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After hiking for years in sneakers, I got some Merrill Moabs and have been breaking them in. They were super comfortable in the store, but actually hiking in them makes my soles and especially my heel hurt like hell. Is it because I'm used to a softer tread and need to toughen up, or should I get something like gel inserts, or what?
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Apr 20, 2015 19:10
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OMFG PTSD LOL PBUH posted:That toe is seriously a tough rear end thick hunk of waterproofed and polishible leather. You can high shine those fuckers with kiwi wax and get a true goose stepping backcountry alpine experience if that's how you hike. Plus you can keep the kiwi wax to do black face in camp like me. 
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Apr 20, 2015 19:11
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Is there a go-to site for finding new hiking spots? I'm sure there are a lot of hidden gems in my area, but there are about 1000 iterations of hike.com/hiking.com/allhike.com/morehiking.com/haveahike.com/etc and they all basically look the same and have the same touristy hikes. At least in my area.
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Apr 20, 2015 19:29
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COOL CORN posted:Is there a go-to site for finding new hiking spots? I'm sure there are a lot of hidden gems in my area, but there are about 1000 iterations of hike.com/hiking.com/allhike.com/morehiking.com/haveahike.com/etc and they all basically look the same and have the same touristy hikes. At least in my area. What's your area? Everything I've found has been either word of mouth, or looking into State/National Parks for overnight trails
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Apr 20, 2015 20:43
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COOL CORN posted:Is there a go-to site for finding new hiking spots? I'm sure there are a lot of hidden gems in my area, but there are about 1000 iterations of hike.com/hiking.com/allhike.com/morehiking.com/haveahike.com/etc and they all basically look the same and have the same touristy hikes. At least in my area. Other than EveryTrail, it seems like most sites are regional. Where are you located/looking to hike?
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Apr 20, 2015 21:14
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Rime posted:Had I been using synthetic clothing, rather than 100% wool layers, I would have died during the night as they provide zero insulation when damp. This is the only reason that I am alive to tell this story. This is a myth. Or at least, the idea that wool is what saved you is a myth. Soaked (i.e. immersed in water) insulation, will cause you to lose heat faster than no insulation, due to evaporation. Maybe this is not always the case dependent on humidity, temperature etc. Rime, do you carry a GPS? I find mine very useful for night-hiking or other situations where I can't see well enough to follow the trail after, say, a river crossing or similar.
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Apr 20, 2015 21:18
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Tigren posted:Other than EveryTrail, it seems like most sites are regional. Where are you located/looking to hike? I live in the central North Carolina area, but I guess if I want to find some good stuff I'll have to travel to Asheville/Appalachia
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Apr 20, 2015 21:39
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COOL CORN posted:I live in the central North Carolina area, but I guess if I want to find some good stuff I'll have to travel to Asheville/Appalachia Isn't there a trail that goes all the way to the coast near you?
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Apr 20, 2015 21:44
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Keldoclock posted:This is a myth. Huh, interesting. I guess my bag and long johns being dry is what saved my rear end then. As for GPS, nope, I had a lovely outdated and waterlogged map. Routefinding was only an issue the one time where they had moved the campsite since the guidebook was written, at a junction of several other trails in the park. Once I'd spent an hour pondering the map and figuring out where the route was, I found the marker immediately. On a related note: I've discovered I have 50,000 aeroplan miles that expire in June and nothing in BC was really grabbing my interest, so I've decided to head to Nagorno-Karabakh in a month and hike the Janapar, and then maybe hike the Lycian Way after that if I have time. I'll try and bring back another awesome story and not step on any landmines or get shot by trigger-happy Azeri border guards. 
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Apr 20, 2015 21:59
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Thanks HarryPurvis. Those sites are great, though the Topo site is probably a little beyond what I can understand at the moment. I understand what a topo map is and how to read it. It's just a little overwhelming with all the options and nomenclature. Here are two simple things I came across that Rime's post reminded me of. This Christmas, we were high in the mountains and it was pretty rainy. I had a synthetic base layer, down midlayer, and threw on my hard shell once the rain came down. I vented it out as best I could, but we were in the clouds and it was just damp in general. We went on our hike and by the time the sun broke out, I was soaked on the inside. I checked the goretex when I got home and it wasn't leaking, and I'll probably do a DWR on the shell on it just to make sure. But, the midlayer-- was down the wrong choice there? What can I do differently next time? I have a down sleeping bag. The compression sack it came with probably isn't waterproof. I assume the sack should be waterproof. But, will that affect its ability to breathe and dry out during the day if it's a little moist in the morning? Thanks again to everyone who helps me out in this thread as I try to learn more about this hobby. I'm a pretty organized, system-oriented person so I just want to know everything. If there are guides/books online or in print that I should read, I'd love recommendations.
