WHO'S PACKING? PICK YOUR NAME — CHECKMARKS SYNC LIVE FOR THE WHOLE ROPE TEAM
0 PACKED
Rentals exist for axe · harness · helmet — don't buy what you'll use once. Boots + pack are the two that must be dialed and broken in. Altitude kit (Diamox · ibuprofen · electrolytes) lives on 04 · THE PROTOCOL.
WX The Window
Trout Lake · Sat 1893°F ☀sunny, hot approach
Lunch Counter · ~9,200 ft~55–60°Fday · ~40s overnight
Summit zone · 11,100 ft+48°F / 39°Fday high / night low
3 AM start · wind chill~25–32°Fbreezy SW · dry window
NWS point forecasts pulled Jul 12 — altitude + turnaround doctrine lives on 04 · The Protocol.
Sun is the enemy, not storms. Re-check Wednesday for the summit-day update.
ABC The Method
A — AccessibilityWhat you'll need while moving lives on top, in the lid,
or on the belt: layers, snacks, sunscreen, headlamp, first aid.
B — BalanceDense mass (water, food, tent share) rides high-center and tight
against the spine. Hip belt carries the load, shoulders carry nothing.
C — CompressionSoft goods get crushed: the sleep system compresses to fill
the corners, kill dead air, and stop load shift on the sidehill.
01 Where Everything Goes
*Tent share flagged — Matt provides 3P tents; whether clients split carry weight gets
settled at Friday's gear check. Everything below assumes you carry a 2.75 lb share; drop it and
you're at 32.9 lb.
THE CONTAINER MAP — compress the sleep system, everything else rides loose:
liner bag (trash-compactor class) lines the whole main compartment — everything inside it
except water · 20L compression = sleeping bag only, cinched to ~8L, in first ·
5L = the Sunday-dressing pod: leggings, sleep socks, camp socks, Truforms, knee sleeves —
everything the 3 AM body wears, one bag, in order — plus toothbrush + mini paste (camp body kit) ·
neck gaiter = top zone with beanie/gloves (sun-neck Sat · face armor at 3 AM · glissade spray guard) ·
bandana = hip belt (sweat rag Sat · camp washcloth · pouch pot-holder) · deodorant stays in the car ·
gaiters = outer zone next to the hardshell pants Sat (pull on at snowline if postholing),
worn from the tent door Sun — crampon-point insurance over the Terravia cuffs + glissade snow seal ·
3L med pod = first aid, altitude kit, meds, spare toe sleeve, readers, hard candy —
lives in the lid, migrates whole to the summit sack at 3 AM ·
food = 3 day-bags, grouped by WHEN not what: A "SAT TRAIL" (waffles · bar · salty · 2 LMNT,
top of core, feeds the hip belt) + B "SUN SUMMIT" (gels — caffeinated ones Sharpie-dotted · candy ·
3 LMNT — migrates whole to the summit sack Sat night) + C "CAMP" (reserve · evening Nuun, deep core) ·
freeze-drieds stay in the car pending Matt's "meals covered?" answer at gear check ·
ziploc = TP/blue bags (never sharing a bag with the med kit) ·
crampon case as-is · puffy loose, no sack — fills gaps, grabs in 2 seconds ·
shove-it mesh pocket = things in transition, never valuables: gaiters + Kincos staged (Sat) ·
wet-glove drying rack (Sun AM) · post-glissade wet-shell quarantine · trash · the used blue bag,
always outside, always ·
35L sack + rain cover stay in the car — nothing here needs the 35, and the dry-forecast threats
(snowmelt below, glissade spray, a leaking bottle inside) are all liner problems, not cover problems.
02 The Load Math
Total on back35.7 lb32.9 lb w/o tent share
Internal volume46.4 Lof 65 L — 71% full
Reserve18.6 Lgroup-gear headroom
71% volume used — right where a 65 L should sit. The spare 18.6 L is deliberate:
room for the tent share, Sunday's stripped-down summit config, and stuffing layers fast without
fighting the zipper. Training carries were capped at 25 lb; the extra ~10 lb here is nearly all
water, and you'll drink it down as you climb.
