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mitztronic posted:Hello new thread. Sounds awesome! you're gonna have a blast!
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Oct 1, 2021 02:16
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Oof. Did 11.5 mile s today. Was aiming for 18.7, but in retrospect, that was *maybe* a bit too ambitious of a jump from 'feeling fine at the end of 8'. Packed too much crap I didn't need, and under estimated water. 2.5 liters. Was down to dregs and saw 4 miles to next water on the map so I took side trail to the Mountain Biking park trailhead. If I had thought it through, I would have noticed the topo lines on the map. Mountain bike trails (humans also allowed) means huge hills, lots of switchbacks, and .8 miles took about as long as those next 4 planned miles. It was supposed to rain, so I had rain gear. However it was 75F and max humidity, so by mile 4 I was so absolutely soaked in sweat rain would have been welcome. I underpacked food last time so I over packed this time. A canoe hat for sun (hike was 90% in woods under shade). Headphones I didn't use. I feel like I am getting closer to competent but not quite there yet.
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Oct 3, 2021 22:40
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11.6 miles yesterday up and down a mountain on the very western edge of Utah. Haystack Peak, the goal for the day on the left, Ibapah Peak on the right. Ibapah Peak is an ultra prominent peak and sees a decent number of ascents. Haystack is not and is really only worth climbing because it's a few feet higher than 12000 feet, making it part of a small number of peaks in Utah with that distinction outside of the Uinta mountain range. The lovely Utah salt flats  Western Utah and eastern Nevada in all its glory  A massive rock really trying hard to push the tree over  And then something you don't see every day, the burned out wreckage of a car 
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Oct 4, 2021 16:32
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Hotel Kpro posted:Holy gently caress. In my neverending quest to hike all the mountains but only doing dayhikes I thought I would go out to the Wind River range in Wyoming and give Fremont Peak a shot. I had only really budgeted about 15 miles worth of hiking one way and as it would turn out, 15 miles only gets you so far Nice. I was in Wind River (Cirque of the Towers) in July and OH MY GOD THE loving MOSQUITOES. You probably went at the best possible time of year. Still, one of my favorite memories of the trip is looking at the silhouette of the range at night. Very, very cool-shaped mountains.
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Oct 5, 2021 16:50
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Yup, no bugs and only a handful of people that I saw the entire day. I really want to get to the top though, there's some glaciers on the other side that would be cool to see
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Oct 5, 2021 17:49
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I belong to a Portland area climbing and hiking club, the Mazamas. Currently only people who have summited a glaciated peak can join, though a nontechnical hike is fine. This requirement is obviously dumb snob poo poo, so I was glad to see a vote on a proposal to open up membership. It got 52% support and I'm kind of surprised it didn't get the two-thirds it needed to pass. Everyone in this town loves to talk about being more inclusive but all the published statements in opposition were basically "gently caress you, get your own club".
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Oct 6, 2021 07:50
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Vivian Darkbloom posted:Portland ... gently caress you, get your own 
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Oct 6, 2021 07:56
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So Colorado gets some crazy color in the fall, huh?? (Deep creek trail above Telluride)
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Oct 7, 2021 21:02
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Vivian Darkbloom posted:I belong to a Portland area climbing and hiking club, the Mazamas. Currently only people who have summited a glaciated peak can join, though a nontechnical hike is fine. This requirement is obviously dumb snob poo poo, so I was glad to see a vote on a proposal to open up membership. It got 52% support and I'm kind of surprised it didn't get the two-thirds it needed to pass. Everyone in this town loves to talk about being more inclusive but all the published statements in opposition were basically "gently caress you, get your own club". Ya sounds like Portland. Speaking of we're back visiting friends    I much prefer being out past Sandy to Portland proper. Mr. Crow fucked around with this message at 01:08 on Oct 8, 2021 |
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Oct 8, 2021 01:04
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I'm so jealous of the elevation you people have  Went for a super early morning hike to try and catch the sunrise at one of my favorite vistas in western New York today. 40% Chance of Rain and it did in fact rain. But that's ok it meant I got to watch some cool fog cloud roll in over the hills and dance around the trees.
