Today I will be joining Nancy “Why Not” Huber and Erin “Wired” Saver to hike the very challenging Sierra High Route. The three of us made a great team last year and I am really looking forward to hiking with such experienced and good hikers.
The burly, 210-mile traverse we will be hiking crosses 33 passes and barely touches established trails. You can find Alaska-sized scenery, complete solitude, and just enough risk to keep things interesting. It is kind of like the John Muir Trail on steroids.
The route is the brainchild of mountaineer Steve Roper, who sought an alternative to the heavily pounded JMT. With a taste for glacier-polished slab (or what he calls “Sierra sidewalk”), wind-warped whitebark pine, and lonely lake basins encircled by shark-toothed peaks, Roper pioneered a route that hews as closely as possible to the 10,000-foot (3,048-meter) contour in the narrow zone between timberline and talus summit. A portion of its miles piggybacks on existing trail, but mostly the High Route sends hikers off trail to pick their way up jumbled passes and across high-mountain streams. No paint blazes and few cairns mark the way.
My copy of Steve Roper’s book is well-worn and loved. I respect his style of guiding the hiker along the way with gentle warnings, but not so much as to take the sense of adventure away. His language is colorful and a bit entertaining. I am looking forward to sharing some of his quotes in future posts.
A number of years ago I section hiked the entire Sierra High Route over a few summers with my good friend, Arrow. In fact, many of the Sierra peaks over fourteen hundred feet I have climbed while on this route. I have always dreamed of going back and hiking it south to north as a thru-hike with lighter and more comfortable gear. It is a little early in the season, so snow will be covering many of the passes. We are all armed with microspikes and ice axes. It should make for an interesting trek.
Funny… our start date may well be Hike Naked Day!
Sierra High Route Map
Backpacking Food
I continue to have a diet that is gluten, dairy, and corn free and try to eat organic as much as possible. Here is what a basic day’s food looks like:
Breakfast: Shake – pea protein powder, ground chia seeds, cinnamon, 1 scoop of a greens powder by Amazing Grass, via coffee
Mix it up in a Ziplock twist top container.
Snacks: 3 bars per day, variety of nuts and dried fruit, potato chips
Lunch: peanut butter honey packets by The Peanut Butter Company, crackers, via coffee
Dinner: One of my very generous dehydrated dinners, a date, and a fruit snack pack
Last summer I loved all the dinners Stealthy and I individually made with a base of dehydrated quinoa or rice. For this summer, I added to the mix more vegetables with a variety of spices, meats, nuts, beans, and condiments. Every meal is different. It was fun putting flavors together. I also dehydrated chili and homemade spaghetti.
I usually organize the food by breakfast, snacks, lunch, and dinner. This system makes it very easy to load resupply boxes quickly.
Rockin’s Summer 2016 Backpacking Gear
I have added or substituted quite a few items for this year’s trek through the Sierras and Wind River Range. On my gear list below, I have added “NEW this year!” in the notes section for new items. In the spirit of getting outside better and safer, the new gear is either lighter, warmer, stronger, or serves several purposes. For this early season trek in the Sierras I have also sprayed Sawyer Permethrin Clothing Insect Repellent on most every thing. Here is an informative video about that product.
2016 Gear List
| Category | Item | Wt. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snow and Cold Weather | Snowline Lite Microspikes | 9 | Recommend highly |
| Petzl Summit Ice Axe | 13 | Grip when you need it | |
| Dexshell Waterproof Socks | 3.5 | Work great with trail runners when conditions are wet and cold | |
| GORE-TEX Minimalist Jacket | Very waterproof with no extra features | ||
| GORE-Tex Minimalist Pants | Very waterproof, fit great | ||
| Screeline Trail Tights | Durable, fit great & have deep side pockets | ||
| Wildcat 2.0 GTX Trail Running Shoe | 12 | Keep feet dry and warm in winter conditions |
*FIRST AID KIT: cuben fiber tape, ibuprofen, benadryl, vicodin, match book, bic lighter, emery board, extra pair of contacts, tough strips band-aids, essential oils, safety pin, knife
*TOILETRIES: toothpowder, toothbrush, dental floss, Dermatone Sunscreen and lip balm, contact case & solution, brush, deodorant, Neutrogena Hand Cream, Dr. Bronners soap
*POTTY BAG: Brawny paper towel sheets, extra ziplock, hand sanitizer, baby wipes, The Deuce of Spades Potty Trowel
Rockin’: I’ll be in Mammoth July 1-5. Where will you be by then? Who’s helping with resupply?
Ah we are just going to miss you! We have boxes sent and we will be there the 6th or 7th.
Look forward to your posts! My husband, a friend and I are hiking the SHR the first few weeks of August so we will definitely be interested to hearing how it is out there. We section hiked the middle portion a few years ago and it is spectacular. Thanks for taking the time to share your journey – I appreciate all your efforts!!
You are going to love it. It is very challenging, mentally and physically.
Great post. I love gear so I’ve just been lost clicking on links and going down the rabbit hole. One thing I did not notice was line to hang your food bag; I assume you’ve got that. Of course, you’ve got all the best stuff out there! I surely see that. There are a few things on the list that are on my wish list. Enjoy it all and have the time of your life.
Yes the details. On this trip we are using either ursack s or bear canisters. It is fun to have that wish list going. Glad to have you along.
Looking forward to sharing your hike with ‘The Girls’ …. Retired from school bus driving this year and looking forward to being a back seat rider on your and Wired’s journeys!!! Safe travels!
Big Granny, Yes we are “The Girls”! I can’t wait for the fun to begin. Nice to have you along.
Sounds like an incredible trip! Very much looking forward to reading your posts. Be safe out there!
It will be a challenge and so remote and inspiring. Thank you for commenting and following along.