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xzzy posted:Well so far Rose Lake Cliffs is the top contender for the BWCA so thanks BaseballPCHiker for turning me on to that. It's a 12 mile round trip and needs an overnight permit. And a 10 hour drive. Rock Island and Newport are great night sky spots A+ would recommend
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May 31, 2021 21:24
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xzzy posted:The UP probably has some places to shoot too, but it has the same dense forests as Minnesota so it's gonna need local knowledge to know where to go. Astrophotography dude in the UP here. I might be able to point you to a few spots. First off I'd look at Au Sable Lighthouse in the Pictured Rocks national lakeshore. It's a super easy 1.5 mile hike. Bortle 1, 1.2 ucd/m2 of artifical light. Nearest town is Grand Marais. The area around the lighthouse is fairly well cleared so you'd absolutely be able to get either the lighthouse or the fog house in the foreground. Whitefish point is another location, but Sault Ste. Marie is off to the east and you may get some skyglow. There is another lighthouse at the tip of Grand Island but it is privately owned and they get very ornery if you show up to take a look. Next would be Chapel Rock or Chapel Beach. This will absolutely have more trees, but is a pretty unique spot. About a 3 mile hike in, very easy. Bay Furnace in Christmas has a decent opening, but it might be too closed up for a north access. Going further west brings you to Marquette (Bortle 6) but you can get to some great lakeshore just north of town. The problem is most of it will be facing the wrong way. Further on you get to Copper Harbor which allows great lake access and camping at Fort Wilkins. Fort Wilkins is fairly wide open and could also make for some cool backdrops. I shot the comet last summer there.   This is Au Sable looking west. Yooper fucked around with this message at 22:00 on May 31, 2021 |
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May 31, 2021 21:57
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xzzy posted:Well so far Rose Lake Cliffs is the top contender for the BWCA so thanks BaseballPCHiker for turning me on to that. It's a 12 mile round trip and needs an overnight permit. And a 10 hour drive. Just a bit of warning on that hike. Its a tough one. You'll be going up and down hill pretty much the whole time. This is a really fun thought exercise so I'll keep thinking of other areas.
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May 31, 2021 23:25
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BaseballPCHiker posted:Just a bit of warning on that hike. Its a tough one. I found a trip report on summitpost about it and whoever wrote it kept whining about it which I found funny for a site dedicated to peak bagging. The trail looks to have 7-ish payoff vistas though which is pretty good for this part of the world.
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Jun 1, 2021 00:17
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xzzy posted:I found a trip report on summitpost about it and whoever wrote it kept whining about it which I found funny for a site dedicated to peak bagging. The trail looks to have 7-ish payoff vistas though which is pretty good for this part of the world. Yeah its incredible, I love that trail. Its just WAY tougher than people are expecting. The last time I hiked it I kept checking my distance thinking surely I had to be 2-3 miles further than I was haha. A lot of it is just that its not as well maintained as the SHT, being more remote and rugged. But the views looking north into Canada are truly incredible. They'd be just about perfect for the shots you are going after. You could also go down to some of the lake sites and get shots from there looking across the lakes and trees.
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Jun 1, 2021 00:23
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Yooper posted:First off I'd look at Au Sable Lighthouse in the Pictured Rocks national lakeshore. This is a pretty great option because it's in a huge clearing, so I'll add it to the list of potentials! The shipwrecks near there are probably fun to visit too, I just default to natural scenes so didn't even think of looking for good structures.
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Jun 1, 2021 03:23
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I’m looking for hiking / trail walking boots or shoes. Looking for water proof because I go through muddy areas a lot. Or I suppose something that dries super quickly. Any hot goon recommendations? The OP is nearly a decade old.
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Jun 1, 2021 18:00
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Ornery and Hornery posted:I’m looking for hiking / trail walking boots or shoes. What type of trails? If its just muddy stuff in state parks, id say a pair of trail runners are your best bet. For backpacking or stuff in more treacherous ground, I fall on the side of proper hiking boots being the best option. Trail runners dry out way faster than boots, and anything "waterproof" often isn't, and also just makes your feet sweat like hell.
