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C00002 00002			  Earnest Enterprise Presents:
C00011 00003	                             PROCEDURES
C00018 00004	July 1972	SUGGESTIONS FOR BACKPACKERS	       by Les Earnest
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		  Earnest Enterprise Presents:

		     DRAKESBAD DIP TRIP '75

DATES:  Friday May 9 through Sunday May 11.


SYNOPSIS

We plan  to repeat the  popular (and decadent)  snowshoe trip  to the
Drakesbad  resort, back of  Mount Lassen.   It features  a three mile
hike in  and out with  one or  more opportunities  to wade  knee-deep
through swiftly flowing icewater. 

Those  who survive  can defrost  in  the swimming  pool,  fed by  hot
springs,  with its luxurient  growth of  algae.  For  the chronically
active, there  will  be  time for  day  hikes to  Devils  Kitchen  (a
fumerole area) and  Boiling Springs Lake,  each within two  miles, or
farther points of interest. 

Food for the hiking portion of the  trip will be communally purchased
and prepared.   We plan a  better-than-average menu, with a  blast on
Saturday evening. 


COST

$16  per person  (prepaid  by May  7)  for transportation  and  food.
Drivers  will receive  an  $8  rebate  for each  passenger  (incuding
themselves).  Depending  on actual food  costs, there may be  a small
refund or extra assessment after the trip. 

If  anyone  is   forced  to  cancel,   they  will  be   refunded  the
transportation fee ($8) plus a suitable allocation of food (after the
trip). 


ITINERARY (negotiable)

Friday, May 9
  9:30am  Assemble at the A. I. Lab., transfer gear to trip vehicles.
  9:45    Depart for Lassen.  Take snacks to sustain you through the
	  5.5 hour trip.
  3:30pm  Arrive in town of Chester, assemble at hamburger joint and
	  stoke up on carbohydrates.
  4:00	  Depart for trail head in the Warner Valley.
  4:30    Arrive at trail head, pick up your share of the communal
	  food, and begin hike.
  7:30	  Arrive at Drakesbad and leap in.

Saturday, May 10
  All day hiking/leisure/soaking.  Dinner by the pool, with the finest
	  jug wine that money can buy.

Sunday, May 11
  AM:	  Recover from previous night, plus whatever else you are up
	  for.
  1:00pm  After lunch, commence return hike.
  3:30    Back to the cars.  Return home, with a stop for dinner
	  somewhere enroute.
  10:00 (approx.) Arrive at A.I. Lab. and drag yourself home.


WHO IS INVITED

Everyone who came on last year's Drakesbad trip,  plus a few more, up
to a maximum of about 20.  There will be sufficient time to hike at a
rather slow pace, so don't worry about keeping up. 

We hope  for a fairly  balanced, compatible  group of moderate  size.
Since  there  is  some danger  of  oversubscribing,  please negotiate
additional recruits with Les Earnest. 

WHAT TO BRING

Normal  backpacking  gear  plus  snowshoes   or  cross-country  skis.
Actually, you can make it without snowshoes or skis if you don't mind
sliding in up to your crotch occasionally. 

It is a good idea to waterproof your boots, using one of the
commercial compounds, and to bring some extra socks, so that you can
wear a pair while wading in icewater. 

Food is an individual responsibility while travelling  to or from the
hike.   Bring  snacks for  the  long drive  to Chester  and any  trail
snacks that you might want. 


FINAL MEETING

Tuesday, May 6 at Noon in the AI  Conference Room, to allocate people
to cars  and tents and collect  money.  If you  can't make it, please
appoint a proxy. 

Please fill out the following slip as soon as possible and pass it to
Les Earnest, preferably with money. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Drakesbad Dip Trip					Registration Form

	Name(s) _________________________________

	___ persons @ $16 = ________


	I can drive:  ___ yes	___ no.	 Car capacity (including me): ___

	I have spare tent capacity for ___ people.

	I need tent space for ___ people.

	I have the following extra equipment that someone could borrow
	    (e.g. snowshoes, tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, etc.)

	    __________________________________________________
                             PROCEDURES

1.  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). 

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

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, or  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 chord 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 hiking boots, preferably broken in, or tennis shoes.

7.  One or more 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 (metal plate or bowl, knife, fork, and spoon).  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.  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  weight  of  the  following  items  exceeds  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.