June 24, 2019

Quick Overnight 6-24-2019

21 pounds on the way in, 15 pounds on the way out.

The plan is to pick up my son Paul at 3PM, head up the mountain and hike about 2 miles to a spot I have enjoyed before. That should put us there with an hour of sunlight. Weather is absolutely clear, so cowboy camping should be just fine. I will take my Jetboil stove and a partially used 8 ounce fuel can. Fire danger is extreme this time of year, so no messing around with open flames. Water will be an issue. There is a spring near where we plan to camp, but a fair distance downhill and it is uncertain if it will be flowing. I will carry 2.5 liters (5 pounds of water) and about 2 pounds of food.

My baseweight is 12 pounds 13 ounces. With food and water, I will be carrying a 20 pound pack. I could do a number of things to reduce my base weight. I am carrying a 2 pound sleeping pad (my REI "stratus"), once I get my Neoair Uberlight (7 ounces in the short version) that would cut significant weight. My sleeping bag needs to be converted to a quilt - that would cut a pound. Also I am carrying my HMG "southwest" pack, which is 2.5 pounds. I could switch to my MLD "ark" which is only 1 pound. So there you have a way I could ditch 1.5 + 1.0 + 1.5 = 4.0 pounds. Ditching 4 pounds would reduce my base weight from 13 to 9 pounds. So why don't I just do it? Well, my pack is packed and the Uberlite has not arrived yet. Also the quilt conversion is a full day of work.

The trip

We got to the trailhead (San Pedro Vista) at 5:15 and were at our campspot near Bear Saddle by 6:30 (2 miles in). A nice clear night with a bit of wind early in the evening, but settling down later. Temperatures dropped only to 55 degrees, so I was fine in my 40 degree rated down bag using it as a quilt. I slept on the REI "stratus", which is an OK pad, but not luxurious. We got up at first light (6:00 AM). In the morning we could hear a large animal (almost certainly a bear) rummaging around downhill from our camp. We had oatmeal and coffee for breakfast and hiked out. After dropping Paul off at his house, I was back home before 11:00 AM

Gear list

Big stuff: Clothes: A note on fuel. I carried a partially full 8 ounce canister. I weighed it before and after the trip. We consumed 1.4 ounces of fuel cooking dinner and breakfast for two people using Paul's MSR Windburner stove. Small items: Extra food items:

Analysis

We never paid a visit to nearby Maverick Spring, so we have no idea if it was running or not. A few mosquitos paid us a visit, so it probably was. I carried 2.5 liters of water, and it was barely adequate for dinner and breakfast. We hiked in the cool of the evening and morning, so our water requirements were minimal. It was 105 in Tucson, and things felt hot even up on the mountain. A bit more water would have been nice, 3 liters or even 4.

The only thing I forgot and wished I had was a toothbrush. I really should put together a permanent kit of small items, which ought also to include a spare lighter.

What could I have left behind? I carried some thermal pants that I never used. I also carried a Mont-Bell down jacket (15 ounces) that I never used, but loaned to Paul. My food bag still weighed 1 pound 8 ounces on exit, so I had some extra weight there. I carried a 5 ounce 18650 based headlamp that I never used. My son had a Petzl Bindi headlamp (1.2 ounces/ 35 grams) that would be a nice alternative when I don't actually expect to use it while hiking.

Have any comments? Questions? Drop me a line!

Tom's hiking pages / tom@mmto.org