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JIZZ DENOUEMENT posted:Thank you for the recommendations friends. Durable water repellent, it's part of what makes most waterproof boots waterproof and it wears off with time, so if your boots start soaking through then sometimes you can restore some of the waterproofing by reapplying a DWR finish at home. Nikwax is generally the most popular brand https://www.nikwax.com/en-us/products/productdetail.php?productid=261&itemid=-1&fabricid=-1 I second the gaiter recommendation though, especially when in deep snow. Outdoor Research makes the best ones.
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Jan 14, 2020 23:41
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xzzy posted:Anecdotally, tent floors are tougher and more waterproof than they used to be so if you're obsessing big time about weight you can skip the footprint. But otherwise I would use one to improve the tent lifespan.. the tent material is still super thin so one piece of gravel poking the wrong way and welcome to hole town. Yes, when I was camping twenty years ago, some kind of extra covering on the floor was pretty much mandatory if you didn't want water seeping up in, now tents are so much better that if you take 30 seconds to check that there's not something pointy and sharp sticking up, you can usually just throw the tent down.
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Feb 15, 2020 04:47
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One of our popular local hiking mountains had SIX search and rescue cases this weekend including three separate people or parties caught out without lights as it got dark. The dumbest poo poo imaginable! I understand that not everybody is experienced in the outdoors and not to be elitist and etc but those people are absolute morons who have no place going out to hike, especially now.
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Mar 23, 2020 20:56
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ShaneB posted:I hate to poo-poo your concept immediately, but just get some trail runners. The continued existence of hiking boots blows my mind. Boots often make sense for snow but for trail, yeah just get some shoes.
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May 28, 2020 18:38
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Hotel Kpro posted:Man I'm waking up at 3 to drive three hours for some of my hikes. At this point I might as well just camp at the trailhead. More than 2 hours and small change drive is enough for me to sleep at the trailhead. I've done some 3+ hour drives to hikes and it always sucks, I show up and my lower back is sore and my gut is hyped up on all the coffee I drank for the drive. I have a Subaru Outback so it's easy for me to fold down the seats and have plenty of room to sleep in the car, it's easy and it works great.
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Jul 25, 2020 07:58
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Nitrousoxide posted:What all do you guys bring for medical supplies on a longer hike? Obviously, how much you need depends on your time away from civilization, but what are the most important items? Andrew Skurka has a good recommendation for what to bring in a FAK https://andrewskurka.com/backpacking-first-aid-kit-gear-list-downloadable-checklist/ I think a lot of people overpack first aid kits. Realistically there are two kinds of backcountry medical situations - minor ones like a badly scraped knee that can be solved with a bandaid or other relatively basic stuff, or major injuries where you will require a rescue and it's just a matter of keeping the patient alive and as comfortable as possible until it arrives. Especially when you look at what actually kills people in the outdoors, a little extra warm clothes and/or a better emergency bivvy system is pretty much the best first aid kit you can bring, along with a communications device like an Inreach. People talk about SAM splints and tourniquets but a bajillion times more people die from hypothermia than arterial bleeds. gohuskies fucked around with this message at 02:12 on Jul 27, 2020 |
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Jul 27, 2020 02:08
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Slimy Hog posted:I Don't care about Garmin's bottom line. I care about the scenario where they get an SOS message from someone who doesn't have a subscription, shrug their shoulders and move on. That person should buy a ResQLink PLB if they don't want a subscription service. And why would you buy a satellite communication device and not subscribe to the service that makes it work? How many people do you think buy an Inreach mini and don't subscribe? It would be like buying a wifi router and modem but not internet service.
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Jul 30, 2020 20:35
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SuicidalSmurf posted:I had reservations to hike up the North Skokomish in September over 4 days, but yesterday it was announced that the access road to Staircase was closed indefinitely. I'm scrambling to make some new plans. You need a camping permit to camp in MRNP, so whether you can make it work totally depends on the permit availability, which would probably be non-existent on weekends but worth calling them to ask about it. Consider the Mt St Helens area around Mt Margaret north of the mountain - no need for permits and a lot of land out there. Look at Panhandle/Shovel/Boot Lakes. It might be tough to get a full 4 days out of it and stay in the really excellent zone, but worth looking at. Also Goat Rocks area, no permits there, not really many lakes but some really nice terrain. Both of these should have fewer people than MRNP or most of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area.