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Jun 1, 2021 18:18
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Trail runners for all hiking. They have some with plates for more rugged terrain. Saucony fit my feet best and have a lot of styles. If you're in warm weather and don't have ankle issues, I really like hiking sandals. I have some Merrell's and Xero's that strap front and back that are really comfortable and the best for wet hikes. Bottom Liner fucked around with this message at 20:24 on Jun 1, 2021 |
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Jun 1, 2021 20:20
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I tried the Saucony Peregrine 11 and they were really nice but just too narrow for me. I picked up the Altra Lonepeak 5 last week during REI's sale and they're wonderful if you like the wide toe box and no heel drop. There's no arch support either if you need that. I've noticed I can overpronate in these if I'm not paying attention.
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Jun 1, 2021 21:14
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Trail runners in whatever fits your foot shape best. For me that's Cascadias. The problem with waterproof is that it will stay dry for a bit, but then some water gets in - intrusion from rain or a mud puddle that's just too deep - and then they're wet until you get to a boot dryer, pretty much
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Jun 1, 2021 21:37
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FogHelmut posted:I tried the Saucony Peregrine 11 and they were really nice but just too narrow for me. I picked up the Altra Lonepeak 5 last week during REI's sale and they're wonderful if you like the wide toe box and no heel drop. There's no arch support either if you need that. I've noticed I can overpronate in these if I'm not paying attention. I really like Altra's toebox but the ones I tried (I want to say Lonepeak 4s) had very little grip, especially on wet rocks. Have you had that problem?
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Jun 1, 2021 21:41
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Hey thread. I believe I had a tick attached to me. But it appears to be dead. Seems like a dried out husk, and it looks like it's legs snapped off like i've seen happen with other dead bugs and it hasn't moved at all in over an hour. It has the orange and black coloring of a female deer tick. About the size of a flee. Is my blood so toxic that I killed it? Or more likely it climbed on my friends dog first, received a lethal dose of tick treatment and in it's death throes, attached to me?
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Jun 1, 2021 21:45
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th3t00t posted:Hey thread. I believe I had a tick attached to me. But it appears to be dead. Seems like a dried out husk, and it looks like it's legs snapped off like i've seen happen with other dead bugs and it hasn't moved at all in over an hour. It has the orange and black coloring of a female deer tick. About the size of a flee. congrats on having acid blood like a xenomorph
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Jun 1, 2021 21:55
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Ornery and Hornery posted:I’m looking for hiking / trail walking boots or shoes. What is your typical terrain? Steep? Cold/snow? Rocky? How are you ankles? Are they prone to rolling or injury and need extra support? In most cases I'll always recommend trail runners with a rock plate for most things, non waterproof. Saucony Peregrines, Brooks Cascadias, Altra Lone Peaks, or any other flavor of non-waterproof shoes. They grip really well while being significantly lighter than boots giving you more agility and less tired legs at the end of the day. They also stay drier as your feet sweat, or if they get wet. As others beat me to saying, waterproof is a nice idea but it rarely works the way we want it to and when it fails its almost worse than having non waterproof shoes that dry out quicker. Footwear that keeps water out is also really good at keeping water in. If you dunk your foot or rain seeps through your pants/socks and into your boot, its going to act like a bath tup and refuse to drain or dry out. This also makes them heavier. Other shoes are meant to drain water and allow air to pass though meaning you can just keep going. If you truly want waterproof boots (there are definitely times for them like ultra mucky trails, mountaineering, hunting, extremely rough terrain etc) you will want something relatively tall which goes over your ankle. Most mid-height boots (something like a merrell moab) barely go over the ankle and its really easy to get water/debris in over the top of the lowest point of the membrane, usually where the tongue meets the ankle. Taller boots will help with that. If I'm going with waterproof, I prefer goretex. The taller ankle is also likely to give you more ankle support where most mid height boots don't.. Another layer of protection against wet boots is gaiters which close the gap from your leg to covering your boot which is where your boots are likely to get wet. There are a million boots out there and depending on your needs, I suggest trying things on in person. I really liked the last La Sportiva Nucleo boots, they were light and felt like a glove on my foot but were too flexible for my needs of a boot. I ended up going with a Salomon Quest 4 GTX. They're great so far but I haven't used them very much. Also, no matter what you go with, I highly suggest wool socks. They breathe really well, wick moisture the best and don't stink nearly as bad as synthetics at the end of a long day. Even if/when my feet get soaked, they don't feel nearly as wet as other socks i've used. Darn Tough all the way. Also, I was supposed to go buy new trail runners this weekend and was too busy with prepping the new house for paint. Missed out on the REI sale 
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Jun 1, 2021 22:31
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Bottom Liner posted:I really like Altra's toebox but the ones I tried (I want to say Lonepeak 4s) had very little grip, especially on wet rocks. Have you had that problem? I live in SoCal, so I haven't been anywhere wet to try it out, unfortunately.
