Kate's Wild Backpack

Colorado Backpacking Sep 09

2009-09-19T10:00:00.001-06:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

September...still counts right?

2009-09-06T14:01:00.003-06:00

What a not so great Backpacking season I have had this year...but Im trying to at least finish strong with TWO big trips planned this month.

1st - A 6 night loop just east of Silverton, CO in the Weminuche Wilderness This is especially exciting because it is the first backpacking trip ever with Blue, my adorable 10 month old black lab. He has no idea what fun lays ahead!

2nd - A 2 night private guided "mountaineering school" on the glacier fields of Mt. Baker in the Cascade mountains of Washington. This is in preparation for our July climb of Mt. Rainier.

Preparing for these two trips has led me as usual to REI for some new gear :)My favorite thing to do besides dehydrate meals for backpacking is buy gear for backpacking...also, I had to research dog food for backpacking.

Blue will be munching on the following:

The Honest Kitchen "Force" dehydrated dog food
Stella & Chewy's Duck Duck Goose Steaks (recommended as basically Clif Bars for dogs)
Dogswell Happy Hips Dried Chicken Breast with glucosamine

More later...Im off to REI.

On second thought

2009-03-05T07:48:00.004-07:00

Hmmmm....this is why gear shopping is so fun. Oh, the reviews you can read! Well, my Mountain Hardware hook up may not be worth it in the end seeing as how all the tent reviews seem to be quite negative. The 2 person tents are all quite small and review as large solo tents. Although I plan on quite alot of solo backpacking this season, I must think of little (soon to be big) Blue and potential backpacking partners in my tent selection. So the Mountain Hardware Helion is out.

Now my first pick is the Big Agnes Copper Spur Ultralight 2 person tent. Great reviews from both REI shoppers and Backpacker Magazine Gear Reviewers. It has a big price tag but with my REI dividend (just received last night!) and their 20% discount it might be do-able. OH I LOVE GEAR!

Outdoor Camp

2009-03-05T06:39:00.006-07:00

Shopping for tents this morning and came across a neato link to share.
Click on the link below and Mountain Hardware will donate money to send a kid to awesome outdoor camps in the US: SEND A KID TO CAMP

I went to a month long outdoor camp in California when I was 13 (the summer between 7th and 8th grade) that was so fun I still remember it pretty vividly. We did a multiday backpack through Yosemite, hung out in San Francisco for a day, climbed Mt. Shasta, and whitewater rafted the Klamath. As a snotty pre-teener I was initially resistant to missing out on half my summer but ended up loving it of course.

I am gearing up (literally) for the backpacking season which in New Mexico is pretty much already upon me. It is warm and sunny and little snow is left even at the ski areas. Sucks for ski season but backpacking is quite fun and this year Blue gets to come with me!!! YAY!

Right now I am checking out Mountain Hardware brand because a friend can hook me up with up to half off maybe...you cant say thats a bad deal!

The Helion 2 is appealing in its weight (under 3.5 lbs) but from a safety perspective its color blends quite easily...if all they are able to find is my tent, I want them to be able to find my tent. Ya know? I suppose I could always just decorate it with neon tape on the rain fly. Anybody out there have a comment?

Not so peanutty...

2007-05-27T20:50:00.000-06:00

A recipe for those, like me, that HATE nuts but desire to be part of mainstream hiking America that happily munches trail mix. I make no claim that this recipe will make you a well nourished hiker but hopefully it will make you a happy one at snack time.

Mix together in equal parts these ingredients in a big plastic bag. If you let the ingredients sit together for a couple hours the flavors start to intermingle nicely.

Kate's NO NUTS trail mix:

Gummy Bears
Sunflower seeds (salted)
Banana chips (sweetened or not, your choice)
Plain M&Ms
Dried cranberries
Raisins
Diced dried mango

Be adventurous and add your own favorite ingredients or vary the amounts of each to create your own favorite mix.

Happy Camping!

