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Got any stories to share? Here are two from the past year.

 

This Feb I did a trip in NY's Harriman State Park with a group from Meetup.com. It was billed as an "Introduction to winter camping". I've camped in the winter before but welcomed the opportunity to get out.

 

Temps were predicted to be the teens during the day and low single digits (F) at night and the group's organizer

distributed a list of what to bring and wear (and what not to, i.e. no cotton).

 

The wife and I get to the trailhead and meet the group. This one guy pulls a huge duffel bag out of his car, the kind with the wheels on it that you can drag through the airport. I assume it contains his pack and gear. No, it WAS his pack.

 

He puts the carrying strap over his shoulders and we start uphill. He is obviously straining and uncomfortable as the straps are sliding off his shoulders. Finally we stop and rig up a sort of sternum strap with climbing rope and carabiners.

 

Think the "pack" is bad enough? The guy was wearing tennis shoes (Harriman is pretty rugged), had no hat, no gloves, jeans and his jacket was a cotton Army field jacket. He keeps turning down my offer of gloves (I had an extra pair).

 

At camp we build a fire and he is bogarting it big time, all the time complaining about his freezing hands and feet.

 

Morning comes and it's breakfast time. He pulls out a 64 oz jug of orange juice <_< (actually frozen slush by then) a dozen eggs in carton and a frying pan from his kitchen. Hey, at least the OJ was a nice touch after we thawed it.

 

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Next one:

 

Last spring the wife and I are camped along the AT about .3 mile above one of the AT shelters. It was a chilly night with temps dipping into the 20's after a day of mixed snow and sleet.

 

Morning comes and I grab a book, some tea and my sleeping bag and find a nice spot to watch the sun rise at the junction of the AT and side trail to the shelter.

 

After about an hour two teenage girls come up from the direction of the shelter, both wearing t-shirts. One is carrying a fairly large daypack and the other a book type pack. We exchange good mornings and I say "Cold night, huh". One girl remarks "Very cold" and they head on down the AT. I thought it odd that they were traveling so lightly given the weather.

 

Some time later another group comes from the direction of the shelter and they tell me the story. The two girls were high schoolers from Long Island and took a bus, then a taxi to the trailhead. One guy said "He saved their lives". They had a single lightweight blanket, no tent, a few Cliff bars and sandwiches for food and a liter bottle of water each. Both were wearing light cotton socks and had no winter clothing other than a hooded, cotton sweatshirt.

 

He built them a fire, dried out their socks, loaned them a sleeping bag to share and some food and hot chocolate. The next morning he used his filter to fill their water bottles and advised them to get off the trail until they are properly equipped. They thanked him, but said they were continuing the trip (they planned 2 more nights out, finishing some 25 miles to the south).

 

The group was on their way back to the car and they were discussing going into town and buying some wool socks, food and an extra blanket and leaving them at the next shelter for the girls. Don't know if they actually did, or how the pair managed the rest of the way, but there was nothing on the evening news. :P

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Okay, I gots some doozy memories, too.

 

Not exactly backcountry, but nonetheless, a trail hike: In Arcadia NP, climbing Mt Cadilac, my husband and I passed a family group, mom, dad and two little girls. It was scorching hot, very sunny that day. Mom and Dad were wearing the tourist thing: tank top, shorts and sandals. The two little girls were wearing sunsuit-type outfits and those silly gel flip-flops. Somehow they had gotten to about half way up and the two girls were sitting down, bawling while Mom kept crabbing at them to get up. Dad looked like a lobster. We stopped and asked if they had any water. No, no water. Toolman and I handed over one of our bottles and advised them to go back down. We ended up giving them more water (I am always over-prepared) and watched them head back down. That was about the only good decision I could see they had made that day.

 

Another time we met a group coming up the Madison Arm in the White Mt of NH. We were coming down and were making good time, having passed the tree line about 20 minutes before that. They were all sitting down: a woman in her 60's perhaps, a teenaged girl and a man in his mid-30's maybe. The man asked: "How far is the tree line? We wanted to hike up that far." We asked when they had left the parking lot and it was HOURS before. Again, we advised them to turn around and go down. They had a daypack and we asked it they had water, but it didn't look like they were at all prepared for any late night hike. We left them and saw a Ranger further down and told him about the group. He sighed and said he'd go check on them.