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Aug 21, 2020 20:38
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SuicidalSmurf posted:Thinking this might be the time to check out Goat Rocks. Verman had a nice route a few pages back that I'm thinking of adapting to an out and back from Lilly Basin trail to Cispus basin, probably stopping at Hart and Goat lakes on a loose itinerary depending on how I feel after the miles. Thanks Plan to climb Old Snowy, you'll regret it if you're in the Goat Rocks and you don't.
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Aug 22, 2020 04:25
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Rob Rockley posted:So I’m finally going to Idyllwild in a couple weeks for an isolated staycation, going to try and climb Mt. San Jacinto from there. Biggest climb I’ve ever been on was from sea level to about 7000’ with no ill effects. I’m planning on waiting a couple days there(about 5000’) before climbing, but for someone who’s never gone near 10,000 feet before how much misery should I expect up there with altitude issues? Besides going a little slower, you'll likely have a bit of a headache and a loss of appetite. Big thing will be forcing yourself to still eat since you won't feel like fueling yourself as much as you normally are. I find liquid calories and gels and that sort of quick food is a lot easier to get down at altitude since it doesn't feel like as much work, you just throw it in your mouth and swallow.
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Sep 5, 2020 01:08
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mAlfunkti0n posted:Next week I am supposed to be driving out to the Tetons for a week and a half (and surrounding areas) but I am seeing the AQI maps and air quality looks crazy all over now. https://tools.airfire.org/airtools/v1/pnw-smoke.html?lat=47.3&lng=-119.5&zoom=6 Right now the air quality in NW Montana around Glacier is in the unhealthy zone, with Wyoming/Yellowstone/Tetons looking a little bit better. I am in Seattle and I can assure you with firsthand experience that "unhealthy" air will not be pleasant for hiking in and the smoke can obscure the scenery. Just existing in unhealthy air is like smoking 10 cigarettes a day and that's before adding in exercise and breathing heavily. That said, there is a new weather system coming in this weekend that is forecast to help blow the smoke out, at least here in WA. It might do the same in Montana too and things will be better when you are planning to be there. If I were you I would try to find out if the state of Montana has any kind of smoke forecast system or see what the Montana local offices of the National Weather Service have to say about the situation. The NWS and our state department of ecology have a ton of information - hopefully Montana can offer the same.
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Sep 17, 2020 18:04
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Many of those structures are in wilderness areas - they were built before the wilderness was established so they're grandfathered in as-is but can't be repaired or rebuilt. There's a nonprofit here in WA that's pretty aggressive about suing over that and there have been some big court cases about whether the forest service is even allowed to do maintenance on some old fire lookouts and cabins in wilderness areas or whether they just have to let them slowly collapse.
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Sep 30, 2020 08:38
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SuicidalSmurf posted:I'm in the best shape of my life and will be 40 in a couple of years, I've decided I want to start doing some more technical stuff and start a list of peaks to summit in the next couple years. Top of my list is a Rainier summit. Does anyone have any experience they can share with how they made the move from backpacking to mountaineering? I'm likely looking at a guided trip with one of the big-three on Rainier, but I'd likely be joining a group solo which is a bit intimidating (thought I understand they'd likely all be relatively inexperienced as well). If you just want to do Rainier guided, all you have to do is show up in great fitness shape and get lucky with booking it for a good weather day, the guides will handle the rest. Verman's advice is good otherwise, just buy an ice ax and get used to doing it on easy to moderate snow climbs. There are a ton of good snow scrambling peaks in the PNW especially in the spring.
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Oct 18, 2020 19:50
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SuicidalSmurf posted:Thanks for the advice. I am hoping this is the first of many climbs, so I might look at one of the more extended group outings to get some skills. I'm definitely not comfortable with snow travel and evaluating avalanche conditions, for instance, and feel like that limits my season considerably, but half of that is how comfortable/familiar I am with the destination as I'm out solo a lot of the time. I'm in the Olympia area, and definitely planning to go up Adams and St. Helen's when I can get some time off and conditions are favorable. If you live here in Washington it's worth looking at more of a skills course than just getting herded up the mountain. The basic Rainier summit climbs are really just focused on getting people up and down as quickly and reliably as possible, it's really best suited for tourists from out of state who don't have mountains of their own to go to. We have enough to do here that you'll want to actually learn more skills so you can do your own stuff past just a weekend Rainier climb.
