Today June 3rd Doaf drove to his trail angels’ (Googoo and Pistol) house to be nearer his starting point and to begin acclimating to a higher altitude – around 4500 ft in Reno. Of course, the prep has been going on for a while, planning for the food to bring (including the 6 resupply packages) and refining the list of gear.
Finally the process of packing the final pack begins. Everything is laid out. Doaf knows there are a few borderline items that may not make the weight grade. Of course, food and water are very important. The fishing gear should be handy for the Sierras especially.
All the lures are ready to go. At right is the full assembly of fishing gear.
Below are the meals setups for the first 6 days on the trail, until the Mammouth Lakes resupply. The Doaf is showing off some pretty haute cuisine there – is it dried lasagna?
And here are all the cooking gear and supplies – a small stove…
And the very important water filtration system:
Next there are a few (very few) clothing items, and of course this does not include the set of clothes Doaf will wear out on the trail. (Also an extra pair of athletic shoes from the hiking boots, not shown).
Of course there are the usual meds and toiletries. Lots of stuff for the feet: moleskin and bandaids… Pain meds: aspirin, Tylenol, bandaids, safety pins and the like. A little bit of TP (what would John Muir do?). Extra reading glasses.
And we have to pack it all together into the backpack. Notice the black bear canister, a critical requirement. The tent (in blue pack in foreground) gets attached on the outside of the backpack. There is also a fancy sleeping pad and special sleeping blanket not pictured.
Of course there is some tech that Doaf is bringing along. Some MP4 tunes for the trail, the cell phone/camera, a pad to keep in touch and the solar battery panels to keep us charged. This will drape on the backpack while hiking. Flashlight of course. And the FindMe Spot which is a satellite contact check-in device that Doaf’s angels will use to track and monitor him.
And then there is the mosquito hat. . . . OK, pretty scary!