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This was different:

 

We were coming down from Dragon'sTooth in VA when we met a young man coming up. He had a large-ish daypack on with a double-bit axe and an unstrung longbow strapped to it. :rolleyes: We exchanged hellos and passed each other.

Edited by ATMouse
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This was different:

 

We were coming down from Dragon'sTooth in VA when we met a young man coming up. He had a large-ish daypack on with a double-bit axe and an unstrung longbow strapped to it. :rolleyes: We exchanged hellos and passed each other.

Now thats my kind of backpacking trip. :D

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Better yet, the "Bozo" was in my own hiking group. Me and some of my neighbors had made plans to hike Pikes Peak in one day. I made many suggestions as what to pack and wear and assumed that they would purchase or rent what they lacked. Well, one member of the team shows up with a standard school type backpack and these shoes that had a sort of resemblance to hiking boots. You know, something Skechers might make for those rugged urban outdoor types. He also wore basic cotton socks. I, on the other hand looked like a spokesman for REI. To make a long story short I ended up carrying some of his load and treating his blisters. We ended up turning around early, just two miles from our goal, and hiking back down. Poor guy tore his feet up. I didn't even come close to having a raw spot on mine. Walking was somewhat difficult for him for a few days. He did say he was fine and wanted to keep going. Some people just enjoy learning the hard way.

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Me and my wife were up walking arround Tryfan in wales heavy fog had descended and we had decided to cut short the walk and head back the two hours to our car.

 

Five Italians in flip flops, shorts and sandals came up to us and asked which way to go see the lake (one hour the other way) we got out the map and showed them where they were for a start and where the road was all they did was say so the lake is that way and set off into the fog.

 

Fortunately the fog burned away and we saw them by the road later.

 

New boots is the other one

 

I just bought new boots so i could go hiking

 

Have you walked in them yet

 

no im going 300ft up a mountain in them tommorow will that do the trick

 

hmm usually does got any plasters ..

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Late afternoon, I parked on the east side of forest and walked west, following the turny twisty bike trails. Planning to bail off those and use old 2 track back to my vehicle when it started getting dusk. As the sun is lowering, I met a woman clad in lightweight keds, capris and t-top. She asked me, "am I almost to the firetower?"

Me, failing to keep the snarky tone out of my voice, "you're walking east, the sun is setting directly behind you, west, where the fire tower is."

 

She then proceeds to tell me that I have to be wrong, she's parked at the firetower and has been walking 2 and half hours on a 9 mile loop, she has to be near! I offer that she should accompany me back to my vehicle and I'll drive her across the forest to her car. She refuses. I offer to accompany her to her vehicle, explaining that it will be dark and we'll need to abandon the trails and take the 2 track to the main forest roads. A bit longer route, but okay in the dark. She refuses. She's determined to finish the loop, even after I explain that she IS NOT on the "A" hiking loop. She's well north of it on some bike trail.

 

In the end we part company, and I haul a** out of there. Drive across the forest, find a car at the fire tower trailhead (it's pitch dark) and then call the sheriff. They used dogs and helicopters and finally found her around 1 am. I bet she STILL thinks she was near the firetower on the "A" loop.....

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9df2a26f-0ed8-4185-a5f1-d1ea7d8a887c.jpg

This is me quite a few years ago by the cairn at Grinnell Glacier in Glacier NP. My dad, my 10-year old brother, and I at age 13, hiked up from the campground in super-cool clothes like you see me wearing, and nothing but a couple Cokes, some noisemakers, and a survival knife my brother had bought in Tijuana a couple weeks before. Oh, and a camera, obviously. The campground is past the furthest lake in the picture. I don't know how far or how long the trip was, but I do remember we were worried about nightfall on the way back. At least Mom was at the camper and could have let someone know if we were gone too long.

