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Grinnell Glacier is probably my favorite day hike I've ever done. But I've only spent a few days in GNP myself so am not much of an authority on the full menu of options the park offers.
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Oct 9, 2019 17:00
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I got exhausted on a hike in Glacier and threw up all over the shuttle bus, so try not to do that
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Oct 9, 2019 17:11
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xzzy posted:Grinnell Glacier is probably my favorite day hike I've ever done. Same here. Highline trail is pretty awesome as well. Just make sure to get to the Logan Pass parking lot early (by 9am at the latest) or it will be full.
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Oct 9, 2019 23:39
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Concur with the highline pass it’s a nice walk in the park.
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Oct 10, 2019 00:03
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Thanks for the recommendations. I also heard from someone that the Belly River is a good hike. Time to start pouring over maps and doing research for an itinerary that hits all these spots!
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Oct 10, 2019 13:52
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BaseballPCHiker posted:Thanks for the recommendations. I also heard from someone that the Belly River is a good hike. If you aren’t familiar, try the AllTrails app. It’s awesome for finding, reviewing and planning hikes based on the area and other filters you can use. I use it all the time to find good trails when work takes me to places I’ve never been.
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Oct 10, 2019 14:12
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And if you're going somewhere that alltrails doesn't have good coverage of, try openstreetmaps. People are religious about marking down established trails in that service. Probably won't have that issue in glacier, so this is just general life advice.  It's available as a base layer in caltopo which is probably the easiest way to work with it.
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Oct 10, 2019 14:37
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I have an old school rectangular sleeping bag with a cotton liner that needs to be washed. Most sites have instructions specific to down or synthetic modern mummy type bags. Are there any special considerations for washing a bag like this? I worry because I washed a comforter not long ago and it hosed up the filling and caused it all to lump together. I have a front load washer, which I see is recommended for mummy bags.
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Oct 10, 2019 14:37
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Washing is probably just a normal gentle cycle. Can you contact the manufacturer? I've never had to do it myself, but I've seen it recommended to dry (down) sleeping bags with a couple of clean new tennis balls to avoid clumping. They bounce around in there and bash up the clumps before they get too big.
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Oct 10, 2019 14:44
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me your dad posted:I have an old school rectangular sleeping bag with a cotton liner that needs to be washed. Most sites have instructions specific to down or synthetic modern mummy type bags. A good way to keep cotton from doing that is to dry it with a couple tennis balls or something similar that is dryer safe. I use an old ruined shirt that I tied a bunch of knots in as tight as I could to make it stiff and lumpy. Fluffs the cotton as it dries so it doesn’t clump up or stay damp for several cycles. Edit: ^^^ tennis ball boys 
Rolo fucked around with this message at 14:47 on Oct 10, 2019 |
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Oct 10, 2019 14:45
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Thanks - reaching out to the manufacturer is a good idea, and I'll have to locate some tennis balls 
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Oct 10, 2019 14:56
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Tennis balls are good for rolling out sore muscles too so it's always handy to have a few around the house!
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Oct 10, 2019 15:29
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I use wool dryer balls. They are made of wool and do the same thing. They really help break up the clumps. They also seem to cut down on static really well too. Wool Dryer Ballz
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Oct 10, 2019 17:23
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I wound up hopping on my bike and I rode up to my neighborhood park which has tennis courts. Three minutes in the woods netted three nearly-new tennis balls and now the sleeping bag is drying and looking and feeling and smelling great. Thanks for all the tips! This bag is going to be my daughter's so I'm happy it's nice and clean.
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Oct 10, 2019 22:44
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I appreciate that you went to the park to pilfer from nature instead of just going to the store.
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Oct 11, 2019 00:02
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Hey thread, I am interested in a night hike to catch a sunrise from the summit of Mt. Baldy (Mt. San Antonio) just north of LA. I have been there twice now, both in the daytime, so the terrain would be familiar. But because I have only hiked for ~1 hour in the dark, I wonder if a longer hike would be significantly different. I would pick a full moon night, so it is not completely dark, and I would have a headlamp (+ backup + spare batteries). How do I make sure I don't get a Darwin award for going on this trip?
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Oct 19, 2019 01:58
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Go on clearly marked trails, maybe one you've done before. A gps always handy. During my first night hike, we were in the enchantments and it was a full moon. I didn't really need my lamp but I turned it on red to keep my night vision. Pack layers because you will get cold when you stop moving and the sun goes down.
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Oct 19, 2019 03:08
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Verman posted:Go on clearly marked trails, maybe one you've done before. A gps always handy. During my first night hike, we were in the enchantments and it was a full moon. I didn't really need my lamp but I turned it on red to keep my night vision. Pack layers because you will get cold when you stop moving and the sun goes down. Yeah, the trail would be the same one I have used on my two previous trips. How worried should I be about mountain lions?
