 oz/yd Apex and the Robic outer shell. When discussing the details with Jan at the company he agreed that this piece in conjunction with the jacket I ordered will have plenty of overlap to make the sleeping aspect complete.

Typical Scenario: I've been hiking hard all day and have arrived at at stopping place, either intentional or out of desperation. Although the weather is clear, I'm above 6,000' in the Cascades and the temperature is dropping along with the setting sun. My 62 year old bod is having a hard time producing heat because I'm foolishly doing trips that are very hard and my fatigue level is (X amount) more than 20 years ago. I lay out my 9.1 ounce custom bivy (Borah Gear) and expend even more energy blowing up that damn NeoAir Xlite. Experience has taught me that I need to trap heat before I feel cold, so I donned my Jacket (with short sleeves), put on a beanie and cinch the hood, reveling in the warm cocoon that also covers my butt and upper thighs. A little food helps stoke the fires and I am now able to concentrate on photography, video or time lapse shenanigans with a little exploration beyond the campsite while the alpenglow is ablaze.  When I'm ready to retire I retreat to the bivy and pull up the elephants foot, knowing that if my toes get a little chilly I can put on my EE booties, and if my fingers need some supplemental heating I can use my Black Rock Foldback Mitts. Although my sleep/jacket system doesn't pack as small as if it they were stuffed with 950 down, I am less concerned about vapor transfer and wetting out with the Climashield. During the night I unzip my bivy and try with varying success to capture the Milky Way or Orion. In the morning I pack up still wearing the jacket to retain heat as long as possible, and perhaps even hike for 20 minutes until my ancient metabolic furnace finally kicks into gear and I'm able to shed down to appropriate layers. Then I'm off for 17 hours, arriving late because I underestimated the time needed to cover day 2 distance and elevation, but able to sack out in a protected spot that would never accommodate a tent but is perfect for my bivy with minimal fussing with gear: IOW, throw down and sleep.

typical bivy spot above treeline: custom Borah Gear bivy, custom Zimmerbuilt pack

Planned Trips using this system:

Glacier Peak Circumnavigation (@107 miles). My daughter and I attempted this last year but turned back due to time. This year I will solo it and plan 4 to 5 days.

PCT Section J (75 miles): I did this in one shot years ago, starting at Stevens Pass at around 2 PM after getting dropped off, and ending at Snoqualmie Pass about 10 PM....two nights later. On that trip I learned the true meaning of "sufferfest." This time I will plan on 3 days and try to end at Snoqualmie much earlier on day 3, and perhaps actually take in the scenery this time.

9,000-10,000' forges on Mt. Rainier: I've done the Grand Tour but have some areas I want to further explore, conducive to hard 2 day trips, or 3 at the most; Curtis Ridge, Puyallup Cleaver, Success Cleaver, Cowlitz Park, and a practically unexplored region between Ptarmigan Ridge and The Colonnade. Typical scenario on these trips; forge to an appropriate lower level spot to sleep on day one, then on day 2 push towards 9,000' or beyond and hike out.

 Black Bear Traverse: This 100 mile hike in the Olympics is a classic, described in Mike Woodmansee's book "Trekking Washington"

Only real world usage will tell if this system performs to my expectations, but Nunatak Gear has an excellent reputation for quality work and the experience background of Jan points to someone who has been there; in fact, when I balked at the cost of the elephants foot further emails convinced me to go for the whole system. I am also eager to test the Robic outer fabric and see how it holds up without the benefit of a bivy.

Willis Wall Songs and Instrumentals

I've been working in the studio lately after a break and compiled two playlists on Soundcloud, one for a song sampler and one for instrumentals. After all this is Willis Wall "Multimedia" and a lot of work goes into music production for my videos. I also like to have fun in the process. If you like slighly bent music and not so love songs, give a listen. Vocals by Darrell Dodge and May Palmer (Gimme a Latte). Additional instrumental work by Dan McInerney (guitar). These are in no particular order, but the latest are Bolerow, Settee and B'roke, with remastering on some previous songs like Paranoia and Enumclaw Love. Core music by the Willis Wall Trio, who shall remain anonymous. To aid in listening, these are the songs with vocals:

Gimme a Latte•  Enumclaw Love •  Never be so Lucky •  Paranoia •  So Special •  3 of Us

Willis Wall Blue Christmas 2016

It's time for the annual Willis Wall Holiday video. This past year film was gathered at Mt. Rainier, Mt. Baker, Glacier Peak, Channel Islands and the North Cascades. Lots of bike trips! Happy Holidays to everyone!

