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Hey goons, I'm planning a trip starting in Montana, ultimate goal being Los Angeles (gotta get home). I'm starting in Red Lodge in late July, and my friend is willing to fly into whatever airport i can pick her up from. We would like to spend a couple days in a destination (2-3), then a few nights in other places on the way back. We have from monday when I drive out of Red Lodge to that sunday or monday, so 6 or 7 days. My thoughts: we could stay in montana or Wyoming, either spend a couple days in glacier and/or a couple days in the grand tetons (I've never been to glacier, though i will have literally just been to glacier for an overnight the week before. 100% willing to go back though. She's never been to the grand tetons. We've both been to yellowstone.) And then hit some places on the next few nights on the way down. Or we could drive down to Colorado and see some stuff in colorado, i haven't looked that up too much. OR I can drive up to calgary and pick her up there and we can spend some time in Banff and/or Jasper. Don't think either of us have been there. It'll require a couple long days of driving on the way back though. We definitely will want to hike around and camp and stuff. I was just looking at No Name lake and Oldman Lake in glacier a few minutes ago. Any opinions from goons who've been up there more than I? Ninja edit: what a snipe.
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May 24, 2017 17:43
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I'm going to pick up an ENO OneLink system (with the double nest because it's available locally) for a trip this weekend. I was going to use my mummy back and accordian thermarest pad, but I was thinking about packing in one of my small polartec blankets to use as an improvised underquilt. Thoughts?
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May 24, 2017 17:57
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I did the John Muir Trail a few years ago, which wasn't all that isolated. We saw other hikers all the time and the trail was improved in many places -- there were bridges, bear boxes in some campsites, ranger cabins just off the trail, etc. And I went with a group of 3 other people, who were nice to have for company. I had been worried it might be lonely or dull to be out in the mountains for two and a half weeks, and it occasionally was, but overall I did pretty well mentally while I was on the trail. Had a little bit of trouble reintegrating when I got back but that's another story. So, through-hikers: what's a longer backpacking trip like for you? I've checked out some trail journals but no one has really addressed what it feels like to be alone in remote places for so long. I'm wondering if you tend to keep feeling okay after hiking for 2+ months. I know that the PCT and the AT are not that solitary, because lots of folks go for a through-hike, but it seems like you might really badly miss your loved ones and feel a lot of loneliness and repetitiveness in your day-to-day hiking. Was this ever a problem for you? I'm thinking of doing 6-8 weeks on the PCT (Tuolumne Meadows up to Redding or Ashland, perhaps), and I'm just wondering about how other hikers have kept up their mental/emotional well-being during the hike. Vivian Darkbloom fucked around with this message at 08:42 on May 25, 2017 |
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May 25, 2017 08:37
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Vivian Darkbloom posted:I did the John Muir Trail a few years ago, which wasn't all that isolated. We saw other hikers all the time and the trail was improved in many places -- there were bridges, bear boxes in some campsites, ranger cabins just off the trail, etc. And I went with a group of 3 other people, who were nice to have for company. I had been worried it might be lonely or dull to be out in the mountains for two and a half weeks, and it occasionally was, but overall I did pretty well mentally while I was on the trail. Had a little bit of trouble reintegrating when I got back but that's another story. The next morning was one of the most memorable I've ever had. I woke up to this:  I made it fine. I was on a month long or so drive up the Rockies, camping and photographing and doing whatever. I was in the Winds for six days after that. My first night there was the same, but then things changed. What was loneliness, difficulty, desperation, and fright turned into complete freedom from obligation, distraction, and noise. I only saw three people those days. I don't bring books with me or write anything. I make photos, but I don't kill myself for anything. I hike alone to BE alone, because I've learned a lot, maybe everything, that I value about myself in doing so. I come back and appreciate, and understand, what is important to me: my relationships, my health, and the small things that add small flavors to my life. Hiking alone has given me a distinct sense of my place in the world, and how short my time is with it. Anyway, hiking the PCT or something for a few weeks, you'll come across plenty of people, so you don't have to be concerned about going mad. Be prepared, however, for genuinely changing how you see life, daily activities, work, and what you do with your time. Not really a bad thing, you'll not be surprised to hear me say, but challenging in it's own way, sometimes.
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May 25, 2017 13:57
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Anyone have any experience with the Channel Islands, particularly Santa Rosa? We're going to be there for 3 days and we have some stuff planned (Lobo Canyon, Carrington Point) but I'm wondering if there's anything else super cool there that we shouldn't miss.
