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Anyone familiar with the Lilly Basin trailhead at Goat Rocks? Will my sedan make it up the road? I read a trip report that claimed ground clearance was needed, and would rather put in there than Snowgrass.
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Aug 26, 2020 16:32
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SuicidalSmurf posted:Anyone familiar with the Lilly Basin trailhead at Goat Rocks? Will my sedan make it up the road? I read a trip report that claimed ground clearance was needed, and would rather put in there than Snowgrass. The road is definitely rough but doable. It's a dirt road with potholes and stuff. There is one spot that is questionable that you might have issues with but it will depend on your vehicle and driving skills. When we did it, we were in trucks and SUVs. It's an uphill turn that looks like it got a little washed out with a perpendicular rut. An all wheel drive vehicle will work better than front or rear. Momentum helps too. The thing is, we saw a Toyota Camry up there. Not sure how but they made it and their vehicle didn't look destroyed. If I remember correctly, it's somewhat near the trailhead so you could always park and just walk the road the extra bit of distance. I'll try to look on a map and see if I can pinpoint it.
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Aug 26, 2020 17:43
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Verman posted:The road is definitely rough but doable. It's a dirt road with potholes and stuff. There is one spot that is questionable that you might have issues with but it will depend on your vehicle and driving skills. When we did it, we were in trucks and SUVs. It was probably a rental. They'll go anywhere.
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Aug 26, 2020 17:50
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I’m on the road with my motorcycle to do some camping! Tonight I’ll be at the Comanche grasslands withers Canyon trailhead, and from there will go wherever. If anyone has recommendations for day hikes let me know- distance no issue, I’ll be all over the western US for the next three weeks. Any favorite day hikes? My all-time favorite is the highline trail in Glacier, but I’ll hike anything under 25 miles if you say it’s worthwhile.
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Aug 27, 2020 16:04
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Well the western US is pretty goddamn huge so you gotta narrow it down a little bit.  If you want a fun mountain ride, CO12 between La Veta and Trinidad is a beautiful road. The north side of the pass is fun and twisty. I'm not much of an expert on Colorado hikes but I have tromped around Great Sand Dunes and Guanella Pass and both are wonderful.
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Aug 27, 2020 16:18
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xzzy posted:Well the western US is pretty goddamn huge so you gotta narrow it down a little bit. I did the picketwire trail 2 days ago- it was late, so I only got about 4 miles in before I had to turn back because it was getting dark- still did last 2 miles in the dark. Nice, easy hike with a Mexican settler graveyard and old cabin on the route. Saw a skunk, a horned toad, a billion big black ants, and a couple of tarantulas on the trail in the dark on the way back. I was the only person there- camped on the trailhead, though one person showed up at 6 am to hike. Got bummed out driving though CO because it was raining and everything is on fire. I’m going to loop back in a couple of weeks to get some good hikes in and drive CO12. Going to do Popo Angie falls trail in Shoshone NF tonight, then up into Montana.
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Aug 29, 2020 15:27
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Alamoduh posted:
There's some good poo poo in the Cloud Peak Wilderness if you want to cut east. But if you're set on going north, try the Sun River Canyon. If you can be up on Castle Reef for sunrise it's stunning. There's no established trail so bring a map. Benchmark Campground is an alternative if you want to be deeper in the mountains. http://outtherewithtom.blogspot.com/2006/04/wagner-basin-on-shoulder-season-day.html Swift Reservoir is a great access point for the Bob Marshall too. Or if you want more established out-and-back stuff, Mill Falls campground area has a handful of options listed on alltrails.
