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I wouldn't trust a $35 bag at -15c unless I had a lot of experience with it along the way as things gradually got colder. That being said, I'll never have to worry about that.
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Jul 10, 2015 00:07
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Here's a dumb question, that will be a matter of opinion I suppose. I broke a tooth, and it's getting pulled on the 14th. I'm booked off work to go backpacking on the 20th to the 24th, just a short trip, and not pushing very hard either, 10-13km per day. Would that be considered too soon? Is it a major health risk to be out in the middle of the mountains with that kind of procedure done a week beforehand?
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Jul 10, 2015 03:33
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BaseballPCHiker posted:Saw this article yesterday in my feedly: If you're gonna build a cairn, build it right. 
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Jul 10, 2015 03:53
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Picnic Princess posted:Here's a dumb question, that will be a matter of opinion I suppose. I had a tooth pulled and was back doing moderate, but steady for like 12h a day, work like 2-3 days after. It sucks a bit because it is hard to eat much, but I guess that depends on where the tooth is. The biggest issue will be reopening the wound but if you have 6 days it should be healed up.
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Jul 10, 2015 04:02
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bunnielab posted:I had a tooth pulled and was back doing moderate, but steady for like 12h a day, work like 2-3 days after. It sucks a bit because it is hard to eat much, but I guess that depends on where the tooth is. The biggest issue will be reopening the wound but if you have 6 days it should be healed up. Fair enough point! A Kpro posted:If you're gonna build a cairn, build it right. You need someone standing next to it for scale. Like this one I encountered. 
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Jul 10, 2015 04:07
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So, cairns (pronounced like the Aussie city?) are used for navigation, to mark trails when there may be some confusion, or bad trails in the case of laying an X over one. But, some people make them everywhere because they believe in anime energy powers and Dragonball Z?
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Jul 10, 2015 06:17
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Blinkman987 posted:So, cairns (pronounced like the Aussie city?) are used for navigation, to mark trails when there may be some confusion, or bad trails in the case of laying an X over one. But, some people make them everywhere because they believe in anime energy powers and Dragonball Z? Summit cairns are a thing too. Depending on the terrain, They can get massive because people like to build big things. That one I posted was on the Tower of Babel at Moraine Lake in Banff National Park. It's a big quartzite tower that's flat on top, and the rock weathers in neat cubes and blocks. There are actually like a dozen 8 foot cairns built up there, and some you can see from the lake below. You can kind of make a couple of them out in this picture. 
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Jul 10, 2015 07:17
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Picnic Princess posted:Here's a dumb question, that will be a matter of opinion I suppose. Six days should be plenty to recover from that. The wound won't be completely healed yet but it should be good enough to eat solid foods fairly comfortably. Just try to avoid the spot. Though if at any time after the procedure you feel feverish, get your rear end to a doctor, you might have sepsis. However, the chance of that happening is small.
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Jul 10, 2015 10:06
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I crashed, broke a tooth, and had to get it pulled on day one of a mountain bike trip. Dentist cleared me to ride for the rest of the week and I definitely did, starting the very next day. You should be fine as long as you take the right precautions. Talk to your dentist about it and be aware of what can go wrong and how to look for it.
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Jul 10, 2015 17:56
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You're not supposed to use straws for a while after getting a tooth out, so you might want to make sure you've got a water bottle with a spout that doesn't require sucking on for your hydration.
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Jul 11, 2015 01:00
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I wonder if it'd be a good idea to take something like a small bottle of mouthwash so you can rinse with antiseptic to be on the safe side, but honestly you'll probably be just fine. Anyone ever get tree sap (not pitch) on a silnylon tent and have a good way of removing it?
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Jul 11, 2015 01:21
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Yeah, suction can dislodge the blood clot and lead to dry socket, which is a ~bad thing~. Squirting or pouring the water in your mouth to drink is no problem though. Otherwise you should be good to go!
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Jul 11, 2015 14:37
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Then I'm gonna do it! I have a litre and a half wide mouth Nalgene I use anyway so no worries there. Thanks for all your input! I should have some awesome pics to share in a couple weeks, if the haze isn't too horrible. Our country is on fire right now.