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Jun 1, 2021 22:44
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Ornery and Hornery posted:I’m looking for hiking / trail walking boots or shoes. I use trail runners / approach shoes for most hiking & backpacking, but I'm gonna go ahead and say that -If you're hiking in very muddy, boggy, marshy, or otherwise wet conditions -If stream crossings at a depth above the ankle aren't a recurrent issue -If you are hiking just for a day or maybe an overnight trip -The weather isn't that warm Then a high-ankled waterproof hiking boot may be a better option than trail runners. Waterproof boots work pretty well as long as water isn't getting through the top. If you can reasonably avoid dunking them in water near their flood height, and if you aren't using them for multiple days in a row (where it is practically guaranteed that something will happen to get them wet), and especially if you can dry them in a home/car in between days of hiking, they'll definitely keep your feet drier than trail runners. Another thing to consider is how feasible drying trail runners will be. If you are marching through a muddy bog all day in cold, humid, or wet weather, obviously trail runners aren't going to magically become dry at some point. Waterproof boots worked pretty well for me on day trips in Scotland or the UK when I lived there. So did trail runners--but the former definitely kept my feet drier and cleaner. In the CA Sierra Nevada and US mountain west in general, where I spend most of my time, I find waterproof boots to be a hassle, since they aren't any good for stream crossings, it's warm enough sometimes that waterproof boots just get soaked from sweat, and trail runners dry fast in summer conditions out here.
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Jun 2, 2021 01:05
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I'm a bigger guy, so a misstep means more weight going wrong on my ankle, so I like the security of having a good hiking boot on. Also for those mucky trails, they will not keep your feet dry, but they do often keep the worst of the mud and grime from getting to your socks, which is nice.
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Jun 2, 2021 15:15
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I feel like the trail runner advice works way better in the dry mountain west too. I still use them in the midwest but not exclusively. There are times and trips I end up bringing my old school leather Danner boots too.
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Jun 2, 2021 16:35
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In the Southern Appalachians where it can be rainy, trail running shoes have taken over here too (for 3 seasons of the year at least). Altras are everywhere. I just wished my legs liked zero drop shoes. After reading some reviews of the new Brooks Cascadia 16 coming out in August (new midsole and outsole) I might be picking up a pair for hiking (I like that color-way too for some reason). https://www.roadtrailrun.com/2021/05/brooks-cascadia-16-multi-tester-review.html?m=0 Also I have been hearing good things about the VJ (a brand I never heard of until recently) Ultra as being the best grip trail shoe on the market. https://vjshoesusa.com/products/ultra
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Jun 2, 2021 17:15
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BaseballPCHiker posted:I feel like the trail runner advice works way better in the dry mountain west too. Eh, I think this is really true anywhere. I'm in the PNW, and I use either hiking sandals or waterproof Danner or Timberlands depending on conditions. I think trail runners or boots are good if you are only going to have ONE trail shoe: just choose based on what you mostly do. But really, I think most folks who are really outdoorsy end up with multiple types of shoes depending on what they are doing.