 

Many years later, my dad taught a high school wilderness survival class. You may shudder at that after seeing the above, but he's had former students return as Marines, telling him his class got them through boot camp.

 

ETA: I looked at a topo. It appears the hike was about 4 miles each way. The campground is around 4800ft, the glacier at about 6400. And the campground isn't past the third lake, it's on the west shore (left side of pic).

Edited by Dinoprophet
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:lol: Probably the wackiest hiking story I have happened back in the mid 60's at Devils Lake State Park near Baraboo, WI. I was a young boy scout at a camporee and all the scouts were to hike all 4-5 trails that ring Devil's Lake. Now, we were supposed to get breakfast first, but the mess wasn't open yet so we hiked on anyway. I had one canteen and 2 hershey bars. By midway through the hike, the other scouts were offering me good money just to lick the melted chocalate off the inside of the foil wrapper. Nobody had any food and most had brought no water along. The hike was several miles long with a lot of elevation change. The hike took like 10 hours to complete.

 

I guess it was that experience that taught me to "bring everything but the kitchen sink" along on alll future jaunts that might go more than 800 yards.

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I wouldn't consider myself Bozo status but I have to ask. Whats wrong about wearing cotton?

 

"Cotton kills" is a backcountry hiker's mantra. Cotton wicks out body heat, rather than moisture, so it can aggravate hypothermia, which can set in with ambient air temps as high as 55 degrees. That's why the really serious types prefer synthetics that wick out moisture as efficiently as possible.

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I wouldn't consider myself Bozo status but I have to ask. Whats wrong about wearing cotton?

 

"Cotton kills" is a backcountry hiker's mantra. Cotton wicks out body heat, rather than moisture, so it can aggravate hypothermia, which can set in with ambient air temps as high as 55 degrees. That's why the really serious types prefer synthetics that wick out moisture as efficiently as possible.

 

so if you are hiking in a hot enviroment, cotton would be preferred?

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I wouldn't consider myself Bozo status but I have to ask. Whats wrong about wearing cotton?

The difficulty with cotton is that it loses all its insulating properties when it gets wet, and it dries very slowly.

 

So imagine you’re hiking, and in doing so you’re sweating. Now you’re wet and you won’t dry off anytime soon. The same thing can happen if it rains. If you’re 500 yards away from your car, it’s no big deal. If you’re ten miles from the trailhead, it becomes more problematic. You can walk faster to keep yourself warm, but if you twist your ankle or it gets too dark to see, you’ll have to stop.

 

As soon as you stop and you’re not generating as much heat, the wet cotton begins to cool you off rapidly. If you can’t get dry quickly you’ll begin to get hypothermic.

 

Then you’ll die.

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I wouldn't consider myself Bozo status but I have to ask. Whats wrong about wearing cotton?

The difficulty with cotton is that it loses all its insulating properties when it gets wet, and it dries very slowly.

 

So imagine you’re hiking, and in doing so you’re sweating. Now you’re wet and you won’t dry off anytime soon. The same thing can happen if it rains. If you’re 500 yards away from your car, it’s no big deal. If you’re ten miles from the trailhead, it becomes more problematic. You can walk faster to keep yourself warm, but if you twist your ankle or it gets too dark to see, you’ll have to stop.

 

As soon as you stop and you’re not generating as much heat, the wet cotton begins to cool you off rapidly. If you can’t get dry quickly you’ll begin to get hypothermic.

 

Then you’ll die.

I'm a recent convert from cotton to synthetics. I can attest to the need of having more layers ready to put on when I wore cotton and perspired heavily in it. Even in 60 degree weather, it felt more like 40. In hot weather, this isn't as bad an issue, except the cotton will wear heavily on you and slow your stride down a bit as it stretches and restricts your movement.

 

Synthetics wear very well, don't stretch as easily, and you're dry within minutes. This came into play on last month's hike of the month where the lower elevation temperature and humidity was near tropical, and the upper elevation tempertature was still winter conditions. (See the two pictures) You will see me in classic REI synthetic clothes. I'm in the wide brim wool hat, blue long sleeved shirt. This worked for both temperate conditions. At the top, I didn't feel the need to put on my jacket, and at the bottom I welecomed the cooling effect of the wicking. That's with a synthetic t-shirt and convertable hiking trousers/shorts. At no time was my movement restricted, nor my comfort compromised.