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Aug 29, 2020 15:58
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So, to anyone who's been to Goat Rocks Wilderness, any thoughts on the below itinerary for a 3 night trip? I mentioned before I'm taking my Mazda 6 to the trailhead, so in hopes of dodging any super-gnarly road conditions, I now plan to start at Berry Patch. Day 1 - Berry Patch to Goat Lake Early start to ensure parking, low mileage day at just shy of 6 miles but 2500' gain. Feel out Goat Ridge Lookout when I get to the fork in the trail. Find a campground near Goat Lake that hopefully isn't too exposed (the whole week looks like it will be mid-upper 80s). Sunset hike up to Hawkeye Point. Day 2 - Goat Lake to Ispus Basin (2 nights here) Another low mileage day, just over 5 miles. Another early start, setup camp around noon, head out to Old Snowy. Looks like an out-and-back from Ispus is about 9 miles, see how I feel after getting to top of Old Smowy and possibly follow PCT along knife ridge for a bit. Day 3 - Day hike, Ispus Basin to Nannie Peak Lots of miles this day, may be a bit overly ambitious at 11 miles RT and 2200 ft gain. Worth it, or is another nearby destination more worth my time? Day 4 - Hike out, Ispus Basin to Berry Patch via Snowgrass. Thoughts? Will I regret skipping Heart Lake? With the forecast looking hot this week, might be nice to camp closer to the lake at Heart lake to be able to swim whenever, but it adds a bit of out/back mileage. My understanding is you have to camp 200 yds from Goat Lake but the same restriction doesn't apply at Heart Lake? Recent trip reports I read make Goat Lake sound pretty exposed and potentially very chilly at night as well. Everything I've read makes Snowgrass appear to be the busiest section, I'm trying to avoid until the hike-out day 4 to dodge as much crowd as possible. SuicidalSmurf fucked around with this message at 22:59 on Aug 29, 2020 |
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Aug 29, 2020 20:03
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Did the medicine bow peak via lake trails loop yesterday. Very scenic, actually it was totally gorgeous with a great view of the lakes, mountain cliff sides, and rocks. Lots of rocks at the peak, which were giving two nuns trouble. It was lightly raining intermittently until I was almost off the trail, then it opened up, with hail and lightning and 44 degree temps. I don’t have a shell, and I have been avoiding any chance of rain, but this one caught a lot of people off guard. I feel bad for the people at the peak when it hit. Today I’m going to try to do the north slope trail and pop agile falls near lander Wyoming. Probably try to get a Yellowstone bike tomorrow.
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Aug 30, 2020 20:12
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What’s the best section of Wisconsin’s Ice Age Trail for a day hike (up to 10 miles) or an overnight (up to 20 miles)? Are there any options for trail shuttles, or places where side trails form nice loops? I live a long way away, in Ohio, but would love to add the IAT to my national scenic trail experience sometime next fall.
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Aug 30, 2020 20:19
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SuicidalSmurf posted:So, to anyone who's been to Goat Rocks Wilderness, any thoughts on the below itinerary for a 3 night trip? I mentioned before I'm taking my Mazda 6 to the trailhead, so in hopes of dodging any super-gnarly road conditions, I now plan to start at Berry Patch. Goat lake is a high alpine lake. Almost no trees, not a lot of cover. A few weeks ago it was still frozen over. There are very few campsites here, maybe 4-5 at most and they get filled up early. Goat lake is cool but you'll get a lot of people hiking though and sites might not be available. We didn't stay there but my guess is it would be cool and windy up there overnight. The section between goat lake and cispus pass was the busiest section when we went. Heart lake was empty if that matters at all but it will be out of the way for you. Given your route, heart lake would be an annoying out and back but the lake would be a nice destination. I might consider heart lake vs nanny ridge/peak but not sure if you want that out and back. Cispus basin has more sites and is definitely a place you'll want to stay. I imagine it will be busy on a weekend so you might not get an easily accessible site if you're coming in mid afternoon on a Saturday.
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Aug 30, 2020 21:19
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Verman posted:Goat lake is a high alpine lake. Almost no trees, not a lot of cover. A few weeks ago it was still frozen over. There are very few campsites here, maybe 4-5 at most and they get filled up early. Goat lake is cool but you'll get a lot of people hiking though and sites might not be available. We didn't stay there but my guess is it would be cool and windy up there overnight. Verman posted:Goat lake is a high alpine lake. Almost no trees, not a lot of cover. A few weeks ago it was still frozen over. There are very few campsites here, maybe 4-5 at most and they get filled up early. Goat lake is cool but you'll get a lot of people hiking though and sites might not be available. We didn't stay there but my guess is it would be cool and windy up there overnight. I'm heading in week from Tuesday, so hopefully I'll dodge a bit of crowds. I think I might just put in the extra miles day one and head to heart lake to setup camp, and resign myself to inefficiency. Thanks!