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Oct 10, 2021 01:56
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Help me find some good hikes in Kentucky? I've shelved my Yellowstone idea for now, but I'm thinking about driving up to Mammoth Cave and Red River Gorge for a week. It seems like I could spend the whole time in those places, but I appreciate any suggestions.
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Oct 10, 2021 02:06
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Fitzy Fitz posted:Help me find some good hikes in Kentucky? Hocking hills is in Ohio but may be close to you.... Otherwise I dont really know the state that well unfortunately.
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Oct 10, 2021 02:17
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Fitzy Fitz posted:Help me find some good hikes in Kentucky? Kentucky Bourbon Trail
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Oct 10, 2021 02:32
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Are there any overnight hikes within a few hours of Seattle that aren't guaranteed to be snowy and cold in early November?
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Oct 10, 2021 04:13
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Vivian Darkbloom posted:I belong to a Portland area climbing and hiking club, the Mazamas. Currently only people who have summited a glaciated peak can join, though a nontechnical hike is fine. This requirement is obviously dumb snob poo poo, so I was glad to see a vote on a proposal to open up membership. It got 52% support and I'm kind of surprised it didn't get the two-thirds it needed to pass. Everyone in this town loves to talk about being more inclusive but all the published statements in opposition were basically "gently caress you, get your own club". That's especially loving silly for a PNW group, because most people would probably meet that "requirement" with peaks like South Sister or St. Helens whose full technical requirements for a summer ascent are "carry an ice axe, I guess, but you won't use it."
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Oct 10, 2021 04:54
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Bloody posted:Are there any overnight hikes within a few hours of Seattle that aren't guaranteed to be snowy and cold in early November? alltrails is a decent place to start looking for hikes. you could also lurk local meetup groups for ideas and do them with your own crew on other days.
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Oct 10, 2021 06:15
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Bloody posted:Are there any overnight hikes within a few hours of Seattle that aren't guaranteed to be snowy and cold in early November? Any preferences on mileage? Elevation gain? There are plenty but most of the region will be on the very cusp of winter conditions especially the higher you go up. Here in Seattle, the weather changed from summer to fall very quickly. Cool temps have been here nearly a month and in the city we're averaging ~50-60° on a nice sunny day. Precipitation has increased substantially as well. Overnight temps are dropping quickly. Mt Baker already closed artist point for the year due to snowfall so winter is right around the corner. Are you completely adverse to snowfall or just not looking for deep snow, or avoiding certain low temperatures?
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Oct 10, 2021 06:38
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Mostly just trying to hold on to the last vestiges of fall and squeeze in another backpacking trip before the season is over (for me). Elevation and distance can be whatever, I just want to get out again. I'm guessing the Olympics might have some good options?
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Oct 10, 2021 15:30
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Fitzy Fitz posted:Help me find some good hikes in Kentucky? I will mention the forgotten national park in that region, Big South Fork. I consider it in Tennessee, but it runs the border of Tennessee and Kentucky (Cumberland Plateau). I am a big fan on the park, and it is nice break from the volume of the people in the Smokies. Some really good hikes in that area.
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Oct 10, 2021 18:59
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Bloody posted:Mostly just trying to hold on to the last vestiges of fall and squeeze in another backpacking trip before the season is over (for me). Elevation and distance can be whatever, I just want to get out again. I'm guessing the Olympics might have some good options? I feel like the Olympics might be getting absolutely dumped on with rain this time of year but same could be said for any of the region between the Olympics and the Cascades. A quick overnight/weekend trip I enjoy is rampart ridge backdoor but trail reports are already saying there's snow at rampart lakes and it's pretty exposed up there without a lot of wind block. It's a short hike but aggressively climbs up right away but it's you into some beautiful areas. The alternative is approaching from Rachel lake but that hike is easily 2x longer. Lake Lillian is a nice spot by itself if you get around the lake to a secluded spot. Continue up to the ridge and then drop down to rampart lakes. If you want snow free, maybe consider around palouse falls since the east side stays pretty warm and dry. I would suggest pasayten due to the rain shadow but it's so far north you might still get snow and frigid temps.
