The hiking thread

[thedunno]

There was a private thread on the old PE so I like to open this thread for hiking enthousiasts (like me). To discus this years plans, discus gear, past hikes...whatever, as long as it is hiking related

To start of: My plans for this year.
After a fustrating year last year because of a hernia i want this year to be a bit more active and adventurous.
I am 10 years married in June so me and my wife were looking for an appropriate place to celebrate. OF course Tajikistan is one of the places that springs to mind immediately I am going to do a 12 day hike in the Fan Mountains in Tajikistan , combined with a visit to some cities along the silk road in Uzbekistan and a brief visit to Kyrgystan.

At the end of August/ start of September I am planning to go north. For me that is Scandinavia. I am currently looking at Sarek national parc in north Sweden, but this might still change.

What are your plans?

Joost

[Progmatic]

adventurous.
I am 10 years married in June so me and my wife were looking for an appropriate place to celebrate. OF course Tajikistan is one of the places that springs to mind immediately I am going to do a 12 day hike in the Fan Mountains in Tajikistan , combined with a visit to some cities along the silk road in Uzbekistan and a brief visit to Kyrgystan.

I could not put it any other way...

My dream place to visit for hiking is Torres Del Paine in Chile. I am not sure whether I will make it there but surely it looks like one magical place


Torres-del-Paine-Chile-485x728.jpg

[thedunno]

Yup, Torres de Paine is certainly on my wish list too. I think it is pretty accesible. There are good maps and guidebooks, so you can do it independently.

[Duncan Glenday]

Good thread - thanks for starting it!

There was a private thread on the old PE so I like to open this thread for hiking enthousiasts (like me). To discus this years plans, discus gear, past hikes...whatever, as long as it is hiking related

To start of: My plans for this year.
After a fustrating year last year because of a hernia i want this year to be a bit more active and adventurous.
I am 10 years married in June so me and my wife were looking for an appropriate place to celebrate. OF course Tajikistan is one of the places that springs to mind immediately I am going to do a 12 day hike in the Fan Mountains in Tajikistan , combined with a visit to some cities along the silk road in Uzbekistan and a brief visit to Kyrgystan.

At the end of August/ start of September I am planning to go north. For me that is Scandinavia. I am currently looking at Sarek national parc in north Sweden, but this might still change.

What are your plans?

Joost

Sounds like a blast!

One of my longer-term ambitions is to do the Inca trail. Friends of mine did it last March, and say it was the best thing they've done in years.

[Duncan Glenday]

I didn't do much last year, spending most of my time on the bike instead. This year I'll be on the trails a LOT until May, while I train up for a huge event in May.

then I'll be off the trails and on the bike, doing some ultra-distance rides (a series of rides - 100km, 200km, 300km, 400km, and 600km) and culminating in the National 24-Hour Championship, which I hope to qualify for and compete in.

The hiking event in May:

It's called the HAM - the Hike Across Maryland. Here's an extract from the organizers' description:

This one-day hike will be held on May 4, 2013. It starts in Pennsylvania at the PA/MD border near Pen Mar Park, follows the Appalachian Trail through Maryland, and ends in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The distance is about 42 miles (70km) over rocky and rough trail with several significant climbs. This hike is intended for the serious hiker who has done several training hikes of 15 miles and more. At a bare minimum, hikers should be able to hike at a rate of 2.5 to 3 miles an hour for 13 to 16 hours.

I did it in 13.5 hours the last time, and am aiming to improve my time this time out.

This year, I started logging all my hikes by tracking them on a GPS system and loading them into Strava. Here are some training hikes I've done lately:

HIKE - 19 Mile Training Hike - From Pen Mar Into PA And Back - 03/09/2013
18.4 miles / 29.6 km
http://app.strava.com/activities/43784113

HIKE - Out & Back - Old Misery / Bob's Hill (Garmin batteries died - actually 12 miles) - 03/02/2013
12.4 miles / 20 km
http://app.strava.com/activities/43055168

HIKE - Hill Repeats On The Old Misery Trail - 02/24/2013
3.8 miles / 6.1 km
http://app.strava.com/activities/42191886

HIKE - 11 Miles At Social Pace - 02/16/2013
10.7 miles / 17.2 km
http://app.strava.com/activities/41133042

