The three month training for Mt. Whitney successfully ended last week as 8 of 9 summited the 14,500 peak on September 4th. It was a fun trip for everyone and with lasting memories.
It is now that time to unpack gear and put things away. The pack is your life line to make the journey safe, fun, and tasty!! After wearing it for so many hikes, I knew exactly where each nibble, lube, band-aid would be. That is a good sign of a loyal pack.
Here are some items I carried in my pack and on my own body for the 16-hour (22 mile) hike from Whitney Portal to Whitney Summit. My pack weighed in at 16 lbs. Other packs varied from 10-30 lbs!!!
1. Daystar Camelback 70 oz pack - link to item
2. 1.5 liters of water (in bladder)
3. bike bottle for electrolytes
4. walkie-talkie
5. food (the most important item): fresh fruit (grapes, apples, blueberries), powerbar energy blasts, half-submarine sandwich for the peak (super tasty), pita chips, chocolate covered pretzels, prosciutto, Joe-Joe's cookies from Trader Joes, power bar, MoJo bar
6. first aid kit/soft splint (i was a bit paranoid)/hand sanitizer/emergency blanket
7. hat/gloves
8. sunscreen SPF 100
9. windbreaker
10. blister defense (never had to use it thankfully)
11. bug repellent
12. headlamp (with extra batteries)
13. pen/paper
14. map
15. camera/cell phone
16. water purifier - should have used it more often. one can expect to drink 3-5 liters of water when climbing mt. whitney in a day. i was think i can get away with 2 liters but i always run out.
17. how can i forget.... 2 WAG bags! oh the shame!
18. TP & baby wipes
19. permit
on my body (besides clothes)
1. lipbalm with SPF
2. ipod shuffle
3. HR monitor (had during hikes - average heart rate was 100-120 bpm)
Train hard! Train Smart!
