Talusdancers

Happy Old Year!

… and let the updates begin.

Owen’s Equipment List and Dan’s Equipment List have been transferred over from the old site, along with trip pages from the past three years.

More to come…
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Note – much of the equipment listed beow can be borrowed from other members of the party or rented from REI, Marmot Mountaineering, A16, etc.

Communal equipment (water filter, stoves, fuel, pots, tents, etc. may be provided by other members of the party √ you will help carry a share of it.

***Key

+ recommended

# ulta-light, for experienced wilderness travelers

* not recommended, but it will do as long as the weather is not severe.

** avoid

BD = Black Diamond (available at REI, Marmot Mountaineering, and Western Mountaineering)

OR = Outdoor Research (available at REI and others)

REI = Recreational Equipment, Inc. (stores in Saratoga, San Carlos, Fremont, Berkeley and Concord)

SD = Sierra Designs (available at REI and others)

TNF = The North Face (Outlets in Berkeley and San Francisco)

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G E N E R A L   B A C K P A C K I N G   C H E C K L I S T

TO BE WORN WHILE HIKING:

• underwear, T-shirt, shorts, thick hiking socks, polypro liner socks
• hiking boots (tough enough, yet well fitting and comfortable)
• sun-shielding hat/cap, sunglasses (UV protective)
• backpack comfortable and big enough for all of the below:

TO BE PACKED IN OR ON ONE’S BACKPACK:

• backpacking sleeping bag (lightweight synthetic or down, rated at least +20 degrees)
• sleeping pad (foam or Thermarest type mattress)
• backpacking tent – may be shared, ground sheet
• adequate wind/rainwear (coated nylon rain poncho with room for a pack to full-on Gortex)
• warm sweater(s, wool or fleece) and/or a down parka
• thick thermal top and bottom (non-cotton: polypro, capilene, etc.)
• swimsuit (quick-drying), change of T-shirts, underwear and socks
• wool or fleece hat; ski, fleece or wool gloves;
• eyeglasses (if applicable)
• pack raincover (a large plastic garbage bag has worked before)
• metal or plastic cereal bowl, spoon, drinking cup (Lexan),
• water bottle (1 liter minimum, Nalgene or Platypus)
• food in ziplock bags, large ziplock refuse bag packed in:
• a bear canister (1 per person per 6 days possible),
• or a large stuff sack for use in existing bear boxes,
• or an Ursack (if allowed by law, see www.ursack.com)
• backpacking stove and fuel in fuel bottle – may be shared
• water filter, collapsible water bucket (optional) – may be shared
• travel size toothpaste, biodegradable soap, shampoo (optional), deodorant
• toothbrush, small bath towel, washcloth
• toilet paper w/o tube in a ziplock bag (1 full roll per person per 5-7 days),
• sunscreen with highest SPF (extremely important), sunscreening lip balm
• effective mosquito repellent
• first aid kit – may be shared (i.e. – bandages, tape, moleskin, anti-bacterial ointment, insect bite itch ointment, pain reliever)
• dependable lighter (Bic for example)
• police whistle, I.D.
• small flashlight w/batteries, extra batteries
• pocket knife

A GOOD IDEA BUT SINCE YOU ARE WITH US AND WE ALREADY HAVE THEM, NOT
IMPERATIVE:

• topographic map, compass

OPTIONAL

• camera, film or extra memory
• fishing tackle and license,
• guitar
• binoculars
• pocketbook,
• ski poles (save your knees)
• camp footwear (i.e. – zories)

B A C K P A C K I N G   M E A L   P L A N N E R

MEAL IDEAS:

Note – there is no refrigeration (I actually make sure there are @#%! preservatives in my breads!). Tastiness and compactness are key.

breakfasts:

• English muffin with margarine & honey,
• Kings Hawaiian Bread Rolls,
• Fi-bar or other breakfast bar,
• Quaker Instant Oatmeal,
• cold cereal with or without milk (from powder),
• Tang (from powder), hot tea, instant coffee, espresso (mechanism required)

trailsnacks:

• granola bars, M&M’s, nuts, trailmix, dried fruit, arare crackers,
• energy bars
• cold filtered mountain water

lunches:

• Italian dry salami with German rye bread,
• canned deviled ham and pita bread,
• beef jerky, whole grain cracker bread,
• cold filtered mountain water, lemonade (from powder)

dinners:

