This would prove to be a slightly different kind of trip for me for the fact that we would be driving directly to our camp site. Since the majority of my trips start off with a long day of walking, this would be a welcome change.
Due to his often hectic work schedule, Bill has been perfecting a great camping "system" which allows him to make the best use of his time. This "system" allows him to thoroughly test a variety of equipment and skills in a wilderness setting with plenty of backup plans and options in the event a certain piece of equipment fails. Very smart!
On this particular trip I would be breaking in (Nearly 700 miles worth of "breaking in" I might add!) my new iron horse, a Honda XR-650L (photo # 1). It was actually a last minute decision to take the bike but I'm glad I did.
One of the biggest challenges would be finding a safe and effective way to transport my gear. I ended up using a small duffel bag (photo # 2) bungee corded to several attachment points I'd rigged up earlier and had been testing for several months. I'd also be utilizing a small day pack (photo # 3 ) in the traditional manner.
-long sleeve shirt
-socks
-underwear
-boots (also used as wilderness footwear)
-leather gloves (added later to wilderness gear)
-helmet
-goggles
-reflective vest
-long sleeve shirt
-pants
-heavy socks
-liner socks
-sweatshirt
-head rag
-ass rag
-suspenders
-hat
-coat (strapped to outside of duffel bag)
-T-shirt ( 3 )
-socks ( 3 pair )
-underwear ( 3 pair )
-hatchet ( GB Wildlife II )
-fixed blade knife ( Roselli Hunter )
-jack knife ( Victorinox "Outrider")
-Svensaw
-Ruger Redhawk, holster, and ammo
-wool blanket
-body bag
-poly-tarp
-leather belt ( used as shoulder strap )
-accessory straps ( 2 )
-4 food packets each containing 5 instant oatmeal packets, 4 Cliff Bars, and 1 Mountain House single serving meal )
-coffee!
-tools
-spare tire tube
-tire repair kit
When packing a bike, cargo should be placed low and towards the center of the bike, so I placed the heavier items, tools, hatchet, pistol, etc. toward the front of the bag ( the side nearest to the bike's seat ) and near the bottom, keeping the lighter, more bulky items on top and towards towards the rear ( next to the bike's tail light ).
-cook can
-water bottle
-camera, Ultrapod, and film
-additional tools
I'm using this trip as a way to test out the XR-L. I'm traveling with a small duffel bag (secured to the rear of the seat and fender), and a day pack (on my person). Even though most of the trip will be on the highway by myself, I figured once Bill and I begin driving into the mountains, some of which will be over some rough road, it would be good to have Bill as my support crew in case anything were to go wrong.
Yesterday, I hit the road at about 6:30 AM. Things started to heat up as I made my way through the Mohave Desert. I made sure I drank plenty of water whenever I stopped for fuel which was often because of the size of the stock tank on the XR-L. The day was filled with spectacular scenery and without incident bike wise.
I pulled into the motel around 3 in the afternoon. Bill had arrived the day before so he was already at the motel to greet me when I rode in.
We spent the rest of the day catching up, eating T-bones, and preparing for the next day.
Today we woke up, had a big breakfast, and headed up into the mountains.
It was fun winding and twisting through the mountainside. Quite a change from the long, straight roads I had traveled the day before.
We soon turned off onto the narrow dirt road that would lead us up to the lake. I knew I would have to stop once we were off pavement so I could reduce the air pressure in my tires. The reduced pressure would allow the tires to grip the rugged terrain and allow a safer ride.
We stopped at the entrance to the road but as soon as I started to dismount, I could feel the bike falling over. I was able to lay it down easy but Bill had to help me get the bike righted.
I checked for damage but other than a bent gear lever, which I easily bent back in place with my Knipex pliers, there was none.
The ride up the road was a lot of fun! There were streams to cross and quite a bit of rocky, washed out ruts. It was a good experience and I felt the bike and rider performed well.
Bill and I spent the day setting up our shelters (I used a poly-tarp and Bill used a "Sil-Tarp"), gathering wood, and just enjoying the breathtaking scenery (see photos 4 & 5). I took a few pictures with the new Yashica camera, and carved a spoon using the Swedish hook knife Chad sent me. Lights out at 10 PM.
Lowering the tires pressure down from 22 pounds to 14 really helped the bike get through washed out ruts, rocks, and stream crossings. It took a few minutes to get used to the bikes different handling characteristics but within a short time I was snorting Bill's dust with a big smile across my face!
The shelter. One of the first areas we were looking at would have placed us a fair distance away from both the lake and the stream. Also, with the lake being the main attraction that's where I felt most of the other campers would tend to congregate. Not good for a couple of recluses wearing pistols, taking close-ups of nose Frisbees and chasing each other with knives! I thought an area next to the stream may be a good choice so after some looking around, we settled in.
Jumping back to the cargo system. As soon as we parked our vehicles, I began assembling the wilderness part of the system.
