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Climbers often say how beautiful it is at the top of the world, but tomorrow I'm going even higher than Mt. Everest and it's only a $20 one way ticket to Cleveland via Spirit Airlines. Spirit Airlines: Less Money. More Go.
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Apr 29, 2015 21:59
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| # ? May 15, 2024 21:33 |
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See the heavens, descend into the netherworld of Cleveland.
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Apr 30, 2015 02:12
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Dely Apple posted:See the heavens, descend into the netherworld of Cleveland. Cleveland: now slightly better than post-avalanche Everest base camp.
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Apr 30, 2015 02:27
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Every year, a few hundred hikers attempt to through-hike the Pacific Crest Trail, which stretches the length of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges, from the border with Mexico in southern California to the Canadian border in Washington. This is a grueling, 2,650-mile journey along the crests of some of the most spectacular, awe-inspiring mountain wilderness in the United States. Every year, around half of the roughly three hundred hikers that attempt the complete journey, fail. Some drop out after two or three weeks, realizing that they simply aren't up to the daunting task. Some drop out after a month or two, as their weight drops, their finances dwindle, they fall behind the strict scheduling necessary to complete the journey, which usually must be made between the last of the spring snows and the first of the autumn snows. Some are injured; there are sections of the trail that require crampons, plenty of steep slopes, rock scrambles, etc. There are bears, so food must be stored in bear-proof cannisters, and meals are best prepared some distance away from the campsite. Through-hikers stop to resupply every few days, at waystations set up along the route - many by volunteers - where food and equipment can be mailed in advance, to await the hiker. To successfully through-hike the pacific crest trail requires guts, courage, endurance, persistence, money, and luck. It is not for the faint-of-heart. It is a tremendous achievement, if one succeeds; something to cherish for a lifetime, a journey that cannot possibly fail to change a person at a deep and profound level. Very few people die. Nobody hires porters to schlep their equipment, at third-world-country labor rates and extreme hazard to their lives. While volunteers and park employees maintain the trail, none die doing so. The cost to make an attempt is significant: one must take off work for 4-6 months, and spend a few thousand dollars on equipment, postage, and supplies. It's dangerous to go alone; many hike with a companion, or have friends and acquaintances meet them to hike various segments. Or, they may hook up with other through-hikers as they go. This is an answer for every idiot who pays fifty grand or more to summit Everest. Your experience on Everest will probably mostly be miserable; you'll spend the entire time gasping for breath, much of it so deprived of oxygen you can't even think straight, you'll likely have to summit at night, and you'll put your own life and the lives of others at extreme risk to do it. And yes, the Himalaya are spectacular, but they're not the only spectacular place on Earth, and summiting Everest is not the only grueling physical and mental challenge available to the thrill-seeker. There are other paths to take, better paths, more worthy paths. Paths that yes, carry some risk, but reasonable risk, risk that can be largely mitigated through training and planning and the safety of a companion, who can actually rescue you - or get rescue for you - if you get into trouble. gently caress Everest summiters. Through-hike the PCT. Look at this poo poo: you want this. You know you want this.     
Leperflesh fucked around with this message at 02:43 on Apr 30, 2015 |
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Apr 30, 2015 02:34
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Leperflesh posted:Every year, a few hundred hikers attempt to through-hike the Pacific Crest Trail, which stretches the length of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges, from the border with Mexico in southern California to the Canadian border in Washington. This is a grueling, 2,650-mile journey along the crests of some of the most spectacular, awe-inspiring mountain wilderness in the United States. drat this was inspiring as hell
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Apr 30, 2015 03:20
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On the other hand, I started hyperventilating when I saw that scree-covered slope and knew one wrong move was gonna send your rear end sliding for several hundred meters, probably towards some drop off or other. I am such a flatlander.
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Apr 30, 2015 03:25
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Not as bad as watching Steck at the top of Eiger and then he stumbles but keeps on going.
