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Tagra posted:Hiking thread! We might be going to the Seattle area next year and are wondering what the best options are for a backpacking trip (~3 or 4 days in length maybe. We might decide to do a bunch of littler ones to see more landscape, since we don't head down there often). We like mountains, but we are spoiled by the northern Rockies. We are also Canadian so any tips about your parks/camping systems and permits might be helpful. If you're up for high-mileage days, the PCT from highway 2 to I-90 can be done in 4 days. Otherwise, there are a lot of great hikes around the peninsula (Skyline, Enchanted Valley, Shi Shi, or Point of the Arches come to mind). Here was my trip this weekend through the Lost Creek Wilderness in Colorado:   
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Jul 28, 2013 05:15
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Levitate posted:I did find that I need to figure out a pillow that works better for me cuz I spend too much time trying to get my head comfortable Cut a water wing so it lays flat instead of as a circle, and put it in a stuff sack or spare clothing.
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Sep 7, 2013 05:44
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Lava Lamp Goddess posted:So my feet sweat. A lot. Do you take your shoes off when you stop for a break? Doing that, using mesh running shoes, and using thin merino wool socks will help keep your feet dry throughout the day.
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Sep 8, 2013 15:48
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beefnoodle posted:Hah, yeah I'm only worried about weight for backpacking trips, so I do want to get on the trail in the morning as soon as possible, and hike as long as I can into the evening. By the time I've stopped I'm HUNGRY
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Sep 12, 2013 00:42
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I have the Prana Zions, and they're awesome pants for climbing but really warm for hiking, and they tend to sag a little at the waist over time, as the hipbelt from my pack forces it down. I prefer just standard generic running pants without mesh liners for backpacking--great combination of weight, breathability, weather resistance, and they don't much water at all so they dry quickly.
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Nov 8, 2013 01:43
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TouchyMcFeely posted:I'm old enough to be a dad and am thinking about purchasing an SUV so we'll call it old man accessorizing!
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Nov 8, 2013 05:16
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Verman posted:Anybody here have experience with the enchantments in the Wenatchee NF nearLeavenworth Washington? If you can get the permit, it is an unforgettable place to see, and you should bring an extra battery for your camera. Pictures don't do it justice, it's amazing. Also, the goats are huge and awesome and don't care about anything (except pee). 
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Dec 3, 2013 06:20
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For as many complaints I've heard about Dri Ducks durability, they are light and cheap and I've never had a problem with them, but I do keep a few feet of duct tape just in case. I got a set of jacket and pants for less than $30, and have been using them for four years now without complaint.
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Jan 9, 2014 05:09
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Bottom Liner posted:So here's my updated/complete kit (minus food and water). Anything I'm missing? Also, does my pack look like it fits correctly? Total weight comes to 23lbs, but that's including the completely unnecessary Ka-bar knife, Nook, pillow, and 3lb DSLR camera/lens. I could easily get it down to about 18 lbs if I didn't take those. I can also take the hammock instead of the tent and save about 6-7 more lbs if I want to go lighter in warmer weather. Here are a few suggestions and ultralight nitpicks: -I'd drop the other knives and just take the smallest folding knife but I guess you plan on skinning a bear or something -I didn't see any duct tape, but about 3 feet of tape and a few safety pins along with those zip ties will fix a lot of gear problems -What's the little clip light? I'd just use your headlight to read if it's for the Nook. -You can save some weight if you swap out the Nalgene for a standard 1L Gatorade/soda bottle, and put the Doc Bronner's in a smaller container. -Not everything needs to be in its own little stuff sack, and this adds an extra thing to keep track of when you pull it out. -Just take the one plastic spoon/fork -Put your electronics in a gallon size Ziploc bag to keep them safe. -Use a big contractor's bag for a pack liner, there are like a million uses for these and they'll also keep your stuff dry. -Put your toiletries and first aid kit in small Ziploc bag instead of the stuff sack, this will be very nice if your soap leaks. It can happen.