Wanting to stay with my familiar set-up, I used the duffel bag to house my bedding, food, hatchet, and a few other items. After everything was inside the bag, I secured it up tight using the cargo straps. After attaching the leather shoulder strap, I had what was essentially an inside out "Trail-tube" so that whenever I needed something, I didn't have to unroll all the bedding to get to it.
After assembling the "Trail-bag", I pulled the small shoulder bag out of the day pack, transferred any addition items that needed to go inside, and left the day pack behind with my civilian clothes and other personal items that didn't need to be carried into the woods.
OK, back to the shelter. One area in particular seemed to whisper "you can sleep here Eric". There was a small clearing right in the middle of some large sheltering trees (Photo # 6). In this clearing, there was a natural "bed" with plenty of pine needles. And partly due to the large tree roots, everything was nicely elevated which in turn would provide plenty of drainage in the case of rain. Very nice.
I believe in the eyes of Nessmuk, the above technique would be a classic example of "Smoothing it". It's funny how one starts to accumulate a library of little wilderness tricks when using the minimal equipment approach.
Tried out a new technique with my body bag/wool blanket combo. I rolled each handle around the blanket's corners so that the blanket wouldn't move during the night. It's hard to explain with words so maybe a picture will help (see photo # 9).
Eventually, I modified the broken clutch lever by grinding away at certain areas and attaching it using 550 cord (photo # 16). I took a small test run around the woods and it seems like it will work until I can get to a shop. I'm going to do some more tests tomorrow to make sure everything stays together.
The hook knife was a joy to use! Not only did it remove unwanted material with ease, but considering the workout I was putting the little knife through, it also held an edge very well. When I felt the edge(s) could use a touch up, using Bill's small Victorinox steel, I lightly brushed the edges back to the razor sharp edge Scandinavian knives are so famous for.
Due to their unusual shape, hook knives, to my knowledge, do not come with a sheath. But like any sharp tool that's going to be carried in the field, it's imperative the blade's razor sharp edge be covered until it's ready to be used. Not having the time to sew up a sheath (the knife arrived the day before I left), I simply folded a heavy/thick piece of cardboard over the edges of the knife and duct taped it in place. I wouldn't want to carry the knife on my person using such a method but since I would be storing the knife inside my shoulder bag, I felt it would be safe enough.
Regarding the broken clutch lever. I'm not going to dwell on my sudden lack of intelligence---or the fact that I neglected to pack along any J-B Weld, a sort of "super epoxy" used to repair things like broken jacks, crank cases, engine blocks, and yes, from my personal experience later in the trip, broken clutch levers. One good thing came out of the experience though---I'm a little wiser.
We took a lot of pictures today. Bill brought along a "Team Hoodlums" banner so we got a few shots in with the banner in the foreground.
I converted a small nylon stuff-sack into a bellows using two sticks inserted into the drawstring sleeves, a supporting hoop made from my little used willow fishing pole, and some snare-wire.
The forge was basically a small hole dug into the dirt surrounded by a few stones (photo # 18). The tweer was made from a small tin can and the air pipe from some tin foil I found earlier. Bill donated some duct tape to wrap around the "pipe" to seal the holes.
Bill and I continued taking pictures some of which were pretty funny.
I definitely wouldn't recommend using a fine hatchet as a hammer. They just are not meant for that kind of abuse. Better to use a rock or some other expendable item.
I was surprised at how well the stuff sack worked as a bellows! The drawstring sleeves were perfect for holding the handles in place. The freshly peeled willow handles were naturally lubricated so they slid into the sleeves with ease. At first I wondered how I would hold the supporting willow hoop in place but using some snare wire, I simply sewed the hoop to the inside of the stuff-sack using four "stitches" placed equally around the circumference of the hoop. I plan on making a portable bellows for my upcoming month long Sierra Solitude trip and I think a stuff-sack will be just the ticket.
The air pipe was another story. There were a lot of holes in it but with a little duct tape surgery, I was able to get in about an hour or so of forging. Actually, now that I think about it, I think it was me that pooped out first---not the pipe!
I'm not sure what the Trail Stove's secret is. Having to suspend ones cooking utensils seems to defeat the purpose of having a stove in the first place so maybe some extra vent holes drilled around the top would help. Still, I think it's a neat design and I sincerely thank Bill for lugging it along for me to try out. Maybe we can do some "tweaking" on the stove next time around eh Bill?
Once we were back in town, a paid a visit to the local NAPA auto parts dealer to see if they had any J-B Weld. They must have been expecting me because there were several packages of the epoxy front and center.
Back at the hotel I performed some additional surgery on the clutch lever by gluing the two pieces together then placing the patient in a safe place to dry overnight.
On my ride home the following day, I picked up a spare lever in Bishop but I continued using the broken lever the entire ride home just to see how well the epoxy would hold up. That stuff was a life saver!
Like anything J-B Weld is not fool proof so it's good to know it's limitations. Once at home, I tried breaking the pieces apart using my hands but couldn't do it. Two pair of pliers made an easy job of it.
Copyright © 2001 by Eric Stoskopf. Last updated 6/30/03
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