|
Verman posted:I just had one of the best weekends of my life in recent memory. I wanted to get out hiking for the first time this year, I'm recovering from a disc herniation in my lower back from the end of last year. To put it in perspective, I couldn't walk in September. I couldn't walk more than a quarter to a half-mile by January, and I wasn't comfortable doing it. My physical therapy wrapped up in April but our spring has been super rainy and I was a little nervous to get out. I feel much better than I have in a long time but I'm not fully healed. I can tell it's right on the edge of reinjury. I also still have some numbness and loss of strength in my right leg. This entire post is epic and I’m glad you are back out there doing the thing you love! I’ve been wanting to do that fire tower hike in Rainer for a long time, just gotta make it back out west at some point. Photos are gorgeous and holy poo poo props to you for landing a loving plane near mountains because I really don’t think I’d ever be able to do that and not freak the gently caress out.
|
#
?
Jul 13, 2022 01:44
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 23, 2024 12:38 |
|
|
Verman posted:I just had one of the best weekends of my life in recent memory. Extremely cool, thanks for the write up!
|
|
#
?
Jul 13, 2022 01:49
|
|
|
charliebravo77 posted:Heading to Asheville, NC mid-August for vacation, any recommendations for good day hikes around there? I've got a bunch saved in AllTrails but any first-hand recommendations would be great. Bonus points for hikes with fishing spots or swimming spots. What is the radius around Asheville you are considering? How tough? There are tons of great hikes easily within hour drive and even more if you expand out to 2 hours. You have the GSMNP, Blue Ridge Parkway, Appalachian Trail and tons of state forest in that area. To give some input there is a great swimming spot at the Tennessee and NC border off I-40 called the Midnight Hole. It is actually in the GSMNP, but not the tourist side. On the other side of 40 at the same location you can drive up to Max Patch on the AT. Also as stated above the Linville area is great. Easy hike to one of the best falls in the area, plus the gorge is awesome (check out Wiseman’s view especially at night for the Brown Mountain lights). My favorite restaurant in Asheville is the Lobster Trap, but I love lobster.
|
|
#
?
Jul 13, 2022 02:10
|
|
|
charliebravo77 posted:Definitely trying to talk the wife into rafting so that's a good call there. Always interested in food as well. For food, again, this is all beforetimes so ymmv. Biscuit Head is an absolute must. Sunny Point is another great brunch spot, Tupelo Honey is good but absolutely jammed. Bonfire has the most incredible smoked wings. Moe's is surprisingly good, 12 Bones doesn't live up to the hype imo. Rocky's Hot Chicken Shack is great, King Daddy's underwhelming. Blue Ridge inside the Omni is probably the most luxe dinner I've had, between the crab claws and the smoked prime rib (and it's fun to poke around the rest of the Omni for moneywatching). For dessert, Ultimate Ice Cream, The Hop, and Frostbite are all killer. For other stuff to do, the arts district is really awesome, plus you can take a class in stuff like glassblowing or clay pottery. There are also some great used book stores, the farmers' market (and Moose Cafe while you're there), farm tours, the nature center (which is basically a zoo), the mines, Linville Caverns, etc., as well as just wandering around downtown. I've been a few times and I'd love to go back, it's super chill but there's so much to do. Anne Whateley fucked around with this message at 02:23 on Jul 13, 2022 |
|
#
?
Jul 13, 2022 02:19
|
|
i like nice words
|
nate fisher posted:What is the radius around Asheville you are considering? How tough? There are tons of great hikes easily within hour drive and even more if you expand out to 2 hours. You have the GSMNP, Blue Ridge Parkway, Appalachian Trail and tons of state forest in that area. Distance - hour or two probably would be ok, we've done similar when in CO. Difficulty is probably moderate at best? I'm willing to kill myself on a hike just to prove I can do it but my wife will be irate a quarter mile in if it's straight up. We live in Chicago and the biggest climbs around here are a couple flights of stairs  Anne Whateley posted:Blue Heron is pretty perfect. A guide in every 6-person raft, helmets and lifejackets required (and they test the fit), and a good safety briefing beforehand. The guide tells you what to do at every point, and you don't need any experience, which sounds like it might be good for her. At the same time, if you're more confident, you can do the same trip right alongside the bigger rafts in an individual inflatable kayak. There are usually a few ducks and an additional guide or two for them. There are a couple places to stop and swim, and (in the beforetimes) they would stop and do lunch. The views are amazing and the rapids are super fun. The guides are serious outdoorspeople and have great experience and stories. They would actually be perfect to ask for hiking/etc. suggestions. Awesome, I had a few of these restaurants already saved in a list. Glass blowing class might be up the wife's alley so I will check into that too and the nature center was already on my mind as well. Thanks!
|
|
#
?
