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Hiking/Backpacking thread

My family and I hike year round. Most of our hiking is done in TN, KY, VA, & NC. My favorite hike is the Western North Carolina Fly fishing trail. Me and some buddies usually backpack and camp along the trail. Fresh trout for lunch and hammock camping is the best way to go there. Fish the morning, eat lunch, hike during the day, and camp at the next spot in the evening.
 
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There are feral people stalking the trails. Some call them Bigfoot. Others Wendigo. The original American Indians called them "poors" from the latin word meaning "creep up and steal your gear."
 
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Funny this thread got bumped as I am currently in British Columbia and will be doing some canoeing and fly fishing tomorrow. There is also world class hiking here and I’d like to do some but I’ll admit I’m a little scared of the whole bear situation. One of the trails I had in mind was shut down recently for “bear activity” anybody have any bear encounter stories?
 
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Question for you technology nerds:

What do you use for communication? I don't really plan on being in a location so remote that I put myself in danger or anything, but it never hurts to prepare.

Does anyone bring along some sort of mini ham radio or something? Or like a Garmin inReach? I just don't really even know where to start. Ideally I'd like two things.....

1> gps tracking (Garmin inReach handles that)
2> reliable radio/phone communication

** SERIOUS REPLIES ONLY **
 
I was able to do some hiking in Alaska recently. We used an outfitter with a guide and while we were there waiting I started looking at what they provided. They were exclusively Sorel brand hiking boots. I'm sure it was a price point boot but they must have felt they held up well to make that kind of investment. They probably had 300 pairs. We had Merrells that we liked so I wasn't interested in wearing what they provided.
 
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GnarlsBarkley said:
Funny this thread got bumped as I am currently in British Columbia and will be doing some canoeing and fly fishing tomorrow. There is also world class hiking here and I’d like to do some but I’ll admit I’m a little scared of the whole bear situation. One of the trails I had in mind was shut down recently for “bear activity” anybody have any bear encounter stories?
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I've encountered black bears twice, both times in BC. The first time was a mom and her cub off a trail. They didn't react to us and she was nose down eating berries. We turned around, met some other hikers along the trail and then the 4 of us decided to go back. No bears in sight and we finished the hike. This was a trail near Banff, I don't remember which one.

The second time was on the Tent Ridge Trail in Alberta. We ended up hiking in almost knee deep snow and you couldn't really navigate the trail anymore. We saw a black bear on a hill about 150 yards away that was where we thought the trail was going. The combination of seeing the bear and walking in snow made us decide to avoid hiking that trail so we reluctantly turned back.

I still want to hike that trail, just not in late June with snow. I have never encountered a grizzly thank god, although I did a guided hike in BC with a guide that did two days before and he was pretty shook up about it. The bear was chasing an elk down the trail he was on and the elk was headed toward him. He was able to get off the trail and put some trees between him, the elk and the bear. The bear kept after the elk but ended the chase shortly after that. He ran once the bear was past and never looked back.

fwiw, that trail was a the reason I bought a garmin hiking gps where I could download trails. Never occurred to me that I would be hiking in snow in late June to the extent I could figure out where the trail was, the trailhead was in the middle of nowhere down a 20 mile gravel/dirt road and we were the only people on it that day. Now I don't go hiking without it.

oh, and last November, I was face to face with a black bear in the parking lot of my rental in Gatlinburg. He was more interested in Big Daddy's Pizza dumpster than he was interacting with any human. The police shoo'd him away.

so no I needed to use bear spray or I survived an attack stories. And I don't intend to ever have any.
 
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GnarlsBarkley said:
Funny this thread got bumped as I am currently in British Columbia and will be doing some canoeing and fly fishing tomorrow. There is also world class hiking here and I’d like to do some but I’ll admit I’m a little scared of the whole bear situation. One of the trails I had in mind was shut down recently for “bear activity” anybody have any bear encounter stories?
Click to expand...
It's probably been 15 years now, but we were hiking in Bays Mtn Park in East TN. We topped a rise, and stopped dead in our tracks when we saw a mom and two cubs. They were about 75 yards down the trail from us. She kept watching us as they worked their way on up the hollow, and finally out of sight.
 
