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Verman posted:I would literally rather be stung by a bee than a horse/deer fly. loving agreed. I seem to attract horseflies like crazy and get bit all the drat time. My husband has never been bit by one, ever. He finds it hilarious when I flail when one comes near me, but he just doesn't understand the pain! Those fuckers hurt! And they absolutely love me, I get bit several times a year on trails. Usually on the backs of my calves, they know how to sneak up on you.
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Apr 5, 2016 04:10
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Re: cali hiking: Santa Rosa island this past weekend. About to pass out, will do a fuller post when awake again.
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Apr 5, 2016 07:51
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I've been in the market for a backpacking tent that easily fits 2 people + some gear without feeling super cramped. Something that will feel noticeably larger than my early 2000s REI Half Dome 2 (not sure how this compares to the current version). Most 3 person tents seem to fit the bill. Last night on a whim (20% coupon about to expire) I pulled the trigger on an REI Quarter Dome 3. It seems like a decent option in that price range (it's light), but I didn't spend too much time researching alternatives. Reviews are mostly positive, but there are some complaints about the zippers sticking (can deal with this) and the rain fly not being great (more worried about this). Anyone have experience with this particular tent? Is this a solid option for the price (I paid around $300), or is there something else I should consider returning this for?
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Apr 5, 2016 20:30
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Splinter posted:I've been in the market for a backpacking tent that easily fits 2 people + some gear without feeling super cramped. Something that will feel noticeably larger than my early 2000s REI Half Dome 2 (not sure how this compares to the current version). Most 3 person tents seem to fit the bill. I've used a Quarterdome 2 for a long time and can pitch in my two cents. For the money it is a fantastic tent. Never really had any problems with the zippers so long as you dont try to open and close it super fast. Condensation isnt a bigger problem than it is in any other tent. Theres not a lot of coverage to the fly so if you dont set it up evenly you can see a gap between the fly and the mesh screening and the bathtub floor. So long as you even it out though its fine. I've had mine for 5+ years and its held up really well. The only thing starting to go on it is the bag it packs into. Definitely guy it out in strong winds as well. It sheds wind pretty good but can still get a bit shakey in strong winds. Also standard tent size advice applies. A 3 person model is pretty nice for 2 people. If you fit 3 in there just know that it will be pretty cramped.
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Apr 5, 2016 21:26
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My friend and I went camping on Santa Rosa Island this past weekend. We've been to Santa Cruz island quite a few times, and have explored most of what the NPS side has to offer. Santa Rosa is a totally different beast. Much greener, more temperate, smaller but with much more explorable area, and a hell of a lot windier. If you're looking for beautiful places to camp/hike that don't get a ton of traffic and are still fairly close to Los Angeles, I cannot recommend the Channel Islands National Park enough. Although I will say, the boat ride out to Santa Rosa is long, and for someone who has seen all the whales, dolphins, sea lions, and eagles the islands have to offer - it can get tedious. But if you want to see some sea life on the ride over, you will definitely get your wish! The island: you're greeted with a beautiful view of the stratigraphy of the bluffs at the pier. Which is quite breathtaking.  After unloading everyone's goddam gear (people bring weird poo poo. It does lead to nicknames like "Boogie Board Guy", though), you have to hike up the cattle chute of the ranch, which is kinda morbid when you think about it... After a mild mile and a half hike, you get to the campground - complete with flushing toilets and running water (posh camping! Actually unexpected) and a series of windbreaks.  These windbreaks are your friend. We went on what was one of the most beautiful weekends of the year so far, and the wind still kept us up at night. When you get there, there's still enough time to go to the nearby stand of Torrey Pines, which provides a great view of both Becher's Bay and the interior of the island.   Woke up on day two to a beautiful sunrise over the campground.  We decided to push for a place a bit more distant than most of the other hikers were doing that weekend (except Boogie Board guy. He did 8 mi out, boogie boarded, then 8 mi back. Good on you, Boogie Board Guy.) and shot for the mouth of Soledad Canyon, a 15 mile-ish round trip. The volunteers proved mostly useless in providing information about the home and destination, but the ranger there (I cannot remember her name, but she grew up on the islands. Short, tan lady with long hair. A very nice, very helpful ranger whose supervision we've had the pleasure of camping under for a good percentage of our trips) was very helpful with directions and suggestions. Do get the national geographic map of the islands, it's really helpful. On the hike out we went through a few valleys, and they were mostly breathtaking (one was forgettable). Lobo Canyon  Green Canyon   The most beautiful of the canyons we went through, although unfortunately we had to overtop our boots to get through it. (Which led to my feet pruning so much that I got a blister on my right foot. Would it have been better to take off the boots and cross? The water was clear, and the bottom of the puddle was clearly mud - although you never know with old ranches and whatnot, could be metal scraps or nails anywhere, right?) The turnoff to the mouth of Soledad Canyon. The trail went along the side of the canyon on top.  