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Thanks for all the effort for thread 2, OP! When you do a sleeping bag writeup, make sure to mention that a 25ºF bag is only good at 25ºF if you have a sleeping pad underneath it. Keep people from making the same, cooold mistake I did  "Oh whatever, the pad is just for comfort. gently caress it, I can sleep on leaves." <<<Wrong edit: A few recent favourite backpacking photos, and of a different, more tropical flavour than the others you posted. Usem if you want! From Nā Pali Coast on Kaua'i, HI, USA  
alnilam fucked around with this message at 20:11 on Dec 7, 2012 |
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Dec 7, 2012 19:13
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Question for fellow PA hikers* about Pine Creek Gorge, a.k.a. the "PA grand canyon." Recently a couple told me about that place, and described a long day-hike (or overnighter) that was their favourite hike in Pennsylvania. They said it was called the "Bald Eagle Trail." I haven't found any trails on the state website or anywhere else called that. Has anyone hiked in that area? Do you know of this trail? Or, do you have any recommendations of other hikes in that area? *I'm in western PA myself - OP you can add me to the list, but I don't have PM.
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Dec 13, 2012 17:04
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Tyger41 posted:All these pictures are very inspiring. Also, like a level 10 nerd, I went and saw The Hobbit this morning at the first showing and now I really want to go find some "cliff trail" type hikes like the one where they filmed the movie, where they were on cliff edges and on ridges. Two that I know of: Angel's Landing Kalalau ...probably some places in new zealand 
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Dec 14, 2012 22:23
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Agreed on kayaking being the best way to explore south florida. I kayaked on the everglades coast once - just off of Flamingo - and explored some tiny islands, and then some dolphins just came and chilled 10 feet from my kayak. Totally great way to spend a day, and the tiny islands are so neat to look around on. In that area, there's also a sorta fun half-day-hike around Snake Bight. But also! During winter, some of the swamps in florida dry out to surreal mudcrack-lands. I had a beautiful hike in a place called Babcock-Webb Wildlife Mgmt Area last christmas - it's kind of a hunting zone, but nobody hunts this time of year. The rangers were like "uhhh, hikes?" but I ran into a guy on a bike who told me it was beautiful. So I just kind of wandered for a while, north of the main road, following some dried mud truck pathways, and wow, there were so many mini-ecosystems and they were all pretty incredible. The whole area apparently gets like 6" standing water in the summer, but in the winter it's walkable. It's a ways north of miami though, more up near Ft Myers. Just sayin. Also, disclaimer, I'm speaking from like a cumulative 5 days experience outdoors-ing in FL.
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Dec 22, 2012 04:59
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melon cat posted:We're actually hiking in a very hot, potentially-muddy region (Hawaii). From what I've heard, Yaktrax only works for icy conditions. Anything for muddy, jungle-like treks? Where you hiking? I just did a few hikes in Hawai'i.
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Jan 19, 2013 22:45
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melon cat posted:We'll be in Honolulu. Had my sights set on Palolo Valley, as suggested by another forumgoer. Which island were you on? Heard great things about there... I myself only hiked manoa falls while near Honolulu. But I heard palolo was the best hike around there - that and the stairway to heaven. My main hike on that trip was the kalalau trail on kaua'i. I'll post more when I'm not on my phone!
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Jan 20, 2013 05:09
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Saddamnit posted:My friends and I always have a tough time trying to throw a line of our bear bags. So, I ordered one of these which might help: https://bushsmarts.com/product-Bear_Star-71-22 Seems like a cool thinger. I learned to throw lines from the world of arborist tree climbing. Basically, in the absence of a good throw-line, you can do this with your full-diameter rope:
I highly recommend looking through the Tree Climber's Companion, if your library has a copy. It's a short handbook and I learned a lot about knots and trees from it (it helps to have a climbing background going in). Probably not worth buying if you just want to learn about getting ropes into trees, but worth a read if you can borrow a copy.
