Jimmy Notchback Posted August 27, 2007 Report Share Posted August 27, 2007 My lady friend and I are taking a 3 week trip in september. So far the plan is to drive out west to yosemite, spend a week there camping and hiking then move on and drive down the coast. I was wondering if there are any avid backpackers on CR that might give me some tips on cool places to go checkout/hike. We are open to anything, yosemite is the only for sure destination we have so far. So if anyone has some suggestions Id love to read them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladyhawke34 Posted August 27, 2007 Report Share Posted August 27, 2007 Stop by Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park and backpack Forest Canyon. You probably won't see another soul out there. Depending on how far in you go, you may have to cross the Big Thompson River. Or you could head up to the Pac NW after Yosemite & hike the Sierra Nevada's. Check out summitpost.org! It's mainly a mountaineering site, but it's a wealth of info that could spark an idea or two! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Science Abuse Posted August 28, 2007 Report Share Posted August 28, 2007 Forest Canyon is as posted. It should also be noted that it is one of the most remote places in the lower US. Don't take a woman there unless she's your wife. It is for experienced hikers/climbers only, because it has no trails. Not "I led a scout troop" experienced, more like "Hey Bill, remember that time we had to kill that bear and eat it, then wrap up in its skin to stay warm?" experienced. But srsly, you need to be able to navigate without the sun, know wilderness first aid throughly, and have absolutely no comfort zone. The going is steep, the forest is thick and old, and you're always closer to death than help. You will never be comfortable, so you must be of the type that does it for more than just fun. Having done the warning, suggestions, in order of the "tour": -Yellowstone, on the way out. -Glacier National Park. North of Yellowstone and on the way'ish to Olympic. See it while its still there! - Cascades. Between Glacier and Olympic. Volcano and glacier country. -Olympic National Park. If you're sweeping the west coast, start here, seriously. - Mt St Helens. Down the coast a bit, turn left. -Crater lake. Down the coast a bit more, turn left. -Yosemite. Down the coast alot more, turn left. -Death valley. Heading back east. Fill up with gas, make sure your car is in good order, and drive through. Bring 2gal water each...yes, just for the drive. WINDOWS DOWN PUSSY! -Grand Canyon, no intro needed. -Zion Natl park. A must see. -Arches Natl park. See above. -Dinosaur National Monument. Great hiking and mountains...and Dinosaurs. -Rocky Mountain Natl Park. My home away from home. Let me know what you're looking for in a hike and I can refer you to a specific trail. I'm not joking about the "home away from home." Here's me with most of it behind me...and all of it below me. http://www.summitpost.org/images/original/90449.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Notchback Posted August 29, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 First off thanks a ton to both of you for taking the time to write especially the detailed travel plan. Most of things you wrote are places Ive been reading about and want to check out. We have yet to purchase alot of our supplies. What would you suggest are essentials and the best ways to not spend a ton of money buying them? We've gone on trips before out west but are not extremely experienced hikers. Most of our trips involve going to a place and asking locals were to go to get away from the usual tourist crowd. We are looking for a roughly 4 day hike up a mountain to somthing we can summit without actually climbing with gear. Since you said home away from home...something with a mountain top lake would be nice. If you've ever read Darma Bums, that's what Im looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Science Abuse Posted August 29, 2007 Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 You got it: No 56k http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/national_parks/rocky_mountain_map.jpg Trouble Maker / Jess on here did a trail with me, we did it in 3 days. But stay tuned... Point your eye on the Kawanchee Visitors center areal of the map, to the right is the trailhead for the North Inlet Trail / Tonahutu loop. -Day one will take you through the thick of the valleys of the park. You'll be near rolling water most of the time, great views, great nature. I believe the camp that we used was "Pine cone", but I could be wrong. We made camp early, so if I were to do it again, I'd have camped as far east as possible. This will place you in a good spot to highpoint the next day. -Day two, we camped near Granite falls, and still made it there early. So here is what I suggest: Camp night 1 as far east as possible (helps aclimate, too, as you'll be higher up). Day two, you'll have all day to get up on the continental divide. The Summit of Flattop Mountain is practically on the trail. Hallet peak is baggable from Flattop in an hour (depending on your pace), and it one of the best summits of the park. No gear needed, though I always grab crampons (see footnote 1 below). Hallet Peak and Flattop. If you