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A Bicycle Trip Down The River
My river-rafting adventure started on a bicycle. The small daypack I wore carried a hatchet, a saw, some scraps of rope, food, water, a garbage bag bivy sack, a hat, and odds and ends. It weighed less than fifteen pounds total.
It was late...
Bike Rims And Wheels
The first bicycle wheels were from a horse drawn cart, made of wood with a metal band round the bicycle rim, very hard and very uncomfortable to ride. Then a man called Dunlop (Scottish) invented the pneumatic tire, this along with Macadam (another...
Colorado Fly Fishing – Bait Huckin' vs. Fly Fishin'
It was one of those fishing trips. You know, everyone catches fish but you, you loose six or eight of your most expensive streamers, it rains buckets, and you sink the boat. That’s right; I got skunked at Steamboat Lake over Memorial weekend. I was...
Fitness: A State of Being
Today's technological advancement often raises a lot of questions. While we find that we have a lot more convenience at our disposal, there are many issues surrounding our present fast life. Most people often find that easy is not necessarily...
Snowcat Skiing: What Is It?
Backcountry skiers near Golden, British Columbia travel high into the Rocky Mountains in the warm comfort of snowcats . Traveling in groups of 12, lead by two qualified guides, skiers and snowboarders are carried to elevations of almost 10,000...
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Lightweight Backpacking: An Example
I was in the Weminuche Wilderness Area when the snow came.
It was my second day out of Silverton, where the locals told
me it rains or snows every day in August. I made a note to
myself to do some research next time. Then I made a note to
myself to find the trail. I was lost again.
Lightweight Backpacking
I came to the San Juan Mountains in Colorado to try my new
gear. I used a tarp shelter, and a light down sleeping bag.
The first rainy night I stayed dry. A good start, but now
above the trees, I was lost in rolling tundra, unable to
find the trail under several inches of snow. I had my
ultralight rainsuit on, though, and I was fine.
It was beautiful, with mountains appearing all around at
every break in the weather. Eventually I found myself on the
map. The sun came out, and there were white mountain tops
rising out of the green forests everywhere. Mountain goats
played on the cliffs with me.
The fourth morning, I was on my way up Mount Eolus. In
Colorado you can go up 14,000-foot mountains without
climbing gear. They call them "Walk-ups," but some require
more than hiking. The "catwalk" on Eolus, for example, is
easy, but only if it's easy for you to walk a
three-foot-wide edge, with a drop to your death on either
side. I made it to the top.
Sunlight Peak, a couple hours later, required a leap across
a thousand foot drop to reach the summit. At least it was an
easy
jump. Chased off by a thunderstorm, I didn't get to go
up nearby Windom Peak.
There were no roads, but the next day I found the
Silverton-Durango line, and flagged down the train to
Silverton. I bought food and headed out for three more days
of rainy hiking. Lightning chased me at 13,000 feet, I slept
in an old ghost town building, climbed three more
"fourteeners," and I'd do it all again in a second.
Backpacking in Colorado is spectacular, and going
lightweight made it even more so.
Why Lightweight?
I carried my backpack easily up mountains, with better
balance. One day I hiked 22 miles and bagged three
fourteeners. I went 110 miles in seven days, without one
blister. That's what running shoes and a 12 to 16 pound
packweight does for you.
Staying dry was as much technique as it was good equipment.
It rained every day, and I was under a tarp, in a one-pound
sleeping bag, but I stayed dry and warm. I found lightweight
backpacking to be safer than hiking with a heavy load,
contrary to what many say.
This first lightweight backpacking trip was years ago. When
I remember running up those mountains, I know I'll never go
back to a heavy load.
About the Author
Steve Gillman is a long-time backpacker, and advocate of
lightweight backpacking. His advice and stories can be found
at http://www.TheUltralightBackpackingSite.com
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