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Aug 30, 2020 22:38
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Did Glacier Gorge in RMNP yesterday and my body did the thing again. Slept maybe an hour at most last night. 
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Aug 31, 2020 12:58
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I got three hours of sleep after close to 30 miles and 6600 feet of climbing yesterday. I want a nap
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Sep 1, 2020 00:43
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The Rat posted:Did Glacier Gorge in RMNP yesterday and my body did the thing again. Slept maybe an hour at most last night. Have you tried setting a limit? If you're not asleep after 60min, get up and start your day. See how long you last before crashing. As long as you aren't driving a train or responsible for others' lives, does it matter if you're sleepy by 3pm?
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Sep 1, 2020 00:55
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PhantomOfTheCopier posted:Are you lying there hungry all night? Do you stretch when you get home? Rehydrate? Carb reload? Yeah, definitely stretched, ate and drank a good amount upon getting home. Thankfully my job is not critical in the sense that you describe.
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Sep 1, 2020 02:50
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I do a lot of backpacking in the mountains in southern Arizona. Last weekend I was doing a solo trip up a peak when I very nearly stepped on a rattler. It scared the poo poo out of me but the thing that really concerned me was that he didn't rattle at all. I could have very well continued walking right into him and likely been bit, and I've always assumed a rattler would shake its rattler to scare me off before it would want to bite. This has made me question how responsible it is to be doing solo trips. Googling tells me that the snakes down here are rarely lethal to hikers when they bite but I have to wonder if that's applicable when I'm 10 miles and a 5000 foot descent from any help...
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Sep 2, 2020 02:15
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Just always tell someone exactly where you're going and when you plan to be back. I'd be more worried about rolling my ankle than snakes tbh, just because it's one of those stupid things that happens sometimes.
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Sep 2, 2020 02:26
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Can you get a snake bite kit to carry with you? I think it’s pretty common in Australia to do so
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Sep 2, 2020 04:04
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Last time I looked it up the advice from the US organizations was to not gently caress with trying to suck venom out because it doesn't do anything, but instead get back to civilization and try to keep your heart rate down.
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Sep 2, 2020 04:19
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PNW goons, I’m heading up to Sky Lakes Wilderness next week for a couple of multi-day hikes. My primary objective is mushroom hunting, but from what I’m seeing online it’s been particularly dry this year, so I might not find much. Anyone know how the water sources are looking this year? Is this the year dehydration claims me?
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Sep 2, 2020 05:18
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A close encounter with a rattlesnake was what finally convinced us to buy and carry a PLB. I'm not an expert in snakes, but an Outside Magazine podcast episode scared me enough to not want to mess with that in the back country.
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Sep 2, 2020 05:21
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Any recommendations for underrated spots in the Southeast? I want to do some 2/3-night backpacking trips this fall and would like to get outside of my usual routine in the north georgia mountains. I mention "underrated" just because I want to get away from people and assume I could find the highly rated ones on AllTrails or Google.
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Sep 2, 2020 23:03
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Fitzy Fitz posted:Any recommendations for underrated spots in the Southeast? I want to do some 2/3-night backpacking trips this fall and would like to get outside of my usual routine in the north georgia mountains. I mention "underrated" just because I want to get away from people and assume I could find the highly rated ones on AllTrails or Google. The foothills trail in Northern SC going into GA. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foothills_Trail We built a reroute of the Bartram Trail for I'm not sure which ranger district for Nantahala NF in 2012 or 2015 or something so I'm always partial to that http://ncbartramtrail.org/. https://smokymountainnews.com/archi...ce-hiking-trail That was the reroute we did, I think we did 3.5 miles and had limited corridor flexibility but last time I was on there the 200 whatever stone steps we put in at hickory knoll rd were still in good shape and the trail still looked good.
