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FCKGW posted:Did my tour of Utah last week, thanks for the suggestions everyone, it was an amazing trip. 
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Nov 17, 2019 03:40
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Excuse me you're only allowed to post pictures from the canyon junction bridge or angel's landing!
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Nov 17, 2019 06:23
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that is canyon junction lol
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Nov 17, 2019 06:29
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But it doesn't have that one tree that kinda hangs over the water so I don't think it's actually on the bridge. So let me correct it to you can only post the same canyon junction shot that everyone else does. 
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Nov 17, 2019 06:36
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It's actually not Canyon Junction or Angel's Landing (although I did get pics from both of course) This pic is from a random turn about 1/2 mile up on the Kayenta Trail leading up to the Upper Emerald Pools. A couple of the major spots like Weeping Rock and Lower Emerald Pools were closed due to rock fall unfortunately so we sought out lesser used trails, but the park was pretty light this time of year so it was nice.
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Nov 17, 2019 07:02
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Zion turned 100 years old this week      
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Nov 20, 2019 21:28
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I went to Ape Caves near Mt St Helens last weekend. We took the upper route and I got out ahead of my group, and it turns out the cave wasn't that echoey so I didn't know they'd turned back. Then I walked for a mile and half underground, which included a lot of sections of randomly placed lava slabs and a slick 8-foot wall, which was a cool thing to lunge up. Overall a pretty good time, though I was an idiot to bring only my headlamp and not a good flashlight too. Any other accessible caves I should check out within a few hours' drive of Portland?
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Nov 20, 2019 23:09
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Vivian Darkbloom posted:I went to Ape Caves near Mt St Helens last weekend. We took the upper route and I got out ahead of my group, and it turns out the cave wasn't that echoey so I didn't know they'd turned back. Then I walked for a mile and half underground, which included a lot of sections of randomly placed lava slabs and a slick 8-foot wall, which was a cool thing to lunge up. Overall a pretty good time, though I was an idiot to bring only my headlamp and not a good flashlight too. The Lava River Cave near Bend is excellent and extremely accessible. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lava_River_Cave
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Nov 20, 2019 23:19
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There are quite a few near Bend (with the mentioned Lava River being the best known I think). Not really an easy day drive to and from Portland though. I pass a sign for the Guler Ice Caves on the way to many of our Gifford Pinchot hikes, but we haven't stopped in yet. Ape Caves are really the best known and largest/most impressive in the area, though. If you ever find yourself way down south, there's always the Oregon Caves National Monument. But it's definitely not a quick drive from Portland. incogneato fucked around with this message at 23:41 on Nov 20, 2019 |
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Nov 20, 2019 23:33
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Kaal posted:The Lava River Cave near Bend is excellent and extremely accessible. It is cool and accessible, but it also sees a lot of traffic. So if it's any kind of solitude you're after that's not the place to go.  Lava River Cave by Seth Graham, on Flickr The traffic does make taking pictures in there pretty easy though.  If you're headed down that way, a quieter option is Derrick Cave. It's partially collapsed in places so it's not full dark, but it is further from people. The road to get there is pretty rough though.
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Nov 21, 2019 00:45
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If you’re ever driving to California, Lava Beds National Monument on the CA/OR border is a fantastic stop. Little visited park due to the location, but the lava tube caves are first rate.
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Nov 21, 2019 09:38
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Seconding that, been there before and had a blast. They have a nice progression of easy to hard caves too, from well lit, wheelchair accessible paved caves to ones you have to squeeze through cracks to get into
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Nov 22, 2019 02:52
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Hi thread. The Asolo TPS 520s I've been using for the past 7 years are finally starting to fall apart. So I'm in the market for backpacking boots. I checked the boots thread but that seems to be more fashion oriented. I found a few that look promising: https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/shoes-and-boots/hiking-boots/salomon-quest-4d-3-gtx https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/shoes-and-boots/hiking-boots/lowa-renegade-gtx-mid https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DXH3651 I like all three, but having trouble deciding. Primarily, they all have a number of negative reviews that say stuff like "started coming apart after the first wet hike". I have friends who for all intents and purposes got stranded in the mountains because of catastrophic boot malfunctions like that so I'm very very weary. I'm looking for something that is durable as gently caress, immune to water and requires absolutely zero maintenance. For example, I used to spray water repellent on my Asolos and clean them after every long hike, and you know what? I don't want to have to do any of that poo poo anymore. Give me something I can wear for forever without any thinking. I want to come home from a long trip, take off my boots and not touch them again until the next trip, and have them last. Does anything like that exist on the market? And if that's a pipe dream, then what are some recommendations?