make a good pace, day two will be hard, but you'll make it to your next camp without issue. A tip for picking your last night of camp; do it close to your car. Day Last is always the longest, if you can ease that, do it. -There are a few camps in the Granite Falls area, I like to stay close to the water. Day three will be downhill most of the way, and you'll see the third "mana" of the park, the meadows. "Big Meadows" earned it;s name, luckily the rail skirts the side, so you get good shade. There are also ruins out there. We made the car by lunch time. It's only 3 days, and you wanted four. But, with a highpoint of 12,700ft it will feel like 4 days. If you have the energy, spend it on a day hike to Black Lake in Glacier Gorge. It's where you go to feel small. http://personalpages.bellsouth.net/j/d/jdelaub/dcp_33003ah.jpg Footnote 1; Crampons let you travel over snow and ice. This is not needed for most peaks out there in the summer, but, it can open up shortcuts for you. Gimme a list of what you have, I'll see about what gaps you may have. Ever done a multi-day hike? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladyhawke34 Posted August 29, 2007 Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 Some essential items that you'll want to pack... ** No cotton! Cotton kills when you're out in the elements. Poly pro (fleece, soft shells, under armor type wicking stuff, Gortex, etc) stuff is great! Layering is most helpful too. * Good compass * Topographical Maps of the area * Headlamp * A sturdy pair of hiking boots that fit correctly! They must fit correctly or you'll regret it for the rest of the trip. Trust me on that! * A good backpack with back, shoulder & hip supports. I rock a Kelty Tornado for women. If you need to buy a pack, load it down with weight and walk around the store with it on. Wear your boots when you go, if possible. * Stove - Benz Guy & I both have the MSR Pocket Rocket. You'll need to pack a small canister of fuel, but the stove is small, powerful & lightweight. Usually costs around $40 for the stove. * Water filter - I've got a Katadyn Mini Filter. You can use those water clarification pills too or just boil the water before consuming. * Pot/pan/eating utensils * Sleeping pad - we've both got closed-cell foam Therma-rests, which work great. * Sleeping bag - it'll be chilly at night. Not sure how hot/cold you sleep, so you'll have to determine what temp rated bag to get/bring. Down mummy bags - lighter, much more expensive. Synthetics - heavier, much more wallet friendly. Keep in mind that you can layer up with clothes when you hop into your bag to sleep so you could get away with bringing a higher temp rated bag. Bring a wool hat to wear while sleeping! * Tent - 2 or 3 person should work, depending on how cozy you guys will want to be. You can sometimes luck out & find decently priced ones at Dick's. Eureka 2 persons for around $80. Tips Before going to bed, have a snack or two or five. It'll help keep your inner furnace going during the night. Wear that wool hat to bed. Boil some water, fill your Nalgene & put it in your sleeping bag towards your feet. It'll keep you warm thru the night. Any damp clothes? Put them in your sleeping bag with you while you sleep & you'll have dry clothes in the morning. Keep your boots in your tent to prevent critters from getting in them as well as preventing potentially frozen boots. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Even if its cool and/or you're not sweating - drink! Hate to be a party pooper, but no alcohol! It'll dehydrate you and impair your judgment Most importantly - be safe & have fun! That's all for now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Notchback Posted August 29, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 We both just started getting into this. I have some gear but Im planning on starting over with all new equipment.My Tent is a couple years old and beat and my sleeping bag is heavy and not ideal for the climates we should be in. I've gone to gander mountain and dick's and browsed but Im not going to buy anything until we check out clintoville outfitters and sabos. As far as experience this will be our first multi-day hike. We are both extremely into the outdoors and this is something we've been planning on doing all year. We both have played sports our whole lives and continue to stay in shape. I cant thank you both enough. The hike Benz guy described sounds perfect and the gear tips erase any doubts of what we might need. It's nice to hear from someone that isnt a salesman trying to sell me gear. What store do you guys shop at or do you order all of you stuff online? