NOV 01 2014 BY WYTHE

Let me tell you about my gear, clothing, and food from my recent 7 day section hike from Tuolumne Meadows to Sonora Pass in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, USA. First, I firmly believe in “Hike Your Own Hike” (HYOH) – my way is not the right way, it is just my way. If yours is different, that is all good. As an example, I like to be organized. Everything fits in a stuff sack and then goes in the pack. I know then, if I need my toilet then I grab the red stuff sack, my kitchen – the blue sack, and so on. Others will just cram the tent in, the sleeping bag in, their clothes in, wherever they fit. HYOH.

This trip covered 75 miles, at elevation of 8,500 to 10,800 feet, there was no resupply, and temps ranged from low 70s F in the day to 32 F at night. Packing my hiking kit efficiently was essential. Working clockwise from left, you can see my GoLite Quest backpack; a ziplock bag of one day’s food; the bear can with five days of food; the blue sack (kitchen); horizontal gray sack (tent); gray pillow; compression sack with sleeping bag; two green sacks (first aid and technology/wallet); medium size gray sack (down jacket); lime green sack (inflatable sleeping pad); red sack (toilet); yellow sack (extra clothing); and my hiking poles (note duct tape around one) and in the other ziplock bag my maps, journal and book. With 6 days of food (2 lbs per day) and two liters of water this kit weighed 42 lbs.

Wythe’s Kit

First Aid kit. I have hiked with some who carry no first aid and some who actually carry a surgical kit. This is what I carry. A ziplock bag filled with wipes, floss, safety pins, Purell, a small tub of sunscreen, an Ace bandage, tooth-brush and paste, matches and lighter, container of vitamin I (ibuprofen), Neosporin, lip balm, a sewing kit, nail clippers, and a bandage pack. I also had duct tape on my hiking poles which I used for covering blisters. All of that was inside a ziplock, inside of my green stuff sack. I figure this can get me through daily needs and a small emergency. If I need more than this then there is big trouble and someone is running to a trail head for help.

Wythe’s Example First-Aid Kit

Extra clothes. This is an area where one can really shed weight from their pack. My routine is to wear the same hiking clothes every day. I did change socks every two days but otherwise I wore the same clothing for 7 days. I would rinse and dry my clothes when I had chance – most times that was daily, but not always. So why carry extra clothes? Well, here you see a black wool shirt in upper left, light blue boxers in the middle, and light gray alpaca socks in lower right – that was my camp wear and sleep wear. I would change out of my hiking gear when in camp which allowed me to get into something kind of clean and offered me a chance to wash my daily clothes. My spare hiking socks are at lower left. And then I had an extra Ex Officio t-shirt and briefs, and a navy blue pair of soccer shorts in case of a shorts blow out. The soccer shorts and clean t-shirt were great when we got off the trail as I had something clean to put on after a shower and before the laundry was done. Again, HYOH – one of my hiking buddies took shorts, two pair of pants, extra t-shirts and two long-sleeved shirts; that worked for him.

Wythe’s Extra Kit Clothes

Food. This will describe a day’s worth of food for me. Our plan was to cover the 75 miles in 6 days – will describe how that turned into 7 days in a later post. You can pick out all of this in the photo. Breakfast: two packs of oatmeal, two Via coffees and creamer, four Fig Newtons. Snacks: Cliff Bar, PayDay candy bar, 4 ounces of almonds. Lunch: 6 Triscuits, two string cheeses; 1/3 of 8 oz of salami. Dinner: Pack It Gourmet Gumbo, Idahoan mashed potatoes. Before bed snack: hot cocoa and 2 oz peanut M&Ms. I ate that with some substitutions (dried fruit for almonds) and an occasional Mountain House meal every day and was never hungry. My mate who didn’t pack lunch and who was eating Pop Tarts instead of nuts hit the wall every afternoon and collapsed into camp exhausted, totally spent.

Wythe’s 6 Day Food Kit

My daily clothing. Same shorts, t-shirt, long-sleeved shirt, and hat every day. I did keep my down jacket in the outside pocket of my pack and on two different days it was windy and cool enough that I pulled it out and put it on when we stopped for a break. And on most days I dropped my long-sleeved shirt after 30 minutes of hiking. Take short trips to dial in what clothes, food, and kit work for you. Once you take on longer trips you will then be comfortable with what to pack in your kit. HYOH.