backwoodsBob
Member
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2014
- Messages
- 94
Greetings All!
I have to tell you, Ive found a LOT to like at this site, and extend a hearty thanks to all who post their adventures photos and opinions. You all make for great reading!
I have to admit to thinking Im a bit of a time traveler of sorts, in regards to the state of the art. In my younger active years as a backpacker, I collected the requisite equipment, and made good use of it to be sure. The Boy Scouts of the 70s formed the foundation of my experience, and I was lucky then to have friends who enjoyed getting out on their own beyond the confines of organized Scouting. We backpacked the Sawtooths 80miles one way, got into Rock climbing, and explored areas near and not so near... we used map and compass... GPS was a military secret back then, if it existed at all....
We made it a point, for example, to do a winter camp on top of Farmington Peak together up into our 30s, snowshoeing and sleeping in snow caves, just to prove to ourselves each year we could do it . Then for myself, the responsibilities of Adult life took their toll, and I opted for the time saving, mechanized version of this and other outdoor sports.
Gone were the concerns weight or bulk, a 4x4 truck, or Jeep, Campers, 5th wheel trailers, and later ATVs would solve those problems, and frankly, the luxury these tools afforded was wonderful! My backpack became a dust collector, somewhere around the late 1980s.... lovingly stored away behind "camping gear" no man would attempt to carry 1/2 a mile into the forest by hand. Until I discovered Rainbow gatherings in 2000.
At its core, Rainbow gatherings are a collection of HARDCORE campers and woodsmen....surrounded for the weekend by the would be woodland warrior, with his sleeping bag and pillow hanging by a length of twine from his pack.... Hippies to be sure, But I testify to you that there are people in that tribe who's pioneering skill level, is absolutely astounding. The whole thing struck me as another flavor of a Boy Scout National Jamboree for adults.... there was real woodcraft going on here that I could appreciate. I resolved to become a part of that action!
The upshot of witnessing these gatherings, is that the vast majority of folks who attend them are often to be found on the lower side of the monetary income bracket... (although I would propose these people are far, FAR from poor spiritually) a geewhiz tecnoflash spaceage 2oz mess kit, or a store bought trekking pole for example, is as out of place there as a man in a 3 piece suit. I don't consider myself ignorant in the way of the wood, My old back pack, an 80s generation (state of the art then) Jansport D3 I reasoned, loaded High and tight, and showing the scares of use, fit right in with all those surplus ALICE packs I was seeing! Yet, in my first visits to these gatherings, I couldn't help feeling a little like the rookie as I passed these hardcore woodsmen on the trail...
Now, reading you good folks, This has got me thinking about the state of the art in backpacking...for better or worse? in my day, a Eureka Timberline tent was a Cadillac... it would stand up to any weather short of a hurricane, stay dry, vent at night, & at 6 lbs it was a dream to carry. (I would STILL opt for one of those, rather than the myriad of Turtle tents are all the rage..) We were taught external frame packs were superior to any Bag and harness you could tie on your torso.... we cooked on campfires. You folks carry your own stoves! And there was no such thing as a reliable double A flashlight!
The wisest among us in my day volunteered to Carry the food. (your load got lighter every meal) MREs hadn't made it to the civilian market to any large degree yet, and a single mountain house freezedried offering was the equivalent cost of a tank full of GAS! As I contemplate the coming summer, and my desire to revisit the haunts of my youth, Im torn between adhering to the old ways, or "cheating" on weight with all this new space age stuff I read you fun folks touting.... Treking poles? we use to pick a stick up off the ground and carve them at night by the fire... if you couldn't carve 3 balls inside a cage in the handel, it was NO WALKING STICK! lol...
I recall in my day my average pack weight was usually in the 45 to 59 lb range... how does that stack up to your full load today say for a week and 50 miles?
What modern gadget do you find INDESPENCABLE?
What Old school tool will you carry despite its weight?
What implement IYHO, has made the leap from my generation to yours with little change
When you thru hike an area, and your 30miles in, and you encounter the party who's just left their trailhead, their ruck shiny and new, you tend to wear your dust with a measure of pride... it speaks to the distance and travails you've overcome. You note the new guy with his sleeping bag dangling by a thread from the bottom of his pack frame and chuckle, knowing experience will soon afford a valuable lesson... I understand that solitude IS the object to a degree in this sport, BUT....
I trust, that Backpacking hasn't lost the woods true mandate, with all the high tech stuff that's become available , to be one of those who would still offer that man a quick cinch up...
