Re: Another wildernes pass--Backpacking trip question.

I'm interested in a five night backbacking trip starting from Tuolumne Meadows and heading into Glen Aulin area. I thought I would explore and fish up the Tuolumne river in that area and head to May lake the next day then go to Sunrise lakes, next day go to Cathedral lakes and back to Tuolumne Meadows. I know thats only four nights but I thought if we really liked an area we could camp there two nights. Is this advisable and doable as a re-entry into backbacking after many years away from the sport. If you know of a better route in this area as a five day trip I would much like to hear about it. I'll be backbacking with two other newbie's that are very excited about the trip but I quess I'm taking the lead on this.

Were planning to go mid week just after Labor Day Weekend and was wondering if I need reservations or If I can easily get a first come first serve wilderness pass as its after the summer crowds...(I'm hoping.) I'm recently retired and very excited about going backpacking! I've not been for 30 plus years so I know things have changed. I keep myself in good physical condition but just want to work into this at a slower rate. I'm reading lots of books on backpacking and different hikes in the area.

I went to Yosemite last month with my wife and son for the first time. We camped outside the valley and drove in early on a weekday. It was so much fun and I can't stop thinking about the natural beauty. Yosemite falls was running and I was absolutly shocked at the beauty of the meadows and falls from the valley floor. Really felt like I was in an amusement park with all the falls working and natural beauty. I digress. Anyways looking forward to some info from some long time Sierra users.
Thank You.

No reason not to get reservations other than the cost. There wouldn't seem to be a problem with getting reservations.

I don't really see a problem with FCFS, although you might want to get to the permit office early.

Quote
lopezwill
I'm interested in a five night backbacking trip starting from Tuolumne Meadows and heading into Glen Aulin area. I thought I would explore and fish up the Tuolumne river in that area and head to May lake the next day then go to Sunrise lakes, next day go to Cathedral lakes and back to Tuolumne Meadows. Is this advisable and doable as a re-entry into backbacking after many years away from the sport. If you know of a better route in this area as a five day trip I would much like to hear about it.

I think that you will need to obtain separate permits for the sections of the hike on the northside and the southside of the Tioga Road since you will be technically entering the backcountry at another trailhead when you cross it. I'm not certain how the permit office handles this situation. Anybody?

The Glen Aulin to May Lake part of the hike would be the most difficult for you. A quick look at a TOPO! CD profile compilation shows that leg to be about 7.5 miles with a total elevation gain of around 2.6k and an elevation loss of 1.3k. Unless you guys have been keeping in shape by carrying around 30-40 lb. packs, I can easily envision you struggling there. It's not the distances that wear one out... it's the elevation changes (particularly uphill, of course, but downhill can be exhausting also on steep sections). I would suggest perhaps following Murphy Creek toward Tenaya instead and camping along the creek or over at Polly Dome Lakes. This will reduce the above elevation changes by around +1.4k and -0.8k. At least keep it in mind as a alternative if you are starting to drag when you reach the appropriate trail intersection.


quote=lopezwill]
We're planning to go mid week just after Labor Day Weekend and was wondering if I need reservations or If I can easily get a first come first serve wilderness pass as its after the summer crowds...(I'm hoping.)[/quote]

You shouldn't have any problem obtaining a FCFS permit with your timing.

lopezwill,

You definitely require two permits. Coming out to Tioga Road cancels the first one and a new one is required to re-enter another trailhead. You might try getting advance reservations if any are available. Otherwise, you will need to go to the Toulumne Meadows Permit Station the same day of each trailhead entry to hopefully secure permits. If you already have advance reservations this gives you a little more flexibility because you can pick up each permit the same day of entry or the day before.

Glen Aulin is often booked up but if you are flexible about camping near but not in Glen Aulin then you might have better luck trying for a Glen Aulin pass-through permit.

Jim



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/02/2009 06:47PM by tomdisco.

Verify the two permit requirement. I can see needing two if you were to get a permit for a less popular trailhead and tried to cross over to a full trailhead on the same day but if you had been north of 120 and wanted to continue your loop on the south side some days later it might well be impossible to get to a permit station without a two day hike there and back.