It was wildflower season, while there were some great patches, I think we were too late in the season to see more.  The path was an interesting one, a mix of old tire tracks and a set on brand-new ones. Seems like the NPS came through for some reason recently after not having been down here in a while.  We ate lunch on a bluff over the mouth of the canyon.  Holy poo poo it was beautiful. The hike back was great too.  Not as many pics on the way back, as my bum hip kicked in and it became, "God dammit I just want to sit down." The next day consisted of finishing off the booze and going on a small hike normally reserved for day trippers. Cherry Canyon   Then load the gear back on (somehow we wheedled out of the bucket brigade to load gear because we're awesome/terrible), buy some overpriced beer from the boat, and pass out as the day trippers lose their poo poo over the stuff you've already seen. Also, say trippers can sit on the roof. gently caress 'em.
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Apr 5, 2016 23:04
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Turned into a bit of a ramble, but basically: it's a pretty island and you should see it.
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Apr 5, 2016 23:21
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Contrast of weather, but still an island. It's called Au Train island, it's west of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Which you can buy for a princely sum of $1.75 mil. http://www.autrainisland.com/
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Apr 6, 2016 02:14
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Rodenthar Drothman posted:Turned into a bit of a ramble, but basically: it's a pretty island and you should see it. Channel Islands National Park is the park in California I keep forgetting about, mainly because I assume the boat ride is expensive and it's annoying to try to get in (lottery system, limit to visitors?). Is it a headache to plan, and expensive? Maybe I'm lazy.
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Apr 6, 2016 05:08
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One of my good friends who I've hiked with a few times on easier trails had a baby 3 months ago, and we're taking her on her first hike tomorrow. Just a stroller friendly trail near Banff. But I have an agenda to turn that kid into a wilderness warrior. I'll probably end up carrying her in a backpack carrier once they purchase one, so that my friend can do some more challenging trails, because she doesn't feel she has the fitness level to carry a kid as well as her other stuff. I'm really looking forward to it, being outside and learning about nature does really good things for kids. You gotta play in the dirt!
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Apr 6, 2016 07:17
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Mokelumne Trekka posted:Channel Islands National Park is the park in California I keep forgetting about, mainly because I assume the boat ride is expensive and it's annoying to try to get in (lottery system, limit to visitors?). Is it a headache to plan, and expensive? Maybe I'm lazy. There's no lottery system, no entrance fee to the park proper. No need, because it's one of (if not the) least traveled national parks. The campsite reservation fee is the normal one via recreation.gov. Now, the boat ride is the most expensive part  Each ride (round trip) is $114. Which is why we limit ourselves to once (maybe twice if we're super into it) a year. You can bring 3 items up to 45 lbs each, generally not a problem except that one time we over packed when going to the backcountry campground on Santa Cruz. (The Del Norte campground, aka: the shitter with the best view on the west coast. That view is from the campsite near the shitter, and that is Santa Barbara / ventura off to the right - all along the coast. So imagine drinking a decent amount of whiskey surrounded by the stars, going to take a piss and then seeing the whole coast lit up like a freakin' live painting. Best shitter.) Edit: I'm pretty sure I've taken pictures of the view from the shitter before, but I just can't find them...
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Apr 6, 2016 08:00
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Spent a 3-day weekend camping in the sierras at around 10k feet. Didn't get lower than 20F, spent most of the days around 50F. Basically wore a base layer and a Nano Air which I wore from wake up to bedtime. No problems there. On my lower half, I ended up with an rear end full of zits and otherwise plugged-up skin. Wore wicking underwear and light softshell pants during the day, a midweight merino bottom (a little too hot) at night. Any suggestions on how to combat that in the future? I tried to baby-wipe bathe as best as possible. Made some snow shelters which was exhausting but cool. Glissading was fun with our group even though the vast majority didn't have the core or leg strength to keep their feet up, so the track would get jacked each time.    
