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I always bring at least a custom first aid kit, some rope, and 2 trash bags. 2 trash bags can serve as a (kind of unpleasant but functional) emergency shelter. I drew a comic about it a while back.  As for assault, I've never ever heard of someone being attacked on remote trails, nor have I felt frightened by other hikers on them. I'd only imagine bad things happening on a more popular/easy-to-get-to trail at night. Then again, I know it's a different world for solo women. alnilam fucked around with this message at 16:05 on Sep 5, 2013 |
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Sep 5, 2013 16:01
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I pack my toilet stuff in a little flannel sack, and stuff any clothes I don't happen to be wearing into it for a pillow. Even if I'm layering up,I can usually scrounge enough volume of cloth to make an okay pillow.
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Sep 7, 2013 06:10
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Business of Ferrets posted:Use one of the clear plastic bags provided by the airline. The one you linked isn't free, and it's an extra pound to carry around with you when you're hiking. Word to the wise: some US carriers do not provide these bags or even know what they are. Every European airline I've ever flown has insisted that I put my backpack in a free giant clear plastic bag that they give me, which I am very happy to oblige. Every US airline I've flown with a checked backpack, I've asked for "one of those giant bags" at the baggage check, and they've had no idea what I was talking about. One of those times, they asked around if anyone knew what I meant, and ended up borrowing one from the neighboring Lufthansa desk  Point is, might want to bring your own bag. Large garbage bags are helpful for backpacking anyway, so you can use it over again when you get there. omgmofohomolol posted:It was me! As Time Cowboy noted to get to Harriman State Park I took NJ Transit from NYPenn to Secaucus, transferred to the Port Jervis line and got off at Tuxedo where the trailhead is down the road from the station. Off the top of my head the train fare was around $40 for two, and it only took an hour to get there, but trains on that line run slow on the return so we had to wait until 11pm to get a train back to NYC (apparently there's a bus that leaves sooner, same price as the train). Thanks! Very helpful. I'm taking a week-long trip to NYC this October with a friend, and I was thinking a day hike would be fun in the middle.
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Sep 9, 2013 17:46
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My proper grandma really wants to buy me some darker-coloured dress pants, and I said "you mean like something wool?" and she said yes. So I'm taking that as license to get some darker wool pants. Why am I asking this here? Because I post here sometimes and people here know about functional clothing, and frankly, I don't want to own any clothing that I don't also consider functional, nor anything that I would be afraid to be rough'n'tumble while wearing. So, it doesn't have to be something I would seriously go trekking in, but I never ever want to wear pants that will make me be all "bleh, I can't go to the park with you because I'm in my nice pants." So where should I look to find wool pants that are rugged, but that I could convince my proper grandma they are semi-fancy? I mean, they needn't be serious job interview quality, but they should suffice in the semi-formal world of professional academia.
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Sep 17, 2013 04:18
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These are great suggestions, thanks! I'm torn between the Betabrand one and the Icebreaker one. I have had icebreaker stuff in the past and I really love their stuff, and those also look the most grandma-pleasing  Also, Sometimes I wish I were. Can you re-link or tell me which pants? Link borken 
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Sep 17, 2013 14:46
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It's fall! Anyone have recommendations for Icebreaker base- and mid-layers? I love their stuff (got a shirt as a gift, have friends with their stuff too), and I want more wool stuff cause I'm becoming more and more convinced that cotton has little place in a backpacking trip. I was thinking the 260-weight Quattro for a mid-layer, and the 200-weight Oasis as a base layer. But I really can't figure out the difference/pros/cons between the Quattro, Sierra, and Quantum mid-layers. They all seem not very different. Anyone know more about the difference? And I guess the Oasis's advantage over the Everyday is that the former is more passable as a stand-alone shirt?
