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BRAKE FOR MOOSE posted:You'll want to reserve a site ahead of time, you can only camp at campgrounds and sites are limited. IMO for first time visitors, Blackwoods is the way to go for convenience to the popular spots. July is high season so I'd get on that ASAP. There are some private campgrounds too, but eh. Thank you this is perfect. I glanced at campgrounds yesterday and it's already pretty slim options but should be able to get something at Blackwoods.
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Jun 4, 2019 14:41
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Well speaking of Maine, anyone have any experience camping on Cutler Coast? Planning an easy trip for later this month, but it does look kind of mellow/short and it's a 5 hour drive from where I'm at. I did hear there's a fog horn that goes off like every ten seconds but there's no indication how loud it actually is.
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Jun 4, 2019 18:15
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Morbus posted:What do you want one for, and any reason you need/want a satellite phone instead of just an InReach? Much cheaper, smaller, lighter, rugged, doubles as a PLB, and uses the same satellite network as the best phones, and supports 2-way text messaging. Unless you really need phone conversation for some reason I would think this is a better option. You've pointed me in the right direction with the InReach mention. That's along the lines of what I want: nothing too fancy, just a lifeline to the outside world. I'm not interested in other features like interactive maps as I'm old-fashioned (though I guess if absolutely necessary that'd come in handy). I plan to keep it turned off unless there's an emergency; not super picky about battery life. OutdoorGearLab recommends the InReach Explorer, which is +$100.00 more than the general InReach. Just need to do further research on if its worth the extra money.
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Jun 4, 2019 19:18
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The InReach Mini is what I would get if I were buying today. Pair it with your phone/app via bluetooth and the usability and weight are impossible to beat. If I just wanted a cheaper/standard HELP SOS deal with a few preset messages like "I am safe, arrived at camp for the night" and "HELP NOW, NEED RESCUE" I'd get a SPOT Gen 3.
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Jun 4, 2019 21:42
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Just did four days at Yellowstone and ooooh boy am I glad I won't be there in July. Sure a lot of stuff is still closed because of snow but I couldn't imagine getting around with so many more people. Off to Glacier tomorrow. 
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Jun 5, 2019 01:09
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The Aardvark posted:Just did four days at Yellowstone and ooooh boy am I glad I won't be there in July. Sure a lot of stuff is still closed because of snow but I couldn't imagine getting around with so many more people. Popular national parks in the off season are the best. I've done Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Zion, and Arches in winter months. Each time the worst you'll find is half-full parking lots for a popular viewpoint, but usually far less. Head a little ways down a trail and you may not see anyone at all for long stretches. I really enjoyed Canyonlands and Grand Staircase the most in the winter. We went entire days only seeing a single other car. We're considering Death Valley and/or Joshua Tree this year. Has anyone done those in the winter? Any suggestions? I've never been to either (during any season).
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Jun 5, 2019 17:33
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National parks after dark are great too. Badlands under a full moon is loving amazing.
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Jun 5, 2019 17:44
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I’m still pissed the last time I went to Big Bend was cloudy and a full moon. Zero stars for me
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Jun 5, 2019 17:57
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incogneato posted:We're considering Death Valley and/or Joshua Tree this year. Has anyone done those in the winter? Any suggestions? I've never been to either (during any season). If you have a high clearance 4wd vehicle and enjoy driving through beautiful and rough desert back roads, a lot of the coolest places in Death Valley National Park aren't in Death Valley itself. The Racetrack Playa, Saline Valley, and Eureka Valley with its giant dune are all worth checking out. Just make sure you're prepared. Death Valley's peak season is spring, so winter campground availability shouldn't be a problem and the classic hikes like Golden Canyon won't be crowded.
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Jun 5, 2019 19:39
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Tacier posted:If you have a high clearance 4wd vehicle and enjoy driving through beautiful and rough desert back roads, a lot of the coolest places in Death Valley National Park aren't in Death Valley itself. The Racetrack Playa, Saline Valley, and Eureka Valley with its giant dune are all worth checking out. Just make sure you're prepared. Thank you for giving me an excuse to rent one again! Renting a Jeep to explore empty roads in Grand Staircase was so much drat fun. Yeah, I have a lot more research to do currently. But empty Utah backcountry got me hooked on winter desert adventures. I should probably look into Big Bend, too.