HIKE - AT From Snickers Gap To Ashby Gap Including The Notorious Rollercoaster - 02/09/2013
11.8 miles / 19 km
http://app.strava.com/activities/40370140

Short But Tough Training HIKE On The Well-Named 'Old Misery Trail' - Smithsburg - 01/06/2013
5.3 miles / 8.5 km
http://app.strava.com/activities/36404295

HIKE - In Shennandoah Nat'l Park - With The Mountain Club Of Maryland - Bentonville, VA - 12/15/2012
19.3 miles / 31 km
http://app.strava.com/activities/32665553

[thedunno]

Very impressive plans Duncan. Right now i shouldn't think of undertaking a 42 mile hike. First i have to get fi t again.

I am peronally not too sure about the Inca trail. It seems a bit too commercial and crowded for my taste. I prefer the more remote and quiet areas.
Like the cordillera HuayHuash, wich i did in 2007. Absolutely one of the most spectacular treks I've done

[Duncan Glenday]

Those are incredible pictures!

My friends said the Inca trail was very quiet, and they saw maybe half a dozen hikers on each day - until they reached Machu Pichu (sp?) - perhaps they hit it at a quiet time of the year.

Anyway - I was going to do a 14-miler on Saturday, but the weather forecast is calling for an 80% probability of rain / snow mix - so I'll pass

[Duncan Glenday]

I particularly like the 2nd picture. Awesome.

[Duncan Glenday]

A few of my pics:

[Duncan Glenday]

And a few more pedestrian pics, taken on the local hikes I referred to above:

[spellbound]

kilimanjaro.jpg

Thought you might enjoy a photo of Kilimanjaro from space, Duncan.

I envy those of you who can afford to travel. All is not lost for me, however, as the Sierra Nevada is my back yard. I'll be there. I'll be there. I will be there.

tahoe & marlette lake.jpg

Lake Tahoe (far) and Marlette Lake (near).

[WHORG]

I've been a hiker/backpacker all of my life - mostly in the Adirondacks where I grew up, then the White Mountains when living in the Boston area.

Now that we've been in North Carolina for several years - I've explored the Smokies and portions of the AT - some great stuff over that way. I'm no longer a hard core backpacker - maybe 2 nighter's at the most. I just don't have the back to carry more than 20 pounds for a week long trek.

Day hikes are fine for me now - or even perhaps a porter hike in some exotic place someday - - - but we will see. Both of my kids love the outdoors and will continue the tradition - - -

[Progbear]

2012 was a crappy hiking year for me. I wrenched a tendon in my foot, which laid me up for most of August.

I need to extend my hiking experiences abroad, as I’ve pretty much exhausted local options for “challenging” climbs (Montara Mountain, Mission Peak, Mt. Diablo from Mitchell Canyon). Well, I have always wanted to do the Ohlone Wilderness Trail, but that’s backpacking, and my hiking efficiency/endurance takes a dive when I have 30/40 lbs. of junk strapped to my back. Any idea how to build up stamina? I was thinking of just getting a couple of weight plates and toting them around in my day pack to help out in that regard.

-------------
MIKE (a.k.a. "Progbear")

"Parece cosa de maligno. Los pianos no estallan por casualidad." --Gabriel Garcia Marquez

N.P.:“Night Games”-Nova/Vimana

[Duncan Glenday]

kilimanjaro.jpg

Thought you might enjoy a photo of Kilimanjaro from space, Duncan.

(If you look carefully, you can see me waving )

I've been a hiker/backpacker all of my life...

I'm big on hiking, but backpacking (i.e. overnighting) doesn't appeal much.

[spellbound]

I can sympathize with those who prefer day hikes to backpacking. I do, too, most of the time. But I wouldn't trade my backpack over the crest of the Sierra Nevada (middle fork of the Kings) for anything. Even if the downhill carrying weight did kill my knees. Worth it. Of course, I was 20 years younger then...

[thedunno]

I prefer the multiple dat hiking. For me this is the perfect way to unwind after a stresful period at work. Your life just becomes very simple; all yyou have to care about is walking, sleeping and eating. The pace of life is slow, but the impressions during the day seem to be the strongest.