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Apr 30, 2015 03:26
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PCT has a lot more than a few hundred people these days, they had to put a limit on the number of people starting per day this year Blame that stupid book and movie Wild, now everyone wants to through hike the PCT and then will probably forget about it in a few years The trails through the Sierra are very good though you don't have to scramble over scree and poo poo. A couple of guys did a north to south winter trip this year, that was pretty cool. Good luck for them that it was such a horribly bad snow year (meaning very little snow, though they still had to deal with some since there are lots of passes and sections over 10k feet)
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Apr 30, 2015 03:33
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Leperflesh posted:Every year, a few hundred hikers attempt to through-hike the Pacific Crest Trail, which stretches the length of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges, from the border with Mexico in southern California to the Canadian border in Washington. This is a grueling, 2,650-mile journey along the crests of some of the most spectacular, awe-inspiring mountain wilderness in the United States. Too be honest, the Appalachian trail on the East Coast is probably more fitting for people going up Everest.
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Apr 30, 2015 03:37
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Leperflesh posted:you'll put... the lives of others at extreme risk to do it. This is literally the entire point of going up everest, though.
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Apr 30, 2015 03:46
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Wild was actually a pretty good movie and if your remotely into backpacking go watch it.
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Apr 30, 2015 04:13
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Levitate posted:PCT has a lot more than a few hundred people these days, they had to put a limit on the number of people starting per day this year Yeah apparently it's the way to get off heroin?
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Apr 30, 2015 04:14
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dj_clawson posted:Yeah apparently it's the way to get off heroin? And casual sex.
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Apr 30, 2015 04:19
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Leperflesh posted:Every year, a few hundred hikers attempt to through-hike the Pacific Crest Trail quote:But where is the beginning? Maybe it’s when he was first diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma four years ago at age 19. Or, maybe it’s after the second relapse, after the first round of chemotherapy failed and then the stem-cell transplant failed and then he was given a 1-in-10 chance of living another five years. Or maybe it’s the moment when he decided to try to heal himself by hiking the 2,655-mile Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. Would the nurse even believe that story? Star War Sex Parrot fucked around with this message at 04:25 on Apr 30, 2015 |
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Apr 30, 2015 04:21
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Nicholas posted:drat this was inspiring as hell I know, right? I would almost do it if I weren't confident I'd be one of those few people to fall off something and die.
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Apr 30, 2015 04:26
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Levitate posted:PCT has a lot more than a few hundred people these days, they had to put a limit on the number of people starting per day this year The sources I looked up said three to five hundred, although they might be out of date. It makes sense to keep people from bunching up at the start, though. If you do south-to-north, you're going to do a fair amount of desert walking, which requires hauling gallons of water. Some folks bypass the southernmost stretch and start in the Sierra foothills. A family that's been friends of my family my whole life used to have a cabin up at Donner Lake; during the summer PCT through-hiking season, they opened it up (for free) for hikers. All they had to do was call from the pay phone at the trailhead and my friends would drive up to the top, pick them up, drive them back to the cabin, feed them, showers, laundry, a place to sleep, and do mail drop. I went up there one year for 4th of July weekend, so I got to help cook and meet the hikers and stuff. It was extremely cool. This was way back in the mid-90s, though. At that time, hikers brought crampons for their early part of the Sierra, because they sometimes had to walk across frozen snowdrifts and stuff where a slip could be really bad. There are also the typical scree slopes with a trail traversing them, stuff like that. Nothing that would require ropes of course, just the normal sorts of terrain you find along High Sierra trails. I've also personally hiked a ~25-mile stretch of the PCT in the High Sierra, when I was a teenager, along with the dad and one of his sons of that family, plus their dog. (The dog had a little pack, he carried his own food, it was great). We brought fishing poles and fished (didn't catch anything), I bitched and moaned about how heavy my pack was, we accidentally forgot one days' food so we had to do it in three days instead of four (which I also pissed and moaned about). ...it was loving fantastic, and I'll remember it forever. The dad would go on to complete his through-hike, years later, somewhere in his late 40s. I've been jealous ever since: it's something I'd love to do, but probably can't, due to medical issues (mostly, low blood pressure, but also a bad knee). I wish I'd done it when I was younger. Now I can only encourage others. SLICK GOKU BABY posted:Too be honest, the Appalachian trail on the East Coast is probably more fitting for people going up Everest. I don't know nearly as much about the Appalachian trail - or the one in the middle, the continental divide trail? But they're both supposed to be awesome as well, and there's another life-cheevo for you: through hike all three, make your backpacking peers jealous of your superior life.
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Apr 30, 2015 04:28
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Hunterhr posted:Wild was actually a pretty good movie and if your remotely into backpacking go watch it. That CGI fox though.