Rainbow Lake

2007-06-19T07:43:00.001-06:00

Rainbow Lake
Elevation Gain: 2675
Type: Out and Back
Distance: Approx. 15 miles roundtrip

This hike is into the Pintler - Anaconda Wilderness about 10 miles south of Phillipsburg, MT. The drive to the trailhead involves a long drive on lots of well maintained dirt roads, it was almost 2 hours of driving from Missoula. Hwy 38 west for 9 miles (off Hwy 1) then south for 17 miles on Moose Lake Rd #5106.

This hike is described in the "Best Hikes along the Continental Divide" by Russ Schneider. It is a hard grind to the Rainbow Pass but well worth it! You go over the Continental Divide so you really get some amazing mountain views. There are two burned sections in this hike, the first in the Johnson Lake area and the second during the climb to Rainbow Lake.

I did this hike June 16-17 and the snow became an obstacle just after Johnson Lake (elevation 7720feet) despite the low snow pack winter and early summer. Once over Rainbow Pass the trail disappeared under 2-3 feet of snow. We were forced to snowslide and bushwack down to the lake which is visible from the pass. Once at the lake we were able to find the trail and follow it in reverse to get out the next morning. It was an adventure trying to follow it through the snow drifts though.

It was very cold at the lake despite it being mid June. I was extremely grateful for my newly purchased sleeping pad that kept me off the frozen ground! Snowfall in the morning kept us in the tent until we were ready to hike out. The fishing in Rainbow Lake is supposedly great for Rainbow Trout however, the cold weather and snow/rain didnt make fishing our top priority.

It was a great hike overall, I would recommend it be hiked later in the summer though.

THe EXCALIBUR

2007-07-26T17:23:00.000-06:00

Last night I began my new favorite pastime....dehydrating. I am the proud owner of "The Excalibur". Five trays of absolute drying POWER!

I made some "Gravel" which is dried ground beef. Also made some dried zucchini, bell peppers, peaches, apples, and fruit leather. Tonight I am making more backpack appropriate meals...most of my recipes come from the wonderful book "Lipsmackin' Backpacking by Christine Conners. Super delious assortment and inspiration for the dehydrator purchase!!!
I will post my drying results after the taste tests taking place this weekend during a backpacking trip to unknown destination with Mark and his sister Liz. I hope everything re-hydrates as well as it dehydrates!

Osprey lands on Kate's back!

2007-07-26T17:33:00.000-06:00

Totally exciting new backpacking gear recently belonging to ME!!!!

Osprey Luna 70
I haven't taken it on a backpacking trip yet...this weekend will be the first and I will be sure to post a review. Its damn nice though. Thanks for the early b-day present mommsy!

Granite Gear pack cover - under 4 ounces and so convenient for the possibly very wet Alaska trip coming soon!!

Backpacking Denali Overview

2007-08-23T10:40:00.000-06:00

Our backpacking trip was two parts.
I showed in red the general area that we backpacked. I think it shows just how vast this park is...we were there for 8 days and did not even drive the whole way to Wonder Lake! Well, I guess it might take a few days to see 6 million acres!
Day 1 -4 was spent hiking up Glacier Creek from the Thorofare river attempting to make it to Anderson Pass which was not attained due to rain.
Day 4 we caught the bus back to the Toklat rest stop to pick up a food cache.
Day 4 and 5 we hiked from Toklat rest stop down the Toklat river to Bear Draw Creek where we were turned back due to a close call with a mamma bear and two cubs.
Day 6 we caught the bus to Stony Creek and hiked about 1.5 miles to make a basecamp on a ridge above Stony Creek.
Day 6 and 7 we day hiked around the Stony Creek area.
Day 8 we caught the bus out and stayed at Riley Creek (and got a shower yay!) at the park entrance to facilitate catching the train to Anchorage. Our campsite for day 1-3 above Glacier Creek

View of Muldrow Glacier

Views of mountains northeast of Little Stony Creek

Day 1

2007-08-25T10:57:00.001-06:00

We woke up at 530am. Early day. Walked from the B&B down to the breakfast place across the road to get a quick breakfast and coffee before catching the $5 shuttle from the hostel at 6:40am to the Wilderness Access Center (WAC) at the Denali park entrance. Caught the 830am camper bus into the park...good people watching at the WAC. Big difference between the camper bus riders and tour bus riders, mostly about a 60 year age difference :)

Dick Merrill was our extremely entertaining bus driver. He has been driving the Denali buses for 23 years! Thanks for the ride Dick.