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Feb 8, 2013 00:42
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One time I was leaving for a hike from rural Brazil, and what did they have there but tons of local cashews and Brazil nuts* for super cheap. Some of the cashews we're sugared and caramelized. Best trail mix I ever made. *Simpsons joke nonwithstanding ("we just call them 'nuts' here"), they actually call them Pará nuts in Brazil (Pará is a northern province). So they're still named after their origin, they just get more specific.
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Mar 5, 2013 14:43
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BeefofAges posted:Instead of soap, carry hand sanitizer. I disagree. Hand sanitizer does not really clean your hands. It only sanitizes an already clean hand. This is coming from someone who, in normal civilization, washes hands way less often than most. When I'm in the bush for days, I Wash My Hands. With castile soap (rinse into soil, not directly into a stream).
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Mar 9, 2013 04:51
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Holy poo poo, I had not heard about that yet. Awesome. I've been backpacking with my osprey kestrel 45 on way longer trips than 45 L is supposed to take you. And it just barely fits in an overhead bin. Highly recommend it.
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Jun 7, 2013 17:28
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Your dog is super cute and I'm glad the trip went really well, but I hafta be a debbie downer here and point out that there are other reasons people advise against bringing dogs on deep-country hikes. Dog pee/poo messes with local animals because of the smell. Many prey animals won't go near the trail as a result, and it might cut them off from their normal route to water, food, offspring, etc. Dogs can be unpredictable when you encounter a dangerous animal - what if your dog had been barking at a bear cub (with mom nearby) and not a rat snake? edit: I googled after posting this, and it looks like dogs are explicitly allowed on most of the AT. I guess that trail is heavily travelled enough that dogs won't do much extra damage. Glad you had a good doggy hike 
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Jun 12, 2013 16:25
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Has anyone ever backpacked Acadia national park? Is it good backpackin'? Crowded? Any recommendations for a 2-4 day hike?
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Jun 18, 2013 23:27
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I'm pretty sure everyone in this thread still engages in short hikes from time to time. Who doesn't love a 1-2 mile traipse through the woods? ^^^^I'd agree with A Kpro's second suggestion, at least at first, until you get a better feel for what's "a lot" for you and what's not much. Start off with 1-ish mile hikes, just try to do them a couple times a week, and then eventually you'll get bored of those and decide to push yourself to 2-3 miles, etc.
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Jun 21, 2013 15:37
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if I recall correctly from wilderness first aid class, dousing yourself with cool water is a legitimate way to avoid heat illness. Makes sense physically too. Probably should review the heat illness chapter of a good wilderness medicine book. edit: with cool water FROM A SOURCE, not your drinking water alnilam fucked around with this message at 16:47 on Jun 27, 2013 |
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Jun 27, 2013 14:31
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110 F is pretty insane. An entire thread of experienced backpackers are expressing their worry, so hopefully that at least reinforces how careful you should be.
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Jun 27, 2013 21:31
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^^^^ Looks awesome! I'm not lord of the thread or anything, but I'd say trip reports are a great thing.JAY ZERO SUM GAME posted:I read through Denali's backcountry info, which is extensive, and found some great places but they read like this: "This area is extremely remote and rugged. There is no easy hiking. There are a few opportunities for multiday expeditions in alpine terrain unless you include glacier travel. The area is rarely visited and the scenery is some of the most spectacular in the Park and Preserve." Which of course makes me salivate. Yeah, I've learned to subtract 25% of urgency/seriousness from most literature about hiking, after being misled too many times by claims of "highly strenuous, dangerous conditions" only to find that they meant "you have to walk on boulders and among trees instead of on a nice trail." I guess they write those things for your casual national park tourist? That being said, alaska don't gently caress around. But like you, I think that sounds amazing. Also, I hope Dr Vid Games is doing okay, the idea of a long hike in 110F scares the poo poo out of me. edit: I think I recall my wilderness first aid teacher saying of heat stroke: douse the person in cool water and evacuate immediately (makes sense), but do not give them water to drink. NOAA agrees.  does anyone know why that is?
alnilam fucked around with this message at 18:15 on Jun 30, 2013 |
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Jun 30, 2013 18:10
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JAY ZERO SUM GAME posted:It's pretty much "bands aids on things that can be addressed with them, gauze/tape/compression for everything else, and get the gently caress off the mountain for anything worse." There are things you can know to help get someone more evac-ready, and there are things you can do to save someone's life in the short term so that you can actually get them off the mountain. I highly recommend taking a 1 or 2 day wilderness first aid class to anyone who gets an opportunity, as it focuses entirely on these things. Also you learn some preventative care.
