|
Had the REI intro to snowshoeing class last night. Like folks here mentioned, it really is fairly straight forward. I did enjoy the discussion on the different types of bindings and the different ways to deal with varying degrees of incline though. I'll likely pick up a pair of the MSR composites for the girlfriend and the Atlas 12s for myself. Was a little strange being the youngest people in there at 31 but I learned of a few outdoors groups in the area I'll likely check out. Highly recommendes since it is a free class.
|
#
¿
Dec 9, 2012 05:56
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 1, 2024 04:14 |
|
|
Looking for a small item I can give to the GF as a stocking stuffer for Christmas that is hiking/camping/outdoors related. I was thinking about getting her a pair of YakTrax but from the reviews they don't seem very durable for actual hiking. Any ideas?
|
|
#
¿
Dec 9, 2012 23:32
|
|
|
Thanks for the ideas, all. I've opted to get her a nice beanie since it's the only piece of gear I can think of that she's missing. On another note regarding cold temp hiking. I did a couple of hours today in 20-30 degrees. My lung were burning from the low temp air and I developed a bit of a cough until I got back inside. Is there anything I can do to help prevent that from happening when I go out in the future?
|
|
#
¿
Dec 10, 2012 00:54
|
|
|
I'm such a doof. I had my buff with me and didn't even think to put it on my lower face. Thanks for the tip.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 10, 2012 04:32
|
|
|
Just got done doing a few hours part way up Mt. Ogden (http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1964229). Had some beautiful views that I completely failed to save the pictures for. One thing I learned, poles are great but in packed snow coming down a mountain, a combination of poles and add on traction would have been better. There were a couple of spots that got a little dicey that the added traction would have helped tremendously. It was particularly surprising seeing the wide range of gear everyone was using. I was on the "more geared" side of things with winter boots, hydration backpack, poles, and heavier, layered clothing. The number of people I saw with what I would consider inadequate gear was amazing. No water, light layers only, no poles or add on traction - what people will fail to pack with them when going into the mountains during winter was a real eye opener.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 1, 2013 21:41
|
|
|
http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1971784 Did another hike in the local mountains today. Had a bit of a chuckle this time as the hike up into the canyon was extremely steep and slick. On my way up I ran into a guy coming down muttering, "brought the wrong shoes for this" who then proceeded to fall on his rear end and slide about 3 feet. Didn't hurt himself thankfully but god drat are some people unprepared and foolish enough not to turn around. In other news I used my new set of Yak Tracks on this trip and they worked like a champ. I slipped in a couple of spots but I never felt like my feet were going to kick out from under me. I did manage to get a couple of pictures this time and included them in the trip on Everytrail linked above. Without coming off too much like an advertisement, I really like using the Everytrail android app. It links the pictures to the location you took them from and allows other people to see hikes in areas that they may not be aware of. Also, if you're traveling somewhere it's great for finding hikes nearby without having to print off a bunch of pages or buy a local guide book.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 6, 2013 23:54
|
|
|
$66 bucks from REI. Woot! Used it to buy an rei branded kitchen table setup that was marked down from $149 to $69.00. The folks there said the coupons should be out by Friday.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 19, 2013 01:32
|
|
|
The fiancee and I are supposed to head down to Arches and Canyonland National Parks towards the end of the month. Really hoping the fed has their poo poo together by then so the parks aren't closed. Since I've only been down to the Moab area once as a tourist any recommendations on hikes we should see or little traveled trails with a great payoff?