For example, in at Murphy Creek, past Ten Lakes, south on Yosemite Creek to the Fall, east over to North Dome, and out at Olmstead Point.

---

Old Dude

Quote
lopezwill
If you know of a better route in this area as a five day trip I would much like to hear about it. I'll be backbacking with two other newbie's that are very excited about the trip but I quess I'm taking the lead on this.

Here is something else to consider:
<http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?1,15564,15582#msg-15582>;

One option here would be to go to Ireland Lake on the second day and over to Fletcher/Vogelsang on the third. Another option would be to do both of the dayhikes mentioned.

In July 2005 I backpacked Murphy Creek - Glen Aulin - Cathedral Lake - Sunrise - Happy Isles with one permit. I think I probably explained my entire route when I picked up my Wilderness Permit, but even if I didn't, there's no way to enter at Murphy Creek and exit at Happy Isles without crossing 120. Not requiring me to have two permits could have been an oversight I guess, or there could have been a rule change or something.

Thank you for all the help. I've changed the itinerary. Hope you don't mind me asking these "Dufus questions." Thank you for your help as I forgot about the elevation changes and didn't know about the needed permits by changing trails. I don't want to add to the already known frustrations of NPS with my switching trail heads and added permits.

I hope this does't bother anybody further but what are your thoughts of this new itinerary. Based on the Tom Harrison TM and High Sierra Camp Loop Map.

Day 1 Start at TM near the campground. Hike up Lyell Canyon and camp near Ireland Creek. Elevation Gain 260' (approx 5.5 miles)

Day 2 Hike to Fletcher Lake. Elev. gain 1251' (approx 6 miles)

Day 3 Hike to Bernice Lake. Elev loss 371' (approx 4 miles)

Day 4 hike (back tracking somewhat) to Boothe lake. (approx 4 miles)

Day 5 Hike down Rafferty Creek to back to starting pointat TM. (approx 5.5 miles)

Thank You again for your thoughts.

lopezwill,

Please don't feel you are asking "dufuss" questions. You most defintely are not. These type questions go to the core of hiking in Yosemite and are very much of interest.

Your most recent plan sounds very doable with relatively modest milage each day. You may find you can do more if you want to but taking your time and really enjoying the scenery is also a great choice. It would seem you are occomodating the possibility that one or more of your group will find this amount of daily progress just about right, considering the prevailing altitude in that area. Sounds like a good plan. Enjoy.

Jim

Lopezwill,

I think that it was very wise of you to make your mileage on the soft side. It has taken me 2 months to get all of the adjustments to my gear, lighten my load by 10lbs, and condition my body to take on ~2.5k elev gains at altitude. I have been a runner for 25+ years, and once I put that pack on for the first time above 8k, I was huffing and puffing like an smoker. Make sure that whatever hiking shoes you decide to use, you test them out first with terrain that has steep inclines and descents (Jim can elaborate on this point

Bee

Bee,

Could you elaborate either publicly or via PM exactly what you did to lighten your pack load? I have lots of work to do in that respect.

Jim

Hi Jim,

It's too bad the GoatPack is on the goat trail, 'cause they would get a good laugh about this one.

First off, the golden rule is that whether the trip is three days or three weeks, the only thing that changes is the food. Period. On my first trip, I brought along the sunscreen bottle, the Off bottle, a full bottle of fuel, three larrys(litres) of water, a full size bear can, fancy food, camp shoes, and various acessories that one by one added up!

The biggest change out the door was to dump the full size bear can and go with the weekender Bare Boxer, which I am able to fit almost 4 days of food into (remembering that each current days food does not need to be stored in the can!) I used to carry my beloved fruit cup AND mini cans of tuna, and I have since switched to pouched meats and leave the heavily liquidated fruitcup behind (in exchange for a pie or twinkie All foods are very compact AND accounted for, except for one extra "emergency" meal.

