Awesome. I'll be the tall dork with the beard

3/22/2010 6:24:27 PM

Quote :

"Nerdchick - I've done a bunch of dried salsas, spagetti sauces, and that kind of thing in the past. They all worked great, and are some of the few things I'd actually go through the trouble to dry and include in a maildrop."

mmmm sounds good. Definitely better than the powdered sauce me and Erik would buy.

I'd be nervous about making mail drops in advance though! All I can think of is the giant bag of banana chips I bought for our first (10 day!!) leg of the trail. I got sick of them after 2 days - good thing I didn't buy a full supply and mail it along! There's a happy ending though. I traded the chips to a summer camp kid for a Snickers bar ... what a dumbass!!

3/22/2010 7:09:09 PM

anyone ever use the Cadac safari grill? I am looking for a good propane grill that I can use at tailgates and when truck camping. This thing is cool because it is big enough for what I want to use (I'm not trying to cook for 15 people at a time) and it comes with multiple cooking surfaces... here is a link:

http://www.rei.com/product/799799

If it isn't a piece of crap, it is exactly what I want. I'm just wondering if anyone has dealt with it and can weigh in on the durability/craftsmanship of it


I mean, I like the coleman double burners, but once I end up buying the extra cooking surfaces, it is still more expensive than this, and it is a little bigger than I need (when i borrow them, i only end up using one burner anyway)

3/22/2010 7:16:06 PM

Looks like a cool grill. I'd rock it.

Nerdchick - I hear ya on maildrops. I had 21 on the AT, and I've just ate my first bowl of oatmeal in 10 years as a result. I'd be OK with throwing in some dried corn, salsa, and tomato paste in my map drops, but the hell with sending full-blown staples. You can get mac n cheese at any damn gas station on the trail. We've been cooking on fire alot more lately, so that opens up more options to cook "real food" too.

3/22/2010 7:39:40 PM

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_66610460000P?vName=Gifts&psid=FROOGLE01&sName=All&cName=Lawn&sid=IDx20070921x00003a

^^ I've had one of these for about 12 years now. In college it served as my balcony/tailgating/car camping grill. Now it only gets used on overnight car camping trips, but I've definitely got my money's worth out of it. At around 1/2 the price of the one at REI I'd seriously consider it unless it is missing some feature that you really think you'll need.

3/23/2010 11:58:10 PM

So I am really hankering to see some mountain flowers in a huge meadow or bald (I am a softy at heart and want some pictures). Does anyone have any recommendations for locations/time of the year for this type of thing?

3/24/2010 1:28:20 PM

Roan highlands, around early-mid June. You and everyone else will be up there, but it's gorgeous.

3/25/2010 8:29:52 AM

^agreed...Roan is the shiiiiit. Also, max patch, just north of the smokeys is a bald mountain with a great view of the smokies. I'd probably hit up Roan though.

Graceland highlands would be good too. Ferrell Ponies!!!

3/25/2010 11:10:23 AM

Quote :

"Graceland highlands would be good too. Ferrell Ponies!!!"

Lemme translate this one for you, Doz.

"Grayson Highlands would be cool too. Feral ponies!"

3/25/2010 11:12:38 AM

lol....thanks for translating

I can understand spelling feral wrong, but grayson......yeah, mind was somewhere else i guess.

[Edited on March 25, 2010 at 11:21 AM. Reason : d]

3/25/2010 11:19:14 AM

too many unintentional music references in one sentence!

3/25/2010 11:23:24 AM

Quote :

"Grayson Highlands would be cool too. Feral ponies!"

+1

you can literally go right up to them and pet them, though i wouldn't recommend it (it's probably okay since they have a lot of experience with humans, but you never know)...below is from a few months ago

3/25/2010 12:12:02 PM

OMG, ponies for the win!

3/25/2010 3:55:39 PM

TheBullDoza tried to ride one!! what happened to LNT?? shame on him

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/video/video.php?v=605278030929

3/25/2010 6:29:29 PM

the only trace that may have been left was the dent where TBD's shoulder hit the dirt.