Just after the Eilson Visitor Center we spotted a grizzly about 100 yards off the road. We were dropped off on a turn out about one mile down the road from this sighting
...nice reality check, okay, we are going into bear country.

Put on our gaters and threw our belongings on our backs...that is when Mark discovers his pack has somehow completely been destroyed...the hip belt portion of his pack frame has been horrifically bent and broken.

Note: If it would have been my pack the trip would have been over before it started due to this but Mark, being the trooper he is, said no way.

With a very uncomfortable pack, we started on our way down the steep bushy slope to the wide river bed (Thorofare River and Glacier Creek) below the road.
Due to recent rain the river was flowing in a much larger and deeper braided system than usual and after many attempts at finding a way to cross all the braids without getting feet wet, we realize the attempt is futile.
We are going to just get wet.
We ford a gushing thigh deep portion of river. The water is thick and opaque with glacial silt and running hard. The sun is out so we squeeze our boots, socks and pants dry and lay them in the sun while enjoying a cliff bar. When we get going again we make a sad realization.

We just dried off on an ISLAND.

Back into the water and finally up and out of the river bed with very squishy boots. We hiked another mile and a half and made camp. Dinner was cooked immediately, delicious Spanish fiesta rice.

Spanish Fiesta Rice:
2 cups salsa (dehyrdated into leather)
2 cans black beans (dehydrated)
2 cups instant rice
Stir into 4 cups boiling water.
Cover on low heat 5 minutes.
Stir. Enjoy

Day 2

2007-08-25T11:30:00.000-06:00

It started raining sometime in the night and pretty much never stopped. We laid in the tent till noon trying to wait it out. We made breakfast under a little shelter constructed with the ever useful blue tarp, some rope, and my hiking poles (Just call me Macgyver).

Note the magnificent orange Granite Gear pack cover. It kept my pack dry and it's drawstring cord kept it in place without constant adjustment.

Broke down camp and started hiking at about 1p. Hiked north on the west cliff side of Glacier Creek. Managed to traverse some steep scree slopes and crossed a Crystal creek and got feet very wet again. Squishy boots.

During a rest stop on the river bed we discover Mark's pack is getting worse, the split visible on the right side broke completely sometime yesterday and now the left side of his frame has now totally snapped too. His pack is totally unsupported on the bottom making his whole load supported by his shoulders. Ouch. Such a tough guy.

Crossed the river bed to the next ridge where we made camp in the rain.

Warmed up and rested in the tent. Played some cards in our sleeping bags. Made delicious chili under our shelter which kept us somewhat dry but not warm. My feet were wet and frozen. Back to the tent to dry and warm sleeping bags. More cards.

Chili:
2 cans black beans (dehydrated)
1 pound ground beef (dehydrated)
6 tomatoes (dehydrated)
1 red bell pepper (dehydrated)
1 small can diced jalapeños (dehydrated)
1 pkg spicy Chili seasoning
Allow dehydrated ingredients to sit in water for an hour before cooking to help combat crunchiness. Cook and add water till chili consistency. Add chili seasoning. Let cook as long as your appetite will allow :) Enjoy.

La Luz Trail

2008-07-15T10:42:00.003-06:00

The La Luz Trail is an Albuquerque classic that I have been told to try ever since I moved here a month ago. Well, I finally hiked a portion of it yesterday. BEAUTIFUL! AND, I had my first PB&J hiking sammy. I gotta say it was the PERFECT trail sammy. Yay!

Here is the skinny:

9 mile hike up with option of taking the tram down or looping down the tram trail and then traversing back to the trailhead via a two mile connector trail. 18 miles roundtrip.