Water is EXTREMELY heavy, and needs to be managed like any other heavy item. Before each trip, I research the water sources, and I have determined that for the most part, no matter how long my trips are, I seem to never need more than about 1.5 ltr between re-fills, which immeditely cuts about 4lbs.

After a full day of backpacking, I found that the most "walking" around camp that I do is to find a cat hole or set up the kitchen(not at the same time!), so another pound or two added by carrying Tevas or other sandals is a waste (to me).

kitchen items are ONE small pot, two plastic cups (one for measuring water so there is no waste) one bowl, and a very simple stove (dragonfly) small fuel bottle (either use the hot water or turn off the stove -- don't leave it running)

All "cosmetic" items such as sunscreen deet, etc., has been downsized to 1 or 2oz Nalgene Travel bottles. If you wear long sleeves and pants, you will need very little in the way of ointments.

Clothing never changes except the addition or subtraction of the final layer of Fleece pants and Shell pants.:

Always carry
lt wt thermal top & bottom
synthetic T-shirt/sun shirt/hiking pants
marmot precip jacket
fleece top
1 pr extra socks
sock cap

weather related
fleece bottoms
precip pants

This combination of clothing has been tested down to 26 degrees, so extra jackets et al is not really necessary if you are hiking. Other fancier methods of lightening up includes borrowing a Neo lite sleeping pad. Other than that, if you look at the pictures of me hiking, you will see that there are no extras on the outside of my pack other than my Z rest (I use both a Z rest and a therma rest so that I have something to sit on in camp or rest stops)

Well, thats my story of lightening the pack!

B

Quote

All "cosmetic" items such as sunscreen deet, etc., has been downsized to 1 or 2oz Nalgene Travel bottles. If you wear long sleeves and pants, you will need very little in the way of ointments.

I am a big believer in the "baggie" system: don't take the whole or even small tubes or bottles, just put a sample into different baggies. Toothpaste?, squirt a little in a baggie. Bacitracin?, 1/2 inch in a baggie! Handlotion? into a baggie. Benedryl cream? baggie-facation of course! Aspirin (decide whether you need it regularly or are just taking for emergency treatment of chest pain) definately do not take the whole bottle of any medication. Take only a reasonable estimation of the amount needed (like 6-8 ibuprufen tablets)
How about stomach meds? Peptobismol comes in tablets like antacids, work great for trail related diarrhea and even heartburn. Anacid tablets for more specific treatment or for trail mints.
(of course, you should label the baggies with permanent marker ). Dental floss*: few strands in a baggie.

This system would be great for anyone with a vast assortment of beauty products felt necessary for the backcountry.

I try to estimate the amount needed for the trip I am taking. Emergency stuff would be the same for any trip length.

* I consider dental floss a multipurpose tool, that can be used for clothing repair or minor surgery (if absolutely necessary) with large needle.

Should you bring a knife? I think a linoleum knife blade is sufficient and don't routinely carry a knife. One indulgence I have found very useful is a small pair of scissors (strong enough to cut toenails) as the scissors on Leatherman and Swiss Army knifes do not seem to be adequate.

As an "emergency" resource I consider silk to be great for heat retention in cold/wet conditions.

---

The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan

Bee,

Which of these items are you carrying?

Sleeping bag
Tent, fly, footprint
1st Aid Kit
Water filter
Tiny flashlight
Toilet paper, plastic trowel, odorproof bags
Trail map, compass, mirror, whistle

One thing I had against me was hiking alone. With two or more people you can share some common items such as tent, bear can, cook kit, stove, water filter, etc.

Jim

Jim,

The Goatpack rarely shares items, and for good reasons I learned on this last trip. Billy and Mike are on a 9- day trip to Evolution, and the only thing that they are sharing is the actual stove, while both of them are carrying the fuel for it. On this last trip, the person whom I would have shared a stove with got sick and almost had to go back. In the mayhem of turning back, we would not have remembered to unload her stove so that I would have a stove to use, thus, a risk that i would not have had a stove. It worked out for many reasons, but it really got me thinking about the old "self reliant" method. So, the answer to your question is that even tho I was camping with 5 other people, the only thing that I shared was a stove (and I had an emergency one tucked in just in case).

