Getting Ready For My First Backpacking Trip In A Decade

I'll reach a landmark in my attempts to overcome a decade of fatness and laziness on Friday of next week. I'm backpacking in to Turkey Creek Hot Springs in the Gila. It's about 4 miles, with 3 river crossing and 7 to 9 stream crossings. I don't get my stitches out until Wednesday after the trip, but I won't let that stop me. Good clean mountain stream water is good for surgery.

I just packed up a pack with a set of most things I'd conceivably take. It seems to weigh a little less than 10kg based on my person-scale. Heavy by modern ultra-light standards, but nothing compared to absurdly stupid packs I used to carry in search and rescue.

And now, in a sense "live", I'm going to itemize and individually weigh what I packed on my kitchen scale.

The pack I'm taking is a Gregory Z-55. I guess I'll weigh it at the end.

My junk bag, since I last wrote about it, has had a fifty foot length of Kelty trip-lite added to it. After losing my pack over the edge in Water Canyon early this month I decided to add an ounce of strong rope to help out the next time I'm in that situation. The junk bag now weighs 1000 grams. Maybe I should prune it again. But everything inside the bad is pretty useful.

I packed a mesh bag with three Tasty-Bite Madras Lentils, a mini cliff bar, and a small spoon made of aircraft aluminium. This isn't enough food, but it's a start. I like the Tasty-Bite meals, and will probably take the three with me. Food so far weighs 976 grams. More needs to be added. The spoon isn't useful; I can squirt the Tasty-Bite into my mouth quite easily.

My new bivy sack weighs 540 grams.

The LED headlamp I picked out weighs 226 grams. I have lighter ones.

Stakes and guylines for setting up a shelter for my tarp weigh in at 164 grams. I probably have more stakes and more guyline than I will need.

I'm still blinded from having stared into my 9-LED lamp to see if there were batteries in it.

My GPS weighs in at 182 grams.

My water filter is 412 grams.

A mesh sack with gaiters, waterproof jacket, waterproof pants, and waterproof gloves is 1084 grams. I probably only need the jacket and gaiters.

A hammock to sleep in is 570 grams.

A mesh sack with my new SmartWool microweight wool pants, microweight long sleeve top, and microweight short sleeve top is 540 grams. I may not need any of it.

A 5' by 8' silnylon tarp is 198 grams.

All that's left is the sleeping bag, a 35F Wiggy's. I'm not sure I can weigh it on the scale I have. Nor do I think I can weigh my pack.

I didn't have any water packed, so add in maybe 300 grams for two plastic bottles, plus the weight of the water. I also need more food. Not sure how much that will weigh since I haven't made up my mind what it is. I don't plan to cook, so there won't be a stove or pot. I'll also have my new waterproof digital camera with me, which adds a little weight too.

Sandals will be included, and several pairs of socks. Boots for hiking, but sandals for crossing the water.

Overall, the pack doesn't feel that heavy. Water, food, and footwear will add a little more, but I have things I know I can remove as well. It should be a good hike.

Oh, and it's only been eight years since I backpacked, but a decade sounds better.