BBT 2017 ~ Santa Monica Backbone Trail

Big views on the BBT. 

The Santa Monica Backbone Trail ~ 2017

The Santa Monica Backbone Trail follows the crest of the Santa Monica Mountains for 68 miles from Point Mugu to Will Rogers State Park. The BBT (Backbone Trail) climbs 19,000 feet (and descends 18,500 feet) over a collection of dirt trails, gravel roads and even some rock scrambling. 

During the spring of 2017 my hiking compadre Hobbes and I set out to thru-hike the entire route in under 3 days. The heat on the steep climbs was grueling, sometimes well into the 90's, with no natural water sources, exposed trails and little shade. . . but the miles of wildflowers and epic views made every step worth while.  

Let the adventure begin.

~ Aerial Overview of the BBT ~

Aerial overview of the Santa Monica Backbone Trail

Thru-Hiking the Trans Catalina Trail

The Trans Catalina Trail.

With a total elevation change of over 32,000 feet and a complete lack of switchbacks the Trans Catalina Trail delivers some challenging terrain. The official trail travels 37.2 miles from one end of the island to other and is made up of a collection of old fire roads and use trails. With excursions to Silver Peak, Ben Weston Beach and Lands End my route covered 62 miles in 4 days.

I decided to start the hike at Twin Harbors. My plan was to take the ferry from San Pedro to Twin Harbors, hike to the official end of the TCT at Starlight Beach then follow the trail all the way to Avalon Harbor and catch a ferry back to Dana Point. 

Tablelands Snowshoe Trek in Sequoia National Park ~ April 2014

Winter Sunset from the Tablelands.

A few weeks before this trip my wife and I went to the first BPL Southern California GGG. The good people at BPL (Backpackinglight.com) have been holding an annual GGG (Gathering of the Gear Geeks) in Northern California for many years, but this was the first 'gathering' in Southern California. We weren't exactly sure what to expect. 

Fortunately it turned out to be a fun experience. We met many other hikers including Marian, an experienced backpacker from Romania. By the end of the GGG we had agreed to do a snowshoeing trip before the season was over. 

A few weeks later it was time to hit the trail. I planned on staying out for a week while Marian would head back after a few days to meet his wife in Sequoia. I had an entire week to explore some of the remote areas of the Tablelands and beyond in the unique beauty of the winter. 

We started out with some pleasant forest hiking with just a few patches of snow. 

Heavyweight Ultralight Backpack

After completing the first section of the Sierra High Route last summer I realized it was time to build a much more burly backpack. Since there was nowhere to resupply on these remote trips I needed something that would comfortably hold ten days of food and a bear canister. I also needed a pack that could withstand the beating that comes with scrambling through cross country terrain in the High Sierra. I decided it was time to make my first Heavyweight Ultralight Backpack!

The Heavyweight Ultralight Backpack.

Cuben Fiber Hybrid Backpack with Removable Internal Frame

After seeing some of the cuben hybrid material used on the Zpacks Exo backpacks, I decided to try some on my own version of a cuben pack. 

The idea with this pack is to make something big enough to hold a Bearikade Weekender or Expedition bear canister plus some winter gear, but still keep it around 8 ozs. I made one out of just cuben and used it on the JMT last summer, but calling it a 'prototype' would be pushing it. People usually passed me and said, "hey, homemade pack heh?". To make things worse it was made out of some bright blue cuben I got on sale on gearswap. 

I also wanted something that would hold up to 35 - 40 lbs if I needed to carry extra stuff for a few miles to our favorite Sierra waterslides this summer. I added channels for a removeable internal frame (taken from a GG Gorilla) to handle heavier loads. 

Plus, I wanted something that could take some serious abuse on the Sierra High Route this summer. 

The material is all available at Zpacks.com. The cuben hybrid is made from 1.43 oz black cuben on the inside and 50 denier polyester on the outside. It feels strong and tear resistent. 

For the pack design I borrowed generously from the Blast and Gorilla packs. For the shape of the shoulder straps I traced a North Face daypack. Some of the more original things added are adjustable elastic cords at the top of all the exterior pockets and adjustable pad straps. I like having two medium sized rear pockets instead of one large pocket. It makes it easier to find stuff after a long day.

The cuben hybrid material is attached to the bottom 3" of the pack and side pockets using a triple stitched flat felled seam. All of the attachment places are reinforced with cuben bonded to the main material at a 45 degree angle. The area where the shoulder straps attach to the main pack is triple reinforced. The internal channel for the removeable frame is made from the heavier cuben hybrid material. I noticed that the ends of the frame cut through the channel made from 1.43 oz cuben in the earlier prototype, but the hybrid doesn't rip. 

