I recently started backpacking again after a 12 year hiatus due to the birth of my daughter. I had been "waiting for her to get old enough." As I started talking about hiking with my family, I found out that a kayaking buddy was interested in backpacking. While he had done quite a bit of camping and some climbing, he hadn’t done any real backpacking. So he and I started planning our upcoming hike(s). My goal was to test out the old equipment and scout some trails to be sure they would be suitable for my daughter.
Living in Atlanta, I had hiked the Cohutta Wilderness and a few other trails in north Georgia. We decided that we both wanted to hike parts of the AT so planned to hike the first section from Springer Mt to Hightower Gap (approximately 9 mi). I dug out all my old "lightweight" gear including my 7 lb internal frame pack, my 4.5 lb leather boots, stainless steel cookpot, MSR Whisperlight stove, Thermarest pad, etc. My buddy brought his 9 lb 4 season tent (that he hopes to use in high alpine climbing one day) and an 8 lb backpack among other "lightweight" equipment. Even though we were just hiking 9 miles Saturday and 9 back on Sunday in moderate weather (this was late January and the lows were just above freezing, highs up to about 45), we carried about 35 lb.
While our original plan was to drive to the base of Springer Mt and hike the .9 mi approach from FS 42, when we arrived at Hightower Gap and realized that we had to drive right past it, we decided to hike from Hightower to Springer and back. We geared up and headed up the trail at about 10:30 am. For the most part, we felt pretty good. The hike was uneventful and enjoyable and we made reasonably good time until we reached the FS 42 parking lot and started the 0.9 mi climb to the top of Springer Mt. I’m glad it was early in the season so no one could hear the whining from both of us. I tend to walk faster than my buddy so I’m usually in front.
Even though we were only carrying 35 lb, we were both discussing whether we really needed to get to the top of Springer. Only the knowledge that it wasn’t even a mile and a healthy dose of ego kept us going. When we reached Springer, we were pooped. We set up our 9 lb tent, put on about 5 lb of pile and other clothing and walked to the shelter to cook dinner. Just as we were about to crank up the stove, three thru-hikers who were completing their hike walked up. While we were fussing with a ton of gear spread out over half the shelter, they simply took off their boots, laid out their pads, crawled in their sleeping bags and began cooking while in their bags.
I had never seen anyone do this before and while we were all cooking, we talked. In addition to recounting highlights of their trip, they generously shared some of the experience they had gained. By listening and observing, I quickly learned a great deal about simplifying my packing experience. The next day, we awoke so stiff and sore, we thought someone might have to carry us down the mountain, but after some stretching and some food, we made our way back to the truck at Hightower. The hike out was enjoyable but uneventful. After changing into dry, clean clothes we drove back toward Atlanta and stopped in Dahlonega to eat. We had been driving for a little less than an hour and when I tried to step out of the 4 x 4 truck in town, I gasped. I was completely ’stove in’. Every step hurt somewhere. Once I arrived home, I went online to research a different way to backpack.
I found an unbelievable amount of information including the Backpacking Light site and Ray Jardine’s site. I subscribed to the Backpacking Light site and grabbed a copy of the PCT Handbook from our local library. Reading the book from cover to cover at the same time I was lurking on the BPL site, I was amazed. I thought I had been packing as little and as light as possible. Why, I knew people that would take 45+ lb on an overnight trip. At first I was skeptical, but with Ray’s experience and clear evolution in his approach and the first hand experience of BPL list members, I felt I had to give this ’ultralightweight’ stuff a try. Luckily, my buddy was just as interested (and was willing to learn to sew!). I had tried tarp camping a few times with an old ripstop tarp so the idea of a silnylon tarp sounded reasonable.
We ordered the material and spent a Saturday sewing our tarp. I also stripped all the extraneous stuff off my internal frame backpack, including the hipbelt, reducing its weight to about 4.5 lb. I dumped the leather boots for trail running shoes and dug out my Ridgerest (which I cut down). I also rummaged through the gear locker (basement) for an old aluminum cook kit designed to hold the original Peak 1 stove.
