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Just back from Labor Day weekend in the Lassen backcountry. Trail started at Summit Lake trailhead, north to Badger Flats, east to Cinder Cone, south to Rainbow Lake, and back to summit. Things started green enough.  But half the backcountry looked like this, burnt out in a 2012 wildfire. Still, the lack of foliage left an open sky of millions of stars. The best night of camping in years.  The next morning, we approached Cinder Cone. 400 feet of elevation over 1/5th of a mile.  Almost there. A 30 degree incline of pumice-based gravel.  Finally our reward. The Painted Dunes! The Fantastic Lava Beds! The RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR Some asshat with a drone decided to start flying it as soon as we got up there. Not only did we get to enjoy the constant noise of a high pitched whir, but he also flew it over our heads, so we got to fear for our safety as well. Never had any experience with drones before, but now thoroughly support their ban from here to Acadia. Easily the worst part of the weekend, and we had to walk through a sulfur cloud in Bumpass Hell. A Horse Named Mandy fucked around with this message at 10:51 on Sep 8, 2015 |
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Sep 8, 2015 10:40
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A Horse Named Mandy posted:so we got to fear for our safety as well. like, literally above your head, or several hundred feet above your head? If the operator brought his or her drone inches from your head, you might try to get the message across not to do that by bringing your trekking poles in it's general direction. Assuming multirotor the props would just explode at contact, and since only idiots operate without spare props you wouldn't do any lasting harm. A FW plane with a metal rotor though probably too dangerous to touch. If he was flying more than a couple feet above you, there was absolutely no danger. I don't know if drones are permitted in that area, but holy gently caress, what a beautiful place to fly.
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Sep 8, 2015 11:16
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Dude it's cool bro, simmer down
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Sep 8, 2015 11:43
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Keldoclock posted:like, literally above your head, or several hundred feet above your head? Several hundred feet, with a high wind the entire time, it is entirely possible he could have lost control and it could have come down on any of dozens of people in the vicinity. Or it could have fallen onto the delicate loose scoria sculpted by decades of wind and weather, requiring recovery that would mar the landscape for years to come. And as for operating above thermal features: http://tinyurl.com/odtvamx
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Sep 8, 2015 11:48
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Climbed Rising Wolf yesterday.    
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Sep 8, 2015 14:25
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Man, it's hard to post trip pics from the boring old Midwest after seeing vistas like that. That view is stunning, loving beautiful. I'm jealous 
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Sep 8, 2015 14:31
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Post Midwest trip pics if you'd like! I would love to see them, speaking for myself.
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Sep 8, 2015 15:37
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Time Cowboy posted:I would love to see them, speaking for myself. Likewise.
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Sep 8, 2015 15:57
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At least in the midwest you don't have to worry about your trip being canceled because of fire!
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Sep 8, 2015 16:10
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You got it! We did a nice trip around Grand Island a couple weekends ago. Amazing how different a National Forest is from a National Park. No paperwork, no briefings, they weren't even particularly curious when we were headed back. Just gently caress it, have fun! Our first day was 9 miles to the North tip of the island. We were the only people up there. At 5:30 two Japanese girls come into our campsite and ask what time the last ferry leaves (6:00 PM). When they realized they couldn't make it they then asked where the hotel was on the island. (There isn't one). So off they went, not sure how they ended up getting off. The next day was a really chill 7 miles. The trail is very mellow with a few great vistas looking West over the Huron Mountains. You're on 300 foot cliffs most of the time, but it doesn't feel like it. A few more people here, but not bad at all. Last time I saw a family of pine marten at this campsite, nothing this time. The last day we waited for the ferry and headed out. A few bikers asked us how many bear we saw. They seemed disappointed to learn none. It seems Grand Island has the highest densities of black bears in the midwest. I'll get some pics up later.
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Sep 8, 2015 16:55
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Yooper posted:At 5:30 two Japanese girls come into our campsite and ask what time the last ferry leaves (6:00 PM). When they realized they couldn't make it they then asked where the hotel was on the island. (There isn't one). So off they went, not sure how they ended up getting off.