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Jul 11, 2015 20:41
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Over Friday and Saturday I did my first overnight hike! I went to the C&O canal.  I did Lock 5 to lock 23. The canal is only watered for maybe the first 20-30ish miles, and because of the locks, it is a really variable body of water: It can be narrow and still:  To wide, deep, and clear:  To a tiny trickle:  All of these were in like 2 miles of each other. The water clarity and SAV is really dependent on the weather, but a lot of the time the canal is just perfect largemouth bass habitat, which was the purpose of my trip:   The fishing was pretty decent the entire time, I caught maybe 2 dozen average bass and a ton of dinks. I figured a speed of about 1mph would allow enough time to fish, which was not at all enough. Even with a bit of rushing, it took me almost 12 hours to cover the 11 miles to the campsite. When I got there it was full, it's right by a parking area so it fills up with car campers on the weekends. However, these dudes let me set my hammock up in their spot. They were on day 5 of a 6 day bike trip from Pittsburgh to DC and had been rained on every day. I shared some of my booze stash with them and I haven't seen happier people in a long time. Sadly, the actual sleeping outside park kinda sucked. I foolishly didn't buy a bug net for my hammock, on the theory that I have been to this spot a ton of times at night and never got bitten up before. Not the case Friday night, thankfully my face/head didn't get bit but everywhere else is covered in bites, even the back of my hands have hundreds of bites on them. It started raining during the night so I got pretty soaked breaking camp. I fished my way up stream for a few hours in the morning and then when the sun came out I stopped at one of the locks to spread my gear out to dry. Sadly I ended up taking a 3 hour nap and needed to hustle to make it to my pickup spot.  It wasn't a total loss as the final section of the canal was pretty barren of SAV and that combined with the clear skies and heat really killed the bite. The canal, despite being pretty crowded and close to built up areas is really pretty and I am definitely going to be coming back. I would like to work up to hiking the entire 148.5 miles before winter. Here is some random pictures of the canal and Potomac river: Man I love rock walls:    The Potomac hates you and wants you to die:     Here is an current poorly planned transport system crossing over an old one:  I am amazed that this stuff didnt get scrapped during WWII:  In summary, I had a blast and am super excited to keep doing stuff like this. I have a ton of gear questions to bug you guys about once the itching stops.
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Jul 12, 2015 15:47
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Leatherman Peak. Standing at 12228 feet, it's the second tallest mountain in Idaho.  The approach was awesome. Trees giving way to wildflowers to a small boulder field to a small meadow. All in about three miles.    Then the lovely part started. From the pass to the summit up its Western ridge is very steep and incredibly loose rock, dirt, and scree. More than once I went up a path only to find a tower blocking me. The descent was a little easier because I could pick better routes, but it was more dangerous than it was fun. The summit did have this cool summit register  A Nalgene bottle hit by lightning? Probably a collectible. The view from the top was... well it's Idaho, so it's either amazing or some lackluster sagebrush putzing around near some farmland/lava fields.   Only animal I saw the entire time  Stats for the trip: 5.1 miles, 5300 feet of elevation gain. https://www.strava.com/activities/344951019 And only 700 calories burned, efficiency at its finest.
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Jul 13, 2015 05:59
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I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I'm jealous of your really tall yet totally feasible peaks way down south from here. Our tallest peaks in Alberta sit in about the 12,000' range. Although, because of how conditions change depending on latitude and the whole ice age thing, the second highest peak here looks like this: That's North Twin, at 11,900'. So I'll just be happy with bagging the peaks between 7000 and 10,000'. We call our serious mountaineering peaks the 11,000ers because that's when you're pretty much guaranteed technical climbing and glacier travel, because they're all craggy, cliffy monsters covered in ice. There's actually some pretty interesting geology behind why some peaks sit so high above the rest and have these godawful cliffs all over them, but maybe I'll explain it another time.
