The "Hike On!" thread of Hiking, Camping, Backpacking, and Outdoor Adventure

I did a bunch of hiking lat year around Washington State, but this is the year I’ll progress to some camping.

I just bought this off of REI (50% off). It’s a jetboil-like stove, but has its own integrated fuel container, so it’s perfect for those weekend trips.

https://www.rei.com/product/122016/kovea-refillable-ez-eco-stove

Good, in-depth review here
https://sectionhiker.com/kovea-ez-eco-refillable-canisterless-stove-review/

Permits aren’t too pricey: something like $10/person, but it’s typically a lottery. (One disadvantage of hiking in California is that 40 million people live here and anything you want to do and anytime you want to do it, someone else is bound to be doing it too.) We’re currently trying to organize a Mt. Whitney trip for August for 25-30 people. James is like an uber-organizer; he has a bunch of people all entering the lottery for the same dates and will coordinate entries if we get them. There’s like a spreadsheet and a sheet of instructions, etc.

That said, there are usually cancellations and it’s possible to get a day-of permit. I hiked Half-Dome, including up the cables to the summit last September. I had permits, but we totally could have hiked up to the ranger check-point and just waited for someone to show up with a few extra spots on their permit. There were a bunch of folks doing this, and the ranger said people typically didn’t have a problem getting in, provided they got there relatively early.

That actually looks pretty awesome to avoid having to bring fuel canisters. Hmmmm…

I recommend the review. He goes into all the pros and cons of the stove.

It’s perfect for a day hike or overnight trip. If you plan on a full weekend, you can also bring an extra cannister of fuel just in case, or if there’s two of you.

It also takes butane, which is dirt cheap, or conventional camper fuel for colder weather. Just don’t use pure propane; that would be extremely dangerous.

I like getting away but have never been backpacking. I don’t think anything I’ve done even qualifies as “hikes”, more like nature walks on national park trails (Yellowstone, Glacier, and Denali). I guess a few times get into “day hike” range but that’s it.

I’d be interested in doing some real overnight hikes into backcountry but face some issues: I’m older (40s, yikes), fatter, more out of shape, and sleeping on anything less than a super soft mattress gives horrid back pain.

That being said, I’m loving this thread and the trip reports! Please keep them coming!

Those sound like hikes to me:) “Day hike” just means any hike that’s not overnight. It doesn’t have to take all day.

FWIW I’m 42, and yeah sleeping on the ground ain’t too comfortable on these bones. That said, gotta get out there!

Upcoming PCT section hike this weekend:

This is desert. There are numerous crossings of the Agua Caliente Creek on the route, but it’s usually dry, just a low dusty spot on the trail. It’s been a rainy winter though, and apparently it’s currently thigh-high with swift flow. Should be exciting!

Hike Report: PCT Section B, Leg 1, Warner Springs to Chihuahua Rd.

March 9, 2019
17.8 miles (planned), 19.5 miles (actually hiked)

As posted above, the hike ascends from the tiny cattle town of Warner Springs, up through the Agua Caliente watershed and into the Anza Borrego desert wilderness. Starts at about 3000’ and ends at about 5000’.

This was a section hike so requires shuttling. I did this hike as part of a meetup, and by the morning of the hike, an initial interest of about 25 folks had been whittled down to 16 by fear of creek crossings, other commitments, and flakiness. The plan was to meet at the end of the hike on Chihuahua Rd, then use half of the cars to shuttle 35 minutes away to the beginning of the hike in Warner Springs. I got up bright and early at 4am and drove the two hours up into the unincorporated communities of San Diego County northeast of Temecula. The final 5 miles of the drive were on a sandy dirt road which had been made muddy and washboard with all of the rain we’ve been having this winter. Those 5 miles took me about 25 minutes to drive in my Honda Fit. It was cold up there with mist streaming off of the Santa Rosa mountains to the east and frozen water in the puddles on the road.