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Jun 30, 2013 19:36
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I've used earth-friendly cotton wipes with tea tree oil 'n poo poo on them. You can find them in a food coöp or some such place. Like TP, I felt okay burying them in a pit far from water (which is where you should be pooping anyway), but I wouldn't just toss them into the woods or anything.
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Jul 1, 2013 20:05
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Ropes4u posted:What do you carry for first aid? More to the point should I cut the gauze and trauma bandage to save room? Medkit chat! Gauze is one of the only items in those kits I do carry. Gauze is important and, combined with tape or cloth, will make you just about any bandage. Much of the poo poo in a store-bought first aid kit isn't necessary. My semi-minimalist kit is -gauze -medical or climbing tape ^^^^these 2 items will serve as most any bandage you need (thougha few bandaids for little cuts could be good too) -duct tape (take a few yards and fold it into a 2" square, sticky-side-to-nonsticky-side) -some electrolyte stuff and some sugar -soap -hopefully you have a knife/scissors elsewhere in your pack; if not, then do so -nitrile gloves and/or an un-lubed condom (at the very least, they make a good squirt gun for irrigating a wound) -moleskin (duct tape can work okay for this too, though) Stuff I maybe should carry but don't -a sam splint -an iodine wipe can be good for cleaning AROUND a wound, not in it Ditch the space-blanket and bring garbage bags instead - they are way more widely useful. Pills are another story. Bring what you want for comfort. But mostly, you'll be good with ibuprofen, benadryl, immodium (diahrrea = dehydration), and if you've got any NON-drowsy perscription painkillers, they can come in handy if someone has to hobble out on a broken leg (though giving them to someone is illegal, so just, you know, "drop" them or something). A very quick source of caffeine or an "emergency inhaler" or any stimulant will help if someone is having anaphelealeleptic shock and nobody has an epi-pen - it might keep the person alive long enough for benadryl to kick in (15 minutes). Better to have an epi-pen though. Most importantly, especially with a somewhat minimalist medkit, you really need to know how to use it. Take a wilderness first aid class. 
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Jul 8, 2013 18:31
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Speleothing posted:On the contrary WFA isn't really that much better than a standard First Aid course. Your current training is probably just as good, if you've kept it up-to-date. I disagree - regular first aid classes assume help is coming soon and that you are within reach of an ambulance. My WFA class focused a lot on preparing someone for evacuation, when to evacuate, and even a little bit of mid-term care to keep someone healthy if your evac lasts several days. Also lots of general tips on wilderness nutrition and "taking care of yourself (so you don't need first aid)." Regular first aid tends to focus on what to do until the pros arrive. Maybe mine was more comprehensive than most? It was two full days. Anyway the other poster took military first aid which might be similar to WFA?
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Jul 9, 2013 13:27
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beefnoodle posted:In honor of the thread's title. My wife and I hiked Bear Canyon (NCAR to Green Mountain for you Boulderites) this morning. Mama Bear blocked the trail for a few minutes until her two cubs As I'm "still afraid of bears," I'm not sure I would have stuck around long enough to take that photo - I'd rather retreat and try again in fifteen minutes. Well done, cause it's a good one.