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Sep 23, 2013 19:34
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SpitztheGreat posted:Just did Hadley Mountain in the Adirondacks. The description that I read had it labeled as a "moderate" hike- and that's bullshit; there's nothing "moderate" about it. While it's a rather short hike (five miles round trip) it is one of the most intense climbs I've done. There are great views at the top, and a fire tower which gives you a spectacular 360 view of the Adirondacks. Weird, usually it's the opposite - books and signs call a fairly tame hike "EXTREMELY STRENUOUS" simply because it involves a little rock hopping, in a place where most of the other trails are very nice crushed limestone. I guess I see now why they err on the side of exaggerating how hard it is rather than how easy.
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Sep 29, 2013 23:06
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Verman posted:Well I hope nobody was planning to go to the NPs as they are all now closed. Apparently anyone in a park has 48 hours to leave but I wonder what happens to people in the backcountry who have no idea whats going on and probably aren't clued in. Is it possible they would actually send rangers in there to round people up? If anyone's in the backcountry for more than 48 hours, they hopefully know their poo poo well enough to not be depending on park services to be there when they get back to the trailhead, where they can drive away without paying an exit fee  (if that's how parking works in NPs, I dunno).Unless it's a medical emergency, in which case I really hope they have a phone and service at the trailhead.
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Oct 1, 2013 19:45
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Weather chat! One skill I realize now that I never formally learned, and have gotten lucky with, is dealing with harsh weather in the back-country. I don't mean "oh man it's raining," I mean lightning and/or flash floods, or maybe snow, but I usually don't do winter backpacking. Maybe high winds, too. So let's start with lightning I guess. Lightning storm starts up! What do I do? I think traditional National Weather Service wisdom is, get away from trees and lay down in the middle of a field, but is that really the best thing if I'm 2 days from civilization and carrying everything on my back? Lucky for me, I've never had it start lightninging while I was very far from a permanent shelter, though I've definitely been out in it in the city. And then there's flash floods. I've heard horror stories of people getting swept away in their tent by one. How do I read the terrain to prevent this? It's something that I consider when placing my tent, but the best I can come up with is "I dunno, don't put my tent in the bottom of an obvious ditch/draw" and I feel like there must be some better ways to go about it. Does anyone have advice on this, and also, how close is too close to a running stream? High winds - besides staking your tent very well and putting weight inside it, I guess you probably want to find a place leeward of a rock, or alternately, windward of any trees that might drop debris at you? Or the leeward side of a hill could be good, too. Not something that happens quite so often here in PA, though it does sometimes, and either way I'd like to know the best practices. I'm sure you Rocky Mountain region folks have some advice, I've heard there can be some mighty afternoon storms on those mountains.
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Oct 9, 2013 15:04
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Mercury Ballistic posted:In a densely wooded area is a person that much more of a target than anything else though? I would think a tall tree, well grounded and full of water is a better lightning target than a 5-6 foot tall person in rubber soled shoes. I can understand crouching on a bald or in the desert though. I've heard the advice of "do NOT take shelter under a tree" about a million times, including from the national weather service, so I think there must be some reason behind it. My guess is there's a lot of collateral damage from lightning striking a tree, both in the electrical sense and in the debris sense. Also lightning striking a nearby tree may induce serious ground currents. Anyway, thanks for the lightning advice all! Anything on the flash flood and the high wind stuff?
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Oct 9, 2013 22:22
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Most osprey packs I've seen have little loopy guys all over the place. Maybe tie it to those with rope, vertically along the back (outside, away from you) side of it?
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Oct 29, 2013 17:12
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Yiggy posted:B...B...brown bears... Hey, Hawaii is pretty beautiful too   ...but yeah those alaska pics are pretty amazing.
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Nov 26, 2013 17:32
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A while ago, someone posted about great hiking places in Florida, USA, and I can't find this post now (other than a mention of the FL trail on the prev page). I'm going there over Xmas, and I'd love So, any recommendations? I'll be in the Ft Myers area.
