This weekend, my brother-in-law and I are braving the cold and backpacking to two different shelters along the top of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I wanted to do an overall pre-trip view of what I will be taking. I think this will be very interesting, as every outdoorsman knows that what ends up going in the pack or being used on the trip is usually different from how the scenario plays out in your head.
The conditions near Mt. Le Conte are hard to predict, mostly due to the fact that I am unable to find a weather station accessible on Google that is on the mountain or at least nearby. Gatlinburg and Cherokee weather can be vastly different after taking into account wind chill and thousands more feet of altitude. There is one source I was able to find. It is beautiful, but scary. Pictured below are two recent posts from High on Le Conte that show some pretty cold conditions.
I may not come back with all of my toes. Those incredible pictures show nothing but frosted trees! This could be a huge problem with my very limited setup. But boy, are we in for a SPECTACLE! The knowledge that it will likely rain through the night on Friday and be wet on Saturday could potentially mean a winter wonderland if the temps decide to drop lower than forecasted.
My warmest single-piece options for a sleeping pad and bag are the Thermarest Neoair Xlite NXT and an REI Magma 30-degree down bag. I purchased my Thermarest second-hand from a liquidation bidding outlet, and I have found that it is a little uncomfortable because it is too flat. My lower back generally hurts a little due to the baffling direction. Slightly deflating the pad and stacking my CCF pad underneath helps a ton, while raising the R-value.
Secondly, I am afraid my bag will be too chilly. I will have to double up my sleeping arrangement to include my 40-degree North Face synthetic bag to ensure I get a good night's rest on top of the mountain.
Here is my way-too-early packing list:
(Not a Comprehensive List):
Big 3
- Durston Kakwa 55L
- Thermarest Neoair Xlite
- REI Magma 30 Long
- North Face Wasatch 40
- NEMO Fillo
- NO TENT :)
For more of the finer details, go to my
Packwizard to see everything I have packed for this trip so far!
We are a little heavier than ultralight (11.72lbs without clothes finalized on Packwizard), but the extra weight is necessary for the cold temps.
I am opting to use my Sea to Summit Frontier Ultralight Collapsible Cup to make my drip coffee on this trip. I didn't want to eat out of the same pot that I am drinking coffee in, so the nesting feature for the Frontier kit was very attractive to me on this trip.
In the name of shaving weight, I might ditch the CCF pad in favor of a custom groundsheet to go under my pad. But in all honesty, the material I acquired for the groundsheet may be only a few grams lighter while providing significantly less comfort for my back (in R-value and in extra padding).
Not Pictured Above but Vitally Important:
My GSI Ultralight Drip Coffee Filter...
Let's check back after the trip to see how everything went! Hopefully, we stay warm and safe, with lots of great views to share!
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