| Item | Weight | Packed vol |
|---|
| BOTTOM · sleep system · 4.9 lb · 13.9 L |
| Sleeping bag, 20°F down (compressed) | 2 lb 8 oz | 8.0 L |
| Inflatable insulated pad, R4+ | 1 lb 4 oz | 3.2 L |
| Smartwool ¼-zip + merino leggings — sleep base · emergency dry layer | 11 oz | 1.8 L |
| Spare socks: Darn Tough OTC + 2 merino liners | 5 oz | 0.6 L |
| Packable summit sack ~20L (stuffed to palm-size) | 3 oz | 0.3 L |
| CORE · dense mass vs spine · 12.5 lb · 13.5 L |
| Water, 3 L at trailhead (no water at Cold Springs) | 6 lb 10 oz | 3.0 L |
| Bottles: 1 L Nalgene + 2 L soft | 9 oz | 0.5 L |
| Food: gummies, stroopwafels, bars, drink mix | 1 lb 10 oz | 3.0 L |
| Tent share (TBD at gear check) | 2 lb 12 oz | 6.0 L |
| Harness — provided by Matt | 12 oz | 1.0 L |
| Pack liner + stuff sacks | 3 oz | — |
| OUTER · soft wrap · 3.8 lb · 7.8 L |
| Patagonia R1 hoody — the fleece slot | 11 oz | 2.4 L |
| BD Alpine Start — 4 AM moving wind layer (sun hoody → R1 → this) | 8 oz | 0.8 L |
| BD Stormline pants — glissade armor | 10 oz | 1.4 L |
| Crampons, cased (your own — fitted to boots) | 1 lb 8 oz | 2.0 L |
| Bowl + spork + insulated mug | 7 oz | 1.2 L |
| TOP · grabs-first layers · 3.4 lb · 7.6 L |
| TNF Aconcagua down, stuffed loose — standing-still layer only | 1 lb 4 oz | 4.0 L |
| Patagonia Torrentshell — weather + rim wind | 14 oz | 1.8 L |
| Glove system: NF lights (moving) + REI gauntlets (storm/glissade — kept DRY Sat) ·
Kincos ride the outer zone as the snow-school sacrifice pair | 1 lb 2 oz | 1.5 L |
| Beanie | 2 oz | 0.3 L |
| LID · reach-without-thinking · 3.1 lb · 3.0 L |
| Headlamp + spare batteries | 4 oz | 0.3 L |
| First aid + blister kit | 6 oz | 0.6 L |
| Altitude kit: Diamox · ibuprofen 600 · electrolytes | 3 oz | 0.3 L |
| Sunscreen SPF50 + SPF lip | 4 oz | 0.3 L |
| Phone + 10k battery + cable | 12 oz | 0.4 L |
| TP + blue bags + sanitizer (required above snowline) | 5 oz | 0.5 L |
| Ear plugs · knife · lighter | 2 oz | 0.1 L |
| Body kit: toe sleeves ×2 · Leukotape · Truform socks · Incrediwear pair · hip sleeve (gear-check pending) | 14 oz | 0.6 L |
| HIP BELT · while-walking · 0.5 lb · 0.7 L |
| Rolling snacks, 2–3 hr | 6 oz | 0.4 L |
| Cat-4 glacier glasses (case) | 2 oz | 0.3 L |
| EXTERNAL · lashed on · 3.0 lb |
| Ice axe — provided · axe loop, spike down | 1 lb 0 oz | — |
| Helmet — provided · rear clip | 12 oz | — |
| Trekking poles — Matt's loaners · side straps | 1 lb 2 oz | — |
| Foam sit pad · under lid strap | 2 oz | — |
| CARRIER |
| Osprey Atmos AG 65 — the pack itself | 4 lb 10 oz | — |
| TOTAL ON BACK (with tent share) | 35.7 lb | 46.4 L |
| Worn, not carried: boots · sun hoody · pants · hat | 4.4 lb | — |
03 Weather Calls Baked In
☀ Dry, stable window — only precip signal all week is a 20% shower chance Wed
night, gone by your carry day. Hardshells stay (mountain rule) but you don't need storm-weight
anything. 🔥 93°F approach — the first 2,000 ft out of Cold Springs will be the hottest
part of the trip: sun hoody worn, 3 L water full, hip-belt electrolytes. 🧊 39°F / breezy
at altitude overnight — 20°F bag is right, puffy + beanie top-of-pack for the 3 AM start.
🕶 Sun is the hazard — cloudless + snowfield = double dose; Cat-4 glasses ride the
hip belt, SPF in the lid. ❄ Glissade odds: high — hardshell pants earn their spot;
crampons come off, axe in hand as the rudder.
