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Published: August 9th 2013
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No doubt about it, this is a strenuous hike.
While I was perfectly comfortable on Tahquitz Peak the day after hiking, it took three days to recover from Vivian Creek, primarily due to the steep downhill trek the second day. The pack added a lot of extra downward force, and I constantly felt like I was going to be pushed forward and down the side of the mountain. It was only five miles each day, but with a 2,300 ft elevation gain. Not sure if this is a trail I will want to do again.
On day one, the hike up the mountain was quite pleasant. After the first mile of steep switchbacks, it was pretty easy going. I was physically and mentally prepared to move swiftly into camp and then head up for the summit. My hiking partner was not so enthusiastic, however, so we crept along the trail and made it into camp too late for me to start off for the summit, which was disappointing.
The red ants at this camp site were viscous. I suppose it didn’t help that rather than putting their garbage into a sealed bag, our fellow hikers just put their food wrappers under a rock (did they
not take “how to act in the woods 101?”) Even without the food wrappers, the ants were on attack mode. When they chomped down, you couldn’t just flick them off.
For me, the most fun was when the group was gathered around the middle of the camp, cooking our individual dinners and chatting. We all looked so stylish with our headlamps on. When the lights were out, we could clearly see the Milky Way. This is the reason why I go out in the middle of the woods.
Sleeping in the new tent was quite comfortable. It had a few extra inches for shoulder room, but was hardly any heavier, and easy enough for one person to set up. I was again thankful for the luxurious 2.8 inches of air mattress between me and the ground. Heeding my own advice from the last overnight, I packed extra pajamas and purchased the synthetic down jacket I’d been eyeballing over the last six months. What a difference this made! I was warm through the evening and slept quite well with my layers.
In total, my pack came to 30 pounds. For some reason, that figure seems too light, but
that’s what the scale said.
What I carried: Backpack – Gregory Jade 40 small
Water bladder, 2L full
Sleeping bag – Big Agnes Pearl petite
Sleeping pad – Exped Basic 7.5 petite
Pillow – Thermarest small
Half the tent – REI Half Dome 2 Plus (purchased)
REI camp stool
Summit pack - REI Flashpack 18
Water filter - Katadyn
Empty 20oz water bottle
Spoon
Head lamp
First aid kit – 10 essentials and some
Toiletries kit – Mini deodorant, Colgate Wisp cleaner, hair brush, hair ties, face wash towelettes, lotion, toilet paper.
Personal items – iPod, ID, cash, notepad and pen, car key. All in a small waterproof bag.
Sun screen
Bug repellant
Hand sanitizer
Rope, small bungee chords, ties
Bear Vault BV450
Mountain House dinner
Lots of snack items
Water flavor packets
Sleeping pants (fleece)
Thermal leggings
Sleeping bra
Long sleeve thermal shirt
Extra underpants
Extra hiking socks
Extra toe socks
Ear warmer
Gloves
Clothes stuff sack
Wind breaker jacket
Northface synthetic down jacket
Flip flops
What I wore: Hat
Sunglasses
T-shirt
Tank top
Pants
Toe socks
Hiking socks
Boots
What I carried on my person: Trail snacks
Chap stick
Cell phone
Hiking poles
Cooking
system and other half of tent were carried by my hiking partner.
What I need for the next trek: Ground cloth for the tent. Found a light-weight tarp at Walmart with a small footprint for $3. A reasonable alternative to the special tent cloth for $30 at REI. Instead of flip flops, I will bring some real camp shoes. My feet kept slipping off my flip flops so I just ended up wearing my hiking boots around camp.
I ended up using everything I brought with me to some degree, except the gloves and ear warmers. Packing the bag with the bear box was a pain. The box is 2-1/2 pounds on its own and quite bulky. It fits well enough into my bag, but requires me to unpack a lot to get to the water bladder to refill it.
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