Circa 1960 backpacking

I ran across these photos while sorting through some of Dad’s old prints. I can’t remember which trip this was or where it was. Clearly it was a boy scout trip, since that is our scoutmaster leading the way. I’m sure it was in the southern Sierras—all of our backpack trips were in that area.

In those days we made our backpacks from army surplus pack frames with an open top 5 gallon tin for a container. With no hip strap and very little padding I’m not sure how we managed. Didn’t have a light-weight down sleeping bag either.

We did these trips just for the experiences—enjoying the challenge and the beauty of the high country. However, once we had arrived at a destination and set up camp we always gave a try at fishing. Sometimes we caught a few and sometimes not. On this trip we clearly caught a few and promptly found an old fire pit and grilled us some fresh trout. All you need is a little salt and maybe a bit of butter.

Links
—Scout backpack trip circa 1960 photo gallery