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Catatron Prime
Aug 23, 2010

IT ME



Toilet Rascal

SimplyCosmic posted:

This Milky Way Exposure Calculator may help as well.

One of these days I'm going to make the drive from NE Ohio to the dark park at the Cherry Springs State Park in PA just to get some good shots.
Thanks for the link!! Added it to my notes and poking through it now :)

If you're in NE Ohio, Mohican State Park actually has some pretty great night skies! Up by the backpack campsites on the North side, there's a big mowed hill with an oil pipeline site that's got a phenomenal view.

(40.621747,-82.293941for reference--it's also free to camp near there, you just have to register at the state Forest offices)

The AEP reclamation lands in Southeast Ohio are also apparently pretty good too, the Ohio Amateur Astronomy Club has a private site down there for their viewing. I think it's somewhere by the big muskie bucket

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Yooper
Apr 30, 2012


Bottom Liner posted:

You’d be surprised how easy Milky Way shots are when you’re somewhere really dark. 90% is that planning and patience with weather. My go to settings those were shot at: 20mm, f/1.8, 13 seconds exposure, ISO 3200. Focus manually and use the timer and bam, perfectly exposed galactic core.

Moar ultra photos!

I've still got one on my bucket list, either Voyageurs, Superior, or MT50 if I'm not volunteering.

svenkatesh
Sep 5, 2016

by FactsAreUseless
So I'm heading to Corsica in mid-August to hike the GR 20. I've already found some nifty sites (corsica.forhikers.com) but I'm interested to hear if anyone on these boards has already done it and has wisdom to share.

StarkingBarfish
Jun 25, 2006

Novus Ordo Seclorum
Corsica is great for hiking. I've not done the GR20 but I've hiked a little there before and doing more this July. Are you doing the full 180k? From past experience:

- If you've not been there before, it's pretty spectacular terrain. In some places it's closer to desert than trypical Mediterranean conditions, though I think these parts are more along the coast. Make sure you're taking plenty of water as there may be parts of the route where there isn't potable water. Also expect to get burned unless you're well covered. For a long hike like that i'd be in sleeves rather than relying on sunblock

- Because it's quite dry and you're in from the sea insects might not be that big a deal. We had plenty of mosquitoes nearer the coast though.

- There is a risk of routes being closed due to fire risk. When I was there 2 years ago we were lucky to get out of our campsite as the road was shut. It opened on the last day. If you're relying on transport off the island it might be a good idea to plan an extra day at a cheap hostel or something in near the port/airport to act as a buffer in case you're held up somewhere.

Have a blast- it's a really incredible place.

Ropes4u
May 2, 2009

Took our 13 year old wiener dog for a hike up Barr Trail this morning. It’s good to be back in Colorado.

Bottom Liner
Feb 15, 2006


a specific vein of lasagna
Weens are the best trail dogs and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise

Ropes4u
May 2, 2009

Bottom Liner posted:

Weens are the best trail dogs and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise



He did great for an old man, though we expect him to sleep until chow time tomorrow morning. He was disappointed the border collie wouldn’t share trail chow from his dog pack.

cheese eats mouse
Jul 6, 2007

A real Portlander now
Went out camping at Red River Gorge this weekend. Bit of Rough Trail to loop into Grey's Arch for a nice 6.5 mile half day hike. My phone says I did 51 floors of stairs. 60F and sunny all weekend :cool:











Catatron Prime
Aug 23, 2010

IT ME



Toilet Rascal

cheese eats mouse posted:

Went out camping at Red River Gorge this weekend. Bit of Rough Trail to loop into Grey's Arch for a nice 6.5 mile half day hike. My phone says I did 51 floors of stairs. 60F and sunny all weekend :cool:













Nice! I'll be going there in a month. Have you ever done Indian staircase or the secret cave behind cloud splitter? Or Hanson's Point? And most importantly, did you get Miguel's Pizza?

So much great stuff there, yet so many places I haven't explored even after going there every year for the last decade.