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Sep 3, 2020 02:25
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For my stag-do last year a dozen friends and I walked half of the West Highland Way https://www.westhighlandway.org/ which was really awesome. We stayed in really affordable, comfortable, clean guest houses and ate really well in these tucked away gems in the Scottish highlands. Would highly recommend! Next up I want to complete the Southwest Coast Path, attempting to do 1 or 2 legs a year. I want to do it in a modicum of luxury again, staying in guest houses as opposed to camping, and eating out at night rather than cooking on a campfire. Just don't have the spirit for the pure outdoors lol.
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Sep 3, 2020 12:39
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This is not hiking obviously, but what are some cabin rental options outside of airbnb and state parks? VRBO? I want to book at least a couple of cabins (or yurts, etc.) this fall for weekends that I want to be out regardless of the weather. Again, trying to avoid places with people.thatguy posted:The foothills trail in Northern SC going into GA. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foothills_Trail Love that area. I've been on a good portion of the Bartram Trail on the GA side of the Chattooga but haven't seen as much of the SC side. I'll look into the Foothill Trail. Fitzy Fitz fucked around with this message at 15:07 on Sep 4, 2020 |
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Sep 4, 2020 15:04
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So I’m finally going to Idyllwild in a couple weeks for an isolated staycation, going to try and climb Mt. San Jacinto from there. Biggest climb I’ve ever been on was from sea level to about 7000’ with no ill effects. I’m planning on waiting a couple days there(about 5000’) before climbing, but for someone who’s never gone near 10,000 feet before how much misery should I expect up there with altitude issues? I’m gonna go get some great pictures real soon hopefully.
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Sep 4, 2020 20:14
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Rob Rockley posted:So I’m finally going to Idyllwild in a couple weeks for an isolated staycation, going to try and climb Mt. San Jacinto from there. Biggest climb I’ve ever been on was from sea level to about 7000’ with no ill effects. I’m planning on waiting a couple days there(about 5000’) before climbing, but for someone who’s never gone near 10,000 feet before how much misery should I expect up there with altitude issues? I live at 5,000 feet but if I camp above 10k, I often get a headache in the night. I now just try to take 2 ibuprofen immediately before bed to head this off. Other than that, the best thing about hiking at altitude is that you can say "Oh boy, this altitude huh? Really hitting me hard" as an excuse whenever you get winded.
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Sep 4, 2020 20:33
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Rob Rockley posted:So I’m finally going to Idyllwild in a couple weeks for an isolated staycation, going to try and climb Mt. San Jacinto from there. Biggest climb I’ve ever been on was from sea level to about 7000’ with no ill effects. I’m planning on waiting a couple days there(about 5000’) before climbing, but for someone who’s never gone near 10,000 feet before how much misery should I expect up there with altitude issues? Its all unique to the person (some aren't nearly as affected) and how quickly you go up. Living at sea level, I feel some slight breathing difficulty when exercising/hiking between 5-7k. I start getting noticeably affected around 8-9k with heavier breathing. Anything 10+ I get much more difficult breathing, sleep worse, headaches, loss of appetite. Time helps. Going slow to acclimate will help. I experienced most of my altitude sickness in Colorado simply due to the extreme height of the Rockies and flying in from Chicago. Trails that start between 8-10k can be miserable for someone coming from sea level the same day. I'm usually good by the third day at altitude. I would say if you're going to spend some time at 5k to acclimate, go for a run or try to exercise and get your heart beating and blood flowing at altitude. You may not even feel any effects at 5k just waking around but you might really notice it trying to exercise. And then there's my friend who I occasionally hike with who lives in Chicago, doesn't exercise, is tall and lanky, and doesnt really get affected by altitude at all until 10-12k.
