From: Jack Young (youngjack@HOTMAIL.COM)
Date: Thu Sep 07 2000 - 10:33:30 CDT
Beyond Backpacking is the latest book by Ray Jardine
I remember backpacking as a kid with my Dad in the 60's when we had to make
a lot of our gear and we were obsessed with weight reduction. Nowadays,
since marketers have discovered the backcountry, backpacking has become very
commercialized and a +50 pound pack, containing all the stuff you'll "need"
for a weekend is not uncommon. I've come to call this the Marriott Style of
backpacking.
Beyond Backpacking, and Ray's previous book, The PCT Hiker, herald a
retro-revolution in backpacking that reminds me of the good old days of
hiking in the 60's. Ray is the king of the ultra-light-ists. The buzz
phrase now in backpacking is the "Ray way." Ray Jardine is an aviation
engineer who has through-hiked the Appalachian trail, the continental divide
trail, sailed around the world and through-hiked the Pacific crest trail 3
times. On his last PCT hike he began with a pack base weight (before food
and water) of less than 10 pounds. The reality of his previous backpacking
experiences caused him to question everything about the way we backpack. The
result of this questioning is a book that is long on details and plans. When
an intellect as big and unencumbered by conventional thinking as Jardine's
is focused on a problem, the solution is going to be original, possibly even
spectacular, and probably socially unacceptable (backpacker). It is
especially useful to read about how his experiences inspired his unorthodox
methodology and designs, some of the most unique of which are:
„h sleeping bag with no bottom
„h Running shoes for hiking
„h And never leave home without your umbrella
Ray Jardine could be said to have invented modern rock climbing in the U.S.
- he pioneered the technique of hangdogging, or repeatedly falling and
hanging on the rope to work out extremely difficult moves. He invented the
first camming device, the Friend, whose security and ease of placement
revolutionized crack climbing. And he established arguably the first 5.13 in
the U.S..
If you plan to backpack more than once a year I recommend that you
investigate the Ray Way. His ideas are not conventional but by adapting
some of them for our 8-day trip in YP, we cut our combined weight down to 56
pounds total. That's 34 for me and 22 for Jo, my clever and beautiful wife.
Believe me. It makes a 13-mile day a lot more comfortable.
Jack Young
retired SM
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