Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Loading Rocks Into Your Backpack

Has anyone heard of the "ballasted-backpack" theory of descending steep trails? I read an article in Backpacker where a group of University of Colorado students, about 50% of them having pre-existing knee injuries, climbed Long's Peak and while at the summit loaded 40-45% of their body weight in rocks, into their backpacks to change the weight distribution on their knees while going downhill! This translates to 68-76 lbs of rocks for a 170 lb hiker! The study showed that by shifting the weight back away from the knees (changing center of gravity), that the loading on the knee was reduced. Even the students with previous knee problems had absolutely no knee pain while going downhill. The results are posted at www.uoc.edu/knee/rocks. I'm thinking seriously about trying this on Mt. Whitney; if it doesn't work I can always take out the rocks. What I'm wondering, though, is whether the "redistribution" of the rocks will violate any Forest or Park Service laws? If you have any information on this, please email me.
Andreas

I also read this study, and I tried it on Mt. Baldy in So. California. However, the way I did it was to unload rocks the further I went down the mountain; for example, take out 1 or 2 rocks for every 100 feet of elevation. As far as disturbing the rock formations, this wasn't a problem, as I was able to find people who were on the way up that were willing to take my rocks that I was unloading and put them back in the same place I left them. I would endorse this method, because even though I never had knee problem before this, I tried it, and then the next time when I didn't do it, I found my knee compelty wrecked. I actually had to have surgery from NOT using the rocks.

"I read an article in Backpacker where a group of University of Colorado students... The results are posted at www.uoc.edu/knee/rocks."

Interesting that a Backpacker Magazine article on a University of Colorado study would be posted on the Open University of Catalonia Web site.

Or not.

Q. If 45% of one's body weight is rocks in the cranium, does adding 45% in a backpack help the knees?

A. Only if those rocks were removed from the cranium.

I was returning from summit Monday, and I saw a pretty green river rock, about the size of a Bratwurst, nicely rounded. I put it in my front pants pocket, as there was no room in my pack (Having filled it with water from the summit hut) I noticed no knee pain at all down the switch backs, but some folks on the way up gave me a funny look. I left it on top of the rock wall on my camp site (#69) at trail camp, because I thought it would be foolish to carry it all the way out. Now I know better, I'll be sure to collect and keep interesting rocks I find on the trail.

But why are you using water from the hut, when you know you should bring enough up to the top with you!!!!????

LOL LOL LOL. You people have way to much time on your hands. Was reading this at lunch and you almost made salad come outa my nose.

Does anyone know what the "Hinter" part of "Hinterstoisser" means in German?

The idea of using rocks as counterbalance to change weight distributions is certainly valid--on ascending too I have found that the twinge I feel in my knees on ordinary stairs is non-existant when I have a pack over about 15 lbs.

However, the rocks on descent technique has an even more ingenious secondary effect: before long, America's mountains will all be reduced to diffuse rock plains, and no one will ever get knee pain from hiking those blasted mountains again!

B^)

I would like to hike with any one of you. Instead of hikikng out rocks, you could carry down some of my gear.

mark j the Sapporo bubbled out of my nose when I read the first post in this thread.

You have got to be kidding

I understand the rocks only help if you are wearing lederhosen, knee socks and a hat with a feather in the band. Otherwise they just add weight and make your back ache.

Doesn't everyone wear that stuff? Last time I climbed, I that's what I saw. Or maybe that was the last time I was high.

i could not add anything to this classic.