light is right

There is a saying in climbing that ‘light is right’. Let’s take a closer look at that.

You will shortly discover that this story is yet another in the genre of ‘back in the bad old days’… I suppose once you reach a certain age there is more reflection on then vs now, so this should be expected, and come as no great surprise. It starts out by my thinking back….way back, to when I first started on this incredible journey, and to the gear we had. In those days of course, the gear we had was the gear we had. There wasn’t much choice to be found. At the time some of us were still trying to get by on stuff we got from the army surplus store. I even used rental gear early on. Most of it didn’t even work very well, especially things like stoves, headlamps, and packs; and all of it was god awful heavy.

When I was young people wore what they had on
– Neil Young

You also have to realise that most of us were only kids and dirt poor as well. So if there was ever a choice between good or inexpensive then the cheaper option would always be the one to go for. To steal and paraphrase from engineering a bit… Good, Cheap, or Light… pick any two. Stuff gradually became more available, and we became more affluent, or maybe we had just become more efficient at prioritizing our addiction over other expenses. Sharing a house, living off of our parents, beater cars, eating ramen, and other such choices. Just for grins and giggles here are a few selected items of gear from then and now…

In all fairness in some of the above items we are not really comparing apples to apples, like the tents for example, but it’s what was available then as compared to today, and I’m sure that you get the overall gist of it by now. I think the heaviest pack I ever schlepped into the heat of battle was 36kg. That was over half my bodyweight at the time. Madness!

It was more than the gear however. We were still beholding to, and maybe emulating the old school Brit’s. How could you possibly go on an overnight climb without essentials such as a book to read, liquor to drink, gourmet food, music to listen to, and other ‘necessities’. Civilities must be observed and maintained after all. And we were still wearing wool knickers and knee socks, so that tells you something as well.

Speaking of essentials we also paid close attention to the so-called 10 essentials. I mean how could you not. The Seattle Mountaineers told you that you had to. (I’m going to have to look these up before I list them)

These 10 items turn out to be actually more than 10 different things, and then there are additional recommendations that balloon the list even further

So… on ANY TRIP the 10 essentials were:

• Map of area (in a case)
• Compass
• Flashlight with extra batteries and bulb
• Extra food
• Extra clothing (socks, mitts, sweaters, long underwear, scarf)
• Sunglasses
• Pocket knife
• Matches in waterproof container*
• Candle
• First Aid Kit

Plus other recommended items….

• Lunch (duh)
• Sunburn prevention
• Insect repellent
• Handkerchief
• Toilet Paper
• Canteen
• Insulation pad to sit on
• Whistle
• Altimeter
• Camera and film

And god forbid you go on an overnight trip where you were also required (according to the Mountaineers) to consider…

• Frame pack
• Sleeping bag
• Foam mattress
• Tent and accessories
• Food
• Eating utensils: cup, plate, spoon. (But oddly, no fork… and alas…the spork hadn’t been invented yet)
• Stove, accessories, and fuel
• Pots
• Scouring pads
• Toothbrush, towel, and other personal hygiene items
• Repair kit including but not limited to … pliers, wire, cord, razor, needle, thread, buttons, rivets, pins, etc.*
• Change of clothes
• Spare underwear (Mothers the world over rejoiced)
• Camp footgear

Oh yeah… and if you actually wanted to climb anything… you could also add climbing gear (assuming there was any room left in your pack, or strength left in your back and legs) It’s no wonder we didn’t get up many things. We sort of knew a lighter pack was better, and did goofy shit like cutting the borders off of maps, and shortening your toothbrush handle a bit. It took us a while before we could forego the maps and toothbrushes altogether. Once in a blue moon we would embark on what was called an ‘Anorak Climb’. Which in effect meant no pack. All you could take was what you could stuff in your jacket pockets. Which, when you think about it now was extremely prescient of us.

What has it got in its nasty little pocketses?

– Gollum

Luckily Chouinard eventually did advise us to “leave the 10 essentials and all other impedimenta on the ground.”

* To be fair, waterproof matches did save our bacon one time, as did dental floss.

Finally though, gear manufacturers began catching on. Things started getting lighter. But, maybe not better, because, like in cycling we entered a phase of not super-light, but rather stupid-light; before materials, technology and testing caught up. I recall my first ice hammer. Curious tools ice hammers; in that we don’t use them today. Anyway it was a Forrest Mjöllnir, and had a fiberglass shaft that came with a lifetime warranty. I often times joked that if it ever did break (it never did) high up on some scary ice route that the first thought through my mind would be: “did I remember to fill in that warranty registration card?” Today, as you saw a bit above, we have all sorts of real good, real light gear. I recall reading, and I think it was Steve House who said, if when packing for an overnight climb, his pack weighs over 17lbs. that he will dump everything out and reassess what he is taking. I’ve never been able to get there. One of the biggest liberating things for me was when I finally eschewed the need for a stove. This eliminated a lot of weight and hassle. Sure, hot food is nice, and not having a coffee in the morning is tragic I know. The trade offs are well worth it however. These days the only time I will entertain taking a stove is when snow needs to be melted for water. It’s a bit ironic about the stove when I recall that a stove was the first bit of gear I ever bought (after boots). It was an Optimus 8R and weighed in at about 794gm empty.

I think the most significant thing that we lightened over the years however, were our minds, and our ideas of what was possible through training and more importantly through our imaginations. People began to redefine what was possible in the mountains. A prime example of this is in my recent post about some climbs in Rogers pass. People are doing these wild enchainments in blistering fast style. One of the reasons for their successes is that they are going out there with pretty much nothing. Shorts, tee-shirt, running shoes, and not a hell of a lot else. Maybe a tiny pack with some grub, and a water filter. Maybe a lightweight ice axe (or not). What they do have in abundance though is superhuman fitness, and an unwavering belief in their purpose and abilities. I’d like to be able to do some of these routes, but I don’t have what it takes to be able to be as minimalist and unencumbered as some of these folks seem to be.

Now, please don’t get me wrong. I’m not advocating or promoting ‘disaster style’ climbing, where the basic philosophy is the only way out is up. A person can easily get into a world of hurt not having the right gear and more importantly the right skills and experience to go with it. Each individual and team needs to be able to determine what their personal risk reward ratio is and take responsibility for their actions. Back to paraphrasing Chouinard again… He also said if you take bivouac gear you will use it. The message being… don’t take it. Save weight; you’ll move faster, thus won’t need it.

Hogen, a Chinese Zen teacher, lived alone in a small temple in the country.

One day four travelling monks appeared and asked if they might make a fire in his yard to warm themselves. While they were building the fire, Hogen heard them arguing about subjectivity and objectivity.

He joined them and said: “There is a big stone. Do you consider it to be inside or outside your mind?”

One of the monks replied: “From the Buddhist viewpoint everything is an objectification of mind, so I would say that the stone is inside my mind.”

“Your head must be very heavy”, observed Hogen,”if you are carrying around a stone like that in your mind”

-Zen Story

My old buddy the Desert Mountaineer recently published an article that could almost be considered a bit of a companion piece to this. If you are interested you can check it out here… Desert Mountaineer