Reddit reviews The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada (California Academy of Sciences)

My most important items from the essentials list I always have are a sleeping pad, duct tape, knife, and head lamp/batteries. After that everything else gets shuffled around depending on the trip.
Some things not on the essentials list that are easy to over look but I usually pack out most places are:
Bandannas, countless uses I tend to have a couple.
750 Parachord, 100ft is pretty cheap and you never know when you need to tie something up.
Down time things to do,cards/books/journal. I like having my feild guide handy when I am in the mountains, you could probably find something similar for your area.

The more you know about where/when you are going and what you want to be doing is how you can start working past the basics and start finding your own neat tricks to have a good time.

For plant and wildlife identification, the John Muir Laws Sierra Nevada field guide is awesome. Great photos, looks like an awesome hike!

What is your use going to be? For hiking and camping I really like the Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada. Great illustrations and the perfect size to carry in a backpack or glove box of a car.

https://smile.amazon.com/Sierra-Nevada-California-Academy-Sciences/dp/159714052X?sa-no-redirect=1

As Snowshoe Thompson said back in the 1800s, "There is no danger of getting lost in a narrow range of mountains like the Sierra, if a man has his wits about him." He had also commented that it was "unnecessary ever to remain so long in the mountains that one need be afraid of starving to death". However, the key part is the "has his wits about him" bit, as these days many people do not and thus require rescue.

Still, that's no reason not to look through a field guide, and one that comes to mind is The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada. Bushcraft is less common, in many areas the ecosystem is too delicate for such activity, and of course there's little need for it anyway.

(Pedantic note: Just as "deer" are not called "deers", the mountain range is simply the "Sierra")

John Muir Laws' Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada <3<3<3<3<3

The general rule of thumb is to call 1/3rd of your bodyweight a hard maximum for pack weight. At that point, the extra weight gets pretty hard on your joints (not to say I haven't seen some beastly men carrying 70+lb packs, but no one considers that situation ideal).

33lbs is on the light side. That's not a bad thing! As long as you've got your essentials, you should be all set. I'm assuming you have a stove and fuel -- there are no campfires permitted in Desolation, and frankly cooking on a fire is a huge pain in the ass. Your stove is also your emergency water supply is something happens to your filter (unlikely, but hey).

If you're on a solo trek, I suggest a novel and/or journal for the evenings. They can get lonely. If you're a curious human being, the John Muir Laws field guide to the Sierra is literally the greatest field guide I've ever encountered. I carry mine every trip into the mountains, and a pen. I write down where and when I get a positive ID on a new species of flower, bird, mammal, etc. It's a bit on the heavy side (maybe a pound?) making it a luxury for sure. Definitely not an essential for your first trip, but if you start getting curious, that's the best field guide ever.

It sounds like you're gonna do great! Have fun and be safe! If you happen to remember, report back when you get home safe! I'm going to spend the weekend wondering if I've killed a Redditor...