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Today my wife and I got to hike about 3ish miles of the PCT to Eagle Rock, not too far from Warner Springs.
The Aardvark fucked around with this message at 04:14 on Apr 3, 2017 |
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Apr 3, 2017 01:07
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^^Cool! Thanks for checking in on the trail George HW! You uploading your trip photos anywhere as you go?M.C. McMic posted:Just got confirmation for the 2 nights I reserved at a wilderness campsite in Rocky Mountain National Park in August. I'm really excited! Both those hammocks are solid choices. I will say everyone I know that has given hammocks a shot has always converted--once you go hammock, you never go back. This is also usually after wasting a lot of money on new tents and pads. With hammocks and couples, you can usually hang in a triangle with one end on the same tree and overlapping tarps, or in some places side by side. Better than sharing a tent, because you can be close and private with the overlapping tarp, but both have plenty of room to where you're not jammed up against your smelly partner (or vice versa). Even in a tent you'd likely have separate sleeping bags and pads anyways. Downside is your initial cost would be higher, but you really do get what you pay for. Catatron Prime fucked around with this message at 11:32 on Apr 3, 2017 |
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Apr 3, 2017 01:59
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Oh I'm not hiking the trail right now. The first 100 or so miles of the PCT are within 1-3 hours of where I live so it's fun to do some day hikes on the weekends. Though doing the PCT is something on the bucketlist for sure.
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Apr 3, 2017 05:56
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OSU_Matthew posted:Looking at planning a trip down to Grayson Highlands (Virginia) here in the next few months. Anyone ever done that or have any route suggestions for the area? I was wondering about this too. I was thinking when the weather got warmer I'd just backpack it, go to the point camp and then go back the next day but that doesn't sound too appealing. Plus that only works if I'm lucky enough to get two days off in a row. Never even thought of uber.
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Apr 3, 2017 12:58
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The one time I tried to use an Uber to prevent backtracking we ended up at a spot with zero cell reception. It was only like an 8 mile backtrack, but heartbreaking none the less.
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Apr 3, 2017 15:07
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OSU_Matthew posted:Looking at planning a trip down to Grayson Highlands (Virginia) here in the next few months. Anyone ever done that or have any route suggestions for the area? I have been to the Grayson Highlands, and even camped near by on Mount Rogers. I would be doubtful you could get an Uber there, but you never know. Your best bet would be to get a shuttle service from somewhere like Damascus. That said there is tons of traffic in the summer in that area (the Creeper Bike Trail is nearby), and you could thumb a ride if you wanted. The area is really hiker friendly (Damascus is known as Trail Town USA and is the host of the annual Trail Days for AT hikers in May). As for suggestions I would love to do the Grayson Highlands to Mt Rogers loop (but it is a longer hike). For a true day hike I would say hike to Whitetop Mountain and Buzzard Rock using the AT (8 miles RT if you summit Whitetop, but 6.5 if you don't). Here is a link I found that might help for that one: http://hikingbill.com/?p=770 Edit: Also in my experience about getting back to the car I have used 2 cars, hitched (in the Smokies it is easy as long as they know you are a hiker and not a serial killer), but mostly I do round trip hikes if not a loop. I have yet to use a shuttle service, but I have quoted one for an overnight hike and it was over a $100 to pick us up. nate fisher fucked around with this message at 18:14 on Apr 3, 2017 |
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Apr 3, 2017 18:09
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The Aardvark posted:Today my wife and I got to hike about 3ish miles of the PCT to Eagle Rock, not too far from Warner Springs. I love me some Eagle Rock. It really looks like an Eagle! And it's really drat big. You're just walking along in a big open field and all of a sudden a rock eagle is standing there. Very cool. You can kind of see the beak and wings in the background here:   
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Apr 3, 2017 19:22
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Oh man the rain all over SD this year really made the trail green compared to your pics
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Apr 3, 2017 20:52
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The Aardvark posted:Oh man the rain all over SD this year really made the trail green compared to your pics Woah! Ya, this was in 2015 when we were still in the height of the drought. I can only imagine how pretty it was with green grass and wild flowers.
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Apr 3, 2017 21:59
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I need a suggestion for a light weight headlamp for 5-10 day backpacking trips. A high level bright enough to set up camp and hike with, and a low dim enough to read by would be perfect. Red diffuser would be a bonus. CR123 or AA preferred.
