I live off grid in the smokies in a yurt. I camp everyday of my life. Haven't been to the pnw in quite a few years but it's hard to leave when you already live in heaven
Trolling a husker page after they got embarrassed on Saturday. Heard about the Scott frost wife thread. Came and checked it out... And before anyone asks how can I be on the internet and off grid. I have a cell phone to contact my kids. I charge it on my vechile
I lived in Wisconsin and owned a bar before moving to Tennessee.. my spelling and grammar went to shit when I got free beer
Taking to myself here but gonna try this one. Light weight and looks better built than the BD and Petzl. https://www.fenixlighting.com/product/fenix-hm50r-v2-rechargeable-headlamp/
Settled on 4 days/3 nights, fires really fucking everything up. Hike up to base camp of Mt Adams tomorrow, sleep at 8,000 ft -- forecast is down to about 15 degrees, supposed to get pretty windy. Summit Adams on Sunday, back to car, sleep. Wake up Monday and head to the Goat Rocks about 30 minutes away, do another overnight to an awesome alpine lake. Ready to be offgrid for an extended period. Bringing more food this time Spoiler
Did not summit Mt. Adams due to some pretty high winds and poor planning, but we'll be back. Still had an amazing time at over 10,000 ft with incredible views of Mt. Hood. There were 30-40 mph winds at about 8,000 ft the first night, so nobody slept and we woke up late. Started too late and ran out of daylight. And there were 50 mph+ gusts at the summit, so probably a good decision we turned around. First day climbed about 2,000 ft in 4 miles to our campsite: Spoiler View from camp the first night: Spoiler Day two we climbed to just over 10,000 ft before stopping. It was pretty gnarly, fun as shit Spoiler We got to right about the middle of that top big snow field before having to turn around. It was about 4:00, and we had at least another 2.5 hours of climbing. Next time we'll camp a lot higher on the first night. Rookie mistake(s). Spoiler
Came back to camp, crashed. Half the group had to go back for work, but me and a buddy drove about 50 miles north for one more night to the "Goat Rocks Wilderness." Maybe the most beautiful part of WA I've camped at. Hiked up to Hawkeye Point, at about 7,500 ft, with 360 degree views of Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, and Rainier. It was incredible Spoiler Avalanche chute: Rahn Daddy: Spoiler Not sure if this pano will work. Left to right -- Mt Adams, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier. Three active volcanoes from the peak: Spoiler So half of WA is on fire, and we were right on the edge of where they allowed backpackers in this part of the state. When we got to the peak we could see the wildfire and all the plumes. Once the sun went down you could see the fire itself. It was fucking insane. Spoiler Rainier right next to the fire:
Experienced the most epic sunset of my life, we scored a crazy beautiful campsite on the top of Hawkeye point with nobody for miles, and because it was a new moon the stars were incredible. Fell asleep under the milky way. What a damn night. Spoiler Campsite Spoiler Overall, in 4 days we did about 30-35 miles but almost 10,000 of vert. Tired.
Tackling the tallest peak in Colorado Saturday. And camping at an alpine lake the week after. The that will likely be it for hiking season, save a few nearby trail runs
Is that a Big Agnes tent I see there? We've used one for the last few years, really like it. Been really durable for how flimsy it feels.
Yup, the copper spur UL. Got it for ultralight, which I love. Only complaint is how thin the floor is, I ripped it like my 2nd trip and then had to buy their tarp/"footprint." Was frustrated that after spending $300+ for one of the top tents on the market, you have to turn around and buy a $75 tarp so the floor won't rip. But overall I'm pleased, it's a good tent.
I have a Big Agnes tent (Scout 2 Platinum). A gnarly wind storm ripped one of my guylines off, so I have to send it in for repairs. Been good to me tho
it was a pretty gnarly 4x4 road. I rode in my friends Jeep. But ya, you see a lot of the same type of cars up on those 4x4 trailheads
Thought the season was over, but weather looks good this weekend, gonna try and get a solo overnighter in on Sat night. Still a few weekends left.