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Jul 13, 2015 08:59
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That doesn't seem that hard  
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Jul 13, 2015 13:27
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Just got a new pair of Mammut 'Ridge High GTX' boots, ya'll goretex haters are crazzzzzzzzyyyyyy  These things are awesome even on a 90*F day (with merino socks) I have never had goretex boots before but am loving them. Bought them because most of the places I go are muddy/swampy/wet but not so much that it would get over the boots, also the majority of my hiking ends up being in the winter, mink oiled leather is OK but hopefully these will be even betterer 
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Jul 13, 2015 16:57
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Picnic Princess posted:I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I'm jealous of your really tall yet totally feasible peaks way down south from here. Our tallest peaks in Alberta sit in about the 12,000' range. Although, because of how conditions change depending on latitude and the whole ice age thing, the second highest peak here looks like this: I think the main route is non technical on that peak.
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Jul 13, 2015 17:24
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Please recommend me a 2 or 3 night backpacking trip in driving distance from Sacramento, CA! My gf is working in Sacramento for a month and I'm gonna join her at the end of it and we're so excited about being a 2-3 hour drive from so many amazing natural places. We want to finish off her stay with a 2 nighter or possibly a 3 nighter. Our experience: We're both from appalachia and have backpacked plenty around here and in a few other climates. I haven't done any serious Mountains, just appalachian "mountains." She's backpacked on some moderate mountains in Washington state, no technical climbing though, but some scrambling and scree stuff. I've backpacked in Humboldt Redwoods, that's my only major west coast experience, and my most elevation was some cliffs on Kaua'i. I guess my point is neither of us are ready to do a technical climb on a backpacking trip, but we're both pretty comfortable with hiking or even scrambling up small mountains/large hills. Also this is in mid September, if that has any bearing for permits etc  I'm from a land where nobody at all backpacks so there's no such thing as permits "running out," this idea is foreign to me.Thanks in advance for any advice!
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Jul 15, 2015 01:15
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alnilam posted:Please recommend me a 2 or 3 night backpacking trip in driving distance from Sacramento, CA! You should check out the Desolation Wilderness, near Lake Tahoe. Beautiful, rugged scenery. Here are some photos from a few years ago. I did a day hike up Ralston Peak on the edge of the wilderness. I've always wanted to make it down into the basin to hike around Lake Aloha but haven't had the chance. I just got back from Tahoe, and did a day hike up Pyramid Peak, which you can see in some of the photos from the Ralston Peak album. Haven't had a chance to process those photos yet. You can self permit for day trips, not sure about overnights. https://flickr.com/photos/41566708@N08/sets/72157627249003515 EPICAC fucked around with this message at 01:33 on Jul 15, 2015 |
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Jul 15, 2015 01:27
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ALPS self inflating sleeping pad is $30 on Amazon Prime Deals right now
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Jul 15, 2015 15:55
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Hey thread, has anyone here had experience doing the Annapurna Circuit? I'm going to be doing it next year and wondering what size backpack I should take for it. I'm going to be travelling as light as possible so was thinking a 45L one, but I'm also brining my SLR with two lenses which will take up more space. That and a sleeping bag would be the items which would use the most space, but I won't be taking that many clothes. I really like the look and feel of the Osprey packs when I've tried them on in stores, but just seeing if anyone's got some experience taking an SLR with them on a 20 day or so hike.
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Jul 17, 2015 10:24
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NaDy posted:Hey thread, has anyone here had experience doing the Annapurna Circuit? I'm going to be doing it next year and wondering what size backpack I should take for it. I'm going to be travelling as light as possible so was thinking a 45L one, but I'm also brining my SLR with two lenses which will take up more space. That and a sleeping bag would be the items which would use the most space, but I won't be taking that many clothes. I have no advice to give on that particular trail, but that being said, my Kelty Redwing 2900 (current model is the Kelty Redwing 50) is a wonderful versatile pack that it all but bulletproof and backed by a lifetime warranty that Kelty stands behind. I can't say enough good things about it. Osprey also makes well-regarded packs, but I don't have any personal experience with them. One thing to consider is whether you would need to carry a bear cannister and whether the pack you are looking at will accommodate an object of that size.
