Hiking/Backpacking

[plcsp]

Who here goes hiking or backpacking? I've been wanting to start doing it, I work at a huge outfitters store so I get all the discounts and stuff.

Where do you guys go in the midsouth?

I would probably go for the weekend, maybe spend one or two nights out at a time. Starting out I am going to just go for the day and hike for a while, then I will move onto spending the night or climbing instead of flat land.

What do you guys take with you in terms of food and stuff? Anything you wanna throw in for me would be appreciated, I have a book that tells me all the trails in the country and what to look for around there, just wondering what everyone else does.

Also brand recommendations on equipment? Cost doesn't matter.

[slackdaddy]

The Red River Gorge area here in central/eastern KY is a hikers mecca. Most of the trails are foot traffic only so you don't have to walk through horse crap. Trailside camping is allowed most everywhere but you have to be so many feet from the trail with your camp.

I just do day hikes when I go so I can't help you out with the gear. I use a Camelback with a 100 ounce bladder full of water and carry a bottle or two of Gatoraide, a PB&J and a couple of bagels. I can go 6-8 hours on that.

[Hurc]

I am going to Table Rock in "the point" area of western South Carolina.

Really nice area an a fairly good hike as well for those of us close to the coast.

[fat_tyre_flyer]

I guess you could say i've done a few hikes... longest one was 15 days in South-West Tasmania (Australia).

I took 17 days worth of food (pack was about 36kg at the beginning)... not particularly advisable to go this heavy but we wanted to avoid a plane food drop.

Anyway, lets just say that I'd had enough pasta\rice\dried vegetables to last me a while. I tried to get my hands on all the dried vegetables I could. They can be expensive though... if you plan on doing a bit of hiking then read up on how to dry them yourself. I made my own beef-jerky though.

Meat was a problem as well... cans weigh alot so there is only so much you can carry. Tuna and dried meat were the best options. If you like milk, take some milk powder. Makes breakfast (oats) a little tastier at times.

Pasta+sauce gets a little tedious by itself... I took soup packets (powder) and added pasta to that for something different.

Lunch I would usually take pita-bread or cracker-bread, with peanut butter or whatever else is easy to spread on.

Really though, if you are only going for weekends at the beginning then you can be a bit more liberal about what you take. More or less what will fit in the backpack and what you can carry.

As far as equipment goes, I can recommend a bunch of stuff but most of it is local to Australia/New Zealand so thats probably no help to you.

If you want to know anything more in particular then ask away!

[Snoopis]

I lost my first attempt at posting, so please excuse me if this is short.

Flashlight with new batteries(I store them separately), and glow sticks. Even for a day trip, because you never know(ask me how I know).

Extra food and water/gatorade. You may be out longer than expected due to injury or just poor planning. Or you might run into another hiker who didn't bring enough.

First aid kit. Toilet paper. Small knife. GPS. One of those shiny space blankets.

[Points]

I like the mountain house lasagna, that freeze dried ziploc pouch that takes boiling water. So much better dinner than my old pack-in food.

I got a hiker pro water filter-works good, used to do iodine but it sucked waiting for the treatment and water wasn't clear after running thu a bandana-lots of un appetizing sediment.

led headlamps are more camp friendly vs flashlights and last forever on a pair of battteries.

my stove is an msr whisperlite, priming liquid, sometimes I think a pocket rocket butane fuel would be nice. but half-full fuel cans and hot spots suck. so does not being able to simmer on my whisperlite.

I have a north face rock tent, it is kinda heavy, but has 2 vestubiles and a lot of protection. worth the weight I guess.

GPS unit is nice, although I'm more likely to get lost traveling faster on a bike.
good for marking locations and it has games. I have a garmin vista and it would suck w/o the topo layers which may cost 100 extra for software.

coffee and a french press. oh, and tp with reading material

I camp mid to southern mountains of the carolinas,; usually make a flyfishing trip of it. a couple of days.

