A Little of This and That
I fly to Albuquerque in less than three weeks on the 15th of May. But Nancy and I have a 5-day trip scheduled just before I leave for New Mexico. So it means I really only have about two weeks left to finish my prep for the Gila Wilderness.
To that end, I have been using a new planning tool put out by the BackpackingLight.com website. I took a computer file of our route through the Gila, dropped it into the planner, and it instantly created charts and tables with useful info. Things like how many calories you will need each day based on distance, pack weight, conditioning, elevation gain and loss, etc. It identifies the most difficult sections, when to worry about fatigue and risk due to terrain and exhaustion. How much in the way of reserves it estimates you have each day, and so on. It is quite comprehensive, and there is really nothing like it out there anywhere else. OK, I admit it, I’m a nerd. I love this stuff. I suppose the engineering degree might have been a giveaway, too.😄
Along with finalizing the route, I still need to get my food together for the trip. We are planning for six days and five nights on the trail. That works out to 5 dinners, 6-7 lunches, and 5 breakfasts plus snacks. My usual backpacking menu is listed below, and it contain sufficient calories and nutrients to sustain me for an entire thru-hike. So they will get me through 6 days, no problem.
Breakfast: Instant oatmeal, high calorie protein bar, Via instant coffee, instant hot chocolate.
Lunch/Snacks: Protein bar, cheese sticks, jerky or sausage, bagels or flat bread, peanut butter crackers, instant Gatorade, celery/carrots, Fritos, and mixed nuts.
Dinner: Commercial freeze dried dinner entree, instant soup, Fritos/flat bread, hot chocolate, and protein bar.
Another thing I need to do is to go over my gear and make sure it is in good repair. Then re-waterproof my rain gear, spray permethrin on my hammock and clothes for bug protection, and check that my electronics are all working. There are a few other odd and ends I will not bore you with, and that will about do it.
Finally, I had planned to do the Santa Fe to Taos trail later in the summer, but due to the historic lowest ever snowfall in the Rockies this winter, Cappuccino and I have moved the starting date up to the first week in June. Maybe we will still have some water along the route that early.
Until next week safe travels and happy trails…
https://www.bigfoottrail.org/
Your new program sounds really helpful for planning. And it’s exciting ur trip is right around the corner. Btw- have you ever checked into the Northern Cal. Bigfoot trail- 360 miles?
Hey OZ, I have looked into the Bigfoot trail and even joined the Bigfoot Trail Alliance, but ultimately decided it may be too much effort for me. It looks very cool, but I hear there are miles of blowdowns to climb over, and some swaths that have been burned in the last few years. Long section of no trail, too. A little like the Condor Trail. So in the end I decided against giving it a try. But I appreciate the suggestion.
Thanks for the review of TRIPS. Can’t wait to try it out.
Yeah, it seems pretty useful. I’ll need to see how much my trips work out to be like what it predicted. Probably some calibration will be needed.
BackpackingLight.com website sounds amazing! I’m glad you’ve found it. Your excitement about your planning may be comparable to the planning I am starting to do for our (our daughter Molly, hubby Tip, and our grandsons Owen (13) and Max (11) for a June 2027 trip to Yosemite, King’s Canyon, and Sequoia. I love the planning and the execution!
I’ve always told people that the planning is half the fun of a trip. A couple years ago I went all in on planning for a 400 mile hike near Santa Barbara, did a day by day plan. Talked with the author of the guide book for the trail, etc. Then decided it just wasn’t for me, and ended up not doing it. But I had such a great time planning that I don’t regret the time spent. To each his own.