Like Kris's post, the haul that so few choose to undertake, is worth the rewards in the end.


7.5 Miles, 90 lbs and 5K' gain....

In order to get on and FA this...



13.4 miles, 80 lbs and 8K' gain...


In order to get on and FA this...


Oh and sooooooooooo many other heavy trekking hauls in order to climb rocks where many do not even contemplate or dare.

redneck wrote:Chief, why are your packs so heavy? Is that climbing gear? Water?

Not to be a smart ass mind you, but, it's obvious you have never done any obscure FAing that entails a minimum of no less than 5 days in the Sierra High Country.

Having all the right gear saves/keeps your ass alive and gets the job done right the first time.

anita wrote:his pack is full of prana beanies and capri pants for pink-pointing...

Post of the day... LOL.

The Chief wrote:

redneck wrote:Chief, why are your packs so heavy? Is that climbing gear? Water?

Not to be a smart ass mind you, but, it's obvious you have never done any obscure FAing that entails a minimum of no less than 5 days in the Sierra High Country.

No, I haven't, but I did notice the minimal glacier harness gear I carried up Rainier was deceptively heavy.

ksolem wrote:

anita wrote:his pack is full of prana beanies and capri pants for pink-pointing...

Post of the day... LOL.

Got me!

But, you can always join me Anita and find out the real truth......

redneck wrote:

The Chief wrote:

redneck wrote:Chief, why are your packs so heavy? Is that climbing gear? Water?

Not to be a smart ass mind you, but, it's obvious you have never done any obscure FAing that entails a minimum of no less than 5 days in the Sierra High Country.

No, I haven't, but I did notice the minimal glacier harness gear I carried up Rainier was deceptively heavy.

Well, there ya go. Ya answered your own question now.

The Chief wrote:find out the real truth......

He is carrying a lot of gear for



Llama Trekking !

TheOrglingLlama wrote:

The Chief wrote:find out the real truth......

He is carrying a lot of gear for



Llama Trekking !

Hey Rob, when is the last time you ACTUALLY used some llamas on a back country trek????

Last person I encountered, which was a young gal coming out of Dusy Basin last Fall, stated she will never ever do that again. You need two llamas to carry one half of a normal person can actually carry. One carries your gear and the other both llamas food.


"These things are completely useless!" She said in despair after we asked her about her experience.

Sounds like some "wussy sport climber".

Don't make a lick of sense does it now.

The Chief wrote:

ksolem wrote:

anita wrote:his pack is full of prana beanies and capri pants for pink-pointing...

Post of the day... LOL.

Got me!

But, you can always join me Anita and find out the real truth......

She'd make a good partner. She's very safety concious. Wears the helmet on the approach too.

When we went into the Gorge of Despair for a week and did an 8 pitch 5.12 FA our packs were no where near 90 pounds. Heck, a 90 pound pack would flatten me.

Our kit other than food and clothes was one pair of 8.5mmx50M ropes, a full rack (nothing over 3.5" 'cause we knew,) bolting gear, a few pins, one msr stove, one 2 man 3 season tent, one h20 filter, harnesses, shoes, and of course, bright orange lycra for redpointing...

ksolem wrote:When we went into the Gorge of Despair for a week and did an 8 pitch 5.12 FA our packs were no where near 90 pounds. Heck, a 90 pound pack would flatten me.

Our kit other than food and clothes was one pair of 8.5mmx50M ropes, a full rack (nothing over 3.5" 'cause we knew,) bolting gear, a few pins, one msr stove, one 2 man 3 season tent, one h20 filter, harnesses, shoes, and of course, bright orange lycra for redpointing...

And, when you went up Mescalito? How much did the Pigs weigh, each?

BTW: The first two pictured, I assisted my partners in carrying their share of the load. Part of the deal and scam to get them back there...

anita wrote:hey Chief, you know I was just pulling your chain! would be fun to rope up someday, but I don't think I'm worthy

btw, we all know those packs are full of tape for your hands

Lots of tape for my delicate hands!

No worries Anita.... all is good stuff.

That was indeed a classic response and great post!!!!!

The Chief wrote:

TheOrglingLlama wrote:

The Chief wrote:find out the real truth......

He is carrying a lot of gear for



Llama Trekking !

I AM THE LLAMA !

I could not have said it better myself

The Chief wrote:
And, when you went up Mescalito? How much did the Pigs weigh, each?

BTW: The first two pictured, I assisted my partners in carrying their share of the load. Part of the deal and scam to get them back there...

Mescalito? The pigs were heavy. Why? There's no friggin' water on the wall...

And yes, I seem to recall you making an entire extra trip up Pine Creek Pass to stage our N Butt of Merriam Pk adeventure as well. You're the man.

I'm just not built for those mega loads. I think I carried about 70 into the Gorge of Despair first trip. Jeez, I even took with a trumpet! But I was only about 40 then. I'd be happy to keep the load under 60 now.

truchas wrote:So I'm up in the Organ Needles a couple of weeks ago. Lots of great rock routes but requiring 2,000 to 2500 ft. approach with some bushwhacking involved to get to them. Nobody around.

Sounds great! What routes did you climb?