[plcsp]

What has been the perspective of carrying firearms with a permit while yall were out hiking? My friend is really into it and he said people out on the trails get pissed off when people carry. I don't see what the big deal is if you have a permit, I'm not going to be out in the mountains where any animal can attack me because they are with their young or pissed off at me for coming in their area and not have my .45

[Snoopis]

I would say screw what other people think. If you want to carry, and it's legal, go for it. And if you have a concealed carry permit, well it's concealed, so nobody knows. I guess that's also true if you don't have a permit, but I'm not telling you to break the law.

I usually bring a pistol when I hike, but it's for protection from the 2-legged critters, not the 4-legged. You never know who you're gonna run into, especially if you're in an area where people are looking for gold or something. Or you could find some hidden meth lab.

[plcsp]

Yeah I would wear it regardless of what people thought, just wanted to hear opinions anyway. I wanted to carry it on a thigh holster but I imagine it would be bumping around too much and it would get tiring.

[jsewell0203]

I always carry a pistol when I hike and a good knife. For lots of reasons. You don't strap it to your leg for the world to see. So I don't know who would get upset about it.

What area are you talking about when you say mid-south?

[jsewell0203]

Originally Posted by Points

I like the mountain house lasagna, that freeze dried ziploc pouch that takes boiling water. So much better dinner than my old pack-in food.

I got a hiker pro water filter-works good, used to do iodine but it sucked waiting for the treatment and water wasn't clear after running thu a bandana-lots of un appetizing sediment.

led headlamps are more camp friendly vs flashlights and last forever on a pair of battteries.

my stove is an msr whisperlite, priming liquid, sometimes I think a pocket rocket butane fuel would be nice. but half-full fuel cans and hot spots suck. so does not being able to simmer on my whisperlite.

I have a north face rock tent, it is kinda heavy, but has 2 vestubiles and a lot of protection. worth the weight I guess.

GPS unit is nice, although I'm more likely to get lost traveling faster on a bike.
good for marking locations and it has games. I have a garmin vista and it would suck w/o the topo layers which may cost 100 extra for software.

coffee and a french press. oh, and tp with reading material

I camp mid to southern mountains of the carolinas,; usually make a flyfishing trip of it. a couple of days.

It's amazing how good the freeze dried food is when you are freezing your butt off and tired. Hunger is the best sauce, they say.

Got to have the french press on the trail and the water filter is the shiz-nit. I also like granola bars and protein bars. They are easy to pack in and eat while you are moving. Stopping every hour or so kind of bites. I like to cover a lot of ground.

[plcsp]

Originally Posted by jsewell0203

I always carry a pistol when I hike and a good knife. For lots of reasons. You don't strap it to your leg for the world to see. So I don't know who would get upset about it.

What area are you talking about when you say mid-south?

Sorry, the news here says "midsouth" alot so it has become a term I'm used to. I'm talking about TN and the states that border it.

[TDetroit]

Great extended hiking/backpacking. Check out the appalachian national park.

http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/u...l/appalach.htm

http://www.nps.gov/appa

[jsewell0203]

Originally Posted by plcsp

Sorry, the news here says "midsouth" alot so it has become a term I'm used to. I'm talking about TN and the states that border it.

I am jealous. I live in SC, so I go north to the foothills trail, just inside the northern border of SC to hit the foothills of the Appalachians 'The Blue Hills of God' as the Cherokee used to call them. Absolutely awesome hiking country.

Anywhere on the App Trail is heaven. The only exersize other than sex, that you will love every minute of, provided you are prepared and properly equipped. Losing the trail in the snow, with frozen wet boots does kind of bite.

[Teeko]

I go hiking around ohio alot at the state parks, you want a good workout try indoor rock climbing. It'll have your muscles pumped and your heart goin, great workout and it's fun

[Teeko]

if you want some food that gives you alot of calories and won't take up space in your backpack try gettin some MRE's (meals ready to eat) depending what you get they can be great. I ate alot of them when I was deployed last year. I think they have like 1200 calories per meal. You just need a lil water to warm it up.

[jsewell0203]

MRE's are loaded with fat, which boosts the calories up and makes them a good choice for hiking.

