Brand Ambassador Gear List - Ras and Kathy "Team Ultra Pedestrian" Vaughan
Gossamer Gear would like to welcome Team UltraPedestrian, Ras and Kathy Vaughan as our newest Brand Ambassadors! Read below about their spring attempt to hike the Grand Enchantment Trail from Phoenix to Albuquerque and back again.
A Double Dose of The Grand Enchantment Trail
By Ras Vaughan
When Kathy and I attempted to become the first people to yo-yo the Grand Enchantment Trail in the spring of 2017 we knew we would be facing a limited window of opportunity, with extreme weather likely on either end, and certainly possible in the middle as well. But rather than Newton's Laws governing the conditions we faced on this adventure, it seemed Murphy's Law was instead at work.
Team UltraPedestrian began our Grand Enchantment Trail Yo-yo attempt in unseasonably hot triple digit weather on the homophonically inspirational date of March 4th in the low deserts of Arizona east of Phoenix. There were not the moderate early spring temperatures we had hoped for this year, and we were treated to two weeks of 90 to 100 degree days.
Ras in the Santa Teresas - photo Kathy Vaughan/UltraPedestrian.com
Then, almost overnight, we found ourselves postholing through hip deep snow at 10,000 feet in the Pinaleño Mountains. The very next day we dropped down into Safford, Arizona, and were once again in 100 degree heat.
Umbrella shade break - photo by Ras Vaughan/UltraPedestrian.com
We were battered by thunderstorms along the Wild Bunch Trail heading east into across the New Mexico state line into Alma. Continuing west, the numerous fords of Mineral Creek were so cold we were forced to stop repeatedly to make coffee and warm up painfully cold toes. When we reached the junction to begin climbing up over Mogollon Baldy and a heavy, wet snow began falling and accumulating, we were forced to retreat and take the High Country Bypass around Mogollon Baldy as well as the High Water Bypass around the West Fork of the Gila River due to reports of dangerously fast and deep ford we received from a local mule packer. We thought this was turning out to be a very cold and wet Southwestern Hike, and we didn't know the half of it.
Snowy day on the GET - photo by Ras Vaughan/UltraPedestrian.com
Filtering foul water, using a Sawyer Squeeze filter set up in-line to gravity filter. Near Alma, New Mexico - photo by Kathy Vaughan/UltraPedestrian.com
On Day 56, on a section of the GET rerouted along state road NM337 (due to access issues), a heavy rain squall hit just as we entered the Chilili Land Grant. We scrambled down off the shoulder of the road into a culvert to wait it out, then watched the rain turn to snow, and the snow begin to accumulate. We reemerged from "Culvert Camp" more than 36 hours later, having sheltered there from a record setting blizzard that closed freeways in Albuquerque just north of us.
Culvert Camp -Photo by Ras Vaughan/UltraPedestrian.com
Leaving Culvert Camp after the storm to continue the Highway 377 shoulder walk. - Photo Kathy Vaughan/UltraPedestrian.com
When we reached Albuquerque a few days later, the snow from that storm was still knee deep as we postholed over the top of the Sandia Mountains to descend into ABQ and complete our first yo.
The Sandia Crest after bouncing at the Sanida Aerial Tram - Photo by Kathy Vaughan/UltraPedestrian.com
And the weather didn't cut us any slack on the second yo either. Within a few days of bouncing at Albuquerque rain and snow had us holed up in a Forest Service shitter for dinner. Rain, lightning and hail forced us into our tent early day after day, minimizing our progress. Then when warm, dry weather came, there was no shoulder season, and summer roared in with it's jaws snapping at our heels. During the journey Kathy's pack ranged between 15-20 lbs and mine from 40-60 lbs.
Sitting out the heat as the temperatures began to reach triple digits. Diamond Creek drainage, Gila Wilderness, New Mexico. Photo by Kathy Vaughan/UltraPedestrian.com
Our stubbornness and drive proved to be for naught, and on Day 97, when Kathy inadvertently left her sleeping pad in the direct sun and it melted, we knew we were done. A forest fire on the route ultimately ended the attempt. On Day 98 we quit the trail and ended our GET Yo-yo attempt 300 miles short of our goal.