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Dec 2, 2013 21:11
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Speleothing posted:Edward Abbey has always seemed like a huge rear end in a top hat to me. I agree on some counts, and apparently he was sort of a dick in person, too. However, regardless of what you think about non-outdoorsy folk having more access to natural beauty (I agree with you that he goes a little overboard with his condemnation of national park tourists and such), Abbey has good points about billboards, industry, land development, damming, etc.
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Dec 11, 2013 20:05
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Bikepacking is great cause you can be a little sloppy about weight. That extra pound that makes a backpack way harder to hike 10 miles, only makes a bike marginally harder to ride. Yay bikepacking. If anyone lives in Pittsburgh, I have a few recommended overnights and 3-dayers. FreakerByTheSpeaker posted:Beer takes up way too much space. Get some high proof whiskey (or your spirit of choice) and put it in one of those collapsable bags. If you don't want to drink it neat, add some crisp, refreshing mountain water to it, or pour your whatever into your instant coffee or electrolyte powder like gatorade. imho. I just empty out a cheap plastic half-liter soda bottle and fill it. Roughly the same weight, and once it's empty, you can fill it with water so it's not wasting volume.
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Jan 17, 2014 20:40
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I've been trying to find a good knot for lashing a thing to another thing. Some kind of knot that cinches a loop down, and then holds. Like for example: -tying a stick to another stick -tying some compressible things down and holding them compressed -tying some upright things to a pole, and pulling it tight until you are satisfied that they are held in nice and snug When the thing I'm lashing is big enough, I'll use two facing adjustable grip hitches (or tautline hitches, similar deal) to tie a loop around the things, and use those to cinch it down. But what about like lashing two sticks or poles tightly together? Plus tying two adjustable grip hitches is a little cumbersome sometimes, so does anyone know an alternative? There's also the square knot, but it's hard to get it real tight with those, even with someone else's finger holding down the first tie.
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Jan 21, 2014 20:58
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Is one of those things a sleeping pad? Is that ziplock bag a custom-built first aid kit? If so, good. Do you at least somewhat know how to use everything in it? Looks pretty good to me. If it were my pack, I'd add various lengths of rope (I usually bring something like ~6, ~10, and ~35 feet of accessory cord), and subtract both knives and just use a multi-tool that has its own knife. But you already said you know it's unnecessary, so whatev. I'd also subtract the existential weight of Poe. I don't know how you project such a blinding white aura with such dark, gothic tales burdening your pack. edit: also, compass also, two (2) large black plastic garbage bags - useful in many ways, can cover your bag against rain, and can even make an emergency shelter, note the name "emergency" because you would have a miserable night in it but you might stay alive  also, vvvvvvvvv layers and rain gear for your bod and head alnilam fucked around with this message at 22:04 on Jan 21, 2014 |
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Jan 21, 2014 21:51
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Also I'd ditch the moist wipes, or take only a few in a plastic baggie. Castile soap and water will work for just about everything you need. Plus you have to pack out the used wipes, plus a whole pack of them is kind of heavy. Also, some people may disagree with me on this, but ditch the toothpaste (not good for nature) and use castile soap in your mouth. Spit it onto ground, not running water. Castile soap is one of the gentler soaps you can dump on nature, and even it can do damage if it's put directly into fresh water or too concentrated. Less of a big deal, but also when you spit it out, spray it in a wide area to avoid concentrating soap in one spot. Do this decently away from your tent cause it may smell like tasty bear food, depending on where you are. edit: jk about the poe, I was being goofy alnilam fucked around with this message at 22:20 on Jan 21, 2014 |
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Jan 21, 2014 22:10
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Whatever a light tent's rain fly is made of is probably a good material. You could find someone who is getting rid of an old/broken tent, and take the rain fly off their hands. Or buy a separate rain fly for a tent if that's a thing you can do. Searching on rei, it looks like they sell hammock-specific rain flies for $80, yikes.
