I’ve been extremely busy at home lately and my training leading up to my High Sierra Trail (HST) hike has dropped off. I’ve been trying to stay in shape with hikes in the local hills, as well as hitting the tread mill (30 lb pack and hiking boots, 15% incline, 2.8 mph) several times per week to stay in shape.
Gear
I loaded up my pack with most of my HST gear to see how it carries in the pack on a trail. My pack weight for both of my hikes was around 35 lbs.
Notable Gear
- Six Moon Designs Fusion 65, 39 oz Ultralight Pack
- It took some to get the pack comfortable while carry a bear canister, but I think I’ve got it figured out now.
- Farm to Feet Merino Wool Socks – High Point
- Farm to Feet sent me a pair of their heavyweight socks, and they are a great replacement, volume and performance-wise when compared to my usually heavyweight Thorlos.
- Wanted to see how far I could push the anti-microbial -properties on merino wool. I wore these socks on my Half Dome hike, wore them for short, high-intensity workouts at the gym this week (4 workouts) and wore them for both hikes, all without washing them. They did not become crusty as most socks would have and I can just barely detect an odor.
- Geigerrig Hydration Pack Engine
- I used the Hydration Pack Engine with my SMD pack. I tried carrying it on the outside of my pack, placing it in my cooking coozie, to make it easier to access it during my hike. I plan to carry it in this manner on the HST, to limit the number of times I need to get into my pack.
- Ribz Pack
- I bought this pack used a few months ago, but haven’t used it much. I am thinking about carrying it on my HST hike, to add a little capacity. I can carry everything using the SMD Fusion 65, but the Ribz will allow easier access to my gear while I am hiking.
- I am looking at different ways of attaching it to my pack.
- Oboz Beartooth BDry
- I will continue to use these for my hikes through June, when I hike the High Sierra Trail.
Geek Stats
- Blue Mountain Sunrise Training (Hike 10 of 52) || Distance: 3 mile loop || Duration: ~1.5 hrs || 12% incline on ascent
- Blue Mountain Sunset Training (Hike 11 of 52) || Distance: 1.75 mile loop || Duration: ~55 mins || 22% incline on ascent