Also, do you know if Tunnel Ridge Road is still closed for repairs? Last I heard was 4-6 weeks on that, about a month ago.

Hotel Kpro
Feb 24, 2011

owls don't go to school
Dinosaur Gum

a foolish pianist posted:

Snow is less scary than dirt or scree to me, at least so long as the snow is deeper than six inches. It's easier to make solid-feeling steps in.

I'm fine with scree, dirt is freaking scary on a slope cause it's impossible to get traction, and if the snow is icy I'm straight up terrified. And the hikes that are supposed to be easy usually surprise me with something scary somewhere along the way.

cheese eats mouse
Jul 6, 2007

A real Portlander now

OSU_Matthew posted:

Nice! I'll be going there in a month. Have you ever done Indian staircase or the secret cave behind cloud splitter? Or Hanson's Point? And most importantly, did you get Miguel's Pizza?

So much great stuff there, yet so many places I haven't explored even after going there every year for the last decade.

Also, do you know if Tunnel Ridge Road is still closed for repairs? Last I heard was 4-6 weeks on that, about a month ago.

Haven't done any of those yet. We're backpacking this weekend so might keep those in mind.

My friends went to Miguel's but my dogs are leash reactive to other dogs and it was quite busy so I didn't want to disturb people and was tired enough to just want to head home since it was the end of our trip.

I believe it is still closed, if that's the road you're talking about that leads to the different gray's arch and shelltowee trail heads? There were a ton of nasty pot holes.

PhantomOfTheCopier
Aug 13, 2008

Pikabooze!
Food chat (dead pheun, catching up).

But we'll start with :nexus: chat so feel free to skip forward to the :munch:

It's gross but if you're running back to the bathroom you haven't prepared properly. The digestive system is fairly consistent with outbound timing relative to input, sleeping, hydration, and physical activity. You should prepare accordingly.

Start by paying attention to daily outbound throughout the week around the time you start hiking. If you hike in the morning like a sane person, you'll find things are a bit delayed because you've been asleep. That probably means your Thursday evening meal is ready to leave gracefully or cause issues by Saturday morning.

Your goal is to eat very healthy on Friday so you don't have a messed up GI by the end of the hike, but to eat the right meal Thursday night that completely blows out right before your hike. :nexus:


:munch: chat. Are you chugging water or sipping? As others noted the pace could be part of the issue, but if you're not drinking water there's no reason for your stomach to think it should be firing up, so why should you be hungry? You don't eat constantly throughout the week, so your body is probably holding to the pattern. Digestion might be easier with much smaller portions. Sip water every few minutes and see what happens. There's a chance that will make you hungry.er.

I can sometimes manage 45min at the start of a hike. Otherwise I eat and drinking constantly, every 5--10min. My pace is very sprinty, so I'll burn max power up the mountain until my heart is gonna explode, then stop for 30sec. That's the chance for a glug of water. If its a 60sec stop because I'm that tired, down goes half a handful of peanuts and chocolate.

Of course I eat five times a day regularly, so it's an easier adjustment. You don't need to be hungry to eat. :burger: But you should start with water (maybe with electrolytes) then add small food things. (Recommend starting light so you don't end up barfing it.)

meanolmrcloud
Apr 5, 2004

rock out with your stock out

The wife and I are doing an escalante and north rim road trip. I’ve got some solid ideas for escalate in terms of 3 to 4 day backpacking places, but the north rim is proving to be a little tricky. It’s last minute, so we’d be unable to camp in the park, but from what I can see places like crazy jug and locust point seem nice. Any recommended spots we could do with our advance reservations?

Terrifying Effigies
Oct 22, 2008

Problems look mighty small from 150 miles up.

Picnic Princess posted:

Glad to be of service!

I admit I haven't been to the Walcott Quarry (Burgess shale proper) but I've learned so much about it and know a few people who have, so I can give some advice.