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Sep 8, 2015 17:45
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Question about your national forests: how much are you allowed to get away with in there? Random camping, fires, collecting dead fall, foraging and hunting? We have some areas set aside in the East Central Rockies where it was protected specifically for that. They're the Wilderness Provincial Parks and as long as you're 1 km away from any infrastructure, you're free to use the land as you please. But it's actually not a very popular activity, so the impact levels are fairly low and it's proven to be a successful idea.
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Sep 8, 2015 19:20
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Yooper posted:You got it! We did a nice trip around Grand Island a couple weekends ago. Amazing how different a National Forest is from a National Park. No paperwork, no briefings, they weren't even particularly curious when we were headed back. Just gently caress it, have fun! Is that the place right off pictured rocks?
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Sep 8, 2015 19:52
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Where are some places to camp for free on the way coast? Seems everywhere I look there are Reservation fees for camping areas. I just want to be able to walk till I've had enough, find a clearing, spend the night and keep moving the next day.
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Sep 8, 2015 20:02
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I spent the long weekend with my wife and my father at Guadalupe Mountains National Park in the northern part of west Texas.  Dad gave the Seed House SL1 its inaugural occupation and he said he liked it just fine. I slept in the hammock you see in the background except for the second night when I was afraid it would rain so I joined my wife in the Copper Spur UL3 on the right.      On Sunday morning, we got up with the sun and got ready to tackle Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas.  A 8.5 mile round trip runs from the trailhead at 5500' up to the summit at 8750' It was a good workout, but we got it done. This was our celebration of my dad's 70th birthday a couple weeks ago.     I'm not generally a fan of monuments on top of mountains, but this one has a little history to it. American Airlines put it up there in 1958 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach route that passed nearby.   A nasty rainstorm blew in just as we were approaching the summit. Temperatures dropped rapidly and giant raindrops pelted us and soaked our clothes. It was strange to be wet and cold and looking down at the valley floor below us knowing it was bone dry and probably close to 100 degrees. Nonetheless, we had come this far and we weren't going to bellyache over it. A ranger popped up at the summit about five minutes after we did and then another ten minutes later, we started hearing loud thunderclaps and seeing as we were the hieghest things in the state, we were quickly ushered back down the trail. Luckily, the lightning never came close to us and the thunderstorm blew through fairly quickly.  I was having dinner after dark that night at the campsite table and something flew into my face and bounced off into a nearby bush. After locating the little fella, I took a picture of it.  I slept out under the stars in my hammock and it was pretty hot when I went to bed, but each night, it would cool off to the point where I'd wake up at some point and want to crawl into my sleeping bag. Each night when I did this, I probably spent a half hour just looking up at the massive sky full of stars. Living in Houston, it's a rare treat to see the Milky Way.  As we broke camp the next morning, we had one last surprise. There was a fairly large snakeskin under my wife's tent, but on top of the footprint, meaning he had gotten between them and used the friction to shed his old skin. he was long gone by the time we found the skin but it was still a fun "holy poo poo!" moment. My guess is that it was a bullsnake.
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Sep 8, 2015 20:06
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Picnic Princess posted:Question about your national forests: how much are you allowed to get away with in there? U.S. National Forests are pretty open. Random camping's allowed, it's known as dispersed camping. Fires are also allowed unless any burn bans are in effect. Collecting firewood and foraging (mostly for berries and fungi around here) are allowed, but if you're taking any of it home for personal use or selling you need a permit. I can't find the story I read right now but this year's bad huckleberry crop has lead to physical altercations as people try to claim specific patches for themselves, which isn't allowed. Hunting and fishing are allowed but you have to follow the regulations of whatever state you're in even though it's federal land. There are then areas within the national forests that have tighter rules. Many (most?) of the national parks are within national forests and have many more restrictions. Areas designated as Recreation Areas I think don't allow dispersed camping. Areas designated as Wilderness allow hunting and fishing but no vehicles or machinery or anything with a wheel (bikes, carts) which has always seemed like a strange regulation. I don't know about usage or impacts, areas close to population centers that have maintained roads are often trashed but there are always pristine areas to see. Like most places, if you're backpacking and get more than a mile away from the road you probably won't see many people. We have so much National Forest land in the west, and so much of it is so remote, that a big source of environmental contamination is marijuana farming. Locals or people employed by the Mexican cartels can grow huge plots of weed and leave behind tons of fertilizer, pesticides, trash, and irrigation equipment that are costly to clean up and have a big impact on the local ecosystem.