Namaste~ BackwoodsBob
I have to tell you, Ive found a LOT to like at this site, and extend a hearty thanks to all who post their adventures photos and opinions. You all make for great reading!
I have to admit to thinking Im a bit of a time traveler of sorts, in regards to the state of the art. In my younger active years as a backpacker, I collected the requisite equipment, and made good use of it to be sure. The Boy Scouts of the 70s formed the foundation of my experience, and I was lucky then to have friends who enjoyed getting out on their own beyond the confines of organized Scouting. We backpacked the Sawtooths 80miles one way, got into Rock climbing, and explored areas near and not so near... we used map and compass... GPS was a military secret back then, if it existed at all....
We made it a point, for example, to do a winter camp on top of Farmington Peak together up into our 30s, snowshoeing and sleeping in snow caves, just to prove to ourselves each year we could do it . Then for myself, the responsibilities of Adult life took their toll, and I opted for the time saving, mechanized version of this and other outdoor sports.
Gone were the concerns weight or bulk, a 4x4 truck, or Jeep, Campers, 5th wheel trailers, and later ATVs would solve those problems, and frankly, the luxury these tools afforded was wonderful! My backpack became a dust collector, somewhere around the late 1980s.... lovingly stored away behind "camping gear" no man would attempt to carry 1/2 a mile into the forest by hand. Until I discovered Rainbow gatherings in 2000.
At its core, Rainbow gatherings are a collection of HARDCORE campers and woodsmen....surrounded for the weekend by the would be woodland warrior, with his sleeping bag and pillow hanging by a length of twine from his pack.... Hippies to be sure, But I testify to you that there are people in that tribe who's pioneering skill level, is absolutely astounding. The whole thing struck me as another flavor of a Boy Scout National Jamboree for adults.... there was real woodcraft going on here that I could appreciate. I resolved to become a part of that action!
The upshot of witnessing these gatherings, is that the vast majority of folks who attend them are often to be found on the lower side of the monetary income bracket... (although I would propose these people are far, FAR from poor spiritually) a geewhiz tecnoflash spaceage 2oz mess kit, or a store bought trekking pole for example, is as out of place there as a man in a 3 piece suit. I don't consider myself ignorant in the way of the wood, My old back pack, an 80s generation (state of the art then) Jansport D3 I reasoned, loaded High and tight, and showing the scares of use, fit right in with all those surplus ALICE packs I was seeing! Yet, in my first visits to these gatherings, I couldn't help feeling a little like the rookie as I passed these hardcore woodsmen on the trail...
Now, reading you good folks, This has got me thinking about the state of the art in backpacking...for better or worse? in my day, a Eureka Timberline tent was a Cadillac... it would stand up to any weather short of a hurricane, stay dry, vent at night, & at 6 lbs it was a dream to carry. (I would STILL opt for one of those, rather than the myriad of Turtle tents are all the rage..) We were taught external frame packs were superior to any Bag and harness you could tie on your torso.... we cooked on campfires. You folks carry your own stoves! And there was no such thing as a reliable double A flashlight!
The wisest among us in my day volunteered to Carry the food. (your load got lighter every meal) MREs hadn't made it to the civilian market to any large degree yet, and a single mountain house freezedried offering was the equivalent cost of a tank full of GAS! As I contemplate the coming summer, and my desire to revisit the haunts of my youth, Im torn between adhering to the old ways, or "cheating" on weight with all this new space age stuff I read you fun folks touting.... Treking poles? we use to pick a stick up off the ground and carve them at night by the fire... if you couldn't carve 3 balls inside a cage in the handel, it was NO WALKING STICK! lol...
I recall in my day my average pack weight was usually in the 45 to 59 lb range... how does that stack up to your full load today say for a week and 50 miles?
What modern gadget do you find INDESPENCABLE?
What Old school tool will you carry despite its weight?
What implement IYHO, has made the leap from my generation to yours with little change
When you thru hike an area, and your 30miles in, and you encounter the party who's just left their trailhead, their ruck shiny and new, you tend to wear your dust with a measure of pride... it speaks to the distance and travails you've overcome. You note the new guy with his sleeping bag dangling by a thread from the bottom of his pack frame and chuckle, knowing experience will soon afford a valuable lesson... I understand that solitude IS the object to a degree in this sport, BUT....
I trust, that Backpacking hasn't lost the woods true mandate, with all the high tech stuff that's become available , to be one of those who would still offer that man a quick cinch up...
Namaste~ BackwoodsBob