3/25/2010 7:19:58 PM

one of the LNT principles is not to mess with the wildlife, n00b

3/25/2010 7:45:20 PM

Quote :

"let the cowboys ride!!"

3/25/2010 8:22:30 PM

lol ... you gotta let 'em ride!

but cowboys don't ride ponies, silly

3/25/2010 8:48:28 PM

gotta make due with what you have!!

3/25/2010 8:55:36 PM

I like how TheBullDoza went from a "pass every blaze" AT purist to "how about I just ride this pony some of the way"

3/25/2010 9:11:00 PM

antagonize all you want!!!..lol...i did think about aquablazing

3/25/2010 9:32:44 PM

If I recall correctly, you carried Daisy Duke up Moxie Bald in a most unconventional way!!!

3/25/2010 9:49:34 PM

Quote :

"wildlife"

they're not domesticated, but they're not really wild, either (IMO, anyway)...they have more direct human interaction than some stray dogs

3/26/2010 8:06:28 AM

Those photos of the ponies look straight out of a fairy tale. What kind of bushes are those? they are beautiful.

I'm hiking up St. Helen's this weekend!

3/26/2010 12:51:50 PM

Cool!! Take pictures! Can you camp out there?

3/26/2010 3:43:08 PM

Quote :

"Those photos of the ponies look straight out of a fairy tale. What kind of bushes are those? they are beautiful."

They're covered in ice/snow.

This is us at Mt. Rogers back in Feb the weekend that Raleigh got hit with a bunch of snow:



you can see the bushes in the background

3/27/2010 12:40:36 AM

^ lol, I should have figured...



we made it! beautiful hike, only took 7 hours up. 4 hours getting down, because you just sit down and ass-sled the whole way

3/29/2010 12:35:34 PM

So my kayak/camping trip has now moved to the Roanoke River. We'll be putting in near Williamston, jumping on the Roanoke, taking Devil's Gut southeast, rejoining the Roanoke and taking out at Jamesville. We'll be staying one night at the Barred Owl Roost river camping platform. Couldn't be more excited about this trip.

Here's a map (zoom out one click, left one click): http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=35.831036,-76.923866&spn=0.060958,0.113297&t=h&z=13&om=0

3/29/2010 2:00:52 PM

^ very cool. Let us know how it goes

3/29/2010 2:29:28 PM

We almost that same trip over New Year's. I love that section!

http://sourcetosea.net/roanoke-river-kayaking/

http://sourcetosea.net/new-years-on-the-roanoke-river/

3/29/2010 3:09:04 PM

we did 12 miles at linville gorge this past weekend...had a great time

3/29/2010 4:00:17 PM

I have much love for Linville Gorge. Can't wait to get back there sometime soon.

3/29/2010 5:46:26 PM

^^ the colors in those pics are so pretty!!!

especially the last one

3/29/2010 9:17:13 PM

Quote :

"I have much love for Linville Gorge. Can't wait to get back there sometime soon."

since that was my first time, i had no love...now i have much love, too

Quote :

"the colors in those pics are so pretty!!! especially the last one "

inorite...i'll bet it's even better in the fall or summer...i'd be lying if i didn't admit that there's SOME vibrance/saturation tweaks in those pictures, but it's minimal...my point and shoot doesn't have a UV filter on it (obviously) and i didn't take my DSLR, so the pictures come out a bit hazier or more dull...i try to ONLY put into them what the camera didn't capture

but yeah, i really liked the contrast of colors in the last one

3/30/2010 9:01:33 AM

Can someone with a mummy bag give me 5-10 minutes with their bag?

I'm concerned that I'll hate feeling constrained by one, and would like to know for sure.

Preferably some time this week.