Altitude gain: 7,000 to 10,378

Alleged wildlife present: Mountain Lions, black bears, Mule and whitetail deer, elk, turkey and pronghorn antelope.
Wildlife seen first hand: Itty bitty lizards, various beetles, giant crows, hawks.

Why I liked it: Very well maintained trail, popularity with runners makes it feel safe for a solo hiking adventure, close to town for day hike adventure, impressive cliff faces, beautiful cactus flowers, some rather unexpected lush areas (a nice contrast to the desert at lower elevations), high elevation weather provides nicer hiking temperatures and a nice breeze but also rapidly changing weather to beware of...

Warning: Start early to avoid afternoon thunderstorms/monsoons, bring supplies for unexpected weather. If you fear little lizards you may want to walk behind someone.

Gear Review

2008-09-09T23:13:00.004-06:00

A recent trip to REI was quite fruitful and therefore deserves a gear blogreview.

Item 1: MSR Pocket Rocket Stove

Why I bought it: Lightweight and small, canister fueled (no messy liquid fuel), relatively good pot/stove stability, allegedly boils 1L water in under four minutes...this provides some sanity when STARVING and waiting for water to boil. Comes with nice hard plastic holder (see pic)
Review: The first use was in safe car camping conditions in case of any glichyness, but I had no problems, the set up is a snap...three prongs basically just pivot out a few centimeters for increased pot stability. The flame adjustment knob is big and friendly for those with fear of fire, or those with cold/gloved hands. No self ignition worried me a little but was not a problem, I stocked up on waterproof matches.
Overall impression: Great lightweight stove for reasonable price, highly recommendable.

Item 2: Justin's Peanut Butter

Why I bought it: I love natural peanut butter (not crazy about the commercial crap) but find it difficult to transport outside of a PB&J sandwich for backpacking adventures.
Review: Yummy. I have had a very hard time locating the plain peanut butter so this review is based on my sampling of the honey almond butter which was surprisingly delicious on crackers.
Overall impression: Delicious idea that needs to be stocked at more stores. Highly recommended to all (unless allergic).

Item 3: Sea to Summit X Bowl

Why I bought it: I needed something to eat out of while camping. This particular bowl appealed to me because it is lightweight, compactable (it crunkles down to flat), and multi-purpose (the base doubles as a cutting board).
Review: Surprisingly fantastic bowl. The sturdy base provided more support and heat insulation to my hand than the squishy bowl I previously had. The rubberwhatever material did not hold onto food residue like the squishy bowl had a tendency to do.
Overall impression: Excellent bowl for backpacking but maybe more features than needed for car campers.

Day 3

2008-08-22T11:16:00.006-06:00

It never stopped raining all night! Slept in tent till 11am waiting it out. Finally stopped a bit so we had breakfast (Apple Bannock and granola, yum!). The sun broke thru a little bit and we dried our stuff out pretty successfully but the boots were a bit soggy still, I think they might be forever.

Decided to go on a day hike and leave the tent where it was due to Mark's pack situation. It drizzled through the start of the hike but then cleared off beautifully! We followed Glacier Creek at a contour of about 500 feet off the stream bed which made for a lot of up and down into each drainage valley. The drainage valleys were dense with brush which is why we were quite surprised when I spotted a very large blond Grizzly just as we were about to go into a creekbed. It was about 150 yards away in the brush having a lovely lunch on some berries. We slowly made our way up the other side of the creek bed wall making some noise "HEY BEAR!". It was pretty neato.

We followed the river further and the clouds lifted a bit for great views of Muldrow Glacier and the surrounding mountains.

We stopped for lunch (Hummus and cheese roll ups) and decided to head back, we are not sure about the exact spot we turned around...Mark and I had differing opinions on where exactly we were on the map...oh well.

On the way back we took a higher contour and ridgeline up to Green Point (elev. 4235) which had great views of the area and we could even look down on our tent site. The picture is of Mark on top of the Geologic Survey Rock on top of Green Point Yummy macaroni and cheese for dinner then to our tent for Pass the Pigs and getting dry and warm :)

Day 4

2008-08-22T11:28:00.006-06:00

Woke up early (630am) and drank coffee on the ridge over our campsite for almost an hour staring at an unclouded sunrise on Denali, Muldrow Glacier and the surrounding mountains. Life altering beauty to see.

