Mt. Whitney 2012: Chapter 4: Pack List

There are now 18 days left until we hike Mt. Whitney. Life itself and planning has not slowed down one bit. I've managed to finalize my pack list for the adventure, and its all ready to go for a test run on our hike this weekend. Not everything on this pack list is an ultralight piece of gear, but some is, and I'm fairy satisfied with the weight I'll be carrying. In addition to the items I own already, I had to buy a good amount of new gear recently. We only need to carry the full packs for a portion of the trip, and much lighter packs to the summit.

The Mt. Whitney Trail is now completely bare to the switchbacks, we've learned. There are sections of solid ice remaining in the cables section, where some careful foot placement may still be needed in a few weeks, but it is looking like the Microspikes will hitch a ride with us, just in case. Crampons and ice are no longer needed according to hikers who have already hiked on the trail this season. The only item that will be split between my brother and I is the tent, rain fly, and poles, which you will see I've listed exactly as how we plan to carry it. I weigh out all of my equipment using the actual specs from the product descriptions and/or by weighing them on my postage scale. I'll be carrying this pack list on our hike this weekend (my brother is doing his own pack list, and will also be carrying about the same weight as I). Our goal is to pack it like it will be packed, use the equipment as we plan to, and try to simulate the timing and other factors as best as possible. Well...

The weather is questionable in New England for this weekend with heavy rain coming through, but the plan is to go anyways to keep our skills sharp. Our plan involves Mt. Washington, Mt. Isolation, several other peaks, and a night out, but we're just going to have to see what the weather throws our way tomorrow. If weather doesn't want to allow us far above treeline, we'll go with just Mt. Washington, but we must come out of this weekend with some solid practice using and carrying all of our equipment. Then we'll have a little over one more week to finalize and cover any other details we've missed. It should be interesting this weekend....

As promised, below is my final pack list for my Mt. Whitney trip. I'm sure there will be some slight fluctuation, particularly with the food.



Other gear I have for this trip (but not carrying on the mountain) is the REI Wheelie Beast 35 to stow my pack and gear for the flight. Also, I picked up TSA approved locks for the bag, and made sure I had a cover on my trekking pole(s). We shipped a box to our hotel with a few of our gear items, such as the microspikes, water filter, MSR stove, and pocket knives.

Chapter 5 is next, which includes some final notes on my preparation, any last minute pack changes, and how you can follow us along this adventure via my Spot Messenger.