Walcott has more biodiversity but from what I hear the fossils aren't abundant because it tends to be picked clean by researchers. There's a bunch they left for visitors. Stephen has a mind-blowing number of fossils, I'm talking thousands. You can't walk without stepping on a trilobite or some kind of fragment. But the number of species is small with little variety, there's trilobites and their molts which is 99% of the fossils there, anomalocaris jaws, tube worms, and a couple other small critters. Walcott has more of the really bizarro species that made the Burgess shale world famous.

So if you want to see a bunch of rare and weird little Cambrian creepies, go to Walcott. If you dig trilobites and anomalocaris, do Stephen.

Hike wise, Stephen is short and very steep. There's no switchbacks, you just hike straight up a lateral moraine. I have done about half of the Walcott hike when I climbed Mt. Burgess, it's less steep because it's much farther and has 52 switchbacks. My topo map just has a line drawn that says (52 switchbacks) beside it.

Awesome, I'll probably go with Walcott then both for the uniqueness and history behind it. I am also a fan of switchbacks and other reasonable and sane trail features.

Right now I've got the first two weeks in September in Banff and Jasper with reservations for backpacking Sunshine Meadows to Mount Shark and an overnight in Tonquin Valley.

khysanth
Jun 10, 2009

Still love you, Homar

Just hiked Cactus to Clouds starting Saturday morning at 3:15am.

Two months of training, 9/10 in the group made the summit. One guy had a recurring injury from an old surgery flair up just a few miles short.

Recommend this only for people really into type 2 fun.

Ended up doing nearly 22 miles and just over 11,000' of elevation gain (three of us hiked from the tram where most people left, back up to the campsite a few miles in and stayed the night).

fknlo
Jul 6, 2009


Fun Shoe
Hey hiking goons, I need some help with blisters. I moved to Colorado last year and have begun hiking since the weather has gotten nice. My little toes curl under the toe next to them and I've always had some blister problems on the bottom/inside tip of the little toe. I've been doing some basic hikes in the foothills and this old problem is back with a vengeance. I've been wearing Merrel Moab shoes with some heavy wool socks I grabbed from either Costco or REI. I grabbed some toe socks last week as I remember those helping me some when I used to run back in the day. I went for a 5 mile hike again today in the toe socks and they didn't help and I got a new blister that went further back along the inside of the toe than I usually get. So what's my next step? Those little silicone gel sleeves? Different shoes? I'd like to get to where I can do more actual hiking but I'm going to have to get this sorted out before that happens.

a foolish pianist
May 6, 2007

(bi)cyclic mutation

fknlo posted:

Hey hiking goons, I need some help with blisters. I moved to Colorado last year and have begun hiking since the weather has gotten nice. My little toes curl under the toe next to them and I've always had some blister problems on the bottom/inside tip of the little toe. I've been doing some basic hikes in the foothills and this old problem is back with a vengeance. I've been wearing Merrel Moab shoes with some heavy wool socks I grabbed from either Costco or REI. I grabbed some toe socks last week as I remember those helping me some when I used to run back in the day. I went for a 5 mile hike again today in the toe socks and they didn't help and I got a new blister that went further back along the inside of the toe than I usually get. So what's my next step? Those little silicone gel sleeves? Different shoes? I'd like to get to where I can do more actual hiking but I'm going to have to get this sorted out before that happens.

I have the same issue, except with my fourth toes. I'd honestly consider just having them removed if a doctor would do it - it's been a huge pain my whole life.

waffle enthusiast
Nov 16, 2007



Your shoes sound like they don’t fit. You might try some Superfeet to see if you can adjust the fit a bit (this can help with arch support and toe splay). If you’re just hiking in the front range you might also just think about rocking tennis shoes and see if it helps.

Final option would be to head to a boot fitter.

Ropes4u
May 2, 2009

Toe socks or Bandaids to keep the skin from running together might help.

slothzilla
Dec 19, 2003

I know a guy who had the same problem with toes/curling rubbing. He ended up solving it by getting a special toe brace from his podiatrist.

a foolish pianist
May 6, 2007

(bi)cyclic mutation

Dangerllama posted:

Your shoes sound like they don’t fit. You might try some Superfeet to see if you can adjust the fit a bit (this can help with arch support and toe splay). If you’re just hiking in the front range you might also just think about rocking tennis shoes and see if it helps.