I carry everything you listed EXCEPT the plastic trowel -- the metal tips of my hiking sticks when grabbed low are much sharper, stronger and more effective than a plastic trowel for digging holes. Instead of toilet paper, I use baby wipes that come in a 15count pouch and place them in a tiny baggie in a bigger baggie.

the compass mirror and whistle are all one gadget that is clipped on a yo-yo pull string. First aid is a bunch of band-aides, witch hazel, and the ever present bandana that doubles for anything.

B

Quote
Bee
First aid is a bunch of band-aides, witch hazel, and the ever present bandana that doubles for anything.
B

You really should consider adding to that list... seriously.

Adding to the list:

Well, the band-aides are not the small finger sized ones; they are some small, and some large patches...and the ever-present duct tape that can serve as a splint, cast, extra bandage over the bandge. I dunno; I don't use any meds at all, so that list is sort of short.

Okay Doc Furter, any comments??

Bee

Quote
Bee
Adding to the list:

Well, the band-aides are not the small finger sized ones; they are some small, and some large patches...and the ever-present duct tape that can serve as a splint, cast, extra bandage over the bandge. I dunno; I don't use any meds at all, so that list is sort of short.

Bee

I think the best answer starts with a question:
What do you want to treat or manage in the backcountry?
Common problems:
1. burns (sun and thermal)
2. blisters
3. allergic issues (hay fever, nasal stuffiness, bee stings,etc)
4. pain (musculoskeletal or headaches)
5. gastrointestinal (heartburn (may resemble heart attack), constipation, diarrhea, hemorrhoid treatment)
6. sprained ankle
7. vision loss (missing contacts, eye problems, broken glasses)
8. splinters
9.?
10. infections in soft tissues (usually drainage if pus collected, warm compresses, antibiotics if medical history warrants)
11. at high elevations, I find the nasal drying to be very troublesome


Rare serious stuff (need at least some first aid training or knowledge to begin to treat):

Asthmatic flare-ups (Primatene is available over the counter)
Bleeding (direct pressure after cleaning wound)
Heart attacks (give one aspirin or the patients nitroglycerin)
Altitude sickness (complicated, usually just should descend to lower elevation)
lacerations (not everything needs to be closed, approximate edges with bandaids, use of hair ties)
fractures (usually just immobilize in position of injury, move only if distal blood flow lost and know how or receive instructions)
snake bites (no real intervention besides reducing motion of extremity and evacuation)
lightning/drowning (no real treatment beyond CPR, evacuation, and maintaining body temperature)
allergic reactions (Epi-pen?? depends on extent)
tick attachments: (a loop of dental floss can be used to remove them if firmly attached)


Stuff needed for personal medical care beyond first aid:
1. prescription drugs
2. drug equipment (syringes for insulin, testing equipment, epi-pen systems, inhalers)
3. decongestants


"first aid" stuff to consider:
( I mentioned some in prior posts this thread, see the "baggie" post)
1. sewing needle (can sterilize over flame)
2. water resistant tape like kinesio tape, physio tape, "pink tape" (like Hy-tape): limited amount like 1 foot length
3. 1-2 aspirins
4. lidocaine or benzocaine cream or liquid, sterile (usually a sunburn treatment will have one or the other; some hemorrhoid creams have this component) for pain relief to broken skin surfaces
5. 2-3 Sucrets (has dyclonine as topical anesthetic, good for sore throat and mouth pain, I suppose they could even be used on hemorrhoids if desperate)
6. 3-4 Tegaderm dressing (this is a water vapor permeable dressing from 3-M that is very good for burns, abrasions, and for blisters that you can keep dry)
7. 3-4 hard candies (sugar supply, may be able to subsitute the Sucrets, check label)
8. (DEET and sunblock, I assume will always be taken)
9. small amount of Bacitracin ointment (mostly for dry nasal passages, can be used on patches of skin infection or injury if that area is best kept moisturized)
10. oral analgesic of choice ( acetominophen, NSAIDS, ASA) maybe 2 per day of travel
11. consider bandaids that are multipurpose (blister treatment dressings can be used, if sterile, for bandaids)

