The Wonderland Gear Primer (pre-trip)
So this is pretty much 99 percent of everything I am taking on the Wonderland Trail trip in July - the 10-day hiking trip around the base of Mt. Rainier. The only thing missing is the bag of food and the tent I’ll be carrying.
Bottom row, left to right:
Plastic bags
“Freshette” (a female urinary device- it lets me do my business standing up!)
toilet paper and orange shovel for depositing human waste into the ground
repair kit (ziploc bag of bailing wire, duct tape, spare shoelaces)
batteries (ziploc bag)
basic first aid kit
high-carb gels and mesh bag of snack food (power bars, anything with high calorie counts)
the bottom half of my zip-off hiking pants/shorts (blue mob of fabric with dirt on them)
Middle area, left to right
Sock, to will hold my camera
mesh bag to carry headlamp, Gerber knife, compass/whistle
waterproof (yellow) journal, pen, pencil;
(book) 50 hikes in Mt. Rainier National Park;
(red canisters) fuel for stove
toiletries (Ziploc and green bags - contacts/glasses, deodorant, biodegradable camp soap for hair and body, toothbrush, toothpaste, hand sanitizer, chapstick, small hand towel);
seven pairs of moisture-wicking hiking underwear
long underwear (black mob of fabric, for sleeping and as extra layer of warmth, if needed)
Top row, right to left:
Kelty backpack (3,900 square inches in size, external frame)
Thermarest pillow (pink swirly design);
Stuff sacks for Sierra Designs 20-degree sleeping bag and Thermarest sleeping pad (which aren’t shown);
2 Liter water bladder (blue thing);
trekking poles;
3 micro-polyester breathable shirts;
a Gortex/windproof long sleeve shirt;
3 sports bras;
9 pairs of socks;
4 pairs of liner socks (to keep feet dry and warm);
compression/stuff sacks (yellow shiny sacks, which compress my clothing down to a small ball, which helps save space);
AND FINALLY, (the upper left corner mess):
rain jacket and pants
fleece hat and gloves
lightweight summer hat
gaiters
Yaktrax (they strap onto bottom of boots to wear while traveling across slick areas, like icy snow)
lightweight soft shell Lowe Alpine jacket
waterproof cover for the pack
black compression sack in which to stuff all this stuff.
bottom right corner (slightly hidden – Lowa Boots, shirt, sports bra, shorts, socks, liners - basically what i'll be wearing)
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And yes, it all fits into my pack - with sandals strapped to the outside. The only thing missing is the bear sack that will hold the food (prevents bears from ripping apart the bag and eating the food - we have liners that hide the smell of the food as double protection - we will also hang the food in the trees, away from our tent) and the tent, which will strap on to the very bottom, just below the pack.
Randy will be taking pretty much the same stuff, however, while I take the tent, he will be take the "kitchen" (cups, bowls, spoons, forks, spices, stove - MSR Pocket Rocket, which is ridiculously awesome for its itty bitty size) and part of the food as well. Ah, yes, we can't forget our camping flask, filled with a little whiskey to take the edge off our tired feet and backs.
We won't be taking 10 days worth of food with us - we'll be dropping off a box of food at our camp site four days into the trip and then at another site we will stay in three days later. Those boxes will be filled delicious items such as canned fruit and other heavy items that will we devour like carnivores over a nice piece of fresh meat.