When I got to the PCT crossing precisely at the appointed meeting time of 7am, there was one other guy there. We waited for 30 minutes and no one else showed up. The other guy, Bryan, was able to get cell reception by hiking a few hundred yards up the road to near Mike Herrera’s place and determined that the whole rest of the group had been intimidated by the dirt road, turned around and driven back to Warner Springs to do an out-and-back hike from there. Byran and I decided that since we had two cars, we’d do our own section hike. We’d take my car to Warner Springs and leave his pickup to shuttle back after the hike. Decision made, we got moving and finally got on the trail in Warner Springs at about 8:10am, roughly 20 minutes behind the rest of our group.

There’s been a lot of rain this year, so the creek was running high and the typical coastal riparian landscape in the creek valley was lush and green.


There were some creek crossings to negotiate, but rock and log hopping prevented my feet from getting wet (mostly.)

We caught up with our group about 4 miles down the trail as they were finished up the final crossing of the Agua Caliente creek before the trail ascended up to run along a ridgeline for a bit. With Bryan and I, 12 of us actually made the hike.

As we climbed out onto the ridgeline the vegetation transitioned to the coastal chaparral that characterizes most of the San Diego County wilderness areas. The views were pretty incredible

Stopped for lunch beside a small spring where we ran into some PCT thru-hikers

At this point the 10 folks who had turned around on the dirt road decided they wanted to hike through, so we arranged to do a shuttle after the hike: Bryan would haul 3 people back to the cars with his pickup and they’d return to pick up the rest of us. Kind of an annoyance for me, since I’d done the drive, but it was nice to be able to hike as a group for the whole section.

Hiking up to the Anza Borrego desert, we got some great views of Hot Springs Mountain, with snow coating the trees peeking out from beneath its cloud cap.


And even the desert is pretty green right now. Here you can see Chihuahua Rd (where our hike was to end) winding its way through the landscape.

First sighting of Bryan’s pickup at the end of the hike. The PCT continues on the other side of the road.

Obligatory group photo. I’m the guy wearing a blue button-down and running shorts on the left.

So while Bryan hauled 3 dudes back to town to pick up the cars, the other 8 of us hiked down the road to meet them, adding about 3.5 miles to the ~16 we’d already hiked that day. About 19.5 miles total, which I think is my longest single-day hike ever by a couple of miles. It was a lot of fun, more beautiful than I thought it would be, and a great group to hike with. I’ve signed up to do the next section (a 2-day hike) with this group next month.

Incredibly interesting write-up! Read it while eating dinner last night! Can’t believe that people bailed and also were scared by the road (guess most people there don’t do too much in the way of roads like that), but most convenient concerning was that little shack! The hills have eyes!

I forget, do you use magic sticks on all hikes?

Trekking poles? I typically don’t use them on short and/or flat hikes. I wanted them for this one because I knew I’d be fording a creek several times and I like them for extra stability:

And I’ll use them backpacking because I just bought a tent that requires them for support. I do end up carrying the poles (instead of using them) about 60% of the time. (I actually have stow loops on both of my regular hiking packs, but don’t like to use the loops much because usually it’s more of a pain to stow them than to just carry them. That said, I do stow for 10-20% of a typical hike.) Poles are a tool that you have to develop a “feel” for: when they’re natural and useful to use, when you want them out of the way (they suck on narrow trails lined with brush), ways to handle them, etc. But they can definitely be worth it, especially when you’re tired and/or coming down a steep incline. Darwin Rakestraw, who is a big through-hike Youtuber, has abandoned one of his poles for his current through-hike of the 800 mile Arizona Trail:

If I’m by myself, hiking 6-10 miles (short distances), I tend to jog quite a bit of the hike, and don’t want the poles in my hand.

This is the bulk of my hikes, and why I’ve never gotten poles.

Though a few of the mountains are steep enough that I’ve considered it.

I’m starting to look into some backpacking camping gear.

I have camping gear already, but a lot of it is geared toward car camping.