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Sep 4, 2020 20:48
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Rob Rockley posted:So I’m finally going to Idyllwild in a couple weeks for an isolated staycation, going to try and climb Mt. San Jacinto from there. Biggest climb I’ve ever been on was from sea level to about 7000’ with no ill effects. I’m planning on waiting a couple days there(about 5000’) before climbing, but for someone who’s never gone near 10,000 feet before how much misery should I expect up there with altitude issues? It’s highly variable person to person. 10,000’ after only a couple of days at 5000’ might be rough, it might not. I live at sea level, and do most of my hiking at low elevations. My wife’s family has a cabin near Lake Tahoe at around 6100’. I have no issues going there directly from sea level. I’ve gone up to 9200’ the day after arriving at there. My only issue was that the hike seemed like extra effort. No headaches or anything, just felt hard. Another time I went to a meeting in CO, and went from sea level to staying at 8400’. In that case walking uphill from the conference site to my hotel was noticeably difficult, and I had mild headaches for a day or two. After 5 days, I did a couple of 14ers, and only noticed the altitude once I got up around 12k, again in that case it only felt harder than usual.
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Sep 5, 2020 00:01
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Rob Rockley posted:So I’m finally going to Idyllwild in a couple weeks for an isolated staycation, going to try and climb Mt. San Jacinto from there. Biggest climb I’ve ever been on was from sea level to about 7000’ with no ill effects. I’m planning on waiting a couple days there(about 5000’) before climbing, but for someone who’s never gone near 10,000 feet before how much misery should I expect up there with altitude issues? Besides going a little slower, you'll likely have a bit of a headache and a loss of appetite. Big thing will be forcing yourself to still eat since you won't feel like fueling yourself as much as you normally are. I find liquid calories and gels and that sort of quick food is a lot easier to get down at altitude since it doesn't feel like as much work, you just throw it in your mouth and swallow.
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Sep 5, 2020 01:08
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Thanks for the advice, I'll just make sure to bring some advil and plenty of water and easily digestible food. Wife and I are in pretty good shape and it's not all that much worse than hikes we've been on (El Cajon Mountain trail being the absolute worst so far, think I posted about that one way earlier here). Just gonna wait a couple days before taking it on after getting there and pace ourselves. I'd absolutely kill to do Whitney or the whole PCT in a couple years from now but that's... for later.
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Sep 5, 2020 02:51
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Pham Nuwen posted:I live at 5,000 feet but if I camp above 10k, I often get a headache in the night. I now just try to take 2 ibuprofen immediately before bed to head this off. Being from Houston, this hits me at 100’. Hiked the Zion narrows today. I went up as far as camp 1 and turned back to make time. In my hubris I did not bring a stick. I needed a stick bad. Luckily I found a wizard staff laying around that no wizard was using. Also, it’s like skating on buttered bowling balls. I have never had so many weird foot pains and scrapes and whatever and I’ll probably die from Cyanobacteria, but I have now hiked the Zion narrows.
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Sep 5, 2020 03:47
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 This was last night, going ultralight tonight with the Six Moon stuff. Wish me luck. Stuffed camp and cooking gear into a 22 liter pack with room to spare. Clayton Bigsby fucked around with this message at 13:55 on Sep 5, 2020 |
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Sep 5, 2020 13:53
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Sep 5, 2020 17:32
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how are the mosquitos in that picturesque spot?
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Sep 5, 2020 19:06
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Bilirubin posted:how are the mosquitos in that picturesque spot? Not a lot this late in the season. But enough that I am using a mesh inner. Cooked some food on the wood stove which helped keep them away too. 
Clayton Bigsby fucked around with this message at 19:31 on Sep 5, 2020 |
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Sep 5, 2020 19:28
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Not exactly 200 feet from the water there.
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Sep 5, 2020 19:49
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withak posted:Not exactly 200 feet from the water there. Had to google that, seems like a US thing? In Sweden and can’t recall any similar recommendations.
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Sep 5, 2020 20:04
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I don’t know how this happened but I won the lottery for the half dome cables at Yosemite for Tuesday. Do I need to do anything special to prepare or bring anything unusual? I’m super hyped. Weather looks like it will be completely clear.
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Sep 6, 2020 23:16
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