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Oct 10, 2021 19:29
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Bloody posted:Mostly just trying to hold on to the last vestiges of fall and squeeze in another backpacking trip before the season is over (for me). Elevation and distance can be whatever, I just want to get out again. I'm guessing the Olympics might have some good options? Olympics will have a bunch of snow free valleys but they will probably be rainy as gently caress in November.
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Oct 10, 2021 23:35
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nate fisher posted:I will mention the forgotten national park in that region, Big South Fork. I consider it in Tennessee, but it runs the border of Tennessee and Kentucky (Cumberland Plateau). I am a big fan on the park, and it is nice break from the volume of the people in the Smokies. Some really good hikes in that area. Oh yeah, I was considering that one because it's basically already on our route.
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Oct 11, 2021 01:04
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Bloody posted:Are there any overnight hikes within a few hours of Seattle that aren't guaranteed to be snowy and cold in early November? You probably won't run into snow below 3,000 feet in November unless there's a major storm (rain and washed-out forest roads are more likely). In the Cascades that at least leaves some good options for out-and back trips. Suiattle River and Thunder Creek both stay fairly low for quite a while. Most lower-elevation lakes aren't far enough from the road to feel like a major accomplishment but Goat Lake and Pete Lake would both work if you're mostly just interested in camping.
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Oct 11, 2021 06:52
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Bloody posted:Are there any overnight hikes within a few hours of Seattle that aren't guaranteed to be snowy and cold in early November? Go across the passes east of the cascades and it's usually much calmer weather, but just keep an eye on pass conditions in case some big snows come in at higher elevations. And be aware too that typical winter season road closures like highway 20, etc. are going to happen around then. edit: Sometimes the Snoqualmie pass area at ~3k feet elevation stays pretty snow free into November. A couple years back it was nearly snow free past December. There's a ton of great backpacking options around the PCT, commonwealth creek, etc. But do keep an eye on snow even at higher elevations as the avalanche risk can creep up quickly around the peaks there. mod sassinator fucked around with this message at 19:31 on Oct 11, 2021 |
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Oct 11, 2021 19:21
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mod sassinator posted:Go across the passes east of the cascades and it's usually much calmer weather, but just keep an eye on pass conditions in case some big snows come in at higher elevations. And be aware too that typical winter season road closures like highway 20, etc. are going to happen around then. This was the PCT going from Snoqualmie Pass to Kendall Katwalk yesterday. Some people don't mind backpacking in this, some people do.  And at the pass itself: 
gohuskies fucked around with this message at 20:09 on Oct 11, 2021 |
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Oct 11, 2021 20:07
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gohuskies posted:This was the PCT going from Snoqualmie Pass to Kendall Katwalk yesterday. Some people don't mind backpacking in this, some people do. Those footsteps look slushy as hell but it might just be the way the camera's processing the color.
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Oct 12, 2021 00:32
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Yeah it's wet stuff right now, we're in kind of freeze/thaw just barely cold enough to snow conditions with this week's weather system. Time to pull the tire chains out and throw them in the car for the season.
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Oct 12, 2021 06:19
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Been getting into backpacking with my SO on the east coast over this summer. Worked our way up from 3 -> 5 -> 8 ->10 mile hikes culminating with hiking Old Rag last month. We're loving the hobby but since it's been summer and we've only been doing day hikes we've been more or less operating on easy mode with daypacks and t-shirts/shorts. We're a little overwhelmed with options for extending hikes and continuing into colder weather, and I was hoping to ask for a little advice in this thread to give us some launching points. Re: layers/clothing: - Looks like there is a huge selection of basic stuff at varying price points. $80 for a smartwool base-layer shirt at REI is hard to justify when you can get 2 similar-seeming long-sleeve 32 degree tees at costco. Is there a good resource for researching materials/brands/suppliers for this to sort out what's legit and what I'd regret buying? I'm happy to spend more for quality but I honestly don't know how to evaluate at this point. Re: Extending hikes - We're hoping to eventually be up for overnights or entire weekend hikes. Is there a way to ease into that or is the best way to just buy a tent/pad/sleeping bags and a pack to shove all that in and just go for it? For what it's worth we're in central Maryland, so typically 35-45 degrees on good days when it's cold and the lowest we'd probably hike is just below freezing in the winter. Hoping to get further into the Appalachian trail as we get more experienced.