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Jan 22, 2014 03:24
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I take 10mg of ambien at night and it works well enough. If you've never hiked on ambien, then well, you probably remember where you've hiked. I definitely sleep better on night 2 though since I'm thinking less of how much more comfortable my real bed is.
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Feb 27, 2014 01:39
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Saint Fu posted:I'm planning on trying out an Exped inflatable pillow. I feel like down pillows compress the instant I put my head on it and don't really add much support. You could stuff something in there with it but then it ends up being the thickness of whatever you stuffed in there. For a pillow I use a waterwing and cut it in half so it's got 2 sections when laid flat. Hobopacking.
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Mar 1, 2014 01:04
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Joe Videogames posted:Does anybody use nordic/trekking poles? Yes, they are a magic knee saving piece of equipment. After making fun of the people who use them for years, I tried them and now bring them basically every time I go hiking. I prefer fixed length ones, even though they're a little more work when not in use, I have had some cheaper aluminum poles stop locking correctly halfway down a mountain (Asgaard Pass actually, which is like the shittiest place ever to have them not work). quote:Well shucks. Are the zones clearly marked?
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Mar 15, 2014 01:28
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Wow, I got zero dividend from REI this year, which is the first year in the past 15 or so years I've been a member that has happened 
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Mar 25, 2014 00:53
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Elwood P. Dowd posted:Quick question for goons: alnilam posted:Alright y'all, you've convinced me to go the "non-waterproof, quick drying trail runners for backpacking" route, or at least try it.
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Mar 28, 2014 00:54
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mastershakeman posted:Hell, I should have thought of that. This guy seems to make cool affordable ones, also ones for shoulder straps http://www.zimmerbuilt.com/hip-belt-pockets.html I have two of these that I bought but never use: http://gossamergear.com/hip-belt-pockets.html. If you want them, they're yours, just PM me your address and I'll send them your way. For Bud Manstrong: Yes, I just enabled someone to keep a 130L pack. Goodbye ultralight street cred.
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Mar 28, 2014 01:34
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Marman1209 posted:Anyone here have any experience doing the full length of the Hoh River Trail in Olympic NP? I'm heading out there in late May, and I'm wondering what to expect snow-wise once we get near the end. NPS says bring an ice axe, but I can't find anyone else talking about using one. I've done it late May, and it's pretty weather dependent since you may still get some good snow coming in. There's probably going to still be snow at the higher elevations like along the High Divide and parts of Bogachiel that would be nice to have crampons for, I don't know if an ice axe would be necessary since the trails are pretty well graded and well maintained, I'd call one of the ranger stations a little closer to your trip date and get some more info. At the very worst, bring it and if they recommend taking it, go for it. Otherwise, just leave it in the car. It's really scenic, and if there's a little bad weather it's actually good because the crowds go WAY down along the Hoh Trail. On a nice day, the first few miles of that can be a circus. Oh, seems unlikely but if there's a serious windstorm in the weather, just call it off. When I was there in May several years ago, there had just been a big storm there and I saw a bunch of huge HUGE trees knocked over, taking out several hundred feet of forest with them on the way down. I can't imagine how terrifying being out there in that storm would have been. Discomancer fucked around with this message at 15:24 on Mar 29, 2014 |
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Mar 29, 2014 15:22
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pissboy posted:I might have been better off if I didn't bury my question in a wall of text. I wouldn't be too concerned since that's a freestanding tent already, just put some weight in the tent (your pack, a rock, etc.) so it doesn't blow away. That said, I carry two MSR Groundhog stakes for my tarp's ridgeline tie-outs, and have yet to find anything they won't stay in. They're a little heavy, but work awesome. Maybe put a rock or fallen branch on top of the stake to keep it from popping out if you're still worried about sandy soil not keeping it in.