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Apr 8, 2016 08:53
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Hey guys, I looked over the last ~10 pages of the thread and mucked around with search for a bit but couldn't see if you'd discussed GPS hiking watches. I don't do a whole lot of hiking, but I've been slowly getting more and more into it over the last 3 months or so. I've gotten a whole lot of mileage out of Garmin watches for running, but I'm now thinking about getting a Suunto Traverse for hiking (My Garmin doesn't do Nav). The internet is pretty light on for reputable reviews about them, so was wondering if anyone in here has used one, and if so, how did you find it? It's on sale this weekend at a local shop for 20% off RRP, and I've been wanting to grab one for a while and this sale might be the thing to make me go ahead and buy one.
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Apr 8, 2016 13:12
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 Did some ill advised thunderstorm fishing and wad rewarded with this. I have literally never seen a rainbow like this before.
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Apr 8, 2016 13:35
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bongwizzard posted:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQSNhk5ICTI Sure thing, bongwizzard.
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Apr 8, 2016 14:55
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Tsyni posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQSNhk5ICTI I'm glad I'm not the only person who immediately thought of this
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Apr 8, 2016 15:04
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Yosemitebear is my spirit animal, back the gently caress off.
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Apr 9, 2016 08:19
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So I'm considering on my next vacation, probably around July or August, trying to hike as much as I can of the Maine portion of the Appalachian Trail. I've never done any serious hiking, though I'm physically decently fit. I live in Japan and am thinking I can perhaps try a couple multi-day hikes over the next few months to see how feasible this is for me and test things out. However, I'm reading that the Maine portion of the AT is one of the hardest, with tough climbs and 100 miles of wilderness, etc. How ridiculous does it sound to try the hike while being relatively inexperienced? I'm looking to basically go as far as I can in a couple weeks or so.
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Apr 10, 2016 17:01
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Don't underestimate it by any means but while 100 miles seems really far, in reality its 10 miles per day for 10 days which is easily digestible by most reasonably fit people. Are you hiking alone? Because that in and of itself poses a whole other bunch of factors/ risk/ issues especially for an inexperienced hiker. That said plenty of people hike and backpack alone without issue so it's not impossible, just much riskier. The other thing is setting reasonable expectations for yourself. Don't try to shoot for some lofty goal where you crush 25 miles per day. You would likely fall behind that pace and finish later than you paddled. It's going to depend on things like your fitness, pack weight, the terrain, and fatigue. Also remember that the more weight you carry the less mileage you will likely average per day. Also, if you're unfamiliar with hiking gear like stoves and filters, don't buy brand new stuff and use it for the first time on the trail. Get familiar with it before hand and know how to use it before setting out. But yeah man, do it. Hiking is fun, just set realistic attainable goals for yourself and be safe. Verman fucked around with this message at 17:33 on Apr 10, 2016 |
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Apr 10, 2016 17:23
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Problem is that you might have hidden issues that only become apparent after a couple of days. For instance, I can hike 10-15miles for 2 days, no problem. Add another 10 mile day and the next morning my right ankle is unusable. Knees, ankles, hips are most prone to these types of problems.