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladyhawke34 Posted August 29, 2007 Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 Keep in mind too, that you can sometimes rent a few things, like packs & crampons, depending on where you go. Look into that as well. There's a great outdoors store in Peninsula, OH, Appalachian Outfitters (http://www.appalachianoutfitters.com/ao/index.asp) that we've bought gear from. We've also gone on a Mt. Washington trip with them as well. Friendly & very knowledgeable staff! Locally in Columbus, we'll get gear & clothes stuff at The Outdoor Source (http://www.theoutdoorsource.com/catalog/index.php). Again friendly and very knowledgeable staff! I believe that they also offer trips year round. As for a few online gear sites, check these out: Campmor - http://www.campmor.com Sierra Trading Post - http://www.sierratradingpost.com/ REI - http://www.rei.com/ , they also have an REI outlet section on their page. Backcountry.com - they also have an outlet section on their page. EBay - research what you're bidding on, buyer beware of counterfeit stuff too! Gear reviews can be found on summitpost.org. There's a link to their gear review section on the left side as well as on their top navigation bar. They also have a Gear forum where you can ask questions, get recommendations, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Science Abuse Posted August 29, 2007 Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 -Sabos never ceases to disspoint me. I always regret wasting the time to go in there. -However, wandering around The Outdorr Source is a pass-time. I'd recomend going there for your stuff, they know their stuff. The short guy with the beard is a good guy to start with. -Dicks and Gander Mountain: go there ONLY if you know exactly what you're looking for. They have good prices and some decent stuff, but don't rely on the sales people to inform you. I got a great ultralight down sleeping bag there for $100. If I'd listened to the salesman, I would have left with a heavy synthetic that was too warm for what I needed. Clintonvill outfitters? Never heard of them, where are they? I may have to stop in some time. Elena's tips are good, though some may be overkill for the summer. The nights shouldn't get below 20. Here's the equipment I had: Tent: Eureka Solitare, as you can see it a bug net with a rain cover (it will rain, trust me). It's a drafty one person, and I was plenty protected. http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/21R6JP4JA7L._AA160_.jpg Sleeping bag, $15 "Everest". Got it at Galyans from bin, Wal Mart carries them now. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=2581360 I usually say "Never skimp on gear", but that bag is honestly the best money I've ever spent on camping. Had it for years, and it's never left me cold. Stuffing we clothes in your bag makes them less wet, and your bag more wet. It's a distribution of moisture that is helpfull in sever cold. However, summer int he rockies should give you plnety of warmth to dry them out. You could see high 70's or 80's in the E/W running valleys. You "can" get away with cotton. I'm only saying this because you're on a budget. But you WILL be uncomfortable, and if anything extra-wet happens, you could find yourself with trenchfoot....like me. You dont want it, stick with wool. Sock liners are worth the cash, too. Again, gear depends on how uncomfortable you can be. I've had winter packs upwards of 60lb, and summer kits under 15. The first time I tried out my 15lb kit, I almost got hypothermia. lol (I've since perfected it) My first time on the recomended hike, I took 4 shirts for 3 days, 2 pairs of pants, as many socks as I could fit (burned them in the camp fire after use, shhhh), and 4 pairs of undies. That's allot of clothes and weight, but I was young. With proper wool and synthetic quick-dry stuff, you could wear the same stuff every day and not hate it. I would recomend at least one extra pair of everything, so that one can dry out while you're wearing the other. If you've enver done this before, I recomend giving it a shot some where here in Ohio first. Take a weekend and go down south and do one of those backpack trails. I personnaly recomend this one: http://www.thebackpacker.com/trails/oh/trail_472.php For a few reasons. It's going to be very tough, lots of ups and downs, the trail is almost never level. This will not only give you a chance to try out your tent and such, but it will test you as well. You will know how good your boots are, and what shape you are in. If you can complete this in 2 days, you will have no trouble with the mountain terrain, and the trip will be a dream for you. Notice that no where in my recomendation did I mention nice vews or anything...there are none. I like it because it feels like jungle down there, very thick forest. The first time I tried this trail, 3 out of our party of 4 had to stop short because of gear and fitness issues. We had to navigate a bit and take a road out. It is honestly as had or harder than the mountain trail I recomended. Like I said, by the time you are done, you'll know if you're ready for the mountains. I'll post more on gear later as it comes to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Posted August 29, 2007 Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 I'm from AZ and there is some beautiful areas out there to do some great hiking also. But, that is a beautiful picture!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Science Abuse Posted August 29, 2007 Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 I'm from AZ and there is some beautiful areas out there to do some great hiking also. But, that is a beautiful picture!! Flagstaff. Humphreys looks fun, who would have thought that this picture was taken in AZ? http://www.summitpost.org/images/original/97645.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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