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Dec 2, 2019 22:37
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enraged_camel posted:I'm looking for something that is durable as gently caress, immune to water and requires absolutely zero maintenance. For example, I used to spray water repellent on my Asolos and clean them after every long hike, and you know what? I don't want to have to do any of that poo poo anymore. Give me something I can wear for forever without any thinking. I want to come home from a long trip, take off my boots and not touch them again until the next trip, and have them last. Does anything like that exist on the market? And if that's a pipe dream, then what are some recommendations?  Just kidding. I don't know of a boot that is impervious to water, that will last forever and that doesn't require some kind of maintenance. Rubber and leather wear out. Adhesives loosen and soles come apart. Leather dries out if not treated. Most boots nowadays use waterproof fabric membranes that wear out eventually and they lose their waterproof performance when dirty. Boots stretch, things come unstitched and eventually those membranes leak letting water in, but don't drain very well. All the boots you posted are pretty good boots in general. People love the Lowa Renegades though they seem heavy/clunky in my opinion. I've also seen a lot of people praising the Salomon boots, Asolo Fugitives, etc are usually equally as good. A lot of it comes down to fit. Go to a store and try boots on to see what fits you. Read reviews. Peoples feet get wet for a variety of reasons, usually sweat or water running town their pants/legs and into the tops of their boots. You seem like you're looking for a silver bullet when in reality, there's no such thing. Shop around, read reviews, and pick a boot. Buy from a place like REI so you can return them if they don't meet your needs and try something else. Alternative option is to embrace wet feet because virtually no boot is waterproof forever and wear wool socks + trail runners which will drain and dry quicker than leather or goretex boots while weighing substantially less, especially when wet. Always carry dry socks and dry your feet out in camp. Also, how often are you in wet conditions that waterproofness is a huge factor? I live in the PNW and wet hiking/backpacking is pretty rare for me so I ditched my goretex boots a while ago in exchange for mesh trail runners. Verman fucked around with this message at 00:15 on Dec 3, 2019 |
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Dec 3, 2019 00:12
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Years don't matter; mileage does. How did you need to perform all that care on those boots? Weren't they already goretex? Why did you need to clean them? I wore basically those boots (Asolo something, maybe the same model) ten years ago until I decided I wanted something lighter and switched to Asolo Fugitives gtx, which lasted 500-700mi per pair, which is a lot considering the rock scrambling and such in the pnw. Softer boots don't like snowshoeing as much, but they are nice throughout the rest of the year. For backpacking, make sure your boots are sturdy enough so you don't hurt your feet. I'm on mile 50ish with my new mountaineering boots and other than being slightly heavy (I need to get in better shape) and tearing at my right heel (improving), they are the most comfortable boots I've worn in years.