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Oct 19, 2020 15:55
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Head Bee Guy posted:Not really sure where the best place to post this would be, but I'm looking to get some non-cotton shirts for the summer. Something sweat-wicking and breathable. I'll mostly be wearing them around town, riding my bike, or otherwise being active. Who's got the nice tech without a high price tag? Personally I think the best base layers in the world are Patagonia capilene. They are expensive but I wear them all the time so they're a place where I am willing to spend a little. For a cheaper option, I recently had Terramar Transport t shirts recommended to me, I think I will pick some up to see how they do. At this price it'd be silly not to: https://www.sierra.com/s~transport/
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Mar 14, 2021 06:56
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ROFLburger posted:I was looking up Rainier guide services and my god they are all fully booked like a year out. Is that typical? It is normal, but they'll have a bunch of cancellations over the course of the year. You could call up one of the services and ask about getting on a waitlist, or just check their websites once or twice a week and see. If you're flexible with dates and are willing to hop on an opening as soon as it happens, you have a very good chance of getting on one. I climbed Rainier for the first time with a guide service and that's what I did.
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Apr 15, 2021 17:42
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BaseballPCHiker posted:There are just as many dumb hikers as there are hunters. There are far, far more dumb hikers than there are dumb hunters. The problem is that when a hiker is dumb, they're doing stuff like leaving orange peels all over the place, which sucks but is not as bad as what a dumb hunter does, which is shoot someone.
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May 10, 2021 16:10
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MrNemo posted:I don't get to go hiking nearly as much as I'd like (due to living in London and the Rona) but I'm wondering how useful something like the Garmin Fenix 6 is as a navigation aid. I've done walks before using guide books (UK walks near London tend not to be proper wilderness walks) but I'd like something more convenient and wrist mounted is tempting. I don't have a Fenix specifically, I wear Suunto watches, but in general they are not helpful for navigation except for the specific case of "I have downloaded a gpx track to the watch that I want to follow, am I on the track or off to either side of it". The Gaia phone app is far more helpful and pretty cheap.
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May 11, 2021 15:41
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Bottom Liner posted:The bags suck and rip open all the time IME. Went through 4 of them in a week. Bottle is an easier to carry form factor and you can just keep the filter on it and drink straight from there if your others are filled as well. Silicone bags are definitely better than the plastic ones from Sawyer but I find the bottle easier to use still, especially on East coast mountains where you might be trying to get a small trickle from rocks and small streams and such. I agree that the bags that come with the Sawyer aren't great, but I use a Platypus water bag and it work great. Super tough but rolls up super small when not in use.
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May 11, 2021 19:44
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xzzy posted:I really, really wanna see the Arrigetch peaks someday. Anaktuvuk Pass-Arrigetch-Ambler is my dream Alaskan hiking/packrafting trip. And seems like it would be a lot of fun training for that in the Bob!
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May 24, 2021 17:26
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bobmarleysghost posted:I'll be going camping this weekend but my outdoors store is out of freeze dried stuff. Andrew Skurka has a bunch of backcountry meal recipes - the beans/rice/Fritos is particularly good but a bunch of options. https://andrewskurka.com/tag/backpacking-meal-recipes/ They require a little more prep at home beforehand than just buying some Mountain Houses but they probably end up being cheaper too.
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Jul 20, 2021 21:04
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Kaal posted:Cairns are generally way bigger than rock stacks, and are often constructed using stones brought in via mule, so they really are only superficially similar. If you can just kick it over, it probably isn't a cairn. I mean this should be exhibit A for unnecessary cairns. What live-saving navigational guidance are these providing? Destroy all these.
