Looking like a total of 12-13 nights camping in Patagonia, over three separate treks. Hopefully a few scrambles, weather permitting. So freaking stoked.
Other recent highlights Saguaro NP is so sick Spoiler Bear Mtn in great weather Spoiler Bear Mtn in bad weather Spoiler
Bought an iPhone 15 Pro mainly for this trip. I kind of needed a new one, mainly for battery life, but could've squeezed some more life out of my old one. Hoping the picture quality proves worth it.
That was probably the hardest hike I've ever done, and definitely the most rewarding. 65 miles over 4 days. Have always wanted to hike in Antarctica and got pretty damn close - hiked along the Southern Patagonia Icefields, the largest non-polar icefield in the world, for two straight days. About to blow some minds Dia Uno: 16 miles, up 4,250 ft, down 3,000 ft Spoiler Left in a mild flurry. Had always read about Patagonia getting all 4 seasons in one day and holy hell was it true. Would go from snowy, to gusty winds, to perfectly sunny, over the course of an hour. Thankfully got no rain, but a good bit of snow (didn't stick). First viewpoint 1 hour later: Hiked down into this valley for the first night's camp: At the bottom of they valley - basically a snow flurry to the right, perfect weather to the left:
Dia Dos: About 15 miles, up 3,000 ft, down 2,500 ft Spoiler Woke up and walked thru the valley. One unique part of this hike is two "Tyrolean traverses: a method of crossing through free space between two high points on a rope without a hanging cart or cart equivalent. Was fucking incredible. This is my friend doing it, the next pictures are the group behind us after we continued on: Finish that and then hopped on to some glacier travel, which was absolutely amazing:
Dia Dos continued Spoiler One of the coolest pictures I've taken: Then had to hike up Paseo de Viento ("Windy Pass"), about 2500 ft over three miles: Looking back towards the glacier: The top of the pass was insane. So much snow and wind gusts of 40 - 50 mph. I've never been in wind that can actually knock you over before. A huge gust would come and our packs were basically sails, it was difficult to even stand. Then looking out over the Southern Patagonia Icefield: Hike along the icefield for about 5 more miles to second night's campsite:
Dia Tres: Up 1,500 feet to Huemul Pass, then down 2,500 ft over 2 miles to where the icefield spills into a lake Spoiler Just hiked along the icefield forever. Amazing Top of Huemul Pass, looking back at the icefield: Over the pass, looking down at the icebergs that have broken off the glacier where we camp on night three:
Dia Tres continued: Spoiler Camped right on the shoreline, heard glaciers/icebergs breaking and falling all night - so cool Good view for dinner: Dia Cuatro: 17 miles out, downhill about 2,500 ft Spoiler Second traverse towards the end: There was a nice ranchero that was also offering to take ladies' backpacks across for them. He had 5 dogs with them, was just a cool site: After you get out of the national park, 7 mile hike into El Chalten - but the towers cleared for the first time all trip: Leave tomorrow for another overnighter, camp at the base of Fitz Roy, wake up for a sunrise hike (supposed to be super clear), then do a 12 mile loop over Chalten. Friday take a 6 hour bus ride into Chile, start the O-trek for 8 days/7 nights on Monday. This place is incredible, pictures don't even do it justice.
Left yesterday around noon and hiked about 7 miles/2,000 ft to the last public campsite before Fitz Roy. Woke up this morning at 3:30 AM (12:30 AM cst) and hiked 1,500 ft over 1.2 miles for first light on the mountain at 4:40 AM. Absolutely fucking incredible: Spoiler Walked down, had breakfast back at camp, did a loop above Chalten to another alpine lake over about 12 miles. Spoiler Leave tomorrow for Torres del Paine in Chile, start 8 days/7 nights on the O-trek on Monday
Supposed to clear up and be nice by next Friday/Saturday, but this Tues - Thurs looking at consistent rain, high winds, and lows in the teens/twenties. Getting the full Patagonia experience.
