First foray into Backpacking

[BlackMagicPanther]

It's been two weeks now since I spent my first night away from the things of man. I went on a backpacking trip with a couple of buddies from work in Yosemite, and we had a lot of fun. The first night we spent west of El Capitan by about a mile. It was very interesting realizing that we were 8 miles east of help in one direction, 5 miles west of help in the other. We did spend the night about a quarter mile north of a sheer cliff that if we had the gear to base jump, we would have landed a mile and a half or so from Camp 4 (for those who don't know Yosemite, this is a walk in campground on the valley floor). Oh yeah, we pitched our tents about 75 feet from the 8" long black bear (rear paw) track that I found after about a half hour of walking our perimeter. For anyone who hunts, you know that the print should translate to a bear of about 400 pounds. I am familiar with hunting and am comfortable with handling black bears and one of the guys I was with is also familiar with them, but our other companion was a bit iffy with it. The print was at least a day old, so I was certain we wouldn't have any problems and of course we didn't. Next day, the guys had breakfast after me (unfortunately, I was up early due to tossing and turning. I have apparently gotten too old to sleep on the ground even after an 8 mile hike with a 32 pound pack on me). I went and filtered water from Ribbon Creek to fillup all of our packs and picked some leaves to wipe with. Well, I can tell you that I didn't have much luck wiping with the leaves and ended up burying some toilet paper.

After they completed their tear down, we were off. When we hit El Cap, it was a windblown arid climate. It wasn't quite what I expected. I did find another bear print which was perfectly defined. It's one of the best prints I have ever seen, and I got a picture of it, but didn't have a bill to match it's size as I had with the other. I'd estimate it being the front paw of the same bear at about 6 inches. El Cap offers a lot of really good pics of the lanscapes I have posted a few times already, so I am going back and forth on actually posting pics in the Digital Photography forum. I did get some that I hadn't seen before, and one that is of the edge of El Cap. I didn't get as close as I would normally get, cuz the wind was high and I wasn't taking any chances, but it was interesting looking down on the spot that people climb up over. The interesting thing was that there were only 4 or 5 spots big enough for a tent to be pitched. So, the people who climb up have limited spaces to relax before they head back down. It was actually a bit of a hike getting from the edge back to the top where I dropped my pack off, and we relaxed before we headed off. There was only one small stream to filter water between El Cap and Yosemite Creek which was our next destination, and boy am I glad we took advantage of it. The hike on the topo map didn't seem too bad except for one part. Well, that one part was a lot of uphill with a pack on the back. All of us had to stop several times on the way up, but after that part it was flat land and downhill from there.

We found a nice impacted camp about a half mile north of Yosemite Falls. As soon as we got there it was rest and relaxation time or so we thought. I heard the roll of thunder in the distance and just over the northeast mountain ranges was a nice sized thunderhead. We pitched our tents quickly and got our rainflies on as fast as we could. After getting the protection up, we decided that we needed to get more water. So, a couple of us went down to the Falls to filter some more. On the way down, as we crossed a small ittle meadow, I found a mountain lion print. I was so excited. As you can tell from my screen name, I am a big cat enthusiast. I made the mental notes as to where I'd find it again and we headed off. Finally, after two days of only seeing 12 people, we found large amounts of people. It was strange seeing people who weren't backpackers again. We relaxed by the water and I washed myself off (two days of dirt, sand, mud and no showers will do that), then headed back. The guys got their dinners going, and I decided to walk the perimeter. I got pictures of the first puma print, and tracked him down to the water of Yosemite Creek. Turns out the camp was only .2 miles from the water. I also found another mountain lion track, this one a female. Along with a mother bear and her baby. I mistook the baby's track for a bobcat, but it didn't take me long to figure it out. Needless to say, I took a lot of pictures of the tracks. We also got a lot of real good pictures of the landscape and the sky (the thunderhead cleared and left some great clouds). I improved a lot of photography as the two guys I was with are way serious into figuring out a lot of tricks with their cameras. We finally bedded down and I left my rainfly open in hopes of seeing any of the wildlife, but I knew each of the tracks age, and I was fairly certain that we'd see nothing, and unfortunately, I was right.

The next morning I tore down early and walked the perimeter again looking for fresh tracks and getting pics. There was nothing new on the ground. The guys woke up and we decided to get pics and water down by the water before we took off. By this time, both Justin and I were done. Justin sustained a second degree burn the night before we left for the hike (remember boys and girls always check the fire pit for embers before you start throwing logs in). I had an ingrown hair become infected while on the trail, and knew that I needed to get it to a shower as soom as possible. So, we headed down as soon as we could get moving. Justin forced me to eat one of his meals to lighten his load for the trip down, so I ate my first real meal in a couple of days. It didn't really do my stomach too bad (when I am hiking, it doesn't matter how many calories I burn, my body only wants small amounts of trail mix of dried fruits and nuts). We made a short stopover for pics of Yosemite Falls, and Justin and I headed down what I think is the most evil trail in Yosemite: Yosemite Falls. Fortunately, it was almost all downhill, but the trail is slippery rocks covered by sand for about 75% of the trail. You literally have to pick your way down or you will seriously injure yourself. The trail also features only 9 small spots of shade for about a mile and half where you are being baked by the sun. Even with sunscreen, all of us got a little toasted. It was 96 degres. There were only a few nice picture opportunities on the trail as well. I am looking forward to going back to the overlook of the falls, but I already know there are two trails that will afford me easier access, and I will take them.

