In Progress: Utah & Colorado Backpacking, Hiking and Snowshoeing – March 2016 - Hiking Photos, Trip Reports, Trail Info and Gear Reviews

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After weeks of planning, I’m finally hitting the road. If all goes as planned, I’ll backpack in Coyote Gulch, take in the views at Bryce Canyon, snowshoe in Salt Lake City and Colorado and if the weather cooperates, attempt to bag my 4th 14’er.

Here are some last minute thoughts on my itinerary gear and food. This is the second entry I’ve posted regarding the planning for this trip. The first one can be seen here:
Trip Planning: Utah & Colorado Backpacking, Hiking and Snowshoeing – March 2016

Itinerary

I hope to see these places:

Coyote Gulch (3/18-20)
Bryce Canyon (3/20-21)
Blanche Lake (3/22)
Rabbit Ear Pass (3/23) tentative, may opt for somethign near Breckenridge)
Quandary Peak (3/24)

Gear

I’ll be hitting a wide variety of terrain, from Utah Canyons to a Colorado 14,000 footer. This is allow me to get out with a ton of my gear. Here’s some of the stuff that I plan on using:

Katabatic Gear – Helios 55 Backpack || Flex 22 Quilt
Tubbs Snowshoes – Flex VRT Snowshoes || Snowshoe Gaiters
Jacks R Better – High Sierra Sniveller Quilt
Darn Tough Vermont Socks – Various models, more details later
YakTrax – Run Traction Cleats
Peak Design – CapturePRO Camera Clip & PROpad || Peak Design Shell Rain Cover (Small)
Hoka ONE ONE – Men’s Tor Summit Mid Hiking Shoes
MyFootShop.com – Spring Plate – Carbon/Graphite Fiber Insole
Seek Outside – Divide 4500
WoolX – Lightweight Merino Wool Baselayers ||
WoolPro – Juno Merino T-Shirt || Agena Merino Longsleeve II Zond Merino Arm Warmers
Minus33 – Kodiak Expedition Full Zip Hoodie
Kahtoola – K·10 Hiking Crampons
Hillsound – Trail Crampons || Trail Crampon PROS || Armadillo LT Gaiter
ICETrekkers – Diamond Grip Traction Cleats
Black Rock Gear – Original Down Beanie
Hi-Tec – Men’s V Lite Flash Force Low I WP Trail Shoe

Food

I learned a ton about food and what I’ll eat on the trail during my HST hike. I really like some of the backpacking meals made by some of the smaller companies (more on this later), but I did not put in an order soon enough for this trip. I haven’t used Mountain House food much lately, but I’m giving it a shot on this trip. As far as local store bought stuff, two of my trail favorites are:

Jack Links Beef Sticks
- I usually opt for “healthier” jerky with lower fat, but the calories/oz are tough to beat (138 vs. 65)
Triscuits
- The Jack Links are greasier than I’d like, but when paired with triscuits, they’re great. At 120 calories per ounce, the triscuits have a good caloric density on their own.