The sun was out so we threw every item of clothing out to dry while we breakfasted and packed up. Managed to make Mark's pack manageable with some extra OR cinch straps and lightening of load a bit. We decided to take the higher elevation contour on the way out and billy goating up a very steep skree slope successfully (VERY STEEP SKREE...Kate is getting braver).

Unfortunately, as happens in Denali, our route got marshy and we ended up getting funneled back to basically where we crossed on the way into Glacier Creek but the river was running much lower this time and we forded without any problem or worry, maybe because by then our boots had been wet for 4 days.. what does a couple more immersions matter?

As we approached the final stretch before the cliffy bluff that the road sits on, we noticed the tour buses stopping to look at something...a mama bear with two cubs go running across the road and down the bluff into a drainage directly next to our intended route up to the road, SHIT!

We cut to the right trying to give the brushy area near the drainage wide berth just in case mama bear comes down to the river. Mark points and grabs me by the arm. Mama bear and two cubs are sitting 300 yards away from us and looking right at us! We stop dead in our tracks and start walking slowly backwards with bear spray in hand. She watches us for awhile and even walks toward us for a few steps with her cubs in tow...but then takes a turn perpendicular to us and walks toward the river. Whew. Terrified, we start to walk toward the road, carefully avoiding any areas near where she was...I was terrified and nearly had lost my capacity to walk, but...with a few tears of fear and lots of courage we made it to the road only to wait for two hours for the bus. The Denali Bus system is a great deal, they provide you a pick up and drop off anywhere on the road in the park but when you (like us) are at a point between bus stops you have a pretty vague sense of when you will be picked up because the bus often stops to look at bears for several minutes between stops. Nobody is in a hurry in Denali.

We grabbed the first bus for Toklat. Toklat is a bus stop for all tour buses, I guess you could describe it as a Denali Rest Stop of sorts...bathrooms, gift shop, good viewpoint of the Toklat river etc. We dropped a food cache there on Day 1 and were now returning to restock.

We unloaded our garbage and repacked our packs with our food...pretty straightforward, except for the tourists. They swarmed. Lots of questions. "How do you cook out there?" "Is there animals out there?" It was hilarious and a bit of an ego boost, they thought we were really something :)

We hiked up the west side of the Toklat River and made camp about a mile up. Made camp and some delicious spaghetti. Washed up and SLEPT SO GOOD!!

Day 5

2008-08-22T11:58:00.005-06:00

We really did try to wake up early but were exhausted. Blue skies finally urged us out of the tent even though I was still really tired.

We hiked up Toklat which involved multiple BIG river fordings.

Soggy boots again but it was nice and sunny so minded less. Also, it was neat to see the very turbulant glacial silt water (milky colored) mix with stream water from nearby springs (clear water).

Bear Draw creek was our route to the plateau - a modest sized river with tons of rocks and boulders enclosed by DENSE brush and trees. We were basically forced to hike directly up the stream bed because the surrounding dry land was too thick to bushwhack.

A note to any unexperienced hikers, hiking up a noisy stream bed in bear country is dangerous, the bears dont hear you coming and the last thing you want to do is surprise a bear....so, Mark and Kate were yelling "Hey BEAR!" for the better part of the day. WE made our way up stream crossing from one side to another wherever a path could be managed. We stopped for lunch on a big sandbar on the river for some hummus roll-ups. About five minutes after packing up lunch and back into our hiking, mid-conversation, Mark points up river to a mama bear and two cubs about 50 yards ahead of us on the riverbed next to some brush!

We do much as yesterday, walk slowly backward trying not to mess our drawers. The bear seems less concerned with us and turns away pretty quickly. She probably was watching us have lunch for the past 20 minutes (um, scary?).

