Things I Wish I Had Known Before Backpacking In The Sierra

Here are some things we wished we would have known before backpacking in the Sierra Nevada. I hope this video is helpful for those who plan to backpack in the Sierra this upcoming summer.
Watch my Sierra trip video here: • Rae Lakes Loop | A Sce...
Read all about my Rae Lakes Loop experience here: www.hikeoregon.net/hiking-the...
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[@edwardgreene5786]

I did the High Sierra Trail and had 2 nights with ice, as in frozen water bottles-early August, one being 21 degrees. I also carried the ULA Catalyst which has an HDPE frame sheet with twin stays and never knew I had a 19 pound bear canister for 9 days. Hyperlite packers were very unhappy canister carriers. My headnet was a godsend as the mosquitoes OWNED the trail, could have sold an easy dozen at 50 bucks a piece.

[@mebeasensei]

the sharks were small......and then we saw a giant one!

[@shadrick322]

Always bring your 0 sleeping bag, The temperatures can change just like the thunderstorms. I don't like sleeping in my layers that I hiked in.

[@Mtnsunshine]

Thanks for all these observations. Your honest reactions to the trail and what you are sharing here is most helpful. 👍🏔

[@lenisteingen3036]

Thank you! This is really helpful for me as I am planning to hike the PCT in the Sierra in August

[@Zoomdak]

Great info for The Sierras. I've hiked in Yosemite before and totally agree with your tips. Thanks for sharing!

[@HikeOregon]

Glad it was helpful!

[@YouloYoulo-lu7uz]

Overall the only advice that you should not follow from this video is that you should pack warmer gear cause it gets cold fast and unexpected

[@CanHike]

Thanks for this video, always picking up little tips from you 🙂

[@HikeOregon]

You are so welcome!

[@icejunki]

Great stuff, loved it.

[@HikeOregon]

So glad it was helpful. Thanks so much for watching!

[@bobpedersen1242]

I'm sorry to hear about your warm experience in the Sierras but I have to tell you I took my summer bag on a hike in that area at that time of year and luckily I always took warm layers of clothing, and rain gear knowing the weather was unpredictable at all times of the year at that altitude. We woke up to 20° weather and snow on the ground but the bag and the layers did what I needed them to do. Thanks for letting people know about the afternoon storms I have experienced the weather you described exactly on three different trips, not uncommon. Great video

[@HikeOregon]

Yea I heard from several people that we met on the trail that September is the best time to go. Not as hot and no thunder storms.

[@drewpfeif5028]

I've backpacked in the sierras in August and woken to a foot of snow on the ground. Of course that was 25 years ago and things tend to be a little warmer now...

[@kristymoore7052]

I was there 2 weeks ago. Cold snap. 1st night on trail 23 degrees. Second was supposed to be 19, but it hailed and when I woke in the am, hail was gone so it must of warmed up due to the storm that wasn’t supposed to happen. Never know in the Sierra.

[@HikeOregon]

@@kristymoore7052 yep, never know. June is still early in the season, I wouldn't really expect a ton of warm weather yet. In our Oregon Cascades it often still snows at 5500 feet elevation and higher in June. I am hoping for no major fires in the Sierra in September so that I can go back. I have a permit for the west side this time and I am so excited!

[@kimrobb1965]

Great tips! Thank you ☀️

[@HikeOregon]

Glad it was helpful!

[@lightwalker4558]

I bought the BV 500 and will be testing it out in the 100 Mile Wilderness this fall. I'm hoping to hike in the Sierra next Summer. I will bring lots of saline sinus spray as my sinuses dry out in arid climates. Good tip about the rain top. I am also bringing my half moon sunbrella.

[@HikeOregon]

Awesome!!!!! Yes it is dry in the Sierra. I had constant bloody boogers.

