Hiking & Backpacking Megathread II: Still nervous around bears

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > The Great Outdoors > Hiking & Backpacking Megathread II: Still nervous around bears

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COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

The thing about kids is they have an insane power to weight ratio.

# ¿ Apr 27, 2022 15:34

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# ¿ May 21, 2024 08:37

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

If boots are literally injuring you already, what is it about shoes that you think will be worse?

Are you using hiking poles?

# ¿ Jun 16, 2022 02:01

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

FWIW a lot of people (including myself) feel that boots don't really do that much to prevent a rolled ankle, but if you have your heart set on them I have noticed that synthetic uppers put less pressure on my ankles and shins compared to leather. Also definitely look at sizing, if it's too small of course it could be causing pain but so could too large if your foot is moving around too much.

# ¿ Jun 16, 2022 17:35

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

funkymonks posted:

Hiked Franconia Ridge. I don�t have much to say about it other than that I love the Pemi Wilderness. This year I�m trying to knock out some trails I�ve never been on despite having hiked about all the 4k footers in the notch.

This was the first time I�ve hiked The Old Bridle Path which was pretty good. Next weekend I�m doing some sections of the Twinway I�ve never been on.

This looks exactly like the kind of trail I'm trying to find this summer - does anyone have suggestions for similar day hikes in NH, VT or NY? With that kind of elevation I'm good for 15-20km a day. My only hiking in the US was Mount Marcy and The Gothics so it's all new to me.

# ¿ Jun 17, 2022 02:47

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

Happiness Commando posted:

Well, if you're looking for a day hike in NH, VT, or NY similar to Franconia Ridge, may I suggest Franconia Ridge?

edit: lol beaten didnt see the next page

Lol yeah I'm going to but I'm gonna take 2 - 3 weeks so I'm trying to come up with a few places to visit without defaulting to my regular method of randomly picking trails off a topo map.

Hotel Kpro posted:

I did that. The military stuck me in Idaho, which is great for hiking. I had entire mountains to myself many times over. I got out and moved to Minnesota, where the mountains are farther away and not as mountainy. After a year of that I was in Utah where once again the mountains are plentiful and frequently devoid of people. It was a great choice for me and my mental health improved significantly.

I agreed to move from Toronto to a kind of bad small town to be closer to the inlaws but really because all sorts of cool places are in driving distance now. I can get to Lake Placid, Megantic, Tremblant, Charlevoix, in 4 hours and I have a fleet gas card.

# ¿ Jun 17, 2022 21:57

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

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

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

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.

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?

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

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

incogneato posted:

Sleeping next to running water (creek, river, etc) always helped me.

# ¿ Jul 15, 2022 00:12

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

Don't need to be faster than a bear, just faster than the unsuspecting skiiers.

# ¿ Jul 17, 2022 02:34

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

The one time I saw a moose on the highway it was a - the same size as my car, and b - the same speed as my car.

Fortunately it did manage to stay in its lane so I lived.

# ¿ Jul 18, 2022 18:45

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

Acebuckeye13 posted:

Went for some short hikes: Chicago Stump and Boole Tree trails in Sequoia National Forest.

Getting photos of sequoias is always a challenge since the drat things are so large it's almost impossible to get the whole thing in frame.

Are these from smartphone or a camera? My outdoor photos never look this good!

# ¿ Jul 19, 2022 03:49

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

Here's a recent trip to the Chic Chocs. Curious if there are any other Quebec goons in here?

# ¿ Jul 22, 2022 05:53

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

I've been taking road trips in Quebec while I wait to heal up and feel more confident tackling the presidentials.

Here I'm starting in the Eastern Townships on the border with Maine, and working my way north to the Gaspesie peninsula and the Charlevoix glacial mountains.

# ¿ Aug 31, 2022 04:08

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

Do the 800ft trail 3 times back to back.

I'm a 5 hour drive from the whites and I did exactly this, when I got there last week my body had no trouble keeping up.

# ¿ Sep 12, 2022 15:50

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

Ontario also blocks you from booking backcountry sites more than like 15km apart

# ¿ Sep 14, 2022 22:44

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

Yeah the best 2-4 day trail in central Canada is 80km and it's recommended as a 7-10 day trip lol. I'm only gonna get around to doing it in the winter when dispersed camping is allowed.

# ¿ Sep 15, 2022 00:52

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

I saw a guy at Whiteface a couple weeks ago with no poles or crampons who was planning to hike through the snow cap to get to his ride. He also didn't have a bag so presumably no headlamp, jacket, or phone, and it was an hour to sunset.

# ¿ Oct 31, 2022 03:54

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

My gps is switching to aerisweather, haven't looked it up yet though

# ¿ Nov 6, 2022 14:55

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

I did it on my own last year. Honestly not that difficult in good weather, much more pleasant than the Adirondacks.

For reference I'm an experienced hiker but overweight and severe arthritis.

# ¿ Jan 14, 2023 05:54

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

walmart's stuff is surprisingly good

# ¿ Jan 21, 2023 02:49

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

They brought in an white label brand a couple years ago that is cheap but not total garbage, so if I forgot to pack something I can usually get a not terrible replacement from a retailer that is everywhere and always open. It's actually saved me a couple times already.