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Jan 27, 2014 19:33
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Internet Explorer posted:Yeah, I'm fairly sure I'd bring firewood on my back before I bring cast iron cooking stuff. That poo poo is ridiculously heavy.  I was always mistified by Samwise Gamgee carrying not one but SEVERAL cooking pots most of the way to Mordor. Plus he probably weighs like 100 pounds, he should be carrying even less than us.
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Jan 28, 2014 16:03
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Disharmony posted:What's the best part and most secure way to tie your sleeping bag to the outside of your pack? I always put my pad on the outside and bag on the inside, though my pad is a little bigger (not inflatable) and my bag has nice cinch loops at its bottom. The one time I did put my bag on the outside (temporarily), I used the lid to hold it on.
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Feb 11, 2014 18:13
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Even when backpacking, I often have trouble sleeping night 1, as in I get like 4 hours. Night 2, however, I'm so loving tired from undersleeping+miles, I sleep like a stone.
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Feb 26, 2014 23:58
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Discomancer posted:For a pillow I use a waterwing and cut it in half so it's got 2 sections when laid flat. Hobopacking. I'll probably keep using the clothes-in-a-bag method, but I love this idea!
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Mar 1, 2014 19:23
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I've used goretex shoes for a while, and I've come to the conclusion that I just don't trust goretex in a shoe. It always (for me) eventually gets torn near the toe flex zone and ends up letting water in. Tricky thing is, you can't see the goretex, and you certainly can't repair the goretex. Since you can't see it, you're stuck wondering "am I imagining it or does water keep leaking in around my toe box somehow, or did I just let water get in over the top and it somehow pooled at the toes" and when you eventually realize that the goretex definitely has a tear, there's nothing you can do to save the shoe. If it were a tear between waterproof leather and the sole, you could conceivably glue it back shut or something. But if the shoe relies on goretex to be waterproof, you're hosed. In addition, when they DO get wet, goretex boots take loving forever to dry out. So I'm planning to totally change hiking shoe philosophy to the "light and fast-drying" instead of the "hopefully doesn't get wet in the first place."
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Mar 4, 2014 21:50
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Can anyone recommend a daypack that doubles well as a daily use sort of backpack? I'm thinking of going to rei to just browse around, but thought I'd ask for recommendations
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Mar 8, 2014 21:32
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Joe Videogames posted:Since biking is a gently caress-off expensive game for rich people to play, I'm thinking of hiking for an outdoor hobby that gets me outside and doing something physical. I can put together a good hiking ensemble for a couple hundred bucks and go on a nice 2-4 hour hike the following weekend. Biking, I'll have to save up for months and drop 2 thousand dollars on a bike. Not gonna happen. Two thousand big ones you say?  Try $300 to start out maybe? Are you getting your bike prices from a super spandex racer squad? I'm all for you getting into hiking, but biking does not have to cost $2000. I've biked for transpo just about every day for 7 years and haven't spent more than $600 the entire time, including replacing many a lost blinky light, and the one time my bike's frame broke and I had to buy a used frame and build most of a whole new bike. I am not a rich person. Granted I save money by knowing how to repair my bike, but (1) you, too, can learn this skill pretty easily, and (2) my friends who pay for repairs have probably spent something like $9 to my $6. Still not breaking the bank even after years of riding almost every single day. Beyond the cost itself, depending on where you live, biking is empowering in a way that hiking is not - you can use a bike to actually get around town, do errands, get to work, etc. You can walk around town too (and I do), but you can cover a lot more ground on a bike. The only bikes that cost $2000 are expensive racing bikes that rich people having mid-life crises buy, or people who are honestly interested in race biking. Anyone else can get by in bikes that are $300 new, or even better, $300 used (will likely be a better bike