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Apr 10, 2016 17:37
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Verman posted:Don't underestimate it by any means but while 100 miles seems really far, in reality its 10 miles per day for 10 days which is easily digestible by most reasonably fit people. 100 miles doesn't even really seem all that far to me. I grew up in Maine without a car and even 10 years when I was a fat piece of poo poo who had never run a mile in my life I'd walk 10 miles to and from the next town over. I know you need to factor in a pack and gear but conceptually it doesn't seem bad, though I know it's different doing it every day without solid rest and recovery. theroachman posted:Problem is that you might have hidden issues that only become apparent after a couple of days. For instance, I can hike 10-15miles for 2 days, no problem. Add another 10 mile day and the next morning my right ankle is unusable. Knees, ankles, hips are most prone to these types of problems. This is definitely one of my concerns. I've had knee surgery for an ACL tear from rugby in the past, and have since torn the repair, so I have a potentially questionable left knee, though it gives me no pain or issues at all for a while now. This is definitely why I want to do a few long hikes here before I try the AT. One dumb newbie question that I didn't see in the OP; when you're looking at weight, are there general guidelines for how much gear you should be okay to pack? Also do you factor in overall bodyweight, like larger people being able to carry more etc? I'm on the larger side 185cm and 100kg without too too much fat; does that help me with being able to carry poo poo or is it all going to be offset by greater need for food. LimburgLimbo fucked around with this message at 19:28 on Apr 10, 2016 |
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Apr 10, 2016 18:24
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LimburgLimbo posted:100 miles doesn't even really seem all that far to me. I grew up in Maine without a car and even 10 years when I was a fat piece of poo poo who had never run a mile in my life I'd walk 10 miles to and from the next town over. I know you need to factor in a pack and gear but conceptually it doesn't seem bad, though I know it's different doing it every day without solid rest and recovery. I think there's some rule of thumb like under 15% of your body weight, and how you pack it makes a difference too, but honestly lighter is always better. I'd shoot for under thirty pounds to start, and the more you spend and upgrade, the lighter you can go from there. The more experience you get, the more you figure out what you really do and don't need. Though if you're not 100% sure whether you will absolutely need something, chances are you don't, and you'll be much happier without it
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Apr 10, 2016 19:09
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Neat, did you happen to get a picture of inside the snow shelter? I've always wanted to make something like that, but I'm never camping around enough snow.
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Apr 10, 2016 19:12
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LimburgLimbo posted:185mm and 100kg Are you made of lead? 
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Apr 10, 2016 19:25
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theroachman posted:Are you made of lead? This is what happens when you work in finance and drat near everything you write about each day is in units of millions
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Apr 10, 2016 19:29
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LimburgLimbo posted:I'd walk 10 miles to and from the next town over. I know you need to factor in a pack and gear but conceptually it doesn't seem bad, though I know it's different doing it every day without solid rest and recovery. First, walking 10 miles to town on the side of the road is much different than hiking 10 miles on a rugged trail with 30lbs on your back after you've been doing so for 10 days in a row. Elevation changes also make a big difference. It's hard to look at trail mileage as a flat number. 10 miles on a flat clean trail will go by in a few hours. 10 miles with rutty, muddy or steep challenging terrain could take 2 days. As for the knee, be careful. That's the kind of injury that could immobilize you and being alone makes it infinitely worse. Just work on strengthening the muscles around your knee and see how it feels with some hiking. I would recommend doing some repetitive activity for a few days to see how it feels. Getting three days in before it becomes an issue would suck but you know your body better than anyone else. As for gear, aim for 30-35lbs with food and 2 liters of water as a goal. Everything adds up and most newbies bring poo poo they never use like 3 Rambo knives.
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Apr 11, 2016 00:19
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I* bought those Cascade Mountain Tech trekking poles at Costco this week (which are brought up repeatedly in this thread) and tested them out today on a day hike near Truckee, CA, in the rain and snow. They seem really well-made and I'm happy I got them - just reiterating the recommendations in this thread. 11 left in stock on Amazon. Or save $15.00 and get them for less at Costco. http://www.amazon.com/Cascade-Mount...tain+tech&psc=1 *not an ad-bot. I'm a real hiker!
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Apr 11, 2016 00:43
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If you're looking for advice on strengthening that knee, hop on over to Swoleception 2016 for advice (oh dear god don't, we're terrible). Also, if you're alone look into GPS distress beacons. Paranoid? Maybe. Sawing your arm off? gently caress no.
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Apr 11, 2016 02:14
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Here is a brief overview of what hiking the 100 mile wilderness entails. I would strongly recommend against trying to hike it all the way through if you're not an experienced backpacker already. If you're from Maine you should also remember that July and August can be extremely miserable in the Northeast due to heat, humidity, rain and thunderstorms.
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Apr 11, 2016 02:48
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talktapes posted:Here is a brief overview of what hiking the 100 mile wilderness entails. I would strongly recommend against trying to hike it all the way through if you're not an experienced backpacker already. If you're from Maine you should also remember that July and August can be extremely miserable in the Northeast due to heat, humidity, rain and thunderstorms. None of those things you mentioned were pterodactyl sized mosquitoes 
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Apr 11, 2016 02:57
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new england is terrible
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Apr 11, 2016 03:17
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Levitate posted:new england is terrible New England is fantastic if you have pemrethin/DEET and hike on good weather days.