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Apr 20, 2015 22:45
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Blinkman987 posted:This Christmas, we were high in the mountains and it was pretty rainy. I had a synthetic base layer, down midlayer, and threw on my hard shell once the rain came down. I vented it out as best I could, but we were in the clouds and it was just damp in general. We went on our hike and by the time the sun broke out, I was soaked on the inside. I checked the goretex when I got home and it wasn't leaking, and I'll probably do a DWR on the shell on it just to make sure. But, the midlayer-- was down the wrong choice there? What can I do differently next time?
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Apr 20, 2015 22:52
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mastershakeman posted:Twice. If you go in fall or summer be aware there might not be any water for long stretches. That works. March-May is good temp-wise. I considered going end of November because my vacation reloads Dec. 1. Use hiking as a PTO burn off if I have extra days.
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Apr 20, 2015 22:58
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I purchased a separate dry bag for my down sleeping bag. Most included compression bags just make the bag smaller without adding any protection. Also if you run a garbage disposal bag inside your pack you should be able to keep everything inside perfectly dry no matter the conditions. I don't run a lot of down clothing though because I expect my body to get wet if its raining hard enough no matter the shell/clothing I'm wearing. Also with the humidity, you're bound to sweat and soak your clothing from inside out. Down takes forever to dry which is why I just go full synthetic or wool. I love the compression and warmth down brings, but for clothing I want stuff that can dry out quickly.
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Apr 20, 2015 23:03
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I wouldn't recommend down for places that get rain. It seems like a disproportionately large percentage of people hike in the Sierras which is pretty much perfect for down (rarely rains or is at least very predictable). So down gets talked about all the time but really isn't good for much of the pacific northwest. I'd definitely go fleece if I were hiking in wet areas.
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Apr 20, 2015 23:32
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mastershakeman posted:Isn't there a trail that goes all the way to the coast near you? The Mountain-to-Sea Trail, yeah. But actually I'm not sure if it's finished yet or not! I'll have to look into it, I forgot about that.
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Apr 20, 2015 23:37
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evil_bunnY posted:Down is almost useless once wet. It still shouldn't get compromised by ambient moisture tho. It was probably the activity. It was a light down sweater type jacket, and it was fine each day until I had to slap on the shell. Luckily, the clouds broke around 8 AM and it was a really hot, sunny day. Everything dried out in like an hour. Verman posted:I purchased a separate dry bag for my down sleeping bag. Most included compression bags just make the bag smaller without adding any protection. Also if you run a garbage disposal bag inside your pack you should be able to keep everything inside perfectly dry no matter the conditions. I figured on the compression sack. Thanks. As for the garbage disposal bag, basically you use that as lining in the main compartment? I've used garbage bags as DIY rain covers for my pack before. I have plenty of wool stuff (This Smartwool full zip is the heaviest one I have), but I lack a solid synthetic layer. The few fleeces I've also tried come up a little short in the torso and arms. There are so many options. Information paralysis. Any North Face recommendations? I have a big gift card from them due to a warranty replacement, but I haven't found anything to spend it on since everything seems so "meh" from them. I do have a decent softshell in the Marmot Sharp Point. That thing was a gazillion dollars even on clearance back in 2007, but it's really nice and still holds up. I'm lucky in that much of my clothing that was great for lightweight travel around the globe is also great for hiking and backpacking Blinkman987 fucked around with this message at 23:57 on Apr 20, 2015 |
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Apr 20, 2015 23:47
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Saint Fu posted:I wouldn't recommend down for places that get rain. It seems like a disproportionately large percentage of people hike in the Sierras which is pretty much perfect for down (rarely rains or is at least very predictable). So down gets talked about all the time but really isn't good for much of the pacific northwest. I'd definitely go fleece if I were hiking in wet areas. Really any mountainous areas in the west that aren't part of that wet stretch up the coast are pretty suitable for down, but yeah anywhere that I was expecting lots of rain I'd go synthetic. I'll have to do some trips in the Pac NW some day but I'm focusing on the Sierra for now while I'll be out there
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Apr 20, 2015 23:58
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COOL CORN posted:I live in the central North Carolina area, but I guess if I want to find some good stuff I'll have to travel to Asheville/Appalachia Don't know if this falls into your touristy hikes category, but there's a good regional hike site for Virginia that has been steadily expanding into North Carolina recently: http://www.hikingupward.com/ The hikes in the VA/WV area are legit, can't vouch for NC as it's a bit out of my range.