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Apr 30, 2015 04:29
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Leperflesh posted:The sources I looked up said three to five hundred, although they might be out of date. It makes sense to keep people from bunching up at the start, though. If you do south-to-north, you're going to do a fair amount of desert walking, which requires hauling gallons of water. Some folks bypass the southernmost stretch and start in the Sierra foothills. That sounds awesome. Being a Californian and loving multi-day hikes, I always wanted to the PCT and I had a chance to do it when I was unemployed for 4+ months after getting my BS and in loving great shape, in which I should have done it. Now I'm way too busy with work and the most I could take off from work is 3 weeks  I guess when (hahahaha) I retire, I'd have the time but not being as physically able to do it though I plan on being one of those old fuckers who keep out running and biking all the youngster college kids.
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Apr 30, 2015 04:44
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Thanks for this. This was a really good read. I'm sorry for your loss. Andy must be a constant inspiration to you.
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Apr 30, 2015 04:58
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Leperflesh posted:gently caress Everest summiters. Through-hike the PCT. I did this, nothing will ever own so hard again in all my years.         I don't believe in the hereafter and I am sure as gently caress not spiritual but it ain't hard to find god up there in the great divide. You don't have to be some shackleton hard as nails bastard to do it either, I'm drinking water out of an old vodka bottle and I've got a pudge that wont quit but it's just one foot in front of the other in the end. You meet a lot of crazy determined fuckers up there from all over the world, and you keep running into them again and again. There are a few points along it where you can get burgers and oh mannnnnnn do those taste like heaven. MY favorite part was a week walking through the most insane fog I've ever witnessed. Like 6 solid days of only being able to see a few feet in front of me. I have to admit I did start to go a little crazy then. Underestimated how cold it would get at above 10,000 feet after a few days of no sun and constantly being wet but there again that heroic layer of fat did wonders. Rodnik fucked around with this message at 05:23 on Apr 30, 2015 |
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Apr 30, 2015 05:06
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Leperflesh posted:Every year, a few hundred hikers attempt to through-hike the Pacific Crest Trail, which stretches the length of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges, from the border with Mexico in southern California to the Canadian border in Washington. This is a grueling, 2,650-mile journey along the crests of some of the most spectacular, awe-inspiring mountain wilderness in the United States. That looks loving awesome and now I want to do it someday. Never had any desire for alpining but I love hiking and bouldering / rock climbing so this looks perfect.
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Apr 30, 2015 05:10
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Yeah that's pretty cool actually. CA is really pretty.
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Apr 30, 2015 05:14
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Although I just remembered the John Muir trail portion of that, apparently that could be done in 2 weeks and looks to be some of the most gorgeous parts of it anyways. I may try that in a couple years and blow my vacation hours while I'm still young enough to do it quickly.
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Apr 30, 2015 05:23
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Xaris posted:Although I just remembered the John Muir trail portion of that, apparently that could be done in 2 weeks and looks to be some of the most gorgeous parts of it anyways. I may try that in a couple years and blow my vacation hours while I'm still young enough to do it quickly. It can be done in 2 weeks but even the most crazy people I met up there were doing 18 days at the least. 2 Weeks is like if you only feel like putting yourself through actual hell and don't want to enjoy yourself along the ride.
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Apr 30, 2015 05:25
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Leperflesh posted:I don't know nearly as much about the Appalachian trail - or the one in the middle, the continental divide trail? But they're both supposed to be awesome as well, and there's another life-cheevo for you: through hike all three, make your backpacking peers jealous of your superior life. I've hiked portions of the Appalachian trail many times. The trail is more difficult than it seems, because even though it never reaches any notable elevation, it has tons of up-down-up-down elevation changes that can be quite steep, many long stretches of heavy woods, and during hiking season it's not unusual to be hiking in 90F weather with humidity approaching 90%. Also, the Appalachian mountain range is extremely old, formed nearly 500 million years ago, and was at one point similar in height to the Alps and Rockies, but has been eroded down to most portions being 1000-1500 feet. What that means for hiking is it is rocky as gently caress. There are many long deep woods sections where you can easily kick your toes into rocks with every single step, and badly twist your ankle on jaggedy rocks with any moment of lost concentration. I ruined a pair of hiking shoes on a 10 mile mostly flat hike, and had to will myself to finish the trek back to my car, because I had wrecked my feet by kicking solidly embedded granite rocks hidden under a thick blanket of autumn leaves so many hundreds of times in the span of a few hours. All of my toes burned and stung so badly, and my feet were so badly beaten, that merely feeling the weight of my shoes across the top of my feet every time I took a step was unbearable. All of these are trail pathway, better have sturdy shoes:      One major upside to the Appalachian trail is convenience in that most portions of it are within a few miles of populated areas, if not running right next to or through them.