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May 25, 2017 18:13
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Rodenthar Drothman posted:Hey goons, I'm planning a trip starting in Montana, ultimate goal being Los Angeles (gotta get home). I'm starting in Red Lodge in late July, and my friend is willing to fly into whatever airport i can pick her up from. We would like to spend a couple days in a destination (2-3), then a few nights in other places on the way back. We have from monday to that sunday or monday, so 6 or 7 days. Google maps says that's 371 hours of walking, so unless you're really willing to push it that's going to take 2 weeks minimum. Or are you in the wrong thread?
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May 25, 2017 19:03
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Vivian Darkbloom posted:I did the John Muir Trail a few years ago, which wasn't all that isolated. We saw other hikers all the time and the trail was improved in many places -- there were bridges, bear boxes in some campsites, ranger cabins just off the trail, etc. And I went with a group of 3 other people, who were nice to have for company. I had been worried it might be lonely or dull to be out in the mountains for two and a half weeks, and it occasionally was, but overall I did pretty well mentally while I was on the trail. Had a little bit of trouble reintegrating when I got back but that's another story. I'm a pretty solitary person in a lot of ways...I'm happy to hike pretty much all day without talking to my hiking partners, but I haven't actually done a trip by myself for various reasons. Backpacking with my dad though we don't necessary talk a lot. I think I'd do fine on my own for some of the reasons Jay talked about But for long distance hiking...I know when my brother-in-law did the AT he did some group hiking, solitary hiking, etc and did fine, but after awhile hiking basically became his job...it's just what he did every day. It wasn't so much Getting from here to there and enjoying the view, just kinda "ok I get up and have to hike 20 miles". As for hiking the PCT I'd actually recommend going the other direction even though you've done the JMT. I've heard as you get out of the Sierra's going north it's not all that great compared to what you just hiked through. Get someone to drop you off at the Donner Pass trailhead just off I-80 and head south. First day is kind of a bitch though for lack of water. If it were me, once I got to the JMT I'd probably try some different side routes or off trail stuff to keep it interesting over the places I'd gone before
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May 25, 2017 19:10
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Freaquency posted:Anyone have any experience with the Channel Islands, particularly Santa Rosa? We're going to be there for 3 days and we have some stuff planned (Lobo Canyon, Carrington Point) but I'm wondering if there's anything else super cool there that we shouldn't miss. The volunteers can even take you the first mile or two where they drop people off for the Lobo Canyon hike - they did for us, and I'm glad they did. Only problem with that is they leave a bit later in the morning than you'd like if you're doing a long hike. E: oh also we have camped 3 or 4 times on Santa Cruz, once for a week. So I'm decently acquainted with the NPS side of the island there too. AreWeDrunkYet posted:Google maps says that's 371 hours of walking, so unless you're really willing to push it that's going to take 2 weeks minimum. I looked up the Egypt Lake - Twin Lake 3 night trip in Banff, it looks pretty nice. Wondering if people had recommendations in Montana / Wyoming (or even around Banff/Jasper) for hikes / trips. (Will do either day trips or overnighters.)
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May 25, 2017 21:20
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Levitate posted:but after awhile hiking basically became his job...it's just what he did every day. It wasn't so much Getting from here to there and enjoying the view, just kinda "ok I get up and have to hike 20 miles". Yea, the longest trip I have done was only like 5 days/4 nights, but by the end I was kinda bored of walking. I did a very popular trail so I often had people to talk too, but I guess I am alone so often (lotta work travel by myself) that it is not really a rare or desirable thing for me.
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May 26, 2017 00:14
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We are almost one week into our two week west trip. The Grand Canyon was amazing. We hiked down to the Rest House on Bright Angel trail, and we did a sunset hike to Shoshone Point. Camping was fun and miserable at the same time. We had a camp site with no shade. Bright Angel to the Rest House was a pretty easy hike. It reminded me effort wise of the Chimneys in the GSMNP, but in reverse (I hate going down first). That said there was some adjustment to having the sun beat down on you the whole time. Shoshone Point is an unmarked gem. Just 2 miles round trip in the forest to the best sunset I've ever seen. Bonus there was only two other people at the point. Anyone going to the Grand Canyon put this on your list no matter your experience level. We also had 24 hour stop in Las Vegas which was a nice change of pace, but after 24 hours I was ready to get the hell out of Vegas. Currently I'm camping fancy at a RV Park in Hurricane, Utah. We are starting our two days roaming Zion tomorrow. Question the Narrows are still closed, any alternatives that offer similar experiences? I'm currently thinking about doing Kanarraville Slot Canyon which is not in Zion but nearby. Anyone done this?
