I hiked up Naomi Peak this weekend. The weather was a perfect 70 degrees with a moderate wind on the summit. I started at Tony Grove and hiked up into a wide glacial valley, probably about halfway up. From there I took some switchbacks out of the bowl and into the a second glacial valley before the ascent to Naomi Peak. It was a tough hike for me, I packed enough for a few nights because I wanted to know if I could handle backcountry hiking.My pack was 50-60 pounds but held up well, better than I did. I packed a few changes of clothes, some sweaters, socks, a tarp, air mattress, sleeping bag, lint, toilet paper, two aluminum pots, headlamp, gaiters, leather gloves, water filter, hammock, rope, camera, tripod, hiking poles, 2 Liter camel back and 750 mL water bottle. On this hike, I only used the water, pot and ramen, hiking poles, camera, tripod, and hammock (for a rest at the top but didn't really need it).
I had a jacket that I strapped to the outside but never ended up using it. If I had to stay over night, I would have needed more food (ramen made me burp the whole way down) and I had just enough water (finished it when I reached the parking lot). I of course wou
ld need the sleeping bag and tarp but it was pretty soft, I question if I needed the air mattress. I had to stop probably 30 times on the way up to catch my breath and let my heart slow down, the way down was quick (er), I did it in 1 hr 45 min. The hike up was probably 4-5 hours. My feet seemed to hurt in the heels on the way up, my left foot went numb on the way down, still numb the next day. My shoulders really were tight from the descent and my neck ached from straining to see the trail. The headlamp was just fine, only paid 5 dollars for it and carried an extra set of batteries just in case. I finished the hike in pitch black night, but could see good enough to follow the trail, just didn't know how close I was to the end so it seemed to drag on.
The view from the top was amazing and well worth the abuse. I needed about a half an hour to recover once I made it but the feeling of accomplishment was well deserved. I saw a peregrine falcon (I think). It was riding the wind along the ridge, swooped 20 feet over my head, and then dove down a few hundred feet below to a tree on another ridge. It was amazing! I pulled a big rock over and in the whole it left, made my camp fire. I used old, dead wood and a strip of five squares of two ply toilet paper, separated. Lighted first try. The ramen was very good and filling but it sloshed in my stomach the whole way down and made me burp (thought I would throw up a few times) on the way down. I think something more mild with less liquid would've been great. Of all the water I drank, I didn't pee once, I sweated it all out. Would've been nice to have extra water just in case. I just made it. That or hike to a spot with water I could've filtered.