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Sep 8, 2015 20:18
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mastershakeman posted:Is that the place right off pictured rocks? Yup. 
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Sep 8, 2015 20:47
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Officer Sandvich posted:U.S. National Forests are pretty open. Random camping's allowed, it's known as dispersed camping. Fires are also allowed unless any burn bans are in effect. Collecting firewood and foraging (mostly for berries and fungi around here) are allowed, but if you're taking any of it home for personal use or selling you need a permit. I can't find the story I read right now but this year's bad huckleberry crop has lead to physical altercations as people try to claim specific patches for themselves, which isn't allowed. Hunting and fishing are allowed but you have to follow the regulations of whatever state you're in even though it's federal land. Very interesting, thank you. I would see national forests on maps and just not quite know how they differed from other protected areas. Aside from our wildland provincial parks in Alberta, our country is also 89% crown land, meaning it's owned by the state and is open to public use. You can camp and hunt anywhere at any time so long as there isn't a land lease for cattle grazing, oil and gas, etc. Crown land can also be sold, but not privately. So no buying up your own quarter of camping land. Interior BC is notorious for pot grows, but I don't think the cartels are involved up here, at least not as much. Most of the grow ops are hippies who just want to live off the grid and make enough money to get by. Can't say I haven't considered it myself.
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Sep 9, 2015 01:43
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Crazyeyes posted:Where are some places to camp for free on the way coast? Seems everywhere I look there are Reservation fees for camping areas. I just want to be able to walk till I've had enough, find a clearing, spend the night and keep moving the next day. If you walk 30 minutes or so into the night this is true everywhere in the world provided you're using a bivvy sack or something that is freestanding and is easily crammed into a tiny flat patch of ground  . Allemansrätten should be universal.A Horse Named Mandy posted:Several hundred feet, with a high wind the entire time, it is entirely possible he could have lost control and it could have come down on any of dozens of people in the vicinity. Or it could have fallen onto the delicate loose scoria sculpted by decades of wind and weather, requiring recovery that would mar the landscape for years to come. And as for operating above thermal features: http://tinyurl.com/odtvamx no waterproofing and no recovery system? What are these amateurs thinking, flying in the wilderness with off the shelf drones? The commercial stuff is only good for park flying and like, filming weddings. I can accept not installing autonomous control while you're still testing the airframe independently but if you're going to spend the money to go across the world to film something you might as well spend the $160 for APM. I was referring to "thermals", this is a term for currents of upward moving warm air naturally found in all parts of the atmosphere (it's relatively warm, you see). Not geothermal features, although there should be no more risk flying over those than anywhere else. JAY ZERO SUM GAME posted:Dude it's cool bro, simmer down ok man, I will simmer down until something dumb and newsworthy happens and I have to be "that guy" again. I don't even like being that guy in this instance, but someone has to do it. 
Keldoclock fucked around with this message at 19:41 on Sep 9, 2015 |
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Sep 9, 2015 19:36
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Crazyeyes posted:Where are some places to camp for free on the way coast? Seems everywhere I look there are Reservation fees for camping areas. I just want to be able to walk till I've had enough, find a clearing, spend the night and keep moving the next day. what's "way coast"? do you mean west coast or am I missing something.
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Sep 9, 2015 19:46
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Levitate posted:what's "way coast"? My phone autocorrect sucks and I didn't notice. I actually meant EAST coast. I did some looking and apparently there is no dispersed camping allowed anywhere in New Jersey. PA also seems spotty.