[Hunnibee]

Great thread! Thanks for starting it. I am looking forward to spring and getting out into the mountains. I recently moved back to the Pacific Northwest, currently living near Portland, and I am itching to hike in the Columbia River Gorge again, as well as the Coast Range. I might be settling in Seattle, so there are lots of new trails to discover in the North Cascades. I have bad knees, too, so I can't do the rigorous climbs anymore. Getting up is fine, but going back down is the real problem. Plus, I am more tired now that I'm older. I can't do the 10 mile day hikes anymore, but I can still do half that amount at a reasonable pace.

[Shadow]

I am 10 years married in June so me and my wife were looking for an appropriate place to celebrate.



Joost

Stay away from India unless you are into getting gang raped.

[thedunno]

Stay away from India unless you are into getting gang raped.

This remark really ads a lot of value and insight to this thread.

[Shadow]

This remark really ads a lot of value and insight to this thread.

Thank you

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2...ped-india.html

[Jefferson James]

I went thru a hardcore backpacking period from 1990-1994; all I have are pictures in boxes in storage somewhere LOL. Here in SoCal there are tons of places where one can spend a weekend without seeing a soul -- you just have to know where to go.

During 2003-2008 I started fly fishing and that led to another couple dozen backpacks in and around the SoCal area and the Sierra to the north. For awhile I fancied myself a writer and I was able to document a few trips; these are fish-centric so be forewarned, but there are some shots of the local waters and mountains.

One of my biggest backpacking goals was realized in the fall of 2006 when some friends and I went to Tehipite Valley in the Sierra; it's a tough 'pack but the solitude, scenery and fishing were so worth it. If you've never heard of Tehipite, it's a bit like Yosemite without roads and boasts the largest intact granite dome in the entire Sierra range. The dome is f'in huge -- clouds sometimes clung halfway between top and bottom; one night I watched a shooting star go behind the dome and come out the other side. It's disorienting I tell you! Here's a short video -- damned, damned good times.

Makes me want to get back out on the trail again but man, it's so time-intensive. That's kind of the point but still....

[thedunno]

If you've never heard of Tehipite,,

I had never heard of Tehipite but the scenery is indeed quite spectacular. Since I always like to escape the crowds this seems a great alternative if I ever visit the sierras. Thanks for the tip!

[Jefferson James]

Since I always like to escape the crowds this seems a great alternative if I ever visit the sierras. Thanks for the tip!

Most welcome -- I hope you do it! Just be aware it's an 18 mile walk one-way from the nearest trailhead (Rancheria) and, after 15 miles of basically level walking, the trail drops 3700' in 3 miles. Insanely steep descent on eroding switchbacks covered in leaves and loose rock; I used hiking poles and they were a godsend. The valley floor is pretty low elevation (around 4k) and there are plenty of rattlesnakes as a result; it can get hot down there. Avoid during spring run-off season 'cause Crown Creek can be impassable and that will keep you from even getting close to Tehipite. I wouldn't consider doing it alone, you do NOT wanna wind up like this woman!

[Duncan Glenday]

...I used hiking poles and they were a godsend...

I won't hike or climb without poles.

Period.

I can't tell you how many times my poles have saved me from a fall.

In addition, when going up hills, you can push yourself upwards, like a skier doing a 'shcuss' (sp?). It's amazing how much that helps. For that reason, when I go to the gym, I also focus on triceps and lats - as those are the muscles you use to push up hill with your poles.



Another thing - because most of my hikes take me across rough ground or very rocky sections, I always use high-quality boots that lace up pretty high above the ankles. Tie them tightly ... and that has saved me from dozens of sprained ankles that would have occurred with regular walking shoes.

[Jefferson James]

I can't tell you how many times my poles have saved me from a fall...(snip)I always use high-quality boots that lace up pretty high above the ankles. Tie them tightly

The older I've gotten (and continue to get) the more the poles have become a necessity -- essential for balance, especially so when rock-hopping or otherwise going off-trail along streams in the pursuit of wild trout. Good call on the boot-tightening, too -- on steep descents a tight boot reduces friction and subsequent blisters (if you're not a hardened trail-master like Duncan ).