We ran into the last NOBO at about mile 718 on July 28. On September 7 I got word they were at Tuolumne Meadows or about mile 943. They averaged about six-seven miles a day.
But they looked like they were having fun.
Skyline Trail
Yesterday we did Skyline Trail and got in ten miles.
Greener sectionOn the side out of the rain shadow.
Today we stocked up food for our bear canisters.
More altitude training this weekend.
Got my new favorite hat to quit sliding down. I now think I know which sun hoody I’m wearing.
Sunflower stretch
NSR Gloves go back in the pack, unless I go with the 32 Degree Merino gloves.
6. 875.8 is the trail to Vermilion Valley Ranch and 9,532 feet. It is then 6 miles to VVR at 7,687 feet where you can mail a resupply box (camp store and other services close on September 12—which means the shuttle is gone as is the ferry).
7. The trail out is ten miles to the PCT going NOBO to 887.2. The alternative route is 6.5 miles to 879.9. 892.1 at has many tent sites at 10,437 feet.
Sky.
8. 896.9 is the Duck Pass Trail Junction at 10,175. That drops into the Lake Mary trail head and free shuttle to Mammoth Lakes.
That is a solid section of trail and one without easy exit or resupply if you don’t mail a box or hike inside the season. Makes me wish we had left the box at Muir Ranch, though it was only two days of food. It is worth the short trip to check their hiker box and the hot springs.
As we recover the need to hike isn’t as pressing because the grief does not press as much. Still enjoy backpacking but it does less for me than it did.
My first headlamp came from the Black Diamond outlet store in Salt Lake City. It was a now discontinued model.
Home Depot headlamp
It used batteries and was water resistant, though not enough. It died on trail during a particularly rainy section hike. It stayed at my office when I retired (I had called in on an attempted warranty claim over lunch and just never brought it back home).
I then picked up a BD Storm to replace that headlamp.
The Storm is waterproof, has multiple colors (in addition to white it has red, green and blue light modes), superior brightness and weighed five ounces. It uses batteries. Newer models weigh less and have a rechargeable option.
Batteries were easy to pick up at any trail town.
Happy had a Black Diamond Spot which weighs an ounce less and was generally better.
Nitecore
The Black Diamond headlamps now both live somewhere in the gear closet because we moved to lighter (and better) Nitecore headlamps.
First we got NU20 headlamps that used USB B connections to recharge.
The other Nightcore NU 20 we have.
There was a community hack for replacing the straps with shock cord that was eventually adopted by the company for their upgraded model.
These are the factors that go into choosing a headlamp.
Weight mattered more than I expected and I found lighter was generally better. You can think “it’s only an ounce or two” but you’ll notice the difference.
Brightness is interesting as it turned into a non-factor.
On the one hand, the brightest setting was never enough on neighborhood training hikes.
Yet, on trail, away from city lights and glare and such, I always hike with the lowest brightness setting and am happy with that.
I went from wanting something brighter to not caring.
Colors — having a red light mode for shelters and shared spaces is important — especially on the Appalachian Trail or when hiking in a bubble.
Other than red and white (the baseline color), other colors are situational and I never used them.
Batteries were easy enough to find but the rechargeable headlamps seem less trouble. It was always easy to find batteries or include them in resupply boxes.
Waterproof (to 1 meter—enough for rain & such) is essential. There will always be rain on trail.
USB C (for recharge). I like having all my devices share the same recharge cable design. One less thing to fiddle with is always good.
Happy6 on a Jackalope on the CDT.
Having one type of cord is much better than having three types (usb b & c and a lightning connector were possible needs for some people back in the day).
Adjustabletilt. Your headlamp should offer a tilt function so you can adjust where the beam falls on the trail. This is a very common feature and important.
Everysooften a headlamp ships without this feature so watch out.
Recommendations / Gear List notes
Obviously the Nitecore NU25 is my first choice. I have other headlamps I own, but it is what I carry. I recently lost my headlamp and the NU25 is what I bought to replace the NU25 I lost.
That said, you can’t go wrong with the NU20 Classic. Sold everywhere for just under $25. On paper it beats the NU25, I just don’t prefer it.
In a pinch you can go with whatever is for sale at Home Depot or Lowe’s. There are lots of $10 (or less) headlamps at hardware stores that will get you to your next resupply or outfitter.
Note, many surveys don’t include headlamps. The 2024 survey did not. Everyone should carry a headlamp.
Happy6 & I in 2019 in the 100 mile wilderness.
An almost recommended would be Flextail’s offering. Really bright. Kind of pricy and heavier than Nitecore. Flextail makes a lot of stuff I’d almost recommend.
Afterwords
I’ve been doing more consistent night hiking recently. Mostly getting up early and hiking a half hour or so in the dark.
Happy and I have rarely been on trail hiking after night has fallen, though we have done that.