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Jun 5, 2019 20:23
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incogneato posted:Popular national parks in the off season are the best. I've done Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Zion, and Arches in winter months. Each time the worst you'll find is half-full parking lots for a popular viewpoint, but usually far less. Head a little ways down a trail and you may not see anyone at all for long stretches. January or thereabouts is hands down the best time to visit Death Valley. Generally cool/pleasant weather, clear skies, low angle sun, and surprisingly not that many people. Plus it's just oppressively hot after like February. I go there pretty much every year around that time. Renting a jeep to go to Racetrack or other offroads is fun, so seconding that. For stuff that doesn't require a 4wd, there are a lot of canyons that you can hike to that are really cool but don't have trails, so they see hardly any people. You can find information about them online though. Kaleidoscope canyon is definitely my favorite and it's pretty unique. Funeral, Palmer, Fall, Sidewinder, and Room canyons are also cool. You'll want a GPS, compass, and map to get to these, but the routefinding isn't hard and they aren't too far from roads you can just park on the side of. The trail/loop from Golden canyon to Zabriskie point and back is really good (though it sees more traffic), and Zabriskie point at sunrise is beautiful. Edit: winter is really the best time to go visit desert stuff in Nevada and Arizona too, imo
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Jun 6, 2019 05:56
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Holy moly is the road to Many Glacier bad. We camped out a night at St. Mary and it rained all night well into the morning, with more rain and lightning projected for tonight so we left early. Snow and ice still make the trek to Grinnel glacier dicey for my wife's inexperience so we just did the loop around Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine while it rained. A lot of services open this weekend or next week so we missed out by a week but that's off-season for you.
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Jun 7, 2019 03:29
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How do the rivers look out that way? Arrowleaf blooms? I'm gonna be hiking in the front in a couple weeks. I think most of Montana should be very green still but I'm not sure on what they got for snow up that way.. I know my mom got buried all winter down in Red Lodge but that's quite a distance off.
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Jun 7, 2019 03:49
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Saw a few of those, some Bonneville shooting stars, a lot of indian paintbrushes, western blue clematis. The rivers were going pretty strong. There's still enough ice and snow on the mountains that a Ranger said it's hard to tell where the glaciers are if you can't determine the difference so the rivers should keep flowing how they are. Going to the Sun road is still closed until June 22 at the earliest. They only have the first 13.5 miles open from St. Mary on the east and 18ish? from Apgar on the west. The Aardvark fucked around with this message at 04:32 on Jun 7, 2019 |
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Jun 7, 2019 04:29
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For the Mid Atlantic folks, I went to Dolly Sods in WVA last weekend. Good weather till Saturday night, then a ton of rain and some hail. I've yet to stay dry up there, either from rain or bogs but if you want a taste of Maine and live near DC, it's worth the 3 he drive.
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Jun 7, 2019 16:45
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About 100 miles into our thru paddle 
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Jun 9, 2019 00:04
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Hell yea
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Jun 9, 2019 02:04
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Checked out Great Basin NP since we cut a day short at Glacier and it wasn't out of the way back to San Diego. There's some good hikes to doif you're prepared for it since they're all like 8000 or 9000+ feet up. Also the drive there from Idaho showed me a part of Nevada I never knew about and seems pretty neat to explore. Road up to Wheeler was closed about 8 miles up due to snow, so we only got to Mather Overlook. Also did the Lehman Cave tour and its worth the extra $2 for the 90 minute tour. Just book online early because they sell our quick. It's only 20 people per tour and they do 10-13 a day.
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Jun 9, 2019 04:30
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The Aardvark posted:Checked out Great Basin NP since we cut a day short at Glacier and it wasn't out of the way back to San Diego. There's some good hikes to doif you're prepared for it since they're all like 8000 or 9000+ feet up. Also the drive there from Idaho showed me a part of Nevada I never knew about and seems pretty neat to explore. I am biased since I lived close by for while but Great Basin and Lehman are beautiful places.
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Jun 9, 2019 05:16
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charity rereg posted:About 100 miles into our thru paddle This is awesome and I'd love to see more when you're able.
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Jun 9, 2019 06:16
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charity rereg posted:About 100 miles into our thru paddle Love this.
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Jun 9, 2019 07:36
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I'm headed to Iceland next month and I'm trying to figure out my tent situation. I have a hammock but that sounds like a no go for this trip. I'm also figuring for the future, since I already have a one person sleeping situation and I'll be throwing my tent into the back of a car, that I'd just go with this: https://www.rei.com/product/129202/the-north-face-stormbreak-2-tent Does that make sense?
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Jun 9, 2019 16:25
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Having a 2 person tent is wonderful so I see no downsides, the extra space owns. Iceland effectively has no trees so yes a hammock is right out. Be aware all the tent sites I saw were a bit sketchy. Like the one at Landmannalaugar is a glacial river basin so there's rocks everywhere and it can be hard to find a spot that isn't a pit of mud. Their rain tends to be a fine mist that comes and goes several times a day so it's impossible to ever dry anything out.
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Jun 9, 2019 17:03
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huhu posted:I'm headed to Iceland next month and I'm trying to figure out my tent situation. I have a hammock but that sounds like a no go for this trip. I'm also figuring for the future, since I already have a one person sleeping situation and I'll be throwing my tent into the back of a car, that I'd just go with this: My wife and I use a Marmot Tungsten 3P for car camping. The extra space is great and it's going in a car.