• any dehydrated backpacking entree (large variety, lightweight, expensive, scary),
• any Nile Spice (or similar) cup-o-soup with flour tortilla,
• any asian instant ramen noodle soup
• fresh caught trout (you catch it!) with Minute Rice, fresh garlic and dried herbs,
• dry German Sausage and pita bread with fresh vegetables (broccoli, red bell pepper, carrots)
• Casbah or Near East cous-cous, tabouli, falafel, humus, and/or baba ganoush with pita bread
• hot tea, warm milk, hot chocolate, lemonade, cold-filtered mountain water

Please carefully plan, purchase and pack food at home before departure.

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From Onion Valley to Mt. Whitney via Forester Pass

The group at Onion Valley trailhead at the start of the trip.

On top of Forester Pass.

Most of the group (minus Dan and Brandon who summitted but missed the picture) at the summit of Mt. Whitney.

The entire party at the end of the trip at Whitney Portal.

Important Stuff

• “Mt Whitney Map”
• “Whitney Trip Trailhead BBQ”

Main Party* – What we did

August 5 (Saturday) – Meet at Onion Valley. Shuttle cars to Whitney Portal. Trailhead barbecue.

August 6 (Sunday) – Over Kearsearge Pass to Kearsearge Lakes. 6 miles.

August 7 (Monday) – Down to Bubbs Creek and up to junction with the Center Basin trail. 5.8 miles.

August 8 (Tuesday) – Over Forrester Pass (13,200) to Tyndall Creek. 9.5 miles.

August 9 (Wednesday) – South on Muir Trail to Wallace Creek. 4.6 miles.

August 10 (Thursday) – On Muir Trail to Guitar Lake. 7.2 miles

August 11 (Friday) – Check out the weather and then to top of Whitney. 5.5 miles.

August 12 (Saturday) – Down to Whitney Portal. 11.0 miles. Retrieve cars, drive to Mammoth, huge dinner at Roberto’s, hotel

August 13 (Sunday) – drive home

* – Including “Owen”, “Dan”, “Brandon”, “Jay Z”, “Brian”, “Mo & Steve”, “Ry”, “Caroline”, “Michael”

Late Arrivals (and crazed hiking maniacs **

August 8 (Tuesday) – Drive to Lone Pine.

August 9 (Wednesday) – Drive to Symmes Creek trailhead. Hike to Shepherd Pass. 11.0 miles and 6000′!

August 10 (Thursday) – To Crabtree Ranger Station (13.0 miles) or Guitar Lake (16.0 miles) to join main party. (Look for note from main party at Crabtree R.S.)

August 11 (Friday) – Check out the weather and then to the top of Whitney from either Guitar Lake or Crabtree Ranger Station. 5.5 or 8.5 miles.

August 12 (Saturday) – Down to Whitney Portal. 11.0 miles. Retrieve cars, eat a lot of food, take showers, drive home.

** – “Karen” and “Gary”.

Food Storage

Between Onion Valley and Forrester Pass, to protect the bears and other furry residents from our food, bear cannisters or use of bear lockers located at the more popular campsites is now required by law. We plan to
camp at these campsites with bearlockers, but there is always the chance they may be full since the quota for the day we are going and the surrounding days is full (there will likely be lots of people on the trail). Bearbagging via counterbalancing is now illegal and simply doesn’t work anymore. A week’s worth of food for one person should just barely make it in one bear canister.

Thus your food storage choices are:

Per person:

• 1 bear canister ($78 at REI, approx. $50 via http://www.395.com/portal/, or $2/day to
  rent from Whitney Portal Store).

• 1 ca.9″x12″ stuff sack with your name on it for use in the bear lockers – and hope space is available!

Trailhead campsites at Onion Valley

Watch for info via email or contact freeheel@earthlink.net. Cost per person is $4.

Post-hike accommodations

We stayed at Quality Inn in Mammoth – accompanied by jacuzzi time, a dip in the pool, a nice dinner at Roberto’s in Mammoth.

Equipment

By popular demand (hah!) “Owen” and “Dan” have posted their equipment lists for all to marvel at.