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Our trip to Whistler, BC was awesome. I'd been to Seattle before but that didn't prepare me for the shear beauty of this place. Everywhere you turned there was a Bob Ross painting staring you in the face. We stuck to the well traveled trails close to the village so we did not run into any bears. but I think we may have been the only ones who didn't, everyone we talked to had a bear story it seemed, and when we went out in the mornings there were piles of fresh bear poop all around the village.
 
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PTI (pti) said:
Question for you technology nerds:

What do you use for communication? I don't really plan on being in a location so remote that I put myself in danger or anything, but it never hurts to prepare.

Does anyone bring along some sort of mini ham radio or something? Or like a Garmin inReach? I just don't really even know where to start. Ideally I'd like two things.....

1> gps tracking (Garmin inReach handles that)
2> reliable radio/phone communication

** SERIOUS REPLIES ONLY **
Click to expand...

I use an app that pings the GPS satellites for coordinates for verification of navigation and a paper map. The whole appeal of backpacking is to not be connected and have to be self reliant in my book.
 
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Funny story about respecting your environment though.

When I went fly fishing it was just me and the guide he picked me up at the hotel and took me to Nita lake which I gathered was more of a locals spot than tourists. When we arrived at the dock there was a fire truck and two EMS vehicles. When I got out I saw a woman sitting in the back of the ambulance and another one being lead towards it. Both with Mylar blankets shivering uncontrollably. We talked to a girl who apparently rescued both of them.
She was paddle boarding with her dog and saw a capsized canoe she didn’t realize for several minutes that the two ladies were in distress so she didn’t do anything right away.
Apparently they couldn’t swim and didn’t have life jackets. The air temp that day was probably 82 but the water temp was 52 maybe less. They became hypothermic and would have drowned if the girl didn’t go help them.
 
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So, I’m currently sitting in an airport in Maine, waiting on a flight back home. Just spent a week in Bar Harbor, and hiked in Acadia National Park every day. Averaged just short of 10 miles per day over the last week.

https://www.alltrails.com/parks/us/maine/acadia-national-park

Did 8 of the top 10 recommended trails in the link, except for Precipice Loop Trail which was closed, and Gorham Loop which we didn’t get to.

Highly recommend a trip to Bar Harbor if you have a desire to see part of Maine. Can get crazy busy at times, and parking is a nightmare. It’s an older town of just over 10,000 people, and they get 2 million visitors a year. And the hiking in Acadia was incredible. Every trail has multiple rocky overlooks with amazing views. The Beehive Loop is particularly amazing. Quite challenging as the final portion is a climb up a cliff face, not a hike. If you’re out of shape or afraid of heights, skip that one.

Oh…and they have lobster. Delicious lobster!
 
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Have hiked Mt Elbert and Mt Massive in the past week in Twin Lakes Colorado. Two highest peaks in the state.

Tomorrow the lass, dog and I are doing the hike from Aspen to Crested Butte, spending the night, then doing it backwards on Monday.
 
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GnarlsBarkley said:
Just booked a trip to Main/Bar Harbor for fall break. It looks amazing. We won’t get near the hiking done you did as the kids are going on this trip but we’re looking forward to it.
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Hope it’s less crowded by then, when schools are back in session and vacation season is over.

There are a few that I’d recommend that are easy hikes, even for younger kids. One is the hike across the sand bar to Bar Island. You can only cross at low tide. 3 hours later the sand bar is covered by water again and won’t be exposed for 9+ hours, so be aware of tide schedule and time. The other is Jordan Pond Trail. An easy, level, 3 mile loop trail around a lake. Finish with a meal, adult beverages, and pop-overs (look it up) at Jordan Pond House Restaurant. Pricey, but worth it for the views.

Enjoy!
 
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Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound is a popular stop

I've hiked Acadia, its nice in a wealthy playground kind of way but I didn't really find the hikes all that inspiring or challenging.

We've gone to Bar Harbor a few times and we usually try to go there and Quebec City in the same trip.
 
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GnarlsBarkley said:
Just booked a trip to Main/Bar Harbor for fall break. It looks amazing. We won’t get near the hiking done you did as the kids are going on this trip but we’re looking forward to it.
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Forgot to mention that Maine is fully legal for recreational marijuana. Although it is up to each community on whether or not they allow dispensaries. Bar Harbor chose not, so you won’t find any there.


