[Written June 23.]

I’ve been spending a lot of time at REI this summer, updating our equipment to enable the lighter, faster, longer hiking and backpacking style that makes significant milestones like the Tahoe Rim Trail achievable by weekend warriors. The changes to the equipment in recent years are truly amazing.

For instance, last year when preparing to visit the Crooked Lakes Basin, I tried to buy a new propane cartridge for my trusty old Bluet stove. We bought this one in Australia on our honeymoon, as a good compromise between a camp stove and a backpacking stove. I was having trouble locating cartridges though, and eventually realized that Bluet’s simple puncture method of installing a cartridge was simply too dangerous and the manufacturers had pulled the stove, and the cartridges off the market. When I realized this I was more than happy to spring for the new version, similar in design but squatter and more stable. It has self-sealing cartridges that can be swapped while partially full, or removed for packing.

I’m similarly impressed with advances in the weight, durability, and even packability of today’s sleeping bags. Not having a serious sleeping bap upgrade since high school, my wife chose a Big Agnes sleeping bag with extra girth so she can sleep on her side with one knee folded up - IMO one of the most comfortable positions on a hard surface. To keep the weight down the sleeping bag only has down on the top - the bottom is a pouch for a full length air mattress - another wonder of technology that folds into a sack about 4 inches by 8. Dual purpose padding and insulation!  I went with a more traditional design though, to save cost and a little bit of weight (read, comfort) on the pad.

Last year I bought a REI Quarter Dome UL, a sweet little pup tent with two crossed poles, mostly mosquito netting, with a separate rain fly that keeps moisture off but also has ample room on both sides for packs and shoes away from the dew. Every detail has been considered from the symmetric curved doors (virtually impossible to snag the zipper) to the pup-up vent with Velcro adjustment flap which provides just the right amount of ventilation, to the perfectly placed ties for holding doors open. Thanks to the clever combination of ultra-light ripstop nylon, velcro, bungees, and grommets, the whole contraption weights in at about 4 pounds.

This year we added to that an MSR Hubba Hubba, again a mosquito-net shell with a rain fly. This one has a spine with three "ribs" which holds the base square and forms a ribcage onto which clips the netting. This is one of the easiest tents to raise I’ve ever seen. Also in the 4 pound range.

Each of these tents is slightly asymmetric lengthwise to allow more width and height at the head, giving them a pleasing shape.  I love them both!

I even at last splurged on polyethylene clothing to protect against moisture retention and it’s resulting over- or under-heating. Amazing how light and comfortable this clothing is! I think I’m hooked - I’ve started wearing it around the house…

Meals

Our meals are a selection of recipes (often modified beyond recognition) from freezerbagcooking.com. A dinner weighs in (sans water) at 1/2 pound per person. Our dinner menu for the first leg consists of:

• Cranberry Chicken Rice
• Moroccan Couscous
• Garlic, sour cream and onion mashed potatoes
• Ramen with baby clams and alfredo sauce
• Creole Tuna with Rice

We’ll stick with the obligatory instant oatmeal and coca for breakfast, and crackers, cheese, jerky, and fruit for lunch. Plenty of nuts, dried fruit, and power bars for snacks. I think (except for that first fresh lunch), we’ve pretty well on track to meet my rule-of-thumb of no more than one pound food weight per person per day.

I’d ideally like to keep my pack to 25 pounds (one-sixth of my body weight) but with Laine carrying just her own clothing, I expect to be well over that, but hopefully not over 35! I brought my bathroom scale along to get a final measurement as we leave civilization behind.

The plan

For our first leg we chose a fairly easy stretch that could be accomplished by a 9-year old (and non-acclimated parents!) in manageable chunks. It’s known as Section 1: Tahoe City to Brockway.  We’ll start at Brockway Summit, near the backside of Northstar Ski Area, and work our way over three days along the ridgeline overlooking Tahoe (to the south), Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows (to the west), and Mount Rose (to the east). Each day should be a modest 7 miles, with the elevations starting at around 7000 feet, climbing only to a max of about 7800, and ending with a long downhill to lake level (6300 feet).

This gentle start should allow us to acclimate, see what the trail conditions offer (this section is reportedly clear of snow), and what the weather will be like. We leave Auburn at a sweltering 111 degrees - even the pool is too hot to offer much refreshment. While it is almost 20 degrees cooler at the lake, it still might be warm enough to affect our pace.

Tonight we travel to Tahoe, and start fresh in the morning!