Gearing up & planning some 2-3 nighters between now & next spring... goal being 2-3 weeks on the trail next year
Hiked the Appalachian trail a few years ago in North Carolina. It was significantly harder than I expected. Probably not a good idea to start right in the middle of a very mountainous area.
Gonna be me & the wife on the trails, sacrificed a few ounces for a little more room in a 3 person. Reviews said it was big enough to stow gear inside, plus our 13 year old can squeeze in if she ever decides to join.
I want to skip to the Shenandoah area. I think the wife wants to start at Springer Mountain & work our way up.
We took about 5 days and did the southern section from Georgia up to the Nantahala Outdoor Center in North Carolina. Would love to go do more or even a through hike. But that's unlikely.
Thru Hike would be amazing... Only opportunity we might have is once daughter is off to college. We plan on moving, so have bounced around taking a 4-5 month break before returning to work & tackling the AT, PCT or something similar.
Did the Roan Highlands in high school. Coming down was a lot worse than going up. Take one of those hiking sticks that look like ski poles and your knees will thank me.
Anyone have experience using ULA packs? Considering their Circuit pack in lieu of something from Osprey/Gregory
Boots were absolutely wonderful. Thanks to you and Fargin' Icehole for the recommendation. Spoiler Got a little interesting on the way down. Spoiler
Brought out my stove for the kids in the back yard and my MSR has seen it's last days. It's been faithful for over 15 years but I'm gonna switch to a canister. Looking at the Jetboil Flash and the MSR PocketRocket . Any recs or opinions?
No complaints about the pocket rocket. Might be a hair too small if you're cooking for a bunch of people. Guess it depends on how big your pots/pans are.
5 night WA trip. Was awesome. Did an 8 trail-mile ascent and counted 38 switchbacks. That part hurt. Last one shows where one of the fires was and it still smoldering. Spoiler
eHo The Salomons did amazing and I beat the shit out of them. Not a single blister. We did a lot of boulder field climbs/traverses where a mountaineering boot might have been better but I'm a big fan. colonelrascals The Hubba did great man. Rained, snowed, and the wind blew hard and it kept me warm and dry.
Anyone in the Oklahoma/Missouri/Arkansas area? I have a long weekend in October and I'd like to go camping for a few nights but there isn't much around. Anyone taken a trip in the Ozarks?
There are a decent number of options in our area, but mostly need to travel to Georgia. I did an overnighter at Providence Canyon State Park 2 weeks ago with Wife & step-daughter (about 4 hours away). They have a small 3 mile loop around the canyons & a 10 mile backcountry trail for backpackers. Was great trip & Hard to believe this was in Georgia...
Would recommend the MSR Windburner over the Jetboil, if you are switching to a canister. As it has a lot better wind protection/efficiency & similar price-point. I use Snowpeak Gigapower mostly, but my favorite stove is MSR Whisperlite Universal if I plan on doing more than boil water or cooking for more than just myself. Added bonus on the trail, is it works with just about any kind of fuel.
Came from the Whisperlite and it served me well for many years. I did get the Jetboil and man I love it. I mostly have gone to light weight meal options since I'm So basically I boiled H2O the entire time. The efficiency of the Jetboil was impressive. I have zero complaints and unless we decide to summit Glacier Peak next time I'll stick with it.
They are basically the same design, but because the Windburner is a newer design, it has a few improvements to the Jetboil... basically splitting hairs between the 2. No shame in boiling water. It's my preferred method when out for more than a day or 2. No sense packing in/out more weight than necessary.
Selling a Kelty Coyote 4500 if anyone wants to get the wife/girlfriend a nice weekend pack. it was a gift to my sister 5ish years ago and she's used it once. told me I can have it and my gf already has a pack. Looks like they retail for about ~$140 so I'll hook my TMB bros up with it for $80 + shipping. PM if interested. 75 liter Adjustable torso (12 to 17") Top and front access 9 exterior pockets + main compartment HPDE/aluminum frame Removable top pocket that converts to waistpack Main compartment holds a hydration reservoir and features tube ports on lid Here's a pic from REI, the one I'm selling is a burnt orange/red color. Can send actual pics on request.
I didn't know it was possible to have boots that comfortable right out of the box. I love them. When you say boulder climbs/traverses, are you talking about rock climbing boots, or are you talking about heavy duty alpine boots?
Wish this thread was more active. My buddy's wife took a real camera (I use my phone camera)on our recent trip and sent me this. I already miss it.
Alpine boots. My buddy uses them, he does a lot of off trail stuff. The pic below makes the rocks in the corner of the valley look like pebbles but they're actually the size of refrigerators.
This a an off trail section we did to get over the ridge to an alpine lake. This is where I wished I had a little sturdier boot.
Anybody ever hike Vermont? Been planning on doing part of The Long Trail next year but really want to be as remote as possible.
As do I. I cannot wait for my wife to finish grad school, so we can get away more frequently. As it stands, her schedule is booked until spring break next year. We're in planning mode now & trying to decide where we want to spend 6-7 days.
Nowhere near as cool, but my wife and I did a great overnight in Manistee Nat'l Forest in Michigan. Hiked along the River and had a killer campsite on a perfect 50 degree night. Sunk a 6pack of Two Hearted Ale in a creek to make the night perfect. Felt great to get the gear out and enjoy the wilderness.
Definitely willing to fly... Willing to go anywhere & open to suggestions. We'll have about 9 days to work with. I want to fly into Vegas / Phoenix to visit friends for a few days, then take 4-5 days hiking down & back up the Grand Canyon. There are a few side hikes around Phantom Ranch at the base, so we'd probably spend a day in that area.
Sounds like your set, I've never hiked the Canyon and would love to one day. I've also never done more than a day hike in CO and would love to do that too. I highly recommend the Northern Cascades to anyone. 1.5 hours from Seattle and you're at a trail head. A few days hike and you're so remote you'll go days without seeing anyone. That's my favorite part.
Would definitely recommend hiking all around the canyon and then spending your last night at Phantom Ranch before you hike out. Place is awesome.
Yeah, that's why I'd like to take at least 5-6 days, so we are able to explore the area. Wife & I are moving to PNW (likely Portland) once my step-daughter graduates high school. The amazing beer, wine & wilderness is too huge a draw for us to settle elsewhere
Can't argue that because I haven't hiked it yet...yet being the key word. I've heard it's a busier area though. Solitude is something I really look for.