Our travel plan worked that we flew into Bangor, about 90 minute drive out of Bar Harbor. Found a cool dispensary just off the airport grounds. First time trying gummies. Made evenings a little more fun.

Cheers!
 
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We’re flying into Portland and staying a few days there in an Airbnb then driving to Bar Harbor staying in a cabin. Thanks for the link we are using it to plan our days/hikes
 
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GnarlsBarkley said:
We’re flying into Portland and staying a few days there in an Airbnb then driving to Bar Harbor staying in a cabin. Thanks for the link we are using it to plan our days/hikes
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one thing we did in Portland that I thought was fun - we went lobster fishing on a boat for a couple of hours, they had the traps already laid out so basically we went around , pulled them up and the boat "captain" told us about the process, we went by some scenic sites and then came back, but we were able to buy the lobster we caught on the boat for like $5 per, then at the dock, there was a restaurant you brought the lobster up to and for $10 they cooked it with a baked potato, corn and a drink. They had live music too.

my boss gave me ish about it - you paid to go out on a boat, you did the work and then you paid for the lobster? well yea, when you put it that way......
 
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That sounds fun. My kids love anything to do with fishing and boats I bet they'd get a kick out of that but they would never eat lobster [laughing]
 
Today’s post-Thanksgiving adventure took us to Fort Hill Earthworks and Nature Preserve. About an hour and 15 minutes east of where we are, outside of Hillsboro Ohio. Great hike! Lots of hills. I’m plumb wore out. Did about 7-1/2 miles, and 780 feet of elevation change. Did the Fort Hill loop clockwise from the parking lot. Then went counterclockwise on Gorge Trail and Deer Trail to get back.

Trails well worn and well marked. Although they seemed quite lightly-used. Most of our hike we were kicking our way through ankle deep leaves.


Fort-Hill-Gorge-Trail-Map-scaled.jpg
 
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Our trip to Acadia was great. We did the Jordan Pond loop, Bubble Rock, Otter point lighthouse to watch the sunrise, and a couple more that are escaping me right now. We also did the Lucky Catch lobster fishing tour, it was a good time. I ate lobster for at least one meal every day we were there. With the lobster tacos from a little Mexican joint in Bar Harbor being my favorite.

Next adventure is Costa Rica, any advice?
 
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You can buy a cabin in Maine with a few acres for very reasonable prices. From time to time I scan Zillow for properties in Maine and although most of them are pretty rough you can find a gem here and there.
 
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Keen is very good and local. High quality craftsmanship. I have a couple pair and I also have bought them for my family and everyone loves them. My wife has 3 different pairs.

I have several different brands but I don't have a pair of Salomon's yet so I might pick up a pair to give them a try. Getting older now so I don't need something too hardy.
 
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Love my Salomons (go ultralight!). I only wear trail runners though so can’t speak to the boots but they seem pretty great from what I’ve seen. The Speedcross series are great and they’ve made the toe box wider which is really a bonus.
 
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I know that it’s small fry compared with everything else discussed in this thread, but I discovered Raven Run in Fayette Co KY last week, and never thought something that cool existed. Some great trails to hike for a few hours.
 
Merrell's used to be really good mid grade quality but they've slipped over the years. My next pair will be Keens. These are for work. I don't hike like I used to. Need to get back in it. I was always a Gorge guy. I've been numerous times over the past 30 years and have done some excellent hikes. Get the book called The Hinterlands. It's got all the unofficial trails in it.
 
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Currently on a west coast adventure. Did a great hike at Ten Falls Trail which is in Silver Falls State Park near Salem Oregon. Incredible! Highly recommended if you’re ever out on the left coast.

We’ve also done half a dozen fantastic hikes in the redwoods of Northern California. First time here and the giant redwoods are jaw dropping. Tomorrow, Muir Woods National Monument just outside of San Fran. Can’t wait! John Muir is quite the hero of ours (me and girlfriend) ever since we’ve been avid hikers over the last 10+ years. Hoping to get a John Muir themed tattoo some time soon.
 
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