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Sep 9, 2015 20:09
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Any recommendations for Upper Peninsula camping for late September? Can't decide where to go! There are too many nice places... We will be car camping and I was thinking Pictured Rocks area but can't decide on a campground... Also open to other areas as well, just looking for a central base area for activities. Looking at 5 days but two of those will be driving from Chicago area (so really 3 full days). We definitely want to canoe and hike, is there anything else we should do/see?
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Sep 9, 2015 20:50
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liz posted:Any recommendations for Upper Peninsula camping for late September? Can't decide where to go! There are too many nice places... We will be car camping and I was thinking Pictured Rocks area but can't decide on a campground... Also open to other areas as well, just looking for a central base area for activities. Looking at 5 days but two of those will be driving from Chicago area (so really 3 full days). We definitely want to canoe and hike, is there anything else we should do/see? All sorts of places. Porcupine Mountains, Trap Hills area, McCormick Wilderness (all 3 including the Pictured Rocks have the NCT running through it). Plus there is the sturgeon river gorge and various trails around Marquette (nothing like the big 4 tho). Pictured Rocks are nice but will be busy through Sept.
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Sep 9, 2015 23:28
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liz posted:Any recommendations for Upper Peninsula camping for late September? Can't decide where to go! There are too many nice places... We will be car camping and I was thinking Pictured Rocks area but can't decide on a campground... Also open to other areas as well, just looking for a central base area for activities. Looking at 5 days but two of those will be driving from Chicago area (so really 3 full days). We definitely want to canoe and hike, is there anything else we should do/see? It's not up, but the apostle islands are great.
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Sep 10, 2015 00:38
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I know Spot trackers aren't very highly regarded because their functionality is very limited compared to a real professional-grade GPS transponder, but is there an app that can do much of the same task for phones? Like an app that will get your phone to ping a position every time interval and place it onto a map that can be shared to others?
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Sep 10, 2015 00:58
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I am interested to see what happens the first time I am out with a shotgun and see a drone. It may be an irresistible impulse. My only objection to them is work related, now that everyone wants to film poo poo from them I have to worry about the finish on the tops of scenery and poo poo.
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Sep 10, 2015 01:02
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liz posted:Any recommendations for Upper Peninsula camping for late September? Can't decide where to go! There are too many nice places... We will be car camping and I was thinking Pictured Rocks area but can't decide on a campground... Also open to other areas as well, just looking for a central base area for activities. Looking at 5 days but two of those will be driving from Chicago area (so really 3 full days). We definitely want to canoe and hike, is there anything else we should do/see? I'll second Pictured Rocks. Camping at Twelvemile Beach is very nice in the fall. Further West you can hit Craig Lake State Park and (if you reserve it soon) can crash in a Yurt. The cabins get booked up really early, but the Yurt might still be open. Going even further west you can either head to the Porkies, or go north and stay at Fort Wilkins State Park just outside of Copper Harbor. Should you go that way you must, must, must, visit the Eastern Orthodox Monastery and buy baked goods. They have a cranberry muffin as large as your head. If you're adventurous keep going to the very tip of the Keewenaw peninsula and find the NASA rocket range for some goon cred.
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Sep 10, 2015 01:39
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Yooper posted:I'll second Pictured Rocks. Camping at Twelvemile Beach is very nice in the fall. Further West you can hit Craig Lake State Park and (if you reserve it soon) can crash in a Yurt. The cabins get booked up really early, but the Yurt might still be open. Going even further west you can either head to the Porkies, or go north and stay at Fort Wilkins State Park just outside of Copper Harbor. Should you go that way you must, must, must, visit the Eastern Orthodox Monastery and buy baked goods. They have a cranberry muffin as large as your head. If you're adventurous keep going to the very tip of the Keewenaw peninsula and find the NASA rocket range for some goon cred. Thanks for ideas, Twelvemile Beach looks amazing! Does it get pretty cold in the fall with the wind coming off the lake? Is there anywhere around the area to grab a quick shower? I also checked the aurora forecast for that time but unfortunately it was low... Been chasing that forever. Either way, pretty excited to finally get up north and away from the city for awhile...