A better option in my opinion is the Atkins Advantage protein bars. Chocolate chip is awesome (sweetened with Splenda) and they have 240 calories each in an almost featherweight bar. You can pack 20 of those guys in a gallon zip-loc and it does'nt take much space at all.

Easy to eat on the move with minimal packaging hassle.

[resurrected]

I love hiking If my hips would stop hurting. I used to hike the appalachian trail when I was younger. I want to do it again.

[jsewell0203]

Originally Posted by resurrected

I love hiking If my hips would stop hurting. I used to hike the appalachian trail when I was younger. I want to do it again.

It is odd you say that. The last time I went hiking my left hip socket seemed to start hurting the second day. That never happended before. Of course we had covered a lot of ground on a steep course and I had not hiked in a while.

I get some very strange pains in odd places whenever I let too much time lapse between long runs or hikes.

[Hallock]

How much do decent one man tents usually run? I am considering getting into hiking this summer, something like 2-3 days if I can.

*Edit*

Also, how do you make the 'hutchie' with tarps?

[WrongSideof40]

I backpack a lot here in Texas .... usually in the summer months. I got back into it about 6 years ago.

The funny thing is that there's no age thing on the trail ... everybody is just doing their own thing.

I've done week long trips into the Wind River Range, White Mountain Wilderness and Bandiler National Mounument in New Mex, The Ouchita Mountains in Arkansas, etc, and too many long weekends to count.

Headed to the Pecos Wilderness this Summer ...

Life takes on a whole new meaning above 7000 feet.

Several ground rules:

Stay warm ... most deaths in the backcountry occur because of hypothermia
Stay Dry ... see above
Stay Hydrated ... you can go two days without water, but I wouldn't recommend it.
Get a decent map and compass, but make darn sure that you leave a copy of your itenerary with someone you trust .. .just in case.
You can go for three weeks without food .... so it's the last thing to worry about.

As far as equipment goes, it depends on how much backpacking you'd like to do, how long you plan on being out, season, and how much weight you'd like to carry.

You can spend anywhere from a couple of hundred bucks for a good setup to thousands on specialty gear. Or, you can go a cheap as about $50.

The cheapest way is to grab a roll of 10 ft wide 4 mil plastic for both a tarp and groundcloth, some mason's line, and a cheap backpack and mummy sleeping bag from Wal-mart. I wouldn't recommend being out in temps less than 40 degrees with this setup, however. A blue sleeping pad is ok if you pick a soft spot to set it on. It's more for insulation than anything.

Eureka makes a decent tent for under $100 bucks .. .but stay away from the wal-mart tents and the like. Being 5 miles away from your car in a leaking tent in the middle of the night is one quick way to ruin a campout and piss you off.

An empty vegetable tin can is great for a cook pot (punch a couple of holes in the top and put a piece of coathanger as a "bail" so you can handle it when it's hot) and you can google "alcohol stoves" to find a place with instructions on making your own stove. Walmart will sell freeze dried foods ... it's hard to go wrong with these when you're starting out. Protein bars, Advantage bars, and Clif bars are great for breakfast and snacks. Protein shakes are hard to clean out of your water containers ... I'd stay away from them. You'll be burning more carbs, so stay with your protein intake, but up your carbs and fat intake. Make sure you eat some fat and carbs before bed ... they'll keep you warm all night. It's not uncommon to 600 to 800 calories per hour on rugged trails.

Don't wear cotton if the temps will drop below 60 .... use the wal-mart brand of underarmor shirts, nylon workout pants, tennis shoes, and a fleece top for warmth. A knit hat will go a long way to keeping your head warm. Wool socks are great.

For water purification, I would recommend Aqua Mira drops or tablets, Iodine doesn't kill all the baddies in the water and tastes funny ... filters are expensive. Aqua Mira costs about $12 for enough to treat 40 gallons ... I've used it for years with no problems .... google it.

Toss in three or four gatorade quart bottles for water storage and a rain poncho and you're good to go.