Jul 13, 2022 16:46
|
|
|
My sister and brother in law were in town last week. Some of my brother in law's friends had planned on hiking the Mirror Lake trail at Mt Hood. I've never hiked it and since it was midweek I figured tagging along would be a good time. It's about 4.2 miles with only 600' of elevation gain. We couldn't completely loop the lake because the wooden walkway through the marshy side was washed out 50-100 yards from the other side. It was pissing down rain most of the time too, so bonus PNW hiking fun. After that I drug the crew to Charlie's in Govy for some Rainier tallboys because well, Govy.
|
|
#
?
Jul 13, 2022 17:53
|
|
|
Hey thread - I'm visiting family in Massachusetts in September for a wedding. It's happening near Mount Greylock, which is the highest point in MA. I got the idea of visiting the highest points in MA, NH, VT, and ME while in New England for the week. My concern is simply that I don't have much elevation experience. I've got a pretty solid base level of fitness -- I rock climb 3x per week (and try to bike the 10 mile round trip to the gym when I can), I do a sort of martial art 2x a week, and walk a handful of miles daily with my dogs. This past May I went to Salt Lake and did Mount Olympus, which is generally considered a strenuous hike. I did it, but my body was loving broken for the next 5 days or so, so I'm thinking maybe Greylock, Washington, Mansfield and Katahdin in as many days might be unfeasible But I was wondering what some more experienced hikers might think? If I start hitting the stair master each time I climb is 2 months enough time to build up that kind of endurance?
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2022 14:13
|
|
|
You might be able to have some semblance of a trail leg if you did 2 months of heavy weight rucking. Throw in 25lb weight into a backpack and get to work.
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2022 14:21
|
|
|
What do you guys think about getting a nail surgically removed ~ 5 days before a hiking trip. On a scale of moderately bad idea to very bad idea?
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2022 14:33
|
|
|
evilpicard posted:What do you guys think about getting a nail surgically removed ~ 5 days before a hiking trip. On a scale of moderately bad idea to very bad idea? I mean your doctor is probably the person to talk to. Hiking five days after any surgery sounds sketchy, but so does hiking on a foot that needs surgery.
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2022 14:39
|
|
|
George H.W. oval office posted:You might be able to have some semblance of a trail leg if you did 2 months of heavy weight rucking. Throw in 25lb weight into a backpack and get to work. When I go bouldering outside 0-1x/wk I have 27 pounds of crash pads on my back, then front carry my backpack with ~100oz of water, shoes, chalk, cameras and a guidebook. And it's 8 flights of stairs down into the crag, then however much hiking to the boulders themselves. It's quite miserable
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2022 14:48
|
|
|
Now do that for at least 2 hours a day
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2022 14:58
|
|
|
Spent 3 days in Shenandoah with the girlfriend and 2 friends, hiked along the south side of Jeremy's Run essentially following the nps suggested itinerary. Basically had the whole loop to ourselves - didn't see a soul for 48 hours til we got back to the AT crossing. It was my first backcountry excursion and it was a blast. Day 1: Hiked from our start point down to camp - 7 miles. Discovered another, better campsite another mile down the road. Went back to get our equipment (because we were dumb and left it behind to scout a bit). Added another 2 miles there and back. Day 2: Hiked up Knob Mountain. What was expected to be a 5 mile out-and-back ended up being an 8 mile round trip, complete with 1800ft of climb (we will now be double checking trail assessments proffered by the individual who scoped it out). There was no view at the top - just lots and lots of ticks. We each only brought a liter of water so we were somewhat distressed on the trip down (no water sources until we reached the base, which was most of the way back). Spent the early afternoon in recovery, then hiked another 2 miles back to a closer campsite to our exit - it was grueling and a bit demoralizing because our "light" day turned into our