Chillin' just below Washakie Pass, Winds

We spent 7 days in the Winds, this photo was at 11,000 feet, just below Washakie Pass on the East Side.  We had a terrific time over in the Popo Agie Wilderness area!

Blowin' in the wind....

Don't try this!

It did not seem THAT windy, and I thought I'd clean the dirt out of the tent, plus un-do the velcro straps that held the poles.

Due to the I.D. MK1XL's superb ability to handle wind (on the ground), I had grossly underestimated how strong the winds were actually blowing!

Next time I'll shake out the tent AT HOME!!!!

For Alpine style backpacking, where the ground is really rocky, I really like either the Integral Designs MK1 XL with two doors, or the Hilleberg Allak.  Both are free standing, and both really withstand some fierce winds.

Here's a photo of me and my packgoat, Rufus, on the summit of Chocolate Peak in the Wellsville Mountain Range in Northern Utah.

The new Hilleberg Allak

The Hilleberg Allak

I really like tents with two doors - because they have plenty of ventilation.  The Allak is a true, honest-to-goodness all season shelter.  

I don't care if you live in the humid Southeast, the rainy Northwest, the hot and dry Southwest, or the Rockies, this tent will handle it!

It can open up as shown to get an incredible amount of ventilation, or it can be zipped closed tight when Mother Nature is unleashing her wrath...

It will handle snow loading as well as high winds mixed with rain and snow.

What a great all-round tent!

Hilleberg's inner tent material

I have seen postings recently where backpackers are complaining about Hilleberg's inner tent material, that it isn't breathable enough, that it should be made of screen mesh throughout.

Listen, folks, Hilleberg knows what they are doing and they have a VERY valid reason for how their inner tents are designed.  Bear in mind-------- these are four season tents....they are made to withstand driving snow and rain.  If the inner tent was pure mesh or mosquito netting, rest assured that the occupants would be getting wet, because there would bound to be seepage through the bottom of the outer tent.  So they know that this happens, and while the inner tent fabric is very breathable, it inhibits water from penetrating the fabric.  BUT, the doors of the inner tent DO have a screen as well as a zip up piece of fabric to protect the occupants when all heck breaks loose.

Hilleberg tests all of their models and I have found that time and again there is a good reason why they do what they do.

Goat packing

Here is my son Jason, with my Packgoat Rufus, a 2 year old wether.

Packgoats have been used since the 1970's, and they are a wonderful pack animal that can be used to haul gear and food, pretty much anywhere that we humans can go!  

Since packgoats can haul up to 40-50 lbs, why not buy 4 or 5 of them and let them haul my gear where horses can't go?

Heck, then I can stay in the remote regions of the Fitzpatrick Wilderness for 2-3 weeks at a time and only carry a daypack!

Training with a McHale

I am posting these two photos for several reasons - (1). One is never too old to get in shape.  (2). McHale Packs are wonderful.  I remember hearing my older brother tell me that "when ya hit 50 years old, the wheels fall off".  I really got to thinking about that remark, and the more I more about it, the more I felt that health decay was more a matter of choice than fate.  I could be wrong, but my point is, that statement made me do everything in my power to stay healthy.  My goal is to backpack in the WindRivers until I am 85 years old.  It was only 5 years ago that I was a fat 268 lbs and was using a CPAP machine because I had sleep apnea.  I had a 44 inch waist and I felt lousy ALL of the time.  To make a long story short, I lost 60 lbs and 11 inches off of my waist!  No tricks, just healthy eating and aerobic exercise with sweating taking place.  I first got on the treadmill and could barely do a pathetic 5 minutes of walking, level incline with no pack.  I remember looking at the timer and had only gone 3 minutes and I was ready to quit!  Nowadays, I strap on my 60 lb McHale custom pack and hike for 30 minutes at about a 20% incline, and 3.5 mph.  I am sure that I am not setting any records, but for a 50 year old, I think that I am doing pretty good.  I was told that nobody gets off a CPAP machine...well I did 2 years ago and have not needed it since.