Clothing Layers

After some research and thought, I've finalized the clothes that I'll bring with me on the trail. David and I have both based our "clothing system" on Eric the Black's. The layering system he uses made us both think differently about what we really "needed" on the trail and how to creatively layer so we could bring less.

The only item I am still minorly in flux about is my base layer top. Right now, and in the picture below, I have the SmartWool  mid-weight top. I'm about 85% sure that's what I'll bring with me but am considering bringing my SmartWool heavy weight funnel neck top. The heavier weight will of course provide more warmth and added features include thumb holes to keep the draft out at my wrists and also keep my wrists/tops of my hands warmer. It also has a zip up funnel neck. I like to have my neck covered when I'm cold and I'm not going to bring a scarf with me on the trail! The downside of course is that this shirt weighs a bit more...so we'll see. My plan right now is to test drive these tops while we're in Glacier NP and to gage what I think my body will need while we're hiking there. The environment/weather/temperature should be sort of comparable to the Sierras, so it will give me a better idea of what my warmth needs will be. I'll make the final, final decision of course the night before we hit the JMT!


I went with merino wool for my socks and my shirts. Merino wool is awesome. My shorts are made of some sort of light weight, thin, fast drying material and provide UPF 50+ sun protection. I decided to bring a heavier weight base layer for my pants, which adds some weight and bulk to my gear... I just don't think the light and mid weight base layers I have are enough to keep my legs warm. The temps will likely be in the 30's (maybe even the 20's) overnight and in the morning when we're at elevation (which will be the majority of days we're on the trail), so I'm going with the extra warmth.

In the end, the hesitation about my base layers comes down to this: if I have all my layers on and I'm still cold, it's time to set up camp and get in my sleeping bag :)


Here's what my layers consist of:

-Outdoor Research bucket hat (or a lightweight mesh running cap)

-North Face fleece warm hat
-Windproof/water resistant gloves

-SmartWool superlight t-shirt, I also have an IceBreaker super light t-shirt that I might mail myself in my first resupply (day 7) to alternate
-Some cheap-o sports bra I picked up at WalMart, I intend to throw it out at the end of the trail
-SmartWool base layer top, mid-weight
-Patagonia nano puff insulating jacket
-Mountain Hardwear Dry Q-10 rain jacket

-North Face Almatta shorts
-North Face expedition weight base layer tights
-Marmot Precip rain pants

-Darn Tough merino wool ankle hiking socks

All packed up, my extra layers fit in this stuff sack and it weighs 3 lbs 2 ounces. If I decide to bring the heavy weight SmartWool base layer top, it will add about 2 ounces.

Test Drive Numero Dos

Lunch Break

We went to the lake on Saturday for our second test drive hike. In a word, it was successful!

We both noted that we weren't nearly as winded/tired/worn out as our first hike-- SUCCESS! We were pleased to have noticed progress even though we haven't hiked at the lake in over a month. We thought the 5 trips to the Red in the past month or so definitely helped with our fitness. We also took a couple long breaks, which allowed us to rest and recharge.

I made the adjustments that I noted from our first hike:

1. Adjusted the torso length of my pack to be an inch or 2 shorter. My pack stayed where I wanted it to on my back and the hip belt fit better. My hips were still sore at the end of the day, but not nearly as bad as last time.

2. I wore a different pair of boots. I wore a more heavy duty hiking boot (Asolo) and as predicted, my feet held up better. The SuperFeet insoles still felt great.

Daveed didn't make many adjustments except for removing the insoles from his shoes. He thought that the insoles were good/comfortable for everything except the ascents/uphill. He noticed that his feet were more fatigued without the insoles. He wants to shave down his insoles to fit better, hoping that will eliminated the less than perfect fit and feel of his shoes on the uphills.

Our pack weights were about the same as our first hike, mine was about 32-34 pounds, Daveed's was about 41. We were carrying extra water for the extra training weight, so we are both confident that we'll be able to get my pack weight to 30 pounds or less and Daveed's to 40 or less.

We packed food for "one day on the trail". Daveed's pile is on the left and is about 4000 calories. This is about the minimum amount of calories he would need to consume on the JMT, and ideally, he'll consume another 1000+ calories per day. My pile is on the right and is about 1650. I would need about 1200+ more calories on the JMT per day. Shouldn't be a problem to get our calorie counts up as we can easily add some candy bars and olive oil and arrive at 1000 extra calories. (Note: we each ate about half of what we packed. If we would have eaten dinner on the trail instead of going to a restaurant, we would have eaten everything)

We had a great day hiking and enjoying the beautiful weather. It was great to be outside all day! We bumped into several friends throughout the day and even managed to end the day with dinner at The Barn with Jim, Nicole, Stew and Derrick.

Our plan going forward is to hike after work two nights a week at Lapham Peak and fit in as much hiking as we can on the weekends. We've got stuff going on every weekend until we leave for our trip, so fitting in all-day training sessions is a bit of a challenge! We plan to do laps on the stairs of the lookout tower at Lapham Peak- should get our legs strong! We're also planning to do a bit of weight training while we're at the climbing gym, squats and lunges to continue building our leg strength.