an inspiring email from a reader named Brad

Big wilderness, little pack

Dear Mike, 

I've been bike touring, backpacking and climbing mountains for some time. And if you asked me a year ago about my technique/style I would have said that I was happy with how I was working and that everything was more or less wired. I have always been pragmatic and focused on avoiding unnecessary gear. 

Still, I was not a gram weenie by any measure. After reading your Ultralight Backpackin' Tips countless times [in and out of order] over the past year leading up to my recent JMT thru-hike my entire mindset has shifted. I have gone from being concerned to being mindful in terms of how I prepare and how I conduct myself in the backcountry. I really love how you avoid dogmatism and instead present ways of thinking through your "tips". 

While I found almost all of your tips to be helpful it was the mindset that informed them which really helped me turn a corner in my own practice. In some ways your book made me think of the Tyrol Declaration [maybe thats pushing it a little but I really did see the connection to the declarations assertion that style is substance]. 

I just returned from my 10 day thru-hike of the JMT which I started on June 2nd and the experience was unreal. My skin out weight was 27lbs with five days of food. Instead of evaluating how well my gear did or didn't perform I found that it simply did what it was meant to do and otherwise stayed out of my way. 

The simplicity of my techniques and gear allowed me to experience the high sierra with less stuff getting between me and the wilderness I had come to immerse myself in. For this I thank you. 

Best wishes, 

Brad 

Brooklyn, NY

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Here was my reply:

Bradly,

Right on for you! You're reflecting back to me EXACTLY my goal when I wrote this little book. Huge thanks!

I went into the project thinking it was going to be a technical instructional on how to make your own gear, and modify existing gear (all that's in there). But, there really isn't that much gear to play with once you get right down to it. As I immersed myself in the writing process, the book morphed into something a lot more spiritual. Modifying the gear is easy, modifying the MIND-SET is challenging!

PLEASE - send me a few pictures - I wanna add this wonderful email to my blog!

peace from Idaho,
Mike C!

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lightweight camping with Andrew Skurka

Andrew Skurka just posted an essay with photos about his inaugural 2012 trip into the Yosemite backcountry.

Linked HERE.

Just so you know, I'll be working with Andrew this summer as a guide, and there are still spots available for trips this summer. These are high quality intensive skills trips.

Want more info? Click HERE to secure a spot.

I can honestly recommend these outings, and Andrew's role as an instructor. Lightweight camping can be liberating and empowering, and the skills required are the focus of these trips.

Big Wilderness. Tiny backpack.

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interview with GoLite's president

Andrew Skurka just posted an excellent and informative interview with Coup at GoLite.  Linked HERE.

I've met Coup a bunch of times and I am continunally impressed with his bold ideas.
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The ideal sleeping spot

click on image for a HI-rez view

tip number 93

The traditional camper doesn’t need to worry about finding a nice flat spot to sleep. They just hike to a heavily impacted designated site that’s already pounded flat. Then (after they set up their tent) they just unroll their porky full length inflatable pad, fill a stuff sack with all the clothes they take off and use this as their pillow. Then they climb into their beefy sleeping bag. If there is something lumpy under them, no worries, they can pad it with extra gear in their tent, like their bulky pile vest.

The UL camper needs to think before sleeping.

I am 6 feet tall, and about 18 inches wide, so I need a flat spot that matches those specifications, and NOTHING more. That’s pretty easy to find even in the lumpiest parts of our planet. This means you are essentially able to sleep pretty much ANYWHERE. You are no longer burdened by the traditional needs of a porky tent. Please be aware, there are regulations in place in most popular camping areas, know these rules before you set out. Also, it is considered a courtesy to camp well away from trails, away from lakes and streams and out of other camper’s majestic views.

There is an uncomplicated methodology that can be employed to test flatness of any potential sleeping zone. Simply lie down in the desired spot, you’ll know right away if it’s lumpy or tilted. This is a foolproof technique and I advocate it emphatically. Alas, this overtly simple trick is unknown to most campers. If you are with partner, both of you should lie down side by side.

If you want a little extra comfort, find a spot with a very slight dip at your hips, so your tired butt can get cradled by the loving embrace of mother Earth.

And if you are using just a really thin pad, add a simple little doughnut made from closed-cell sleeping pad foam. This can be positioned under your hip bone if you are a side sleeper. Okay, you’ve picked your spot, tested it for flatness by lying down.

While you are still on the ground, fastidiously mark out the four corners of your rectangle with some sticks or rocks. This way you can still visualize it when you stand up, and you can erect your tarp to precisely cover that zone.

summer backpacking / guided education

Ultralight Superstar, Andrew Skurka

Just a heads up for folks, this summer I'll be teaching in the mountains for Andrew Skurka Guides. I'm honored to part of the team! I've worked with Andrew in the mountains he's the real deal! He's the driving force behind a set of guided trips throughout the lower-48 this summer and fall. There are two formats for 2012, a series of 3-day Ultimate Hiking Courses, and a set of more ambitious 7-day Wilderness Adventure Courses.