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Sep 10, 2015 03:06
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Suicide Watch posted:I know Spot trackers aren't very highly regarded because their functionality is very limited compared to a real professional-grade GPS transponder, but is there an app that can do much of the same task for phones? Like an app that will get your phone to ping a position every time interval and place it onto a map that can be shared to others? I use ViewRanger GPS (topo maps app w/ gps that allows you to save a user selectable map area for offline use) for work regularly, and it has a 'beacon' feature that sends check-ins to 'buddies' caveat emptor like all apps it will of course require an active data connection in order for that feature to work.
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Sep 10, 2015 03:14
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My Desolation Wilderness trip is around the corner! Will a pump filter be good enough for those alpine lakes, or are there enough animals around to warrant chemical treatment?
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Sep 10, 2015 03:37
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Dunno about Desolation in particular but generally you're fine with a filter. Most of those lakes and streams are pretty clean unless they're in an area where cattle are allowed to graze Since the west side of Sequoia NP doesn't seem to be opening again any time soon because of the Rough fire, looks like my Emigrant Wilderness plan is a go...which I'm fine with, but still kinda sucks. The higher parts of the Sierra in Kings Canyon and all are cool
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Sep 10, 2015 03:52
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Suicide Watch posted:I know Spot trackers aren't very highly regarded because their functionality is very limited compared to a real professional-grade GPS transponder, but is there an app that can do much of the same task for phones? Like an app that will get your phone to ping a position every time interval and place it onto a map that can be shared to others? as long as you are ok with having to be within cell service range, yes, there's dozens. Crazyeyes posted:I actually meant EAST coast. I did some looking and apparently there is no dispersed camping allowed anywhere in New Jersey. PA also seems spotty. airondacks. harriman-bear mt. state park. Most of long island's little parks. There's shitloads of places, go read your local park rules instead of asking us. alnilam posted:Will a pump filter be good enough for those alpine lakes, or are there enough animals around to warrant chemical treatment? Modern filters should be just as effective against bacterium and parasites as chemicals. Read your manual. If there's hepatitis in your water you need to boil it or use chlorine though.
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Sep 10, 2015 11:03
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liz posted:Thanks for ideas, Twelvemile Beach looks amazing! Does it get pretty cold in the fall with the wind coming off the lake? Is there anywhere around the area to grab a quick shower? I also checked the aurora forecast for that time but unfortunately it was low... It can get cold in mid-July with a stiff North wind. The campground has a back loop, which is probably 100 yards off the beach, go there if it's a nasty north Wind. As far as a quick shower, I'm not aware of anything in Grand Marais area, but Munising has a "tourist park". If you hit Munising grab a pasty at Muldoons, it has the second best pasty in the UP. I know Marquette has a Senex station on US41 that does a $5 shower. All of the bigger state parks have showers, the nearest would be Muskallonge State Park. (20 miles East of Grand Marais on the Lake)
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Sep 10, 2015 12:51
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Yooper posted:It can get cold in mid-July with a stiff North wind. The campground has a back loop, which is probably 100 yards off the beach, go there if it's a nasty north Wind. The best pasty is Lawry's in ishpeming. If you have time, swing by the black rocks in Marquette as well. Nice place to jump into the water off a 10 foot cliff, and if the weather is windy there's great waves crashing and spraying everywhere.
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Sep 10, 2015 13:56
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Keldoclock posted:Modern filters should be just as effective against bacterium and parasites as chemicals. Read your manual. If there's hepatitis in your water you need to boil it or use chlorine though. Yeah what i meant is, are these particular bodies of water are likely to have unfilterable virus in them. Generally the bigger or more agricultural/populated the basin of the body of water where I'm drawing, the more I might prefer to use chemical treatment (or at a certain point, not drink from it at all). But i don't have experience in alpine regions and I'm much more accustomed to moving bodies of water rather than lakes, so I wanted to clear that up. Anyway levitate answered, thank you 
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Sep 10, 2015 15:32
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Levitate posted:Since the west side of Sequoia NP doesn't seem to be opening again any time soon because of the Rough fire, looks like my Emigrant Wilderness plan is a go...which I'm fine with, but still kinda sucks. The higher parts of the Sierra in Kings Canyon and all are cool Just got back from Sequoia over the holiday weekend. The fire canceled our planned hike to Jennie Lake booooooooo. Oh well, Dorst Creek campground was as beautiful as always.
