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The lightest pack I’ve ever carried was a base weight (everything except worn clothing, food and water) of 2.89 lbs. for a 109-mile solo trip on the SoCal PCT in June. You can see the gear list here. I got into a little trouble, you’ll be able to read about that in the book. I actually have a gear list for 1.83 lbs, for that same trip, when I was going with a buddy. But when he couldn’t make it, I decided to hedge my bets a little.

My average base weight for a typical trip is under 5 lbs. Every trip has different conditions, suggests different solutions, and has a different risk profile.

I haven’t really backpacked for more than 2 weeks at a time. For much of my life, a busy work schedule made it hard to get away. My bike trip in1976 lasted 8 weeks, and my bike packing trip on the Great Divide was 24 days. Hiking the Alpe Adria Trail in Europe took about 6 weeks. I tend to favor shorter trips because I have so many different interests and involvements.

I don’t really have a favorite hike–I’m just happy to be outside. I’m happiest in the mountains, above treeline. Wide open spaces and long views make my heart sing. But I’ve been taking a group to Buckskin Gulch in Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness for a dozen years, so that’s the hike I’ve done the most often. The joy now is seeing the reaction of others to the amazing beauty of that area.

The List is a group of people who have entered my life in one way or another, that meet three criteria. The most important is that they are good company in the backcountry.This means they are low-drama, and non-whiners. They are people with something to say but nothing to prove. The second criteria is that they’re in pretty good physical shape. My trips aren’t super strenuous, but people will enjoy them more if they’re indecent shape. The third criteria is that they’ve got their gear squared away and it’s pretty light (see number two). Once or twice a year I secure some permits for an area I’m familiar with, and send out a blind copy invitation to The List. Trips typically fill within 48 hours. I facilitate the trip by answering questions, but it’s not a guided trip. It IS a great chance to see some amazing wilderness and meet some really interesting people. I think everyone should have their own list.

Nice try. Hint: it’s not what you think. I used to say only five living people knew what it stands for, but I recently asked the guy who gave it to me, and he didn’t remember, so I guess it’s down to [a maximum of] four people. And no, that isn’t in the book…

Quilts have never made sense to me. Being too hot backpacking is not a huge problem for me, and with my minimal pad, I would have nothing to cinch them to. My custom bag is essentially a zipperless quilt married to a fabric bottom. Keeps out the breeze, bugs, and I don’t carry the weight of extra down that’s crushed beneath my body anyway. Plus it has a hood, which when you’re bald, is a great feature.