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Apr 21, 2015 00:05
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Blinkman987 posted:Thanks HarryPurvis. Those sites are great, though the Topo site is probably a little beyond what I can understand at the moment. I understand what a topo map is and how to read it. It's just a little overwhelming with all the options and nomenclature. You're welcome! Its a little late in the year now, but I would highly recommend taking the Sierra Club Wilderness Travel Course (WTC for short). The class focuses on the fundamentals and includes practical day trips and weekend getaways where you can put your newly acquired knowledge to use. Alternatively, go to your nearest REI and pick up their class schedules. At the very least a beginning navigation course is helpful to start learning how to read maps and terrain. The condensation under your rain shell that you describe is most likely from perspiration. You're on the right track with your layering system. In this case you might have been too warm which caused your body to sweat more in cool rainy weather. Personally I only tend to use down while hiking if temps are below freezing, or if I'm taking a break or sitting around camp at the start / end of the day. You are also right about the compression sack for your down sleeping bag not providing any water protection. As others have mentioned lining your pack with a garbage bag (ideally a trash compactor bag) should do the trick. Alternatively there are a number of dry-bag solutions available at a more premium cost. Choose whichever you think will work best for you and don't be afraid to experiment.
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Apr 21, 2015 00:42
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I wonder how much of a bump the PCT (and the AT and other thru-hikes) is going to have this summer since Wild came out in December. I know Alaska had a bump in backpackers after Into the Wild came out, and Reese Witherspoon is more of a "popular" actress, so I'm sure a lot of people saw Wild.
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Apr 21, 2015 02:05
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COOL CORN posted:I wonder how much of a bump the PCT (and the AT and other thru-hikes) is going to have this summer since Wild came out in December. I know Alaska had a bump in backpackers after Into the Wild came out, and Reese Witherspoon is more of a "popular" actress, so I'm sure a lot of people saw Wild. There has been a general increase in more people getting outdoors even before the movie came out. There will probably be a bit of a bump. Personally I think we are at the beginning of an outdoors renaissance similar to the golden age of backcountry resorts that were popular a hundred years ago.
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Apr 21, 2015 02:36
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Honestly, there is SO much information about there now about trails, national parks, gear, packing guides on youtube, etc etc. My uncle was telling me about all the backpacking they did in the late 60's/early 70's. Half the time they would hear about some place in the Sierra's/Rockies/Cascades and just loving drive there and figure it all out when they get there, because there was no good way to get information about it. Backpacking is so much more accessible - when you can buy detailed, laminated maps of each individual section of the JMT, you don't need to be Bear loving Grylls to go out in the wilderness. Edit: What is the deal with steep and cheap? How often is "the good stuff" up there? cheese fucked around with this message at 02:48 on Apr 21, 2015 |
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Apr 21, 2015 02:45
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COOL CORN posted:I wonder how much of a bump the PCT (and the AT and other thru-hikes) is going to have this summer since Wild came out in December. I know Alaska had a bump in backpackers after Into the Wild came out, and Reese Witherspoon is more of a "popular" actress, so I'm sure a lot of people saw Wild. It's definitely a concern for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, especially since there's a Walk in the Woods movie coming out later this summer. One of the guys in my trail crew is a member of the ATC 'Walk in the Woods' committee, which tries to address sudden surges in trail popularity when bestsellers or movies come out. The popularity of Wild and Walk in the Woods means that people were already starting out on the AT from Georgia in early Dec this season to beat the crowds. It's that double edged sword of wanting more people to get into hiking and the outdoors, but not wanting hordes of new people to abuse the wilderness areas by dumping trash and tearing up the trails. He was down in Georgia this spring monitoring the 'official' thru hike kickoff and compiling reports for the ATC leadership council (including that sword-carrying hiker mentioned earlier  ).There's apparently a lot of controversy swirling in the AT community over how best to handle the situation. One problem they're having is that people are automatically gravitating to the AT or PCT as they're 1) featured prominently in the books and movies, 2) are probably the only major trail system the general public is aware of outside the big National Parks. The ATC has been trying to mitigate the impact by convincing folks to go to alternate trails (like the Benton Mackay Trail), but in his words "you can't pay people to stay away from the AT."
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Apr 21, 2015 03:04
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I'm not sure it's a sustainable increase but we'll see. Backpacking numbers per capita have been decreasing over the years iirc, the recent bumps in through hiking trail popularity seems like it must be tied to something else I'm also wonder if the popularity of "test your body" activity like cross fit and marathon running etc is also having an impact as people see thru hiking as another way to push yourself physically. The flip side to that would be lots of smaller trails still being relatively unused because they don't have the name recognition of the AT, PCT or JMT, but it also makes getting permits harder in some places as everyone tries to find ways around permit systems and uses up smaller trailhead permits I'm positive that the PCT got a big numbers bump from Wild even from the book came out. Less sure what caused the JMT to double in popularity over the span of like 3 years.