The total pack size is about 3,250 c/i. The main pack bag is 2,500 c/i, side pockets 300 c/i, rear pockets 450 c/i. The main pack is 6" deep, 12" wide and about 34" tall.

The total weight is 9 ozs (without the internal frame). The heavier cuben hyrid material added about 2.5 ozs compared to a similar pack I made with just cuben. The removeable internal frame adds 3 ozs. 

Side view (with internal frame and Gossamer Gear sitpad for back padding). 

The bottom 3" are made with the more durable cuben/nylon hybrid from Zpacks.com. 

Interior detail of the internal frame channels (without the frame)

Interior detail of the frame channels (with the frame)

Adjustable front pocket (open)

Adjustable front pocket (closed)

Adjustable side pocket (open)

Adjustable side pocket (closed)

Shoulder strap attachment detail. There is a third layer bonded at a 45 degree angle inside the pack. 

Half Ounce Cuben Pack Cover

While searching for the lightest pack cover possible I finally decided to try making one myself. Of course it had to be lightweight while also providing protection for my pack and not blow off in the wind. This one is made from 0.34 oz/sqyd cuben fiber from Zpacks. Some manufacturers use tape or adhesive when working with this material as it is the lightest cuben fiber available, but I wanted to try sewing to create the channel for the elastic cord used to tighten it up around my pack. By folding the material over onto itself three times the sewing seems to work out fine. I reinforced the area where the tiny cord lock connects the two ends of the elastic cord to create some extra strength. Finally, I made a mini stuff sack out of 0.51 oz/sqyd to hold the cover when it's in my pack.

The result is an extremely light full sized pack cover that fits a large Zpacks Zero (2,600 c/i) or other large pack when fully loaded. There are no seams to seal. The final weight is just 0.5 ounce with the stuff sack.

I used this pack cover on an 11 day JMT thru-hike last summer. It rained the first four days and the cover kept everything dry. Here's a few photos ~

Waterproof Cuben cover packs down into a small stuff sack. 

Cover on a large fully loaded 50 liter pack with an extra large 24" torso size. 

Half Ounce Cuben Pack Cover.

Anza Borrego 2012

Many thanks to Nick Gatel from Backpackinglight.com for organizing a fun trip through some of his stomping grounds in the Anza Borrego desert. We left our GPS units at home and followed Nick along mostly cross country routes that were based on his experience in the area. After leaving the Alcoholic Pass TH on Saturday we didn't see another person (or human footprint) until hiking out on Sunday. 

We followed a wash/trail up to Alcoholic Pass. Nick mentioned that the pass is named after the cattle ranchers who used this pass to access the bars in Borrego Springs many years ago. 

After a quick 600 foot incline we made it over Alcoholic Pass with some good views of the Santa Rosa Mountains.

Walking through Chola gardens on the way toward Butler Canyon. . . 

Soon we were following Butler Canyon. 

Then up the remains of an old indian 'trail' cross country toward the Playa.

The Playa with the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains in the distance.

Nick decided to sleep under the stars and was trying out a Zpacks poncho/groundsheet, Neo-Air and cuben quilt. 

Jace kicked it in luxury, a GG Squal Classic. When he needed some advice with the tent Glen Van Peski actually invited him over for personal UL instruction at his house. Now that's customer service. 

Jim's Tarptent Squal2. 

Chad was using a bivy and later setup a tarp in storm mode when the winds kicked up. 

I was trying out a homemade cuben fiber tarp shelter based on Glen Van Peski's cuben wedge. I had just finished sewing this up on Friday afternoon and was looking forward to testing it out. Little did I know that it would be facing 50 mph wind gusts later that night. 


I was using some other homemade gear; cuben backpack, sleeping bag/quilt, bivy, poncho/groundsheet, windshirt and rain gear. 

Chilling out after a long day in the desert. 

Later the wind really got going. It was about 40 mph consistently until 3:30 - 4:00 am when we started getting some 50 mph gusts. Both of the tarptents were flattened. Chad and I made it through using some low profile tarp setups. The next morning we were all ready to get going. . .

We followed along this ridge and eventually made it down to Box Canyon on the right.

Jim navigating the ridge down toward Box Canyon. 

Here's a map of the route. 

Thanks again to Nick for showing us some of the 'Desert High Route'.