Probably other stuff I have forgotten. There are many different minor items of benefit and multipurpose (like duct tape) just don't take a lot.( 3-4 turns of duct tape around a hiking stick would be my choice, for example)

PS one other thing, yes a bandana is good. I think cotton is a poor choice as it does not dry quickly. Have found that the "micro towels" for swimming or camping work very well for a bandana ( have a Sea to Summit towel). A cheap substitute for basic towels that I like is "HandiWipes" type reuable towel.

---

The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/08/2009 07:46AM by Frank Furter.

Frank,

Are you a real doctor or do you just play one on this website?

Jim

So, did you make the trip? How did it go?

He's the real deal; he worked with a friend of mine who is also a doctor

B

Last week I took eight people out Lyell, over Donahue, through to Reds Meadow. Except I didn't. Only two of us made the entire journey.

Seriously, if you are going out there take rain gear and be able to pitch your shelter in 50 mph winds. The weatherman lied. Had it not been for a "returning to backpacking after X years" gentleman who wore cotton T shirt and shorts, plus a windbreaker, the trip would have gone well. But the guy spent half a day trying to warm up in a sleeping bag and that was before it began to snow. I hiked out to Agnew with three others, and two better prepared hikers in the group finished the hike to Reds Meadow without us. The layer system suggested upthread is close to mine - I would have gone on to Reds Meadow as well, but as the organizer I wanted to see Hypothermia Harry back to civilization.

The early (first day) casualty was a gentleman who was also "returning to backpacking after 20 years." He had not put on the backpack with everything including the five days of food, had not walked any mileage, had not prepared other than to do lots of dayhikes - his knee went out in the flattest part of the trip, along Lyell Canyon, and another hiker went back with him to Tuolumne after a day of resting it. Thank goodness he did not get to Donahue Pass and the four miles of switchbacks, steps and rocks.

Test your gear at home, test your gear on a short overnight trip or two, plan your clothing in layers to meet any weather conditions you may encounter, read about site selection for the shelter of choice, and rent yourself a bear canister and practice packing before you go. I had to store other people's stuff in my bearikade because despite repeated urgings to practice, repackage and pack carefully, they didn't. You CANNOT leave anything interesting to bears outside, there are bears constantly harrassing hiker's campsites in Yosemite. I have tooth marks in some of my non-smellable gear to prove it. We buried our canisters under piles of rocks, hid them in branches under logs, and managed to have only four bear calls in the wee hours.

I used to backpack as a kid, and we did all kinds of things that I look back on and wonder how I even survived. Jeans, cotton shirts, and sleeping with the food next to your bag would have resulted in a truly miserable time last week for me.

First aid kit - Disinfectant (topical), band aids, moleskin for blisters that happen, leukotape to prevent them from happening (this sticks to skin far better than duct tape and stays on for days, and it also works on hydration bladders where duct tape slides right off), duct tape for random gear repair, floss for floss and thread, benadryl melt strips for allergic reaction, sting eze in a microdropper for severe bug bites, ibuprofen ibuprofen ibuprofen, gauze and a small roll of medical tape, sudafed (my sinuses act up the first two days of any hike), and any prescription meds. Some immodium and some tums round it out to battle the Mountain House Two Step. (I hate mountain house, someone always brings nothing but, and I've seen people not bother to try them at home and then get sick on the trail trying to eat them.)

Please please please take a navigation class at a local sport shop if you are not familiar with map and compass use. Our early knee issue backpacker got lost in a maze of use trails within two miles of the campground and was found by a ranger, thank goodness.

Good suggestions. I forgot the antiseptic (chlorhexidine in alcohol works best, other options are just alcohol based or iodine (betadine))
Leukotape is a stretchy ace-like adhesive bandage, I believe. Similar to Kinesio tape or physio tape. I think the end is near for moleskin.

