Ah....the good old days. A photo here (taken with my trusty Olympus Trip 35 and Kodachrome 64) from the fall of 1980. This is my Berghaus Cyclops Guide pack, nailed to the south face of Morro Peak via the ubiquitous #5 lost arrow piton. Note aluminum bong for the wide cracks. I purchased this pack I believe in late 1979, from Fresh Air Experience in Edmonton. It, along with four Bonatti oval carabiners, a Stubai piton hammer, and a pair of La Sportiva Eiger full-shank leather climbing boots, were the first items of 'real' climbing gear I owned. At last, rather than a dorky teardrop school/book pack, I had the pack of an alpinist: top loading, ice axe and crampon connections. For a number of years, this was my only pack, no matter what - day rock climbs, 2-3 day trips, the works.
I still have it; I'm not a hoarder, but there's a small handful of items from those days I hold onto and cherish as a reminder: this pack, a few carabiners, the hammer (which I actually still use!), my EBs, ice axe, and original wool knickers (complete with all of the patches my mom sewed on them to cover the holes!).
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