Spoiler O trek lived up to the hype. Really impossible to compare El Chalten, Argentina to Torres del Paine, Chile because they're both indescribably beautiful. Same type of rock, same formations, but liked the town of El Chalten better than Puerto Natales. Smaller, less crowded, but really glad I did both. Should be on every outdoor enthusiast's bucket list. Overall was around 75 miles with over 15,000 ft of gain. Some short days, but most were about 2,000 ft and around 10 miles. One huge day of 15 miles and over 4,000 ft of gain. Weather was OK the first two days, overcast with some rain/snow mixture but nothing heavy. Huge gusts of wind throughout. Cleared up on the third day for some great views: Day 4 was definitely the hardest day, but most rewarding. Cross the "John Gardner Pass," where the O trek officially meets the W trek. 15 miles and vver 4,000 ft of gain to a big windy pass: Looking back at night three's campsite, near the lake: Crest the pass and the Grey Glacier, which is actually part of the same Southern Patagonia Icefield from Argentina:
Spoiler After coming down from the Pass, you go up-and-down for like 5-6 more miles, super hard after doing the pass in the morning. But you walk along the glacier until it spills into the lake, so pretty: Day 5 was pretty chill after the hardest day, walk down the SW side of the park and around some beautiful mountains: Day 6 you leave packs at camp and hike to a viewpoint for about 5 miles. Weather was wild, super windy with lots of snow, saw a big avalanche. Was pretty damn cool: Then, on the way down, it cleared up: Alpine lakes looking like the damn Caribbean: Enjoying some beers lakeside at like 9 or 10 at night: Day 7 was chill, get to a camp below Mirador Las Torres for the final viewpoint and most famous part of the trek. Woke up on day 8 at 3:00 AM and hiked 2.5 miles and 1,500 ft for sunrise. Watching the colors change over 2-2.5 hours was a perfect culmination. A lot of people don't even get to see the towers because of clouds:
Over an 18-day stretch, we did: Three treks with 14 days hiking and 11 nights camping (4 days/3 nights, 2 days/1 night, 8 days/7 nights) 157 miles 29,000 ft of vert (approx) I am positively exhausted, my legs are shot, and feel like I've lost 10 lbs. All my pants are loose AF. But we achieved every objective we set out for and I'm still on a high. Back to reality on Thursday.
Wife and I did a morning hike before the rains came back. Took a rod to try out a few spots along the way.
She's also expressed interest in getting into overnight backpacking trips. I haven't done backpacking since scouts with an old external frame backpack. Is there a good moderate internal frame or frameless backpack for novice, short trip backpackers that isn't too expensive?
I'd think anything in the 40L - 50L size would be good for one night. Anything more than one night I'd probably look at 55L and up. Don't have specific recs, but this is my go-to website for gear reviews: https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/
If she is a beginner, I would look on eBay for a pack. Ospreys are good backs, but pretty expensive. OR, REI and Kelty is what I would go with. I stille use a Lowe Alpine back from the early 2000's. But more importantly, you need to give her advice on how to properly pack her bacpack. I won't go through it, but there there plenty of videos on YouTube.
I'm getting the itch to go outdoors, and you're right, Osprey has some really good deals on used packs.
Anything wool. I'm a Smartwool guy. They seem to fit a bit looser than others and I like that. They make all different styles but I use Trekking, hiking, and liners, depending on what I'm doing. Nice humble brag about having a big dick btw
Smartwool for hiking socks Best advice I ever received was wear two layers on your feet. Every hike I wear a thin REI liner over the foot, and then a hiking sock over that.