We walk downstream to reroute. Our plan had been to go up Sheldon Creek and cut back to Bear Draw which was too narrow and brushy. Starting straight back up Bear Draw, walking basically in the river was more that I could handle. The trip plateau needed to be cancelled, I was totally freaked out about all the near sight bear encounters! We walk back down Bear Draw at double speed, Mark's shoulders and back slowly being killed by his malfunctioning backpack. Once back on Toklat River, we both were ready to collapse.
We walked back down Toklat and ALL the way back to our previous night's campsite. Tamale Pie for dinner *not a triumphant meal but we were starving and ate every last bite. A good few games of Rummy (Mark won). Bed. Exhausted. Whoa.

Day 6

2008-08-22T12:09:00.004-06:00

We slept in a bit, had a leisurely breakfast with THREE cups of coffee :) We decided after much debate to go to Toklat, maybe catch the camper bus to Wonder Lake. Managed to pack up camp in 28 minutes (FAST!) and speed walk to Toklat to make the bus. Once there we were advised to stick to our permit's schedule and go up Stoney Creek with a promise it was not overly brushy. We got the 2:10p bus ride and started down the creek on a beautiful sunny but very windy day.

We made camp about 1.5 miles from the road on a hill overlooking the convergence of Little Stoney and Stoney Creek.
We had a double dinner because we were feeling starved and the took a hike up on a ridge for a beautiful 360 degree view of the area, we even spotted a bear with the binoculars about one mile away (nice safe distance).

Rummy and Pass the Pigs.
Bed.

Day 7

2008-08-22T12:13:00.004-06:00

Breakfast and the last of the coffee while we planned where to go for our day hike. We decided on a pass visible west of our campsite about 2.5 miles away. It was a nice hike, some substantial bushwhacking and advanced orienteering due to our attempts to skirt the closed area in the drainage between our camp and our destination. Only got our feet wet ONCE on the way there crossing Little Stony.

For once, no bears but did see THREE moose including one mama with baby who ran away from us at impressive speed. Our 2.5 mile hike ended up being a six hour hike but was fantastic and was followed by delicious pesto tortellini. The cold wind forced us into our tent for a planning party for what to do about the bus tomorrow and of course, Rummy.

Day 8

2008-08-22T12:18:00.004-06:00

Woke up at 630am, packed up and got to the road. Pretty uneventful hike out to the road, we took the social trail on the east side of the river as we did on the way in. We had to bushwhack a little bit but found the old jeep trail by the river that runs .25 miles to the road. Made such good time that we had some waiting...so we got out the cards and played Rummy on the side of the road. Who would have guessed we looked like such a spectacle, the tourist buses which flew by all morning occasionally stopped in front of us so the tourists could take pictures of us. I can just see the caption in their photo album "Real Live Backpackers playing Cards". Hilarious.

The 1st camper bus of the morning picked us up coming from Wonder Lake. It was a bus full of DIRTY DRUNK people that had been in Kantishna for the music festival over the weekend. One particullarly obnoxious drugged out chick would NOT shut up for the first 2 hours but finally passed out snoring. Saw a grizzly and a cariboo on the busride out. It is a long bus ride after 8 days of hiking. We got off at Riley Creek Campsite where we set up our tent just outside of the small city of RVs and found the shower. All we had for soap, shampoo etc. was Dr. Bronner's pepermint soap (we use it for dishes) so our hair came out with a very interesting texture. But we were clean and happy. It was such a fun trip. We hiked into the small town of Denali for some dinner and re-integration with society, called family to let them know we had made it etc. The next morning we decided to catch the train from Denali to Anchorage, which was an adventure as well....if you get a chance to ride this train be sure to seek out anybody who waves down the train for a ride into town, we met a VERY interesting character living in the Alaskan Bush.

Blogging the crap out of my gear

2007-08-23T11:52:00.000-06:00

Just so my loyal blog readers dont think my blog is not on my mind. I have some serious gear reviews to come including reviews of:
NRS katadyn Hiker Pro water purifier
MSR waterworks water purifier
REI Peak compact hiking poles
blue tarp
Osprey Luna backpack
Dragonfly camp stove

I will try to get going asap. Its a bit overwhelming.