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hiking/backpacking

Harold falcon

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Gorgeous, suited, thanks for the pics.
 

suited

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Gorgeous, suited, thanks for the pics.

It would have been even better if I didn’t come down with a horrible cold on the first night. Went through a half box of Kleenex and had to use my shemagh as a handkerchief the last day on the hike out. Luckily we take a ton of medication with us so we had everything squared away there, but it still sucked being sick for three days in the desert.
 

suited

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Looks like a great trip. Sorry about the cold, but hopefully you're okay now.

Thanks. Trying to plan a trip for this summer. Debating between Washington or somewhere in the Sierras. Thinking about Ansel Adams Wilderness or Olympic National Park/Mount Rainier/Northern Cascades. We live within driving distance of the Smoky Mountains so I expect to make at least a dozen trips locally this summer. My wife and her sister are going to Yosemite next week but I opted to stay home because a lot of the backpacking areas are usually snow covered this time of year. They are going to do day hikes out of the valley. I'm still kind of jealous - it's such an incredible place.
 

VaderDave

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I was hoping to complete the Tahoe Rim Trail this year (I did Desolation and then another 25 miles in each direction already, so maybe 1/3 done). But with the crazy snowpack we have up there this year I doubt we'll even see the trail this summer. The last time I tried backpacking while there was still snow up there I suffered an ignominious defeat and had to cut the trip short on Day 1. :(
 

suited

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I was hoping to complete the Tahoe Rim Trail this year (I did Desolation and then another 25 miles in each direction already, so maybe 1/3 done). But with the crazy snowpack we have up there this year I doubt we'll even see the trail this summer. The last time I tried backpacking while there was still snow up there I suffered an ignominious defeat and had to cut the trip short on Day 1. :(

I'd like to go to Tahoe in the next couple years. Planning trips is time consuming for me because there are so many places to choose from, and I tend to go in too many directions at once and over analyze.

I just bought the Osprey Exos 58. This thing is great - super comfortable even at 30+ pounds. I've been trying to get my base weight down. Couple of recent purchases include the enlightened equipment torrid jacket and a quilt from UGQ. I doubt I'll ever be ultralight, but I'm carrying significantly less weight than I used to. I don't know if I'll ever give up my helinox chair zero or the therm-a-rest ultralite cot. Sleeping on that cot is magical compared to any inflatable pad. I didn't take it with me on my trip to the Smokies a couple weeks ago and I regretted it.

I thought the Smokies were underwhelming. It's a pretty area, but every state west of Kansas has countless spots that are 10x as beautiful. It's driving distance for us but I'm not sure it's worth making that 4-hour drive all that often.
 

gettoasty

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Anyone with experience and can say Darn Tough is better than the generic REI wool socks?
 

otc

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My favorite ski socks are Darn Tough and I liked them enough to buy a second pair. But I'd put a lot of that on the design rather than materials/construction.

No direct comparisons to REI though...Most of my hiking socks are smartwool. I did see a few poor reviews on the fit/design of some REI socks.
 

imatlas

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I’ve read rave reviews of Darn Tough but haven’t tried them. I’ve stopped buying Smartwool though. They’ve gone way down hill.
 

gettoasty

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Yeah I picked up Smartwool first on sale during 4th of July but ended up needing a large. Gifted the socks. Tried out Darn Tough in large and it fit great so deciding whether to splurge. Saw the REI wool socks when picking up a pair of trail running shoes and contemplating...save some money. Been picking up gear here and there the last month and the cost is adding up.

Will put the gear to test hopefully soon; does not make sense to keep buying and not actually use all this gear.
 

imatlas

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**** I have boxes and boxes of gear I don’t use.
 

Harold falcon

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suited

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I was hoping to complete the Tahoe Rim Trail this year (I did Desolation and then another 25 miles in each direction already, so maybe 1/3 done). But with the crazy snowpack we have up there this year I doubt we'll even see the trail this summer. The last time I tried backpacking while there was still snow up there I suffered an ignominious defeat and had to cut the trip short on Day 1. :(

We ended up doing the Desolation Wilderness and Kings Canyon (part of the Rae Lakes Loop) this summer.

Kings Canyon was first and therefore certain sections were not doable because of the high snow year/melt. Just a week prior there was an impassable stream 2 miles into the first day. Luckily it was cross-able for us, but our feet were constantly wet which sucked. We saw a large black bear (I'm guessing ~350, so large for that area) about 20 yards from us right as we were setting up our tent. That made the trip but my wife was freaked out. It didn't scare off easily.

Lake Aloha was stunning - easily the most beautiful campsite we've had so far. The mosquitoes were horrible the prior night at Gilmore Lake. We had bug nets and spray, luckily, but couldn't even take the nets off to eat.

In early December I'm hitting Canyonlands in Utah for one night solo, then a second night somewhere else, possibly Capitol Reef Park. In the meantime we want to do a couple trips to the Smoky Mountains this fall - it's only about 4 hours from us.

Aloha
1.jpg
 

otc

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I basically have a full hammock camping kit now.

Previously I just had a hammock and at some point I did get a cheap bug net.
But I am planning to sleep in one this weekend and as the weather forecast has changed, I've been ordering more and more things (thanks amazon prime).

First it was lower temperatures. Not too low, but low enough for cold-butt. So I found some inexpensive underquilt/poncho liner on sale. Should keep the butt warm and can be used off the hammock if I get chilly. Of course after it arrived, I found the proposed suspension setup suspect so then I ordered a spool of shock cord to improve it.
Then the forecast shifted to rain one night, so yesterday I ordered the most compelling looking <$20 tarp that was available with next day prime delivery. I'll have to rig up some guylines from material I have on hand.

The whole point of this was to be lightweight...I'm racing a boat to the destination and trying to keep the weight down while avoiding having to sleep in the boat in the harbor.
 

suited

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^I'm considering switching to a hammock when possible. I sleep like **** in a tent, even with Benadryl. The problem is that most of the places I love to backpack (desert, alpine lakes), there's nowhere to rig a hammock.

Did an overnighter in Canyonlands in early December before heading to Park City. Definitely worth the 8-hour roundtrip drive from Salt Lake. Had the place to myself, the Ranger said no other permits were pulled that night. There was a little snow on the ground and it was in the high teens at night. My new down booties served me well. Heading back to Arizona in February and will probably do at least one trip in TN/NC between now and then.

111111.jpg
 

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