These trips will be run at a very high standard, focusing on very advanced skills and techniques of lightweight expeditioning.

There is a direct link to the site in the side-bar.

As it's set up right now, I'll be working in the Gros Ventre Range just east of Jackson Hole. There will be three separate 7-day trips, all running in July of 2012, the schedule is linked HERE.

There's a chance I'll be working a few other trips in 2012, but the details haven't been finalized. I'll keep you posted.

PLEASE NOTE:

I've been posting a lot about Andrew recently. That's because I've been reading his book and communicating with him about the upcoming guiding season.

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interview

There is an interview where I share stuff about the book at Backpacking-Light on-line magazine. I talk about the book as well as promote an upcoming Tip-of-the-Week on BackpackingLight.com. This book is a nice fit with the content of the web-site.

Here's the LINK to the interview.

TIP number 5

Self portrait

It’s okay to be nerdy
I am living proof of this credo. I delight in the quirky problem solving required when wrestling with all the minutia of my pack-weight. I encourage you to dig deep and fully accept your inner nerd. It’s okay to obsess about a half an ounce, I encourage that attitude! I enjoy using my finely crafted do-it-yourself gear in the mountains.

Please know, I fully recognize how dorky all this can be, and I acknowledge that I fit every stereotype of the weirdo zealot. But it’s fun, and fun counts for a lot. I take great pride wearing my home-made rain skirt with a team of burly men!

TIP number 26

Care of the equipment

This is a skill, and like any other skill it can be developed and perfected. It’s no different than setting up a tarp on a windy conditions or reading a map, it is a skill.

I’ve had dubious traditional campers hold certain UL items in their hand and they’ll scoff (with venomous contempt) informing me that it’s simply too flimsy to stand up to the hellish rigors of camping in the mountains. That’s not true. There is a surprisingly simple technique I employ to maintain my gear and avoid unnecessary wear and tear, and it’s easily summed up in three words: I am careful.

The traditional camper has an arsenal of cordura, ballistic nylon and steel. No need to carefully set their pack down, they can just drop that formidable beast - and then sit on it! Not so with the UL gear.

Everything in the UL campers quiver is dainty, true enough. But, the perception is that the stuff is so flimsy that it’s unreliable, and some will even say unsafe! I am ever mindful of my gear and it’s limitations, and I make sure to treat it with loving kindness.

Also - I do NOT sit on my pack.

Andrew Skurka shares some of his accomplishments

National Geographic grantee Andrew Skurka gives a presentation about his record-setting, long-distance solo hikes. With stunning images and video, he guides us through his 4,700-mile, six-month trek around Alaska and the Yukon.

Review due soon

The OTHER book on ultralight backpackin' skills.

Please note, I plan on reviewing Andrew Skurka's new book. It'll be up soon, watch for it! Wanna see more? Click HERE!

This CAT FOOD STOVE image never made it to the book

I realized that this cartoon (above) never made it into the book. Drat! This cartoon shows a pot setting right on top of a simple cat food can stove. This is the most common way to use a cat food style stove and the way I recommend.

This illustration (above) is in the book on page 100. This is another technique to use a cat food stove. This set-up with the 3 tent-stakes (as a stove stand) is rarely used, but sometimes it helps improve the burning depending on any number of circumstances. It works, but not as well as the system shown in the top illustration. This was an oversight, I wish the book would have been published with both these pictures, with this lower image being labeled as another option. I realize this might seem confusing to the readers of my book.

Here's a video of UL Super-Star Andrew Skurka making a Fancy Feast Cat Food Can Stove. He shows in in use with a small pot. If you are using a larger pot, just make a larger stove with a 3 3/8 inch diameter aluminium cat food can.

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Ultralight: State of the Revolution

This is a 7-part article written by Ron Moak from Six Moon Designs. This is a thoughtful essay, looking at the history of “ultralight” camping, and all it’s implications.

Andrew Skurka update

Professional hiker and author

Andrew Skurka is now blogging. He is sharing his very detailed insights into trip planning and trail techniques. Of special interest to me was his food planning and how to print topo maps for a long hike.

His book is due out any day now. It's published by NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC and it's loaded with color photographs. It's titled: The Ultimate Hiker’s Gear Guide: Tools & Techniques to Hit the Trail (linked to his site).

hiking in Finland REVIEW

Don't they TELE ski in Finland?

Here's a super nice review of the book on an awesome site called HIKING IN FINLAND. I felt really honored to see this photo featured there.

igloos are easy!

The tent weight logs in at ZERO!

A nice instructional article on IGLOO CONSTRUCTION with a shout out to one of my other books. Sam and I have worked together and hiked together in the big mountains of the Northern Rockies. He is a seasoned ultra-light camper, and his blog is a must read.