Eagle Creek drainage, our final day of hiking. Near Morenci, Arizona - photo Kathy Vaughan/UltraPedestrian.com
Ras' setup for half the trip: Gossamer Gear Mariposa, LT4 trekking poles, Gossamer Gear bag liner - photo by Ras Vaughan/UltraPedestrian.com
| Item |
|---|
| Backpack |
| Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 (switched packs halfway through) |
| Gossamer Gear Walker 75 (prototype) |
| Shelter |
| Six Moons Designs Haven Net Tent & Tarp |
| Tarptent Saddle Two (switched to Tarptent halfway through) |
| Sleeping System |
| Feathered Friends Penguin Nano 20 down bag with Penguin Groundsheet for use as a two person quilt with bottom sheet |
| Gossamer Gear Nightlight Sleeping Pad |
| Kitchen |
| Jetboil Flash Cooking System |
| Cheap plastic container with watertight lid |
| Snowpeak titanium spork |
| Water System |
| Sawyer Squeeze Filter |
| Nathan 2 liter bladders x 4 = 2 for dirty 2 for clean |
| Nathan Flexshot 1 liter x 2 |
| Nathan Fire & Ice 2 750 ml Hydration Bottle x 2 |
| First Aid/Hygene/Repair |
| Cheap collapsable toothbrush |
| Sample size tube of toothpaste |
| Bandana |
| Toenail clippers |
| Leather sewing needles x 3 |
| Upholstery thread - 1 spool |
| Superglue |
| 12' duct tape |
| Tenacious Tape precut patches |
| Tenacious Tape roll |
| Chemical handwarmers - 1 pack for emergency |
| Lighter |
| Toilet paper |
| Sunscreen - stick type |
| Clothes |
| Altra running shorts - 1 pair |
| Cheap long sleeve button up shirt |
| Synthethic buff |
| Trail Butter "Be Trail Ready" trucker cap |
| Cheap fleece hat |
| Synthetic earflap hat |
| Smartwool armsleeves |
| Zensah wool calf sleeves |
| Black Diamond mountaineering gloves |
| Zensah lightweight gloves |
| Injinji midweight socks x 2 pairs |
| Injini lightweight wool socks, 1 pair |
| Smartwool midweight socks |
| Western Mountaineering puffy pants |
| Mont Bell synthetic puffy |
| Western Mountaineering ultralight puffy |
| Altra Lone Peak shoes/Altra Lone Peak NeoShell Insulated shoes |
| Altra Trail Gaiters |
| Homemade Puffy Down Slippers made from the sleeves off an old down coat |
| Six Moon Designs Gatewood Cape |
| Electronics |
| Nokia 930 Windows Phone |
| Garmin eTrex 20 handheld GPS |
| 24000 mAh battery pack/charger |
| Sony Walkman mp3 player |
| SPOT Gen 1 Satellite Transponder |
| GoPro Hero 3+ Silver edition |
| Miscellaneous |
| Black Diamond Polar Icon headlamp |
| Gossamer Gear LT4S CARBON TREKKING POLE |
| Gossamer Gear Cuben Q-Storage Sacks x 3 |
| Gossamer Gear STICKPIC SELFIE ADAPTER |
| Gossamer Gear LITEFLEX HIKING (CHROME) UMBRELLA |
| Gossamer Gear Pack Liner |
Kathy GET Gear Layout
| Item |
|---|
| Backpack |
| 20 liter Backpack |
| Sleeping System |
| Gossamer Gear Nightlight Sleeping Pad |
| Kitchen |
| Titanium cup & spork |
| Water System |
| Nathan Fire & Ice 2 750 ml Hydration Bottle x 2 |
| First Aid/Hygene/Repair |
| Cheap collapsable toothbrush |
| Sample size tube of toothpaste |
| Bandana x 2 |
| Hairbrush and hair ties |
| Chemical handwarmers |
| Lighter |
| Toilet paper |
| Sunscreen |
| Lip balm |
| Clothes |
| Altra perfomance skirt |
| Altra T-shirt |
| Altra buff |
| Smartwool buff |
| Trail Butter "Be Trail Ready" trucker cap |
| Cheap fleece jacket |
| Synthetic earflap hat |
| Smartwool armsleeves |
| Eddie Bauer puffy vest |
| Cross-country skiing gloves |
| Knee high wool socks |
| Injinji midweight socks x 2 pairs |
| Smartwool thigh high socks |
| Montbell puffy pants |
| Mountain Hardwear puffy jacket |
| Altra Lone Peak 3.0 shoes/Altra Lone Peak NeoShell 3.0 Insulated shoes |
| Altra Trail Gaiters |
| Altra Zoned Heat pants |
| Six Moon Designs Gatewood Cape |
| Electronics |
| BLU smartphone |
| Sony Walkman mp3 player |
| Miscellaneous |
| Black Diamond Polar Icon headlamp |
| Gossamer Gear LT4S CARBON TREKKING POLE |
| Gossamer Gear Cuben Q-Storage Sacks x 2 |
| Gossamer Gear LITEFLEX HIKING (CHROME) UMBRELLA |
Read more about the adventures of Ras and Kathy at www.UltraPedestrian.com