|
|
#
¿
Oct 11, 2013 13:22
|
|
|
Verman posted:you might be in luck regardless Thanks for that. It looks like the agreement is only for 10 days but hopefully the parks will either be open normally by then or Utah will extend the offer a bit longer.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 12, 2013 01:20
|
|
|
I'm down in Moab enjoying the parks and have got to say that Canyonlands is my new number two favorite park behind Zion. The fiance and I did Arches on day one, which I had been to before and is nice but Canyonlands just blew us away. We went back later in the evening to watch the sunset and do a little start gazing. By 6:30 most everyone was gone and by 7:00 we pretty much had the park to ourselves. If you're ever looking to come out to southern Utah I really recommend late October. The crowds are much more reasonable and the weather is less extreme. I also highly recommend driving West to East on I-70 if you can. Stop at the multiple viewing areas as well. You'll be blown away by the natural formations and if you're lucky will run across some natives selling some pretty cool jewelry and pottery under the "No vending or soliciting" signs.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 27, 2013 13:35
|
|
|
I updated my bag from a tiny, poorly fitting REI bag from few years ago to an Osprey Manta 36 before leaving Salt Lake to visit Canyonlands and Arches last week. I'd been using the little REI bag so long that I'd just gotten used to it being too short, not having enough space and generally just an all around poor bag for me. Getting to use the Osprey for 4 days was amazing. More than enough room for everything, fitting properly and having all the correct adjustment straps made wearing it a dream. Add on all the other little extras like having a couple of easily accessible loops to carry your walking poles, small pockets on the hip belt, and I guess what you could describe as a bag on bag design really put it over the top for me. After visiting the southern section of Canyonlands known as the Needles area I think CL may have beaten out Zion as my favorite National Park. Probably the most amazing thing that struck me was just how diverse the plant life was. Driving out to Needles with the leaves changing and falling made me think of driving through an area like Vermont. Then you go around a corner and you have these beautiful red cliffs towering hundreds of feet above you reminding you that you are still in a desert. I think the next time we go down we're either going to take or rent a 4-wheel drive vehicle so we can actually get off the pavement and do some serious exploring. Even if you can't go off road I would recommend Canyonlands to anyone.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 2, 2013 01:35
|
|
|
Looking for a little advise on pants. I have 2 pairs of convertible hiking pants but I'm looking for something a bit less technical that works as everyday wear or hiking. I've got 2 pants on my radar, Kuhl's Slackr pants and Prana's Brion, but am interested in any recommendations or thoughts.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 7, 2013 02:13
|
|
|
Speleothing posted:Slackr pants don't have as much stretch and will be more noticeable as outdoors-pants. The Brions are probably more versatile & stealthy. If you're willing to buy jeans, I've gotten a lot of mileage out of my Marmot Pipeline jeans. Pretty good stretch. I'm trying to get away from jeans. I'm OK with something that looks outdoorsie but convertible pants just look silly off trail. Do you work at a major retailer by chance and if so do you mind sharing which one? I can't seem to find either the Brion or the Slackr in store near me. JAY ZERO SUM GAME posted:I have some Prana pants that are made of that four way stretch material in the Brions. It's like wearing pajamas it's so comfortable. Thanks for the additional info. It sounds like the material is fairly light weight. Does it hold up well to everyday wear and tear?
|
|
#
¿
Nov 7, 2013 02:47
|
|
|
I'll have to check out the Zions. I see that they're available at REI and I'm headed that way this weekend anyhow. Just to compare I think I'll order a pair of the Slackrs from Zappos. My impression is that the Slackr is a heavier, more rugged pant and the Zion/Brion is lighter, more flexible pant. Is that about right?
|
|
#
¿
Nov 7, 2013 03:10
|
|
|
That sounds like unanimous consent on the Pranas so I'll skip the Slackrs then. Thanks hiking goons!
|
|
#
¿
Nov 7, 2013 03:42
|
|
|
PRADA SLUT posted:Eddie Bauer is for dads who have the matching SUV. I'm old enough to be a dad and am thinking about purchasing an SUV so we'll call it old man accessorizing! Discomancer posted:I have the Prana Zions, and they're awesome pants for climbing but really warm for hiking, and they tend to sag a little at the waist over time, as the hipbelt from my pack forces it down. I prefer just standard generic running pants without mesh liners for backpacking--great combination of weight, breathability, weather resistance, and they don't much water at all so they dry quickly. Are you talking about track pants, like so?
|
|
#
¿
Nov 8, 2013 02:05
|
|
|
Business of Ferrets posted:Their First Ascent line is quality stuff and worth a look, SUV or no. Big sale right now, too. I thought the First Accent stuff was mostly for mountaineers. Its that not the case?