Some lamps come with a stuff/storage sack that diffuses light and can be used to make a headlamp into a lamp. Such a feature is more important for camping rather than backpacking.
The further from June 21 or so we get while on trail, (depending on when the solstice or longest day of the year is) the longer Happy6 and I are likely to hike before dawn.
Discount headlamp from Harbor Freight.
Other night hiking and headlamp use is situational, especially in hot times (think the PCT aqueduct stretch) or similar situations.
But we’ve been using headlamps on trail for ten years or so in all sorts of situations, especially in the rain or early mornings. It has been fun to see how our use has evolved.
I will note that the real test of what you prefer/recommend is what you buy for yourself when you have just lost that gear item and have the whole world to choose from and no time pressures. For me it was the NU25.
The loop (including the parking lot distances) is about eleven miles.
The three of us hiking
I managed to overwork my right leg/hip muscles in the first mile (the steepest) and was in pain the rest of the hike.
The flowers. The first ridge
It flattens out but it isn’t level or flat.
Up to table mountain
The last ascent is very steep with rock, scale and gravel. But then you get the view from the top.
Looking out. And over
Then, after the four miles up the return loop is seven miles down.
From here to the switchbacks down. And down
We parked at the return trail head (Teton) and road walked to the Face Trail trail head. It is a couple minutes in the morning but I read a number of people who parked at Face Trail and walked back in the afternoon and it took 5-10 minutes.
We got up at 4:00 am. Had breakfast, grabbed sandwiches at Winco, a cooler at one brother’s office to store drinks in for the return, and left the trailhead at 7:10 am.
With stops for views and lunch we got back to the truck at 3:57 and headed back. Then after pancakes and eggs for dinner headed back to Grantsville where we pulled up just as Happy6 arrived to take me home.
I’ve written from time to time that above 20-30 degrees a quilt works well. I’ll note that a 20 degree quilt also weighs almost a half pound less than a 20 degree bag.
Many thru-hikers use quilts instead of bags, especially once you get away from cold weather (such as is often encountered on a March start on the Appalachian Trail).
At 20 degrees a short 950 fill bag weighs 1 lb 13.2 oz and a baseline REI Magma bag in Short weighs 2 lbs. 1.9 oz. In Medium Wide the Magma weighs 2 lbs. 8 oz.
Lighter bags than these are generally not really 20 degree bags.
If you are careful and avoid all the extras that add weight, a quilt weighs significantly less than a bag at the same warmth. With the extras a quilt can become much heavier than “a quilt.”
Quilts also take up less space in your backpack than a sleeping bag.
I have had summer weight quilts for some time. However, I just bought my a Loco Libre economy quilt for “warmer” (but still cool) weather where the NatureHike/AegisMax quilts are borderline.
Happy6 with lightweight summer quilt.
The white quilt in the picture above is 14-15 ounces compared to my bag at 1 pound, 12 ounces (which is lighter than stock because it is customized to my height).
My new, warmer quilt is about 5-6 ounces heavier than the lighter one but still saves half a pound or more over my bag and is perfect for weather in the 40s. A 40 degree quilt would have been lighter still but I would be concerned about warmth.
Happy6 got one just like mine and added some snaps so we could join them together. That increases the range of their warmth.
Her bag is not a custom short and is slightly heavier than mine (1.2 ounces) so she gets more of a reduction than I do.
If I was willing to sleep in my puffy (or my fleece) then the 14 ounce quilt would be plenty warm. I just prefer to wash my puffy less and not sleep in it.
Be aware that you can always save weight by sleeping in your fleece or puffy for extra warmth. The trade off is the smell your gear picks up.
That list has now merged with the second type of list (see below).
Another example of that kind of list is at https://aztrail.org/the-arizona-trail-gear-list/. It links to a number of type two lists, but with more curation (curated lists are type four lists—almost completely extinct which is why I said “three types” and that I would discuss four).
The problem with naked lists is that they don’t really provide any guidance.
Shopping Catalog Lists
These are “lists” that are are basically just lists of lots of gear in each category that either use affiliate marketing links or are selling gear on a website.
What you learn from those lists is what the author thinks they can sell.
Many of them have huge holes or sub optimal choices. The problem with these lists is that they tend to ignore alternatives that are “too cheap” or that don’t provide kickbacks.
Worse, this type of list has taken over the internet.
Almost every entry is really a disguised “why you should buy this product” entry with a click out to an affiliate marketing kickback sales portal.
Survey Responses
You can find surveys that tell you what hikers on various trails are using.
The weakness of these lists is they reflect decisions made prior to hiking and are usually a little out of date.
Curated Lists
Often these are lists of “the gear I’m using right now.” This category used to include surveys of what was being used with analysis and suggestions. They can be good but are prone to flaws.
For an example, my curated list on rain jackets follows.
The cheapest (that works)
That would be Frogg Toggs —$22.74. Usually 6-7 ounces for the jacket. The pants are found ripped out in many a hiker box.