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May 26, 2017 05:18
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Rodenthar Drothman posted:I can't remember what the hike was called, but my friend and i went past lobo canyon (I'm pretty sure) on a 15 mile hike. Went past 3 large canyons, then off to the coast. It was absolutely gorgeous, i really recommend it. You go out past the point where most other hikers stop, and you start seeing things like foxes that probably haven't seen a human before (or enough to know what we are), and the abandoned ranch stuff. It is well worth it, I'll find some pics and edit them in here soon. Thanks for the info! We stopped by the visitors center this morning and got some of the same advice from the ranger there, so that sounds like a winner.
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May 26, 2017 05:21
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nate fisher posted:Currently I'm camping fancy at a RV Park in Hurricane, Utah. We are starting our two days roaming Zion tomorrow. Question the Narrows are still closed, any alternatives that offer similar experiences? I'm currently thinking about doing Kanarraville Slot Canyon which is not in Zion but nearby. Anyone done this? I did the Kanarra Creek hike about a month ago and it was pretty enjoyable. The first half or more of the trail is pretty unremarkable, mostly following a dirt road. The actual slot part of the canyon is maybe 100 meters from the first falls. The ladder was in fine shape so you could easily advance if you wanted to. Along I-15, the exit for Kanarra is 42, but the Kolob Canyon part of Zion is 40, so you can easily merge the 2 in the same day. The afternoon/evening sun is behind you when looking at the peaks from pullouts/the lookout, so it's more scenic towards the end of the day anyway. Got torn up really bad by flies, though.
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May 26, 2017 15:18
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Freaquency posted:Thanks for the info! We stopped by the visitors center this morning and got some of the same advice from the ranger there, so that sounds like a winner. Oh also drop the  or whatever on the santa rosa map. Even if you have to go back to the visitor center. It's even more important on santa rosa than it is on santa cruz.
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May 26, 2017 15:22
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Vivian Darkbloom posted:I did the John Muir Trail a few years ago, which wasn't all that isolated. We saw other hikers all the time and the trail was improved in many places -- there were bridges, bear boxes in some campsites, ranger cabins just off the trail, etc. And I went with a group of 3 other people, who were nice to have for company. I had been worried it might be lonely or dull to be out in the mountains for two and a half weeks, and it occasionally was, but overall I did pretty well mentally while I was on the trail. Had a little bit of trouble reintegrating when I got back but that's another story. I through-hiked the AT solo a few years ago so I guess I can chime in. I spent maybe half of my time hiking with various groups and the rest alone. On the stretch from southern New Jersey to central Vermont in particular I had minimal contact with other hikers. I think a lot of staying happy and sane just comes down to personal disposition. I have no problem entertaining myself in my own head for very long periods of time. I spent a lot of time thinking about my own life or considering how I would redesign various things (products, websites, houses, etc). I brought a Kindle with a bunch of books and spent evenings reading which gave me something to think about while I walked as well. I managed to break my Kindle in New York though, which was definitely a bummer since I resorted to reading books that were left in shelters... most of which were pretty terrible. Some days I took tons of photographs, sometimes just to keep busy even when there was nothing particularly pretty to take photos of. On the occasions when I did get bored, just walking faster does a lot to clear your mind. It's hard to focus on boredom or think about much at all when you're pouring sweat. I also think that it's important to keep moving pretty much all the time. Instilling a false sense of urgency helped keep me goal-oriented. The only times I remember being mentally uncomfortable was when I felt like I was staying in one place for too long.
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May 26, 2017 20:13
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How did you keep your Kindle charged. I know the battery lasts a while, but I didn't think it would last THAT long.
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May 26, 2017 22:00
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Back when it was newer the battery would easily last 2 weeks of daily use between charges. It was an older model without the lit screen. Now it barely lasts a week. When I was hiking I rarely went more than a week between towns on the trail. Even if I didn't stay overnight in a hotel or hostel I could usually find a place to charge while I ate a meal.
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May 26, 2017 22:09
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Mr. Powers posted:How did you keep your Kindle charged. I know the battery lasts a while, but I didn't think it would last THAT long. A 10000 mAh battery pack should be able to charge one fully at least 4x, so if you bring one of those you have a month of battery.