• Owen’s Equipment List
• Dan’s Equipment List

Previous visits to this area

Several of us went over Kearsearge Pass from Onion Valley a few years ago, but we turned north over Glenn Pass – passing Rae Lakes and then exiting to the east over Baxter Pass. Others have been to the top of Whitney from the east. At least one of us (tioga@talusdancers.com) has covered the entire trail, albeit on multiple trips, except for the short section between Tyndall and Wallace Creeks. (Why that section is missing is a story for another time…)

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Bunny Flat to Horse Camp -
April 27-29

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August 2-9, 2001

Notes:

The trip has two segments: Mammoth to Tuolumne, and Tuolumne to
Yosemite Valley. People may opt to do one or both segments.

Good physical condition required – passes are moderate, but daily distances, especially on the 1st half, are demanding. Total mileage = 57.2 miles.

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aka Lake Ediza Basecamp

First choice of dates: July 12-17, 2001

Party of 9 (application for permit has been mailed)

Permit requires that everyone that permit enter the wilderness at the same
time. Anyone wishing to enter the wilderness later (i.e. join the trip in
progress), or earlier must obtain their own permit. Those wishing to leave
early may do so at anytime since it is only day’s walk in or out.

Climbing Info

Here are two detailed descriptions of the climb from Lake Ediza to Mt. Ritter.
The routes described not exactly the same, but all end up on the summit of
Mt. Ritter.

• http://www.climber.org/TripReports/1997/ritter.html
• http://www.climber.org/Feature/Ritter1998/norockroute.html

This one describes Ritter, then Banner too:

• http://www.climber.org/TripReports/1998/banner.html

It will be challenge!

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Itinerary

Plans changed twice. We originally were going on Memorial Day weekend but conditions were less than optimal. As it turned out, we probably made a good choice by not going – the Shasta conditions reports (http://www.r5.fs.fed.us/shastatrinity/mtshasta/reports.htm) page states that almost no one made it to the top because of extreme winds above the Red Bank. Then Owen injured his left foot training. Still, Dan and Owen went…

• Su June 16 – Drive to Bunny Flat 8000′ 6 hours from San Jose), hike to Horse Camp.
• Mo June 17 – climb up Giddy-Giddy Gulch, renamed Gimpy-Gimpy Gulch, class 2.
• Tu June 18 – hike out and drive home

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***Trip report:
Dan has posted a South Lake to Onion Valley 2004 Trip Report.

Description

Some of the most beautiful and breathtaking territory on the planet. About 60 miles and a record 9 days on the trail, 5 MAJOR passes, and a possible 14000+ peak attempt. Super Wow! Be in incredible shape for this one! This is a long trip in terms of duration, but we’ll all be in great shape after a few days on the trail. Bear canisters required (pack-em tight!).

***Saturday, July 10 through Sunday, July 18.

(Friday July 9 evening trailhead arrival recommended but not absolutely required; optional Sunday July 18 evening at hotel on the way home.)

This trip was originally planned for the summer of 2003, but too many participants had to cancel out and we ended up doing a different – but quite wonderful – trip. (See Pioneer Basin 2003 Trip Report.)

We realized that many people cannot easily take off more than one week from work – and the 2003 plan for this trip went clear through one week and two days into the next. We have redesigned it so that it can be completed in 9 days; two weekends and the intervening 5 weekdays. We have scheduled the traditional trailhead barbecue for late on Friday in the hope that the gainfully employed participants who must work on Friday can get to the mountains after work – we know you want to!

***May 12 update
Note new dates. Quota was filled for the original dates. Apparently backcountry afficionados heard that the Talusdancers were going to be in the Sierra and there was a sudden rush to be there to see us… or not. We have a pair of permits for 6 persons total reserved. Additional spots are available “at the trailhead” (which actually means at any of a number of east side ranger stations) the day before the first trail day. We can add more participants but they will need to arrive at an east side ranger station early enough in the morning to be first in line for available spots, which frequently disappear with astonishing speed.

Although this is an earlier schedule than traditional Talusdancers trips, we think that this is a great year to go early. Winter ended about a month early this year, so conditions should be great in July.

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Itinerary

We have modified the original (and aborted) 2003 schedule to accommodate those who can take off only one week from work. You can participate in the full trip if you can get one week off including the weekend before and after. No excuses this year!

***Day 0 (travel day)
(Friday July 9)
- Drive to Onion Valley for Trailhead BBQ. Car-camp, leave all So-Cal cars, most No-Cal cars. (It is possible to arrive the next day and still join us – see “Variations” below.)