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Oct 13, 2021 16:59
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Not a Children posted:Been getting into backpacking with my SO on the east coast over this summer. Worked our way up from 3 -> 5 -> 8 ->10 mile hikes culminating with hiking Old Rag last month. Backpacking is awesome, glad you're getting into it. Gear: Outdoor Gear Lab and Switchback Travel are two sites that do gear reviews, and they usually include a "best budget option" in a category. Maybe start there? There's nothing wrong with getting cheap stuff to start, as long as it works (eg it'll actually keep you warm). You can always replace and upgrade as time goes on if you want. Don't feel like you need to go all out ultralight from the get go. First time: If you're unsure whether it'll be for you, maybe try renting the gear from REI for the fist time. It costs a bit, but far less that buying everything for 2 people then deciding it's not for you. Choose a campsite not terribly far from the trailhead, maybe on a trail you've done before so that you know where to find spots. Make a check list for packing--forgetting something like your fuel or sleeping pad when you're not near a car or campground is less fun. But mostly get out there and enjoy! If you've tent camped before, it's really not that big of a leap. The feeling of seclusion and being out there is really worth it. If you haven't tent camped before, you could do a dispersed or car camping shake down first.
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Oct 13, 2021 17:19
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Not a Children posted:
Uniqlo airism/heattech lines are great for affordable layers for all temps. I use them for biking and hiking and have been very happy with them. I do have a nice Minus32 merino wool layer for cooler temps which is a pretty affordable brand for Merino.
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Oct 13, 2021 17:25
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Not a Children posted:
Lighter gear will make backpacking more enjoyable. https://www.reddit.com/r/ultralight For your first overnight trip, general wisdom is to keep it very low stakes and short. Somewhere you can park, hike in 3-5 miles with all your gear, set up camp and stay the night, the hike out the next day. If anything goes wrong or something isn't working out, you're only a couple hours away from the car. It'll help you figure out what you want/need to adjust before getting into higher stakes/longer trips.
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Oct 13, 2021 18:54
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Not a Children posted:Been getting into backpacking with my SO on the east coast over this summer. Worked our way up from 3 -> 5 -> 8 ->10 mile hikes culminating with hiking Old Rag last month. Did the Appalachian Trail this year, here is what I can tell you after spending 4 months talking about this stuff with everybody out there: Every pound matters. I wasn’t ultralight to start, but things got more enjoyable as I replaced heavy stuff for lighter stuff. I cannot stress this enough: less weight makes for a more enjoyable hike, but you have to balance that with comfort and luxury items that you can’t do without. For certain things you don’t need to buy the most expensive stuff: base layers are one of the things that you can get cheaper. You don’t need to pay $80 for a wool base layer, and the Costco ones are fine. HOWEVER, it is going to save you hundreds of dollars in the long run if you get lightweight gear that will scale with the hiking you’re doing, rather than (for example) buying a cheap heavy sleeping bag and cheap heavy tent then buying your lightweight gear later. Just start with the good stuff if you can afford it. If you’re going to do like an overnighter or two, you may not even need to bring a stove, look into “cold soaking” with like a talenti ice cream jar. It’s not for everybody, but it works fine. Sleeping bag/quilt, pad, and tent- I would tell you to get the lightest that you can afford. A 20 degree bag with good layers and an inflatable pad will keep you warm enough at or just below freezing. Another thing worth spending money on is a good rain jacket and lightweight puffy. I’m not shilling for these brands, but the Outdoor research helium II and the ghost whisperer puffy are both fantastic, but expensive, and you won’t replace them anytime soon unless you stand too close to your campfire. For a pack, let me recommend that you try the osprey exos: it’s relatively cheap and lightweight, and is probably the most popular pack for thruhikers for this reason and the aweaome warranty. But you should definitely try out the fit (fully loaded) before you buy it. Gear is personal, and everyone has their own system, but I ended up with a thermarest neoair xlite pad and a Corus 20 degree quilt (I’m a stomach sleeper). A lot of the couples I met used the big Agnes copper spur UL3. I definitely recommend a three person tent for the two of you so you have room and you can put your gear in the tent. Also get a lightweight battery pack to recharge your phone. If your going to hike the Appalachian trail, get the Guthooks app, that’s what everyone uses so it has the best info on water sources and trail conditions.