Lastly ... a small knife is worth it's weight in gold ... also pick up a small bottle of lighter fluid (the stuff they use to refill zippo cigarette lighters with) .... that stuff, along with a couple of butane lighters, can start just about anything on fire (make sure to be careful where you start a fire ... being caught in a grass fire s_cks).

And don't forget a roll of toilet paper in a ziplock bag .... wiping your A_s with grass isn't fun.

Campmor.com is a great equipment resource

[WrongSideof40]

Originally Posted by Hallock

How much do decent one man tents usually run? I am considering getting into hiking this summer, something like 2-3 days if I can.

*Edit*

Also, how do you make the 'hutchie' with tarps?

Take the corner of a piece of plastic and a smooth pebble. Put the pebble in a pouch you make by folding the corner of the plastic and tie a piece of mason's line or paracord around the pebble.

This will attach the line to the tarp so you can attach it to trees, tent stakes, and the like.

Experiement in your back yard first and find a configuration you like ... tie the middle of one of the long sides up to a tree, then stake down the corners using the pebble and line method. This is the simplest form of tarp and is pretty weather resistant if you use at least a 8 x 10 foot piece of tarp or plastic.

Also .... whiteblaze.net is a great resource to ask questions about tarps and camping.

If you decide to tarp it, don't forget a bug headnet or you won't get any sleep. Walmart sells them for about $2 in the camping section.

[Tyrbolift]

I lived most of my life in colorado and have done a lot of hiking and camping. I always preferred to find outlying areas that were "parkable" rather than backpack in anywhere. I guess it's just more fun for me if I can take more stuff. From wherever we camp is where we get all our hiking in.

Always bring along LOTS of water. If you have a vehicle to access from the campsite, you can never bring too much, and you go through a lot more than you'd suspect. For a weekend, or 2 or 3 days, at least 2-5 gallon containers, plus a few canteens or water bottles.

Also, nobody here has mentioned any tools. a good hatchet, pliers, nails, hammer, rope, shovel.

A good size grate or similar to place over a well dug pit fire surrounded by rocks.

Always hang your trash or put it in the car. do not bring it in the tent. Bears can smell it.

I hate instant coffee, so I just bring a good sized strainer and paper filters and boil water, either on the stove or the fire, and just hand pour it through into another pan.

btw: it's really handy, when burning a fire, to always keep a good-sized pan of water on or near the rocks of the fire, so you always have warm water at the ready for washing yourself, dishes, or making coffee!

As wonderful as outdoor cooking tastes, the ease and hassle-free convenience of cans of beef stew or chili from the store is great. Sometimes after a long hike, the last thing you want to do is slave over cooking.

[jsewell0203]

Originally Posted by WrongSideof40

I backpack a lot here in Texas .... usually in the summer months. I got back into it about 6 years ago.

The funny thing is that there's no age thing on the trail ... everybody is just doing their own thing.

I've done week long trips into the Wind River Range, White Mountain Wilderness and Bandiler National Mounument in New Mex, The Ouchita Mountains in Arkansas, etc, and too many long weekends to count.

Headed to the Pecos Wilderness this Summer ...

Life takes on a whole new meaning above 7000 feet.

Several ground rules:

Stay warm ... most deaths in the backcountry occur because of hypothermia
Stay Dry ... see above
Stay Hydrated ... you can go two days without water, but I wouldn't recommend it.
Get a decent map and compass, but make darn sure that you leave a copy of your itenerary with someone you trust .. .just in case.
You can go for three weeks without food .... so it's the last thing to worry about.

As far as equipment goes, it depends on how much backpacking you'd like to do, how long you plan on being out, season, and how much weight you'd like to carry.

You can spend anywhere from a couple of hundred bucks for a good setup to thousands on specialty gear. Or, you can go a cheap as about $50.

The cheapest way is to grab a roll of 10 ft wide 4 mil plastic for both a tarp and groundcloth, some mason's line, and a cheap backpack and mummy sleeping bag from Wal-mart. I wouldn't recommend being out in temps less than 40 degrees with this setup, however. A blue sleeping pad is ok if you pick a soft spot to set it on. It's more for insulation than anything.