Zimmerbuilt builds my "Ultimate Pack System"

If one peruses prior posts here at williswall.com, mention of Zimmerbuilt custom packs came into play after ordering a few for myself and one for my daughter. Aside from a ski pack, these Zimmerbuilts have been the only pack to adorn my back for the last two years. I've found that I can make do with these smaller packs during the summer season when I don't have to carry more than about 3 days of food. However, this year I ordered what I might refer to as the "Ultimate Pack System" from Chris, consisting of three parts: main pack, detachable food bag, and front pack. Due to his schedule, Chris has been unable to deliver my front pack for this design as of yet, but I have substituted a front pack I received from him last year and this has worked out well. He did make me a custom sized pack strap camera pocket for those occasions when I didn't want to carry the front pack.

Zimmerbuilt pack on two day Channel Islands NP trip

I might call this newest addition a "movement pack." I spent a lot of time researching for an adventure racing pack, or ultra pack that I could buy off the shelf, so to speak. What I found were over engineered packs for my purpose...I am not adventure racing, so many of the extras were unnecessary. I just wanted as clean a pack as possible; no side water bottle pockets, no back pocket, nothing to catch on brush. I also wanted a pack that would hug my back, keeping the center of gravity inward. What I had made was a long, fairly wide but "flat" pack, only 4 inches deep. How many times have I wanted to access an item towards the bottom of any of my packs, and had to take crap out and lay it on the ground to be able to see or reach said item? To avoid this, I chanced a full length zipper in the middle of this pack, allowing me to find any item in the pack without having to remove stuff. When I say chanced, I knew the compromise this zipper would present; I could not stuff this pack with contents that would go into a regular tube, as the zipper becomes the weak point. This pack would need to be loaded accordingly, and with this limitation in mind I have had great success with it. While taking advantage of my back's real estate and keeping the depth at 4 inches, I have enough volume for myriad trips but the pack locks onto me, with absolutely no bounce, no sway and no noticeable effects on my center of gravity. The addition of a hip belt, only for the purpose of holding the pack in place and also incorporating two hip pockets, also helps with the utility. Here's a summary of observations after a season of use:

Zimmerbuilt basic pack for one day Enchantments Traverse

LIMITATIONS: carrying capacity, lack of side and back pockets, ventilation, zipper cautions (no overstuffing, fluids must be carried inside or on front pack

Zimmerbuilt Pack system loaded to the max (Glacier Peak)

BENEFITS: true back hugger, no sway or bounce, no protrusions to catch on branches or brush, versatility with the addition of food bag, simplicity

This year I did a fair amount of biking and this pack was on every trip. I did not use a front pack on the bike but still had access to my camera with the pack strap pocket. I did one trip where the pack system (all 3 components) were at their max, carrying 5 days of food, with no noticeable discomfort. Sometimes I strapped on the food bag and used it for fluids, extra clothing and other items for ease of access, as the pack still remained thin.

This system also worked well for a combo hike, where I biked for 9 miles then packed for 9, the latter part cross country for an overnight. What did I miss the most with this system? With no side pockets I either had to carry water in the pack or in the detachable food bag. Most of this time this was not a problem. I wish I had Chris put a pull tab on the bottom near the zipper to hold the pack in place when I was zipping up at full volume. Otherwise I am very happy with this configuration and am grateful there are still people out there that will do custom work. Needless to say working with Chris Zimmer is a pleasure, with excellent response to questions and impeccable workmanship.

bivy site on Mt. Rainier (Colonnade) on combo bike/hike with Zimmerbuilt pack and food bag

Zimmerbuilt custom pack with shoulder strap pockets (biking Rainier)

