Interesting Back Issues, hiking 70's style

Forgive me if this has been posted, as I imagine others here may have stumbled across this. While searching for something else, I stumbled on the spring 1975 edition of backpacker magazine. There were a couple of decent articles, but I also enjoyed looking at the old ads. Equipment has gotten a bit more hi-tech, but a lot of the seeds were already there 36 years ago, including something that sounds eerily similar to microspikes. There is probably a lot more interesting old stuff online, but here is a link to the particular magazine I stumbled upon

http://books.google.com/books?id=4u...P1#v=onepage&q=backpacker spring 1975&f=false

Going to have to give

"Going light with Saijo"

And
"The Hut People of the White Mountains"

A closer read at bedtime tonight!

Thanks for sharing

Three things stand out:
* more articles
* no internal frame packs
* Norwegian-welt boots

And yes, creepers are nothing new... (Army-surplus creepers have also been around for a long time.)

Doug

I miss the great selection of quality heavy leather boots.

Thanks for a ride down memory lane.

Now where did I put those Raichle Roughouts I had back in 1970? Once broken in they fit like a glove, n were built like a Russian Tank!

And no adds from Morsans, AKA Campmor?

.

Good article on hiking to West Kill in the catskills when it was trail-less. (it is no longer trail-less and has a nice trail to it)..

Jay

Jay H said:

Good article on hiking to West Kill in the catskills when it was trail-less. (it is no longer trail-less and has a nice trail to it)..

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Ah , that might explain why there is a sign up there.... Wow, that would be a tough whack thru all that spruce!

NorthShore said:

http://books.google.com/books?id=4u...P1#v=onepage&q=backpacker spring 1975&f=false

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Hey Pete, is that you on Page 9?

In the "Hut People" article it says Lafayette is the second-highest peak in the Whites - anyone know when it got demoted to 6th?

StaceyM said:

In the "Hut People" article it says Lafayette is the second-highest peak in the Whites - anyone know when it got demoted to 6th?

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I noticed that too. I think they may have meant to say something about the range (Franconias vs Presidentials) or maybe sloppy writing/editing isn't a new invention.

NorthShore said:

I noticed that too. I think they may have meant to say something about the range (Franconias vs Presidentials) or maybe sloppy writing/editing isn't a new invention.

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Makes sense. I didn't think surveying skills had improved that much since the 70s to cause complete re-rank, but I'm not a civil engineer so I figured I'd ask

DougPaul said:

* no internal frame packs

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Look again.

Page 33: Gerry ad sure looks like an internal frame pack.
Page 88: Ad for Lowe Expedition pack. Internal frame pack introduced in 1973. I bought mine in '77.
Page 91: Ad for Hine Snowbridge Serex, another internal frame pack.

Lots of cool old stuff. I liked the "Coming in the next edition" section which listed "more freeze dried food evaluations." The side effects of those early freeze dried foods were toxic.

JohnL

JohnL said:

Look again.

Page 33: Gerry ad sure looks like an internal frame pack.
Page 88: Ad for Lowe Expedition pack. Internal frame pack introduced in 1973. I bought mine in '77.
Page 91: Ad for Hine Snowbridge Serex, another internal frame pack.

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Thanks--missed them in my quick scan...

FWIW--I have two Hine Snowbridge Serexes and am still using one (the other needs a bit of repair work). A great pack (4K cu in, 4 lbs 3oz and 4 lbs 13oz)--IMO, better than many (most?) current packs of the same size. I don't think I have used my frame packs since I bought them...

Went on a winter hike up Castellated Ridge (Mt Jefferson) with two friends in the late 1970s... IME had two in stock--one of my friends bought one on the way up and I bought the other on the way back.

And I have a Lowe Expedition, bought sometime after the Serexes. 5K cu in. Used it for my last winter overnight.

Doug

I especially like that the criteria for selecting a high altitude/winter tent includes cookholes. . .

Here's a link to nearly all issues back to Winter 1973:

Backpacker Mags

Perhaps you'll see me on a ridge this fall in a oiled wool sweater.

JohnL said:

Look again.

Page 33: Gerry ad sure looks like an internal frame pack.
Page 88: Ad for Lowe Expedition pack. Internal frame pack introduced in 1973. I bought mine in '77.
Page 91: Ad for Hine Snowbridge Serex, another internal frame pack.

Lots of cool old stuff. I liked the "Coming in the next edition" section which listed "more freeze dried food evaluations." The side effects of those early freeze dried foods were toxic.JohnL

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Really? I ate a fair amount of Mountain House and Richmoor food back in the early 1970s and never had any ill effects, or at least I don't remember any. Side note: about 10 years ago I found some of those 1970s Mountain House packages, unopened, in a box. Being either brave or stupid or both but certainly curious, I cooked them up and ate them - they were a little bland but they were completely intact and unspoiled. I have no idea what happens to their nutritional value after 30 years, though.

NorthShore said:

Forgive me if this has been posted, as I imagine others here may have stumbled across this. While searching for something else, I stumbled on the spring 1975 edition of backpacker magazine. There were a couple of decent articles, but I also enjoyed looking at the old ads. Equipment has gotten a bit more hi-tech, but a lot of the seeds were already there 36 years ago, including something that sounds eerily similar to microspikes. There is probably a lot more interesting old stuff online, but here is a link to the particular magazine I stumbled upon

http://books.google.com/books?id=4u...P1#v=onepage&q=backpacker spring 1975&f=false

Click to expand...

Good stuff. I remember many of those ads, especially the "mountaineer" with the native american family . Used several of those products and still have a couple.

JNewell said:

Really? I ate a fair amount of Mountain House and Richmoor food back in the early 1970s and never had any ill effects, or at least I don't remember any.

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I trekked into K2 Base Camp in 1978 and we ate freeze dried food almost exclusively for 36 days. Perhaps you would not suffer the side effects we experienced if you have a meal here or a meal there but a steady diet of this food was nearly lethal. The ill effects were almost universal among our group. John Roskelley mentioned the same problem in his book on climbing Nanda Devi in 1976. It was a rather hilarious passage (if you'll pardon the pun! ) if I remember correctly.

JohnL

JohnL said:

I trekked into K2 Base Camp in 1978 and we ate freeze dried food almost exclusively for 36 days. Perhaps you would not suffer the side effects we experienced if you have a meal here or a meal there but a steady diet of this food was nearly lethal. The ill effects were almost universal among our group. John Roskelley mentioned the same problem in his book on climbing Nanda Devi in 1976. It was a rather hilarious passage (if you'll pardon the pun! ) if I remember correctly.

JohnL

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John, sounds like a great trip, regardless. Do you think the problem with the food was age/out dated or something else (calories, nutrition, sodium, preservatives, fiber, chemical coating on packaging) ? I'm sure there were issues back in the day with that stuff.

I've eaten out-dated MREs. Unpleasant aluminum taste, but wasn't sickened.

We all attributed it to a constant diet of the stuff. While the meals themselves were tasty enough, I think that our systems rebelled from not getting any 'real' food. It was not that we got 'sick', it's just that there was 'excessive pungent gassiness'. Sorry, it's the best euphemism I can come up with. Other than that, it was a great trip into a really "wild" place that was "out there".

Someday when I get some time, I'll put together a trip report with a link to some photos. I've scanned about 500 slides from this part of the trip (we went into Nepal afterward and trrekked into the Annapurna Sanctuary and later did the Annapurna circuit) that I'll sort, label and link.

JohnL