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C00002 00002				FOOD ON THE HIKE
C00007 00003	July 1972	SUGGESTIONS FOR BACKPACKERS	       by Les Earnest
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			FOOD ON THE HIKE

1.  Food for the hike will be purchased and prepared communally.  It
will be distributed among the group for carrying.

2.  Your pack and personal belongings should weigh no more than 20
pounds.  For general suggestions on what to bring and not to bring,
see "Suggestions for Backpackers" by L. Earnest (privately printed). 

3.  Breakfasts will typically consist of hot cereal and drinks
(coffee, tea, hot chocolate).  Lunches will usually consist of
sandwiches (salami, cheese, peanut butter, jelly) with something cool
to drink (e.g. "green death").  Dinner might be beef stew,
spaghetti, or something equally delicious (or obnoxious, depending on
your viewpoint). 

4.  Bring your own trail snacks, if you want some.  Suggestions:
dried apricots or raisins, nuts, apples, oranges, candy.  Don't
bring a lot. 

5.  We will divide into a number of cooking parties, each of which
will have cyclic responsibility for preparing a breakfast or dinner
for the entire group and for cleaning the cooking utensils.  Lunches
are a freeforall, since they involve no cooking. 

6.  In cleaning up after a meal, don't dump substantial quantities of
food into streams.  Bury it.  For cleaning pots, a little sand will
take the place of a scrubbing brush. 

7.  If we are in bear country, all food should be placed in a few
packs after the evening meal and hoisted at least 10 feet into the
air on nylon cord slung from trees. 


			TRAIL PROCEDURES

1.  When people meet on the trail, those going uphill traditionally
have right-of-way, since they are working harder.  Whenever you meet
pack animals, get off the trail and wait for them to go by.  Some of
them kick. 

2.  Don't cut across switchbacks.  It promotes erosion and annoys
ecology freaks. 

3.  A row of rocks across the trail usually means "don't go this
way".  Look around for an alternate route.  It may be marked by
"ducks" (small piles of rocks along the correct route). 

4.  If you come to an ambiguous fork in the trail, preferably wait
for the rest of the group.  If you must proceed, leave a conspicuous
note indicating which way you went, or scratch a giant "AI" with an
arrow. 

5.  Try not to get so far ahead that the group never gets together. 
The lead party should stop for lunch no later than noon.  Pick a spot
near water.  You might even go swimming. 

6.  When nature calls, get away from streams and don't leave toilet
paper lying about.  Use a stick to dig a hole and cover it with earth
or rocks. 

7.  Don't drop anything that isn't quickly biodegradable.  We will
carry out all cans, wrappers and frobs that we bring in. 


			AFTER THE HIKE

1.  With any luck, we will return from the wilds with most of our
group and some of the food intact.  Any perishable food that you
bring out (e.g. bread) is yours to use or give away.  Non-perishable
items will be collected and subsequently redistributed as uniformly
as possible among all participants.  After one earlier hike, a lucky
person received a lifetime supply of Chicken Delight. 

2.  Some time after the blisters have healed, you may want to join in
a slide show. 

July 1972	SUGGESTIONS FOR BACKPACKERS	       by Les Earnest


These are my suggestions to the novice backpacker for what to bring.
After the first trip, make your own list.

WEAR OR BRING THE FOLLOWING

1.  A couple of shirts and some loose fitting trousers.

2.  Either a sweater and a nylon shell or a rainproof jacket.

3.  A backpack that couples the load to your hips, rather than your
shoulders.

4.  A down sleeping bag (2 to 3 lbs.).

5.  A tube tent and nylon cord.  This can serve as a ground cloth in good
weather and as a marginal shelter in case it rains (it often does up
there).

6.  A pair of sturdy tennis shoes (my preferance), or hiking boots that
have been broken in.

7.  One or two changes of underclothing plus either one pair of socks for
each day (on short hikes) or 3 pairs to be recycled (wear, wash, dry).
Some people with sensitive feet like to wear two pairs of socks at a time
to reduce abrasion.

8.  A Sierra Cup (preferably with a "1 measuring cup" line) and eating
utensils (knife, fork, spoon and durable plate, bowl, or second Sierra
Cup).  The Sierra Cup hooks on your belt, permitting a fast draw when you
come to a sparkling stream.

9.  Toilet paper.  A small roll will do.

10.  Butane lighter or matches (preferably waterproof).


OPTIONAL EXTRAS

A good general rule is "don't bring anything that you won't use at least
twice".  You might want to take some of the following, but there will be
times when you regret every ounce.

1.  A toothbrush.

2.  Bandaids and/or moleskin for blisters, chapstick, sunburn lotion,
insect repellant.

3.  A small camera with extra film.

4.  A small sharp knife.

5.  A piece of sponge rubber or insulite to put your sleeping bag on.  It
should be big enough to support your torso.  Alternatively, you could
bring an air matress, but they often leak.

6.  Topographic maps of the hike area.  Get the 15 minute series,
available at the Geological Survey office, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo
Park.

7.  Starr's Guide to the John Muir Trail, available at Keplers bookstores.

8.  A roll of adhesive tape or electrical tape, for tube tent rigging and
general repairs.

9.  Sunglasses.

10.  A small flashlight.

11.  A small plastic water bottle, for dry climbs.

12.  A hat with wide brim, for sunburn protection.

13.  Light fishing gear.

14.  A pair of slippers or other light footgear to relax in.

15.  A backpack tent instead of the tube tent, for mosquito protection and
to facilitate sleeping later in the morning.

14.  A compass.


THINGS NOT TO BRING

In my opinion, the following items outweigh their usefulness.

1.  Any clothing beyond bare essentials.

2.  Shovels, hatchets, ice axes, and hunting knives.

3.  Canteens.  There is water nearly everywhere in the Sierra.

4.  Binoculars or radios.