| YOUR OWN PACK |
| [ ] Backpack | Lined inside with a big garbage bag. Rain finds a way in. |
| [ ] Sleeping bag | In its own plastic bag. A wet sleeping bag is worse than none. |
| [ ] Sleeping pad | Foam is fine. Strap it outside the pack. |
| [ ] Flashlight | Plus spare batteries. Plus spare batteries for the spare batteries. |
| [ ] Water bottles | Two liters at least. |
| [ ] Rain jacket or poncho | Even in February. |
| [ ] Windbreaker | Your own, or borrowed. (Gilbert.) |
| [ ] Fleece or sweater | Goes UNDER the windbreaker. (Gilbert.) |
| [ ] Long johns | Top and bottom, for sleeping. |
| [ ] Track pants | NOT jeans. Jeans get wet and stay wet. (Gilbert wore jeans. Gilbert was cold.) |
| [ ] 2 T-shirts, 1 long-sleeved shirt | One shirt stays dry in a plastic bag for camp. |
| [ ] 3 pairs of socks | One pair is for sleeping only. Never walk in your sleeping socks. |
| [ ] Bonnet | |
| [ ] Gloves, 2 pairs | One for the trail, one dry pair for the night. |
| [ ] Hiking shoes | With grip. Broken in BEFORE the climb, not on it. |
| [ ] Slippers | For camp, so your feet can rest. |
| [ ] Plastic bags | Lots. For clothes, for wet things, for trash. |
| [ ] Plate, cup, spoon | A cup with a handle. You will want to hold something hot. |
| [ ] Trail food | Crackers, chocolate, nuts, dried mangoes. Enough to share. |
| [ ] Your own medicines | Tell Abby what you take, before the climb. |
| [ ] Sunblock, lip balm | The sun on the open grassland is strong, even when the air is cold. |
| [ ] Toothbrush, tissue, small towel | |
| [ ] Garbage bag | For your own trash. All of it comes back down. |
| [ ] Whistle | For emergencies only. Not for the summit. |
| [ ] ID and money | Your share is paid to the treasurer BEFORE the trip, not "later." |
| [ ] A pillow | No. Roll up your fleece. (Gilbert.) |
| GROUP GEAR (WHO CARRIED WHAT ON PULAG) |
| 3 tents | Gerald, Nelson, Gilbert. One each. |
| Stove and fuel | Nelson. Nobody else touches the stove. |
| Pots, kettle, big spoon | Nelson. |
| Food for the climb | Split five ways by weight. Nelson decides the menu. |
| First-aid kit | Abby. |
| Rope, extra plastic sheet | Gerald. |
| Camera, 2 rolls of film | Gerald. TWO rolls, not one. |
| The money, the list, this notebook | Mel. |
|
MEL'S NOTES
- Pack the heavy things in the middle of the pack, close to your back. The sleeping bag goes at the bottom.
- Pack at home the night before, then lift it. If you can't get it onto your shoulders by yourself, take something out.
- Things you need on the trail (water, trail food, rain jacket, flashlight) go on top or in the pockets, where you can reach
them without unpacking everything in the rain.
- Write your name on your things. Five blue water bottles look exactly alike at 4 a.m.
- Bring a jacket for the bus. The aircon is colder than the mountain. Almost.
- If it's not on the list and you think you need it, ask me. If it's a pillow, the answer is no.
Gilbert would like it on the record that by Saturday night four people asked to borrow his pillow. Mel would like it on the
record that the answer is still no.
STAYING WARM (FOR LOWLANDERS)
This part is mine, not Mel's. At 4 a.m. on Pulag my thermometer read 3 degrees. Most of us in Manila don't own a single winter
thing, because why would we. Here's what works, from five people who learned it the hard way. -- Gerald
- A bonnet. Wear it all evening and sleep in it.
- Gloves. Plain cotton gloves are better than nothing. Keep a second, dry pair just for the night.
- Layers, not one thick jacket. T-shirt, long-sleeved shirt, fleece or sweater, windbreaker on top. You'll be sweating in
the pines and freezing at camp on the same afternoon, so you need to be able to take things off and put them back on.
- Secondhand jackets. If you get to Baguio with time to spare, the secondhand clothes stalls there have good warm jackets
cheap. Half our club's jackets came from there.
- Keep it all dry. Pack your clothes in plastic bags inside your pack. Wet clothes in that cold are dangerous, says Abby,
and she's the nurse.
- Change into dry clothes the minute you reach camp. A sweaty shirt means a cold night.
- Get off the ground. The cold comes up from the earth. A sleeping pad matters as much as the sleeping bag.
- Eat a hot supper and drink something warm before bed. Nelson's rule.
- Put tomorrow's clothes inside your sleeping bag so they're not ice-cold when you put them on at 3:30.
- Spare batteries for the flashlight. The cold makes batteries weak, and you'll need that light for the summit.
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