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Aug 18, 2021 05:29
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SuicidalSmurf posted:I was supposed to climb Rainier next week but got word that they've finally called the season because of all the melt this year (RMI somehow managed a couple summits as recently as two weeks ago. I held out hope but knew it was getting pretty sketchy). At any rate they gave me the option to proceed with a week of training above Muir sans summit attempt or receive a full refund. I decided to opt for the latter and will hope for the best for a chance next year. I would be concerned about water sources this late on the Loowit but maybe trip reports will attest that they are still there. Personally I didn't like the Loowit, too much sand and blasted moonscape and not enough classic PNW forests and mountains. Devil's Dome is a good 40 mile loop to consider in the North Cascades https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/devils-dome
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Sep 7, 2021 16:35
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Bloody posted:Mostly just trying to hold on to the last vestiges of fall and squeeze in another backpacking trip before the season is over (for me). Elevation and distance can be whatever, I just want to get out again. I'm guessing the Olympics might have some good options? Olympics will have a bunch of snow free valleys but they will probably be rainy as gently caress in November.
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Oct 10, 2021 23:35
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mod sassinator posted:Go across the passes east of the cascades and it's usually much calmer weather, but just keep an eye on pass conditions in case some big snows come in at higher elevations. And be aware too that typical winter season road closures like highway 20, etc. are going to happen around then. This was the PCT going from Snoqualmie Pass to Kendall Katwalk yesterday. Some people don't mind backpacking in this, some people do.  And at the pass itself: 
gohuskies fucked around with this message at 20:09 on Oct 11, 2021 |
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Oct 11, 2021 20:07
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Dick Ripple posted:Notice many mountain dwellers in this thread, and hoping you all could give me some recommendations on snow shoes. Currently living in the Alps and some of the winter hikes I plan on doing are not suitable with skis, but have never used snow shoes. Anyone have specific brand/model recommendations? I would assume light as possible and not so wide, but we can get durations of weather that puts a lot of fresh powder on the ground.... The MSR Revo and Lightning Ascents are top of the line. They are expensive but if you are in steep and/or mountainous terrain, there is nothing even close to as good. If you are walking on relatively flatter trails and paths, you can find cheaper options.
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Dec 9, 2021 18:13
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Omne posted:Kilimanjaro is a bucket-list thing for us. We've run marathons and stuff, but haven't really hiked or camped before, and we feel we should do some of that first. Were there people who successfully summited who didn't have much experience? I know a bunch of folks who have done Kilimanjaro. If you go with a guide, all you need is fitness. Hiking uphill fitness is different than marathon running fitness, but it's not you need to be a mountain expert, you can get ready for it on a stairmaster if there aren't hills near you.
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Jan 10, 2022 04:11
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Arkhamina posted:Planning a trip in the 2nd week of May to Mt Rainier. I normally use Alltrails or a park's website to choose hikes. I am a bit overwhelmed with the sheer amount of options for trails there. Rainier will still be super loving snowy in 2nd week of May. Most trailheads and roads to anywhere but Paradise will still be closed.
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Jan 18, 2022 03:30
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Arkhamina posted:Northside cabin. Welp... Maybe should have asked advice before getting tickets and a rental. The good news is the rental has a hot tub and is only for 3 days. Guess we will be spending more time indoors... Being a Midwesterner, I didn't think about elevation. One north side option would be something around Crystal Mountain. Crystal is a ski area, so the road is open year-round, but they won't be running the lifts anymore in May. You'd be hiking in the snow but at least you could get to the trailhead for Norse Peak or to Silver King or Silver Queen at the top of the ski area.
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Jan 18, 2022 20:03
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Blackhawk posted:Hey all next week I'm going to be doing a 4 day hike covering ~66 km. First two days should be fairly easy, 5 and 5.5 hours walking each, last two will be a lot harder at about 10 and 8 hours walking each. Can't really even the km's out as there are only a fixed number of huts along the trail we can stay in. Tortillas hold up better than regular bread. Peanut butter or peanut butter and jelly works for a spread. If you want to spend a little more money for more interesting flavors, try Trail Butter https://www.trailbutter.com/collections Super, super dense calorically. gohuskies fucked around with this message at 05:45 on Feb 22, 2022 |
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Feb 22, 2022 05:40
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its all nice on rice posted:Anyone around the PNW done mailbox peak around this time of year? The weather is supposed to clear up this weekend, and I was thinking of tackling it. Good chance you'll want spikes or some kind of traction but I bet there will be a ton of people going up there with the good forecast. The parking lot fills up early so don't sleep in.