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Jul 15, 2013 05:36
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Water talk! Can anyone give me a rundown of when it's appropriate to use a filter (for example I have the MSR Sweetwater) versus using iodine, and why? I ask because I now have 3.5 out of 5 trips in which I used filter-only and got poop-sick after I got home, and one trip where I used iodine (plus the filter to take out gunk) and did not get sick. 3 of the sick trips were along a small river in the US whose headwaters had some human population. The totally non-sick filter-using trip was on a hill in California with no humans. The "half sick" trip was in extremely remote Brazil and I have a good idea of what else might have made me sick, but I can't rule out the filter. I kept trying to tell myself "maybe it was something else that made me sick," but after the three sick trips in a row, I started to think something more consistent might be up, like bad water treatment. Someone told me that the filter would be good enough pretty much anywhere in the US, but that I might need to worry about viruses elsewhere. Someone else told me that's crazy and they couldn't believe I only used a filter. edit: also I know boiling is pretty foolproof, but I often hike fireless, so I'm trying to get my non-fire methods straight. Also any further reading on this topic would be appreciated. alnilam fucked around with this message at 16:18 on Jul 18, 2013 |
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Jul 18, 2013 16:11
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Thanks for the water tips. It sounds like my filter should, indeed, be working in these situations, so maybe it's cracked or maybe there's some cross-contamination. Perhaps I've been lazy with making sure the clean tube does NOT touch any dirty water ever ever?BeefofAges posted:If you're getting sick often, I'd suspect that you're not cleaning your hands with soap or hand sanitizer well enough before preparing food or eating. Either that, or one of your friends isn't cleaning their hands, and then they're touching your food. Could be. I'm pretty anal about washing my hands a couple times a day when hiking, but I do sometimes snack with unclean hands. But in everyday life, I'm a grungy son of a bitch and I frequently eat with hands that have touched trees, soil, rocks, creeks, etc. when I'm just on a little weekend outdoor jaunt, and it hasn't resulted in me having the runs all the time. Really, those couple of trips are practically the only times I've ever gotten a multi-day diahrrea illness. JAY ZERO SUM GAME posted:If I had to guess, your filter is leaking somewhere. I know, anecdotal, but anything other than the most expensive filters have felt unreliable to me; I don't use one and use a Steripen instead. Three years on, hundreds of gallons of water, some of it from water I KNEW would make me sick if untreated, and I've never had so much as a weary fart. If I decide to replace my filter cartridge, it's $45 and a steripen is $70, so I might consider switching. Anyone else have some steripen love? I've always been wary of them because electricity  edit: vvvv I almost forgot about that... minimal water flow is a reason I prefer to always bring a filter pump, even when using iodine. It saved my rear end twice when the only water turned out to be a lovely little trickle through some rocks. alnilam fucked around with this message at 18:58 on Jul 18, 2013 |
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Jul 18, 2013 18:50
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Quantumfate posted:Hey hiking goons! I'm living in nevada, and I still like the occasional hike, though I feel it's more like a walk through trails or the bush here. Grew up in Maine, so the outdoors is pretty ingrained in me. Load up your backpack with a bunch of weight and walk around a whole bunch tonight or tomorrow to see if you can handle carrying lots of poo poo for three days. But if you are generally pretty fit, I think you'll likely be okay, IF one of your friends knows what they're doing. My first backpacking trip was planned by an inexperienced me, and it turned out fine, likely due somewhat to luck and somewhat to me having a cautious attitude (well, as cautious an attitude as I could have given I was planning a backpacking trip without much experience). Then again, I was also in fairly tame PA woodlands, and you're going to mountain land, so I'd hope one of your friends knows what they're doing. Also make sure there are plenty of water sources along the way and backup places to camp if you don't make it as far as you'd hoped. Ditch 2 of the 3 cotton undershirts. And I dunno how the weather is there, but you may be able to ditch one of the flannel shirts. Basically, don't bring any clothes for cleanliness' sake, other than socks. Only bring clothes for layering sake. Nobody cares how you smell on a 3 day hike. A small pot should be fine for water. It will likely get charred to gently caress being over a wood fire - it's fine if you don't care about how your pots look. Make sure fires are okay where you're going (could be a no-no in some places due to wildfire danger); if they're not okay, bring some other means of water treatment or bring a little camping stove. Check with your friends if any of your gear overlaps with theirs.