Final option would be to head to a boot fitter.

No, it's a fairly common deformity where the toes actually curl inward and under the adjacent toe. It's bone structure, not shoe fit.

Discomancer
Aug 31, 2001

I'm on a cupcake caper!

fknlo posted:

Hey hiking goons, I need some help with blisters. I moved to Colorado last year and have begun hiking since the weather has gotten nice. My little toes curl under the toe next to them and I've always had some blister problems on the bottom/inside tip of the little toe. I've been doing some basic hikes in the foothills and this old problem is back with a vengeance. I've been wearing Merrel Moab shoes with some heavy wool socks I grabbed from either Costco or REI. I grabbed some toe socks last week as I remember those helping me some when I used to run back in the day. I went for a 5 mile hike again today in the toe socks and they didn't help and I got a new blister that went further back along the inside of the toe than I usually get. So what's my next step? Those little silicone gel sleeves? Different shoes? I'd like to get to where I can do more actual hiking but I'm going to have to get this sorted out before that happens.

Things that can help reduce blisters:
1) try lightweight wool socks, not heavy wool to reduce sweating and to help keep the sock from slipping around inside of the shoe
2) lighter/meshier shoes. The Moabs can be a bit hot compared to a trail runner
3) take your shoes and socks off when you stop and rest to help dry them out, especially in CO, a few minutes outside of the shoe does wonders
4) unlace and relace your shoes fully occasionally while hiking since your foot will expand throughout the day

Or if it's the same spot every time, a piece of hockey tape over it before you hike generally works.

fknlo
Jul 6, 2009


Fun Shoe

Dangerllama posted:

Your shoes sound like they don’t fit. You might try some Superfeet to see if you can adjust the fit a bit (this can help with arch support and toe splay). If you’re just hiking in the front range you might also just think about rocking tennis shoes and see if it helps.


The shoes are a little big but I was told by the people at REI that you want that so your feet can expand while hiking. I'll look into the Superfeet thing.

Ropes4u posted:

Toe socks or Bandaids to keep the skin from running together might help.

I wore toe socks today and they didn't help. I might try the little sleeves you can put on toes to go with the toe socks.

Discomancer posted:

Things that can help reduce blisters:
1) try lightweight wool socks, not heavy wool to reduce sweating and to help keep the sock from slipping around inside of the shoe
2) lighter/meshier shoes. The Moabs can be a bit hot compared to a trail runner
3) take your shoes and socks off when you stop and rest to help dry them out, especially in CO, a few minutes outside of the shoe does wonders
4) unlace and relace your shoes fully occasionally while hiking since your foot will expand throughout the day

Or if it's the same spot every time, a piece of hockey tape over it before you hike generally works.

Thanks for this. I was more interested in lighter shoes but the people at REI steered me to the Moabs. It's generally the same spot every time just because of how the toes curl under other toes.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
Is it just those specific toes that give you issues?

My first suggestion is always take measures to keep your feet dry. Lighter breathable socks, more breathable shoes if possible.

Next suggestion is to prevent slippage and friction by choosing shoes with a wide enough toe box so that your toes aren't being squished together.

Unfortunately it sounds like you know your feet enough to know that the way your feet are formed create the problem with your toes. Consider seeing a podiatrist as they have likely encountered your dilemma many times over and might have solutions we're not aware of.

In the interim, try taping your toes while on hikes. A little bit of tape can really go a long way in preventing blisters. I also prefer cloth hockey tape because it's sticky, durable flexible, slightly stretchy, and rips off easily by hand. Also, since your toes curl in, make sure your nails are trimmed so that the nail isn't digging into the skin of the toe its curled into.

Maybe you can eventually toughen your feet and build calluses over time if you hike often enough. It would take a while but it would definitely help. Dancers are often building calluses on their feet so I'm not sure off there are any resources there.