Mt. Rainier Grand Tour: Observation Rock, Ptarmigan Ridge

This was the last spot for me to hike on the Mt. Rainier Grand Tour, a self concocted trip forging up ridges and cleavers to afford astounding in-your-face views of Mt. Rainier's exquisite glacial topography. If done all at once as an orbit, the Tour entails 150 miles of hiking and 50,000 feet of vertical. However, you will do a bit more than that if taken in sections as I have done. This day trip turned out to be 15.5 miles with 4700 feet of elevation gain/loss. With tricky weather of late, I tried to take advantage of favorable conditions on Saturday September 24, hitting the trail at 7:45 AM after enduring the washboard road from hell to Mowich Lake. The weather held well enough but trended towards clouding up as the afternoon waned. However, I was able to summit Observation Rock (8376') with still open views; only the upper mountain was clouded over. After Observation I made my way up Ptarmigan Ridge to an obvious prominence and was rewarded with stunning vistas all around on the tiny summit, which my GPS put at 8670 feet. Like so many of the other points on the Tour, getting to these elevations allow one to gaze down upon the glaciers for intimate viewings of the world of rock and ice. Then just turn around and survey away from the mountain, picking out points passed on the Wonderland or climbed on the Tour. My objective in concocting the Grand Tour was to experience Mt. Rainier National Park both high and low, without the need for technical gear. I have hit every point on the Tour wearing trail runners (no microspikes or ice axe) and only aided by trekking poles or my ZPacks staff. Granted, on today's hike the Flett Glacier was a bit consolidated in the morning, so I crossed it twice on low angled spots, starting out climbing the ridge on the left, then right, and finally crossing over to Echo Rock and beyond. From that point I stayed on the rocks, scree, and pumiced marbles; just using the Flett Glacier would have been much easier, but I had already witnessed a booting skier slide into some rocks when he lost his footing, requiring some minor bandaging. My somewhat convoluted ascent and descent kept me off any hazardous angles. Complete photo set here.

Observation Rock (8376')

When I arrived at a saddle giving access to climbing Observation rock, a cold 20 knot wind necessitated donning 3 layers, a beanie and mittens. My clothing combo was perfect in that I was not cold and never came close to over heating while climbing. After Observation Rock I found Ptarmigan Ridge to be mild and low angled, making for a very pleasant ascent to the prominence. However, the tiny summit had me sitting down for most of my photography because of the airiness. I had left the option of climbing Echo Rock last but the clouds were moving in on the descent and I elected to save that summit for another day. Fog accompanied me from the bottom of the Flett until I reached lower Spray Park, and in the process I happened upon 3 mountain goats. We all exchanged looks and went about our business, and 11 hours after I set out I was back at my vehicle, ecstatic that I was able to finish the Tour before schedules and weather shut the door.

frozen tarn in Spray Park, looking at Echo and Observation Rocks

Mt. Rainier Grand Tour: The Colonnade

Pugetopolis behind me

A few years ago I crafted a trip around Mt. Rainier which would provide (in my opinion) the most intimate connection with the park, using the encircling Wonderland trail as the main avenue but departing in appropriate places to forge over largely unvisited areas like the Elysian Fields and probing up the myriad cleavers and ridge lines for in-your-face views. One such prominence, The Colonnade, is a place where an overnight bivy was in order to soak in the west facing flank of the mountain in sunset alpenglow. This ridge is accessed about 1.5 miles out of Golden Lakes heading CCW. As is typical for such "off trail" travel, there is an unmaintained trail that pops in and out of view on the way up the ridge, sometimes faint and sometimes obvious. My destination was a flat area on a high point affording a commanding view of the mountain and 360 degree views with the Puget Sound metropolitan city lights aglow behind me. Remnants of some structure were evident there, with rusted cables and old bolts, and further research uncovered the fact that an old fire lookout occupied the site, built in 1930 but quickly abandoned and dismantled for another spot. A discrepancy exists in that the lookout was listed as occupying a spot at 7,176 feet, yet my map and GPS indicated I was at 6,700 foot elevation. Continuing beyond my bivy spot would require much more scrambling and rugged terrain, but I did scurry out on an adjoining fin of rock, at one point just a few feet wide, to experience a more lofty environment. Oddly enough there was a bench mark on this fin from the National Center for Earthquake Research. See complete photo set here.

