Mountain Climbing 'Kit'

by Red
(Apple Valley, CA, USA)

My friend and I love going into the mountains in our area, so we need supplies that protect us from large animals, snakes, bugs, and even people. We live in southern california and the mountains we normally climb are HUGE. So we take backpacks with one or two water bottles, energy bars/protein bars, a few good quality knives for cutting, a multi-tool red cross knife, mase (pepper spray), a few lighters, jackets, and our cell phones. We do actually get reception up there. As for clothing we generally wear long, durable jeans/cargo pants to avoid getting bad cuts & scrapes when sliding across the gigantic boulders or climbing up them. We also wear gloves (as there are dangerous things lurking where you reach), hiking boots (with very durable rubber soles), preferably long sleeved shirts so they're able to be tucked into the gloves (dont want any bugs/cuts on your arms), and high socks for extra feet/leg protection. What we do isn't in the least professional, but it is a hobby and it's something to respect. When you don't respect the sport, that's when you get hurt. Hope this helps someone!