hardest. Ate hardy that night to recover. Disappointing excursion but we felt accomplished as hell and had a good time hanging around when we weren't moving. Day 3: Woke up, ate breakfast, and hiked 5 miles back to the car at the trailhead. The final climb was basically stairs. We caught our breath and amscray'd. Overall, Jeremy's Run wouldn't be my first pick for an excursion in the area unless you specifically want to get away from the crowd. Lots of slightly tricky river crossings, no good views, and no campfires allowed. Nice enough campsites, but the trail was very overgrown in portions and we had to be constantly vigilant about ticks. All the same, feeling very accomplished about the weekend - just waiting for the bug bites to disappear! Not a Children fucked around with this message at 15:32 on Jul 14, 2022 |
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2022 15:30
|
|
|
evilpicard posted:What do you guys think about getting a nail surgically removed ~ 5 days before a hiking trip. On a scale of moderately bad idea to very bad idea? you’re gonna pop those sutures and gush hella blood from your foot, baybeee do not do. always best practice to wait 14 days after ambulatory surgery, at least give yourself a week
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2022 15:40
|
|
|
evilpicard posted:What do you guys think about getting a nail surgically removed ~ 5 days before a hiking trip. On a scale of moderately bad idea to very bad idea? It's a great idea if you like learning
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2022 15:42
|
|
|
I'm going to take Safety Dance's suggestion and post this here, even though my ability to hike is pretty constrained due to health reasons. So I would like to do dispersed camping. At least part of me really wants to do this. On Tuesday I get in my car, drive a couple hours to a dispersed camp site at about 5:00 PM; there's a portion that is difficult to navigate in a sedan but I've driven on a million bad roads so am fine. I see the ground is covered in ants, but no matter, I brought a hammock and there are trees that are just close enough to use it. I've never done this before so if you had a camera you'd have hilarious shots of me getting into the hammock and it coming right down due to tying the straps wrong. But I figure it out. I get into the hammock and feel very relaxed. I start to read comics on my ipad and even feel like I can doze. I hear some kids being kids around, but I can't see them. Normally honestly when I go into nature the sound of kids screaming is enough to get me to leave but I'm actually comforted to know there are people close, even though I can't actually see them. Well, at about 7:40, the kid is really going, but like I say, I don't care. But I guess the parents did though, because at 7:50 PM I see the SUV with them leaving. 10 minutes later it's finally dark. All of a sudden the cicadas are driving me nuts, and I hear a cow moo of all things this is the trigger for a "naw gently caress this" and take the hammock down; obviously this is ridiculous, I'm telling myself this is silly, I'm telling myself the drive back isn't safe to do in the dark, so I'm going to be until 5:00 AM anyway. But the part of me that absolutely does not want to do this is convinced and none of these things I tell myself stop me from taking everything down. I spend the rest of the night uncomfortably in my car until it's light enough to leave. This would be funny if it wasn't like the third time this has happened. Is this just because I didn't camp as a child? Am I missing the camping gene? Is there some form of gear that will make this easier? And a thing I didn't mention is the whole time I was getting high heart rate alerts on my watch even though I was at rest so the anxiety wasn't only mental, if anything the physical seemed to drive the bus. Has anyone else had something like this and been able to get over it?
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2022 23:39
|
|
|
Rick posted:I'm going to take Safety Dance's suggestion and post this here, even though my ability to hike is pretty constrained due to health reasons. That's super normal in my experience and it takes a few tries to really relax and enjoy it. But if something goes wrong and you're not having a good time there's also no shame in packing up early and going back home, maybe trying somewhere different the next time.
