Going lite

Ok, I am going to Whitney next year (yeah, i am alittle obsessive). I want to try to go lite as possible since we have to haul our climbing gear.

I have:
An osprey pack 2100cu--would like to use this one.

Things I am going to do:
Use a tarp as tent
bring no extra cloths

I need tips, ideas on how to lighten the load. We will be staying one night.

As always, thanks!!!!!!

Via which route?

How about not sleeping and just going for it?

skinny rope,wire gates, and passive gear.

Adam Stackhouse wrote:Via which route?

clint dillard wrote:How about not sleeping and just going for it?

Don't bring a stove or any "real" food. GU, beef jerky, dry ramen will do you just fine. Ditch the tarp. And dude, you're not that old and you have plenty of time to get into the marginally good shape you need to be in to do it in a day.

From personal experiance doing it both ways, it was nice having gear and sleeping at Ice Berg, but it was not fun lugging the added gear up. The second time I did it we left the parking lot around 12am or so, and were able to do it in a day. Back to the Car by 2pm. May seem like it is a push but it really is faily nice. Need to know where to go on the ledges though, oh and watch for Bears.

I have a stove, pot, and fuel setup that weighs < 1 lb (titanium pot, small butane/propane stove, 6 oz fuel). I find bringing that up and being able to rehydrate food is a lighter alternative than bringing up more food items that will, inevtiably, contain water.

Oh yeah, and I'm addicted to coffee..... hence the need for the stove!

My "long hike + 1 night bivi + 1 day climb" setup is..

• Bivi bag (1.5 lb) - tarps suck in the wind
• Sleeping Bag (1.5 lb)
• Pad (10 oz)
• Stove, fuel, pot (1 lb)
• Food (5 lbs for 2 days, or so)
• Clothing (nothing extra, with the exception of a down vest if I think I'll need it). I have a GoLite jacket and pants which pack to nothing. Big space saver.
• Headlamp
• Water filter (SteriPen)
• Climbing gear (all ultralight biners and skinny rope). Split between the party.
• Ultralight mid-size pack
• Water container

I believe that a tarp is nice if you camp. It will keep you out of the sun if it is out, and will keep you dry in a storm.

Either ditch the stove, or bring a really light stove. Don't bring food which has a lot of water content. There is plenty of water on the hike, so you don't have to carry a lot of water. Be sure to drink enough water.

Skinny ropes are a big help. If you hike down Mountaineer's Route, you only need one rope. The cruxes are short and there is a lot of easy climbing on most of the pitches, so many people can get by with a light rack.

Check the regulations on Bear canisters. I am not sure you need one if camping at Iceberg, so don't bring it if you don't.

Good luck on the 2100 cu-in pack for an overnight with climbing gear.

For other ideas, check out golite.com.

did anyone else think this post was going to be about switching your beer of choice to miller lite?

... seems like I've always been stuck with a Bud Light kind-of crowd... ya know "real men of genius"

I went up there for 4 nights several years ago. Must've been 20 parties camped in the boulderfield. 1st night it rained like crazy. 1/2 left after that. We managed 1.2 routes between squalls and at the end, only 3 tents remained, all Biblers. I was glad I had more than a tarp or bivy bag. It sucks since you have to make the plans so many months ahead. There is something to being in the area, watching the weather reports and applying for a leftover permit spot if the weather is ify.

Yet an other benefit of not sleeping is the permit business is much easier...no quotas for "day" hikes up the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek. You still need a permit, but you can call and they'll issue you one over the phone to p/u at the ranger station in Lone Pine. This worked smooth for me last year when we did a one day push on Mt Russell.

Plus, when we got to Iceberg Lake at 7am, the boys climbing out of their tents looked cold!

What ever you decide, it's an amazing place and I'm sure you'll love it.