Mount Adams Infinity Loop
Complete Gear List
by Ras Vaughan
The Mount Adams Infinity Loop was my second foray into the very rarified discipline which Gavin Woody has dubbed "ultraneering". The simplest definition of this would be something along the lines of, "A route of greater distance than a standard marathon which includes terrain which necessitates the use of mountaineering skills, methodology, and/or gear." As often happens, I found myself carrying a pack full of gear for a 56+ hour, 60 mile double summit traverse and circumnavigation of Mount Adams which was substantially smaller and lighter than those being worn by other climbers for a single summit bid. In saying this, I'm not judging the gear choices of others, simply presenting the juxtaposition of techniques.
What I was attempting, and what fascinates and exhilarates me, is the minimalist, fast and light, alpinist end of the spectrum, as evidenced by the list below. In putting together my kit for an adventure of this sort, I make every effort to avoid carrying things which serve only one purpose. Rather than carrying a number of very specific pieces of gear, I attempt to assemble an extremely flexible and versatile collection of tools and materials that can be configured many different ways to deal with any number of unforeseen circumstances.
Since this project was solo and unsupported, I did end up carrying a couple pounds worth of batteries and chargers for the electronic equipment. Much of this would be unnecessary on a trip for the pure joy of it. I end up carrying extra gear such as a SPOT transponder and GoPro in order to document my efforts and to provide some degree of interactivity for friends, family, and the general public to follow along. This comes with being a public person and a sponsored athlete, as well as an FKT player.
MOUNT ADAMS INFINITY LOOP COMPLETE GEAR LIST:
Here's a complete list of all the gear (non-food) I used:
Nathan Journey Fastpack (preproduction test model)
Nathan Insulated 750 ml bottles (qty 2)
Nathan 2 Liter Bladder
Altra NeoShell Lone Peak Mid High insulated, waterproof trail running shoes
Altra Performance Half Zip Long Sleeve Shell
Altra Everyday Shorts
Montbell synthetic puffy jacket
Western Mountaineering Flash Pant
Sugoi Insulated Running Tights
Injinji Trail 2.0 midweight toe socks
Smartwool midweight socks
Smartwool Arm Warmers
Seven Hills Running Shop shirt by Pearl Izumi
Kahtoola KTS Steel Crampons
Julbo Glacier Glasses
Outdoor Research Expedition gaiters
Black Diamond Polar Icon Headlamp
Black Diamond gloves
Bluewater 48" webbing sling
Camp Corsa Aluminum Ice Axe
Needles 50k buff (gift from Kathy)
REI merino wool liner gloves (didn't use)
Cheap Fleece camo hat bought in a mini mart years ago
Black Diamond Ultra Distance Carbon Z Poles
Duct tape wrapped around each trekking pole, 6 feet x 2 = 12 feet total
Black Diamond Vapor Helmet
SPOT Transponder
REI ultralight 10 liter Drysack
Sony Walkman mp3 player
Asio Altimeter watch
Garmin eTrex 20 gps
GoPro Hero3+ camera
Nokia Lumia 930 smartphone
EC Technology Power Bank 3.7V/22400mAh/82.8Wh charger
Sony walkman 16gb mp3 player
Sea To Summit titanium spork
Ziplock screw top container for soaking dehydrated food
spare OR gaiter for use as a skidplate for seated glissades
550 paracord to rig above mentioned gaiter in place, 3 meters
Energizer Ultimate Lithium AAA batteries (qty 6) for SPOT transponder
Duracell Quantum AA batteries (qty 14) for headlamp and gps
caffeine pills 200mg (qty 15) used 6
ibuprofin pills 200mg (qty 24) used 12
numerous ziplock baggies
Master Amino Acid Pattern supplement (10) used all 10,
could have used 90 but didn't have the budget for it
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