04 Summit Config · Sun 4 AM
Summit pack10.8 lbvs 35.7 Saturday
Worn / in hand4.6 lbcrampons·axe·helmet·harness
Stays at tent~14.5 lbincl. the Atmos + tent share
| Sunday split | Weight |
|---|
| GOES UP · in the packable summit sack · 10.8 lb |
| Packable summit sack, ~20L (Ultra-Sil style) — confirm with Matt at gear check | 3 oz |
| Water 2 L (top off from snow melt at camp) | 4 lb 11 oz |
| Summit snacks — gummies riding the hip belt | 1 lb 0 oz |
| Puffy · beanie · gloves — worn at 4 AM, packed by sunrise | 1 lb 10 oz |
| Hardshell jacket (wind at the crater rim) | 12 oz |
| Hardshell pants — glissade armor over the Terravias | 10 oz |
| Lid kit: first aid · altitude · SPF · phone · blue bag · glasses case | 1 lb 4 oz |
| Hand warmers ×2 pairs (open at wake-up — 15 min to heat; spare doubles as phone-battery
radiator) + toe warmers ×1 contingency only — chokes in a tight boot, never
stacked on the toe-sleeve foot | 4 oz |
| WORN / IN HAND · not on your back · 4.6 lb |
| Crampons on boots · axe in hand · helmet + headlamp on · harness · merino base under Terravias | 4 lb 10 oz |
| STAYS AT THE TENT · ~14.5 lb + tent |
| The Atmos 65 — waits in the tent for the hike out | 4 lb 10 oz |
| Sleeping bag · pad · sleep socks (bag left lofted = warm return) | 3 lb 15 oz |
| Bowl + mug · reserve food · stuff sacks · sit pad | 1 lb 6 oz |
| Fleece — judgment call at the tent door; forecast says leave it | 12 oz |
| Trekking poles — Matt's call; axe replaces them on the snowfield | 1 lb 2 oz |
| WEIGHT DROPPED FOR THE SEND | −22.5 lb |
The summit-sack call: nearly half the summit load is now just water. A ~20L
packable sack (Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil daypack class, ~3 oz, ~$45) swallows the layer stack,
lid kit, 2 L and cased crampons with room to spare — and costs 3 oz on Saturday's carry
instead of hauling 4.6 lb of empty pack up the snowfield. Two caveats for gear check:
Matt gets a veto (some guides want hip-belted packs on steep snow), and it rides on your
front during the glissade — thin fabric doesn't survive being a sled. You're in Bend
through the 17th — REI Bend has these in stock; grab it before the flight to Portland.
05 The Weight Curve · Sunday On Your Back
The shape to internalize: you get lighter all the way up — water and snacks
drain ~2 lb between camp and summit, and the counterintuitive blip at sunrise is warm layers moving
from your body into the sack. With the summit sack you top out at 7.0 lb — day-hike weight
at 12,276 ft. The real work is the 1:45 PM step: the Atmos comes back with camp inside and you walk
out at ~25 lb — still 8 lb kinder than Saturday's carry, all of it downhill, most of it glissaded
or gravity-assisted. Budget your legs for that afternoon, not the summit push. (Tap any point
for the detail.)
06 The Body Kit · What, When JW PERSONAL
Injury roster: hammer toe · tight arch / plantar fasciitis · knees · hips ·
a nerve line being managed. Doctrine: nothing debuts on the mountain — every item below
earns its spot on a Bend test walk first. Nerve rule stands: dull ache is mountain currency;
anything sharp or shooting down the leg is a tell-Matt-now signal, not a push-through signal.
| Phase | Wear / do |
|---|
| NOW → THU · Bend · taper week |
| Daily, 10 min | Calf stretch (straight + bent knee) · frozen-bottle arch roll ·
morning toe-pull before standing · band circuit (lateral walks · monster walks · clamshells) ·
gentle sciatic nerve glides — stop anything that sharpens the leg pain |
| Once this week | Full dress rehearsal walk: boots + summit socks + toe sleeve +
Truforms under merinos + Incrediwear on skin + hip sleeve — the exact Sunday stack, 45+ min.
