[pct-l] Pct-l Digest, Vol 18, Issue 50

[Pat Megowan]

Hi Bill,

>> I imagine I'd be all right but not if I encounter frequent or heavy rain 
>> and wind.  Comments?


Be grateful for good conditions, but don't depend on them; wishful thinking 
keeps too many SAR units busy. You could easily encounter heavy rain/wind 
and snow for a few days; I've had it happen and was underprepared, a very 
unpleasant reality check.

A tarp set up well in a good location can handle this just as well as a 
tent, but the skill/judgment bar is probably higher. Factors include siting 
(wind protection, drainage, ground that will hold stakes, etc.), skill to 
pitch it well (different pitches suit different circumstances, discussed in 
detail by Jardine, Townsend, Jordan, Fletcher, and many others, improvising 
w/other gear), judgment (e.g. when to bail), and what other gear you are 
carrying (less enclosure usu. means less warmth).

I'd encourage you to practice this in your yard or smaller trips and then 
seriously visualize at least a couple of days of wind and rain and light 
snow. Imagine you are camped up high and exposed at Guitar Lake (one of the 
places I had this happen), or tucked among trees down in LeConte canyon. 
Imagine that an intense downpour gets some of your gear damp, or the wind 
pulls the stakes out and you're exposed until you get them back in--still 
doing OK?

Full disclosure - I use a one pound pyramid-type tarp (duomid) which can 
handle pretty terrifying conditions and goes up so fast I've put it up for a 
snack break on a blustery day. Current raingear is a 5 ounce Driducks jacket 
that gets very infrequent use, and an umbrella which has worked well for me 
in the Sierras, N. Cascades, and high arctic. No magic to any of these, but 
they work well for me.

Mosquitoes in late August/early September would be pretty low on the worry 
list. You may want to take pictures if you see any.

>> Also, I've gone a week with no stove and only cold food/drink.  Will two
>> plus weeks be different?

How would you have felt about this on the last day of that week of cold 
food?

And how would you feel if the weather turned stormy? I did a practice 
"stranded overnight w/out tent or bag" once--windy w/freezing rain--with 
several other people. The only person who had a decent night was a guy who 
had a hot drink every 90 minutes or so. He had a very crude improvised 
shelter compared to others, but the added heat was big both physically and 
mentally.

With some cooking systems weighing under a half pound (incl stove, pot, 
cozy, spoon) I'd be surprised if the weight savings in dried cookable food 
didn't offset the weight of stove and fuel. If you don't like to fool with 
cooking that's fine, but it doesn't have to be a big weight penalty.

of course YMMV.

Pat


> From: "Bill Thoms" <wthomsjr at comcast.net>
> To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2009 1:05 PM
> Subject: [pct-l] JMT in late August with poncho rainfly
>
>
>> To offset the weight of a bear canister and extra food I am thinking of
>> doing the JMT southbound beginning in late summer without my 4 lb Clip
>> Flashlight tent.  My backpackers poncho can be rigged with my trekking
>> poles, two stakes and two guy lines with two more stakes into a long slim
>> rainfly.  I have a headnet and will obtain a piece of plastic for a
>> groundcloth.  I imagine I'd be all right but not if I encounter frequent
>> or
>> heavy rain and wind.  Comments?
>>
>>
>>
>> Also, I've gone a week with no stove and only cold food/drink.  Will two
>> plus weeks be different?