If you can see Mt. Baker, you are part of The Experience
In my 70 years hiking, backpacking and climbing in both North and South America, Europe and Asia I have seen dramatic changes in outdoor equipment and apparel. This is a sample of the changes I have experienced.
1958
At age 12 I stayed overnight in the Mount Baker Lodge and went on my first backpacking trip. My wood frame Eddie Bauer Trapper Nelson canvas pack was uncomfortable enough to make me cry while hiking over a “steep” mountain pass with seemingly a long way to go to the first night’s destination.
My camping gear was purchased at a U.S. Army surplus store: mummy bag, canvas pup tent, aluminum mess kit and metal cutlery. I filled my canteen directly from mountain streams as there was no concern about contracting “beaver fever” (giardia). Cooking was done over an open campfire.
1964
Six years later my equipment for The Mountaineers Basic Climbing Course included heavy leather boots, a long wooden shaft ice axe and 10 point crampons (no front points). Clothing included a heavy wool sweater, army surplus wool pants, wool mittens and coated nylon rain gear. Wool provided warmth even when it was wet.
My new ripstop nylon down sleeping bag was more compressible and lighter than the Army surplus sleeping bag I previously used.
When climbing I wrapped the Goldline nylon climbing rope around my waist and tied it into the rope using a bowline knot.
Communication was generally in person, by mail or landline phone (no cell phones), which occasionally created issues. Once I was running late to catch a ride for a field trip to Mt. Rainier. There was no way to contact the driver and tell them I was on my way. As a result I got left behind and was disappointed.
1972
Next I was backpacking up Sourdough Mountain in the North Cascades with a comfortable JanSport external aluminum frame nylon pack. I started using a polyethylene water bottle instead of my metal canteen and slept better on an Ensolite sleeping pad. The Bluet butane cartridge stove was simple to light and the flame easy to adjust.
For trail information we referred to one of the first hiking guides for Washington, Louise Marshall’s “100 Hikes in Western Washington” published in 1966.
1982
When I was 36 I climbed Mt. Baker using a short MSR ice axe with an aluminum shaft. I carried everything with more comfort in a large Lowe Alpine internal frame pack. New equipment I had included 12 point crampons for front pointing and an REI seat harness, which was safer and more comfortable. The kernmantle climbing rope was a step up in safety, handling and durability. Nalgene water bottles offered durability, odor and heat resistance while lexan silverware and freeze dried food brought weight savings.
1983
I geared up for a traverse of DenaIi by buying Koflach Plastic Insulated Boots to keep my feet warm, a Feathered Friends minus -33 degree Gore-tex down sleeping bag and a Therm-a-Rest inflatable sleeping pad to provide insulation from the snow.
My Gore-tex jacket and pants were more durable and breathable than my coated nylon rainwear, which got damp inside from perspiration. The polypro long underwear and fleece jacket offered warmth with less weight than wool garments.
1990
My first experience at Vertical World indoor climbing wall gym in Seattle. By then I had purchased a pair of Boreal Firé rock shoes with “sticky” rubber which made a huge improvement over rock climbing in mountain boots.
2002
Backpack of the Chilkoot Trail in Alaska and British Columbia. I comfortably carried a large Osprey internal frame pack and slept in a sturdy Dana Designs Garuda Jana 4 season tent that is a classic.The MSR PocketRocket stove was a weight saver, however the PUR water filter was heavier than the iodine tablets it replaced, but the taste of the filtered water was preferable.
2014
Weeklong backpack at age 68 on the West Coast Trail of Vancouver Island. My Salomon Gore-tex hiking boots were great in the mud and the additions of the MSR Hubba one person tent, MSR NeoAir mattress, titanium cooking pot and LED headlamp were significant weight savings.
Later that year when trekking in Nepal, I was surprised to see many Nepalis with cell phones in the backcountry. While surrounded by snow-covered Himalayan peaks and many miles from the trailhead, I was able to call my wife in Seattle using a cell phone.
2024
Five day wilderness backpack on the Lost Coast Trail in Northern California when I was 78. It was my last backpacking trip, but was made more enjoyable with a sturdy Osprey Aether internal frame pack adjusted to fit my back and a lightweight SteriPen to purify water.
When hiking in August with friends at Artist’s Point I wore comfy Salomon XA Pro trail shoes. Since my first trip to Mt. Baker in 1958 the equipment has gotten lighter, more comfortable and improved technologically, but the views have remained magnificent. X