The Colonnade, Mt. Rainier National Park

Overview of the Grand Tour, Mt. Rainier

With perfect weather I was able to bike the West Side Road to its end (9 miles), then hike the remaining 9 miles or so to my spot on the ridge, arriving at 6 PM with plenty of time to set up my bivy and prepare for the coming pinkathon on the rock and ice before me. I set up my GoPro to time lapse the sunset, snapping photos with abandon and climbing out on the fin. When the color faded from the mountain, I crawled into my bivy to await darkness for some night photography. However, the rising, nearly full moon tracked most of the night from behind the mountain over my right shoulder, finally setting behind me around 5 AM. Bright enough to cast deep shadows and see details, I sometimes had to turn to my left side because it was like trying to sleep with a flashlight shining directly on my face. Such problems are good ones, though, and despite abundant light from the moon and predawn glow, the night was starry nonetheless. The temperature was crisp enough for me to don my shells inside the bivy with my 30 degree quilt, and I stayed cocooned until the morning sun was assaulting me, once clearing the rock obstacle before me.

Most of the high spots on the Tour are designed to be visited by day, retreating to lower elevations for slumber, but this perch on The Colonnade demands an overnight. Another such spot comes to mind, that being Curtis Ridge. I have but one more high point to hit to complete the Tour, and if weather cooperates that may come next week. But if not, The Colonnade will be fresh in my memory as one of the most spectacular spots to spend a night on the mountain.

The View, from the Colonnade

Fastpacking Quiver for the Wonderland Trail

I say Wonderland Trail but this equipment list could apply to any multiday hike in late summer. As I prepare to do my annual Wonderland hike, I have prepacked some equipment and have alternatives, depending on when I go out and possible weather conditions. When I say "fastpacking" I mean probably a 3 day hike of this 93 mile trail, or 4 at most. With the permit chaos this year, I will probably repeat last year's itinerary; start at Longmire, with day 1 ending at Mowich Lake (35 miles, 9500'), utilizing the free walk in camping available there. Day 2 would take me 25 miles with 6000' elevation to stop at White River campground. Lots of places to spread out for an evening, even paying for a site if need be. Day 3 would finish up (33 miles, 6100' elev) the trip back to Longmire. The advantage of this itinerary is no need for permits. Plus, because these days will be long, I have the ability to stop anywhere appropriate to "rest." Resting is not camping, meaning no tent etc, it means simply lying down for a few hours of shuteye. With this in mind, my equipment list is apropos.

EQUIPMENT for RESTING: I won't nail this down until I know the dates, which will be spur of the moment. If the weather is iffy enough to warrant more than this, I of course will go for a walk up permit. Bur for now I will either use my Borah Gear Cuben bivy, or my Borah Gear custom eVent bivy. The Cuben bivy is 4.5 ozs, but this year I had John make me a custom bivy out of breathable cuben, with a side zip and bug net weighing 9.1 ozs. Either can be paired with my ZPacks Pocket Tarp (4 ozs), but the erection of a tarp outside of Mowich Lake crosses into "camping", which will require a permit. Because I will use either my Enlightened Equipment 50 degree or 30 degree Enigma quilt, my pad will be the NeoAir XLite. Minimum weight for these items, 26 ozs. Maximum, 41 ozs.

Zimmerbuilt custom pack: 4" deep

PACK: Real simple, this year I have used a custom pack made by Chris Zimmer (Zimmerbuilt). I designed it so that it took advantage of my entire back's real estate, but is only 4 inches deep. A center full length zip allows easy access to contents; one can only imagine trying to get at an item at the bottom of a 4 inch deep pack. I also had side pockets installed on the minimal hip belt, which is only there to prevent swaying, not for any weight transfer. This makes for an incredibly clean design and exhibits no bounce or sway. Because of the reduced overall volume of this design, I had Chris put in 10 female buckles; 2 top, 2 bottom, 3 on each side. This is why I call this my "Ultimate Pack System", because I can add my custom food bag for longer trips. This add on, also made out of XPac material, is also rectangular shaped with a buckled roll top. It stays secure by buckling into the four top and bottom buckles, and I have the option of further securing with 3 horizontal straps across the back. I have found this add on also handy for keeping water bottles, pringle cans and other items I need ready access to. Most of the time I never need to open the main pack during the day.