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Apr 8, 2014 14:30
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EPICAC posted:I'm looking for some recommendations for hikes in Colorado. I'll be attending a conference at the Snowmass Base Village Conference center form June 22-27. During the week, I'll have the afternoons free from 12:30-4:00, and won't have transportation. I was hoping for a few recommendations for hikes that could be reached on foot from the base village, and completed in about 3-4 hours, preferably something that will get me some elevation gain for acclimatizing. Or Pike's Peak if you want the  easy 14er.
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Apr 11, 2014 01:05
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For breakfast, I'm pretty sold on just getting up and get going in the morning (I am totally NOT a morning person). Last trip I took some of those Little Debbie donut sticks and some bacon jerky. When you get up and have breakfast on the trail, that was way better than the usual Pop Tarts, and really helps make breakfast better when I'm going stoveless.Bottom Liner posted:So here is my updated gear list, a sub 15lbs mostly budget friendly setup. I could get the weight down a good 5 lbs more if I upgrade my shelter/sleeping bag combo, but I'm pretty happy and comfortable with this. Anyone see anything I could change?  . You may be able to do away with the tent footprint, I've never found those useful, even when I was in Washington and it was wet as hell.Some nitpicks: -I'd get rid of the altoids tin and dry sack for your hygiene gear and just use a Ziploc freezer bag (quality name brand, etc. etc.) -My backup fire source is a few waterproof matches and a piece of cotton ball + vaseline + foil. If the magnesium starter is basically a flint & tinder, you might find that an easier way of starting an emergency fire -On the 3-piece cookset, if that has a pan or something that you don't actually plan to use, leave that piece at home -A knife and multitool seems redundant, and something like the little tiny Swiss Army knife works fine, unless you need an extra tent stake or something, in which case take a Ka-bar or ghurka knife or whatever the cool kids are using these days -7 oz of bug spray is a lot, if this is a liquid, you can decant this into something like a .3 to 1 oz bottle -I don't know how much time you plan to spend chilling at camp, but the Nook could probably be left at home for the Kindle. I say this having taken my Kindle many times so I'm kind of a hypocrite here -What are the battery pack and phone cable for? If you don't use these often, I'd just leave them in the car -Instead of a hydration bladder, consider a pair of Gatorade bottles, and save like 12 ounces. This also gives you water sources in case one springs a leak Now to add weight: -I don't see a first aid kit here--some gauze, tiny bottle of hydrogen peroxide, and athletic tape or duct tape, ibuprofen, emergency spare water treatment tablets and immodium will get you through quite a bit -Carry about 3 feet of duct tape and a couple safety pins, which will repair about 90% of whatever breaks. The remaining 10% is what's actually going to break -I highly recommend bringing a knit hat or balaclava, gloves, and some thick socks for warmth (usually these are for sleeping in, but also emergency clothes if you run into abnormal weather) -What is your sleeping pad? This is a really important part of your sleep system -Take a giant trash compactor bag or heavy duty contractor bag, and put that in your pack before packing everything, then roll up the top to keep it dry in any conditions
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May 3, 2014 04:42
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poisonpill posted:Has anyone done a few days through the Grand Canyon? I'm gearing up for early fall but I'd like to buy my new tent/sleeping bags while the REI sale is on. I want to cut weight but not have to fear rain, sudden cold, and all the other horrors of nature out there. Recommendations between the Double Rainbow mentioned above, the REI lightweight Tent, or the MSR Hubba Hubba (or even Mother Hubba? How bad do those extra pounds get going down and up again?)? Is a freestanding tent useful to you? If you plan to camp in a lot of loose sand, like in the desert, you'll probably want one, which the Hubba Hubba is, and double rainbow is not. If that's not a concern, I'd go for the double rainbow (single wall = lighter/smaller).
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May 20, 2014 15:30
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Ropes4u posted:Is there such an animal as a good 3 season down bag that is light and not $400. Look at the Montbell down hugger 650 #3, I have one of the older versions and have zero complaints about it after 6 years (slightly heavy by ultralight standards, but still good enough to justify the cost).