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Jun 3, 2021 04:49
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th3t00t posted:Hey thread. I believe I had a tick attached to me. But it appears to be dead. Seems like a dried out husk, and it looks like it's legs snapped off like i've seen happen with other dead bugs and it hasn't moved at all in over an hour. It has the orange and black coloring of a female deer tick. About the size of a flee. Are you sure it was dead? I've had ticks slightly bigger than flees and they seem dead until you provoke them with something like acetone or heat. No visible legs because they are generally inside you. Halloween Liker fucked around with this message at 09:53 on Jun 3, 2021 |
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Jun 3, 2021 09:50
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Okay. So. We're going backpacking tomorrow. She's very experienced, so I'm in good hands. How do I not be afraid of bears, particularly at night
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Jun 4, 2021 06:00
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Bloody posted:Okay. So. We're going backpacking tomorrow. She's very experienced, so I'm in good hands. where are you going? make sure all your smellables (food, deodorant, toothpaste, sunscreen, etc) are safely stowed, whatever that means for your area. this might mean a campsite bear box, or bear canister, or hanging a bear bag (check the region for requirements). cook and eat away from where you'll be sleeping if possible. it sounds like there will be two of you so just making noise from conversation will help.
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Jun 4, 2021 06:09
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Olympic peninsula in Washington, just barely outside of the park boundary E: Oh, right, that's the Olympic national forest. Hence the northwest forest pass Bloody fucked around with this message at 06:44 on Jun 4, 2021 |
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Jun 4, 2021 06:32
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Bloody posted:Okay. So. We're going backpacking tomorrow. She's very experienced, so I'm in good hands. Black bears are basically giant raccoons. They usually scare off easily and are scavengers mostly out for easy meals. Most of what you'll hear at night will be wind and deer. Mice and raccoons. As stated, don't eat near your tent or bring food into it. Eat away from camp and put scented items in the bin/bag. You'll be fine. I've slept outside more than I can count and I just wear earplugs. They always fall out eventually but the silence helps me get to sleep and once I'm there I'm golden. If I hear sticks cracking or wind causing tent material to flap it will keep me awake. A good sleeping pad and earplugs knock me out.
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Jun 4, 2021 08:33
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Bloody posted:Olympic peninsula in Washington, just barely outside of the park boundary As others have said for camp, food hygiene and proper use of bear bags/canisters, sleep with your bear spray accessible, and earplugs. While hiking, keep your head up if you are in the lead. Some people get bear bells but I find them more annoying than their worth. Normal conversation, as well as clapping your hands intermittently works fine. The point is bears hear as well (and as badly) as humans do, and you do not want to surprise them. So be extra alert when the trail gets tight or overgrown, or has a blind curve where a bear could be chilling minding its business. If you see one, don't panic. the vast, vast, vast majority of the time, the bear just does not give a gently caress about the hikers. If you were making at least a modicum of noise, the bear heard you coming and is just not caring. Back away slowly, spread your arms wide to look bigger, and make sure the bear can see there is multiple of you. Almost always the bear will just mosey away. If it starts moving closer, that's when you start hollering and get ready to spray them. Its like anything, don't escalate if you don't need to.
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Jun 4, 2021 14:20
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What everyone has said so far is accurate. They are mostly big babies who will avoid you if they hear you coming or run away if you shout at them. But you can't trivialize them. They can kill you very easily and while super super rare and abnormal, deaths do occasionally happen. Know how to minimize risk of contact and how to react if you see one. You'll be fine. I live in black bear country and don't have any concerns about them at all when I am with someone. It's an entirely different game when you are alone at night and then every noise is a bear and every shape is a mountain lion and oh my oh my oh my. I just go to bed early because then I only have one source of stimuli telling me I'm about to die. I think I need to do it more often. Math You fucked around with this message at 22:12 on Jun 4, 2021 |
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Jun 4, 2021 19:04
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keep in mind campsites are passing interests for bears and mountain lions. they don't hang out in them long at night waiting for campers to go take a piss. they are busy out doing bear and mountain lion stuff. they pass through sometimes since they are often by trails the animals use as well, but if there is no food to catch their interest they move on in short order.
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Jun 4, 2021 19:32
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I tend to be on trails before sunrise or after dark trying to get to/from a photography spot and that's when the lizard brain really works on overtime.The "yo bear" callouts do a lot to settle me down more than warding off fuzzy things that hate me and probably aren't even nearby anyways. The worst is being in grasslands at sunset when coyotes are doing their callouts. That poo poo is intimidating as hell.