 

Now, wth the ladders we encountered, the muscle ache tells a different story and I must remember my mantra when I hit those... "Oh joy, oh fun". :rolleyes:

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I wouldn't consider myself Bozo status but I have to ask. Whats wrong about wearing cotton?

 

"Cotton kills" is a backcountry hiker's mantra. Cotton wicks out body heat, rather than moisture, so it can aggravate hypothermia, which can set in with ambient air temps as high as 55 degrees. That's why the really serious types prefer synthetics that wick out moisture as efficiently as possible.

 

so if you are hiking in a hot enviroment, cotton would be preferred?

 

Have you hiked in a hot environment while wearing cotton?

 

I wouldn't recommend it. Not so much from the hypothermia aspect, although you can catch a chill pretty easily even if it's that warm outside and you stop moving, but from the moisture wicking comfort aspect.

 

When you're wearing cotton, and it's 95 degrees and the humidity is topping out around a nice balmy 90% or more, it's thick. You sweat (if you're a guy, of course... women don't sweat) and your nice, natural cotton shirt and denim jeans or shorts, while being nice and natural soak up all of that sweat... and the same with the cold weather hiking, it doesn't dry out any time soon.

 

So you've got your nice, natural, soaking wet cotton shirt and pants on and it's uncomfortable and cotton and wet. And then the chafing starts on the backs of your legs (whether your fat or not) and under your arms and...

 

Don't forget synthetic underwear!

 

Moisture wicking is a good thing ANY time of the year.

 

I'd be a dead-girl if I wore non-synthetics during the winter. Brr.

 

 

michelle

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so if you are hiking in a hot enviroment, cotton would be preferred?

 

Well, it depends. I'm here in southern Arizona, and I've done quite a bit of desert hiking in temperatures up to 110F. With our dry climate, cotton clothing should be more comfortable than synthetic, since the slow-drying cotton should provide some evaporative cooling effect. If there's a nice breeze blowing, and you can get out of the sun, that may be true. But my experience has been that sweat-soaked cotton just adds to your misery without providing any perceptible cooling.

 

And in direct sun with no breeze, well, what's the moist-heat cooking method called? Braising? That's what happens to you when you hike in the heat wearing soggy cotton clothing.

 

The only advantage of cotton shirts and jeans is that they're cheaper and less fragile than the tech fabrics. I buy cheap 50/50 cotton/poly shirts for bushwhacks--almost as durable as cotton, almost as dry as poly. Good compromise. I've replaced my jeans with nylon-canvas "tactical" pants by 5.11. Lots of pockets and quick drying.

 

Now, about socks. Cotton socks are a disaster in a hot climate. They should only be worn for short periods of time, and stripped off as soon as they get wet. If left on, wet cotton socks will raise blisters on the toughest feet. Cotton contains tiny particles of silica that work like sandpaper on your (now-wet) skin. Cotton socks flatten under compression, particularly when wet, so they lose their padding very quickly. Cotton socks are awful for hiking.

 

Wool socks hold their shape and loft better than cotton, continuing to provide padding even after your feet start sweating. Wool is made of protein fibers that don't contain silica, so there's none of cotton's sandpaper effect. Wool dries quickly and moves moisture away from your feet (to the extent possible). In extreme heat, under heavy exertion, your feet aren't going to be cool no matter what you do, but at least wool socks don't compound your problems.

 

Everything I said about cotton socks goes for cotton undies, too. They're OK for daily wear, but once they're saturated with sweat, misery can't be far behind. Tech undies are a good thing.

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I wouldn't consider myself Bozo status but I have to ask. Whats wrong about wearing cotton?

 

"Cotton kills" is a backcountry hiker's mantra. Cotton wicks out body heat, rather than moisture, so it can aggravate hypothermia, which can set in with ambient air temps as high as 55 degrees. That's why the really serious types prefer synthetics that wick out moisture as efficiently as possible.