With this ’new and improved’ equipment, and less extraneous gear, we set out to hike a 17 mile loop in the Cohutta Wilderness. Given our recent experience on the AT, we figured that the 17 mile loop would take us about the same time as the 18 mile round trip to Springer. Boy were we wrong! While only a mile less hiking (with significant elevation gain and loss), we did the loop in 3 hours less time. What was the difference? About 13 lbs.
We were carrying about 20 - 22 lbs each including water, fuel and food. Not only did we hike much faster and enjoy it more, we awoke on Sunday with absolutely no aches or pains, part of which I attribute to selecting a ’stealth’ site that was naturally cushioned. We were both astounded and motivated to take the next step. For me that was buying a GoLite Breeze and making alcohol stoves. For my buddy, it was sewing a pack based on his examination of a small climbing pack he had. These changes plus some lighter weight, multi-purpose clothing changes got us closer to our weight goals.
For our next trip, we planned to hike from Hightower Gap to Neel’s Gap (approx. 22 - 23 miles) on Saturday and Sunday. This time our total packed weight was 13 - 14 lb for low temps in the middle to upper 20’s and highs about 50. We drove up to Hightower after work on Friday night and slept in the back of my truck so we could get an early start. We hit the trail at 7:20 am. While we carried all our gear intending to camp just short of Blood Mtn, we made such good time and felt so good that we ended up walking back to Neel’s Gap by 7:00 pm as the sun went down. We were ecstatic. Given our first experience only 2 months earlier - 18 miles in two days - almost dead, we never believed we could hike 23 miles on the AT in one day. As we drove home that night, we jabbered about how excited we were, how good we felt and wondered how much more we might be able to reduce our pack weight.
The next morning I awoke and had no clue that I had just hiked 23 miles over some reasonably difficult terrain. We continued reading (bought Beyond Backpacking), watching the posts on BPL, searching for and scouring every lightweight site I could find. We now have our base pack weights for summer camping under 7 lbs and our southeastern three season base pack weights down to under 10 lbs. While we are both over 40, out of shape and overweight we consistently outhike in both speed and distance kids half our age. We enjoy the hike while we are hiking. This contrasts to my previous experience where I endured the hike to get to my destination while feeling like a pack mule.
I’ve since purchased another GoLite Breeze for my daughter and my buddy and I have sewn two G4’s based on GVP’s pattern. Last weekend, my wife, daugher, buddy and I hiked the Jack’s River trail from the west end to the falls. Our average total pack weight was 12 lb and we were planning to eat well. This trip requires 22 fords each way. While on the way in we stopped and fished and swam and generally messed around, on the way out, my buddy and I wanted to see how long it would take so we sent the ladies out the 3.5 mile Beech Bottom trail and we hiked back on the river trail. 8 miles and 22 river fords, several up to the waist, in 3 hours. The really nice part was that we passed 4 groups of 20 somethings carrying what we used to carry. In every case we crossed the river faster with less stress, walked faster and just seemed to be enjoying the process much more.
I think that is the great thing about ’ultra lightweight’ backpacking. Not only is it safer, faster, and easier on an old body, but you can simply enjoy the journey much more.
Postscript:
BIO: I’m 46 years old, 6’4" - 200 lb, born in south Florida, moved to Atlanta in 1981 where I still live with wife and daughter. I’m the Client Services Manager at a Prescription Benefits Management Company. I grew up camping with Boy Scouts, family etc. Mostly car camping. Started backpacking while living in Jacksonville, Florida. Really got into it more when I moved to Atlanta (better mountains, fewer bugs). Have hiked all over north Georgia., a little North Carolina and north Florida. Most of my hiking has been weekend oriented (2 - 4 days). One of these days I’ll take the time to put together longer trips. I also whitewater kayak, cave dive, cycle and golf.
My move to ultralight (I guess that’s what I am) has really increased my hiking enjoyment. I may have even made a couple of new converts this week. My boss’s boss and his wife just returned from a week in the Sierra’s Evolution Basin (I believe) carrying 60+ lb packs. They really suffered and came back ’bowing’ to me and the ultralight concepts I’ve been trying to get them to try. I think they may be ready for conversion.
(This first appeared on Backpackinglight.com, but disappeared when that site went commercial. I’ve been unable to track down the author to get permission to use it. Help would be appreciated.)