Page Five

Subject: 1st timer Kegger Backpack list Suggested by Tom McGonigle

The way it works for most people, is to drive to the public camp ground, ( used as the weekend parking and staging area) on Friday evening, but showing up Saturday morning also works. There is usually a pretty good party there Friday night. Set up just enough there to get you through the night. Bring what ever you usually bring to car camp. On Saturday morning, pack up what you need to get you through to Sunday afternoon, and walk your pack down the valley to the party spot (about a 45 min hike). Once there, set up your tent and be ready to go back out to the parking lot for a keg when your services are needed. What you should have in your pack is just some very basic stuff. If you forget anything, someone else will have it to loan or give you. Usual contents of my pack are as follows:

1 tent
1 sleeping bag
1 Insolite pad to sleep on
1 lawn chair (optional, but highly recommended)
5 beers (to hold me over if one of the kegs goes dry before the next one is brought in).
1 large bottle of water
1 official Kegger Backpack beer mug
1 camp grill (you can use ours when you need it)
10 paper plates
1 fork
1 knife
1 jacket
1 camera
1 small flashlight
1 container of Cutters mosquito repellent (Mandatory)
1/3 roll TP
1 Hair Brush
1 Tooth brush + tooth paste
1 small bar soap
3 garbage bags
1 towel (sometimes carried out unused)
1 pair shorts (usually carried out unused)
1 clean tee shirt
1 pair clean sofor Sunday (usually carried out unused).
1 pair clean underwear for Sunday (usually carried out unused) + food

Wear long pants on the trail when on keg carry duty, as the manzanita can cut bare legs. Hiking boots or tennis shoes both work fine, as both grip the granite.

Teresa and I usually bring the following food. If you can come up with your own list that allows you to get it there without carrying and ice chest, you will be better off. I usually just bite the bullet and carry a small one.

LUNCH
1 loaf bread
1 package lunch meet
1 package cheese
1 jar mustard
1 tube Pringles potato chips

DINNER Boneless chicken breasts (cooked on a grill) Potatoes ( half way pre cooked in microwave at home) Vegetables
1 package aluminum foil (to cook veggies and taters)

BREAKFAST See also Teresa's Favorite Kegger Recipes.
1 Frying pan
1 Dozen eggs
1 pound bacon
1 package tortillas

SNACKS
1 package bite sized Snickers bars
1 jar trail mix
Since Teresa does not drink beer, she usually brings some peach vodka. As you are packing for the trip, if you are bringing anything you are planning to carry down to the party that is not on the list above, think about it again. First timers are much more likely to bring a bunch of junk they don't need than to forget something they can't borrow. On the other hand, the walk is short, and a few more pounds in your pack will not kill you.

If Teresa and I have Monday off, and will be staying over Sunday night at the party spot or packing out to one of the beautiful lakes above camp. Usually there is a group of people that take that day off to stay around. Traditionally, we have been spending Friday night car camping, but this year hope to get there in time to hike down to the party spot if we can before dark. This will save us one camp set up and break down.

Hope to see you there. Tom Fun

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