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Oct 19, 2019 03:48
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theHUNGERian posted:Yeah, the trail would be the same one I have used on my two previous trips. How worried should I be about mountain lions? Not at all worried, they're more elusive than bears. People that want to find them will spend a lifetime and not see one. But you'll still worry because being a human alone at night always gets that paranoia center of the brain cranked up. Night hiking with the moon near full helps too, it's amazing how well it illuminates once your eyes adjust to dark.
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Oct 19, 2019 07:16
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Are you planning to go solo? I definitely freaked myself out being the last person in our group of three knowing I wouldn't likely hear or see anything until it was on top of me. We just kept talking, multiple voices. Lights probably help too but also kind of kill the point of night hiking. If they're a big deal in your area, maybe hike up in the evening while still light out, hang out all night then just wake up early
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Oct 19, 2019 07:17
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This would be a solo trip. I am comfortable in the dark as I've spent the last 10 years doing astrophotography (solo, most of the time) from remote locations.
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Oct 19, 2019 16:02
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I enjoy hiking in the early morning knowing that if something goes awry the sun will be up in the next few hours. (And if the sun doesn't come up we have a party and deal with the bigger issues later.) I think I've only once headlamped a trail that I hadn't previously done in the day. A few times in the rain. Very zen. Makes the trail go by quickly when you're focused on placing your feet. If you have little moments of fright start whistling or clapping or talking to yourself. Unless you're in some man-eating grizzly zone, the crepusculars will likely leave you alone. Depending on the trail, you may accidentally wake up some mammal sleeping nearby. I usually keep up the low murmur of talking so they know where I am and can troddle off to a safer bed. I always tell them I'm sorry.  The worst I had was one hour up the trail (2hr more to sunrise) where it approached the river and ran alongside for the next couple miles. Later it was lots of little creek crossings. I realized that nothing would hear me coming and vice versa and we'd probably bump into each other. I started whooping every 30sec, alternating high and low pitches. Seemed to work. ps. I was supposed to overnight but cancelled because of a mild cold that started last night, did my want to expose my friend to it (and we're looking at 35F overnight and 0.1--1" rain hereabouts in the next 24hr). Seems like the right choice to not start a hike with a cold. Anyone get sick during multi-day trips and successfully just deal with it?
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Oct 19, 2019 16:39
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There's no point in worrying about the pumas. If one decides it's hungry enough to eat you, there's not a whole lot you can do to prevent getting eaten. Just make sure you tell people where/when you'll be going and when you'll be back so they know when to file a missing persons report.
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Oct 19, 2019 16:42
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Carry an unpinned grenade at all times.
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Oct 19, 2019 16:51
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Rolo posted:Carry an unpinned grenade at all times. 
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Oct 19, 2019 17:01
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Is there any stories of bear spray on cats? I assume it surprises them too, it just depends whether it convinces them to gently caress off or activates mega murder mode. Though I wouldn't be surprised if interactions are do rare there's no data points.
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Oct 19, 2019 18:59
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xzzy posted:Is there any stories of bear spray on cats? I assume it surprises them too, it just depends whether it convinces them to gently caress off or activates mega murder mode. You don't really have a chance for bear spray with mountain lions. They don't exactly ask politely if they can eat you.
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Oct 19, 2019 19:15
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I understand that, but that wasn't my question. There's signs all over the black hills about what to do if you encounter one. It's pretty useless.. make yourself big, don't crouch down at all. Maybe throw a rock at them (that you can't crouch down to pick up).
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Oct 19, 2019 23:29
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I'm sure mountain lions are irritated by pepper just like any other mammal, but since they tend to ambush from hiding it's a moot point.
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Oct 20, 2019 00:00
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xzzy posted:I understand that, but that wasn't my question. You are supposed to carry rocks with you, in hammerspace.
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Oct 20, 2019 00:01
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Hiked a nice trail in the Hiawatha National Forest today.    Probably the last weekend with leaves on the trees.