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Apr 30, 2015 05:27
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There's also this which has been on the back burner for a friend and me for a while: http://www.theadventurists.com/mongol-rally/ It's not hiking but it's for people with money to blow to do some stupid adventuring thing. It's better than paying to be dragged up Everest at least.
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Apr 30, 2015 05:28
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I hiked a bit of the Sierra Nevada area last summer. Coming from Ohio, it was absolutely loving gorgeous even in the midst of CA summer drought. I stayed at a friend's cabin in Graeagle and we mostly day-hiked the hills and dry riverbeds near said cabin. Would love to go back someday with a tent for proper camping.
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Apr 30, 2015 05:31
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The Knife Edge is fun as gently caress. Almost have the same drat picture. Oh wait here we go.  Do you like rocks? Because Pennsylvania has a lot of them. Hunterhr fucked around with this message at 05:36 on Apr 30, 2015 |
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Apr 30, 2015 05:32
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Rodnik posted:It can be done in 2 weeks but even the most crazy people I met up there were doing 18 days at the least. loving casuals.
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Apr 30, 2015 05:39
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Rodnik posted:It can be done in 2 weeks but even the most crazy people I met up there were doing 18 days at the least. 2 Weeks is like if you only feel like putting yourself through actual hell and don't want to enjoy yourself along the ride. Yeah I could do 3 week vac so that's okay.
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Apr 30, 2015 05:41
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Xaris posted:Yeah I could do 3 week vac so that's okay. Then loving do it and take a diversion through lake Merced instead of sticking to the JMT alone. You will not regret it and it will be the coolest thing you've ever done in your life guaranteed.
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Apr 30, 2015 05:43
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Hunterhr posted:Do you like rocks? Because Pennsylvania has a lot of them. Yeah, I love rocks, which is why I love the Northern part of the Appalachian trail. Hiking while having to stare at your feet to judge each step puts you into a sort of zen like trance. XK fucked around with this message at 06:01 on Apr 30, 2015 |
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Apr 30, 2015 05:58
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XK posted:Yeah, I love rocks, which is why I love the Northern part of the Appalachian trail. Hiking while having to stare at your feet to judge each step puts you into a sort of zen like trance. Haha yeah that's about right.
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Apr 30, 2015 06:39
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Mountains on the east coast have a poo poo load of rocks. We don't have nice views, we just have rocks to stumble up.
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Apr 30, 2015 07:31
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aaaand we are back:quote:KATHMANDU, Nepal -- Climbing will resume on Mount Everest by next week despite an earthquake-triggered avalanche that left 18 people dead on the world's highest peak, a Nepalese government official said Thursday.
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Apr 30, 2015 07:58
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no way
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Apr 30, 2015 08:12
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The spice must flow.
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Apr 30, 2015 08:19
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lmao. yesss lets climb over the icefalls while it's still highly unstable and lot of aftershocks that could happen. nothing can go wrong, i'm invincible and rich e: aren't there still like 200 people missing? which is basically 218 people left dead.
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Apr 30, 2015 08:20
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Xaris posted:lmao. yesss lets climb over the icefalls while it's still highly unstable and lot of aftershocks that could happen. nothing can go wrong, i'm invincible and rich I think a lot of the 200 most likely just ran off after the big quake, a lot of Sherpas and other local staff probably just wanted to get back to their villages and find out of their families were OK/help with cleanup and recovery, and a lot of tourists would have wanted to be out of the area ASAP and screw protocol/telling their tour group where they were going. I'm sure some will turn out to have been buried in the avalanches, but I very much doubt it's all of them.
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Apr 30, 2015 08:27
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it's even better to think of the loving nutjobs left on the mountain a little past greed now and onto true insanity
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Apr 30, 2015 08:28
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