# ¿ Jan 21, 2023 03:05

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

Gossamer gear has some nice shoulder strap pouches I use to keep gear at hand.

https://www.gossamergear.com/products/shoulder-strap-pockets?rfsn=2106874.7c7a83

# ¿ Feb 7, 2023 04:16

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

Glad to hear! These are ungoogleable thanks to the surfeit of tacticool molle pack attachments, but it's been life changing for me since I bumped into someone with it on the trail.

# ¿ Feb 7, 2023 04:28

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

I had also tried hiking with a fanny pack previously and it was horrible.

# ¿ Feb 7, 2023 15:46

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

For any big guys looking for a running vest I just picked up an Ultimate Direction ultra 6 and it's an amazingly comfortable fit with room to spare on my 48" chest.

# ¿ Mar 1, 2023 21:16

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

Man is it ever heartbreaking how BC is intent on destroying the last few places untouched by humans. I'm not even against harvesting trees in general but there is so little old growth left we should really be preserving it imo.

# ¿ Apr 14, 2023 20:32

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

Today was a new one for me, multiple dogs off leash in a loving bird sanctuary.
Ban all dogs from sensitive areas imo. Less than 50% of owners can be bothered to follow the rules, in my experience.

# ¿ May 29, 2023 04:46

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

If you're larger bodied ultimate direction fits the best ime but a little more pricey

https://ultimatedirection.com/ultra-vest-6-0/

# ¿ Jun 4, 2023 19:53

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

Is there an easy way to search whether there are any locations not raining within like a 5 hour drive next weekend

# ¿ Jun 19, 2023 00:05

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

Morbus posted:

windy.com has a decent map

that's perfect thanks
the ones on the usual suspects only show current day which is spectacularly not helpful

# ¿ Jun 20, 2023 00:55

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

I managed to see a herd of Caribou in the Chic Chocs

# ¿ Jul 6, 2023 12:57

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

Pondex posted:

What does stiff neck-muscles after a hike mean?

I did a 20km day-hike thursday and my neck is still pretty tight today, sunday. I didn't weigh my pack, but it wasn't too heavy. Just food/water for two people + a jacket/binoculars.

It was very hilly, but a beautiful hike. Nationalpark Mols Bjerge, if you're ever in Denmark.

If you were using hiking poles this can just be a bit of muscle soreness from stabilizing the back/shoulder when you press down.

# ¿ Jul 9, 2023 14:32

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

I made a new friend today

COPE 27 fucked around with this message at 00:30 on Sep 6, 2023

# ¿ Sep 6, 2023 00:27

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

Yeah she popped out like 15 feet in front of me on the trail and took a couple steps in my direction after she noticed me, thankfully got distracted by a branch and took off.

# ¿ Sep 6, 2023 12:21

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

I'm doing the presi traverse tomorrow starting at 8, and I'm just curious if I'm being realistic to assume I can make it to the Mizpah hut in time for dinner at 6? Weather looks about as good as it gets and it's not my first time here.

# ¿ Sep 27, 2023 22:05

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

I have work in San Diego in April. Anywhere within driving distance worth visiting that time of year?

# ¿ Dec 18, 2023 02:07

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

The Aardvark posted:

Depends on what you'd want to see and how far is driving distance to you. About an hour east is the Mt. Laguna part of the Cleveland National Forest and 75 minutes NE is the Palomar mountain bits of it. Go about about 1.5-2hr east and you're in Anza Borrego Desert State Park. There's also a lot of open space areas within 30 minutes of downtown.

I usually try to do one or two desert hikes every April to close out the season since that's the last month of comfortable temps. This April a friend and I did Whale Peak and it got up to 100F before we finished.

I'm mostly interested in seeing mountains or any unique geology, and "driveable" to me is basically under 3 hours each way. Where I live April - May ranges from unsafe to miserable because of snowmelt so I'm hoping to get an early start on the season while I'm somewhere a bit warmer. 100F would be amazing.

# ¿ Dec 18, 2023 21:12

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

pumped up for school posted:

Then you probably want to do Anza-Borrego.

That looks amazing!

Safety Dance posted:

I'm worried you underestimate 100F, but, you know, you do you, be safe and carry a shitload of water.

Yeah I've been out in 100+ a few times and 95+ many many times so I'm pretty good at staying inside my limits.

# ¿ Dec 18, 2023 22:26

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

Quebeckers really do love dying on USA hikes though.

# ¿ Dec 18, 2023 22:37

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# ¿ May 21, 2024 08:37

COPE 27: Sep 11, 2006

COPE 27 posted:

I have work in San Diego in April. Anywhere within driving distance worth visiting that time of year?

Trip Report:

Anze Borrego was super cool, somehow 36 degress while San Diego was below 19 90 minutes away.. Almost went the wrong way down an overlanding trail in a Charger (do not recommend)

I thought people were exagereating about El Cajon for the first 5k, then it turned into a death march of sun exposure, electrolyte issues, and "downs" that are really ups.

Joshua tree was beautiful for sightseeing, wouldn't go out of my way to go hiking though.

So far 10/10 for my first California visit.

Next week thinking San Jacinto, Yosemite, and San Gabriels before flying home.

# ¿ Apr 23, 2024 04:24

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > The Great Outdoors > Hiking & Backpacking Megathread II: Still nervous around bears

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