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Oct 20, 2019 01:44
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PhantomOfTheCopier posted:Anyone get sick during multi-day trips and successfully just deal with it? Me, minus the dealing with it. It convinced me I'll never do multi day trips solo.. We had a 3 night trip planned.. I got to enjoy a 6 hour drive, followed by a 3 hour paddle, and setting up most of the camp myself while other people fished because that's the one thing in life I hate procrastinating on. I decide to reward myself with a beer and go for a swim. About 10 min in, I'm short of breath and just feel loving terrible. Maybe the old wives tales are true? Pain gets worse and worse. Try puking it out, try making GBS threads it out and get my taint and rear end destroyed by mosquitos, but I don't even feel it. An hour later I'm face down on the beach and I'm fairly certain that I'm dying. Took about 5 hours to get to a hospital with the help of two other people. Could have been a lot longer had it not happened the first day. I now always carry percocets and prescription grade NSAIDs, and we've started renting sat phones for our 4+ day trips. It was a kidney stone Math You fucked around with this message at 12:12 on Oct 20, 2019 |
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Oct 20, 2019 12:03
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PhantomOfTheCopier posted:Anyone get sick during multi-day trips and successfully just deal with it? Depends on what you mean by "deal with it". It's usually pretty miserable. Best case, it's not so bad but I'm slower and shittier than I usually would be and the plan has to be pared down as a result. Plus, what might have been 2-3 day illness can turn into a 2 week ordeal since long hard days in the mountains with lovely food and cold weather isn't exactly a great way to give your immune system a head start. I think, overall, if its a mild illness and I don't fee like aborting, it's OK as long as its not too difficult or too committing of an itinerary. But its a solid rule of thumb that any illness is going to affect you more than you think it will, and that it will get worse.
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Oct 20, 2019 20:26
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Morbus posted:Plus, what might have been 2-3 day illness can turn into a 2 week ordeal since long hard days in the mountains with lovely food and cold weather isn't exactly a great way to give your immune system a head start. I agree with this. Especially the part about the conditions not being ideal for helping your immune system. If you're getting sick, cold weather, being outside constantly, physical activity and lovely food probably won't help. I've been pretty fortunate with being healthy. It's all relative though. You can day hike through a cold, camp for the weekend with the sniffles etc. But going on a deep backcountry trip with something that could worsen like the flu or bronchitis is beyond just being uncomfortable, you start getting dangerous. If you plan for 60 miles over 5 days then go down with the flu halfway, now your trip could take a lot longer and you're a long way from the trail head with zero energy. I was supposed to climb Adams again a few weeks back and the weather luckily cancelled those plans for us (single digits during the day). I ended up getting a sore throat on Thursday (didn't think much of it) and it was a full blown immobilizing flu by Saturday. We were supposed to leave on Friday I've had a deep chest cough for the last few weeks. I definitely wouldn't have been able to summit and I wondered if I would have even been able to hike out. Very happy we got an early cold front and cancelled the trip. I truly love the outdoors but if I'm sick, I would much rather be on my sofa or in bed. The mountains aren't going anywhere. There will always be other times.
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Oct 20, 2019 21:58
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Yeah I made the right choice. No energy Saturday and half today. I probably could have made it with a bunch of caffeine and sugar and painkillers, so the 35F rainy weather wasn't turning me off; still worried me a bit. What finally convinced me was drinking nearly a gallon of water Friday night and waking up at 3am with crampy legs and 3oz of yellow outbound. I didn't want to be sneezing all over the hiking buddy nor giving up 1mi down the trail after a two hour drive.Verman posted:The mountains aren't going anywhere. There will always be other times. 
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Oct 21, 2019 01:14
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Verman posted:The mountains aren't going anywhere. But seriously, hiking and camping while sick is very not fun. Sounds like you made the right choice.
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Oct 21, 2019 01:33
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So work is taking me to Moab next week and I’m stoked because I’ve never been. I’m going to have 3 full days to mess around and I’m probably going to spend 2 of them hiking. I’m digging through AllTrails but I thought I’d ask for recommendations here too. I can do moderate-hard trails up to 15 miles, I bring plenty of supplies, but I can’t stand giant busloads of midwestern tourists with no trail etiquette. I’m much happier with just a pretty view and lower foot traffic, so I’m looking for a longer hike than someone in jeans and a Packers cheese hat can do. This is all assuming Moab is a popular place this time of year, I’m really not sure, but hiking in places like Grand Teton isn’t even worth it after the shuttles and ferries started dumping large groups into random places.
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Oct 21, 2019 15:17
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My mom went through Moab 2 weeks ago and she said she hated it.. the crowds were absurd. Arches in particular was an endless traffic jam. But I don't know when/if the offseason starts there, so maybe this information is irrelevant now!
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Oct 21, 2019 15:38
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I found Canyonlands to be a better alternative to Arches during my stay in Moab.
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Oct 21, 2019 15:44
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We went in January/February, so obviously less people. However, even then Arches was pretty busy. Canyonlands was far, far less crowded and honestly much more beautiful in my opinion. Island in the Sky was amazing, and had some people but not bad (it's more sightseeing than long hikes, but it's an easy stop). Needles was a fantastic hike and we saw literally not a single other person. No idea what it's like in October, but it's got to be better than Arches.
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Oct 21, 2019 23:40
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