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Jun 4, 2021 19:36
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Bloody posted:Olympic peninsula in Washington, just barely outside of the park boundary I’ve been up and down Duckabush and Dosewallips, and never even seen a bear. Bears that I have seen elsewhere either ran as soon as they noticed me or were only interested in huckleberries
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Jun 4, 2021 20:22
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I worry more about moose than bears. If you’re making noise, 9/10 bears will go the other way before you see them. Moose will stand there and stare you down while they decide if they want to stomp on you.
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Jun 4, 2021 20:40
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xzzy posted:I tend to be on trails before sunrise or after dark trying to get to/from a photography spot and that's when the lizard brain really works on overtime.The "yo bear" callouts do a lot to settle me down more than warding off fuzzy things that hate me and probably aren't even nearby anyways. i've never heard of a camper being harmed by coyotes (i'm sure it happens but it must be rare), but hearing those howls and yips makes me pucker up every time
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Jun 4, 2021 20:53
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Ive had more scary interactions with mountain goats than just about any other type of wildlife. Goats are assholes and loving terrifying. Nothing is worse than being in precarious terrain where you can't quickly escape only to have a territorial animal that can run full speed up and down a vertical wall with sharp horns trying to back you down. But seriously, respect black bears and know how to deal with them if you need to but they're mostly harmless. They have the potential to be dangerous if they want but its extremely rare. Just be thankful you even saw one. In all my years of being outside I've only ever seen 4 black bears and I didn't even get a good look at most of them. One was driving through the Baraga plains in the upper peninsula of michigan at 1am. It was running across the two track. The other was while I was dirtbiking out here in washington. I came around a corner and saw its big black furry rear end jump into the bushes. I've never seen one on a trail that I can recall. The last two were while I was grouse hunting also here in washington, we were in the truck heading to our spot when we saw two bears in a tree just off the side of the road. Mother bear and her cinnamon cub. The mom jumped out and took off, the cub just stayed and sort of looked at us as we drove by. Our dogs were very much WTF IS THAT THING? Also never have seen a mountain lion, thankfully. Lots of deer. Almost pissed myself hunting pheasants in eastern washington when I approached a section of trees and tall grass and a blackish coyote comes running out towards me and then looked about as surprised to see me as I did it. I've only seen moose from my car. Also in the UP. Wildlife is super cool but usually respecting its space and whatnot is the biggest key to safety. Its also usually pretty rare to see the dangerous stuff but just stay calm and learn what to do with each species. Animals are instinctual and survive by usually avoiding conflict.
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Jun 4, 2021 21:01
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Natty Ninefingers posted:I’ve been up and down Duckabush and Dosewallips, and never even seen a bear. Bears that I have seen elsewhere either ran as soon as they noticed me or were only interested in huckleberries I saw 3 black bears in olympic in one trip, and yeah all of them were mostly worried about huckleberries
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Jun 4, 2021 21:07
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Chard posted:i've never heard of a camper being harmed by coyotes (i'm sure it happens but it must be rare), but hearing those howls and yips makes me pucker up every time Coyotes at dusk is one of my favorite sounds. I was just talking to a friend about how much I miss those idiots.
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Jun 4, 2021 21:34
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I've seen more coyotes in my neighborhood on the street (extremely suburban socal) than on the trails around here.
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Jun 4, 2021 21:44
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A timely bear story https://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/local/black-bear-destroys-houston-county-teachers-car-2/93-7e8752f0-e51d-4980-9c55-4dd830ba00f0
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Jun 4, 2021 22:10
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I had a deer lick my only hiking shirt and I had to walk down the mountain in that gross thing the next day 
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Jun 4, 2021 22:44
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Pasayten Wilderness, near Jackita Ridge: Got to camp and had a deer come out of the woods to check us out. Every time someone went to pee she came by, followed us into the woods and hid behind a tree waiting for us to finish, then went and licked up our pee spots. Woke up in the middle of the night to what sounded like a bear eating the skull of my friend. Lots of stomping, crunching, really heavy breathing. I looked out and saw 10-15 deer in our camp, next to our tents, in between our tents etc just digging up the ground and eating roots etc. My buddy is hard of hearing and slept through all of it in his bivvy surrounded by all these deer. He had no idea. The deer just looked at me and went back to doing their thing. I put my earplugs back in and fell back asleep.
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Jun 4, 2021 23:03
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