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Jun 10, 2014 19:22
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n8r posted:I had a hilarious conversation w/ a Rainier ranger regarding people from Colorado and their need to do stupid poo poo that results in risking their lives on Rainier. Long running joke I guess.  I somehow sheared off a tip of my trekking poles--like a clean shear, not a stress fracture or anything so I'm looking for a new pair. Does anyone have some first-hand experience with those $30 flicklock poles from Costco? I'm debating either going full-hobo and trying those, or springing for the Locus CP3's. These are to replace some 120cm fixed length carbon fiber poles (RIP you beautiful bastards).
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Jul 30, 2014 01:33
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Mederlock posted:Do you guys find that poles make a big difference when doing 4 day(3 night) backpacking trips in steeper mountainous terrain? I have a walking stick I carved myself as a fallback but if hiking poles are worth their weight and expense, I'll definitely take a look around for a pair.
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Jul 30, 2014 03:19
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Tigren posted:Can you not just replace the tip with something like this? I wish, I looked into that, but part of the whole bottom part broke off completely, so you can't attach anything, short of gluing them back together. Not really sure what happened there, maybe I closed the car door on them or something.
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Jul 30, 2014 16:39
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hobbez posted:Can anyone recommend a solid rain shell for less then 100$? It will be used primarily for backpacking and hiking, and so needs to be both lightweight and compact. http://www.amazon.com/Frogg-Toggs-UL12104-09LG-Ultra-Green/dp/B007X5XD4U/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1407033862&sr=8-3&keywords=frogg+toggs
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Aug 3, 2014 03:45
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sadus posted:A while back I was reading about a really neat looking park/forest of some sort in Colorado, but for the life of me I can't find it again, does this ring anyone's bell? It was something like the first ever federal parks or monument in the early 1900s, back when cars were first invented. But the road became so expensive to maintain they eventually gave it back to the state. There were some beautiful pics of a forested area with some rock outcroppings that required a bit of a hike to get to.
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Aug 6, 2014 04:12
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sadus posted:If I'm remembering right, it sounded more like a dirt road or even a 4x4 road to get to the trailhead these days, with nothing really visible until you hiked a bit. The picture on the home page was a pretty wooded area, with a little mountain visible, the side of the mountain eroded with some nice layers visible, but still very woodsy. No ancient ruins and it wasn't as wide open and well paved as the Co. National Monument. I may be on crack though, this is a memory from a few months back when I was binge researching campsites for many a late night. You have just described every single Colorado hiking trail
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Aug 6, 2014 17:33
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cheese posted:Couple of questions. First, what kind of shape do you need to be in for the John Muir trail? I'm in decent shape but only really do day hikes with the occasional overnight (with borrowed gear), and a friend who plans on being almost a farther next summer (they want to have a kid next fall) wants to do the trail as a final "there goes my free time" trip. I have a full year to prepare and imagine I should be ready if I stick to it. I'm a cheap motherfucker but I think dropping $250-300 on a quality bag or quilt is totally reasonable, it's a piece of gear you will constantly use and will easily last over a decade if treated right. Skimp on the stove and use an alcohol stove, bring a driducks jacket instead of something expensive, bring cheap food with you, but buy an awesome sleeping bag/quilt. Going ultralight doesn't always mean expensive. Sure, if you're getting the lightest possible cottage manufacturer cuben fiber tarp, that's expensive. But using a cheap Home Depot tarp instead of bringing the 4 pound tent is ultralight and cheap. Use 1 liter Gatorade bottles instead of a platypus or nalgene, use tablets instead of a water filter, don't bring a change of clothes (other than socks). There are a lot of ways to save weight and money, I would recommend setting up a spreadsheet with EVERYTHING you have, each piece of gear, every stuff sack, even list out the contents of your first aid kit. Weigh each item if you can, and that quickly helps you determine where the best bang for your buck will be, and helps you figure out if you're carrying anything that you don't really use, our don't use often enough to justify carrying.