 

so if you are hiking in a hot enviroment, cotton would be preferred?

 

Have you hiked in a hot environment while wearing cotton?

 

 

no. I've only really hiked three times. Then again I'm not sure what constitutes a "hike". I walked 12 miles in Portland, Oregon about 4 weeks ago on "hiking trails". I was wearing new adidas shoes, cotton socks, jean pants, and a cotton t-shirt. I didn't think the cotton bothered me at all. Other than that I "hiked" 10 miles when I was a little kid at my mom's (she's a teacher) 6th grade science camp and about 4 miles when I was at my 6th grade science camp. If this counts, I walked about 12 miles last thursday in Tempe (which included going up a 300 ft mountain on the campus of ASU.

 

I asked the question cuz I never heard that cotton was bad to hike in and then based on the first response it sounding like cotton wouldn't be so bad in hot climates. since I've lived in Arizona my whole life maybe thats why I've never heard that "cotton kills". Thats what I was thinking and why I asked.

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so if you are hiking in a hot enviroment, cotton would be preferred?

 

Now, about socks. Cotton socks are a disaster in a hot climate. They should only be worn for short periods of time, and stripped off as soon as they get wet. If left on, wet cotton socks will raise blisters on the toughest feet. Cotton contains tiny particles of silica that work like sandpaper on your (now-wet) skin. Cotton socks flatten under compression, particularly when wet, so they lose their padding very quickly. Cotton socks are awful for hiking.

 

Wool socks hold their shape and loft better than cotton, continuing to provide padding even after your feet start sweating. Wool is made of protein fibers that don't contain silica, so there's none of cotton's sandpaper effect. Wool dries quickly and moves moisture away from your feet (to the extent possible). In extreme heat, under heavy exertion, your feet aren't going to be cool no matter what you do, but at least wool socks don't compound your problems.

 

Everything I said about cotton socks goes for cotton undies, too. They're OK for daily wear, but once they're saturated with sweat, misery can't be far behind. Tech undies are a good thing.

 

I've noticed lately that in my 12 mile strolls in Oregon and Tempe, my right foot gets bruised, blistered, and such. Maybe I should try wearing different socks next time I go for a long geocaching stroll.

 

I havent had any issues with my undies. I just wear typical boxers though.

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I've noticed lately that in my 12 mile strolls in Oregon and Tempe, my right foot gets bruised, blistered, and such. Maybe I should try wearing different socks next time I go for a long geocaching stroll.

 

I havent had any issues with my undies. I just wear typical boxers though.

 

Definitly change socks, I had the same problem until I switched to smart wool socks. They are a mix of wool and lycra. I've used them in cold weather as well as in Nevada when the temps are in the 90s without any problems to my feet.

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I've noticed lately that in my 12 mile strolls in Oregon and Tempe, my right foot gets bruised, blistered, and such. Maybe I should try wearing different socks next time I go for a long geocaching stroll.

 

I havent had any issues with my undies. I just wear typical boxers though.

 

Definitly change socks, I had the same problem until I switched to smart wool socks. They are a mix of wool and lycra. I've used them in cold weather as well as in Nevada when the temps are in the 90s without any problems to my feet.

 

I will change socks next time i go for a long adventure. it was 114 today in AZ btw. I didnt think I'd be outside caching as much as I was and I got a little sunburn on the back of my neck in 2 and a half hours. and its only the start of the summer.

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I've noticed lately that in my 12 mile strolls in Oregon and Tempe, my right foot gets bruised, blistered, and such. Maybe I should try wearing different socks next time I go for a long geocaching stroll.

 

I havent had any issues with my undies. I just wear typical boxers though.

 

Definitly change socks, I had the same problem until I switched to smart wool socks. They are a mix of wool and lycra. I've used them in cold weather as well as in Nevada when the temps are in the 90s without any problems to my feet.

 

I will change socks next time i go for a long adventure. it was 114 today in AZ btw. I didnt think I'd be outside caching as much as I was and I got a little sunburn on the back of my neck in 2 and a half hours. and its only the start of the summer.

A good wide brim hat will solve that.

