When packing for the #UintasHike16, I wanted to shave as much weight off as possible. More weight and stuff means more of a chance I’d need to check a bag. And I hate checking bags because it’s so inefficient. I want to be on and off a plane, lickety split. I explored a few options to not bring a true water filter… LifeStraw Go, Vapur MicroFilter, and eventually settled on the Platypus Hydration Meta Bottle with filter.
It was the last day of our little trek. After a night of little sleep and lots of Kovas’ snoring, we all woke up at the buttcrack of dawn to pack up. I was psyched. It was crappy diner food time. Day one had been an ordeal. Day two was less so. Day three was our shortest day. Nothing could go wrong on this day, right?
Wrong.
After a slightly disastrous yesterday in the Uintas, the whole hiking crew decided to alter trip plans once again. We were going to start the hike out and camp at a lake off a side trail. It was three miles from our current location to the destination. What could go wrong?
I won’t lie. I’m a total flatlander. I live at sea level, and I completely struggle at altitude. Shortness of breath, splitting headaches, all that jazz, all of it happens to me once I get close to 8000 feet. Prior to Outdoor Retailer, a few friends and I headed out in the Uintas for some pre-show backpacking and gear testing fun. Our itinerary involved scuttling around 10,000 feet every day, so Oxygen Plus was kind enough to send along some Skinni Natural bottles.
What can happen when you throw six internet friends on a backpacking trip prior to the biggest outdoor tradeshow of the year? A lot apparently. #UintasHike16 was born as a pre-show gear testing and hang out opportunity to experience the Utah backcountry. 40+ miles through the Wasatch over three days was going to be an adventure.