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Apr 4, 2017 03:25
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http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Headlamp-Reviews/Petzl-E-PlusLITE I take this on trips as long as you reference. Depending on your exact needs, it could be enough. I don't hike a lot at night, but I'll set up camp. JAY ZERO SUM GAME fucked around with this message at 14:03 on Apr 4, 2017 |
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Apr 4, 2017 14:01
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I have the older design eLITE (the one they reviewed). It's fine for setting up camp, cooking, pee excursions, etc. It's very light and compact. The trade-off is that the battery life is terrible and the brightness droops noticeably after an hour or so. I like it when I'm camping, it doesn't wreck my night vision, but if you're with people who use 100 lumen lights it's going to get washed out. Being able to keep a backup light on your person at all times is nice, and having an extra light to loan out has been the difference between heading back to the car now vs squeezing in one more hiking objective / open more pitch of climbing. If you are going to be using your headlamp for hours at a time, get something AAA powered or better and use lithium batteries.
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Apr 4, 2017 15:42
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Electoral Surgery posted:I have the older design eLITE (the one they reviewed). It's fine for setting up camp, cooking, pee excursions, etc. It's very light and compact. The trade-off is that the battery life is terrible and the brightness droops noticeably after an hour or so. I like it when I'm camping, it doesn't wreck my night vision, but if you're with people who use 100 lumen lights it's going to get washed out. Being able to keep a backup light on your person at all times is nice, and having an extra light to loan out has been the difference between heading back to the car now vs squeezing in one more hiking objective / open more pitch of climbing. yes I have the older design and it's absolutely fine if you just need something to help see a bit better as you're setting up or taking a piss at night or something. It's not really bright enough for serious hiking in the dark or doing things where you really need to be able to see a lot. I haven't noticed the battery life being terrible or the light dimming but as I said I don't use it for hiking in the dark or anything, just around camp stuff if it gets dark and I'm not already asleep
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Apr 4, 2017 16:54
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Probably buy an Olight, zebralight, or Spark in 123 format. 2 batteries will last me a couple days, multiple levels of brightness, small form factor, and the batter matches my favorite flashlight.
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Apr 4, 2017 18:16
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Good deals on Casio A/B/C watches at Amazon -- https://slickdeals.net/f/10018104-select-casio-protrek-watches-up-to-60-off-protrek-digital-watch-w-white-band-70-99-more-free-shipping
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Apr 4, 2017 19:54
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Ropes4u posted:I need a suggestion for a light weight headlamp for 5-10 day backpacking trips. A high level bright enough to set up camp and hike with, and a low dim enough to read by would be perfect. Red diffuser would be a bonus. CR123 or AA preferred. Almost no question here, get the newest black diamond storm. The batteries last practically forever on the green LED mode, and you can actually see what you're doing with great clarity while still preserving your night vision. Even the red LED mode has decent illumination. Plus it has a really great beam throw on the white, and tons of great features like a button lock so it doesn't turn on in your pack, and it blips once to let you know you've hit the brightest output setting instead of guessing and cycling through trying to find it. There's just nothing else that comes close to that thing, and it's not even that expensive to boot.
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Apr 4, 2017 20:03
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OSU_Matthew posted:Almost no question here, get the newest black diamond storm. The batteries last practically forever on the green LED mode, and you can actually see what you're doing with great clarity while still preserving your night vision. Even the red LED mode has decent illumination. Plus it has a really great beam throw on the white, and tons of great features like a button lock so it doesn't turn on in your pack, and it blips once to let you know you've hit the brightest output setting instead of guessing and cycling through trying to find it. There's just nothing else that comes close to that thing, and it's not even that expensive to boot. I really wish they offered one with just like full white, dim white, dim red. I've never I've never wanted or needed any more adjustability then that. Assuming, as discussed a few days ago, changing batteries fixes my corrosion issue, the storm is easily one of the best headlamps I've ever tried. But I really loving hate how fussy it is. I would honestly love separate button for white and red light.
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Apr 4, 2017 23:07
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I love the black diamond storm. 3 weeks of backpacking in the cold and at altitude and I only needed two sets of spare batteries. And it's bright as gently caress.
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Apr 5, 2017 02:24
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So Lyme disease is bad on the trail this year. Do you think I should wear long sleeve top and trousers doused in permethrin to be safe?