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Apr 21, 2015 03:15
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I'm pretty sure JMT permits sold out in like 48 hours this year. I know the Rainbow trail went in under a week.
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Apr 21, 2015 03:21
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Rime posted:I'm pretty sure JMT permits sold out in like 48 hours this year. I know the Rainbow trail went in under a week. JMT permits don't work like that but yeah it's basically a ton of applications per day for a limited number of permits. They're probably going to change it for next year to some extent
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Apr 21, 2015 03:59
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COOL CORN posted:The Mountain-to-Sea Trail, yeah. But actually I'm not sure if it's finished yet or not! I'll have to look into it, I forgot about that. Its not!
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Apr 21, 2015 04:27
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Levitate posted:Less sure what caused the JMT to double in popularity over the span of like 3 years. There are only a few hiking related movies on Netflix, and one of them is about a group of average people on the JMT. The rest are Everest / K2 / Andes disaster stories.
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Apr 21, 2015 08:13
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turevidar posted:There are only a few hiking related movies on Netflix, and one of them is about a group of average people on the JMT. The rest are Everest / K2 / Andes disaster stories.
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Apr 21, 2015 11:55
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Saint Fu posted:I know a few people who became interested in the JMT after watching Mile, Mile and Half. These were outdoorsy people from the Midwest who had just never heard of it before and apparently didn't already know how awesome the Sierras were. What isn't it just part of the PCT?
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Apr 21, 2015 12:51
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Thoren posted:What isn't it just part of the PCT? The JMT? No, it diverges from the PCT at points though it generally does parallel the PCT. It was also the first route through the Sierra along the crest and the PCT was originally intended to help link the JMT to other trails The JMT was basically conceptualized by the first explorers to really spend a lot of time in the Sierra. Theordore Solomons proposed it in 1892 and Joseph LeConte, James Hutchinson, and Duncan McDuffie completed a 228 mile hike in 1908 that roughly paralleled the present JMT, and then they started creating the actual trail in 1915. Levitate fucked around with this message at 14:31 on Apr 21, 2015 |
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Apr 21, 2015 14:27
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Rime's story has reminded me of why on long trips I try to plan ahead and do a pre-hike assessment. I've seen something similar posted over at Andrew Skurka's blog and SectionHiker.com as well. A get a lot of fun just daydreaming and planning trips before I even step foot on the trail. I find that these pre-hike assessments really help me plan and pack accordingly. Here's the basic outline of one that I did for my Trans-Zion hike last year: Climate Average high – 78 Average low – 49 Average precipitation – 1.45 inches Average elevation – roughly 6000 feet Snow – Very slight chance, should be no more than an inch of snow depth if any Very few clouds, low winds 0-10 mph average Daylight Civil twilight – 7:20 AM Sunrise – 7:45 AM Solar noon – 1:17 PM Sunset – 6:50 PM End civil twilight – 8:15 PM Average daylight – 10 hrs. 55 min Footing Hiking mostly on trail excepting the narrows. Ground will mostly be hard sandstone and dusty. The narrows will be a bouldery, pebble filled flooded trail. Expect %100 water coverage. Recommended to wear some sort of quick drying shoes and to use hiking poles. Some swimming may be required in the narrows. Vegetation Kolob canyons, hop valley and the connector trail will feature mostly an arid environment with grasses and shrubs. Further down in the valley you may see cottonwoods near creeks and other water sources. As we move up in elevation and eastward expect to see a mix of ponderosa pines and aspen tree species. Navigational Aids The start of the trail at Lee’s Pass will have a clearly marked trail and established camp sites. Next the Hop Valley trail is also well established until you descend into the valley. At this point there are no clear trail markings. The best advice is to follow the signs of use down the valley and watch out for cow pies. Avoid water from this valley as it is likely to be contaminated. The connector trail heading north towards the Wildcat Canyon trail is barely used and very hard to identify. Many sections of trail are overgrown, if lost just find an off trail route towards the Kolob road and on to the next trailhead. After this point the remaining trails remain well established and easily identified. Sun Exposure Sun will be intense. Recommended to use sunscreen and eyeglasses or wide brimmed hat. Water Availability Water should be available in some streams near the Lee Pass trailhead down until the Hop Valley trail. Bring water before hiking through there and the connector trail. Water sources will thin out in higher elevations as you ascend the West Rim trail. Drink one whole bottle before filling up and leaving any water source. Problematic Wildlife Cows during hop valley trail will leave a mess and contaminate water. Mountain lions are present but very rarely attack. Rodents and squirrels can be a nuisance. Use odor locking sacks to prevent them from eating food. Snakes are common. Check area before camping and going to sleep as they will seek out warm areas at night. Remoteness Will very rarely be remote. The Kolob portion of the trail is well trafficked and features a road as does the narrows and eastern rim portions. The connector and hop valley trail will likely be the only remote areas and we will not have cell reception in this part. Natural Hazards Steep cliffs and rock walls are a hazard. Flash floods will be rare this time of year but could occur. I wrote all that to give some info to the others I was hiking with and it definitely paid off. Just knowing the historical weather patterns for that time of year instead of looking at the 10 day forecast for the area 9 days out can be huge in deciding what type of gear to pack. Double checking the amount of day you will have will help give you a more accurate estimate of how much hiking you can get in realistically before you have to call it a night. Even checking the footing can pay off if you have trail runners and boots and can pick between the two. Anyway it's overkill on short little day trips but pays off big time for your bigger trips. Does anyone else do anything similar?
