saw a few collapsed arches while I was there - it's inevitable, but I can only imagine that it's a long process leading up to the actual collapse, and that most will stick around well past our lifetimes

okay maybe not Landscape Arch:



[Edited on April 13, 2010 at 11:17 PM. Reason : ;]

4/13/2010 11:14:55 PM

FYI: National Parks Week is Apr 17-25.

During this time you can get into any National Park for FREE

http://www.nps.gov/npweek/

Here is a list of all parks that will be free:
http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparksbystate.htm

[Edited on April 13, 2010 at 11:21 PM. Reason : a]

4/13/2010 11:19:52 PM

Quote :

"I prefer the pilot-to-bombardier, so me and TheBullDoza can just lean back and use each others backs for support."

aren't both of you the bombardier????

4/15/2010 10:38:51 PM

you people who make or know about making your own gear: what is the best silnylon/ripstop/cordura type product to make a footprint out of? nobody sells a footprint for my marmot titan 2p and i'm thinking of making one. i've been browsing these outdoor fabrics websites and i have no clue what i need or what is the best.

or i'm open to other suggestions...

5/7/2010 11:29:48 AM

tyvec?

5/7/2010 12:31:18 PM

I can't believe I haven't found this thread yet.

Here's a spreadsheet I made 10 years ago and been tweaking it ever since:

Backpacking Gear & Food Spreadsheet:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/425649/Backpacking%20Gear%20%26%20Food%20Checklist.xlsx

* optimized for 2-pages duplex 8.5x11 landscape
* color coded categories
* conditional formatting for weight
* includes a page for food ideas, shopping list
* instructions:
1) just change the gear out for your own along with your gear's specs
2) change the column (y/n) and the weight will be calc'd automatically

5/7/2010 12:37:16 PM

i use 6 mil (i think) painter's plastic...comes in a roll of 20ftx100ft (i think) for ~$20 at wally world

cheap, recyclable, easy to cut...i'm still using the piece i cut for my eureka backcountry more than 10 years ago

i suppose it's a bit heavier than silnylon, but it's much easier to work with and will last longer (imo)



[Edited on May 7, 2010 at 12:42 PM. Reason : image]

5/7/2010 12:41:20 PM

^I thought the same thing, they also come in thicker mils and smaller sizes for $5-$10 at Home Depot or Lowes, the only thing is you can cut it pretty easy, but should hold up and is waterproof

5/7/2010 1:03:15 PM

yeah, i can't remember which thickness i have...even though it's probably heavier than silnylon, it's not SIGNIFICANTLY heavier...the biggest disadvantage is that you can't wad it up very easily...best bet is to fold or roll it

in my experience, silnylon doesn't do very well on contact with wet and uneven surfaces...too prone to holes and moisture transfer...again, just my experience

5/7/2010 3:18:31 PM

awesome. thanks for the spreadsheet. and plastic sheeting it is!

5/7/2010 4:48:15 PM

re: sheeting. you don't need 6mil, 4 mil is much lighter and will hold up just as well.

also someone recommended Tyvek, it's less slippery than plastic and very durable. they use it to wrap houses with. Since you just need a small piece you can probably talk some construction workers into giving it to you for free (especially if you're a girl!!)

5/8/2010 9:28:06 AM

awesome. i'll look into the tyvek. i work in the architecture/construction field.

5/8/2010 9:40:31 AM

lol..MUCH LIGHTEr!!

5/8/2010 9:59:10 AM

tested out my new backpack at umstead this morning and now Im looking forward to making some trips to the mountains. Anyone made trip plans for this summer already?

5/8/2010 10:44:21 AM

^ we're doing black balsam knob to cold mountain over memorial day weekend (last weekend of may)...does that count?

5/8/2010 1:23:10 PM

^sick trip. Take Pictures!

5/8/2010 9:19:22 PM

we're going umm like hwy 19E to iron mtn starting june 17

[Edited on May 8, 2010 at 9:22 PM. Reason : engrish?]