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Oct 13, 2021 20:00
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Not a Children posted:Been getting into backpacking with my SO on the east coast over this summer. Worked our way up from 3 -> 5 -> 8 ->10 mile hikes culminating with hiking Old Rag last month. Another central Marylander here who has also not yet ventured into overnight yet though I've got my mind set on a low stakes option in November. I've found my smartwool to be more than adequate for nights when car camping and for day hikes/running in freezing temperatures. But I was okay investing in it because I do a lot of outside stuff even in the winter. I've also had the same set for probably a decade now and it's still going. So you could get by with other stuff I'm sure, especially with other layers. But it's kinda nice to have and depend on. Would love to hear other places you've hiked. Kind of been a home body lately and need inspiration to get out more.
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Oct 13, 2021 20:02
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Not a Children posted:Been getting into backpacking with my SO on the east coast over this summer. Worked our way up from 3 -> 5 -> 8 ->10 mile hikes culminating with hiking Old Rag last month. Practice some stuff in your backyard if you have one, like go out and sleep in your tent in 30 degree F weather to see how it goes. Or go out when it's torrentially downpouring and practice setting up your tent to see how well you can do it without getting everything in it and your pack wet. You'll very quickly learn what works and what you need to improve without having the risk of figuring it out on the fly 10 miles from the trailhead and 30 miles from the nearest town. I'd try not to make your very first outdoor overnight in 30 degree or nasty weather though, see if you can start with something more enjoyable or low stakes (and definitely closer to the trailhead or car just in case). There's kind of a dividing line between equipment and setups good for summer and early fall hiking vs. stuff that's good for serious winter/freezing and below 30 degree temps. You'll find if you really get into it that you'll have two sets of gear--stuff for the summer and stuff for the winter. It's hard to find one piece of gear like a sleeping bag that would work perfectly in both situations. Or I have like 3 different tents of different styles and types depending on the conditions. Everything becomes a bit more of a pain in the rear end below freezing--your water bottles can freeze (you have to learn how to manage them and keep them warm, next to you, insulated, etc), stoves and gas won't work, etc. Managing moisture and condensation from your breath and body can make or break an outing. For clothes it's good to factor in wear and tear to your decisions too. I buy the cheapest and most simple liner gloves every year because they will get torn up and have holes in them no matter what. But I have one pair of super nice goretex and heavily insulated mittens since they get a lot less use (and when you need warm hands, you need warm hands). Base layers, liner gloves, even shirts and pants I usually buy cheap stuff from Costco, Walmart (they sell nice cheap Wrangler brand nylon hiking pants) since they usually get heavy wear. Down puffy jackets, hard rain shells, etc. are where I spend more because you usually get what you pay for there and they last forever if treated well (also look at used gear shops in your area, an old down jacket that was built with high quality material will be just as good as a new one). Learn a few basics about knots and bushcraft too, like check out some of Andrew Skurka's info (his blog is a wealth of knowledge too): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slOhlEmBwwY Inevitably you're going to have something break and have to rig up a solution on the fly in the field. Duct tape, utility rope, etc. are your friends. edit: Also Skurka has awesome info on layering systems for different temperature ranges. You should definitely follow this advice, it's solid info: https://andrewskurka.com/tag/core-13/ mod sassinator fucked around with this message at 21:02 on Oct 13, 2021 |
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Oct 13, 2021 20:46
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khysanth posted:Lighter gear will make backpacking more enjoyable. https://www.reddit.com/r/ultralight Generally agree with this, but you have to find a balance between spending a ton of money on something you might end up not liking that much and wasting money on cheap crap you immediately have to replace. Fortunately there's quite a few things where decent, light stuff is available with little or no cost penalty. Things like the BRS-3000 canister stove or Frogg Toggs rain gear, for instance. There's a pretty good list here, which is a good starting point: https://macon.me/shoestring The big four there would probably need the most adjustment for your circumstances. If you don't already have packs that can hold what you need I wouldn't necessarily rush out and buy a $140 frameless pack, for instance. CCF sleep pads are cheap and light, but bad/cold sleep can really wreck a night. I'd lean towards buying a decent pad from a place like REI who has a good return policy so you can swap it out if you hate it. Not sure where the sweet spot is for price:comfort, but a lot depends on how you position yourself while sleeping. I sleep on my side and finally sucked it up and bought a 2lb 4" thick insulated pad after years of cold, uncomfortable nights of trying to make my $50 Klymit pad work for me, but other people do just fine with it. That said, if I was starting from scratch I'd be really tempted to try something like this given the price and decent reviews, assuming I wasn't going to be screwed if it popped a leak. This pillow is a similar price to the Trekology in the link above, but has a pad on top which I personally prefer. Tent and sleep insulation are probably going to be the too toughest things to pin down. I certainly wouldn't jump into a $160+ quilt before ever spending a night in the woods. In the summer you could probably find something cheap/light that would work well in your area, but I'm hesitant to suggest anything blindly not knowing how likely it is that a 40f night surprises you and ends up at 25f. Clothes should be fairly easy. If you're hiking already you likely know to avoid cotton and have stuff that'll work. You likely have other stuff that will mostly work and not be too heavy.
