Just curious about a reel but without a rod. You can pick up a very light 5-piece fly rod that weighs next to nothing.
Hope for the best
I would seriously suggest a small personal-sized water filter for your drinking water. That way you don't have to stop and set up a fire every time you need water. You can get these just about anywhere and they will replace the lid to a normal canteen. They filter 100 gallons of water, so you can just fill up in a clean stream and drink. Having lived in Colorado for many years, I can tell you that no, the water in the mountains is not pure, far from it. decades of mining continue to leach harmful contaminants into the water, not to mention the bacteria and Giardia and Crytosporidium, which will certainly ruin your day. You can't trust the water, even at 12,000 feet. heat it till it boils (as soon as it starts boiling, you can remove it from the heat, all the organisms are dead by the time the water begins to boil, let it cool then pout it into your filter canteen for perfect water.
I would HIGHLY suggest you at least take a GPS beacon. If you slip and fall, get bit by a rattlesnake or get deathly ill, you will need it. Being obtuse won't comfort your family. "Well, he died hiking in the mountains, but he did it with respect to those that went before him and forsake all electronics", yeah, that's worth it.... I know I won't change your mind if your wife can't, but I guarantee you that the Donner party would have LOVED to have had a GPS or a cell phone, particualrly the ones that got ate.......
I would HIGHLY suggest you at least take a GPS beacon. If you slip and fall, get bit by a rattlesnake or get deathly ill, you will need it. Being obtuse won't comfort your family. "Well, he died hiking in the mountains, but he did it with respect to those that went before him and forsake all electronics", yeah, that's worth it.... I know I won't change your mind if your wife can't, but I guarantee you that the Donner party would have LOVED to have had a GPS or a cell phone, particualrly the ones that got ate.......
Ditch the tent and grab one of these with the insulation system!
http://hennessyhammock.com/
Less weight, faster to put up and take down, don't need level ground, etc.
http://hennessyhammock.com/
Less weight, faster to put up and take down, don't need level ground, etc.
AND if you put it up high enough, you won't have to worry about the wolves or bears!
Plan for some really cold weather too. I lived in Colorado Springs, and it never failed to snow by mid-october, it was snowing in the mountains much earlier. I am not sure of your exact route, but I checked weather.com, and the forecast for Granite, CO (which is the closest to mt. Elbert), calls for highs in the upper 40s with lows in the 20s next week. You can be guaranteed that it will be similar weather everywhere you go along that route.
Two weeks in that weather without real shelter will be pretty damn rough.
Please don't go up there and die, that makes Oklahomans look real stupid, and OU fans already do a good job of that!
Yes with it getting dark around 7:00 now, my evenings are going to be long , I plan to spend that time recording the days progress, boiling water,checking gear and taking care of my feet.
Today I'm laying out all of my gear and double ckecking everything and making an inventory sheet, I took some pics and am trying to post them
My thoughts about this....
-What if something happens to your wife/family while you are gone?
-Will the world change to suit your liking as soon as you return from your vision quest?
-Your dog is going to starve
-Won't it be hard to "escape" if you run into all of these "talkers" going on day hikes along your route?
Sounds like an interesting idea, something I'd be open to on a much smaller scale. But I think you're just avoiding the problem that you seek to remedy. When you return, the world will be the same as you left it. The only difference is that (hopefully) you'll be in better shape and maybe that'll make things feel better?
---ETA: Also, how will you check OSA while you're out there?
-What if something happens to your wife/family while you are gone?
-Will the world change to suit your liking as soon as you return from your vision quest?
-Your dog is going to starve
-Won't it be hard to "escape" if you run into all of these "talkers" going on day hikes along your route?
Sounds like an interesting idea, something I'd be open to on a much smaller scale. But I think you're just avoiding the problem that you seek to remedy. When you return, the world will be the same as you left it. The only difference is that (hopefully) you'll be in better shape and maybe that'll make things feel better?
---ETA: Also, how will you check OSA while you're out there?