[@kristymoore7052]

You are talking about my back yard. :) A. 2021- June/July is the new August for thunderstorms apparently. B. Yosemite miles are not like any other miles. Vertical, rocky, high elevation. 2021 I assume no trail maintenance. Yes, difficult trails. I LOVE Oregon trails. C. Yes, bears here are opportunists. I prefer to not camp at the known, popular or recommended sites, they are not going to maul you, but they can become a nuisance. Love your channel and glad you came down this way. Your recommendations keep me coming your way.

[@HikeOregon]

I’ll be coming back down to the Sierra in September praying there’s no fires.

[@daveinstlouis7296]

Remember Folks "Just jump in the Lake" You only live once.

[@HikeOregon]

Exactly.

[@michaelb1761]

I have my "Sierra" packing list, and it always includes a 20 degree quilt, gloves, balaclava, down puffy, and rain gear. I've experienced subfreezing weather throughout the summer and rain on all but one Sierra trip. Totally agree with "Just jump in the lake". I love rinsing the trail dust off and feel so refreshed afterwards. It is a must for me. I'll be headed back in for my first of 2 planned hikes in the Sierra this summer in 3 weeks to explore the Kuna Crest area. About a 50/50 mix of on trail and off trail hiking, so I should have lots of alone time to enjoy those alpine lakes and granite.

[@timberg7377]

Thanks for sharing

[@chrispiatt2235]

Nicely done, and plus one on the "Just jump in the Lake" approach. And yes, it is usually very warm, even at altitude in the Sierra, though I have experienced frosts in August multiple times, so I think it's good to at least be minimally prepared for that. Also, we have been doing 9 and 10-night trips in the Sierra annually for 7 years now (in late July - mid August) and have only experienced rain 2 or 3 times, so our experience has been different on that front - I still always bring a rain jacket though, but I do that on all trips. I guess I'd also add that you should at least read up on how to properly ford creeks and rivers, as that can perhaps mitigate the chances of having a very bad day, particularly during years that have had at least an average snow pack. Cheers!

[@robertclark8044]

Welcome to California! Trails in the Sierras are tough: lots of rocks, roots and plenty of altitude change. That said though, it's worth the effort. I've had plenty of excursions into bear territory and find if you follow the rules you avoid trouble. Canisters are a pain but they make decent camp chairs.

[@HikeOregon]

Agreed, the camp chair aspect of the canisters is awesome!!! Rarely do I have such a great place to sit while I eat my food.

[@LenserX]

I feel like as a PCT thru-hiker that the Sierra was such a large and looming challenge on the horizon for pretty much the entire time I was on trail that I was constantly discussing, researching, learning and checking on reports from those ahead (and from previous years). So by the the time I got there I was pretty prepared and "knew" everything I needed to know. I was surprised by how breathtakingly beautiful it all was though. Did you guys do the entire stretch? That's a lot of miles.

[@HikeOregon]

No we did the Rae Lakes Loop. And I’ve done some backpacking in Yosemite as well.

[@LenserX]

@@HikeOregon Yosemite is amazing. Would love to get back there for more exploration. Right now I am trying to figure out a 5-6 night loop I can do on the PCT going north from Cascade Locks.

[@HikeOregon]

Have fun!!

[@JoseHernandez-jh7ht]

Welcome to California rookie 😄 but in all siriusness any where you go need to research it do your home work but all in all looks like you adapted and overcame good job girls

[@caborico0677]

Rugged but beautiful country! The bears actually (like all black bears) are cute...from a safe distance. Great video as always.

[@mootrail9487]

Really big dogs in Oregon I guess:) I worry more about the big cats. Check the NWS / NOAA forecast site before your next trip. You can zoom in and pinpoint forecasts to exactly where you're going, get a feel for how to pack and make changes at the trailhead. I can get 5-6 days in the smaller BV450 plus the first day outside the can. Of course, no fancy meals. I also have the tiny Bare Boxer Contender for 3 night and under trips. Finding the sweet spot for carry really is the trick. Hoping for a smoke free September, a little rain will probably be a good thing!