***Day 1
(Saturday July 10) – Drive minimum No-Cal cars to South Lake (9,600). hike to Dusy Basin via Bishop Pass (11,972) 8.0 miles, camp at lakes on lower part of basin. (Possible SoCal late arrivals may join at trailhead?)

*** Day 2
(Sunday July 11) – Hike to confluence of Middle Fork Kings River / Palisade Creek (8,020) 6.9 miles, camp.

*** Day 3
(Monday July 12) – Hike to “pretty” bench above Palisade Lakes (10880) 7.7 miles, camp.

*** Day 4
(Tuesday July 13) – Hike via Mather Pass (12,100) to Upper Basin (11,000+) 4 miles, basecamp. Possible attempt on Split Mountain; 14,000+.

*** Day 5
(Wednesday July 14) – Hike via ford of South fork Kings River (10,098) to Marjorie Lake (11,160) 7 miles.

*** Day 6
(Thursday July 15) – Hike via Pinchot Pass 12,130 to Woods Creek Suspension Bridge (8,547) 9.4 miles, camp.

*** Day 7
(Friday July 16) – Hike to Rae Lakes Ranger Station (10,597) 6.3 miles, camp.

*** Day 8
(Saturday July 17) – Hike via Glen Pass (11,923) to Kearsarge Lakes (11,000) 7.1 miles, camp.

***Day 9
(Sunday July 18) – Hike via Kearsarge Pass (11,823) to Onion Valley (9,200) 6 miles. Drive to South Lake, pick-up cars, Drive to Mammoth, hearty dinner, hotel – or drive straight home for the unfortunate ones who need to be back at work on Monday.

***Day 10
(Monday July 19) – Teachers, students, and others lacking gainful employment sleep in late at hotel, enjoy post-hike breakfast, and drive home… or, see “Variations” below.

Variations

1. It is possible to drive in late day 0 (after work departure) directly to South Lake and meet us on day 1.
2. It is possible to enter late and/or exit early via Taboose, Sawmill, or Baxter Passes ; However, these trails (applying the term in the most liberal sense) are extremely long, arduous, tortuous, unmaintained, and at times non-existent. For the experienced, krazy, and Ironman-ready only (separate permit required for later entrances).
3. It is possible to start late (separate permit required) and increase mileage at the start, thereby catching up with us. One could also increase mileage towards the end to finish early and/or drive directly home right away if you have to be at work or something, but why would you do that? Where would you rather be? In any case, this is certainly a better variation than no. 2.
4. Since we have permits for a 10-day trip but only 9 days scheduled on the trail we (individually or collectively) could lengthen the trip and stay in the backcountry one extra day, coming out on Monday July 19 and driving home the next day. At this point we have no plans to do this, but the option is there.

Other

Questions or comments? Send email.
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This list is a perfect example of a project that got out of hand. It started out as a simple packing list for friends who were accompanying me on a pack trip. However, the more I thought about it the more I realized that there is no single equipment list that covers all situations of weather, season, style, trip length, terrain and so on. Plus, I like to make lists. So, here you have my formely-brief-but-now-absurdly-long list.

This list is a starting point – I never take everything on the list. And even though I know that my way is the best way, I hear that some people have successfully backpacked with different equipment. The nerve!

After more than 35 years of backpacking I’m still revising this list. I’m not sure if this is because I’m changing, the gear is getting better, or if its just too darn much fun to shop for new equipment!

The list is updated from time to time as I acquire and use new equipment. Last update on August 21, 2006.

Read the disclaimer before making your own informed decisions about whether or not to rely anything that you read here.

Contents

1. Dan’s Equipment List: Clothing
2. Dan’s Equipment List: Camp Gear
3. Dan’s Equipment List: Personal Gear
4. Dan’s Equipment List: Food
5. Dan’s Equipment List: Sierra Bears
6. Dan’s Equipment List: Cooking and Eating
7. Dan’s Equipment List: Ultralight
8. Dan’s Equipment List: Photography
9. Dan’s Equipment List: Packing
10. Dan’s Equipment List: The Old Days
11. Dan’s Equipment List: Disclaimer

(NOTE: This page was becoming quite long, so I have split the article up into separate pages accessible via the list of links above.)
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