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Jul 19, 2013 02:40
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Quantumfate posted:I was able to get a backpacking pack that I dropped a pair of 15 pound plates into. It was kind of heavy, like it would push me to carry that. I was worried, but now that I have my shoddily packed backpack readied I realize it's far less weight than I thought. I think I'll do okay. One of the group was a trail guide before and an avid backpacker still, so I know at least one of them knows their stuff well. Said person has a campfire permit too, so that covers that worry. I'm worried about ditching the extra clothes because I was packing them less for cleanliness' sake more as a precaution. I'd like extra socks to keep from getting bad blisters, and extra shirts in case mine get too sweaty, because cotton takes a long time to dry out and nights will be getting -cold-. Am I worrying too much, or am I being realistic? Okay, good to know there's someone experienced in the group. Extra socks are definitely a good call. If you bring any extra shirts, make it a warm layer. Extra undershirts just seem sorta pointless to me. You can just take the sweaty one off and put on warm stuff when it's cold at night. Why is a dry cotton short-sleeved shirt important when you're putting on your warm long-sleeves anyway? I dunno what the temperatures are actually like where you're going, but consider adding a pair of long johns. Also, bring two big black garbage bags. Also, bring an extra day of food in case you hike your 1.5 days in and get tired/blistery and it takes you twice as long to hike back out.
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Jul 19, 2013 20:22
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Erudite Sybarite posted:My boyfriend and I broke up, and I have decided that I want to get the gently caress out of town and go to Gatlinburg to walk this off. I have been hiking pretty much only on day trips through the wetlands and grosser parts of central Florida, and I know the Rockies are completely different terrain. Has anyone been to Gatlinburg? I'm not really that concerned with the money aspect of it, but I'm really excited to see a different part of the south. I haven't been to Gatlinburg itself, but do you mean the Smokies, not the Rockies? Appalachia in general is not the most dangerous place. I mean, any deep backcountry can be dangerous, but at least Appalachia has plenty of water, its mountains are comparatively gentle (e.g. compared to this), and the weather, though it's definitely weather, is not as intense as I've heard it is in, say, Colorado. Anyway, ease your way into it and be smart about it, but I think you'll be fine. Appalachia is beautiful. edit: vvvvvvvvvvvv I've done a few really nice (dry-season) hikes in florida, and everyone thought I was crazy. Even when I got TO a state park, the park employees themselves didn't know how to answer my questions about hiking and seemed very confused that I was here to hike around
alnilam fucked around with this message at 15:38 on Jul 22, 2013 |
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Jul 22, 2013 15:17
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I'd say the threats of hiking alone are generally not bear-related. They're more first-aid/medical/rescue related. So I guess if you end up needing first aid from a bear, you might be sorry you had hiked alone, but that's sort of an indirect consequence of bears.
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Jul 24, 2013 16:50
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Levitate posted:gently caress, bear cans are heavy. gently caress bears But they're so cute  gently caress humans who have been careless with bears and taught bears that humans carry insanely tasty food.
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Jul 24, 2013 18:36
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I'm interested in starting to dehydrate my own meals for backpacking. Are there any good resources you guys recommend, or any advice? Usually for overnights, I just avoid fancy backpacker food and use sandwiches, couscous, and bring whole fruits and veggies, and I always make my own trail mix. But recently I used some of that fancy backpacker spacefood on a 3-day trip, and daaamn it felt nice to eat a hot curry meal.
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Aug 5, 2013 17:49
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beefnoodle posted:I like this site: http://blog.trailcooking.com Cool, thanks. Browsing around there, it seems like it can be as simple as "cook food, reduce food, dehydrate food." Plus some extra tips about "try to reduce fat content because it's harder to dehydrate." Does this sound accurate? Any other general tips?
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Aug 5, 2013 20:58
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krispykremessuck posted:My hiking partner's dad was overdue four hours last night (three hours past dark). Luckily he checked in right as his family was about to call the local Sheriff. As a reminder, make sure people not only know where you're going, but a general idea of the route you're taking, and the trailhead (if there is one) where you're going to start. Yikes. I hate getting caught on the trail at night. Glad he made it okay. "They almost stayed overnight" - were they just going to sleep on the ground with extra layers, or build a lean-to, or make a garbage bag bivy sack? Or did they bring a tent?
