Woo Whoo Rangers... Backpacking again! YES

Well we are heading out tommarrow night for a 2 night backpack from the Top of the Eye of the Needle down to Kyles landing. It's only 3 miles if you was to fly... but you can't get there from here. I figure it to be close to 7 miles with all the extra steps we take going up, over and around. This place is prehistoric. It offers so much to challenge and inspire and hard work and fun to go along with all that.

We have never backpacked this. It's always been day hikes so this group is all Advanced Backpackers and no first timers on this trip.

I am going as light as I can so I can bring in a rappel rope and harness to go through the eye this time. It's not all the high but it will take a rope to do it. Just changing it up a bit for those that want a extra challenge. No one has to do anything. GRIN! Except you carried it in you carry it out.

First backpack of the fall season so were all pumped with 12 going it's a good group.

If it wasn't for my vacation day I wouldn't be able to go.

Ordered a Severe weather jacked from Arc tercx. Venta SV. It's pricy but worth every dollar in protection and durability and dependability. I am outside all year around so the gear must be up to the test. My last jacket still works well it just has some burn holes in it from fires...and the patches 4 of them are starting to make me loop poperish. GRIN!

Going fishing in the morning..hopefully taking a couple of kayaks and hitting the river. I need a break from work.

Mark Jones

I was thinking of hiking tonight when I was looking at day packs in Walmart. I miss those days.

We are all packed and ready to head out at 5:30 pm.
Had a easy day. Finished the bathroom floor trim. Fixed a FCF Lantern, replaced some glass for one of the boys. Got my hair cut and took 3 young men to McDonalds for lunch.

I have 15 pounds of liquids on my backpack. Water is heavy. Tonight to mid morning no water to filter. We hit the Indian Creek just below the eye of the needle.

We have a army surplus store about a 1/4 mile from my house and stopped in and bought 92 feet of 1/2" rappel rope and a small bag to put it in and a couple of quick connect buckles. We tied it in as a counter balance front pack. Had to bring in some extra webbing for 3 achor points. My harness will fit just about anysize of a person. So we left the fancy harness at home.

It will be fun to thread the eye of the needle.
http://readyrangers.tzo.com/2013EyeofNeedleTopdown/2013eyeofneedle.htm

Mark Jones

I think out of my 20 plus years of backpacking this was the most extreme backpack I have ever been on. Report and pictures at this link.


http://readyrangers.tzo.com/2014eyeofNeedletopDownbackpack/2014eyeofneedletopdownbackpack.htm


We are going to go backpacking to Hercules Glades in 2 weeks if your interested in going on a EZ backpack (entry level difficulty) and day hike please holler. It's nothing like this past weekends trip but I will welcome the EZ on this one. Still work but EZ in comparison.


Mark Jones

markjonesranger@Hotmail.com

With some hind sight on this. This was pretty challenging for me. The backpack was about 30 pounds and the rope was dynamic and there was enough bounce in the rope it was weird. Never rappelled on that Dynamic of a rope. 92 feet of rope was just enough to get me to the bottom of this rappel. I was sweating like a dog when I got down... of course I was sweating like a dog before I started.

In my 22 years of backpacking and such. This was the most extreme trip I had been on. I had 4 other seasoned backpackers tell me the same thing. We under estimated the added weight of the backpacks on this trip. Even after going down 2 times before over the past 4 years. Wow. I am glad I did it.

http://readyrangers.tzo.com/2014eyeofNeedletopDownbackpack/2014eye141.jpg