---

The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan

Quote
Frank Furter
Good suggestions. I forgot the antiseptic (chlorhexidine in alcohol works best, other options are just alcohol based or iodine (betadine))
Leukotape is a stretchy ace-like adhesive bandage, I believe. Similar to Kinesio tape or physio tape. I think the end is near for moleskin.

What about 2nd Skin?

Not familiar with that. Strange container, are they individually sterile dressings?
We could have a whole thread on just tape I suspect!

---

The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan

I like
Band Aid Blister Ampoules

Quote
Frank Furter
Not familiar with that. Strange container, are they individually sterile dressings?
We could have a whole thread on just tape I suspect!

That's not the container I normally find. 2nd Skin is almost a jelly (sterile of course) and is put under tape/moleskin/etc. It's very good for cuts and open blisters. Pretty much saved the trip for one woman with brand new boots one time.

I bought a bunch about 18 months ago from Jim Humble at www.kinesio-tape.com or www.kmsllc.us/ . Phone 1-888-344-8273 according to my records. I suspect he will send you a sample to try. They have a "bunion" product with lots of different sizes. I did not find that particular unit useful but if you have bunion (first toe, medial) problems might be worth the effort.
Give him a personal email at jim.humble@kmsllc.us to see if he will provide a free sample. If that doesn't work, PM me and I will send you some to try (after I get my life back together from studying). I found the 1" size to be best. It runs about $6 roll. Expensive stuff.

Since I started wearing the magic socks*, I have not used much tape.

* Tarn Tuff socks

I initially heard about this tape from a website dealing with first aid to long distance runners. Subsequently, it has gained some press as the beach volleyball olympic women used it during the last summer olympics. Has uses for taping muscles and joints.

---

The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan

Quote
Frank Furter
I think the end is near for moleskin.

AMEN TO THAT!

Every time I try to use Moleskin, it curls up, bunches up, and becomes a useless, sticky mess. I went to two separate places looking for Kinisio tape; where do you get this product?

B

I found some here.

Kinisio tape:


Looking at some websites, replete with testimonials, that push this stuff would make a snake oil salesman jealous.

This link is perhaps the most informative of those found in a quick search:
http://www.allegromedical.com/orthopedics-orthotics-c528/kinesio-tape-p190836.html
(They were doing so well until they threw in headaches. Found another one mentioning arthritis.)

This stuff has been around for 35 years.
The donation of 50k rolls to Olympic athletes at the 2008 Beijing games seems to have helped populatized it. (Slight understatement.)
Its Wikipedia entry was removed because of blatent commercialism.

Quote
AlmostThere
Please please please take a navigation class at a local sport shop if you are not familiar with map and compass use. Our early knee issue backpacker got lost in a maze of use trails within two miles of the campground ....

The rest was bad enough, but this is (really)ⁿ sad.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/09/2009 07:14PM by szalkowski.

Quote
szalkowski

Quote
AlmostThere
Please please please take a navigation class at a local sport shop if you are not familiar with map and compass use. Our early knee issue backpacker got lost in a maze of use trails within two miles of the campground ....

The rest was bad enough, but this is (really)ⁿ sad.

Especially when you consider how very very badly this gent wanted to make this hike, and planned for it for most of a year.

I have to say tho, there are too many use trails in some areas of the park and it does get very confusing.

AT,

Thank you for the overview! I would add that good prep would also include recognizing AMS as a serious matter (that really has no other "cures" than a drop in altitude), thus, a contingency plan BEFORE the trip should be discussed, so there are no "disapointments" or "surprises". We had a BPer on our trip who began with AMS already in vomit stage that morning at 10K. She was curled up in a ball by afternoon and has very little recollection of the 4 hour period in which I was forcing her awake every 30min for a 1/2 pint water/gatorade alternate per session. Hypoxia soon followed along with other symptoms (blue in the face, hands -- particularly around the mouth, severe dehydration, followed by bouts of hypothermia/shakes) thunder/lightening further complicated the situation. We were very slow to react and make important decisions; it was hers/our good fortune that by 8:00pm she was lucid and eating a simple meal of mashed pototatoes. Early recognition of symptoms and immediate action would have been kinder to the patient AND the group as a whole.

