Where and when: McKee Draw to Hayden Pass (westbound), first few days of September

What temp range and weather do you expect: 40F-70F, high exposure, potential multiple daily thunderstorms, hail possible, worst case heavy rain and/or below-freezing conditions

Goal Baseweight (BPW): somewhere ~6 lbs, I’d be willing to add stuff

Budget: <$100

Non-negotiable Items: nothing’s non-negotiable but not enough time or money to make major changes

Solo or with another person?: Solo

Additional Information: I’ve backpacked the AZT/PCT/CDT with similar kits but never in Utah outside brief peakbagging trips in the La Sals. I’d love to skip to Leidy TH. I’d enjoy meeting like-minded hikers but am comfortable alone. Considering adding a small cook kit to give me something to do if/when riding out thunderstorms

Lighterpack Link: https://lighterpack.com/r/262b1g

  • milesOPMEnglish
    3•1 year ago

    Clothing/layers are minimal, but should be fine since you’ll be in your quilt during the coldest part of the night. And I assume you’ll be moving most of the daylight hours.

    Yeah I like to follow the sun and I should have about 14 hours of usable light. I run pretty warm and would only be wearing both layers at once 1) sleeping if it got cold 2) moving around <=35F.

    Do the wind pants add much warmth and can you sleep in them?

    Surprisingly, cutting the wind, they add quite a bit of warmth. Unless it’s unseasonably warm I’ll likely start the day in them and pop them off after an hour or so. They are also my bug protection for my legs (although I do have a rain skirt too, first time I will try one).

    Looks like you’re going no cook/no cold soak?

    Still trying to decide. I’ve got a Toaks 550 w/o handles and both a BRS stove and a nice little DIY caldera-style alcohol setup but I’m trying to decide if it’s worth it. In my experience I do enjoy a hot coffee shake breakfast when it’s colder (like on the AZT in spring) but don’t miss it when it’s warmer (summer on the PCT). The weather on the UHT seems like a real crapshoot, the elevation gain/loss seems mild and the trail is reportedly easy to follow but rocky so I’m not sure how it will feel. With the likelihood of thunderstorms bringing a stove would also give me something to do to distract myself if I have to hunker down for a bit, though tracking down some fuel will add to the hassle in town.

    Nothing for foot care or blister prevention? I keep a few square of leukotape on release paper for this purpose. I mostly need it for off-trail hikes where I get more side to side movement and friction on my heels, but I like having it anyway in case I get a hot spot.

    Ooh good catch! I do always bring some leukotape strips. Added!

    How are you hanging your bear bag? I don’t think canisters are required, but I’m not sure what the regulations there are exactly.

    I’ve done a bear hang on the CDT in Glacier as required (which was pretty easy) but other than that I’ve always just slept with my food. I do have fond memories of chatting with a woman on the PCT in Yosemite while she expertly executed a hang on a subpar tree as we munched on edibles, haha. No mention of bears on the UHT, so I’ll plan to do the same.

    I see no TP, etc. Doing the Skurka-style bidet?

    I do. When I first heard about bidets I thought “that is one thing I’ll never do” – but honestly I’ve had grosser experiences with used TP than I have with just washing with water, which will be plentiful.

    Like I said, not a ton to add. That’s a tight system. Very efficient, no excess. Overall, it seems like you have a lot of experience with long distance hikes and know what works, what doesn’t and what you can handle.

    Thanks! I’ve done a couple of long trails and learned a lot every time, both in terms of what is possible and what works for me. Some things I’d like to improve on are research re: conditions and navigation w/o GPS. I’ll try to use my paper maps first, GPS second this time and see what happens. Thanks for the feedback :)

    • hombre fundidoEnglish
      2•1 year ago

      No problem. I doubt I added much of anything useful. Glad someone that just hiked it chimed in with some trail beta.

      rain skirt

      I love mine. I don’t use it much, but the times I’ve needed it it helped a lot.

      stove

      I get the inner debate. When I’m by myself the simplicity of no cook is amazing, but a hot drink on a chilly morning is also pretty unbeatable. I’m sure you can get fuel in town before you start, but it’ll definitely add to the hassle.

      bear bag

      It sounds like people don’t see many bears higher up, so you’ll probably be okay. I’ve heard you have to watch out for mice wanting to get in your stuff. Do you use a ‘scent proof’ bag?

      bidet

      Coming from the food industry where clean hands are paramount, for whatever reason I can’t get over the idea myself. It’s all up to personal preference, though, obviously.

      I think you’ll have am amazing trip. I definitely want to do it soon. All the pics I’ve seen look fantastic.