Practice one low-dye arch tape job. Trim toenails short + square by Thursday. |
| If the nerve escalates | Text Matt AND Dr. James before Friday — guides plan better
with early information than with a surprise at 9,000 ft |
| FRI · gear check · White Salmon |
| The fitting session | Loaded pack on: hip belt must seat on the iliac crest with the
hip sleeve underneath — if the belt won't seat clean, the sleeve is a hotel/recovery tool,
not a mountain tool. Tell Matt the full picture: knees, the nerve picture, and accept the
weight-redistribution offer in advance for the Sunday hike-out. That call is made here, not at 11,000 ft. |
| SAT 8 AM · trailhead dressing order · head to toe |
| 01 · Prep first | Sunscreen on face, neck, ears, backs of hands — before clothes ·
SPF lip · Leukotape: low-dye arch + hammer-toe knuckle · gel toe sleeve on |
| 02 · Feet | Liner socks → merino summit socks → Aequilibriums: surgeon's knot midfoot,
heel-lock ankle, forefoot laces looser |
| 03 · Body | Merino boxers · Terravia, cuffs cinched over boot collars ·
sun hoody worn alone — the only top |
| 04 · Head + hands | Sun hat · Cat-4 glasses on from the first step (with the stick-on
reader lens — see below) · hands empty except poles |
| The feel-check | Standing in the lot you should feel slightly cool, borderline
underdressed — 34 lb up 3,400 ft fixes that in ten minutes. Cozy at the car = soaked by first break.
Everything else is in the pack: leggings, fleece, puffy, both shells, beanie, gloves,
knee sleeves, Truforms, harness, helmet, crampons |
| EYES · the readers problem, solved |
| Near vision | Hydrotac stick-on reading lenses (~$15, match your
reader strength) turn the glacier glasses into bifocals — apply this week, test on the dress-rehearsal
walk · cheap folding readers in the lid as backup + for camp evenings · phone text size up one notch
before you lose signal |
| SAT EVE · Lunch Counter camp |
| Recovery shift | Truforms on for the evening (calves + shins recover from the carry) ·
off for sleep — 20–30 mmHg isn't a sleeping sock · merino leggings + camp socks to bed ·
check tape, refresh anything lifted |
| SUN · send + descent · the sleeves' shift |
| From the tent door | Fresh tape job · Truforms under merinos — Lily's shin-splint
call, and descent day is exactly their day · Incrediwear on skin, leggings over, Terravia on top ·
toe sleeve in |
| The descent | Poles long, steps short · glissade skips 2,500 ft of knee pounding ·
at camp break, cash in the redistribution agreement if the nerve is talking — that 25 lb
hike-out is the highest-risk 3 hours of the weekend for your left-of-center parts |
| MON · home |
| Travel legs | Truforms on for the PDX→LAX flight (post-exertion + flying is their
native habitat) · hip sleeve for the drive if it earned its keep · ibuprofen taper, not ritual |
Not medical advice — Dr. James and Lily outrank this sheet. The kit itself (toe
sleeves ×2, Leukotape, Truforms, Incrediwear, hip sleeve) now lives as a 14 oz line in the lid.
07 Fuel Protocol · Eat Small, Eat Always
Doctrine from the trip sheet: appetite dies at altitude — small + frequent
beats large meals. Target: 30–60g carbs per moving hour (a waffle OR a gel OR half a bar,
every hour). Two-bottle rule: soft flask carries the electrolyte mix, Nalgene stays plain.
Matt covers real meals; this is everything between.
| Phase | Regime |
|---|
| FRI · pre-load · White Salmon |
| Hydrate + baseline | 3L+ through the day (protocol) · Nuun for flavor-sipping ·
normal caffeine — withdrawal headache impersonates AMS · creatine in the morning mix as usual,
then tubs stay behind — stores are saturated, a 2-day gap costs nothing |
| SAT · the carry · heavy-sweat day |
| Hydration | 3L at the trailhead: LMNT in the soft flask (1 stick / ~1.5L —
plain water alone on a sweat day = hyponatremia that mimics altitude sickness) · Nalgene plain |
| Food | Waffle or half-bar every hour from the hip belt · salty bag at the two big
breaks · bars ride the hip pocket so they stay chewable |
| SAT EVE · Lunch Counter |
| Rebuild | Matt's dinner + 1.5–2L snowmelt with Nuun (low-sweat sipping —
LMNT overkill here) · no alcohol, no sleep aids (protocol) · pre-stage Sunday's gels in the
summit sack hip pocket tonight, not at 3 AM |
| SUN · send · the gel shift |
| Predawn → summit | GU every 45–60 min from the tent door — chewing is
negotiable above 10,000 ft, gels aren't · caffeinated GU ×2: one at wake-up, one below Pikers ·
LMNT in the flask, 2L total · hard candy in a pocket for the grind |
| Descent + out | Waffles + salty bag on breaks · refill at camp (1.5L, LMNT) for
the hike out · ibuprofen only with food + real water on board — NSAIDs + dehydration at
altitude is a kidney stress combo |
| MON · home |
| Resume | Creatine + longevity mix back on schedule Sunday night at the Inn ·
compression socks on the flight · Trout Lake huckleberry shake is load-bearing tradition |
Shopping — LMNT×5 sticksSat ×2 · Sun ×3
Nuun1 tubeFri + camp evenings
GU gels×6–82 caffeinated · summit AM
Waffles×6break food, both days
Bars×2–3big breaks · hip pocket
Salty + candy1 bag eachpalate insurance
All of it fits the existing 1.6 lb food line + 6 oz hip-belt allocation — this
organizes the weight already budgeted, it doesn't add any.