|
|
#
¿
Nov 8, 2013 13:31
|
|
|
Ended up buying a pair of Kuhl Raptrs after looking at both the Prana Zions and the Kuhl Slackrs. I liked the fabric of the Zions but not the style so much. That one cargo pocket really didn't do it for me. The Slackrs ended up turning me off since they're 75% cotton. Maybe it wouldn't have made a difference but hiking in cotton sucks. The Raptrs feel a bit heavier than both the Slackr and the Zion but I liked the description of the fabric and style wise they fit the bill. Now I just have to wait a week for them to show up since REI didn't have them in my size.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 10, 2013 00:06
|
|
|
Speleothing posted:We all own Zions because we like the pockets. If we didn't we'd have Brions, which are the casual version you were looking at earlier. Don't get me wrong, they're nice pants and I can see why they're so popular. I might even end up with a pair or two down the line but they weren't quite what I was looking for this time.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 10, 2013 06:05
|
|
|
Time Cowboy posted:As pretty as winter hiking can be, this trip won't be until late spring or summer. I don't have the gear or the fitness to deal with ice and snow. When is your favorite season for hiking there? For what it's worth, I'm in Utah and I find hiking in the fall/winter to be much easier and more enjoyable than spring/summer. I can hike a lot further and feel a lot better since the cold temperatures help to regulate body heat. The only extra piece of equipment I use that I bought specifically for winter hiking were a pair of yak trax. Obviously you'll want to make sure if you're doing a winter hike that you know what the weather is going to do and you're not doing something you're not geared for (snowshoes, ice climbing, etc). But if you're doing a popular trail there's a good chance it's pretty well groomed from other hikers.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 15, 2013 23:35
|
|
|
Did anybody else catch the article in the March issue of Backpacker about the young woman who disappeared while hiking in Nepal? What a heart wrenching story. Really stands in contrast to all the stories I love reading about these far away, exotic places accompanied with beautiful pictures of amazing landscapes.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 12, 2014 18:45
|
|
|
Mad Wack posted:That woman disappearing in Nepal was big news while I was there - almost all the Nepali guides were making sure the women in our group knew to not go hiking off solo. Also our trekking company sent us with female and male guides because of a similar event where a male guide raped a solo hiking female. It's also in all the tourist books on Nepal now too. Maybe the article is playing up the danger a bit but it sounds like attacks on women by themselves or even in pairs was not that unusual. There was one attack they talked about where they found the woman's body after she went missing, decapitated and without one of her arms. Even as a guy that doesn't sounds like the kind of place I would want to travel. edit: any recommendations for parks to visit within an hour or so of Las Vegas? I'm here for work and it looks like I might have a bit of extra time to fart around the area. TouchyMcFeely fucked around with this message at 22:22 on Feb 12, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Feb 12, 2014 22:14
|
|
|
SubponticatePoster posted:If you've got a little extra time to spare, see if you can make Zion or Bryce in Utah. Weather is fantastic this week/weekend. I actually live in Salt Lake and while I love visiting Southern Utah I was hoping to try something new. I am half tempted to make the trek south this weekend since it's a 3 day weekend and I think President's Day is a free national park access day.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 12, 2014 23:01
|
|
|
All you need to know about caving.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 3, 2014 22:13
|
|
|
Picnic Princess posted:Anybody know the best dayhikes from the Green River in Canyonlands National Park? It's about a month away now and I trust you guys a lot for recommendations. I've only been to Canyonlands once and didn't get to deep into the park but are you floating into the park on the Green River? If so, I'd love to hear your plans/how you're setting it up.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 3, 2014 04:55
|
|
|
I'm going to be driving from Salt Lake to Vegas next week which will take me through St. George. I'm seriously considering stopping in the area and car camping in Capital Reef. I've already done Zion and Bryce but this would be my first visit to Capital Reef NP. Any recommendations on things someone with 2 days and new to the park absolutely has to do?
|
|
#
¿
May 1, 2014 23:34
|
|
|
My fiancee carries a big ol' camera with her when we hike. I ended up getting her a Peak Design Capture Pro so she wouldn't have it smacking against her boobs when she wasn't using it. Kinda handy since you can attach it to any belt or strap and keep quick access to the camera whenever you need it.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 10, 2014 17:40
|
|
|
BaseballPCHiker posted:Super excited to be through hiking Zion National Park in in late October! Any recommendations on places to see? Starting off in the Kolobs to the west and headed to the west rim trail before hitting the east rim trail. Afterwards we'll have a nice day in Springdale and then relaunch to day hike the narrows. That's when my fiancee and I like to visit southern Utah. The days are shorter but the temps have come way down and the number of people running around drops dramatically. You'll have a great time. Enjoy!
|
|
#
¿
Aug 5, 2014 13:53
|
|
|
As if trash on trails isn't bad enough, now we get this nonsense. I've visited the 5 parks in southern Utah a number of times and have been blown away every time. I can't believe someone would think defacing these parks with their art was a good idea.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 23, 2014 14:16
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 1, 2024 04:14 |
|
|
Shhh... Don't tell people how awesome the Moab area is. It's actually really horrible. Terrible weather, lovely views, no facilities anywhere. No, you want to go to Yellowstone. No, really. Yellowstone is where it's at. Don't go to Moab. I'll take one for the team on this. I'll make the sacrifice. I'll go to Moab and everyone else can go to Yellowstone.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 23, 2014 23:04
|
|