[@HikeOregon]

Yes I’m hoping for a smoke free September so that I can go on my 6 day Sierra trip. We do have big wolves here in Oregon.

[@phillipp1399]

I think you did great planning for the cold. Maybe just extra reusable layers instead of a bag liner but otherwise, at those altitudes, you need to be ready for freezing or near freezing temperatures even in peak summer. I call it the altitude penalty. Sure, many times you’ll pack a ton you don’t need -this time- but when you need it your survival could depend on it. Yes yes on the rain gear too (ponchos rock btw) but at least a wind barrier for top & bottom. Just like to freezing temps you may not encounter those pesky afternoon rains every day but when you do, you’re happy to be carrying that gear. Sadly, sometimes forecasts are great but at altitude they’re often tragically wrong/bad/unable to track changes at altitude. Basically if you’re pushing or crossing tree line in summer, be prepared for three seasons even though you may only be likely to encounter one or two. Also while bears canisters are weird and unwieldy, once you’re adjusted the peace of mind they offer is worth the weight penalty and awkward distribution. No worries about bears or any other critters and no stress of finding a good/workable tree from which to hang. Awesome to bring up all these issues and to share your (and your friend’s) experiences. As usual a wonderful and entertaining video. I always look forward to your new stuff!

[@tpressly2495]

Bug hat net for the swarms of gnats, not mosquitoes, annoying gnats. Hiked the Rae lakes loop late Aug. no showers but gnats by lower Paradise valley.

[@Accu53Mation]

The adventure & the scenery was worth-it. If it were a perfectly executed excursion, it would not be an adventure.

[@HikeOregon]

Backpacking trips never go exactly as planned.

[@davidb5195]

Good morning

[@HikeOregon]

Gooooooood morning!!!!!

[@Outdoor_MED]

Wanted to ask you if you ever considered thru-hiking the AT or PCT.?

[@HikeOregon]

I love long hikes but don’t have any desire to be gone for 6 months. Also, with working for yourself it is pretty impossible to just put your business on hold for that long and I wouldn’t want to feel like I have to work on the trail. So at this point in my life thru hiking is not an option for me.

[@TheBenperri]

Did you travel back in time?

[@stevewest6133]

Summer 2021 was an anomaly, exceptionally, or even historically hot all over the West. (I think it hit 115 as far north as Seattle and the Willamette Valley, smashing all time heat records) With that heat came an exceptional expansion of the Southwestern seasonal monsoon flow. That humidity and heat then suppressed the normal night time radiational cooling, that usually keep summer nights chilly in the high Sierras. Your experience was what it was, but I would not use it as a benchmark for what to expect in the Sierras. Dry, hot days with near-or-below freezing nights is more normal if you're up over 10,000 feet. DO ABSOLUTELY pack that heavy sleeping bag!

[@HikeOregon]

I went in August of 2020. Folks we met on the trail who had hiked in there many times before told us the weather we were experiencing was very normal for those dates in August.

[@joecola6487]

Never could understand why government requires a bear canister opposed to hanging a bag ... it is a deal breaker for me .. I don't enjoy being micromanaged

[@HikeOregon]

For most of the trails I hiked in the Sierra the camps were above tree line or where the trees were no larger than 5-6 feet tall so you cannot hang a bear bag. Also bear bags have a huge margin of error. They were just trying to protect the bears and keep them wild.

[@RoyADane]

My understanding ( from the reading and watching videos ) is that bears have figured out how to cut down hung bags. They have also figured out how to pop open the trunk of a car. I even read that a female Black Bear in the Adirondacks has figured out how to open a BV500 bear canister.

[@michaelb1761]

@@RoyADane Yep, and 99% of people (or more) hang their food bag completely improperly. It's just a bear pinata. You have to be industrial strength stupid to screw up closing a bear canister. Also, a bear in Yosemite has figured out how to open a BV500 or any other bear canister. She pushes them off a cliff and then climbs down and feasts on however many canisters she was able to find.