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Mar 4, 2022 20:20
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LiterallyATomato posted:Edit: I also live near Seattle. What's your favorite nearby location for hiking? What time of year? The snow is such a huge and changing factor up high throughout spring. The hikes somebody would recommend for April are way different than the hikes somebody would recommend for July.
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Mar 31, 2022 17:50
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This post is going to sound silly and self-evident, but there really is a big difference in commitment between hiking a mountain and a canyon. A mountain you go up first then down, so if any time on the way up you're like "this is too hard", you can just turn around there and go back down. A canyon is down first then up, so if you get tired on the hike up, you don't have the choice to go back down - you have to keep going up to get out of the canyon. Never hike down into a canyon you aren't 1000% sure you can hike back out of.
gohuskies fucked around with this message at 20:47 on May 31, 2022 |
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May 31, 2022 20:44
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cerious posted:About to go on the Wonderland trail for a week and I'm still flip flopping on the whole ice axe thing. Apparently people are doing the scary part (panhandle gap) without even microspikes, which I'll have, but on the other hand I figure an ice axe could be handy on other snow parts other than that one section? If you have poles I bet you'll be fine. There's a lot of snow but it's been so hot lately that it'll be pretty soft except in the mornings after any particularly cold nights.
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Jul 15, 2022 19:34
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waffle enthusiast posted:People wanting me to leash my dog in the backcountry is absolutely the dumbest part of Colorado’s population explosion. Wasn’t a thing 20 years ago. Not gonna make it a thing now. This is absolutely a hill I will die on. It's so sad when I hear about unleashed dogs dying. "They ran off after a squirrel and I couldn't find them! Let's hike around calling their name and put up posters at all the trailheads!" but the poor dog couldn't survive a cold night alone. What an incredible betrayal of that dog by its owner. It happens many times a year in my area and almost every time is an avoidable tragedy if the dog was on leash. I've been bitten by an off-leash dog too - the owner insisted that they'd never done that before. Wow, amazing that I got to be there for that historic occurrence. Almost every land manager I know of requires dogs to be on leash or under strict voice control - almost every off-leash dog owner I see is breaking the law. I'm sure your dog is different though, right? Everyone says theirs is. gohuskies fucked around with this message at 06:25 on Jul 21, 2022 |
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Jul 21, 2022 06:17
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its all nice on rice posted:I'm looking for some recommendations on places to disperse camp in the Washington Cascades or Olympic Peninsula for 2-3 nights during spring or summer. No fires allowed at Marmot Lake (it's above 4000 feet and west of the crest), and really there shouldn't be any fires happening anywhere in the backcountry of the Western US in summer anymore. With how wildfires are these days, there should be a blanket fire ban everywhere but campgrounds.
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Jan 13, 2023 03:51
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xzzy posted:What spooks me is when bushwacking in a national forest and coming across a shelter.. usually deadfall stacked in a tipi shape around a tree trunk. But I've seen some lean-tos too. There's weird stuff in the national forests https://www.seattleweekly.com/news/snoqualmie-national-forest-tree-house-contained-child-porn/
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Apr 7, 2023 03:34
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xzzy posted:Well that's lovely, I booked a site at the campground at the end of that road earlier today. The Middle Fork Snoqualmie is 10000000 times more normal since they paved the road. There used to be way more meth labs, illegal gun ranges, etc, up there. I think it's quite safe now - that's just one crazy story,
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Apr 7, 2023 06:22
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liz posted:Hello again hiking thread! Specifically Washington goons… I doubt the highway closure is going to be extended further east unless there are new fires, but that is a possibility. Which side of the fire (west or east) will have better air really depends on the wind and any new fires, so I'd encourage you to try to stay flexible as long as you can. I just looked at the Purple Air map for instance and at this moment the air quality is worse at the Mt Baker ski area than in Mazama.
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Aug 14, 2023 18:39
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liz posted:Random question about altitude… I’m going on a backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon soon and considering it’s at 7K feet and I’m at sea level… Would it be better to stay a medium level (say 4-5k feet) then stay at 7K south rim? Or just stay at 7k for the two nights? I just want to make sure I don’t have any altitude issues down there. You will likely be a little bit slower than usual at 7k feet but it's not high enough to be dramatic. I wouldn't worry about it, and 4-5k feet isn't high enough to make any kind of acclimation happen anyways.
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Oct 13, 2023 18:35
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