[Mattrgrs12]

My buddy and I are planning on doing our first backpacking trip this weekend and reavis Ranch. We are planing on leaving Saturday morning and coming back Sunday Afternoon. Which direction would be best to head to the ranch at? Via the north or south? I know the North is a little bit longer and also has the side trip to the falls. I also heard getting to the North trail is a lot easier than the South. Also, are there any loops? Any suggestions would be great. Thanks

[te-wa]

either direction is good. i prefer the reavis trailhead. it is also easier to get into, the rogers trough side may require a skilled driver - it is in "cars not welcome" shape.
be prepared for mid 20's
the "side trip" to the falls is a major undertaking and can use up 1/2 a day itself.
many loops can be made but not really overnight. it would be better, as your first time overnight, to go in on reavis trail and back out.
later you can tackle reavis-fireline-campaign-w. pinto-reavis
or, reavis-frog tanks-rogers canyon-reavis

[big_load]

I agree. That first bit to the Reavis Falls cutoff does get old after about the fourth time, though, especially if you're coming out in mid-afternoon.

[SuperstitionGuy]

From the north. A longer but much better trail. It is 10 miles to the old ranch building site but you can camp as soon as the trail drops into the valley which is still quite a ways from the ranch house site. Give us a report on the conditions of the trail when you get back out.

[Mattrgrs12]

Just got back at around 2 today. It was a really good hike but I'm hurting from it. The trail was in pretty good condition, it was a little muddy due to all the snow melt and there was still some snow on the surrounding peaks and the part of the trail that wraps behind the castle dome. For my first backpacking trip I think I did fairly well. I packed a little heavy but that is to be expected. The weather was beautiful and the night was not to cold. Overall great experience. Thanks for all the advice.

[davis2001r6]

Congrats on your first backpack. Reavis was my 2nd and 3rd backpacking trips, once from each direction. 20 miles in a 2 days is a good distance for a beginner, I'm still sore after those kinda days.

[rushthezeppelin]

Nice to hear your first backpack went so well. Now you have opened yourself to seeing much more remote areas ; ) And don't worry that pack weight will thin itself out soon enough with a little investment. What's your packlist right now though out of curiosity.

[Mattrgrs12]

Yea I already know what I can take out of my pack next time. I could probably shed about 5 pounds off. For this trip I took:

sleeping bag
1 gallon of water
Pocket Rocket stove and small cooking set
2 cans of Isobutane
Food
Clothes (this is where I could really lighten up. I have no lightweight clothing)
Rope
Slippers (I dont know why. I just thought it would be nice to wear some comfortable shoes after 10 miles of hiking. I didn't even use them)
Miscellanious(spelling?) items such as map, flashlights, lighters, and some emergency survival gear.

I think that was about it. My buddy carried the tent because his bag had a lot more room in it. I only used half of 1 can of fuel so I can take one out next time and I could probably buy a smaller can. I need to buy some lighter weight clothes. I am going to leave the slippers out next time. I packed a little to much food and I did not use all my water but that is something I would want to over pack. I did not think I packed to much stuff but my bag was full and seemed to weigh quite a bit.

[rushthezeppelin]

Glad to see you use flashlights plural. Don't slack on that one. And take my advice and keep them both in different spots so you don't loose both of em at once like I've done before

[Mattrgrs12]

yea i had 2 flashlights and a headlamp

[Mattrgrs12]

any ideas on how to lighten my back weight?

[Crocodile Ryan]

lose the tent and sleep under the stars

forget the stove - bring all ready to eat food (focus on very high calorie food, i.e. nuts)

get some aqua mira etc to purify water - you can then bring less water, provided theres water in the area

skip the flashlights - as long as youve got a headlamp your good to go (bring an extra battery or two)

as far as clothes go, what did you bring? if your talking about an extra shirt etc, why bring it? wear what youve got, dont be afraid to stink (ask Tewa )

If I were you I would look at everything you brought out, anything you didnt use I would leave at home next time, that and buying lighter gear made for backpacking can really make a dent in your weight

[davis2001r6]

Or just bring whatever you want and what your comfortable carrying. Not every needs to be an UL hiker. I sure as heck not giving up a hot meal or a few hot chocolates with some Irish Cream for desert. You sound like you already know of some things that you don't need for next time. Start there and see where it goes.

[nonot]

IMO, unless the 1 can of isobutane is feared near empty, you don't need 2 for an overnight.
Clothes will come with time...lighter is better but don't bring too little that you freeze to death.
How much rope, how heavy?
As for the slippers, if you go on 3 trips and don't use the stuff, stop bringing it unless it's part of your medical kit/survival pack.
A lightweight 800 down sleeping bag will serve you well if you find you like backpacking, it will be your most expensive purchase.
Depending on your tent and pack, that could be an easy way to shave off some pounds.
The miscellaneous stuff adds up, treat them the same as your slippers situation.

Yea I already know what I can take out of my pack next time. I could probably shed about 5 pounds off. For this trip I took:

sleeping bag
1 gallon of water
Pocket Rocket stove and small cooking set
2 cans of Isobutane
Food
Clothes (this is where I could really lighten up. I have no lightweight clothing)
Rope
Slippers (I dont know why. I just thought it would be nice to wear some comfortable shoes after 10 miles of hiking. I didn't even use them)
Miscellanious(spelling?) items such as map, flashlights, lighters, and some emergency survival gear.

I think that was about it. My buddy carried the tent because his bag had a lot more room in it. I only used half of 1 can of fuel so I can take one out next time and I could probably buy a smaller can. I need to buy some lighter weight clothes. I am going to leave the slippers out next time. I packed a little to much food and I did not use all my water but that is something I would want to over pack. I did not think I packed to much stuff but my bag was full and seemed to weigh quite a bit.

[Mattrgrs12]

For my clothes I brough a sweatshirt, sweatpants, thermal underwear, extra socks, a beany, and some gloves. I did not use most of it because it was not as cold as I thought it would be. Must of the stuff is somewhat bulky and it took up a lot of room in my pack. I just need to invest in some lighter weight clothing. my flashlights and stove are very very lightweight so I plan on bringing those all the time. I know for a fact I do not to need to bring 2 cans of fuel next time. My rope was not heavy at all, 50 feet of thin rope, proly didnt way more than a pound. The stuff that really weighed me down were the clothes and water. I believe my pack weighed in at about 25-30 pounds. Maybe it just felt heavy because it was my first time walking through the mountains for 20 miles with a 30 pound pack on my back. Anyways, thanks for all your advice.

[rushthezeppelin]

skip the flashlights - as long as youve got a headlamp your good to go (bring an extra battery or two)

Although this is somewhat a matter of personal preference, I don't like the idea of only bringing only one source of light. For one like I said if you loose one you have a backup (once again varies from person to person on this as some people don't have a habit of loosing things like I do). Also I like to have a spare in case somebody else you are with is not as prepared as you and needs one.

[Crocodile Ryan]

Although this is somewhat a matter of personal preference, I don't like the idea of only bringing only one source of light. For one like I said if you loose one you have a backup (once again varies from person to person on this as some people don't have a habit of loosing things like I do). Also I like to have a spare in case somebody else you are with is not as prepared as you and needs one.

You gotta stop loosing stuff! I personally believe that that happens a lot more if your dealing with a ton of stuff that you packed in, having two flashlights just makes you a bit more careless with the first one

Also, Im sorry but I really dont feel like packing extra equipment for the off chance that someone else might have forgotten, I know that if I forget something that I generally just suffer through it, THEN the next time you dont forget