Ihmemies
Oct 6, 2012

Suddendly it is sunny and above 20C even in Finland, and I only now remembered that my trail runners are too short. During longer hikes they start to damage my big toe's nails. So I bought inov8 x-claw 275's in size 48, my roclites were 47. Also when using two thin socks to prevent chafing during wet weather, there's even less room especially with little toes..

https://www.amazon.de/gp/aw/d/B01N1PT49N/ref=oh_aui_i_sh_post_o0_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Usually trails here are wet and muddy, nice weather is an exception. I hope those shoes won't be too hot compared to roclites. Well there's only one way to find out!

Ihmemies fucked around with this message at 07:05 on May 8, 2018

captkirk
Feb 5, 2010
For blisters you can always throw some EGNO patches (https://goengo.com) in your gear. They're great for when you find out you have a hotspot in the middle of a trip but if you have persistent problems they're probably not the best choice.

George H.W. Cunt
Oct 6, 2010





I wanna hike the PCT. I don’t think my girlfriend would like that much. :sigh: I’ll have to settle for section hiking a triple crown I suppose over the course of my life.

Bottom Liner
Feb 15, 2006


a specific vein of lasagna
Moleskin and a needle does wonders for blisters. I can’t help with your specific condition but that’s by far the best way to manage them once they form.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
Also, these things work ridiculously well for blisters but it really helps to put them on at the first instance of a hot spot. They really stick to skin and are sweat/waterproof from my experience. I've had one on my foot for a 5 day backpacking trip and it stayed on the whole time without coming off, even after stream crossing, dirty dusty feet and swimming in a lake. Crazy stuff.

They are specific bandaid brand. They are smooth, flexible, waterproof and really stick to the skin. The hard part is that if the blister is already well formed or has popped, when you peel the bandaid off its likely pulling all the loose skin with it so I wouldn't recommend trying to change it on the trail unless you have somewhere to clean your foot really well and reapply a new one without risking infection.

https://www.target.com/p/band-aid-b...wE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Levitate
Sep 30, 2005

randy newman voice

YOU'VE GOT A LAFRENIÈRE IN ME
I should probably try those after I gave myself a latex adhesive allergy from using leukotape

armorer
Aug 6, 2012

I like metal.
Hydrocolloid bandages are amazing for any and all shallow wounds. Blisters, shallow cuts in annoying places, whatever. They are my go to for so many things these days. They stay on, are waterproof, flexible and seem to accelerate healing decently well over other options.

fknlo
Jul 6, 2009


Fun Shoe

Verman posted:

Also, these things work ridiculously well for blisters but it really helps to put them on at the first instance of a hot spot. They really stick to skin and are sweat/waterproof from my experience. I've had one on my foot for a 5 day backpacking trip and it stayed on the whole time without coming off, even after stream crossing, dirty dusty feet and swimming in a lake. Crazy stuff.

They are specific bandaid brand. They are smooth, flexible, waterproof and really stick to the skin. The hard part is that if the blister is already well formed or has popped, when you peel the bandaid off its likely pulling all the loose skin with it so I wouldn't recommend trying to change it on the trail unless you have somewhere to clean your foot really well and reapply a new one without risking infection.

https://www.target.com/p/band-aid-b...wE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I actually have one of the ones made for fingers/toes on my toe now. They definitely help cushion a blister that's already there, I should probably try to throw them on before a hike and see if they'd help prevent them too.

Aphex-
Jan 29, 2006

Dinosaur Gum
It was a ridiculously nice weekend here in the UK so I spent a few days in Snowdonia national park in North Wales. On Sunday I hiked up Snowdon (highest peak in England and Wales) via Crib Goch, known for being the toughest route up and for being a knife-edge ridge. It was a very, very fun day out. I've done another ridge walk before on Striding Edge in the Lake District but this one is way more exposed and technical.

I didn't get any pictures on the way up to the start of the ridge but it's a really fun scramble, so many routes and holds, it's like an almost infinite climbing wall. Getting to the top and looking over at the other side is really when it gets real though. In all I bagged three summits, Crib Goch itself, Garnedd Ugain, and Snowdon proper. I also didn't get any pictures when I was on the way up Snowdon because it was unbelievably busy with people. It's got a train route all the way to the top, with another 3 or 4 walking routes, and on a warm sunny Sunday I guess everyone had the same idea. Luckily since the ridge is the most tricky way up, that part of it was relatively quiet in comparison.