Eureka makes a decent tent for under $100 bucks .. .but stay away from the wal-mart tents and the like. Being 5 miles away from your car in a leaking tent in the middle of the night is one quick way to ruin a campout and piss you off.

An empty vegetable tin can is great for a cook pot (punch a couple of holes in the top and put a piece of coathanger as a "bail" so you can handle it when it's hot) and you can google "alcohol stoves" to find a place with instructions on making your own stove. Walmart will sell freeze dried foods ... it's hard to go wrong with these when you're starting out. Protein bars, Advantage bars, and Clif bars are great for breakfast and snacks. Protein shakes are hard to clean out of your water containers ... I'd stay away from them. You'll be burning more carbs, so stay with your protein intake, but up your carbs and fat intake. Make sure you eat some fat and carbs before bed ... they'll keep you warm all night. It's not uncommon to 600 to 800 calories per hour on rugged trails.

Don't wear cotton if the temps will drop below 60 .... use the wal-mart brand of underarmor shirts, nylon workout pants, tennis shoes, and a fleece top for warmth. A knit hat will go a long way to keeping your head warm. Wool socks are great.

For water purification, I would recommend Aqua Mira drops or tablets, Iodine doesn't kill all the baddies in the water and tastes funny ... filters are expensive. Aqua Mira costs about $12 for enough to treat 40 gallons ... I've used it for years with no problems .... google it.

Toss in three or four gatorade quart bottles for water storage and a rain poncho and you're good to go.

Lastly ... a small knife is worth it's weight in gold ... also pick up a small bottle of lighter fluid (the stuff they use to refill zippo cigarette lighters with) .... that stuff, along with a couple of butane lighters, can start just about anything on fire (make sure to be careful where you start a fire ... being caught in a grass fire s_cks).

And don't forget a roll of toilet paper in a ziplock bag .... wiping your A_s with grass isn't fun.

Campmor.com is a great equipment resource

Awesome advice...Campmor is the best website period, by the way...

[jsewell0203]

I picked up a book last week called 'Tecumseh' by Allan Eckert.

Awesome book if you love the outdoors. It is an amazing read about the Ohio river Valley, Kentucky and all the Indian frontier during the Revolution. Lots of great anecdotal info about how the Indians thrived and survived in the wild with great success.

Also a wealth of info about the early frontiersmen, Boone, Kenton and the like.

[WrongSideof40]

Originally Posted by jsewell0203

Awesome advice...Campmor is the best website period, by the way...

Yes ... I've done it a time or two

I'm planning my Pecos wilderness trip now, so a lot of this info is on my mind anyway.

Another tip for a decent shelter is to find an old inexpensive wal-mart pup tent, replace the stakes with aluminum ones and the poles with your hiking poles, then string your poncho over it for rain.

The Pup tent becomes a great bug barrier and the poncho keeps off the rain.

Can save you a lot of cash.

[jsewell0203]

I found that hiking allows me to do several things that life typically conspires against.

Time with friends and family. I get to hike with good friends and family that I enjoy spending time with and we actually get to have some great, quality time together.

Exersize without realizing it. It is one of the only activities that allow you to burn massive amounts of calories without realizing it. Because you are having so much darn fun. I do at least. Some of the guys that have gone with me have failed to 'experience the joy' of hiking 8-10 miles in a day, then getting up and doing it again the next day.

Takes me back to being a kid. When I was young we used to roam the backwoods of Missouri and 'explore' as we called it. That is when land was open for miles and miles and miles and miles and we would try to go further and further each day. Those were awesome times.

Retain real skills that sharpen the mind and body. When you are faced with physical obstacles, objectives, challenges and forced to overcome those challenges with mental and physical creativity, it develops your mind in a way that modern people rarely get a chance to enjoy. We are slowly becoming dumber, because of all our technology.

On top of all that I just love nature. It is beautiful. I actually have a hard time coming back from my hikes. I want to, but I don't want to.