This is the essence of BPL. And very inspiring as Dan pointed out. Thanks for sharing so much and reponding to the many good questions that were asked.

I was feeling skeptical driving west through Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana before meeting up with you in the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness for the trek. For 1,000 miles the landscape was desert-like dry and brown with poor views because of the fire smog. What a relief to get in the mountains and see forests and greenery. You captured a lot of the beauty with your great photographic skills and patience waiting for the right light.
Bet ya wanted to fish more though, huh?

Hey All,

I just wanted to chime in on a couple of things. First, we had a great group and that always makes a big difference. Next, it was ideal fall weather with very little adverse weather and no bugs or predators!

If you have not been on a trek with Ryan Jordan, I would consider coughing up the time and money. Ryan Jordan (and Ryan Connelly as well), were tremendously patient going over their thoughts on gear and where ultralight and lightweight backpacking is going in the future. IMO, 5 days of discussion on techniques, etc was worth the time and money. I would opt for the intermediate course if you are already an experienced lightweight guy. If you have not done as much lightweight backpacking, the Bootcamp would be a perfect place for you to start!

I am hoping BPL will offer a Winter Boot Camp as I think that would be great for many of us who have done some good 3 season work, but would like to head out in the wintertime (in Montana) with some true experts.

Regards,
Bob Burke

I saw on your packing list that you used a polarizing filter on the RX100, which can give the sky a beautiful deep blue look. How did you attach the filter? I didn't see threads on the lens.

@Kirt

Ryan's likely using some Lensmate accessories or something similar.

http://www.lensmateonline.com/store/sonyRX100.php

Edited by cobberman on 10/11/2012 11:50:28 MDT.

@Kirt - An adapter from Jens Färber (faerberj@gmail.com). It's a simple machined plastic ring with double sided tape that sticks right onto the camera front. It's "weightless" (!) and almost silly in terms of its practical engineering, and works flawlessly.

Great photos and captions, Ryan. Torie and were hiking some of those same sections over the 4th of July weekend. Such a spectacular place!

The APW has been on my wish list for many years. My dream trip would be hiking the CDT from the Canadian border to the APW southern border.

Edited by mfog1 on 10/13/2012 17:48:37 MDT.

spam

Greg, are you hitting the red flag on these? I think that's the only way the mods find out!

Ryan,

I like the pictures. Can you give any details about the tripod you used?

I'm also interested in the tripod details.

Also curious which container you used to treat the water with the steripen. Were you using the ziploc 24oz bowl or the Jetboil and just treating less than a liter at a time?

And very nice photos. That's an interesting effect on the limestone creeks picture.

I too am interested in the tripod...

You can catch a glimpse of it with a few little details here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigskyry/8000885134/in/photostream

@Chris: I was on the trip with Ryan and Chris Wallace last year. I think that I remember Ryan using a platypus that he cut off a fourth of it so that you could scoop water, use the Steripen, and then drink.

@Ryan: I almost contacted you about trying to slide into this trip. Seeing the pics makes me see I made a mistake, even if I would have lost my job. Next time!

Beautiful pictures and inspirational packlist with useful comments.

Keep up the good work!

/Peter S