5/8/2010 9:22:12 PM

Quote :

"lol..MUCH LIGHTEr!! "

LOL ... how about you talk to me when you can write a capital R

5/9/2010 7:27:27 AM

Random ?...for anyone that's done Art Loeb Trail...

1. How are water sources out there?
2. How much time did you put aside to hike the entire trail and back?

5/11/2010 3:33:39 PM

Never done the entire trail so Im not sure how long it will take. I think its ~30ish miles, so if you go there and back I'd say 4 full days at a medium pace?

water sources can be kinda scarce up on the ridge. There is a good spring downslope of the main trail probably a mile after you get into shining Rock wilderness (there is a big wooden sign for when you enter the wilderness area) but before you get to the actual Shining Rock. Its pretty hard to miss if you keep your eyes open, its right off the trail and there are a couple of obvious campsites around too. There could be others but it is the only one I have ever used.


Also Quagmire said he will be there over memorial day, so he may be able to give better directions

[Edited on May 11, 2010 at 3:54 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on May 11, 2010 at 3:55 PM. Reason : .]

5/11/2010 3:53:48 PM

has anybody had the dehydrated egg mix stuff? it looks scary, but if it's good then it'd be nice to have for breakfast

5/17/2010 9:39:15 AM

Quote :

"Random ?...for anyone that's done Art Loeb Trail... 1. How are water sources out there? 2. How much time did you put aside to hike the entire trail and back?"

Quote :

"Also Quagmire said he will be there over memorial day, so he may be able to give better directions"

i wish i could, but i'm not the one planning our memorial weekend trip...all i remember is that it's ~23 miles and we're leaving saturday morning and coming back monday (memorial day) night...shouldn't be as strenuous as linville, anyway

MeatStick, when are you planning on going?

5/17/2010 4:39:28 PM

FWIW, this is basically our trip: http://bicycling.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/392540

shouldn't be especially rough...at least, not nearly as "bad" as linville was

5/21/2010 10:04:58 AM

I plan on making as many Cold Mountain movie references as humanly possible. I will slip it in wherever possible.


[yes, I meant that both ways]

5/21/2010 10:12:14 AM

cold mountain? pfft.

more like brokeback mountain, amirite?

5/21/2010 10:16:21 AM

Only if Jon's down too.

5/21/2010 11:53:59 AM

Two weeks left until I move into the woods!

We talked to some lumber companies in the area and they are letting us stay on a piece of land right on the river. Super excited! 3 months of rent free living.


/Hippie

5/21/2010 12:10:51 PM

^ wait what? details!?!?


REI 20% Members coupon going on again FYI

[Edited on May 21, 2010 at 3:39 PM. Reason : a]

5/21/2010 3:38:52 PM

^ Two buddies an I are camping in the woods for 3 months. we're going to produce a cooking/foraging video blog (trapping and identifying edible plants) that also shows the juxtaposition of working a corporate job but living a bucolic life. Mostly I'm doing it to rattle my life up a little bit.

5/21/2010 4:58:12 PM

sooooooooo stoked about the art loeb/black balsam/cold mountain trip this weekend

5/25/2010 11:07:19 AM

i am going to be in asheville this weekend. does anyone have a suggestion for a good day hike in the area?

i found some info on the shut-in trail, but i dont know which section would be best. only trying to go a few miles and i want something with a decent place to take in the view (overlook or waterfall perhaps).

[Edited on May 25, 2010 at 11:34 AM. Reason : i wont be camping/backpacking but figred someone would have some insight...]

5/25/2010 11:32:49 AM

go to Grandfather Mountain or Chimney Rock....those are always fun places for a day hike

or Craggy Gardens

[Edited on May 25, 2010 at 11:41 AM. Reason : s]

5/25/2010 11:40:50 AM

Went to the Linville area last weekend and hiked/camped on the "Lost Cove Trail". It was awesome. Winded the river the whole time with multiple creek crossings, elevation changes, waterfalls, and just superbly serene surroundings. A+ trail, would hike again!