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May 26, 2017 22:22
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Leap Day William posted:The only times I remember being mentally uncomfortable was when I felt like I was staying in one place for too long. That's crazy to me, to me the whole point of hiking is that I'm not trying to get anywhere in a particular hurry. I like to stop and look at every weird thing I see.
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May 27, 2017 00:26
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bongwizzard posted:That's crazy to me, to me the whole point of hiking is that I'm not trying to get anywhere in a particular hurry. I like to stop and look at every weird thing I see. I drank a few beers and now I'm feeling excited  There are different constraints when you're thru-hiking. When stopping to smell the roses and losing 5 miles a day means a extra day or two, that adds up in weight, water, and money. The logistics involved in thru-hiking is incredible. Someone mentioned it previously, but eventually it starts to feel like a job. The hardest part of the PCT for me was motivating myself to hike all day, every day, for 5 months. The first month is awesome and exciting and everything is new and you're meeting tons of people and there are towns every few days and you're still getting your gear dialed in and things are great. The second month your gear is set, you've figured out your morning/evening routine, and you've probably hit your daily marathon pace. When the third month comes around, you're STILL IN loving CALIFORNIA and it's ungodly hot and all the summer holidays are starting and you're way passed fed up with salami and Snickers for dinner and all the little creature comforts of home sound really great and you just want to be done. You've walked over 1000 miles, which is a lot. As far as you're concerned, 1000 miles is the same as 2600 miles and you know physically that you can get to the end of the trail. Well, it turns out thru hiking is much more of a mental challenge than physical. Then the fourth month is there and you're in Oregon and there's a definite change of scenery. My year we didn't have to deal with mosquitoes, but there are mosquitoes EVERYWHERE and gently caress MOSQUITOES. But there is rain. All the time. And your poo poo is wet and all you can think about most days is being dry, but that isn't happening because it's just gonna rain tomorrow and you're three days out of town so hopefully all your sleep gear is dry. Also, you're in the forest for days. So not only is it wet and grey, but even when there is beautiful scenery, you can't see it. Just trees. Everywhere. You finally hit the Washington border and you're 30 minutes away from Portland. A city with a brewery on every corner, food trucks as far as the eye can see, music venues, your type of dirtbags all over the place, and cheap beds/buds. But the border is only a few weeks of hiking away and you've made it this far so you can't stop now. Some of the hardest hiking on the trail is ahead of you and it's still raining. You also hear alternating stories of the trail being on fire of snowed in, so you're not sure what to expect, but you better get a move on. Now you're at month 5 or so and you only see civilization every 5 days. And the civilization isn't a real town, it's a loving ranger station and a dirt lot they let you camp in. So you pick up your food box, repackage everything into your backpack, and keep moving. There's either no time or no motivation to do anything else. And then, it happens. It felt like just yesterday you were hiding in the bushes to escape the heat in Southern California. But now you can see the clear demarcation in the forest and there border is there and you can hear people in the distance. You're sure they're hanging out at the monument and you can smell weed and holy poo poo you've done it. You've hiked the PCT and you're on the Canadian border. It was all worth it. You pop the full bottle of champaigne you've been carrying for 5 days, smoke a joint, take a picture at the monument, and turn towards Canada. There's still 4 hours of hiking before you get to the actual finish line. Once you get to the final spot, you have to get on a bus to Vancouver. You're broke, you haven't really lived in a civilized society for the last 6 months, and you are at the bus station. Then you have to actually face the music and figure out what you're gonna do with your life. You've probably quit your job, sold all your poo poo, flown across the country, and now you have to figure out what happens next. Hopefully you've got someone/some place you can go back to. Then life starts again. Good luck!! 
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May 27, 2017 02:30
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That sounds miserable honesty. Like I would rather just live in the woods for six months and move camp a few times.
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May 27, 2017 20:34
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Actually that sounds amazing and I bet that joint + champagne was the best thing you ever experienced.