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Aug 22, 2014 06:31
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Okay, we discussed the Costco trekking poles a few pages back (Cascade Mountain Tech), and I went ahead and got a pair because hey--thirty bucks, why not? Finally got a chance to use them this weekend, so I figured they could use a follow up review. For the record, I'm coming from using fixed-length carbon fiber poles.
I went to Devil's Causeway in Routt National Forest, CO, which is about a 2 to 3 foot wide strip of rock where two mesas meet at about 12,000 feet. It was cold.   
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Sep 2, 2014 03:32
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Levitate posted:This isn't a criticism of you at all but I find it hilarious that people are so precise with their poles that this is an issue, considering how I use my one pole. I dunno, one pole just feels right to me and I use it in various ways and for some reason it feels more versatile to me, go figure. I get serious about trekking poles because I through a period several years without being able to hike more than a few miles due to the knee pain, so I just didn't go hiking at all. Learning how to use two poles to assist this made that pain manageable, and I know I'm not only person who's in that situation.
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Sep 2, 2014 19:04
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Boris Galerkin posted:Alright, I think I'm all set up to go backpacking this weekend. This is going to be my first solo overnight trip so it's both exciting and a tiny bit scary at the same time. Could you guys tell me if I missed anything? 20c is not a lot, is it warm where you are? I'm in Colorado, and want a 20F quilt! What's the rope for? Unless it's bear-hanging or you have a specific use like canyoneering, I'd leave it. That's a lot of water capacity outside of the desert, some Gatorade bottles work well. I'm personally not a huge fan of bladders because they are hard to fill from stagnant water sources, but whatever works. Really, you're good without a change of underwear. A second pair of socks to swap out, and another (warm) pair to sleep in, and you'll be fine. Leave the flashlight, you've got a headlamp already I realize I will probably get poo poo for this, but if you don't know how to use a compass and are sticking to established trails, then just take the map because the compass won't be of use to you anyway. Add up the calories in your food and make sure you are taking enough. Granola bars can vary in caloric content (I've seen some as low as 90kcal, but most are around 200 for a 2oz bar, which is okay). Put your freeze dried food in feezer ziplock bags, then pour the boiling water in that. When you're done, just zip it and put it in your trash bag. This eliminates mess and having to clean your pot out after a meal. It's hard to say for any specific area because I don't know what the conditions are, but the usual things you'd be missing are: -hat/balaclava -gloves -rain gear -water purification (tablets) -sun protection (hat/sunscreen/long sleeves, etc.) -small first aid kit and some immodium, because nothing ruins a trip like leaving that at home
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Sep 19, 2014 05:08
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More ColoradoTalk™, this time from the Four-Pass Loop in the Maroon Bells Wilderness, which despite being really crowded right at the trailhead, is one of the least populated backpacking areas I've been to in CO once you get a few miles out. Since it's late September, the aspens are turning yellow in full swing, and the weather is getting iffy. The first night out, it was so warm and clear that I slept under the stars and watched the Milky Way for hours. The second night, I got 2 inches of rain, hail, and lightning with little warning. So in the dark, I moved my tarp to cover a largish flat rock to avoid pooling water because it was coming down so heavy. I wanted to camp at the top of a 12,000 foot pass so it's entirely my fault, but it was totally worth it for the experience of hearing/seeing thunder and lightning striking the valley below me, so w/e. The next day I met up with a few people who had camped lower, and apparently they got it even worse because all that water just ran down the hills and flooded a lot of the established campsites where form little bowls where people keep pitching their tents. Lots of unhappy wet hikers that morning  Protip: sleeping on a rock sucks, but at least it's dry when you get the water to run around it.I really enjoy these 3 day trips, it gives you plenty of time to get way out there, without being so long that you need to plan a substantial portion of your life around it, and you don't have to spend all of day 4 thinking about a burger and a beer. With just the tarp and bivy, you don't take up a lot of room so you can make camp pretty much anywhere, which means you can hike almost until sunset before you have to think about finding a site, instead of stopping at 4 or 5 like a lot of people seem to do. As popular as the Maroon Bells Wilderness is, it is not underrated at all, and is totally worth it. The entire trip from beginning to end was one of the most scenic places I've ever been. My main regret is that I don't have a real camera to take with me at the moment. As ultralight as I'd like to think I am, I will take a full camera kit with a couple lenses with me next time.      