5/25/2010 11:44:07 AM

found a cool video on the Continental Divide Trail, two Brits hiked it and made a full-length movie that you can download for free. there are also shorter videos broken up by state. I downloaded the 2-hr version and although it took 2 days it was worth it. It's boring in parts but the scenery is spectacular throughout.

http://www.made-in-england.org/videos/cdt/

5/25/2010 10:15:49 PM

^^ I *love* the Wilson Creek area. We'll actually be there this weekend. Probably going down Hunt-Fish Falls trail, and we'll be camping in that wide open area next to Lost Cove Creek.

5/25/2010 11:00:42 PM

Sounds awesome. We actually started on the Hunt-Fish Falls trail before we picked up the other trail ( I wasnt navigating ). But I think I know the site you're talking about, looks like Sherwood forest. The base of those falls is awesome!

5/26/2010 3:55:41 PM

What are some good trails to check out near Sparta, NC?

5/27/2010 11:56:57 AM

I'm thinking of going to Mammoth Cave this weekend and want to go into the cave, should I just do the historic tour? What else should I look into doing?

5/27/2010 12:03:05 PM

^^ stone mountain state park (south) is a pretty decent hike...i really like new river state park (west), but i've never really hiked there, just used it as a waypoint when kayaking

5/27/2010 1:28:07 PM

Stone Mountain is a great spot...lots of trails of varying difficulty.

5/27/2010 1:39:17 PM

Thanks, I'll check it out.

5/27/2010 1:55:39 PM

did black balsam knob to cold mountain via investor and the art loeb...total trip was something around 18 miles (maybe a bit more) and i'll make available the GPS mapping if anyone's interested

we did 6 miles the first day (mostly investor) to our site just before deep gap...from there we took a "day hike" up to cold mountain for views and more water (6 miles round trip) and then packed up and hiked out another 6 miles mostly on the art loeb...we had planned on camping a second night, but we got caught in a downpour and by the time we reached the area we were planning on camping (one of the balds where the art loeb and investor meet up), the wind was whipping pretty bad and we decided to hike on to find a more protected area...by the time we found one, though, we were almost back to where we had left the cars and we just decided to go home

as always, i have to post pictures

6/1/2010 11:36:02 AM

I still say it was 16.something. And Jon was the one with the GPS.

6/1/2010 2:42:36 PM

^ we'll see when he finally gets around to mapping it out, WON'T WE?

6/1/2010 2:47:32 PM

That first pic looks great! nice clear air that day (or is that just more color-foolery )

6/1/2010 5:03:13 PM

^ i do very little post-processing...it was that clear while we were hiking up...the clouds didn't roll in until the second day when we got wet

that middle pic with the sun shining that looks like HDR isn't, either...just happened to be the way the sun hit

6/1/2010 5:45:08 PM

I think those pictures decide it. I was debating Art or John Muir Trail...I think Art wins for my July 4th hike trip.

6/2/2010 2:12:46 PM

As in the John Muir Trail in the Sierra Nevadas?

6/2/2010 4:17:29 PM

You should totally do the JMT!! If I had a chance to go out there I would for sure. Better views from being above treeline. If you need pics to convince you, there are plenty out there

It's also easier to start fires out there

6/2/2010 10:12:14 PM

i'm having issues with what to take as far as footwear. 4 day backpacking trip on the AT. first time backpacking.

i hate shoes. my feet & knees hate shoes too. i love my chaco flip flops and vibram fivefingers. i've hiked in glacier nat'l park in fivefingers but it was dry and i wasn't carrying anything besides a couple bottles of water and some lunch. i did some test backpacking (only a little more than 3 miles) with 30 lbs and VFFs...and that was great.

my concern is rain/mud and stomping down when descending. if it's going to pour for all 4 days then we won't go. i can hike with wet feet i guess and VFFs dry quickly. they don't have tread and that can leave me spinning tires in pinestraw and hard wet ground. they obviously don't have heel cushioning either.

what to do?

[Edited on June 2, 2010 at 10:58 PM. Reason : ]

6/2/2010 10:56:16 PM