Soon I will be weighing all my gear courtesy of the digital scale in the mail room at work. When I am done, I’ll post the the individual weights and totals by category. I am making a conscious effort this year to minimize my pack weight without giving up too much camp comfort. The older I get, the more serious I get about minimizing the weight, simplifying my meals, and enjoying the trail more. I don’t plan on spending lots of money this year on new gear, but I do have a birthday in June...

When I started backpacking, the only technology I took with me was a camera. It was a Pentax MX manual SLR camera with a few rolls of Kodak slide film. My inspiration was Galen Rowell and I studied his amazing photos of the high sierra with great admiration. Every year I take a camera with plans to take amazing pictures of the high sierra. I have yet to come home with pictures that match my memory of the mountains.

Last year I took a camera, video camera, GPS, a notepad, mp3 player, voice rec...

When I first started hiking the John Muir Trail 25 years ago, no one used trekking poles. Now it seems like everyone has them. Last year people I met on the trail seemed surprised when they saw me hiking without poles.I have resisted the trend, but this year, I plan to use poles. I have found them to be helpful, especially on the steep downhill sections. I have a pair I bought many years ago for mountaineering, but I am looking for the lightest pair I can find that still collapse or fold up. ...