PACK ADD ONS: I also designed a custom front pack for this system, which has yet to be built because of Chris's busy schedule. However, I have options in the meantime. I can attach an older custom front pack, also Zimmerbuilt made (2015), or a custom camera pocket, sized for my Panasonic LX100 and a water bottle pocket, which I have used for my InReach and other small items. For my Wonderland trip, I will probably be stripped down with no front pack and no add on food bag.

Zimmerbuilt Ultimate Pack system loaded to the maximum (21 lbs) for 6 day trip

I had this entire pack system loaded down for a 6 day trip with my daughter a few weeks ago, with the front pack and a full food bag. Everything weighed in (minus water) at 21 lbs, with only 9 of that being the gear. I found this to be the weight limit for an acceptable carry, as everything is on my shoulders with this system.

CLOTHING: I'll use one of my long pants and a NTS upper short sleeve. Because I have to be careful with sun exposure, I have been utilizing bike sun sleeves for a few years on blazing days. My noggin will either be covered with my ZPacks Pointy Hat, or an OR cap. For slightly cooler running I use a Beyond Clothing Brokk shirt. On this trip I will not pack a down sweater or vest, as I will either be moving or resting. Therefore I will use my Beyond Clothing ALPHA jacket for the insulation piece (these Beyond Clothing pieces have been drastically discounted as of late). I have used the Alpha jacket during periods of activity over the past 3 years and I can attest to the efficacy of this insulation. As a movement piece it fits perfectly into the ensemble, capped off by my ZPacks Challenger Rain Jacket, which I had made in size XL with pit zips and the extended 40 inch length. With my slim pack design it fits perfectly over my pack(s), essentially acting as a poncho. What's missing? Rain pants/rain kilt/long underwear/change of clothes. Everything I wear dries out by body heat, even if soaked. I will, however, pack 2 more sets of socks, and possibly an extra NTS shirt. Footwear will be by Inov8.

OTHER: med kit, which I will pare down to the minimum. My daughter tends to have more foot issues than I do, so we make sure I have plenty of foot care items. I haven't had a blister for years. Spare headlamp and batteries (lots of night hiking on this trip), spare camera battery, sunscreen, toothbrush, iPhone, InReach, minimal tripod, sunglasses, ZPacks mitts and Challenger Rain Mitts, BeFree .6 liter filter collapsible bottle, and about 5 pounds of food. 

I anticipate my total weight, including food and water, to come in at approximately 10 pounds. This weight is unnoticeable when carrying and allows me to cover the distances required for this itinerary, even at age 61. Of course it helps that I have hiked this trail over 30 times. This familiarity, coupled with years of experience, makes me completely comfortable with this setup. Consider that 20 years ago I did this trail in 36 hours with probably 5 pounds of total gear. 

I realize that the sparse nature of my kit is not for everybody. I actually prefer sleeping in a bivy (but not in the rain). I am very familiar with my body, nutritional requirements, and mental fitness and I have been able to dial in my equipment, much of it custom made, to my exact needs. I've seen decades of trial and error, and know what works for me. I enjoy both accompanied and solo trips, and my annual Wonderland hike allows me to traipse through this familiar terrain and recharge in the process. I also enjoy the ongoing process of dialing in gear and stressing my body and mind in the doing. Hopefully my next blog entry will be a trip report, where I can refer back to this post and recount my experience, hopefully giving the reader some useful information that he/she can perhaps embrace, or at least try. Cheers!

minimal pack setup in the Enchantments

Mt. Baker Round-The-Mountain 8/23-24/2016

Baker RTM bike elevation profile over 58 miles

Some intrepid hikers actually circumnavigated Mt. Baker about a decade ago in 2 stages, finding their own way off trail and battling incessant devils club. This link provides all the details of that trip, luckily archived on the web. In circling this volcano in a more traditional manner, I had to resort to biking and road walking, but it can be done if one has the stomach for it....walking roads is not everyone's cup of tea, nor is biking. On the morning of August 23 I set out from the Lake Ann trail head (Highway 542) on bike and started this two day journey. The first part is somewhat exhilarating, negotiating the curves and switchbacks starting at 4800' elevation, with the rest of the biking in peaceful farm country with a fairly flat middle section; the first 45 miles only has 800 feet of climb, with the last section on Forest Service Road 38 attacking the quads with 2600' of climb over 13 miles, ending at the Ridley Creek trail head. At this point I stashed my bike (after 6 hours of riding) in the woods. See the insert on the main map above for the bike route and click here for the complete photo set.

