Tea Chronicles Pt. 1 - John Muir

John Muir

I am not only a keen hiker but I'm also a tea addict, and for for me the two go hand in hand. Whether its a Thermos at the top of a mountain or the first brew when setting up camp, I love it all. I'm not the only one with an affinity for the outdoors and tea so I thought that I would document some other more famous hiking/tea partnerships.

John Muir has a number of quotes claiming tea to be among his minimum needs.

“I rolled up some bread and tea in a pair of blankets with some sugar and a tin cup and set off.”

— John Muir

Even with his famously pared down equipment requirement, when he felt the urge to strike out into the outdoors tea always featured.

“Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence.”

— John Muir

Yet another reason Muir is one of my heros. More tea dedications to follow.

Clyde Ormond's 1964 Gear List

Clyde Ormond's Gear List from The Complete Book of Outdoor Lore

A fascinating gear list from Clyde Ormond's 1964 publication, the "Complete Book of Outdoor Lore." This list is for a single hiker, travelling in mild weather.

“The basic items will be:

Packboard, 3 pounds or less. Ax, 2½ pounds. Sleeping Bag, 4 pounds. Cooking and eating utensils, 2 pounds. Down vest, ½ pound. Raincoat, ½ pound. Underwear, shirts, socks, 2 pounds. Camera and film, 2½ pounds. Tarp, 2 pounds. Emergency Kit , ½ pound. Whetstone, matches, toothbrush, first-aid kit, etc, ½ pound. Miscellaneous, 2 pounds.

In addition, the hiker may want to carry a fishing rod, rifle, handgun, or binoculars.

The ax should have a single-bit, 1½ pound head, and a leather sheath. It won’t exceed 2 ½ pounds.”

— Clyde Ormond - The Complete Book of Outdoor Lore, 1964

This is an exquisite book, and I will be sharing more of it's gems. If you come across a copy it is well worth picking up.

The Complete Walker

Colin Fletcher - The Complete Walker III, 1984

Is it wrong that an image like this gets me really excited?

The cover of "The Complete Walker III" by the late great Colin Fletcher, this is 1984 edition

1970s Paddy Pallin Catalogue

An awesome 1970s catalogue from the Australian, bushwalking pioneer Paddy Pallin. Pallin was unhappy with the limited, heavy outdoor gear available and  began designing and making his own hiking equipment. Such was the demand that Pallin opened a retail store in the early 1930's on George Street, Sydney. There are still Paddy Pallin stores across Australia, producing and selling original gear.

Scans courtesy of Tas-Man at http://bushwalk.com/forum/

Wainwright On Equipment.

Orrest Head Lookout, Windermere - Where it all began

“My small rucksack was in fact virtually empty, and I could have managed quite well without it. I incline to the view, never before expressed, that a rucksack is not at all necessary on a walking tour. How some can enjoy themselves beneath the weight of their huge, fifty-pound burdens completely passes my comprehension.

I have had expeditions in the Lake District without a pack, and gone short of nothing. I take a light raincoat or a cape, always; but never a change of clothes, nor an extra shirt, nor pyjamas. The clothes I wear when I set off must suffice: if they get wet, it is unfortunate for walking in wet raiment is unpleasant, but they have never failed to get dry afterwards. Pyjamas are, of course, a nuisance at all times and have no saving grace. A pair of slippers is a comfort, and additional socks are essential, but these will slip easily into a pocket.

On occasion my rucksack contained four maps, the one in use being carried in my pocket. I had a toothbrush and safety razor, a bottle of Indian ink and a pen, pencil and a rubber and a few postcards. I had a miscellany of ointments and safe and certain cures for influenza, widely different in form and actually resembling each other only in the fact that they were one and all highly recommended by medical proffesion.

All told, the entire content of my rucksack would weigh less than two pounds, so that I was free to square my shoulders and stride out as quickly as I pleased”

— Alfred Wainwright, from Wainwright The Biography