A lot of hikers use this option. I can’t say anything bad about Frogg Toggs other than the jacket is a little fragile but easily repaired with duct tape.
Recommended. Often skipped from lists because the kickback on that price is tiny compared to other alternatives.
Too heavy and too expensive
Arc’tryx Beta. This is a $500 jacket, often discounted. 12 ounces. It works. I confess to having one, but I no longer take it on trails. I bought it before I knew better.
The Arc’tryx with an alternative that was ok.
The Arc’tryx kept me safe and dry in hyperthermia conditions. I really like it, just not on trail or where packed bulk matters. I could not recommend it to any beginning backpackers or for a thru-hike.
The alternative in the picture is the 11.2 ounce Outdoor Research Apollo. I got it on trail when my existing rain jacket was leaking a little more than I was comfortable with. For $129 it isn’t bad, just heavy.
If you are in the middle of nowhere with no other choice, then you could do worse. Again, I could not recommend it to any beginning backpackers or for a thru-hike.
A shopping list type gear list would be giving you a reason to buy both of these anyway (other than lack of alternatives). Don’t be fooled even though both show up on a lot of lists.
Light. Reasonable in price. Works—it does not wet out or leak until you’ve worn it out and then the leaks are tiny pin pricks giving you plenty of warning to replace it.
It is what I recommend. I bought one for my wife who I love more than life itself.
My LH Gear jacket next to am alternative that is only good for five minutes of light rain.
The strange alternative
ThePacka.com. Like a poncho with real sleeves and a pack cover merged into one item.
$110, including shipping (and yes, there are more and less expensive versions). 13 ounces.
If you don’t need a pack cover and you don’t expect to hike protected from the wind but in rain, day after day (ie the conditions on the Appalachian Trail) you have other choices that are better.
In many ways the Versalite is a great rain jacket. My wife loved hers until it wore out. It worked well enough that we bought their rain pants. About six ounces. The downside is that it costs $285.00 which makes the jacket pricey.
The Visp is often sold out. That makes it hard to recommend the Visp to people.
The biggest complaint I run into on the Visp is people who want it to last as long as the Arc’tryx but still weigh six ounces and cost only $250 or less. Sorry. That isn’t going to happen.
I’m currently hiking with one. I bought it when it was available. If I had to do it over again I would have gone with Lightheart Gear but I had been chasing it me for several years.
I just wanted to try one. Given I’m using it for Western hiking it will probably outlast the rest of my backpacking career as long as I don’t use it dual purpose as a wind shirt too.
It will wear out much faster if you use it as a windshirt as well as a rain jacket. Don’t. That risk of failure isn’t worth saving 1.7 ounces. Wind shirts also need to be washed from time to time which is really hard on a rain jacket.
What surveys suggest
Frogg Toggs and Versalite are the leaders on the PCT. It is the same for the CDT. Frogg Toggs for the AT are the number one choice.
We got up early for more headlamp hiking. It had rained a little through the night but it was looking like it would warm up.
Light on the horizon
Could we have done that first mile the night before? Could wild dogs have found my body? Both were possible but unlikely.
The initial climb is about a thousand feet over a mile to the side trail to Bullfrog Lake at 10,527 feet of elevation from the Vidette Meadow campground at 9,599 feet.
There we were on the route to Bullfrog Lake which is also .2 miles shorter than the Kearsarge Pass direct trail that branches at 10,747’ of elevation.
One of several lakes on the route
Never did see the junction?!? That was ok since we were on the route we wanted.
We saw a lot more ducks here than we had at Duck Lake, but no Bull Frogs.
Another lake
The two trails came together after about 2.4 miles with switchbacks going up to the junction and more after.
In some ways it was very similar to Forester Pass.
The two of us at Forester
As we climbed towards Kearsarge Pass at 11,791’ it warmed a little and we started seeing a lot more people. We probably encountered 50 to 100 total by the end of the day.
We also got Garmin satellite service that we hadn’t been able to get lower in the deep mountain shadow. With that Happy6 contacted the shuttle service we had used before.
A trail hero doing maintenance
The path down was one you could jog for much of it. Great tread, steady down slope but controlled grade. We were even passed by a pack train — the same guy who said he wouldn’t sell hikers showers because it was too much work regardless of what the business advertised.
Rabbit
We passed rabbits, marmots and a fearless pika that we had to wait for as it crossed the trail.
Eventually we reached the trailhead at Onion Valley Campground at 9,025’ of elevation. We got there 15 minutes early to meet the shuttle driver who was also early.
In Lone Pine we passed some hikers headed towards Cottonwood and agreed to offer them a ride.
They were from Florida headed to the JMT. They had 55 pound packs and a plan to take 7-8 days to hike Cottonwood to Kearsarge. They had spent the night in Mammoth Lakes to train for altitude.