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2022 23:50
|
|
|
It's really common to get the critter jitters if you're not used to hearing them so close. Takes a little getting used to. It helps to be exhausted, if you're able to do a big rear end hike prior to camping it will help e: The next level up is hearing foot steps a mere couple of feet outside your tent. Step step, pause. Step step step, pause. It sounds big enough to be a human. What do they want. Why are they pausing so much, are they looking for a way in? Why are they creeping around my tent all the way out here?? and it turns out to be a deer or a raccoon or something. I've gotten so used to critter noises, i still wake up but i don't get sleepily scared/paranoid about them like i used to. alnilam fucked around with this message at 00:05 on Jul 15, 2022 |
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2022 23:54
|
|
|
Sleeping outdoors can be tricky for sure - you spend a lifetime in a comfortable, quiet, indoor environment and then go outside and it's really weird. Experience and tiredness helps, as do sleep aids like earplugs. Since it's been a few attempts for you, and you are understandably a bit in your head about it, I might suggest doing some hammock camping in your backyard if that's possible. It'll help to acclimate you and help your body recognize that common outdoor noises aren't alarming.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2022 00:06
|
|
|
I found out I get a lot more freaked out when it’s too cold for bugs and I hear nothing at all until 1am when something snaps a twig 3 feet from my head. My first time ever camping dispersed solo was in November and I got supa scared.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2022 00:07
|
|
|
alnilam posted:It's really common to get the critter jitters if you're not used to hearing them so close. Takes a little getting used to. It helps to be exhausted, if you're able to do a big rear end hike prior to camping it will help Hah I've never heard the term critter jitters, but that's perfect. I remember one time in a wet forest my wife became convinced water dripping around our tent was a massive herd of deer or elk just milling around our tent. Lying there in the dark she eventually half convinced me, too. Turns out it was nothing at all (no tracks in the morning). And we're fairly experienced campers. It happens. Seconding being exhausted helping. Feels great to collapse into the sleeping bag after stuffing your face. Sleeping next to running water (creek, river, etc) always helped me. That natural white noise is very calming to me. It's not always possible, depending on the area, though.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2022 00:09
|
|
|
incogneato posted:Sleeping next to running water (creek, river, etc) always helped me.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2022 00:12
|
|
|
One time I ate an edible while camping on a windy hill near some loose cattle and spent way too much of the night thinking that the constant noise and ruffling of my tent was the cows trying to get in.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2022 00:25
|
|
|
Rick posted:I'm going to take Safety Dance's suggestion and post this here, even though my ability to hike is pretty constrained due to health reasons. There's a lot to unpack here. When you say dispersed, what do you mean by that? Was this just a random place you pulled off in the middle of a forest? When I go car camping, that's my preferred method. I don't typically enjoy pull-in campgrounds because of the noise and lack of solitude. People are gross, loud, and really inconsiderate. I like to be away from all that but that's not for everybody. It requires more planning, more gear, more supplies, and being comfortable in the woods alone. As for the comfort/anxiety, it can definitely be a thing. I grew up camping with my family as a kid. Sometimes it was in a tent, other times in a camper. I really enjoyed the outdoors. Also, it sounds like you were solo and not Ruth anybody else. Going alone can greatly increase someone's anxiety especially if you're unfamiliar with sleeping outdoors. Part of me feels like a lot of people get increased anxiety because they've heard how scary and dangerous the outdoors can be, mostly getting lost and dangerous animals. Animal attacks are very rare and usually caused by negligence around camp and poor food storage. The other reason I think people are uncomfortable is an internal defense mechanism. Modern humans have adapted to living in a home, away from dangerous animals and the elements, with so many creature comforts that any change in scenery can be unsettling. Even as someone who camped a lot as a kid, when I went on my first backpacking trip in Colorado as a 20 year old Midwesterner, I experienced a lot of anxiety around the thoughts of getting lost or injured, being attacked by an animal, or getting altitude sickness. It was something I've never felt or experienced in my life and I was very comfortable in the woods. It kept me awake, made me feel really nervous, and I was getting severely homesick which was never a thing I've experienced. Every stick crack at night kept me awake. I attribute most of this to being a pretty calculated person who tries to manage risk and consequences, coupled with being in an unfamiliar (and more dangerous) environment. With time, I got more comfortable and the anxiety went away. I still wear earplugs now because I enjoy my sleep and could care less about what goes bump in the night. If you've never spent much time camping, it might be similar for you. You're forcing yourself to "enjoy" something that your brain considers foreign or unnatural. Camping is living with less and there's a certain amount of discomfort or inconvenience that comes with it. Most people don't mind because it's just temporary but others just can't do it. It's too different or too uncomfortable. Some people just don't enjoy it. That's my wife. It's finally not her thing. Other than more experience, there are things you can do to make it more enjoyable. Give yourself something to do. Whittle a piece of wood. Draw or paint. Read a book. Learn how to start a fire with your hands/magnesium. Knit. Play guitar or learn the harmonica. Keeping your brain or hands active can really help to settle the brain. You can also add creature comforts to make the experience more comfortable and enjoyable. Better food, a nice mattress, a good chair or hammock. For some people, the right gear can really elevate the experience to be more enjoyable. You have to do what works for you. It sounds like you were solo but you might consider going with a friend or group of friends next time. Solo camping for someone with no/little experience can be jarring. It gives you a lot of quiet time for your brain to wander, for better or worse. At the end of the day nobody is forcing you out there and if you're not enjoying it, you can always head out.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2022 00:41