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May 27, 2017 21:07
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I just got back from my first backpacking trip. We were going to hike a 30 mile stretch of the Monadnock Sunnapee Greenway. We started Friday night at 8pm at the base of Monadnock, hiked 4 miles to the first shelter and then just setup in the shelter rather than hang hammocks. I'm pretty sure I only got a few hours of sleep because my neck was causing issues with my balled up layers as a pillow. Today we had an 11 mile day to the next shelter. We took about a mile side trip because we missed a turn (about half of the miles were just dirt roads). I refilled my pack from a town reservoir. I had lots of issues with my pack and couldn't get the adjustment right to get the weight off my shoulders (the hip straps were as tight as I could get them, but the pack was sagging on my back. I was dead tired and my lower right abdomen started cramping and it spread up my side and across my chest, I assume from poor pack issues. We stopped at Rt 9 with 3 grueling miles to the shelter (tame in any other situation) so we decided to bail. While sitting on a turn off Rt 9 a state trooper pulled up to ask is how we were. We knew there was a convenience store 2 miles down the road, and confirmed with him. He thought walking Rt 9 was unsafe so he loaded two of us and our packs in the back and drove us there. Pretty neat. At the convenience store we met a friendly Hell's Angels from NY and chatted for a bit while they waited for the rest of their pack. Didn't get to use the new hammock, but I think I got a fair number of essential experiences checked off. I did not poop in the woods, because the Nelson Public Library had their bathrooms open. I need to look up a guide for adjusting packs. I don't usually have a problem on day hikes, but I was carrying hammock kit, sleeping bag, and food for weight I don't normally carry Don't mind my poor composition skills. I just got home and I can barely think.
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May 28, 2017 00:10
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bongwizzard posted:That sounds miserable honesty. StarkingBarfish posted:Actually that sounds amazing and I bet that joint + champagne was the best thing you ever experienced. It was totally awesome and I wouldn't trade the experience for the world. It put a lot of things in perspective for me and really gave me hope for people and society as a whole. I met a number of life long friends and traded stories with many more people. It just turns out to be a lot more like life than 6 months of amazing joy and happiness every day.
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May 28, 2017 01:21
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Mr. Powers posted:I need to look up a guide for adjusting packs. I don't usually have a problem on day hikes, but I was carrying hammock kit, sleeping bag, and food for weight I don't normally carry Hey cool, congrats on your first overnight. What hammock did you end up getting?
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May 28, 2017 02:20
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Words can't describe how I feel about Zion. It is one of the most magical places I have ever visited. The highlight of this whole trip so far was the Hidden Canyon trail. As I said before I have a fear of heights, but I toughed it up and was rewarded with a nice canyon hike on top. Thankfully they had chains on most of the sketchiest parts of the hike up. We did 3 other short hikes in Zion, but I wished we had more time here. The Narrows did open up for hikers yesterday (we found out on the shuttle to Hidden Canyon), but given our adjusted schedule we didn't have time to hike it. Today we did the Red Hollow Slot Canyon in Orderville, and we went to Bryce to do a few short hikes there. Tomorrow we head out to Moab for 3 days, but I doubt anything will compare to Zion. I could retire here. A few lessons learned so far on this 2 week road trip. First is you will never be organized enough. There are 4 of us basically living out of a Subaru Outback, and it is just hard to stay organized. Secondly camping at a RV park is a nice break from primitive camping. You get wifi, hot showers, a pool, and laundry. When you are on the road for 2 weeks it's nice to have these amenities.
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May 28, 2017 03:35
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Yeah, Zion was amazing. I also hiked Red Hollow in Orderville which was really, really cool and a nice change of pace from being around so many people in Zion for a couple days. I didn't see a single person in Red Hollow and spent a few hours there. Hopefully, you're driving to Moab via Escalante? It's an awesome drive.