08 Meds · Team-Relevant Lines
Personal meds boards are maintained offline — track your own. What matters to the
rope team is only this:
| DIAMOX | 125 mg twice daily starting Friday morning, through Sunday's
descent · Rx in hand + one test dose in Bend BEFORE the trip · flag sulfa allergies ·
expect tingly fingers, extra peeing, flat-tasting soda — normal, not AMS |
| IBUPROFEN | 400–600 mg with food + real water · minimum 6 h between doses ·
hard cap 1,200 mg/day · a headache that ignores it = tell Matt, not a third dose |
| AVOID | Sleep aids at Lunch Counter (sedatives suppress adaptive breathing) ·
alcohol Saturday night · extra caffeine — keep intake normal, withdrawal mimics AMS |
Not medical advice — every start/stop call goes through your own prescriber.
09 Assumptions on Record
William's Google Sheet is view-locked, and the Gear Room carries doctrine
but no line items — so this list is rebuilt from the May 20 call summary, Matt's stated requirements,
the altitude + fuel protocols, and the standard South Climb overnight kit. Weights use
manufacturer specs where the item is known (Aequilibrium LT GTX, Atmos AG 65) and category-typical
specs elsewhere. The summit sack (Section 04) is modeled at 3 oz / 20 L, Ultra-Sil class — pending
Matt's blessing at Friday's gear check; if he vetoes it, Sunday reverts to the cinched Atmos at
15.2 lb and the curve shifts up ~4.4 lb until camp is broken.
01 Altitude + Slog Protocol
RXAcetazolamide (Diamox) 125 mg 2×/day, start the day before ascent — the only well-evidenced AMS prevention. Prescription: call the doctor THIS month, not at the trailhead. Flag sulfa allergy. (Not medical advice — confirm with your physician.)
KITIbuprofen (600 mg works on altitude headache) · electrolytes · normal caffeine — withdrawal headache impersonates AMS perfectly.
O2Canned oxygen = morale, not medicine. Flow's too low to change anything. If someone's genuinely sick at altitude, the treatment is DOWN.
SLEEPNight before the carry is the Inn — the acclimatization already happened in Bend. Protect sleep quality instead: no alcohol Friday, and no sleep aids at Lunch Counter — sedatives depress breathing exactly when your body is adapting.
FUEL4 L/day water minimum. Appetite dies up high — pack carbs you'll eat anyway: gummies, stroopwafels, drink mix. Eat small and constantly, not big and rarely.
PACERest step (micro-pause on the locked back leg, every stride) + pressure breathing (forced exhale, pursed lips). Looks silly. It's how guides walk clients up this mountain all summer.
SKIPGinkgo and "altitude" supplements — evidence weak to nil. Spend the money on better snacks.
02 Turnaround Protocol
RULE 0The summit is optional. The descent is mandatory. Budget the tank for getting down laughing, not just getting up.
CLOCKTurnaround time set at camp the night before — not on summit by 1:00 PM = everyone descends. Non-negotiable by design: nobody renegotiates at 11,800 ft with a headache.
PUSHStable misery = continue. Burning legs, gasping lungs, slow pace, headache that responds to ibuprofen + water, dark internal monologue — all normal. One rest-step at a time.
DOWNProgression = descend. Headache that ignores meds · actual vomiting · stumbling that isn't terrain · confusion. Field test: walk heel-to-toe in a straight line. Fail = down, now, with a partner.
BUDDYPairs watch pairs. Nobody self-assesses above 10,000 ft — you're a bad judge of yourself and a fine judge of your friends. Agree out loud at camp that checking on someone is the system, not an insult.
MINDShrink the problem: next rock, fifty steps, ten breaths, again. Spend zero willpower on "the summit" — especially before Pikers Peak, which is a lie at 11,657 ft. The real one is 600 ft beyond it.