|
|
|
Thanks everyone, first and foremost you all made me feel better about this. Lots of good advice. Also I'm glad so many of you who do this a lot can relate or have similar experiences. Verman posted:There's a lot to unpack here. I went here: https://freecampsites.net/#!31277&query=sitedetails . So not quite random, but an hour away from Tucson but near a couple small unpopulated places. Before the forest area there are some ranches and some other things that can be best described as compounds but the camp site is about 6 miles away from those spots. Maybe I should learn to build a fire because there were a lot of fire rings. It was like 85 still at 9:00 so it's really not cold but I agree that maybe having some sort of task to keep me distracted might be a good idea. I was at least wondering if maybe a big bright camp light might make me feel better if it doesn't ruin it for everyone around me. Rick fucked around with this message at 01:33 on Jul 15, 2022 |
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2022 01:26
|
|
|
Rolo posted:I found out I get a lot more freaked out when it’s too cold for bugs and I hear nothing at all until 1am when something snaps a twig 3 feet from my head. lol yup. I will never forget the night I went to bed around 10:00pm to an unusual (to me) cacophony of bird activity and flocks of nightingales all vocalizing to each other, which while beautiful was pretty annoying and made it difficult to fall asleep. I found myself really missing them, however, when I woke up later around 3:00am and realized they were all gone and the dense forest around me was completely deserted and pin-drop silent... aside from the terrifying creature of ambiguous size audibly shuffling closer and further from my camp for the rest of the night
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2022 02:56
|
|
|
Rick posted:Thanks everyone, first and foremost you all made me feel better about this. Lots of good advice. Also I'm glad so many of you who do this a lot can relate or have similar experiences. That looks super rad. I was never much for desert camping but that looks like a really cool spot to camp and have a lot of room to yourself. Keeping busy helps. Looks others said, being tired from a hike or other activity is an easy way to crash hard at the end of the day but with your physical limitations, maybe a mellow mental activity is better suited. A fire is a great morale booster for the human spirit. It gives you something to sit around and tend to. It might not even really be needed but it can be relaxing. Just check your fire restrictions, if it's too hot and dry you might not be allowed. For car camping, a nice lantern can be good to have around. I've always been used to having a headlamp for when I need light but I've recently bought a Coleman white gas lantern (because the light color is warm and you can adjust the intensity from crazy bright to very dim) and it makes life while car camping much easier when you need a lot of useable light. Another great time waster is learning how to tie knots. Get a bushcraft book or a knot chart, a few small pieces of rope and just go through the knots. Eventually with enough practice you might start to memorize them and it's never a bad idea to learn knots. With a bushcraft book, there's a lot of little things you can practice and learn which would come in handy in the outdoors. You could also make things out of Paracord like wrapping a knife handle, making a survival bracelet, etc. The best one I remember as a kid were finding branches and whittling them into a golf club shape, making a ball out of some vines and creating a golf course. We also made small rafts (gi Joe size) out of sticks and twine and raced them down rivers. It's funny how creative kids can be and how easy we lose it as adults.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2022 03:00
|
|
|
God Hole posted:lol yup. I will never forget the night I went to bed around 10:00pm to an unusual (to me) cacophony of bird activity and flocks of nightingales all vocalizing to each other, which while beautiful was pretty annoying and made it difficult to fall asleep. Yup!! First creature was almost certainly a deer cause it sounded like it galloped off when I went “AYGETTATTAHEA.” Second one cursed me out in a funny language which immediately made me realize it was raccoons. Neither would have scared me as much if not accompanied by that alienating silence. Blegh, I’ll take summer camping.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2022 03:21
|
|
|
Verman posted:For car camping, a nice lantern can be good to have around. I've always been used to having a headlamp for when I need light but I've recently bought a Coleman white gas lantern (because the light color is warm and you can adjust the intensity from crazy bright to very dim) and it makes life while car camping much easier when you need a lot of useable light. Does the white gas lantern hiss like the propane ones? I've switched over almost always to battery operated lanterns or string-lights because the propane one is so loud. quote:
My sister is starting to get onto backpacking and I've been trying to think of something to get her as a gift. This is perfect, thanks!