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Oct 13, 2021 20:57
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You can always pick a backpacking area that has both car camping and dispersed/backcountry sites. Car camp the first night, and then load up for the trail first thing the next morning. You can get a feel for the weather on the first night, get an early start the next day, bail back to the car site if needed, etc.
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Oct 13, 2021 21:02
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Fitzy Fitz posted:You can always pick a backpacking area that has both car camping and dispersed/backcountry sites. Car camp the first night, and then load up for the trail first thing the next morning. You can get a feel for the weather on the first night, get an early start the next day, bail back to the car site if needed, etc. If you're not close to anything with dispersed camping, you can even just reserve a normalass tent site and just pack up and hike some trails to get miles in before setting up camp.
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Oct 13, 2021 21:26
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lavaca posted:You probably won't run into snow below 3,000 feet in November unless there's a major storm (rain and washed-out forest roads are more likely). In the Cascades that at least leaves some good options for out-and back trips. Suiattle River and Thunder Creek both stay fairly low for quite a while. Most lower-elevation lakes aren't far enough from the road to feel like a major accomplishment but Goat Lake and Pete Lake would both work if you're mostly just interested in camping. From what I see staring out my window it snowed down to about 3000 feet around Highway 2 (and didn't even rain here at sea level) so obviously check the weather if you really don't want to run into snow. Suiattle river is an interesting suggestion since it gets you close to some neat spots like Image Lake which have fairly easy bail points (on paper, I haven't actually gotten up there yet) to lower elevations. Unfortunately the area around the trailhead burned last summer and the road was closed this year. It was supposed to be opening in early October, but I've heard conflicting reports on if that happened. My understanding is that even the last few miles of the road are technically open you cannot drive it and have an extra few miles of road walk with lots of blowdowns to contend with.
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Oct 14, 2021 01:32
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Not a Children posted:Been getting into backpacking with my SO on the east coast over this summer. Worked our way up from 3 -> 5 -> 8 ->10 mile hikes culminating with hiking Old Rag last month. There's a lot of online resources out there, but I think that just walking into REI and chatting with the staff about what you want is still a great option. So many folks have different ideas about what equipment is absolutely needed for backpacking that it can be difficult to parse - seeing stuff in-person and talking to someone is really helpful. Renting some gear for a weekend is very doable and gives you a good idea of what you want.
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Oct 14, 2021 01:56
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Kaal posted:There's a lot of online resources out there, but I think that just walking into REI and chatting with the staff about what you want is still a great option. So many folks have different ideas about what equipment is absolutely needed for backpacking that it can be difficult to parse - seeing stuff in-person and talking to someone is really helpful. Renting some gear for a weekend is very doable and gives you a good idea of what you want. I've never really been wronged by any REI brand piece of gear too. Like their half dome tent--it's not the lightest thing, but it's also not a heavy boat anchor. If you can snag stuff on a sale or even lightly used/returned it's usually a great deal for someone getting started.
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Oct 14, 2021 03:07
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