for any tent experts, got a question about my backpacking tent - MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2 Tent (product website) - that has suffered serious degradation with the rainfly, and less serious but still substantial degradation with the tent. The diagnosis of "hydrolysis", or the deterioration of the polyurethane coating and/or seams on the tent rainfly, appears to be a common issue with this line of tents (see this reddit thread or google "msr hubba hubba sticky") Email response from customer service about the rainfly Spoiler Thanks for contacting us about your first gen Hubba Hubba NX 2-person tent, I have a lot of information below to address these concerns – it’s a bit long, but this covers everything we recommend in terms of maintenance. If these maintenance steps don’t sound like something you’d like to take on, we may be able to assist with purchasing a new replacement fly. For a little background, it initially sounds as though this suffered from the polyurethane coating and/or seams on the tent rainfly deteriorating due to a process called hydrolysis. This breaking down process consistently affects ultra-light-weight tent fabrics to a greater extent than heavier textiles – this is industry wide. This is common as tents age, regardless of brand, and is generally a result of the materials actually breaking down over time and/or when the tent has been improperly stored i.e., damp, wet...etc. There is no said "max life" applied to any said product, regardless of what that product may be or by what manufacturer. General industry standard longevity on current model tents can generally range from 10-15 years, but initial breakdown can onset as quickly as 5+ years from manufacture date, depending on the nature of the said tent with regard to tent design, constructed textiles and manufacturing processes. Specifically with regard to adhesives, waterproofing additives, DWR...etc., chemical applications will vary considerably due to environmental and/or governmental-imposed restrictions. It's important to note that most, if not all, older model tent manufacturers were using applied applications that would not fall within and/or under current regulations implemented from such agencies, which is why you may see some older model tents (circa 1980’s – 90’s) still in use today. If you have not yet heard of PFAS and the new regulations that will be imposed over the course of the next several years, numerous publications are out, and it's an interesting read. This is and will be something that our outdoor industry will be navigating through, working on and moving forward with, as all brands strive to adjust accordingly. To repair the fly: If the seam seal is flaking, you can flip the fly over (so you're looking at the outside/top) of the fly, lay it out on a flat surface, and apply GearAid FC Fast Cure Seam Sealant. a single coat, no need to seam seal around the zippers. If it pools, wipe it away. Hang over a line to dry/cure 2-4 hrs. (seam tape can be pulled off, or soft side of a sponge to gently rub it off. Can use rubbing alcohol/blue dawn/water equal parts to remove old tape. MSR Seam Sealant REI Seam Sealing If the DWR is also coming off, skip the seam sealing until the end. NikWax Tech Wash is preferred, use a bathtub to soak the tent fly, allow at least 2 hours of soaking time before rinsing. May take more than one soak to remove the flaking DWR coating. Then you'll need to use the following to recoat the outside and under side of the fly. When cured/dry then you could re-do the seams. For fabric coating on underside of rainfly and inside floor of body/canopy GearAid Tent Fabric Sealant: https://www.gearaid.com/products/seam-grip-sealant-tent-fabric For seam tape on tent rain fly and body/canopy GearAid FC Fast Cure Seam Sealant: https://www.gearaid.com/products/seam-grip-sealant-fast-cure For exterior treatment of rain fly NikWax Tent and Gear SolarProof: http://www.nikwax-usa.com/en-us/productselector/waterproofing.php Email response from customer service about the tent Spoiler Thanks for letting us know. You could re-coat the fabrics, using the products mentioned in the previous email. For fabric coating on underside of rainfly and inside floor of body/canopy GearAid Tent Fabric Sealant: https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https://www.gearaid.com/products/seam-grip-sealant-tent-fabric&data=05|02|[email protected]|a446782dd21a4a6543bf08dc2fd29db8|3085d7d00be14290bb18d2ebf2b4cf6c|0|0|638437828855197687|Unknown|TWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0=|0|||&sdata=XJ5JwfvGvQwiwbpDxVLlgWPLNVX/jrfvIs/0dyy0uaw=&reserved=0 For seam tape on tent rain fly and body/canopy GearAid FC Fast Cure