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Dec 3, 2019 01:33
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Cleaning footwear is important! You don't have to run them through the washer after every trip, but keeping as much dirt and grit away from the waterproof membrane helps preserve it. Every time you step, whatever grit is in there is going to wear away at that layer, which is going to weaken and eventually break the waterproofing. Surface treatments also can help keep water from reaching the waterproof layer for longer and avoid soaking out the padding but don't provide the same level of protection. Verman makes good points about the limits of what waterproofing can do as well. Of the three you listed there enraged_camel, there are also going to be significant fit differences. Solomons as a rule are going to be fairly narrow in the arch and ball unless you get a wide size, and it's my experience that doing that adds a full half-size to length in Solomon shoes so be aware of that if you're ordering online. I wear Solomons for backpacking and like them a lot. Keens run wide as a brand, and the Durand is okay but not a stand-out; lowest ranking of the three. Lowa Renegades are popular for a reason and would be a middle ground in width. If you can, go to a store and try them on, that's the only real way to tell. e: age can matter too. Adhesives wear out over time, and keeping the boots away from extremes of heat/cold (i.e. storing them inside and not in a garage) will significantly extend their life. Chard fucked around with this message at 02:35 on Dec 3, 2019 |
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Dec 3, 2019 02:32
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Not strictly relevant to that conversation and not at all a recommendation for Merrills, but boot preservation chat got me thinking about how my Merrills are literally falling apart after I spent the winter and spring slopping around in flood and mud. That’s my own fault for not taking better care of them (and for literally hiking shin deep through flooded trails). But then I did the numbers and found that I put pretty much an entire Appalachian Trail of mileage on them the last few years. That was a pretty neat thing to discover.
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Dec 3, 2019 03:22
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PhantomOfTheCopier posted:Years don't matter; mileage does. How did you need to perform all that care on those boots? Weren't they already goretex? Why did you need to clean them? To protect the outer leather from drying out, is what I was told. I do cross-country backpacking, and having to wade into ankle-deep water when crossing streams and such is pretty common (especially when the alternative is a mile-long detour). So it's super, super important for boots to not start falling apart in the middle of a multi-day trek. That never happened to me, but it did happen to a friend and he said it sucked. That's why I was taught to always apply water-repellent spray before each hike, and clean dirt and dust thoroughly afterwards. I'm just complaining because that poo poo takes time, and I'm wondering if technology has improved since I bought my Asolos 8 years ago. New materials, new manufacturing techniques, and so on. I don't think that's an unreasonable ask! Chard posted:Cleaning footwear is important! You don't have to run them through the washer after every trip, but keeping as much dirt and grit away from the waterproof membrane helps preserve it. Every time you step, whatever grit is in there is going to wear away at that layer, which is going to weaken and eventually break the waterproofing. Surface treatments also can help keep water from reaching the waterproof layer for longer and avoid soaking out the padding but don't provide the same level of protection. Verman makes good points about the limits of what waterproofing can do as well. Fair enough. I'll try the Solomons at the local REI and go from there.
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Dec 3, 2019 05:29
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enraged_camel posted:To protect the outer leather from drying out, is what I was told. Full leather uppers will need to be conditioned from time to time, which also means cleaning. If your friend's boots fell apart it could be any number of factors, but treating the materials well will help cut down on that chance that they fail. You can always lash the sole back on with some paracord if you have to 
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Dec 3, 2019 06:21
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enraged_camel posted:Hi thread. The Asolo TPS 520s I've been using for the past 7 years are finally starting to fall apart. So I'm in the market for backpacking boots. I checked the boots thread but that seems to be more fashion oriented. 1. Anything you buy may end up on the rear end end of the bathtub curve, so always bring a repair kit. I'd take the anecdotes of catastrophic failures with a grain of salt. Plenty of people have hundreds of miles on all those boots. 2. The best boot is the one that fits best. I wouldn't worry about too much beyond that 3. Goretex in hiking boots is kind of poo poo compared to goretex in e.g. jackets. It's the same material, but operating it in a foot-environment imposes a lot of unique challenges. The goretex membrane, inevitably, ends up being compromised at least a little bit in hiking boots. As such, the actual waterproofness depends critically on how repellent the upper is, and that means cleaning and waterproofing at least occasionally. With synthetic uppers, once or twice a year should be OK. I don't know anyone who re-applies nikwax or whatever after every single hike. 4. There absolutely are boots that overcome the limitations of goretex and outer materials to remain quite waterproof with minimal care while being exceptionally durable, but... https://www.scarpa.com/inverno
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Dec 3, 2019 10:06
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I'm not sure how but I somehow damaged my hiking shoe. Part of the rubber sole (?) is coming off. They're really new. I've only used them maybe <5 times, but I bought them over a year ago and don't remember where from so I can't take them back to wherever. Is there a way to fix this? Glue or a railroad tie or something? 
