Trip Report: Classic Backpacking 6/18/16–6/19/16

As you guys saw in my last post, I’ve been doing a bunch of fishing on my more recent trips. I have also been doing some Clasic Backpacing. I haven’t posted much about the trips because they are fairly standard. The challenging ones were during winter, but now that the weather is nice, they are pretty standard, evin with century old gear. In case anyone is followign though, here is one from last weekend.

It was a very warm day. Temperture was supposed to be up around 85F (29C). I figured it would stay warm enough for me to bring Rhea along. It’s hard to bring her when it’s cold because I can’t keep her int he blanket with me, like I do when I’m carrying a sleeping bag.

This particular route required a lot of climbing. It was a quick ascent to above the tree line, and a bit down in elevation to the area where I wanted to camp.

For my summer Classic Backpacking trips, I’ve decided to wear cotton clothing. I had on a cotton shirt and corduroy pants. Reading through original sources, it appears that they wore wool year round, but it’s not practical for me. It is just too warm, and if you get some thinner wool clothing, it wears out way too quickly.

In the early afternoon, I reached my destination. I took my time setting up camp.

The tarp was mostly there for the shade. I didn’t make any type of brush pile for under the blanket. I didn’t need the insulation, and it doesn’t bother me sleeping on a hard surface.

The big benefit of doing Classic Backpacking in warm weather is that you save huge amount sof time both building a sleeping surface, as well as gathering fire wood to keep you warm through the night.

The down side however is water. I’m trying to keep true to the primary sources, and while writers like Kephart mention the existance of rubber bladders for water storage, and several of them talk about canteen, many carried no water storage at all, or just a single canteen, as I am doing. I have to say, they must have been very limited with respect to the terrain were they could travel. In this type of weather, I wanted to be far away from water sources, as well as higher in elevation. It’s the only way to survive the mosquitoes and the humidity. That however, combined with my single water bottle, necessitated that I make two lengthy trips down the mountain to a water source. I then had to boil it, which wasn’t fun in the heat.

The water trips took up most of the day. I used the time to check out the blueberry bushes in the area. Another month and they should be ready.

I was also lucky to spot a turkey. A month too late, and it appeared to be a hen, but still, it’s rare that I can get close enough to one to take a picture.

I kept the fire small; just enought to boil the water.

I fell asleep on top of the blanket. During the night however I got a bit chilled and had to toss it over me. I didn’t do the usual wrap, but just folded it over me. The night was short, and I got up bright and early.

I packed up and headed back. I tried to make my way down the moutnain before the heat really kicked up.

So, that’s that. A pretty uneventful trip. It’s how they have been lately. The weather has been very forgiving.