Day 1 elevation profile for the hike portion (22 miles)

For this trip I wore Pearl Izumi mountain bike shorts, trading the padded bike liner for underwear and the bike top for a hiking shirt, leaving these clothes, helmet and road/phone case in the pannier. I usually hike in long pants and the decision to stick with the shorts would bite me later on. I unfolded my ZPacks staff and headed out on the Ridley Creek trail, with no problems on the crossing as there is an adequate bridge in place. I was delighted that the bugs were few and the temperatures were cool, as this trail is rather steep in some places. After laboring uphill for a time, giving my quads time to adjust to hiking versus biking, the forest gave way to more open meadows and the intersection with the Park Butte trail. I stopped at the shelter and exchanged pleasantries with the WTA crew that were there, expressing my thanks for their good work. I had regained the altitude at the crest of the Park Butte trail from whence I started and would now spend many hours descending to much lower elevations. I arrived at the Mt. Baker NRA trail head with plenty of light to spare (about 6:30 PM), ate a snack and refilled my water from a nearby creek, then set off on my series of road walks. I trotted the downhill on Road 13 to the intersection with Road 12, and by the time I stepped foot on the paved Baker Lake Road (11) it was dark. Now I am completely comfortable with night hiking solo in the back country, but there is a certain creepiness in walking a road late at night when it comes to the human element. I decided that if vehicles came along I would duck into the grass and turn off my light, no reason to let anyone know I was there. I had to do this only twice, reminiscent of my Air Force Survival School days and stealth training. Around midnight I got a text from my wife (InReach) saying not to push it too hard and perhaps I should find a place to sleep. Seemed like a good idea, so after 18 hours of biking and hiking, covering about 80 miles to that point, I stopped at the Boulder Creek CG, right before the intersection with Road 1130, and laid out my bivy and bag on a picnic table to catch a few Zzzz's.
 

Old growth splendor on the Ridley Creek trail

Mt. Baker from the Park Butte trail

The mossy forest walk on Road 1130

RUDE AWAKENING: I've slept on picnic tables quite a few times over the past 30 years, and was not prepared for what happened. As I turned over in my sleep, I awoke airborne as I had rolled off the table, impacting the ground on my right side. It took me a few minutes to extricate myself from the bivy, and after resetting up sleep arrangements on the ground, I concluded that I had probably bruised some ribs, or damaged the muscle that runs across the right pec. With no choice but to try and get back to sleep, I rebedded on terra firma and awoke at 6 AM. Although sore, nothing seemed to be badly damaged so I gingerly packed up and set off for the remainder of the trip, having to cover the last 15 miles.

3 Advil took the edge off the pain and the morning was cool but not cold, there were no bugs about, and I enjoyed a very lovely walk up Road 1130, bounded by moss covered trees and able to refill my water with small trickling creeks. Soon enough I intersected Road 1144 (closed from the Baker Lake road) and a very short section deposited me back on trail for the rest of the trek. At first I was encouraged by the pleasantness of the Swift Creek trail, strolling through old growth forest, planked walkways and moss lined trail. This quickly vanished at the crossing of Swift Creek, the only place that was actually a "difficult crossing" noted on the map; IOW, no bridge, but there was an old cable system and I could espy the ramp on the other side. I pulled the cable and it worked just fine, but there was nothing attached to it so I had to resort to the old fashioned way of finding my way across, feet wet. From this point on the Swift Creek trail tore me up; it didn't matter if it was a brushy open hillside or forested way, whatever was growing next to the trail had small, probably toxic thorns that actually made the contact areas tingling and numb (lasting until the next day). Obviously at this point I wished I had my long pants, but the show must go on and I endured, seemingly forever, until at last I reached the intersection with the Lake Ann trail. With only 2.4 miles to go at 3 PM, I brushed off the aching ribs, numbing shins and rising heat to enjoy this pleasant stroll to my awaiting truck, climbing to my starting elevation of 4800 feet and completing the loop.