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Apr 5, 2017 08:35
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Alan_Shore posted:So Lyme disease is bad on the trail this year. Do you think I should wear long sleeve top and trousers doused in permethrin to be safe? If you want to be safer, yeah. Soak your socks too and pull them over your trousers if you want to be super vigilant. It can be a trade-off with comfort and aesthetics, though. Checking yourself carefully every day is important.
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Apr 5, 2017 09:18
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Ticks get onto other animals by crawling up to the tip of a blade of tall grass, waiting, and grabbing on to whatever passes by. You can drastically reduce your chances of getting ticks by avoiding tall grass when possible. This will be easy to do on the trail - every part I've seen is wide and well developed. Watch out for grass when you step off trail to pee, eat lunch, and camp.
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Apr 5, 2017 11:53
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Alan_Shore posted:So Lyme disease is bad on the trail this year. Do you think I should wear long sleeve top and trousers doused in permethrin to be safe? ? What does this mean? how do people know Lyme disease is bad on the trail?
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Apr 5, 2017 14:11
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I'm not sure! I've just been reading that everywhere. Maybe it's wetter? Or there's an increase in deer population?
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Apr 5, 2017 16:15
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Experts blame a warm winter and a large population of white-footed mice, which can carry the Lyme disease bacterium and spread it to ticks.
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Apr 5, 2017 17:11
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Levitate posted:? What does this mean? how do people know Lyme disease is bad on the trail? Reported cases of Lyme disease have been increasing year over year for the past several. It's a lot worse everywhere (specifically NE USA), including hiking trails in tick areas.
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Apr 5, 2017 18:26
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Sorry, it just seemd too early in the year to actually see how bad things are but I posted before I thought "well I'm sure they can predict it pretty well by how mild the winter was, how warm the spring is, etc"
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Apr 5, 2017 19:27
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I've pretty much come to accept that I'm going to get Lyme disease at some point. I still put spray on and try to check myself as often as possible, but I enjoy tramping through the woods enough to take the risk. Last year I bought a pair of knee-high soccer socks that I hosed down with permethrin to be my tick-socks. The problem is, they are awful socks for hiking in. I think the spring I'm going to cut the feet off and use them as some kind of crude poisoned leg warmer.
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Apr 5, 2017 19:55
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It might be high time for a few million square miles of forest fires.  Now ffs if you missed the sarcasm, I'm not seriously suggesting it, but it would help the tick problem.
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Apr 5, 2017 23:24
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I'm thinking of getting a lightweigh long sleeve merino wool base layer to wear every day to fight of the Tick. Can anyone recommend some lightweight hiking trousers that cost less than $50? There's some interesting choices on Amazon. I used to have the Bear Ghrylls trousers with black Action Patches and those were quite nice, if completely uncool ( I thought they were cool).
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Apr 6, 2017 06:44
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I cleaned my bag and I don't know how to put one of the straps back. The shoulder straps at the bottom have a pulley type thing on them, to keep them level, and I thought the end of the pulley strap was attached to the bag, but turns out is isnt? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GC3lgr9haM The clip in the video where I think it attaches too, definitely isnt actually where it attaches too. Theres another one in the bag, they are for holding things still in the pack.
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Apr 6, 2017 08:14
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underage at the vape shop posted:I cleaned my bag and I don't know how to put one of the straps back. The shoulder straps at the bottom have a pulley type thing on them, to keep them level, and I thought the end of the pulley strap was attached to the bag, but turns out is isnt? I can't watch your video, but I'm always paranoid about these things and take a bunch of pics before I take straps off
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Apr 6, 2017 08:39
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I will next time! I have a feeling that strap was where I pointed it out in the video, instead of where its supposed to be, because I remember something being attached to it when I undid it.
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Apr 6, 2017 08:45
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Alan_Shore posted:I'm thinking of getting a lightweigh long sleeve merino wool base layer to wear every day to fight of the Tick. Can anyone recommend some lightweight hiking trousers that cost less than $50? There's some interesting choices on Amazon. I used to have the Bear Ghrylls trousers with black Action Patches and those were quite nice, if completely uncool ( I thought they were cool). For affordable, no-frills hiking clothing I'm a fan of the Magellan Outdoors brand that Academy Sports sells. http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/magellan-outdoors-mens-back-country-zipoff-nylon-pant I also have pants from Pacific Trail (has the thickest/heaviest material), REI (some neat design elements), and Columbia (very lightweight). Those all list for ~$60 though, so look for them on sale.
