Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board check your equipment

I know this is basic simple rule - but one we easily forget.
This weekend sierra gator & I decided to day hike Mallory. I opted to borrow some lighter weight crampons from a friend for the trip. I forgot to check the adjustments(I know-my bad). When we got to the chute above Meysan Lake it was time to put on the crampons and grab the axe for the steep ascent. Lo and behond they would not fit my size 13 boots. Well no problem I thought - nothing a swiss army tool could not correct. To our amazment - the idiot who put those screws in must have used a jack hammer to tighten them. No amount of effort between the two of us could break them loose. Not wanting to do this steep sectoin without good equipment we had to make some quick adjustment to our plan. Sierra gator continued and bagged Mallory and I back tracked and did Candlelight. We both got a peak in and met safetly at our prearranged spot. Although I was looking for a more strenuous peak and still have to wait to get Mallory under my belt.
Let this be a lesson that should be as automatic as grabbing your boots and water bottles. Always make sure your equipment is in good order - and if you are using something new then make sure it is properly adjusted for you.
And now that I have preached - it is time to open up the topic a bit. What is your favorite equipment story. I know the first thing that comes to my mind. Twice I have hiked with a friend(friend of Bob R.'s also) that has had us out past dark. Both times as he goes to reach into his pouch - the sudden discovery that the headlight is in the other gear kit- so we have had to share lights to get back out. Let's hear some other stories(if not for anything else but to make me feel better about my own flub)

I'll admit to making some mistakes:

Peak 13404 trip in February - forgot my outer gloves. Luckily, Bob had a pair to loan me. The trip was cut short because of the weather, so I didn't need them.

Russell trip in February - forgot my cup in the kitchen sink. Ended up having to drink tea out of a Nalgene bottle for three days.

Same trip - knew I had to adjust my crampons for my new boots. Waited until we were sitting on a precarious ledge (Bob and Walter already had their crampons on) to adjust them.

Whitney trip in February 2003 - asked climbing partners if we were set as far as tent space. They said yes, but didn't tell me that that meant that someone was going to spend the night in a bivy. That someone was me, and it was the most miserable night that I've spent outdoors, due to the storm that hit us. (I'd have carried another tent up if I knew that there wasn't enough room for all of us.)

Well, it's not a hiking story, but I did once leave on a trip to go mountain biking. After an hour drive, we got there, I got my bike all ready to go, and lo and behold I left my shoes at home. As I only had Birkenstocks with me, I had to make do with hanging out by the car while my friends enjoyed a killer ride. I did go into town and get some goodies for them when they got back. After all, I was the moron, not them.

A story about someone else from about 30 years ago.

A Lake Geneva Wisconsin vicinity ski trip.

We drove about half hour to the start of the trip. One guy then realized he forgot his ski poles. He went home and got them.

Next day. Another trip with another 30 minute drive. Same guy proudly shows off his ski poles. Unfortunately, being so careful to take them, he forgot his ski boots. He was not amused - WE WERE!

A Memorial Day 3 day ski trip to Goat Rocks Wilderness. All was packed including all the food. Six hours later in the middle of nowhere, getting ready to cook dinner. "You have the spaghetti (precooked and sauced)?" "No, don't you?" Madly shuffling our gear and stuff sacks and packs and sleeping bags - it was a 3 day lunch trip. Both dinners were left in the car.

Car camping trip to Mt Ruth (near Mt Baker). Friend comes over and asks if I have his sleeping bag? NO! The three of us turn the car inside-out. He was a bit miserable overnight but we got an early start the next morning on the ski trip. (g)

It happens.

All hikers should make up a checklist. Many stores and outfitters will provide you with one.

I've seen leaders for a major enviro outings group forget: ski boots, ski poles, skis, food, cameras, backpacks, sleeping bags, climbing hardware, stoves, and just about anything you can name. Of course, that all is a good excuse to cancel the trip (for them)!

Last year Oct 1 Whitney backpack - Left my long hiking pants in the car at the Portal. Didn't discover this until the next morning when I woke up at Outpost Camp and had only hiking shorts to wear in the early morning freezing cold (fortunately, it warmed up nicely within the first hour or so).

My brother in law was climbing the Mountaineer's Route with some friends. Multi-day.

He was in charge of the kitchen gear. Brought the stove (MSR Dragonfly), brought the fuel bottle, fuel bottle was full, he just forgot the pressure pump!!!

Ever eat Top Ramen dry? Apparently it can be done! He says if you chew it long enough, it softens up and becomes edible.

Well, this one's appropriate since it was on the Muir Trail about 30 years ago. We had to split our party and wound up short on fuel the last day. We ate RAW minute rice - I think ramen would better (G)

All hikers should make up a checklist.

And yet again 4x is the man with the golden advice. I started making lists in MS Word's outliner for SCUBA diving trips. For climbing this has progressed to a rather involved Excel spreadsheet that also tracks weight in both imperial and metric and creates subtotals for both pack weight and clothing/boots.

Make a list and review it after each trip. Add the things you missed and leave out the ones you didn't use. Don't ever assume anything is present. If you didn't check it off the list as it went into the pack IT ISN'T THERE! Kind of like that tree falling in the woods with nobody aroung to hear it deal...

Happy trips all!

PS: Clamber, On the MSR stoves the usual point of failure is the pump. The spares kit they sell is nice but you are pretty well covered if you have a redundant pump. Would have solved the situation you mentioned as well.

This could also have been avoided by assembling and testing everything before packing it. On short trips it's easy not to but I just spend the time now and enjoy the peace of mind.

I hate to even admit this one, but what the heck. I do use a check off list however did not have this particular item on the list because it was a no-brainer. Two years ago I took a group up for a training hike at Gorgonio. Well, when I got to the trailhead and pulled out my pack and chair to get ready my boots were missing. I was wearing sandles and round trip back home to get my boots would be 6 hours. Instead, I made the second fatal mistake. I went to a Walmart close by and bought some boots. You have probably guessed it already. After losing six toe nails on this trip the boots are now on my pack list and I usually put my boots in the truck several days before my hikes.