polypore colony

impressive old growth

I cleaned up as best I could and set off to retrieve my bike at 4:15 PM. Going in and out of FS 38 took nearly 2 hours, as at some points I couldn't do more than 10 MPH on this 13 mile long road. I finally got home just before 10 PM; after a much needed shower my wife attended to my various physical ailments, fed me and handed me 3 more Advil, watching me grimace as I tried to lie down. So ends the Mt. Baker Round-The-Mountain, probably the only time this particular iteration will ever be done, 'cause I'm sure not to repeat it and I seriously doubt anyone else would find this appealing. But if you do, might I suggest you sleep on the ground.

I've been recording classic bike descents in the state, and the initial portion of Mt. Baker Highway 542 ranks among the best. I brought at least one camera to capture some of the biking. This video entails the first 7 miles of the ride with 2,000 feet of winding descent.

As part of a Mt. Baker Round-The-Mountain trip, my first segment was 58 miles of biking, starting at the Lake Ann trail head. I proceeded west on Highway 542, then south, then on to the Mosquito Lake Road, and finally finishing up the bike segment on FS 38. This video covers the initial bike segment, 7 miles and 2,000 feet of exhilarating descent, another classic bike route in Washington State.

Enchantments Transit

This description of the Enchantments (Alpine Lakes Wilderness, WA) from the Washington Trails Association (WTA) site provides an excellent overview:

 In the Enchantments, nature has carved one of the magnificent places of this world--an alpine paradise of granite worn smooth by glaciers, larches manicured by wind and cold, and crystal blue lakes strung together by a creek that tumbles and thunders between them. Seemingly everywhere, herds of mountain goats calmly wander by. Superlatives simply don’t suffice, and you quickly find yourself resorting to otherworldly comparisons, just like the early visitors who bestowed place names like Aasgard, Sprite and Leprechaun on the fairy tale surroundings.

There are three ways to experience the Enchantments, none easy. The absolute minimum price of admission here is a hike of not less than seven miles gaining at least 4,400 feet in elevation in order to make it to even just one of the lakes in the Upper Enchantments. If you're lucky enough to get an overnight permit, you can backpack at your leisure via the Snow Lakes or Stuart Lake trailheads. If you’re a very strong hiker, you can make it in and out via either trailhead in a single day, although seeing all of the lakes this way is so grueling it borders on the impossible. With two cars (or a car and some bikes), you can hike point-to-point from one trailhead to the other and transit between the two. The thru-hike is typically done from the Stuart Lake trailhead, because it reduces the total elevation gain by 2,600 feet relative to going the opposite direction (although it still takes in the punishing climb up Aasgard Pass, which rises 1,900 feet in less than a mile). Pick your poison; enjoy the rewards.

Our one day transit of the Enchantments on August 12, 2016

My daughter and I did this transit on August 12, 2016. The description above might be a bit discouraging ("is so grueling it borders on the impossible") but we found this hike to be extremely enjoyable as a one day, with pain only nagging us at the end towards the Snow Lakes Trailhead. We availed ourselves of the Leavenworth Shuttle, allowing us to leave our vehicle at the Snow Lakes trailhead and begin our hike at the Lake Stuart trailhead, feet on the trail at 6:20 AM, well worth the price of admission. We were not in top shape for this but, knowing the score at the get go, our plan was to linger in the upper basins and endure the interminable downhill slog after Nada Lake. We snacked, soaked our feet in the cold waters, and at one point stood for twenty minutes as a mountain goat and her kid munched on grasses right up to our feet; we may as well have been trees or rocks. So awesome were the views that I snapped 450 pix along the way. This area certainly lives up to its reputation, and we found the crowds thin in the upper areas, possibly because the strenuous nature of this hike weeds out the casual backpacker. By upper areas I mean from Aasgard pass to Lake Viviane. Last year we had a core permit but the weather was daunting, drastically thinning out the usual summer throngs with reports of snow and 60 MPH winds. We certainly enjoyed our stay there but after exploring the area in rain and wind wearing 3 layers, this transit in incredible weather was indeed a visual and experiential feast, well worth the payment in grinding downhill and sore legs afterwards.

PHOTO SET HERE

unconcerned kid in the Enchantments