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May 28, 2017 04:25
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I wish I'd hiked the PCT like 5 years ago or something. Not likely to do it now for another 15 years or something unless something crazy bad happens (family life makes it kind of hard to take off a whole summer and backpack) Who knows what it'll be like at that point. I think the 3 weeks I spent on the JMT were a pretty nice length in terms of really just enjoying it, not feeling like I wanted it to be over, and I felt like I would have been happy to shower and wash my clothes, get a couple of good meals, and then head back out. Hopefully when my kid is old enough he'll want to backpack. I can imagine doing a bunch of shorter trips until he's old enough to do some long ones. Maybe we'll do a thru hike some day. Or all of our wilderness will be sold off to private companies/individuals and I'll be miserable
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May 28, 2017 04:44
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Mr. Powers posted:I just got back from my first backpacking trip. We were going to hike a 30 mile stretch of the Monadnock Sunnapee Greenway. We started Friday night at 8pm at the base of Monadnock, hiked 4 miles to the first shelter and then just setup in the shelter rather than hang hammocks. I'm pretty sure I only got a few hours of sleep because my neck was causing issues with my balled up layers as a pillow. Today we had an 11 mile day to the next shelter. We took about a mile side trip because we missed a turn (about half of the miles were just dirt roads). I refilled my pack from a town reservoir. I had lots of issues with my pack and couldn't get the adjustment right to get the weight off my shoulders (the hip straps were as tight as I could get them, but the pack was sagging on my back. Congrats on the first trip! Definitely look up some guides on pack loading and adjustment; a properly fitted pack is absolutely key for enjoying your time in the woods. Here are some basics if you're using an internal frame pack: Load your pack with your sleeping bag on the bottom, your midweight stuff (tent/shelter/hammock, mess kit, clothes) in the middle, and your heaviest stuff (food and water usually) on top. Use the pack's compression straps to keep everything secure and tight against your back. You want everything stacked on top of each other, not spilling out away from your body. The majority of the load should be higher up on your body than you would think. Ideally the center of gravity of your pack is in-between your shoulder blades. For adjusting the fit, start with the hip belt. It should ride lower than most people initially have it: under your belly and across your hip bones. Feel for the protrusions on the front of your pelvic bone, that's where you want the belt. Make sure it's very snug. Next you want to snap your chest strap closed, but don't tighten the strap yet. Instead, adjust the shoulder straps so they're just barely tight across the tops of your shoulders. They shouldn't be putting much, if any pressure on the top of your shoulders; they're only supposed to keep the pack flat on your back, not carry weight. If your waist belt is properly situated but you can't adjust the shoulder straps to keep from digging in to your shoulders or neck, check to see if the back length of the pack is adjustable. Some packs have shoulder strap attachments that can move up or down where the top of the shoulder strap harness attaches to the front of the pack. If your pack lacks this adjustment and the shoulder straps are not hitting you right, then I'm sorry to say that you'll likely need a different sized pack. Once the shoulder straps are properly adjusted, tighten your chest strap. It may or may not be vertically adjustable. This one is all about comfort, so tighten and position it however you like. Its only real purpose is to keep your shoulder straps in place. The last adjustment on most packs is the load lifter straps on top of the shoulder straps. They're not present on every pack, but they're far more common than not. These two straps connect the top of the pack to the tops of the shoulder straps. Once the rest of the pack is fitted, pull them taut to keep the top of the pack from leaning backward away from your body and to transfer some load to the shoulder harness. Modern packs can be a little intimidating with the number of compression and fit straps, and lack of instruction manuals, but those are the basics anyway. Ethelinda Sapsea fucked around with this message at 04:56 on May 28, 2017 |
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May 28, 2017 04:51
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Tsyni posted:Pack weight on a day pack? Crazy talk. Get the comfy one. Yep, I got the big and comfortable one. It's a little big for a daypack at 1.4 kg and 33 L but now I have something for all-day hikes and perhaps short summer backpacking trips. I calculated on lighterpack.com that if I go pretty light, my pack weight would be 8 kg for the whole thing, which is at the upper range of what the backpack can handle. edit -- poo poo I screwed up the spreadsheet and it looks like my pack's up to 10 kg with water 
Vivian Darkbloom fucked around with this message at 06:28 on May 28, 2017 |
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May 28, 2017 06:14
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talktapes posted:Hey cool, congrats on your first overnight. What hammock did you end up getting? Eno one link with the doublenest. 4.5lb. Leap Day William posted:Congrats on the first trip! The weight distribution probably did me in. My pack is short and squat, though I have a long torso. I did bag in the bottom, hammock bits above that water along my back (3l platypus, so it is tall), some extra layers (rain jacket, microfleece) above that, which filled the pack. Sleeping pad was lashed to the bottom of the pack, food bag and sleep layers were lashed to the back of the pack. Miscellaneous small items were in the side and back pockets. My Cg was pretty far back. I probably need to invest in a bigger pack that lets me fit more against my back. This is a 50L, but the sleeping bag takes up about 1/4-1/3 of the main volume, the bladder is a tall cylinder (I've been meaning to get one of the newer designs from platypus that flattens it out a bit), and so after those items, I can only really stuff individual things into that main compartment.
