Wonderland Trail - September 2011

Background
In the fall of 2010, Dale Gear (Big Bend backpack) suggested that we do the Wonderland Trail in the fall 2011. He got the permits and did all the planning on the camps and schedules for a 10 day circuit. Doug Hogg (AMC NY/NJ) joined the group. Dale could not join because of personal reasons just prior to the trip.


Logistics
We mailed to the Park Service 2 food caches (Mowich Lake - day 4- and White River- day 7- to reduce the weight of the food being carried. Caches were available as planned.
Flew into Seattle-Tacoma and rented a car for the trip to Longmire - about a 2 hour drive from the airport. Stopped in REI (very close to the airport) to get fuel for cooking.
Trail conditions and weather were checked via the National Park Service website. No issues were identified regarding river crossings (bridges sometimes get washed away) and snow on the trail (2010/2011 winter was extremely snowy and 2 segments of the trail had snow.) We were told in Longmire that no spikes were needed (saving weight on the pack) but poles were recommended.


The Backpack
Started on September 11 and finished on September 20- 10 days.
Total mileage per my GPS was 84.2 miles, with a total altitude gain of 27,000 feet. Daily details for each segment (per my GPS) are in:
WT GPS Summary


Weather 
Days 1 to 3 were sunny and warm with significant amount of bugs. Sunscreen, deet and bug nets are highly recommended! Afternoon of Day 4 it started raining and only stopped on day 10. In the higher elevations (Spray Park area, Sunrise and Panhandle Gap) it was snowing.


Wildlife
Limited- I saw a deer, a bear about 3 miles away and many chipmunks.


Pictures
Picasa- WonderlandTrail2011


Lessons Learned

• Be physically and mentally prepared for the backpack. The elevation gains are significant and the backpack is physically demanding.
• Do some short backpacks before attempting this one. The experience you gain will make this one a much more rewarding one. 
• Have the right equipment and be very comfortable with it. Rain gear is required and keeping a set of dry clothes and a dry sleeping bag is critical. My inflatable pad had slow leaks and I had to inflate it 3-4 times every night!. Although I did bring the repair kit, the leaks could not be fixed successfully. 
• iPhone is a great invention. Some of the days were short hikes- having reading material was great. Also, nights are long- going to bed at 7:30 pm with daylight at 6:00 am makes for too much sleeping time. Listening to books on tape or similar (especially if boring) helped me go to sleep on nights I woke up at 3:00 am!
• Do not take too much food. I left lots of food at the caches- although I used the 2 lbs/day rule, my appetite was suppressed and much of the snacks went unused. Too many nuts!

Weight vs Cost Tradeoff

I struggled to achieve the 25 lb limit that had been set for the carrying weight (without water or commissary) for the Somewhere Over the Rainbow (SOTR) hike this spring. This was in spite of the fact that I did not carry any First Aid supplies, cookware and had really pared down on the snacks.
Where is the problem? I have narrowed down the issue to the fact that when I started acquiring backpacking equipment, weight was not a concern. This is the price you pay for doing it the hard way- not asking, not being part of a group and not being perceptive to what the experts say in the magazines / publications.
So, I bought a big backpack and a 15ºF synthetic fill sleeping bag, a 'good' normal pad and never asked about the weight - this was my original equipment for my first big trip- Machu Picchu. Did I carry heavy stuff during that trip! My jacket(s!), fleece, etc wheighted a ton, plus I did not ration what I took. I wish I had weighted my pack during that trip.
My next big acquisition was my tent - I did consider weight- but I still went with a 2 person tent. It was on sale and the excitement of my first solo trip overrode any other considerations.
The first learning on weigh/ cube actually came in the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim- a guided trip where we were told, in no uncertain terms, that we haf]d to fit our personal stuff in a 8 lt bag - I forgot to fit my toothpaste!! Amazingly, I survived the trip- except for the toothpaste never missed anything.
For the the most recent trip (SOTR), our guides defined a limit of 25 lbs, which I was never able to achieve. I dropped all my snacks and used everything I took. Still, I was at 28 lbs. My backpack (a REI Galaxy) and my Big Agnes encampment sleeping bag account for, what I believe, is 3 to 4 additional lbs of weight that I could shave off.
Then I look at functionality, weight and cost. In both cases (sleeping bag and backpack), the functionality is there. I actually LOVE my 15°F Big Agnes Encampment sleeping bag. It has gone with me to ALL of my backpack trips (except Ciudad Perdida- took a 50° REI sleeping bag- did not really need anything warmer in the jungle) and I sleep like a baby when I am inside it. The system by which the pad is slid into the base of the bag works well for me (specially with the new, ultra lightweight pad that I got for SOTR), so I am a truly 'happy camper' regarding my sleeping bag. Weight and cube is the issue. There is an equivalent Big Agnes, down filled sleeping bag that weighs 22 oz less and compressess significantly more - at a cost of ~$420. Is this worth it? I will be doing 2 additional 'big' hikes this year (Adirondacks in July and Yosemite in August) and, I am sure, more will be coming next year.
The SOTR trip was a milestone in duration and trips of 7+ days will become more common than before. Weigt considerations become more critical as length of trip extends as carrying food increases the weight significantly.

Now, a year later, I am down to 31 lbs for a weekend trip - including water and food for 2 days. I am getting there. Have acquired a down sleeping bag and a much lighter weight backpack. I am learning to calibrate my water needs and I believe that I can still reduce my weight on the clothes side and the snacks.
This September I will do a 10 day hike - the Wonderland Trail- and I will have oto keep on working on weight reduction.

On leadership- lessons learnt while backpacking

Last weekend we had a mutiny on the backpack to Thunder Swamp in Eastern PA. Initially, 7 of the 12 members decided to bail out at the end of the first day- we were a little bit lost, it was hot and humid, the bugs we eating us alive, we had no planned camping site and there was a chance of rain.
I am puzzled by the whole incident- we backpack because we want to. We sign up weeks in advance without full disclosure of what the conditions are going to be and we do it because, at least in my mind, because it is an adventure.
So, what happened?
Leadership failed.
These trips have a leader - he is supposed to keep the group together. First, the group was too large and had different skills. The group ended up being split in 2, the fast group and the slow group. Clarity on the rules of the hike were not reinforced at the start of the hike - so the split was difficult to handle because basic rules, like waiting on trail intersections, were not kept. This was partially the cause of us getting lost.
Second, the leader has to have the respect of the led. During the hike, there was a lack of 'respect' to the leader- in a jocking way- but reflecting the fact that some of the team did not hold the leader in high esteem. Words and actions do matter.
Third- the uncertainty does not help - not knowing where we were camping created a sense of loss on some of the members.
The dissenting group had a leader that generated an attractive alternative- a cold bear and comfortable bed for the night. For some this was an option- but then, why do you backpack?
Lessons learned- keep the group small, make sure that expectations and rules are clear and do not take abuse from the team.