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2022 03:25
|
|
|
yeah if you are really into being outdoors but haven't shaken the jitters around being alone in the woods, camping with friends/family/the dog is a real good way of getting at least your foot in (out?) the door and learning what you do and don't really use when camping for example.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2022 03:25
|
|
|
Rick posted:Thanks everyone, first and foremost you all made me feel better about this. Lots of good advice. Also I'm glad so many of you who do this a lot can relate or have similar experiences. This would definitely qualify as dispersed camping. Some areas with dispersed camping are more crowded than others. In what little I have done in desert states, I noticed that spots will sometimes be bunched up in ways that denser forest spots (e.g. PNW) usually cannot be. So you may need to look harder to be without neighbors. My camping goals are similar to Verman's: get away from other people. I don't blame you for not being too happy about hearing kids running around. It probably would have made me a bit grouchy. All you can do is do your best to find spots away from other people/potential spots. Could be easier said than done depending on the area, though. Nothing wrong with bringing ear plugs, too. And yeah, fires are great. Love to just sit and stare at a fire, ideally with food or cold drink in hand. Poke it with a stick, add a log, toss in the occasional pine cone or twig or whatever. Really fulfills that primal caveman part of the brain. As suggested, do check for fire restrictions in your national forest first, though.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2022 03:32
|
|
|
If you get too spooked, there ain't no shame in hustling into your car and curling up in the back seat. Having friends with you is the best way to get over it, being solo in pitch black is gonna set the mind racing. Taking intermediate steps and camping in an organized campground helps too, there's no prizes for jumping into the deep end. I wouldn't bank on being able to maintain a fire in this day and age, the risk of wildfires is through the roof. Make sure you check for any red flag warnings before you head into the sticks.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2022 03:55
|
|
|
I’m also the only person in our camping group bothered by every twig snap and leaf rustle at night. Of course the thing that ate my flip-flops (that were tucked under the rain fly) was absolutely silent.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2022 13:53
|
|
|
Kaal posted:Sleeping outdoors can be tricky for sure - you spend a lifetime in a comfortable, quiet, indoor environment and then go outside and it's really weird. Experience and tiredness helps, as do sleep aids like earplugs. Since it's been a few attempts for you, and you are understandably a bit in your head about it, I might suggest doing some hammock camping in your backyard if that's possible. It'll help to acclimate you and help your body recognize that common outdoor noises aren't alarming. We did a test trip with our kiddo in our backyard when he was like 2 years old. About 3AM and I hear an amazing smash about ten feet away followed by swearing, grunting, and a second smash. Then silence. A minute later flashlights and voices. We say gently caress it, bring the kid inside. The next day I wake up and my compost box is smashed apart on top and the 4 foot tall fence on the other side of the yard is covered in compost. It seems someone was running from the cops, hopped the fence into my compost heap then ran face first into my fence on the other end of the yard. I totally agree with the quiet environment thing. Camping near a river or a lake does a lot for the white noise factor. If all else ear plugs.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2022 16:56
|
|
|