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Apr 11, 2016 12:43
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those couple of days known as "spring and fall" sandwiched in between the unlivable summer and winter?
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Apr 11, 2016 14:28
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Hey, winter hiking is great! Well, not this year, all the rain turned every trail into an ice flow, but everything's thawing out early because there's been so little snow. I'd argue that Spring is normally the worst season in New England because of all the black flies, rotten snow and high water crossings, but it's shaping up to be pretty good this year due to the winter we've had and an early thaw/freeze cycle in March (killing off a lot of bugs). Incidentally here's some news for any other NE hikers in this thread, the holding company that owns EMS may be going bankrupt. Employees were telling my gf this weekend that they aren't going out of business and are just "corporate restructuring" but a boy can dream (EMS sucks and we could really use an REI in NH).
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Apr 11, 2016 15:04
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Shopping at an REI store is just as bad as EMS, and there are four of them around Boston if you want to return something or really need to talk to a clueless salesperson.
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Apr 11, 2016 18:30
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turevidar posted:Shopping at an REI store is just as bad as EMS, and there are four of them around Boston if you want to return something or really need to talk to a clueless salesperson. REI at least has a return policy (EMS doesn't). Also it's over an hour to drive to the nearest one whereas there's an EMS 10 minutes up the road
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Apr 11, 2016 21:33
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Wait, how is an ice flow on the trail a problem? You just put on your spikes and go faster.
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Apr 11, 2016 23:29
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PhantomOfTheCopier posted:Wait, how is an ice flow on the trail a problem? You just put on your spikes and go faster. Here's an example of typical trail conditions this winter. Keep in mind that Mt. Major is a very small, very easy mountain that people bring their children up all year long, located in central NH. Conditions were consistently worse further north in the "real" mountains. E for below: EMS will not accept exchanges or returns on any used items as of last year, which defeats the purpose of buying and trying on footwear in a B&M store for full price, for me at least. My gf purchased a new pair of boots for $150 last May. She tried them out on one hike and found they didn't fit correctly. After bringing them back a few days later and finding the return policy had changed over the weekend, they wouldn't honor an exchange. Hell when I was just getting started and didn't know how hiking footwear was supposed to fit, I had to bring my boots back there three times before finally finding a salesperson that knew his rear end from his elbow. Also tons of online retailers run 20% off sales (just ordered a new tent from Moosejaw over the weekend for 20% off, actually). The 15% off is definitely great if you're a student but most adults are not students. Again like the other poster was saying, the salespeople at REI are just as hit-or-miss as EMS, but at least there if you buy a pair of boots that chew up your feet you can bring it back for an exchange or return, no problem. I guess my point is that a reasonable return policy is a safety net for lovely service, once it's removed you're just left with the lovely service. talktapes fucked around with this message at 03:20 on Apr 12, 2016 |
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Apr 12, 2016 02:07
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talktapes posted:REI at least has a return policy (EMS doesn't). Also it's over an hour to drive to the nearest one whereas there's an EMS 10 minutes up the road EMS's return policy was until 2 years ago at least as good as REI's (now it's just 30 days? 1yr? with receipt), and while EMS doesn't have a dividend, there's pretty much a 20% off coupon at least once a season. Also if you have a student ID EMS should be 15% off. Got a lot of gear this way. Shame if they're going out of business. Their wilderness school/guide program is top notch.
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Apr 12, 2016 02:37
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Well, it looks like I got my Half Dome cables permit... for a Wednesday. At least it will be less crowded, so I'm hoping it can be my first good Yosemite trip. I've been to there 5 times in my adult life, living 4 hours away, and every time has been an absolute disaster for one reason or another. Does anybody else have a "unicorn" destination you just can't make work? Admittedly, almost every time has been my own unpreparedness, but it's never been nearly as bad at a dozen other parks like it always is at Yosemite.
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Apr 12, 2016 20:44
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Went camping for 3 nights with my fiance up in Bothe State Park (north of Napa, Ca) in a yurt. All of our hiking was done within the park in between pretending to be rich in Napa.     A lot of the trail was like this, the rest was mud or wet rocks.  We went from redwoods and ferns and climbed into oak and manzanita, it was neat!  Then a woodpecker landed right next to the yurt.  This was the first time I've ever been "really" camping, particularly as an adult, and now that I'm recovered from the pay shower, we're looking into tents.
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Apr 12, 2016 22:06
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