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Dec 22, 2019 16:25
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Pennywise the Frown posted:I'm not sure how but I somehow damaged my hiking shoe. Part of the rubber sole (?) is coming off. They're really new. I've only used them maybe <5 times, but I bought them over a year ago and don't remember where from so I can't take them back to wherever. I don't know what I'm looking at, but Shoe Goo is like magic.
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Dec 22, 2019 18:38
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Shoe goo is good stuff. If you can't find any, Gorilla Glue works just as well. I used it on my boots where some of the stitching came loose
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Dec 22, 2019 19:59
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Tigren posted:I don't know what I'm looking at, but Shoe Goo is like magic. The rubber flap is not connected to where it should be. I have Gorilla Glue so maybe I'll try that.
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Dec 23, 2019 21:37
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I've also spent a few minutes falling to parse the contents of that photo. Epoxy turns into plastic, as does rubber cement, so those might help with your clearly-not-human "shoes".
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Dec 23, 2019 22:21
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Backpacker magazine just ran a really interesting piece on a Swedish drifter who hiked the whole Continental Divide (and a whole lot of other trails) in the early 20th century. This was like 60 years before anyone officially through-hiked the CDT. I can't find the article on their awful website, but if you get your hands on the current print issue it's quite interesting.
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Dec 23, 2019 22:50
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I can't not see it correctly since I took the picture but it's just the heel of my shoe. It's zoomed in so I could show where it's pulling apart. You can see that the size of the lace is pretty big so it must be zoomed in.
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Dec 23, 2019 23:30
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Pennywise the Frown posted:The rubber flap is not connected to where it should be. Gorilla glue dries to be pretty stiff. I don't think i would use that personally. If you clean the surfaces really well and use shoe goo or a rubber cement like Barge, it might hold for a while.
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Dec 24, 2019 01:46
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Also try going to an actual cobbler, they might have some miracle glue that they typically use on shoes which might be longer lasting than most consumer stuff. I've used gorilla glue to repair a toe of a boot that I fell asleep too close to the fire ring and melted a little bit. Worked fine but dried a little stiff. Shoe goo tends to be a little more flexible.
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Dec 24, 2019 02:14
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I'm going to be in Death Valley for the first time for three nights car camping from Jan 7-10. Any must-do hikes while we're there?
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Dec 28, 2019 20:15
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I used Gorilla Glue on my shoes. Seems to be holding but I didn't realize how much that stuff expands. Whoops.
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Jan 1, 2020 02:51
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The Aardvark posted:I'm going to be in Death Valley for the first time for three nights car camping from Jan 7-10. Any must-do hikes while we're there? Telescope Peak Trail is tons of fun, but I'm going to guess it's a hassle with all the snow this time of year (I backpacked there in May) I recall Ubehebe Crater having a few small trails that were scenic and relaxing. Really, Death Valley has numerous short trails near its remarkable geologic features. It being your first visit you could probably strand together sightseeing in the car with stopping for lots of quick hikes. Of course cool winter temps enable much opportunity to wander, and Death Valley is great for that too.
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Jan 1, 2020 07:43
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Virginia folks - would an Old Rag hike in late February be a bad idea, due to icy conditions and or snow?
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Jan 2, 2020 16:12
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I am thinking about joining the quilt movement by ordering an Enlightened Equipment Revelation down quilt. As someone in East Tennessee, I have never owned anything down (due to fear of getting it wet and being told that down is for west coast, synthetic is for east cost). I know down is less weight and packs down more, but the biggest reason I want to go down is it's longevity over synthetic. Since most of my backpacking/camping experiences will be in the Smokies and on the AT, am I making a mistake by going down? I figure since I never had a sleeping bag truly get soaked (I always ensure it is waterproof in my pack and I don't sleep without a shelter) that a down quilt/bag would be ok (I would never buy a down jacket). Also I normally only do anything that is multi day trip from late April to early November at the latest. So I am thinking about going with the 30 degree version due to the lowest temperatures I will face will be 40's to high 30's. If it is suppose to gets down lower I can use my normal sleeping bag which has a 10 degree rating.
