Those first two routes are exceptional. I have never come in through the Belly River; just have joined up after going through Red Gap or Ptarmigan Tunnel routes. I have not done Sperry Chalet, but would like to do so in the future. If you get any of the four, I don't think you will be disappointed.

A big constraint is that you can't be spontaneous. You have to camp where your permit says you can on the day it says you can. Back in 2009, my hiking partner wanted to shorten up the trip by heading north out towards Goat Haunt. I was going to keep heading south to Fifty Mountain and Granite Park. It was also the first trip we had brought a satellite phone (more so because my wife really wanted for me to be able to contact her). So at Stony Mountain, we called in a change in permit so he could legally camp. I think that was the first call in from the backcountry to change a permit as they asked several times where we were calling from because they couldn't believe that to be the case.

As for bear spray, I may be in the minority on this one, but I don't carry. I always fly, so that means I would have to buy a new one each time and I don't want to spend the $50+ for that. Perhaps that is penny wise and pound foolish. Another story - I was day-hiking to Cracker Lake and ended up with two other guys going the same way. Well one of the hikers and I ended up a bit ahead of the other. All of sudden, we hear a scream and turn around to see a cloud surrounding him. He had accidentally triggered the bear spray. We helped him clean up and I can tell you that stuff is nasty, which is why it can be effective against bears.

The rangers are very strict about food separation. In fact, when you arrive in camp, the first thing you are to do is go to the kitchen area of the camp and hang your food. Only then can you go to your tent site.

As for food, once again I may be in the minority, but I really like Mountain House. Having said that, I supplement with items from the grocery store like Idahoan Mashed Potatoes and Stove Top Stuffing.

Sleeping bags are a personal preference. I would suggest (even in August) that your bag be rated for at least 32F. I have a WM 10F bag that has served me well over a number of years. But I don't know if that is within your price range. As for a hammock, the campsites generally don't lend themselves to that (I am not sure if they are permitted or not).

I would bring a water filter and not tablets (tablets as a backup perhaps). I use the Sawyer Squeeze, but make sure you bring the syringe to clean out the filter as the glacial flour can wreak havoc.

We generally do a pretty leisurely day by ensuring that the miles we are going to do are reasonable so that we can enjoy the scenery and not have to push by getting up and hitting the trail at the crack of dawn. But HYOH.

As for packing your bag, here is an REI article for you to consider.


At the foot of Glenn's Lake

Both photos were taken with a Sony A-350 and no tripod. While I do like tripods, for a long backpacking trip, I am not going to carry one due to weight. I already commit to taking a DSLT for a camera, so that is more weight than a P&S.