I’m only planning on overnight trips. Mainly warmer weather, too. Going places like this
https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/barclay-lake

I already have an REI Trail 40 backpack.
https://www.rei.com/product/880839/rei-co-op-trail-40-pack-mens

I’m looking at this bundle at REI. It’s a tent, inflatable pad, and sleeping bag that comes in at a total of just under 9.5 pounds.
https://www.rei.com/product/127720/rei-co-op-backpacking-bundle

Ya’ll have already met my stove.

I’m thinking that should do it. Maybe an inflatable pillow? A decent trail towel.

Do I need a bear sack/can?

Great hike last Friday in the Cajas National Park (Ecuador). Only about 6 miles, but the elevation varies between 12,500 and 13,000 feet. Lots of up and down and low air pressure makes it a bit of a challenge. The real attraction is the sense of isolation and the scenery.

That looks awesome! I’d love to do some hiking in the South American high country. I visited Patagonia last year and loved it, but didn’t get to do much hiking (a couple of short 3 milers), but Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia look incredible.


I did a short hike/jog last night in Mission Trails Park (a couple of square miles of wilderness area inside the city of San Diego.) We’re starting to see desert wildflowers from all of the rain:



It’s only green for about 2 months every year. For reference, here’s what it looks like there more typically:

Take me? That’s just stunningly gawjus!

You’ll have to see how you sleep in that. I can’t abide mummy bags, so have taken to using a quilt. Consider that moving around in the middle of the night is super noisy, so you may want something that lets you sleep comfortably without shifting all the time. I’ve found that the quilt is great for this; I move less and sleep better. I’m also gonna be using that Thermarest compressible pillow that @Hal9000 described for single night trips. I have an inflatable for longer trips (pro tip: deflate it halfway and put something like a jacket between it and your head), but a good pillow is worth the weight and space to me for 1 night.

Well there are sizable portions of the lower 48 where no bears prowl. But there might be other wildlife concerns: gophers will happily chew through your expensive gear to get at a protein bar you buried inside. In the Sierras, you’re not allowed to use a bag or hang your food; you must use a bear canister. In any case, you should avoid storing food inside your tent, and should probably only cook in your tent vestibule if you don’t have another option (i.e. it’s raining.)

My problem in the non-bear areas has been the freakin’ marmots, especially above the treeline. I’ve heard that they can be terrible in your neck of the woods, too, but that’s just second-hand info. That said, I typically avoid areas that require canisters, because that usually=heavily trafficked. Some of the places I hike have remote perma-containers installed that are to be used communally, and I like that.

Edit: Also I forgot that some people don’t like mummy bags. I personally always wrap my quilts at home around me like a mummy bag, but you’ve got me thinking about the benefits of the freedom of motion when having to get out in the middle of the night. Never considered that…hmmm…

Yeah, I had a buddy whose $300 pack got ruined when he set it down to eat lunch for 20 minutes. They’re everywhere in the high Sierra.

I’ve lost lunch and a bag containing it to them, but never anything “big.” Can’t imagine losing a bag.

Also, are the quilts as warm as the mummy bags? Now I’m wondering if maybe I should only use the mummy bag during shoulder season. : - / Might be able to save some weight…

It is a stunningly beautiful place.

Consider yourself invited! I don’t get up there enough, and it’s only 30 minutes or so from here by car.

That was awesome! Now you’ve got me interested in taking a wilderness course so I’ll feel comfortable going off-trail like that.

Enjoying a hot coffee up on the bluffs above Puget Sound at Ebey’s Landing National Preserve. I’m posting from here live.

Those are the Olympic Mountains across the water, but it’s from a very different angle than that of Seattle. If I look to the right, I’m staring straight down the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which connects to the Pacific. The San Juan Islands are to my right. I’m on Whidbey Island.

It’s only a couple miles from the parking lot. The first half of the bluff trail is on a narrow track along the side of the bluff, 200-300 feet above the water. Then it winds down to the beach, and you circle back that way.