overall). If you watch craigslist a while, you can even get a nice old frame that needs some work for $50, and find someone to help you fix it up. After all the time and parts you spend it might end up being $150 + time anyway, so probably forget about that option. gently caress, I made fun of my friend once for putting together an $800 bike once because it was so much more expensive than what any of my friends had. (It was a pretty awesome bike though, but it was a bike geek's bike and we were just poking fun) Sorry for the bike rant but holy poo poo I can't read "biking is a gently caress-off expensive game for rich people to play" and stand idly by. edit: Obviously as I post in the Hiking and Backpacking Megathread, I also love hiking and backpacking, and I don't mean to put it down in favor of biking or anything. No idea about keen shoes. alnilam fucked around with this message at 18:40 on Mar 11, 2014 |
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Mar 11, 2014 18:35
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Joe Videogames posted:But biking is really, really loving expensive. I can't think of a piece of hiking/back packing kit that is so prohibitively expensive, save maybe a GPS. Want a decent bike that wont destroy your spine on a hilly trail, or vibrate your balls off during a road ride? Expect to drop at *least* a thousand dollars on just the bike. I'm really very bitter about being hard bit by the I want a bike bug only to be denied by the start up price. No, it really doesn't have to be. It's not just me, ask a large group of people I know who have been happily biking for many years, often carrying groceries or work stuff, in one of the hilliest cities in the US. Most of them ride older steel-framed "touring" road bikes that they got for between $60 (needed some work done) and $500 (sold in awesome shape by a bike shop). My bike was $120 (lucky find, but could find the same for $250 today), and my second bike was $60 + some work and some parts from my older bike, and I've taken both on 150 mile bike-camping trips and ridden both daily for commuting and errands. I also know some people who have brand new $400-600 comfort, cruiser, or cyclocross bikes that do them just fine. These are not low-end bikes. The only bike that will rattle your balls off is a lovely department store bike, or perhaps if you take a rigid aluminum or carbon frame on a bumpy trail. Find a local shop that sells refurbed steel-framed road bikes from the 80s, you'll see plenty of good choices. Finally, comparing the cost of a bike (the one single piece of equipment you really need to bike besides a $40 helmet), to "any single piece of hiking/backpacking kit," which might be one of several you need if you're backpacking, isn't really a fair comparison. I'll give you that you can get into hiking pretty well for a $50 daypack and some $100 shoes. Hell, you can just go out on a hike in street shoes for starters (but please bring a pack with some water). Backpacking is a different story, and will probably run you several hundo in addition to shoes. Levitate posted:Really compared to hobby's like cars or something, biking doesn't have to be that expensive even if you do buy a nice bike. making GBS threads on someone because they wanted a nice bike, even if they aren't racing, is dumb. If you can afford it and you use it a lot, then go for it. Okay that's true, I didn't mean to poo poo on everyone who uses nice bikes. If you can afford it then why not; nice bikes are definitely nice. I just do a lot of urban bike advocacy stuff and it's really frustrating how often I get "Doesn't it cost thousands to get into biking? That's what my coworker says."
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Mar 11, 2014 19:35
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hbf posted:Can anyone recommend any trail runners or other lighter hiking shoes (or maybe even just regular shoes) that don't look super flashy/tech'd out? Looking for something that would look passable on the street, but also has some tread. Something simple without bright colors. I'm going on trip and will be doing equal amount of walking around cities as I will be doing some light hiking and I'm trying to consolidate to one pair of shoes. I think in the boot world there are a number of good answers to that question. Up until now, I've used Ecco Track 2 boots as my everyday shoe AND my hiking/backpacking shoe. I've gone to several conferences for work, cleaned them up real nice and worn them (academia is slightly more casual but they still work IMO), and then gone on hikes or one time a 3-day backpack with those shoes. However, I also decided to move away from "waterproof boots!" and towards light, fast-drying trail runners, as other posters here have mentioned. So I'd be interested in an answer to this question too.