4/5/2010 4:50:45 PM

go to rei and try one out. that's what they're there for

4/5/2010 4:53:06 PM

if you don't like being constrained, try a quilt. They have a foot pocket but are otherwise like a blanket. I made my own from this kit. Erik has the 1-person version at his apt if you want to try it.

http://www.rayjardine.com/ray-way/Quilt-Kit/index.htm

4/5/2010 8:41:09 PM

i'm sure this costs more than making your own, but i do not have the patience or time to be that crafty...

look into the thermarest sleep system w/ the fitted sheet & tech blanket. they make a cold weather version too. it's the pad + a fitted sheet that has snaps. the blanket is like half a sleeping bag and can snap to the sheet, and you can pull the drawstring at the bottom if your feet do get cold. it'd be perfect if you're backpacking. the fitted sheet can go on any brand of rectangular pad. i <3 mine.

this is a pic w/ the summer weight (tech blanket) version snapped all the way on and w/ the drawstring pulled, but you get the idea


here's the colder one (ventra blanket)

4/6/2010 8:22:10 AM

it also depends on the mummy bag...christine's post reminded me to throw up my "old" (used once or twice) -10°F slumberjack mummy bag on craigslist, but that bag has much more room than my new down bag

the disadvantage, of course, is that it's comparatively larger and heavier, but it gives more room

4/6/2010 8:34:50 AM

Mount Rogers a couple of years ago:




http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/9205/pan1c.jpg


http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/5094/pan7c.jpg



[Edited on April 6, 2010 at 9:48 AM. Reason : ]

4/6/2010 9:46:43 AM

Z and I are camping at an NPS site with no running water and vault toilets.

I have braces; I have to brush my teeth if I eat anything. Food in the rinsewater and such.

I'll ask the ranger to be sure this is safe (bears), but all I can come up with is to dump the water from brushing my teeth (into a bowl), food particles and all, into the toilet. I do have to use toothpaste. I expect I'll get the brush my teeth from a bottle of water outside bit mastered on the way there.

Anyone got any better suggestions?

4/11/2010 11:08:17 AM

what National park is it?


I've only really heard of people being that careful out West. And even then I would say you are being more careful than most of the people that camp in bear country.



Personally I would just walk a good ways from camp (200-300yds?) and brush my teeth regularly.

[Edited on April 11, 2010 at 11:28 AM. Reason : .]

4/11/2010 11:25:19 AM

^ what he said. Unless you're going into a really high bear area, I wouldn't go through all that.

4/11/2010 12:18:40 PM

Rocky mtn NP

4/11/2010 4:29:24 PM

although ive never camped at the park you are going to be in, you should be fine brushing your teeth normally a good distance from your campsite. And remember to keep your toothpaste tube with your food stuff.

Forgot to mention I have camped in Yellowstone and other parks in CO and WY and always brushed my teeth there.

[Edited on April 11, 2010 at 4:43 PM. Reason : a]

4/11/2010 4:42:41 PM

i just swallow the toothpaste when backpacking

4/11/2010 4:56:24 PM

Thanks

^toothpaste makes me want to vomit anyways. I think I'll pass.

^^Camping in yellowstone/GTNP and glacier was a whole new level of bear awareness for us

4/11/2010 5:09:43 PM

it's gross ... but you could always save the spitwater in a tupperware that you stuff in the car at night.

could be worse. when rafting the grand canyon you're required to pack out all pee and poo

4/11/2010 9:00:26 PM

Quote :

"when rafting the grand canyon you're required to pack out all pee and poo "

by law? meh...i'm huge anti-litter/LNT advocate, but pee and poo are harmless in small quantities and will degrade rapidly in the environment...i'll be honest, i wouldn't do it if i could get away with it

*shrug*

4/12/2010 8:02:11 AM

Quote :

"i'm huge anti-litter/LNT advocate"

Weren't you the one suggesting we throw all our wrappers/trash in the creek at the last campsite? You said that it would wash away and we wouldn't have to deal with it.

</libel>

4/12/2010 9:44:11 AM