[pct-l] Gear

[Jeffrey Olson]

My folks started us (three kids) backpacking with a trip in 1961 into 
the Eagle Cap Wilderness.  We hiked in, set up the 20' x 12' clear 
plastic tarp and lived in it for two days while it rained. The previous 
two summers they'd horse/mule packed us into the Marble Mountain 
Wilderness - once to Cliff Lake for two weeks, and the next year to the 
Wright Lakes.  So many memories...

One of the strongest is of a backcountry ranger stripping down to his 
birthday suit and bathing in Cliff Lake.  He took a bar of soap out 
there and spent  20 minutes scrubbing and washing.  We could see the 
circle of soap/bubbles dissipate in the lake.

The two days under the tarp was all about staying sane.  Even at 9 years 
old I knew I had to behave.  When the rain abated, we met a sheep herder 
who put our packs on his mules and dropped them off at our car at the 
trailhead.

My Dad died over Labor Day in 2009.  The last time I backpacked with him 
was in 1987 when he was my age, 62.  Already the TIAs (transient 
ischemic attacks - minor strokes) were changing him.

My brother in law and I were lounging on the east side of Falls Creek, 
three or four miles below Dorothy Lake, drinking bourbon and feeling 
fine.  My Dad had been fly fishing for the previous hour - downstream of 
our camp.  Steve and I watched him trod by 50' across the creek on the 
trail.  We expected he'd look up and see us, cross the creek, and put 
some bourbon in his Sierra Club cup.

15 minutes passed and no Dad.  He'd already established he was pretty 
spaced and Steve and I were responsible for his safety.  I swore and 
danced across the creek on rocks to the trail.  I had four or five 
ounces of bourbon in me and didn't feel like running.  I was a bit 
resentful I had to look out for  him.  Nonetheless, I kept up a fast 
paced walk that folded over into jogging a couple times.

After 10 minutes of walking my concern solidified a bit - I had a tight 
feeling in my chest.  I don't worry.  It's not part of my 
being-in-the-world.  But I was definitely feeling a bit uncertain.

The forest along Falls Creek is a bunch of 30' pines and there is lots 
of granite.  On a long section hike in 1995 I met a guy along Falls 
Creek who had adopted Ray Jardine's system hook line and sinker.  He 
left Campo on June 1.  He was about to catch up to the herd.  I shared 
this story with him then, and I could see him add it to his storybook of 
interesting experiences along the trail.

I followed a mellow bend in the trail and there my Dad was, standing in 
the middle of the trail.  "Hey Dad - what's up?"

The look in his eyes was really scary.  It  was one of the first times I 
saw how deeply the TIAs had affected him.  "I'm going to camp" he said, 
his eyes diffused, unfocused.

"Well, it's back down the trail" I said, pointing south.  I don't 
remember the specifics after that.  I do remember actually physically 
helping walk down the trail, holding his arm above the elbow, like you 
would an old person.  We spent 15 minutes getting back to camp.  He 
found focus with bourbon and dinner and conversation.

I titled this post, "Gear" because I haven't bought any in over a year.  
That's a record for me.  18 months ago I bought an ultralight inflatable 
neo mattress.  It replaced my blue ensolite pad, which had replaced a 
compacted blue closed cell pad, which had replaced a gray thermarest 
closed cell foam pad.  I own at least eight generations of sleeping 
pads, and now, use only the ultralight thermarest neo pad.  When I moved 
from Rapid City SD to Arcata CA I gave away mattresses I'd used in the 70s.

  For my adult life I haven't had much money.  I never got married and 
never had children.  Money was never important.  Yet, I always had good 
quality backpacking gear.  Whether it was moving up from my camptrails 
pack - the big sack - the one Colin Fletcher used - to the Kelty Super 
Tioga - to the Jansport D-3, and a couple small internal frames to the 
Golite Gusts and and Mariposa I use now - I was within a year or two of 
gear that made things lighter and easier to use in backpacking.  I use a 
Nunatak quilt, now 11 years old and currently priced near $500.  I've 
never put it in a stuff sack. When hiking it lives in a garbage bag at 
the top of my huge pack.  I could always afford backpacking gear.

I think I've been a beginner backpacker most of my life.  I say this 
because I've had a 45 year fascination with gear - better gear.  My 
first stove was a Bluet, and I have two or three of them now.  If you 
want them, let me know.  They are yours if you pay for shipping...

Beginning backpackers are fascinated with gear.  Which rain jacket is 
best?  Which stove system is best?  Can I wear running shoes or do I 
need fabric boots, or am I going give the middle finger to 40 years of 
technological advances and walk in leather boots.  And on and on and 
on.  Read the journals of thru-hikers and you NEVER see any references 
to what piece of gear is better than another.  You'll read about bad 
choices about gear to carry in specific situations, but you wont' ever 
see anyone argue north face jackets are better than sierra design jackets.

I've been a victim of materialist culture.  Plain and simple.  I've 
bought 1000s of dollars of stuff over the last 45 years I didn't 
"need."  Why?  This is the question.  "Why??????"  The consequence is 
that I've been a beginner backpacker for more y ears than I needed to.  
I have more experience in REI or online looking at deals than I did 
actually hiking.  I think that one of the possibilities thru-hiking 
offers contrasted to section hiking is that this "gear" orientation 
slowly goes away, forever - forever - forever...  I know what I need, 
and am no longer concerned with what I want.

That last sentence is profound, if I do say so.

I survey my memories of hikes - the last one with my Dad mentioned 
above, and so on, and you know what, gear never enters into the focus of 
discussion...

Never.....

Jeffrey Olson
Manila, CA