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Sep 10, 2015 20:19
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khysanth posted:Just got back from Sequoia over the holiday weekend. The fire canceled our planned hike to Jennie Lake booooooooo. Oh well, Dorst Creek campground was as beautiful as always. yeah my permit was to go in the copper creek trailhead at road's end, but 180 is still closed and probably won't be open in time. I also figured if it's not open then there will probably be a lot of smoke still around so it's not really worth trying to go in a different trailhead in that area.
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Sep 10, 2015 20:58
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Yooper posted:Huh , to be honest I never even noticed it in the search results. I like the looks of that one, the price and weight are right. Eventually it'll have to survive near Seward for a week or so, glad to hear of some SE Alaska cred. When are you headed up to Seward? I've been pretty happy with my Quarter Dome 2 in that area, but took it out with me the day after your post and have a slight warp to my poles now due to a dead-still night on the exposed face of Mt. Alice (across Resurrection Bay from Seward) suddenly becoming non-stop ~20-30mph gusts at about 3 in the morning. Be sure to use your guylines if you're anywhere exposed, is my story, I guess.   Before the Winds by Alexander Havens, on Flickr Honestly though, the tent's a champ. Congrats on the purchase.  Let me know if you have any questions about Seward or the surrounding area (Where is our Alaska Goons Thread? ).
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Sep 11, 2015 10:30
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Thanks man! We ended up getting the Quarter Dome 3 and we're very pleased. Though what sort of people they use for sizing is up for debate, there's no way 3 full grown men are going to sleep in that tent unless they're from the Village People. Our plan was to head up in August but well, life and all that jazz, so next summer. I'd love a goons eye view of the area. We loved Seward when we were there last year. I did a kayak tour out to Fox Island. We were staying in Soldotna which I regret now, Seward was much nicer. Homer was decent too, but with Seward it was like BAM, mountains! edit : Beautiful pic too, I'd love to camp in the mountains when I'm up there. Yooper fucked around with this message at 13:14 on Sep 11, 2015 |
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Sep 11, 2015 13:10
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Alehkhs posted:I've been pretty happy with my Quarter Dome 2 in that area, but took it out with me the day after your post and have a slight warp to my poles now due to a dead-still night on the exposed face of Mt. Alice (across Resurrection Bay from Seward) suddenly becoming non-stop ~20-30mph gusts at about 3 in the morning. Be sure to use your guylines if you're anywhere exposed, is my story, I guess. Can personally confirm the difference guying out your tent makes. Was hiking and climbing Mount Osborne on the Seward peninsula with some friends and we got hit by a major fall storm. Sustained 50 mph winds. Two of us had firmly staked and guyed out our tents, the third didnt. I heard a giant "FFFFUUUUUCCKKKK" and peeked out to see a human silhouette surrounded by flapping nylon and jagged broken tent poles. He waited for the storm to die down before crawling into my friends tent. My quarterdome was shaking like a rocket ship about to take off but it made it. Yooper posted:Thanks man! We ended up getting the Quarter Dome 3 and we're very pleased. Though what sort of people they use for sizing is up for debate, there's no way 3 full grown men are going to sleep in that tent unless they're from the Village People. All tent manufacturers are like this. It's why I like to get a two man and use it just for myself. The only other person in my 2 person is my dog and my girlfriend. You have to be very comfortable with whoever you would be sharing a small tent with. Speaking of tents has anyone used those new mountain-glo lights from Big Agnes? I think they are really kind of gimmicky and overpriced but my girlfriend think they are the greatest thing made since good instant coffee and wants me to buy a set. Personally I think my cheap little black diamond lantern works well enough.
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