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Sep 22, 2014 03:49
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Those are straight out of my phone to you. I don't do much with these cell-phone pictures, but when I had a real camera and came up with one of those special images, it would for sure get corrected in Lightroom. I wouldn't spend the effort to say, jack up the hue on an individual tree or flower or anything, it's usually just full-image adjustments to exposure, contrast, white balance, and stuff like that, which sometimes don't come out quite right since you're shooting in such a huge range of conditions with little control over your environment. But mostly, I just try to get the final image to replicate reality instead of say, making the sunset ~*tOtAlLy EpIc*~
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Sep 22, 2014 04:29
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Holy poo poo those fjords are amazing. Was there a lot of people at Trolltunga? I would love to take a trip out there and hike around that area someday.Verman posted:Your photos are incredible and I need to get out to that area sometime as it looks like an awesome spot. Oh, I forgot to mention, I found a new backpacking superfood: sriracha peas! These have, per ounce, 120 calories and 4 grams of protein, which isn't too shabby. They taste great and are pretty easy eating, as opposed to something like pitas or triscuits which get old very quickly. They were definitely the highlight of my snack list. Discomancer fucked around with this message at 04:15 on Sep 23, 2014 |
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Sep 23, 2014 04:04
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You get some of it back at the end of the year, so it's really an investment. That JMT night shot looks amazing.
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Sep 26, 2014 03:59
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Rangers frequently check for permits up there, also it really is a fragile ecosystem, they are instituted for a reason. Where's your permit at? In the core zone, the campsites are petty obvious places along the trail, and there's a secret spot behind Heart Lake. I was up there this time last year and it was windy and into the 20's at night. But there were baby goats!
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Sep 30, 2014 01:56
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mastershakeman posted:Our permit is stuart lake zone. I only applied for the core zone on different weekends and struck out for the third year running. However two of my friends applied to random zones because they were more focused on going to octoberfest in Leavenworth on the same trip, and both won permits for stuart.
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Sep 30, 2014 16:04
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If you're hiking as a group, it's totally okay to arrange a meeting point and split up, especially if you get going at different times, like if the other people in the group want to sit in camp and have a leisurely coffee and oatmeal, and you just want a granola bar and to get going. Just make sure that you're not stretching mileage goals, keeping in mind the slowest person's ability. Stick to the trail, make sure there is a map in both groups, etc. It is really annoying waiting for people to get going on the morning when you could have been enjoying the sunrise from the next peak and they still want to spend an hour cooking, eating, cleaning, and packing before you finally hit the trail, which is why solo backpacking is the best backpacking.
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Oct 10, 2014 21:46
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Levitate posted:So there's a chance that I might move to Denver next summer...not 100% sure (might be San Francisco instead, or maybe I won't move at all), but since it's grey and wet and cold and dreary now I kind of want to start fantasizing about backpacking trips next year. Anyone have good resources for planning trips etc around Denver? I think I'd really be looking for 2-4 day trips though longer ones would be a consideration as well. I'm more of a hike and camp around lakes and stuff kind of person rather than into bagging peaks. ORIC online has about the best trail suggestion listing and trail info, but there doesn't seem to be a comprehensive local hiking/backpacking forum or anything that I've found (man do I miss nwhikers.net).
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Dec 6, 2014 17:52
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Backpacking/hiking is a great time to listen to music and audiobooks especially if you have one of those old mp3 players that are tiny, weigh very little, built like a tank, and have battery lives measured in days. I definitely have albums that go with me on most trips--sure, being in a quiet forest is one thing, but if you're alone for several days, you will be in that forest for quite a long time, and throwing in some audio for part of it isn't going to detract from the experience.
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Dec 31, 2014 06:16
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