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Jan 3, 2020 14:24
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The Aardvark posted:I'm going to be in Death Valley for the first time for three nights car camping from Jan 7-10. Any must-do hikes while we're there? The Badlands Loop or variations thereof that take you around Golden Canyon, Gower Gulch and Zabriskie point is really good. Other than that, imo the best hikes in death valley are the various off-trail canyons and features that you can hike to, sometimes from a designated parking lot, often from just any rando spot on the road close enough to your approach. Kaleidoscope Canyon is probably my favorite. Funeral Canyon, Room Canyon, and Sidewinder Canyon are also favorites.
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Jan 6, 2020 05:39
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nate fisher posted:I am thinking about joining the quilt movement by ordering an Enlightened Equipment Revelation down quilt. As someone in East Tennessee, I have never owned anything down (due to fear of getting it wet and being told that down is for west coast, synthetic is for east cost). I know down is less weight and packs down more, but the biggest reason I want to go down is it's longevity over synthetic. Since most of my backpacking/camping experiences will be in the Smokies and on the AT, am I making a mistake by going down? I figure since I never had a sleeping bag truly get soaked (I always ensure it is waterproof in my pack and I don't sleep without a shelter) that a down quilt/bag would be ok (I would never buy a down jacket). Also I normally only do anything that is multi day trip from late April to early November at the latest. So I am thinking about going with the 30 degree version due to the lowest temperatures I will face will be 40's to high 30's. If it is suppose to gets down lower I can use my normal sleeping bag which has a 10 degree rating. How much of an issue down may be depends on how wet and for how long you are hiking. Plenty of people have through hiked the AT using down so it's not like it doesn't/can't work over there. You may want to consider getting a lower temperature rating than 30F. In terms of additional warmth per unit weight, adding more down to your quilt is ridiculously efficient (like 3 oz. per 10 degrees F); it's hard to overheat in a quilt and that extra temperature rating can give you some buffer from e.g. moisture buildup from condensation etc. over a longer trip. More fill also helps avoid really bad cold spots if the down clumps a bit. If you plan on doing longer trips in sustained wet conditions, maybe just get synthetic fill? It's like 4-5 oz heavier or something negligible for the temperature range you are talking about. Realistically, modern synthetic insulation is going to last you several years / thousands of miles and will degrade very gracefully, if at all. Plus, for lightly filled down quilts (like the 30F one you are considering), some degree of cold spots from clumping is pretty much inevitable in any kind of humidity/wetness. So realistically your 30F down bag is never going to be performing at 100%, so why worry about some small loss in loft over time of a 30F synthetic? Personally, I favor down over synthetic as temperature ratings drop (where the weight and volume savings really become significant), or when minimizing packed volume is at a premium. If neither of those are the case I wouldn't (personally) let durability concerns scare you away from synthetic fill. But I also wouldn't worry too much about catastrophic failures from a down quilt getting a bit damp, either.
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Jan 6, 2020 06:19
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Has anyone ever done the West coast trail on Vancouver Island? I just landed a reservation, and judging by how fast I had to book it's going to be a huge cluster gently caress of hikers.
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Jan 6, 2020 19:04
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I never went, but as far as I am aware only a set amount of people can start at either end of the trail each day.
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Jan 7, 2020 07:22
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I had a bit of an incident last weekend, and several of the people who helped me had some app they were using to track their path in/out, which I thought might be pretty useful. Are there any apps people recommend for gps trail tracking that include topos and maybe trails, although I'm mostly on climbing trails which can be poorly marked and maintained and maybe not in a general trail database. I have an Android phone and I don't care if it costs money within reason, but I'd prefer not to get a separate device and just use my phone. I had an app(Mountain Project) with a kind of lovely topo that would mark my current location/direction, but I felt like there was a lot of room for improvement.
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Jan 11, 2020 16:53
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https://caltopo.com/ should have everything you need
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Jan 11, 2020 17:03
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