We hit the valley floor at Camp 4 and the guys pretty much died on me for a half hour. I was 5 minutes ahead of Justin and a half hour ahead of Gary, so I had a nice rest. I was also the only one with water when we got down, so I went and filled up our bottles while the guys relaxed. We finally got to the car and headed for the showers. It was so nice to get truly clean and use a flush toilet. So many people take that for granted. I am so looking forward to going back out in the bush. I have spent over $200 to improve my gear and ensure the comfort I need to sleep soundly (yay sleeping mat). Unfortunately, since the injury I had to scrap doing Half Dome, but I will be doing that either this month or next.

So, does anyone else here backpack? Anyone have any stories to share?

[bluebird]

Sounds like an exciting trip, BMP! I've never been camping before but I once saw a small (about 40 pounds) mountain lion outside our patio window...pipestove tail and all. His nose was almost on the glass looking in. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Next day there was a turkey carcass in a little valley behind the house.

[RunningMan27]

Nice write-up, BMP! I have always wanted to hike there.

I love back-packing. Some friends and I go once or twice a year into one of Idaho's mountain ranges (Sawtooths, Whiteclouds, etc...). They're beautiful and not more than a couple of hours from Boise (where we live).

Hell Roaring Lake is amazing. The Finger of Fate is incredible when you stand below it. 07. Sawtooth Backpack - Hell Roaring Lake

We also treck the Bench Lakes near Redfish lake, which is also amazing being under Mount Heyburn (a peak in the Sawtooths).

One of the recent trips we started making was a winter back-packing trip. We've ventured into the mountains outside of Idaho City. There is a lot more involved with hiking in the winter because you need more gear, food, and different means of carrying your gear (we use a sled and backpacks). I highly recommend giving it a try at least once. Building your camp site is pretty fun in the snow.

[lizzyb]

Just wanted to say BMP that was a very illustrative writeup......no need for pics even. sounds wonderful.....personally, I'm more of a water voyageur....I've mostly done alot of canoe camping up in our Algonquin Park....great hiking, and sights there as well....I'd love to do more backpacking but it'd be hard to convince the 3 and 4yr old to carry their share, lol!!

[BlackMagicPanther]

Bluebird, where is this place that you speak of? Sounds like a nice place to live. I know it sounds morbid, but did you take pics of the turkey carcass? I am always fascinated with the way wild cats eat. I came across a similar turkey kill on my Clouds Rest hike while I was miles off trail by myself, so I got moving before I could snap any pics. I have always regretted that.

Runningman, those are some cool pics. Which one are you in the pics or are you always the one behind the camera? When you are camping in the snow do you look for soft fresh powder or tightly packed stuff so it doesn't melt from under you? Do you use dogs to pull the sled or are you guys the beasts of burden? Post some of your pics in the Photography forum. Did you get to go on the trip you were talking about a month or so ago?

Lizzy, canoe camping sounds awesome. Have you seen a lot of people in your travels? Also, why not post some pics?

[RunningMan27]

BMP, I went on my trip my I forgot my camera! I wasn't pleased.

I do have some cool pictures of a kayaking trip I was on about a month ago...I will upload those sometime. They aren't the best quality because they're off my phone, but the scenery still shows up well.

I will try to dig up some pictures from the Fingers of Fate trip I went on a couple of years ago. The pictures in the link are only what is on one of the sites. The pictures I'm hoping to find are from my favorite hike - we camped out on the beach and shortly after we cooked our dinner (at about 8 o'clock) everything came alive -- a number of different birds swirled the lake and would then dive and catch fish. Deer came out. It was awesome. The fish-catching was incredible...almost from a Discovery Channel movie. They would circle 50+ feet in the air and then swoop in, skim the water, and pull a fish out.

We rig a sled (REI has good snow camping sleds) to a large belt that we trade off wearing (there are a lot of ways to do it - researching the internet found some interesting ideas in this area. We used a few ideas from a few different models to add to our sled). The sled carries food, wood, tents, and our sleeping bags (they are negative temp bags, so they're much builkier than summer weight bags). We also carry our backpacks where we kept clothes, layering, and some other lighter weight items.

To add insulation to our tents we dig a platform into a snow bank so that 2-3 feet of a natural snow wall can surround 3 sides of the tent, It helps keep the wind from bothering you and allows you to sleep flat. I highly recommend a basic tarp to lay down below the tent for insulation and to really make sure the tent stays dry.

Next, we also dig down about 3-4 feet and across about 8-10 feet for a kitchen / dining area...the hole has benches and an area for the stove and fire. The fire is made at the very bottom of the hole to keep us warm, help us cook, and keeps us and the fire out of the wind by being in the hole.

Setting up the camp is really fun, actually. It's an excuse to play in the snow. It was hard to pack in and build our site when we had really powdery snow. I like it to be firmer - the sled drags better and the building of the site is much easier.

[Option1]

Great trip, great story BMP!

Neil