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May 28, 2017 15:38
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Vivian Darkbloom posted:So, through-hikers: what's a longer backpacking trip like for you? I've checked out some trail journals but no one has really addressed what it feels like to be alone in remote places for so long. I'm wondering if you tend to keep feeling okay after hiking for 2+ months. I know that the PCT and the AT are not that solitary, because lots of folks go for a through-hike, but it seems like you might really badly miss your loved ones and feel a lot of loneliness and repetitiveness in your day-to-day hiking. Was this ever a problem for you? I'm thinking of doing 6-8 weeks on the PCT (Tuolumne Meadows up to Redding or Ashland, perhaps), and I'm just wondering about how other hikers have kept up their mental/emotional well-being during the hike. Chiming in that it definitely becomes more like a job (as I think almost anything does if you do it every day for 5 months), but for me it was a job that I loved and enjoyed every day. Sometimes you deal with monotony and boredom, and a lot of people end up quitting if they can't handle the mental part of it - finding ways to motivate yourself, and just continuing to find the sense of joy of being on an adventure and in nature. Everyone deals with it differently - i'm definitely someone who really loved waking up in my tent almost every day and seeing new trails and different vistas. My friend Grinder didn't care about the scenery at all - he was motivated by having a goal and working at it every day. Neither the AT, PCT or CDT are THAT solitary nowadays - if you want to hike with people, you will. I'd say that if you're thru-hiking you'll find a lot of people to interact on a daily basis.
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May 31, 2017 23:22
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it kinda kills me that even the CDT is now "crowded"
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Jun 1, 2017 00:22
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Levitate posted:it kinda kills me that even the CDT is now "crowded" I want proof
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Jun 1, 2017 03:55
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Levitate posted:it kinda kills me that even the CDT is now "crowded" I don't think i'd ever call the CDT crowded, but it's not like 10 hardy souls a year set out to do it like "the old days". I'm guessing it's at least a few hundred now a year now. It's always pretty spaced out. But you can find plenty of people to hike with if you're worried about being lonely. And once you get past halfway you'll be in your little bubble of hikers who you'll see here and there.
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Jun 1, 2017 04:43
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Question about fuel: I'm doing a 10 day trip to Katahdin and the 100 Mile Wilderness in a few weeks and have my menu mostly planned out. What I still need to figure out is how much fuel to bring. Right now I've got dehydrated meals (Mountain House & Backpacker's Pantry) for the following: 4x hot breakfasts 10x hot dinners I'm using an Optimus Crux stove to heat water for meals and currently have a 220g fuel canister packed...is it reasonable to expect that to last the entire trip, or should I go with an extra 110/220g canister?
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Jun 3, 2017 01:27
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Terrifying Effigies posted:Question about fuel: I found with a JetBoil, I got more than 20 meals out of a large fuel canister. The manufacturer's page for the Optimus Crux claims 90 minutes of heat from a 220g canister, and if it only takes 2-3 minutes to boil enough water for dinner you should be covered with just one canister.
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Jun 3, 2017 01:36
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I'm not familiar with the stove make/model, but a few questions that may help people who are: is it new? Is there any possibility of being stuck out there longer? Of boiling water? I always err on the side of caution and bring an extra small cannister. The main one is only going to get lighter as you go. E:f,b E2: for what it's worth with my snow peak and a slightly larger cannister i can get a week's worth of oatmeal in the morning and soup at night for two people. Rodenthar Drothman fucked around with this message at 01:44 on Jun 3, 2017 |
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Jun 3, 2017 01:40
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  Stove model is this with a brand new (full) MSR canister. I'll be out with three other people so what we may end up doing is having one person carry an extra small canister for emergencies if we get stuck. Thanks for the sanity check, I've never paid close attention to the number of uses I've gotten out of fuel canisters in the past since on 3-4 day trips I'd just bring a fresh one if I was at all concerned that there might not be enough left in my current canister.
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Jun 3, 2017 12:36
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If usually carry 2 small guys for an 8 day trip but that often included two rounds of boiling water at night. Does t hurt to carry a spare if you're unsure
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Jun 3, 2017 13:04
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| # ? May 23, 2024 12:38 |
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2 months in and the girlfriend is getting off the trail. Foot issues and not getting what she wanted out of it. She doesn't want me to be dragged down with her because of her slower pace. She's bummed, I'm bummed but we'll make due. She plans on getting her car and doing some sections with me and seeing stuff around. This was mainly my trip so the faster I finish it the faster we'll be in Europe jaunting around there.
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Jun 3, 2017 15:49
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