Seam Sealant: https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https://www.gearaid.com/products/seam-grip-sealant-fast-cure&data=05|02|[email protected]|a446782dd21a4a6543bf08dc2fd29db8|3085d7d00be14290bb18d2ebf2b4cf6c|0|0|638437828855207059|Unknown|TWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0=|0|||&sdata=6YmqRAvWmbzbMMgetW0gOsxUMj4ZElTFAa0pzJXAjd8=&reserved=0 For exterior treatment of rain fly NikWax Tent and Gear SolarProof: https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http://www.nikwax-usa.com/en-us/productselector/waterproofing.php&data=05|02|[email protected]|a446782dd21a4a6543bf08dc2fd29db8|3085d7d00be14290bb18d2ebf2b4cf6c|0|0|638437828855218823|Unknown|TWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0=|0|||&sdata=J/4EsJrRcn1kPxUIh+Ar4ZALNyjfn4oa+FVJl+l3Ex0=&reserved=0 Alternatively, we can sell you replacement fabrics, 1/3rd the MSRP of your 2014-2018 HHNX 2-person v1 tent - 150$ for fly, 150$ for tent body, or we can provide you a discount code towards a new tent if you'd rather go that route. If you'd like to purchase replacement fabrics, we no longer carry the version 1, but can sell the version 2, which works with your pole set. Please confirm your shipping address and we'll put the order in and send a payment request via email for 300$. Or if you'd rather a 35% discount code, let us know. Thank you So I'm looking for advice on how best to proceed. 1. Repair the tent and/or rainfly myself. I don't think it is worth my time to attempt to fix the rainfly, but the damage to the tent is much more isolated, so maybe within my capabilities. 2. Buy the discounted replacement tent and rainly ($150 each, $300 total). Per their email, I'd be getting the version 2 materials, which may last longer than my version 1 product did. 3. Buy a brand new MSR tent at 35% off. Their 2-person backpacking offerings range from $320-$580, so $210-$380 with the discount. 4. Tell MSR to fuck off and go with a different brand that is perhaps more reliable. Ultimately, I don't want to get stuck in a cycle of buying a product that falls apart much sooner than expected and needs replacing, but we've really enjoyed the experience camping with this tent such that I'm willing to give it another try.
Did you buy it from REI? Could use their refund system if it's less than a year old. I have the MSR Access 2 and it is absolutely badass: https://www.msrgear.com/ie/tents/al...erson-four-season-ski-touring-tent/13132.html So, maybe try and sell the current one and buy the Access 2?
No, got it from Backcountry.com a while back. The Access 2 looks nice, but maybe it's overkill if I don't fuck with snow or extreme weather conditions?
Yea, might be -- but better safe than sorry? If you're not keen on that tent, my vote would be 2 or 3. Get the replacement parts and hope for the best, or buy a brand new MSR tent.
Year is already off to a fantastic start and we just got word we'll be working 4-day weeks from May 13 through August 12 So glad I live in the road trip mecca
Darn Tough light hike microcrew socks have served me well for many hikes. I prefer one not too thick sock for breathability and keep my shoes lightweight and breathable. I do mainly hike out west where waterproofing isn’t necessary.
Spent the day in Napa/Sonoma at a winery, Muir Woods NM this afternoon, and dinner in Sausalito on the water. I’m a yuge tree nerd and teared up walking in. Never seen such specimens, can’t wait to get out and see the sequoias. Wasn’t much of a hike but we don’t get out as much the last couple years with a 2yo. Spectacular day save the $600 my wife dropped at the winery.
Just signed up for a weeklong mountaineering course for June 30 - July 5 with the American Alpine Institute: Alpinism 1 - Introduction to Mountaineering https://www.alpineinstitute.com/catalog/alpinism-1-introduction-to-mountaineering/ 3 days of training for glacier travel, ropes, climbing, etc., followed by a 3-day trip to summit Mt Baker at 10,781 ft
It's on the list for sure. I wouldn't want to go with a tour group, though -- would want to do it with an experienced climber that has done it before where I can pull my weight instead of just marching up like a lemming.
Looking for a comfortable, relatively cheap hiking type shoe. Not necessarily for hiking, but more for just outdoor activities. i.e., camping, out in the yard, etc.
I wear Keens every day. Good for wide feet (Adidias typically run narrow if that's you), Hella waterproof. Cons are they are kinda boxy/ugly, and on the heavy side. Just bought some Nike Pegasus 6 goretex lows that are awesome. Think they were $160. Solomons are really nice, like the lacing system. I do not like Merrils, but ymmv. Never worn OBOZ.