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Mar 12, 2014 17:10
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Question for the "I backpack in light trail runners that aren't waterproof at all and they dry real fast" people: If something has leather in the upper, like this Teva Kimtah shoe, will it dry quickly-ish if I walk through a stream? I know some of you hike in super light shoes and obviously this won't dry as fast as those. I'm just working on moving away from GTX cause it inevitably gets wet and dries slow as gently caress. And as I posted before, I'm trying to find a shoe that fits this bill that is also at least halfway not-weird looking in a city/casual work environment. These Tevas look pretty good for all this except for the leather in the upper, so I'm wondering if anyone has any thoughts about it. edit: gently caress, just noticed it has "waterproof membranes" involved that are probably just off-brand goretex. Nevermind. edit2: but I'd ask the same question for a shoe like this or this, basically a shoe without goretex but that has leather involved alnilam fucked around with this message at 03:57 on Mar 13, 2014 |
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Mar 13, 2014 03:49
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Lens compasses are pretty cool, but in my experience, a regular compass with a decent bearing will do you fine 98% of the time you need to use a compass. I've even used a simple orienteering compass in peak triangulation, which is what you're supposed to use a lens compass for, and it worked pretty much fine, though I'm sure the nicer compass would have been, well, nicer. The one thing you might NOT want is a super cheap $1 compass on a keychain or something. The needle's bearing might be crappy and stick a lot, and you might get a direction wrong. But you can get a decent compass for $10-15, in the US at least.
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Mar 17, 2014 15:36
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Ropes4u posted:This two person hammock looks pretty awesome, anyone ever try one out? Which one? In general, 2-person hammocking is more possible than you'd think (or at least more possible than I had thought). But it's still not very ideal. I slept for 3 nights on a boat in a $10ish (well, 15 BRL) fabric hammock designed for 2. It was surprisingly nice once we settled in and got comfy, the tricky part is getting there. Takes a good couple of minutes of awkward squirming to figure out the best position. And as a result, getting up to pee gets really wonky too. No idea how any of this would change if you're looking at a hammock with an integrated bug net or something. All in all, I'd say "worth a try, it's kinda nice, but also not super easy." Maybe buy a cheap fabric 2-person hammock off ebay or something to test out 2-person sleeping with your friend/loved one, before you go buy a nice backpacking one?
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Mar 24, 2014 19:07
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Saint Fu posted:I've never slept in a hammock but won't the shared hammock swing back and forth every time your partner shifts positions? It's less of a swing, and more that you can't shift without shifting your partner around. As I said, it makes getting up to pee really annoying and you feel guilty doing so, but sometimes a guy gotta pee 
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Mar 25, 2014 19:29
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Levitate posted:Keep an empty water bottle with you while you sleep Serious answer to a (maybe?) joke response: In my case, I was on a boat surrounded by other hammocks; the neighboring ones were about a foot away. Peeing into a bottle would have been awkward. Could work in camping, but peeing in a bottle from laying down = major risk of loving up and getting it all over Also what about ladies?
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Mar 25, 2014 19:47
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Folderol posted:A colleague of mine and I have talked from time to time about potentially doing the AT, not all in one go but in sections over a period of a few years (squeezing it in over vacation days). One of the things I've been a little worried about, though, is ticks/Lyme disease. I'm probably just being neurotic, but did you have any issues along these lines, especially in Pennsylvania and further north? If not, were there precautions you took (e.g., the timing for that part of the trail) or was it just something that didn't come up? Ticks are around all summer in PA (I've lived here my whole life), and most of them do not carry Lyme disease. But the risk is there. I've known a few people who have gotten it, but not many. Wear thin, high wool socks and thin/light pants. Check your ankles, legs, and groin every night or two at camp, or better yet, if you're not afraid of getting up on each others' bodies, check each other. I've always done fine just checking myself after any day out, but I haven't been in a "I'm out every day for multiple weeks" situation yet in this part of the country. If I did, I'd want a friend to help me check for bugs, and I wouldn't be shy about it. edit: also, the CDC page on Lyme is a worthwhile read, though like most health + wilderness things it's overly cautious (rightfully so, they're trying to do their best to condense best practices to a very broad audience). alnilam fucked around with this message at 05:01 on Mar 27, 2014 |
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Mar 27, 2014 04:59
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Elwood P. Dowd posted:Quick question for goons: Dunno about those particular models, but for weekend trips, even 60-65 L is a smidge big IMO, so there's certainly no need to get the 70. I'm not saying don't get a 65L - you may want the extra space on a longer trip in the future someday, who knows. Just try not to succumb to the "I have extra room in my pack, I should pack more stuff" mind trick... I always do  so I like having a smaller pack.What kind of "features" does the Aether have over the Atmos? If you like the way the Atmos feels, that's the most important thing.