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Aug 6, 2013 16:41
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evil_bunnY posted:Nobody thinks poo poo will happen to them, and when it does their ability to think deteriorates ridiculously in emergencies. Garbage bag bivies are remarkably effective, and the bags serve other purposes too. I always insist anyone I hike with has at least 2 garbage bags for this reason. I'm not saying real emergency bivies aren't good to have - if you have one, bring it! - but you won't convince everyone to buy a thing. You can convince everyone to bring a thing they already have (and learn how to use it).
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Aug 6, 2013 18:16
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evil_bunnY posted:For emergency, the usual holy trinity of shelter warmth and energy. Dirty hobo here  I drew "garbage bag emergency shelters: an instructional guide" because I'm bored and it's worth knowing.  It's not a fun shelter. In fact, it's miserable. But if you're going on a trip and aren't going to pony up for a real emergency shelter, it's worth being prepared for an emergency nonetheless. If you do have an emergency bivy, might as well bring it instead. Other nice thing about these is many people already bring garbage bags anyway - they're super useful! Also someone else mentioned a tarp - tarp plus rope is also a great emergency shelter. Some people even use them as their main tent!
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Aug 6, 2013 20:24
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What are some good brands of duct tape? I ask cause I've somehow ended up with some really bad ones (not sticky, too sticky, too gummy) in my time and never bothered to pay attention to which ones I liked. I ask here because I already read this thread and backpacking is one of my primary use scenarios for duct tape.
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Aug 13, 2013 13:08
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I know hammock camping has come up before, but I couldn't find it. I slept in a hammock for many days on a river boat, so I know how to handle it comfort-wise. My questions are about temperature. In cool-ish weather, is wearing a sleeping bag inside the hammock enough for warmth? Or is a pad underneath important? If a pad is necessary: -how does the pad fit in there, since it's designed for firm ground? -my pad is the foam kind; is this okay? -could it be replaced with an additional quilt or blanket? Other than those questions, I was planning on using my own rope, tarp, and mosquito net instead of buying all of eno's accesory stuff. I imagine I can make this work, but if anyone has any stories of "oh man it's way harder than you think," I'd be willing to listen.
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Aug 21, 2013 17:18
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Anyone here familiar with Pine Creek Gorge, aka the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon? If so, can anyone recommend a 2-3 day trail?
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Aug 26, 2013 16:52
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i_heart_ponies posted:Motion-X GPS - it's only a couple bucks, can cache maps for offline use, read and create GPX files and even offers realtime google maps-based tracking for friends / family (like you find on the SPOT beacons) as long as you have a cell signal. It's one of the best and most used apps I have ever purchased. Can anyone recommend something similar for Android?
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Aug 26, 2013 20:46
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Verman posted:I tried a few different offline map apps for droid and then just realized that I was getting terrible battery life, the gps was really spotty, and I eventually just went out and bout a $200 Garmin Etrex unit. Kaal posted:Using a cached GPS map on a phone is great for traveling into the backcountry in your car, but it'll die pretty quickly in the field. You could pick up a solar battery recharger, but it'd still be pretty inefficient. Yeah I was thinking more for checking my location periodically (double checking versus map navigation). Phone would be off most of the time.
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Aug 26, 2013 21:37
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Someone was posting here recently about a lovely park that was either almost or entirely in transit range of NYC. Remind me please?
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Sep 4, 2013 00:57
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LogisticEarth posted:What do you mean by "transit range"? You mean public transit, or by car? Yeah, I meant public transit. Time Cowboy posted:Harriman State Park has a train stop or two on a very limited schedule on weekends, I think. I don't know which line it is, but that's probably the park you're thinking of. I think that was the one, thanks! I'll look into train-ing there.
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Sep 4, 2013 18:30
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