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Jun 9, 2019 17:31
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My wife and I use a 6 person REI Kingdome when car camping. We've been on one too many trips where it rained for 3 days straight, and having a space where you can stand up and maybe play a game of cards is well worth it. Packs up small enough for car camping, and 2 people can put it together without an issue.
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Jun 9, 2019 18:02
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My hiking/climbing pants are getting too blown out to sew up again. I’d appreciate any suggestions that fit these criteria: - not prana zions - cinch or stretchy waist that will be comfortable under a harness - slimmer cut
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Jun 9, 2019 19:17
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Electoral Surgery posted:- not prana zions
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Jun 9, 2019 20:39
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What do you dislike about the zions? Because I kinda think they're the greatest ever.
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Jun 9, 2019 22:26
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I like Prana’s Brion pant a lot. It’s more straight leg, doesn’t have a cargo pocket and I’m pretty sure is the same material. Only thing I can’t figure out is how to get wrinkles out of the Zion fabric.
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Jun 9, 2019 22:53
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Rolo posted:I like Prana’s Brion pant a lot. It’s more straight leg, doesn’t have a cargo pocket and I’m pretty sure is the same material. I cannot comment on the wrinkles but Click here to visit gaze in wonder at Prana Zion pants with straight legs
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Jun 9, 2019 23:43
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Electoral Surgery posted:My hiking/climbing pants are getting too blown out to sew up again. I’d appreciate any suggestions that fit these criteria: Arcteryx gamma LT work well with a harness (including harness compatible pockets), and have a somewhat more athletic cut compared to a lot of hiking pants. They aren't as breathable as most of pranas pants but are substantially more water resistant (I like them a lot in snow). They are made from a thin but stretchy softshell material with a built in adjustable webbing belt. They are arcteryx, and therefore way too loving expensive at full retail price, but if you can find a deal they may be worth looking at. In terms of durability, the fabric is pretty thin but mine have held up pretty OK for ~18 months now. They are by no means super durable, though. I got one small hole that I patched in the butt from a pretty short glisade in rough/not so great snow.
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Jun 10, 2019 01:51
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Electoral Surgery posted:My hiking/climbing pants are getting too blown out to sew up again. I’d appreciate any suggestions that fit these criteria: I've been very happy with the Decathlon MH500 trousers. Comfy, low price, stretchy waste (with built in belt thing), slim cut for walking trousers. The women's ones are even better, really slim cut without compromising on comfort, my gf loves them despite being uncertain about getting walking trousers beforehand.
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Jun 10, 2019 07:48
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pointsofdata posted:I've been very happy with the Decathlon MH500 trousers. Comfy, low price, stretchy waste (with built in belt thing), slim cut for walking trousers. The women's ones are even better, really slim cut without compromising on comfort, my gf loves them despite being uncertain about getting walking trousers beforehand. Seconding these, really good for their price, though I haven't tried the women's. Man, Decathlon is a such a godsend in my area, they have so much nice stuff.
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Jun 10, 2019 16:20
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Electoral Surgery posted:My hiking/climbing pants are getting too blown out to sew up again. I’d appreciate any suggestions that fit these criteria: Outdoor Research Ferrosi pants?
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Jun 10, 2019 19:29
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What's the advantage of having specific hiking pants instead of durable, well broken in jeans?
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Jun 10, 2019 21:27
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Lord Zedd-Repulsa posted:What's the advantage of having specific hiking pants instead of durable, well broken in jeans? Assuming you're talking about cotton jeans, there are plenty of reasons. On a basic level, synthetic clothing will often be lighter, wick moisture, dry faster, possibly be water resistant, and more breathable. It's just generally more comfortable for sustained outdoor exercise, especially if you'll be sweating. More importantly for longer hikes or backpacking, cotton can be dangerous when wet and cold: https://sectionhiker.com/why-does-cotton-kill/ Edit: wool is also a good cotton alternative. incogneato fucked around with this message at 21:50 on Jun 10, 2019 |
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Jun 10, 2019 21:46
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Lord Zedd-Repulsa posted:What's the advantage of having specific hiking pants instead of durable, well broken in jeans? Safety issues aside, I wouldn't wear jeans even for a day hike purely on a comfort basis. I sweat a LOT.
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Jun 10, 2019 22:05
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Lord Zedd-Repulsa posted:What's the advantage of having specific hiking pants instead of durable, well broken in jeans? Everything? Would you run a marathon in well broken in jean shorts?
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Jun 10, 2019 22:32
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Bottom Liner posted:Everything? Would you run a marathon in well broken in jean shorts? Absolutely this. Some friends I did a 2 day cycle trip with did it in double denim for a laugh. There was so much chafing, it's a terrible idea.
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Jun 10, 2019 22:40
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Lord Zedd-Repulsa posted:What's the advantage of having specific hiking pants instead of durable, well broken in jeans? You just made me cringe. Prana brions are amazing pants and basically the only pants I wear. The only downside is that they can get cold, but it's easy enough to wear an underlayer under them. They dry very quickly.
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Jun 11, 2019 07:23
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