I'm doing an overnight hike in the White Mountains this weekend, dammit

[darxus]

A dozen miles, two days and one night in the woods, is nothing. I have the gear. I can do this. I should have done this already.

You're welcome to join me. I'm planning to spend the days walking, but I don't expect to make a lot of distance.

I figure about all you need is:

• Hydration bladder or canteen
• Poncho (or rain coat)
• Tent or bivy sack
• Sleeping bag
• Food
• Good boots
• A small pack to carry everything in

In forms you're willing to carry over mountains for a couple days.

For food, I'm thinking of just taking lots of hard boiled eggs, for simplicity. I'm bringing a water filter.

I think my sleeping bag + bivy sack set is really neat. NATO Modular Sleep System, about $100 lightly used. Four season, two nestable sleeping bags. A bivy sack is a waterproof outer shell to use instead of a tent. I'm planning to put everything else in a small day-pack, and tie the MSS to the pack.


I'm already fantasizing about future trips to see how light I can pack:

• Loin cloth
• Belt
• Knife
• Poncho
• Poncho liner (ties to poncho for expedient water proof sleeping bag)
• 1 quart canteen
• Pemmican (jerky + rendered fat)

No shoes, no pack. Probably won't happen, but the thought amuses me. I have great difficulty with the idea that I need to filter water from a natural source before drinking it.

A web page of mine about somewhat related gear: http://www.chaosreigns.com/shtf/


A fairly common (to me) acronym is BOB - Bug Out Bag. A more specific term that often brings tears to my eyes is:
INCH bag.
I'm Never Coming Home.

"You only truly own what you can carry at a dead run."

Comments

[darxus.livejournal.com]

Currently my plan is to take the Liberty Spring Trail up to the Liberty Spring Tentsite, get water there, and spend the night in that area. Then go the rest of the way up Mt. Liberty to get a taste of above the treeline, hang around there, maybe wander the Franconia Ridge Trail between Mt. Flume and Little Haystack Mountain, and head back down the Liberty Spring Trail.

I'd really like to do Little Haystack Mountain to Mt. Lafayette, above the treeline, but, while it can be done in a day hike (by some people), the coworker I've been talking to says it's tough to get to water. You kind of need to spend a day getting to the Liberty Spring, then spend a day going along the ridge to get to water at Mt Garfield. I hadn't thought that far myself, but above the treeline, water is a problem :)

[doctordidj.livejournal.com]

I've done Liberty and Flume as a day hike, and it was a nice day hike. When I did Little Haystack, Lincoln, and Lafayette, it was long for a day hike. That was where I the "fool killer" weather on Franconia Ridge. In the parking lot, mid 80s and a gorgeous sunny day. On the ridge, suddenly we were in freezing fog at about 50 mph winds -- and already sweaty and tired from the climb. We had coats and hats, but not earmuffs and gloves, and we needed them. By the time we returned to the parking lot, it was glorious cloudfree sky again. That's when the waterproofs can save your life.