I've had my fair share of things to wake me up. First backpacking trip ever, in Rocky mountain national park, it was our third night in and we're at ouzel lake when this snow storm blows in the middle of the night. Winds pick up. I thought it was raining but my tent was getting progressively smaller through the night. The wind made it sound like an avalanche was coming. Super loud. Plus, because of all the pine beetle damage, we could hear trees falling and crashing left and right. This kept on all night long. We didn't see any dead trees within striking distance of our tents but that didn't put our minds at ease. We woke up to 8" of fresh snow and had difficulty finding the trail. There were so many fallen trees on the trail that weren't there on the way in. Looking at the weather, we left that day. They got another snow storm that night. Fast forward to another trip up at pasayten wilderness in northern Washington. Woke up in the middle of the night to foot steps, heavy grunting and loud crunchy chewing. My buddy was in a bivvy and I thought for sure a bear was chewing on his skull. I get the courage to peek out. There are 15-20 deer in our site eating weeds, mostly surrounding my buddy in his bivvy. The noises they made were crazy and I never would have guessed it was deer. I laughed so hard. My buddy never heard it. That's when I started using ear plugs and I'll never look back.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2022 18:06
|
|
|
Last time I went camping with my sister she brought a new 2p tent she wanted to try. I set up my own 2p tent a few feet away, we were in a very popular campground in an area with mt lions and bears, but historically very low numbers of incidents with animals. Some time in the middle of the night she wakes me up because she hears something scratching around her tent and it was freaking her out. I didn't/couldn't hear anything so we crammed her, and all her stuff, in my tent and I went back to sleep. I don't remember if she actually slept anymore that night but in the morning I was helping her pack up her tent. We lifted up the ground sheet & learned what the scary animal had been when a handful of the tiniest baby mouselets I've ever seen came crawling out of the pine needles. She was supposed to leave for college the next day but that morning she couldn't find her car keys anywhere. We unpacked ALL her stuff & tore the house apart looking for them. We tried getting a duplicate from the dealer and were on the phone with locksmiths, pricing our options, when my Dad asked her if she maybe packed them in her tent and guess where they were.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2022 18:48
|
|
|
About to go on the Wonderland trail for a week and I'm still flip flopping on the whole ice axe thing. Apparently people are doing the scary part (panhandle gap) without even microspikes, which I'll have, but on the other hand I figure an ice axe could be handy on other snow parts other than that one section?
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2022 19:29
|
|
|
cerious posted:About to go on the Wonderland trail for a week and I'm still flip flopping on the whole ice axe thing. Apparently people are doing the scary part (panhandle gap) without even microspikes, which I'll have, but on the other hand I figure an ice axe could be handy on other snow parts other than that one section? If you have poles I bet you'll be fine. There's a lot of snow but it's been so hot lately that it'll be pretty soft except in the mornings after any particularly cold nights.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2022 19:34
|
|
|
gohuskies posted:If you have poles I bet you'll be fine. There's a lot of snow but it's been so hot lately that it'll be pretty soft except in the mornings after any particularly cold nights. I do have poles and that's basically what the White River rangers were telling me. And I'm hitting up panhandle only later in the day. I figure I'll be bringing the axe in the car anyways and I can make a snap call tomorrow morning if I take it out with me, but yeah I'd really like to just go poles too.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2022 19:41
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 23, 2024 12:38 |
|
|
Rolo posted:Yup!! Mother. loving. Raccoons. They can growl and are noisy and terrifying sounding when they fight. Which they did, at like 1am. Over a drat basting brush I'd used earlier to make dinner with. My friend got up and chased them off. Then later that night we had a terrific thunderstorm and lightning hit less than mile from where we were. Holy poo poo that was loud. Woke up the next morning after the storm passed and I checked the radar to see if we were in for any more, and half the campground had packed up and left. Which was great because it was gorgeous the rest of the weekend except the river was way too high to raft after the rains.  But yeah I do not sleep well camping, probably because I'm usually alone with the kids and so that mom instinct just grabs hold and says 'oh hell no you can sleep when you're dead the CHILDREN NEED YOU TO KEEP THEM ALIVE WHAT WAS THAT' though I'm usually more afraid of like drunk rednecks than bears.
|
|
#
?
Jul 16, 2022 05:00
|
|