Anyway here are some pictures I got when I wasn't all hands on deck srambling along the ridge.

This is a panorama at the start of the ridge, the peak in the distance on the right is Snowdon.



This is from the same spot, looking the other way.



More of the ridge itself, with the drop to the right of it. When you're walking along the crest and looking down you definitely get a real sense of exposure.



This is looking back at the ridge after finishing it, the walk up to Garnedd Ugain behind the camera, with another less extreme ridge of Crib-y-Ddysgl to go before you get there.



Here's just a zoom of all the people crossing which I thought was pretty cool. It's hard to get a sense of scale from the pictures but it was amazing in person.



I really love ridge walks, I think my next one will have to be the Aonach Eagach ridge in Glencoe in Scotland. You have no idea how lucky it is to go up Snowdon on such a clear and sunny day like this, I'd love to be able to do Aonach Eagach in similar conditions.

Braincloud
Sep 28, 2004

I forgot...how BIG...
Nthing the hydro colloid bandage love. I always keep them in my first aid ditty bag. I have one on the bottom of my foot now after getting a large lovely blister from the half marathon I ran on Sunday. Blister tore open a mile from the finish, went to the drug store after and picked up the blister bandage. Been able to run every day since!

But seriously, they are magical.

cheese eats mouse
Jul 6, 2007

A real Portlander now
Rained out at the Gorge last weekend so we ended up trying to do some things in Hoosier National Forest, but the rain also ran us out. We weren't really prepared for it (and this was my second backpacking trip) so we called it a weekend and spent the evening being warm in the apartment. It was the wettest Derby weekend on record! Still got 11 miles on various trails. There a few short hikes in Hoosier National that are wonderful and we got to enjoy them before the rain came in.

First warm-up hike was the last and only old growth forest in Indiana. There hasn't ever been a tree cut within the borders. The pics don't capture the density and how quiet it is.








Second short hike was Hemlock Cliffs








Some point of Two Lakes Loop trail at Lake Celina



Still a great time out and the conditioning was much needed for me.

cheese eats mouse fucked around with this message at 15:10 on May 10, 2018

SulfurMonoxideCute
Feb 9, 2008

I was under direct orders not to die
🐵❌💀

Terrifying Effigies posted:

Awesome, I'll probably go with Walcott then both for the uniqueness and history behind it. I am also a fan of switchbacks and other reasonable and sane trail features.

Right now I've got the first two weeks in September in Banff and Jasper with reservations for backpacking Sunshine Meadows to Mount Shark and an overnight in Tonquin Valley.

I've done Assiniboine twice and it is my #1 backpack trip in Alberta. It's phenomenal. I do have a few tips from my own experience. I suggest avoiding Porcupine Campground. You need to lose like 500m of elevation then gain it all back. There's a really cool slope overlooking the valley instead that I love anyway. My first time I went all the way to Og Lake on day 1 and continued to Magog the next day and spent the afternoon circumnavigating the lake. Then I hiked all the way to Mt. Shark in one day which was okay, but the last 5km was kind of tedious because it's just old forestry road. I split that into two days the second time and stayed at Bryant Creek, and ended up only going to Howard Douglas the first night then all the way to Magog on day 2.

If you already booked certain nights at certain places but decide to change your mind while on the trail, you should be fine so long as you have your permits and explain why you're in this site rather than that site. I've done that and never had an issue, and the only site that is ever close to close to full was Magog. I had Howard Douglas and Bryant Creek to myself, and Og there was only 3 other people. But Magog is super busy and they had to change it to reservation only this year due to so many people showing up and overfilling the overflow area.

And of course, be prepared for snow. I hiked out in a whiteout blizzard my first time there.

Catatron Prime
Aug 23, 2010

IT ME



Toilet Rascal

Nice! I want to get out to Hoosier later this year.