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Jul 17, 2015 12:22
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Hungryjack posted:I have no advice to give on that particular trail, but that being said, my Kelty Redwing 2900 (current model is the Kelty Redwing 50) is a wonderful versatile pack that it all but bulletproof and backed by a lifetime warranty that Kelty stands behind. I can't say enough good things about it. Osprey also makes well-regarded packs, but I don't have any personal experience with them. One thing to consider is whether you would need to carry a bear cannister and whether the pack you are looking at will accommodate an object of that size. No need for a bear canister, it's in Nepal and there aren't any bears around that region from what I've read. Possibly snow leopards but it's very unlikely that they'll want to go anywhere near you. I haven't heard of Kelty before but I'll check them out and see if there are stores here in the UK where I can try them out, thanks!
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Jul 17, 2015 13:28
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Still slowly putting together my gear, but I'm mostly down to the big stuff (pack, tent, sleeping bag/pad). Need tent advice. I want a one person tent. Is the REI Quarter Dome good or is the Big Agnes equivalent worth the price premium? Put another way, am I better off spending less on the REI tent and putting the savings in to a footprint or spend more on a Big Agnes? Ultralight is not a massive concern here, but the REI tent is almost half as heavy as the Big Agnes Tumble 1 that's the same price.
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Jul 17, 2015 15:27
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Look Sir Droids posted:Still slowly putting together my gear, but I'm mostly down to the big stuff (pack, tent, sleeping bag/pad). Need tent advice. I've had a two man Quarter Dome for years and have really liked it. It's held up fine and is going strong 5+ years now. I have friends that have the similar Big Agnes tent and I can't see a ton of differences.
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Jul 17, 2015 15:32
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I used to have the Quarter Dome 1 and loved it. I now own a Big Agnes Copper Spur 1 and love it even more. There are other Big Agnes one person tents, but this one is freestanding and is dead easy to put up fast when it might rain.
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Jul 17, 2015 16:08
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Price is going to be the biggest difference. "Performance" wise they're going to function very similar and weigh nearly the same so it comes down to how much you prefer one brand over the other and if you feel the price premium is worth it for the brand name. Honestly you won't go wrong either way. REI makes great tents and they have a great return policy. I think there's also a 25% off coupon for one REI brand item right now.
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Jul 17, 2015 17:49
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Look Sir Droids posted:Still slowly putting together my gear, but I'm mostly down to the big stuff (pack, tent, sleeping bag/pad). Need tent advice. As luck would have it, I'm probably going to be buying a 1-person tent from REI this weekend. I was looking for something light, small, and easy and I'm leaning toward the Big Agnes Fly Creek 1 right now. If I get it, I'll pitch it and do a rundown for you with some photos. JAY ZERO SUM GAME posted:I used to have the Quarter Dome 1 and loved it. I now own a Big Agnes Copper Spur 1 and love it even more. There are other Big Agnes one person tents, but this one is freestanding and is dead easy to put up fast when it might rain. I have the Copper Spur 3 and it's not only huge inside, but packs small and light and is super easy to set up. Hard to go wrong with that one.
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Jul 17, 2015 18:47
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Verman posted:Honestly you won't go wrong either way. REI makes great tents and they have a great return policy. I think there's also a 25% off coupon for one REI brand item right now. Yeah, that's why I'm looking. quote:As luck would have it, I'm probably going to be buying a 1-person tent from REI this weekend. I was looking for something light, small, and easy and I'm leaning toward the Big Agnes Fly Creek 1 right now. If I get it, I'll pitch it and do a rundown for you with some photos. Thanks! Forgot to add that my main concern is how the tent handles rain or humidity. I don't want to wake up in puddles. The Tumble 1 looks like it would handle moisture a little better compared to the Quarter Dome. But 25% off. Look Sir Droids fucked around with this message at 19:11 on Jul 17, 2015 |
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Jul 17, 2015 19:08
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Both my backpacking buddies upgraded to the REI half dome, and it really looks like one of the best buys for price/quality. For packs, I've owned both Osprey and Kelty and have absolutely loved both of them. Very comfortable and rugged, and excellent warranties. Kelty sent me replacement frame pins for my external frame pack, no questions asked, and Osprey is supposed to have that lifetime repair warranty (that I have yet to test). NaDy posted:No need for a bear canister, it's in Nepal and there aren't any bears around that region from what I've read. Possibly snow leopards but it's very unlikely that they'll want to go anywhere near you. I haven't heard of Kelty before but I'll check them out and see if there are stores here in the UK where I can try them out, thanks! I know Everest is closed after the earthquakes a few months back, but I thought the rest of the country was in pretty rough shape too? I'm sure they're desperate for tourism dollars, but is it even possible to get to where you wanna go? Just curious since that whole affair fell out of the news cycle.