Quote
szalkowski

This stuff has been around for 35 years.
The donation of 50k rolls to Olympic athletes at the 2008 Beijing games seems to have helped populatized it. (Slight understatement.)
Its Wikipedia entry was removed because of blatent commercialism.

Yes, there is stuff about reducing edema and various chiropractic testamonials. I don't propose that it is going to cure your hiccoughs but it seems to stay on better than bandaids, blister patches, waterproof bandaids, most other tape formulations and moleskin. Physio tape, leukotape, and 2nd skin probably work well to. Just don't have any experience with them. For me I was just impressed to find something that seemed to work pretty well. It got so that I felt, each morning before a hike, like a boxer before a fight taping each of his knuckles, only I was taping each of my toes!

---

The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan

But will it cure my carpel tunnel problem?

Quote
eeek
But will it cure my carpel tunnel problem?

You're in luck: that IS on the list.

Quote
szalkowski

Quote
eeek
But will it cure my carpel tunnel problem?

You're in luck: that IS on the list.

I'm still a bit skeptical.

Quote
eeek

Quote
szalkowski

Quote
eeek
But will it cure my carpel tunnel problem?

You're in luck: that IS on the list.

I'm still a bit skeptical.

NO! REALLY?

Have you and your "newbies" been on any day hikes recently, so that you know their hiking capabilities? Are you doing any kind of training with your backpack?

I was on that hike with Bee and I can tell you that the person who got sick had no business being on that trail, let alone with a backpack. She was out of shape, it didn't appear to me that she had done any sort of serious training. Not having ever met her before, I can't say for sure. The speed in which her condition deteriorated was exponentially faster than the speed at which she traveled.

I certainly don't want to discourage you, however, perhaps you might want to re-think your logistics. You can have just as much fun if you have a base camp nearby, such as Tuolomne or White Wolf, and then do day hikes from there. Just a thought.

Thank you all for the valueable information. Especially info from Szalkowski. We are all in good physical condition. Two recently retired law enforcement and one recently retired fire captain. No alcohol on this trip. As far as hiking together with loaded packs before the trip...That's a good idea. We will try that out before we go. We have had a couple of meetings about the trip and I feel confident we will be bringing probably more gear than we should but are still making our packs light.

The goals are to try out our new gear, look at some beautiful scenery, get away from crowds, do a little fishing and enjoy backpacking. All of us are trained in advanced first aid. The good thing about us is there are no big egoes that would lie about elevation sickness, blisters or pain somewhere. We have discussed this and the possibility of severe weather and our feeling is we just hike back down to TM campground and spend the remaining days there doing day hikes or whatever if somebody becomes ill or it begins snowing like it did last week.

I do have good maps and have been studying the Tom Harrison TM Ttrail map for weeks. I know how to find North on the map using the compass, get a bearing and plan on following the trail with the use of the map and visible peaks as we go. Could I find my way back from a "White out" with only the use of the compass...I don't know. I'll have to check the five day forecast as we get closer. We have cold weather gear and I feel good about this new trip itinerary with less miles per day. The possibility of blisters, sprained ankle, other injury, altitude sickness and a million other things that could happen...honestly, just like you veterans...I'll have to see what happens. Luckily we all possess a great deal of common sence. I'm $500.00 dollars into this with backbacking gear and clothing but if something goes wronge...down Rafferty Creek we go and back to TM.

I'm still not too pridefull to request a possible change to the trip itenerary but I feel like this is going to be a great intro to backpacking after many years away. I do sort of wish I had a "Navigational class" under my belt...thats something I can look forward too in the future. Just called a friend who is going to give me a quick lesson and let me borrow his hand held GPS for the trip.

This has been a wonderful and educational thread in this forum for me!

One way to simulate the full pack, is to bring your pack and fill it with large water bottles. You can always dump the water if it is too heavy.