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Mar 27, 2014 20:56
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Alright y'all, you've convinced me to go the "non-waterproof, quick drying trail runners for backpacking" route, or at least try it. Tried some shoes on today and I'm leaning towards Salamon XA Pro 3d. Gonna sleep on it though. Any last advice?
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Mar 28, 2014 00:36
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no_shit_columbo posted:I'm attempting to squat on the mountains of Tasmania, and went for a hike in hopes of adding a summit to my belt but unfortunately strayed from the path, got lost and frightened and went home. But here are some photos. Ha, when I first read that, I thought you were squatting as in setting up camp and trying to stake territory and live there, and I was very confused about how you were managing to post on the internet while squatting in remote mountains (does squatting have that meaning in Australia/Tasmania?) Also is "squatting photos" a Thing, or did you just make it up? Anyway it's nice to see some photos of Tasmanian nature, I really don't know anything about the place. Looks pretty rocky.
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Apr 15, 2014 15:50
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Tricerapowerbottom posted:1: Camping knife. Go with a HI khukuri? Or a custom made clip tip, about 12' long? I need something that would be most "generally" useful for larger tasks, trimming, chopping, batoning, etc. Most people on this thread don't take large fixed-blade knives backpacking, even those who are into sweet knives. It's much more useful to have a multitool that features a decent blade. Unless you're going to the backcountry to do specific tasks like hunting or something. Someone mentioned earlier that a small hatchet is way more useful than a bigass knife in the backcountry - if, of course, you also have a multitool with a decent knife blade. A little folding/pruning saw also works wonders if your goal is handling wood, and they're lighter and cheaper.
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Apr 15, 2014 21:04
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MMD3 posted:is this the best thing to happen to hiking/camping in years or not? Um, yes?  I mean I don't mind packing a cheap 12oz plastic coke bottle filled with whiskey, but that's probably about 10 less ounces I could be carrying.
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Apr 22, 2014 04:25
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I just did some late March backpacking in Allegheny National Forest, in the minister creek area - an overnighter. We didn't encounter another human once, and there was still some snow on the ground in places. It was beautiful.  But goddamn. Or, god dam. The beaver dams. We camped near a beaver hut  and got to see some beavers playing around  , and then partway through we noticed the "islands" and "natural pools" were in fact 3 enormous beaver-made pools, each 3-4 feet of elevation apart, each bounded by about 100 yards of beaver dam. That's about 300 yards total of beaver dam, each about 4-5 feet high. It was the most incredible, extensive feat of beaver-ing I've ever seen. The pictures really don't do it justice, it was seriously the equivalent of 3 very large swimming pools bounded on half of their perimeter by 4-5 feet of dam. One of the dams was old enough that it was very grown over and established, and we didn't even notice it was originally a beaver dam until after we had spent a while looking at the other two. Once we saw the beaver presence, we couldn't unsee it - practically every piece of wood in sight was beaver chewed. The log we had used to cross one part of a stream for hours had a super obvious beaver chew zone the whole time that we didn't notice until we realized the extent of beaver-ing.  It was cool. Beavers are weird as hell and awesome.
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Apr 8, 2015 03:18
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