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Jul 17, 2015 19:34
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Looking outside REI, this seems like a pretty good deal: http://www.amazon.com/ALPS-Mountain...ungsten+1P+Tent How good are Alps Mountaineering products? Sidenote: Somebody recommended a really nice camping blanket a while back and I can't remember what kind it is. Looking for options superior to a sleeping bag. I feel like a blanket would pack up better. Look Sir Droids fucked around with this message at 23:03 on Jul 17, 2015 |
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Jul 17, 2015 20:02
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Looks like I will not be getting my one-person tent from REI this weekend. They only had a few in stock and none of them were the ultralight type I was looking for. I'm going to need to order it online. I got a mailing from REi today that says that if I spend $100 or more starting on 7/21, I'll get a $20 gift card, so I'll probably just wait until then. I'm looking at either Big Agnes' Seed House SL1 or Fly Creek UL1, although the Fly Creek UL2 is larger and more spacious, yet the same weight and size when packed down. Can that be right?
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Jul 18, 2015 02:00
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I'm sure it's a bit heavier and a bit larger but probably packs down to about the same size cuz the extra fabric involved probably isn't enough to really affect packing size. IIRC the sizes are really not *that* much different
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Jul 18, 2015 03:35
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Hungryjack posted:
Forget the tent, get a tarp:  And a hammock 
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Jul 18, 2015 04:43
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Actually, the tent is part of my hammock plan. I just returned my ENO rainfly to REI today. Aside from it being $80, it's also really large and bulky. Instead of hiking out a rainfly and a bug net for my hammock, I'm just bringing the hammock and straps and a 1-person tent. It's smaller, lighter, and if it rains or there are no good trees at my campsite or if the bugs are too bad, I'll just opt into the tent instead. Hammock camping is always #1 choice for me.
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Jul 18, 2015 04:50
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NaDy - you might not even need the sleeping bag at all as there's heaps of teahouses around the circuit to stay at. It should be easy to find good quality equipment to rent in Kathmandu too. If you don't think you'll use the sleeping bag again, I'd go with the rental route there. Definitely buy the backpack beforehand, the fit is really important to stay comfortable for 20 days. Get something like Capture Clip for your SLR so you can take photos asap instead of digging through your backpack to get the camera. Regarding BA tents - they can be set up fly only if you want to shed some pounds and don't need the inner body but you only can do that with their footprint so it's something to consider if you're thinking about a BA tent. And if anybody is looking for cheap base layers, Uniqlo has their HEATTECH line back in stock.
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Jul 18, 2015 05:06
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Pretty sure you're not supposed to camp that close to the water 
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Jul 18, 2015 05:06
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OSU_Matthew posted:Both my backpacking buddies upgraded to the REI half dome, and it really looks like one of the best buys for price/quality. Yeah the Annapurna Circuit is fine really, been keeping an eye on what's happening over there. It's actually fairly far away from the epicenter and there's very little damage reported from trekkers who've been there since. The nearest city to the circuit - Pokhara - was pretty much unaffected from what I can gather. Kathmandu is still not in the best shape but it's all open for business and several ministers have said if you want to help Nepal, don't just give money, come as a tourist. It's better for them. Tomato Soup posted:NaDy - you might not even need the sleeping bag at all as there's heaps of teahouses around the circuit to stay at. It should be easy to find good quality equipment to rent in Kathmandu too. If you don't think you'll use the sleeping bag again, I'd go with the rental route there. Definitely buy the backpack beforehand, the fit is really important to stay comfortable for 20 days. Get something like Capture Clip for your SLR so you can take photos asap instead of digging through your backpack to get the camera. I was looking at possibly getting a sleeping bag in Kathmandu before the trek, apparently most of them are knock-offs there but if I just need it for that one trip it should be fine. Will look into capture clips, they look very handy indeed.
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Jul 18, 2015 10:12
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