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Apr 6, 2017 13:18
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Looks like I'll be able to visit the Smoky Mountains right before Memorial Day. Backcountry sites can only be reserved 30 days in advance, so I guess I need to find exactly what time they become available online. Tentative plan is to arrive midday at Twentymile Ranger Station in North Carolina and do a 4-night, ~50mi loop: up to Gregory Bald, next to Spence Field on the AT, then down the Jenkins Ridge Trail to Hazel Creek, along the Lakeshore, and back to Twentymile. This will definitely include a detour to sing on Rocky Top. nate fisher posted:On a lot of trails in the GSMNP once you get a mile in most of the crowds disappeared. Do you happen to have any recent experience with the Jenkins Ridge trail? The few reports online make it sound a little dicey. Also, and more importantly, could you recommend a good place to stuff my face once I get out? I figure nearby Fontana Village will have options, but if there's something great on the TN side like as far as Maryville that would be cool too.
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Apr 6, 2017 14:38
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Any suggestions on a two night backpacking route in Shenandoah next weekend? Looking for a 3-5 mile Friday, a long Saturday, and a short Sunday. How's the weather in April? Bad enough to keep the crowds away?
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Apr 6, 2017 15:22
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Dude don't swaddle yourself in wool anywhere south of say PA in the summer, if you are really worried about ticks just wear pantyhose.
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Apr 6, 2017 16:08
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Flambeau posted:Looks like I'll be able to visit the Smoky Mountains right before Memorial Day. Backcountry sites can only be reserved 30 days in advance, so I guess I need to find exactly what time they become available online. Tentative plan is to arrive midday at Twentymile Ranger Station in North Carolina and do a 4-night, ~50mi loop: up to Gregory Bald, next to Spence Field on the AT, then down the Jenkins Ridge Trail to Hazel Creek, along the Lakeshore, and back to Twentymile. This will definitely include a detour to sing on Rocky Top. The only real hole in my GSMNP hiking is the area towards Bryson and Deep Creek. I have hiked Gregory Bald for example, but I started in Cades Cove. I plan to fix that somewhat this year (especially the Deep Creek area). There is a Facebook group called 'Hike The Smokies' that is quite good. You will find 900 milers (people who hiked every trail in the GSMNP) there and hikers who live on the NC side and hike that area more. I guarantee if you posted your question there you will get an answer from someone who has recently hiked it. It is worth joining (the mods are good and they don't allow political bs to creep in) and one of the few reasons I still check Facebook. I would be in the Smokies that weekend too, but I will be in Zion instead (it just feels good to say that). nate fisher fucked around with this message at 12:31 on Apr 7, 2017 |
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Apr 7, 2017 12:29
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I am looking to get a new activity tracker for my running and hiking. Anyone have any recommendations for a good watch based tracker with an altimeter, barometer, GPS, etc?
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Apr 10, 2017 05:07
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Cheesemaster200 posted:I am looking to get a new activity tracker for my running and hiking. Anyone have any recommendations for a good watch based tracker with an altimeter, barometer, GPS, etc? I love my fenix3 and the 5 just released.
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Apr 10, 2017 13:45
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Ehud posted:- Any other dog hiking tips? I don't go too far with my pup (3-4 miles on off-lead trails around my place every weekend or sometimes a 5-8 mile trek on-leash at a nearby state park), but I actually typically bring treats with me as rewards for good manners on the trail and for some "training" when we approach another dog or person. If your dog is anything like mine, they want to visit absolutely everyone they meet, and as you said not everyone appreciates that, so I take the opportunity to do some "leave it" training and bring yummy treats along with me for both distraction and reward. I haven't experienced what other people have here about the dog not wanting to eat kibble or treats on the trail, but then again I have an 8 month old retriever so he will eat anything, anywhere.  Anyway I came here to talk about ticks. I live in Missouri, this is the first year I've been out in the woods every weekend (mostly due to said dog being a nonstop well of mental and physical energy) and every single time I've come home for the last month I've found ticks on my clothes or, yesterday, actually attached to my neck.  I'm a veterinarian so I know what tick prevention stuff to do for my dog, but I'm kind of at a loss on how to prevent them from eating me alive and giving me freaking tularemia or something. They don't make seresto collars for humans, do they?edit: As a pre-emptive thank you here is a picture of my puppy next to a random wall of rocks we found in the middle of the Gans Creek Wild Area trail network near my place. 
Sekhmet fucked around with this message at 21:55 on Apr 10, 2017 |
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Apr 10, 2017 21:45
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