Definitely a lot of trail running still to do. My goal for next year is to be more organized early on. Gonna try to plan things out and get permits / camping spots months in advance instead of doing spur of the moment stuff. See if it works out
For National Parks you absolutely have to. I think social media has made so many trails more visible and accessible, so it's pretty much impossible to get a primo spot in a NP unless you book right when reservations open. Pretty annoying imo
It is unbelievably annoying. Just trying to get a shuttle pass for Zion took a lot of dedication. But if that is the game, I guess we have to play it. Gonna start mapping stuff out in January as I imagine the earliest windows will open in February. Also, I am finally backpacking the Four Pass Loop next year. Really wanted to hit it this year and it just didn't work out.
Thinking about taking the month of November off for my 40th birthday. Road tripping out west to do some rock climbing in Oregon, CA, Nevada, and Utah. Wife just gave me the go ahead, now I need to get my climbing partner on board and last my boss.
As much as I love the PNW, I haven't gotten into many winter sports yet. Am still from Alabama, after all. That, and the fucking pricetag that would come with a whole new set-up of snow gear.
starting next year we're going to do a National Park trip every October. I figure that's the sweet spot since summer is pretty much over, temps should be nice, kids are back in school, and as opposed to spring time no parts of parks closed due to snow. Plus possibly fall color in some places. We've kept Yellowstone/Grand Teton low on our priority list due to crowds, so that's priority 1 next September.
already got my epic pass for snowboarding season. But that is a different thread and whole different animal, unless you are back country skiing or snowshoeing.
She's pretty rad and I don't have any major projects going on right now to tie me down through the end of the year. It's sort of perfect timing.
I was saying that prime backpacking season here in Virginia is just starting. I've got overnighters planned every open weekend I had in October/November.
I'm snowboarding Steamboat in Feb.. Any pro tips for that mountain? Haven't been there since I was a teenager.
Never been. Hope to make it up there in the next year or so. Always find it wild that you can fly from Denver International to Steamboat via SW
Wife and I do that very thing. Both of our Bdays are in October so we typically take a week in between them. Flying into Seattle for a week in a couple of weeks. Planning 3 day trips to the NPs while out there. Will be #s 14,15, & 16 for us together.
United, too. I’m flying into Hayden (connecting at DIA) on Thursday and I am looking forward to the flight because I agree it’s pretty wild they offer it when it’s a ~3 hour drive. Flight time is 56 minutes, and I’m hoping they use it all while flying around the mountains.
I’ve only skied it once and memory says easier stuff is to the far right of the ski area and more advanced at the very top. Not very helpful, I know. Tag me on Monday I can find out some pro tips - staying for the week with a buddy who has a house there.
So I'm not sure of the specifics, and will probably portray this incorrectly, but: There are a certain type of pine tree called Larches in the northern/central cascades that turn an incredible golden color for 3-4 weeks as Fall hits.They really only grow over 5,000 ft Did a little Larch March today. Drove up to Leavenworth last night, slept at the trailhead, woke up and knocked out 15 miles / 3,500 ft of vert. Fucking awesome. Spoiler
The 24 hours after a big hike, when you can eat and drink whatever you want without repercussions. \ I enjoy that just as much as the mountains.
Went up to Big Sur this past weekend for the first time. Set up our campsite of Plasket Ridge Rd. Kind of a treacherous drive up, but worth it once we got to the top. It’s a hidden road up above the Plasket Creek campground. First time camping since Joshua tree last year. Didn’t get to try out my ENO hammock. Bummed as I haven’t used it yet.
This may have been our exact campsite. Again, it's first come first serve since it's not a truly designated campground by any park service. The clouds just sat there all day and we couldn't see the ocean from up top. There are campsites that sit below the marine layer and give you views of the ocean at all times. I'm guessing this is what it looks like when there isn't a marine layer. And here's Sand Dollar Beach, which is directly across the highway once you get to the bottom of the road.
Wife and I Gonna be in Sedona for 4 nights (following a few days at the Grand Canyon). Any insider info on best hikes in the area? Any tips or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.