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Apr 21, 2015 14:30
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BaseballPCHiker posted:Anyway it's overkill on short little day trips but pays off big time for your bigger trips. Does anyone else do anything similar? Not nearly that detailed but I generally plan out how long I'll need to go each day and make a day plan as well as some alternates in case I'm tired and don't go as far that day or something. That usually includes planning for where water is and things like that. I'll probably need to get a good handle on the upcoming weather for my planned September trip because I'm going into the Sierra near the end of September and the temps are still generally in the 32-80 degree range but if it looks like a big storm might be coming in I'll have to cancel or change plans. I usually don't worry about the amount of daylight because I don't do a ton of hiking from sunup to sundown, I like to stop in the afternoon. Really I'm aware of a lot of the stuff you mentioned but I don't write it out in such a neat way 
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Apr 21, 2015 14:39
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Where's a good source of historical weather for a spot?
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Apr 21, 2015 14:39
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alnilam posted:Where's a good source of historical weather for a spot? I used the weather almanac on weather underground and also the NOAA site nearby wherever you plan to be will have lots of good data. Ha I forgot I added that bit about snakes and warmth as joke to a friend who was coming along who is super paranoid about snakes. This same person freaked out about the wild turkeys in Zion thinking they were after her.
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Apr 21, 2015 14:44
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Any suggestions for a light/ultralight sleeping bag that's not to expensive?
fritzov fucked around with this message at 19:04 on Apr 21, 2015 |
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Apr 21, 2015 15:13
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fritzov posted:Any suggestions for a light/ultralight sleeping bad that's not to expensive? What temperature range are you planning to use it for? Pick two: light, cheap, warm
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Apr 21, 2015 15:43
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turevidar posted:What temperature range are you planning to use it for? im a novice so won't do any winter sleep overs yet so i guess nothing under 0c.
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Apr 21, 2015 16:11
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fritzov posted:im a novice so won't do any winter sleep overs yet so i guess nothing under 0c. Are you a side sleeper or back sleeper? Do you like firm or soft mattresses? The cheapest and easiest to care for pads are just closed cell foam pads. They don't provide a ton of padding but it's certainly better than sleeping on the ground. Generally work best for back sleepers, since pressure on your hip if you sleeping on your side can be uncomfortable A Therm-a-rest RidgeRest So-Lite is $30 for a regular size and under a pound. There's also the Z-Lite Sol version that folds up instead of rolling up. For even cheaper you can get rolls of closed cell foam from places like Walmart probably. Usually dont' have a high r-value (higher value means warmer) but very cheap If you need more padding you'll have to look at inflatable pads, but they're usually more expensive and heavier (unless you want to spend a lot on an ultralight one). Big Agnes has a $60 regular size Air Core sleeping pad that has a low r-value (again, won't do you good in cold nights) and packs down better than the foam pads, at the expensive of being about a half a pound heavier (1 lb 5 oz I think) There are also some that combine a bit of foam and a bit of inflating and kind of bridge the difference, like the Therm-a-rest ProLite, but it'll run you $80+ probably. So really if cost is your biggest objective, I'd go with a foam pad and see if you can make it work for you. If you're a heavy back sleeper then it might work great. If you have any outdoor gear shops nearby (I'm assuming you're not in the US since you used Celsius so I won't recommend REI) go in and try some out, they should have test pads available or let you try some of what they have in stock
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Apr 21, 2015 16:23
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Anyone use a pump or bag to fill their air mattress, just scored two neoair xlite pads
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Apr 21, 2015 16:26
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