Hey cool! You saw one of these critters too!



I saw one at Wildcat Hollow last weekend, which is in Southeastern Ohio



Visited the abandoned general store:



Poked around some really cool formations known locally as Ohio Caves:



Springtime hiking is amazing with all the local Flora, such as these Jack in the Pulpit:



Some Flocks:



And I loving love Trilliums:



Random bridge over Sunday Creek in the middle of the woods:



And these guys, which I don't know what they are:



Really appreciated having boardwalk over the swampiest areas:



Speaking of Burr Oak/wildcat Hollow, any goons here doing the Eggs hike? Debating on what to sign up for, tempted to go for the 40 miler this year, which I think starts out at midnight

Catatron Prime fucked around with this message at 04:12 on May 11, 2018

Terrifying Effigies
Oct 22, 2008

Problems look mighty small from 150 miles up.

Picnic Princess posted:

I've done Assiniboine twice and it is my #1 backpack trip in Alberta. It's phenomenal. I do have a few tips from my own experience. I suggest avoiding Porcupine Campground. You need to lose like 500m of elevation then gain it all back. There's a really cool slope overlooking the valley instead that I love anyway. My first time I went all the way to Og Lake on day 1 and continued to Magog the next day and spent the afternoon circumnavigating the lake. Then I hiked all the way to Mt. Shark in one day which was okay, but the last 5km was kind of tedious because it's just old forestry road. I split that into two days the second time and stayed at Bryant Creek, and ended up only going to Howard Douglas the first night then all the way to Magog on day 2.

If you already booked certain nights at certain places but decide to change your mind while on the trail, you should be fine so long as you have your permits and explain why you're in this site rather than that site. I've done that and never had an issue, and the only site that is ever close to close to full was Magog. I had Howard Douglas and Bryant Creek to myself, and Og there was only 3 other people. But Magog is super busy and they had to change it to reservation only this year due to so many people showing up and overfilling the overflow area.

And of course, be prepared for snow. I hiked out in a whiteout blizzard my first time there.

Currently got reservations for Og Lake and Bryant Creek - I'm planning on grabbing the first gondola up to Sunshine Meadows in the morning and didn't see the point of stopping early at Porcupine rather than just pushing on. Also planning on taking Wonder Pass from Og to Bryant based on the recommendations online. Good to know that the campsites aren't that heavily booked and the options are available in case weather conditions turn sour.

I've been up in enough mountains to expect crazy weather out of the blue, so I'll definitely have gear for rain/snow/heat/etc. In terms of possible snow, would you recommend carrying microspikes in early September?

The Aardvark
Aug 19, 2013


Looks like this coming week will be the last one for ~reasonable~ desert hikes in San Diego which makes me sad.


I haven't used my REI dividend yet and was wondering what would be good creature comforts for car camping as my wife doesn't enjoy camping as much as I do.

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Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?

The Aardvark posted:

Looks like this coming week will be the last one for ~reasonable~ desert hikes in San Diego which makes me sad.

I haven't used my REI dividend yet and was wondering what would be good creature comforts for car camping as my wife doesn't enjoy camping as much as I do.

A roomy tent, an air mattress, a good lantern, a stove to cook on, comfortable camping chairs (with cup holders), sleeping bags that actually keep you warm at night etc. Does she enjoy cooking at all? If so, you could put together a camp kitchen and try to make a nice camp dinner. Eating well (other than just hot dogs) while you're camping can be a huge difference for some people's comfort. A good propane/white gas stove is the center of a camp kitchen, maybe a table for it to sit on, a small frying pan or pot to boil water and basic utensils work well. Its amazing what you can do with some olive oil, fresh veggies, pasta/rice etc. Also, good close friends tend to help ease the situation. If your wife isn't as big on camping, she might be less stressed if she has a friend there. Also, a hammock is relaxing for hanging around the campsite/down by a river or lake.

Consider yourself lucky. After 8 years I've yet to convince my wife to go camping and I tried luring her with wine with no success. Thats when I knew she was serious.

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