 

This one is very popular.

REI also sells a Dorfman which has served me well. I had one last me 2 years after taking a dunking in a white water rafting incident.

 

Both act as great shade for the head, eyes and neck. Both work great for shedding water. What I like about the Dorfman is it retains the sweat better thus keeps my head cooler during the hot hikes than I think the OR Sombrero would. Ultimately, go with what is most comfortable for you.

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So you've got your nice, natural, soaking wet cotton shirt and pants on and it's uncomfortable and cotton and wet. And then the chafing starts on the backs of your legs (whether your fat or not) and under your arms and...

 

michelle

 

 

Everything I said about cotton socks goes for cotton undies, too. They're OK for daily wear, but once they're saturated with sweat, misery can't be far behind. Tech undies are a good thing.

 

 

Dam, I never thought it was the cotton that made the post-hike baby powder routine neccessary. I can see how boxers would help. I've even taken the commando approach a few times.

 

I think I'll go shopping for some silk today. :D

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Dam, I never thought it was the cotton that made the post-hike baby powder routine neccessary. I can see how boxers would help. I've even taken the commando approach a few times.

 

I think I'll go shopping for some silk today. :)

Try this next time:

 

d6786285-cf51-412e-8285-678b91eb1e60.jpg

 

I love them and can't wait till I get a Utilikilt myself

Edited by Ducky
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Got any stories to share? Here are two from the past year.

 

<snip>

Back to the "Bozos in the Backcountry . . .

 

Many years ago I was camping in Canyonlands National Park.

 

e47c23ac-c22d-467f-8860-02fe38ef967f.jpg

 

I set out in the morning for a hike from the campground to the Confluence, a hike of more than eight miles. The temperature was in the 80's. I had half a gallon of water with me.

 

I made it to the confluence and took this picture:

 

Confluence.jpg

 

On my way back to the campground, I ran into two guys who had been hiking for several hours, and neither had any water with them . . . :)

 

What were they thinking . . . :)

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Dam, I never thought it was the cotton that made the post-hike baby powder routine neccessary. I can see how boxers would help. I've even taken the commando approach a few times.

 

I think I'll go shopping for some silk today. :o

Try this next time:

 

 

I love them and can't wait till I get a Utilikilt myself

Skip Utilikilts, they don't believe in the US Constitution, go with Neokilt. They'll even sew a holster into your kilt for you!

holster.gif

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This thread rocks.

 

A few months ago, myself and a seasoned friend (we've been on several long hikes together) decided to take another friend with us. He shows up in jeans carrying a box under one arm. Turns out he stopped at Wal-Mart on the way over and bought new (read: stiff, cheap, sorry, sucky) "hiking boots." He laces them up and is immediately uncomfortable, so he decides we should all go back to Wal-Mart and let him buy additional (cotton) socks and an INHALER. Yes.

 

So we buy his "gear" and set off, but he is hungry so we stop at a convenience store and he buys two 20-oz Pepsis and two large chicken dinners (with those greasy potato logs and all). He devours one dinner and a pepsi in the 20 minutes it takes to get to the trailhead and is just wiping the grease off his fingers when we put on our packs and begin to hike up the tallest mountain in the Ouachita Trail to an old fire tower.

 

Problem is, he has no pack. He has an inhaler, and Pepsi, but adamantly declares he NEVER drinks water and it'll be okay. So five minutes into the trip, he's hitting the wall and literally staggering all over the trail. We start to feel bad for him and offer water and gorp. NO, I'm FINE he proclaims. So halfway through the hike, he removes his boots and his ankles are literally torn to shreds. So my friend uses all available gauze and tape in his emergency pack to fix the newbie's ankles. The rest of the day is nothing but pissing and moaning.

 

I love the guy and all, but WOW. Not to mention when we finally topped the mountain and were basking in nature's glory, he answered a cell phone call from his wife and talked to her about 20 minutes, loudly. I wanted to commit seppuku.

 

Suffice to say, my seasoned friend and I don't take anyone with us. Ever. Anymore.

Edited by Kiamichi Muskrat
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Here is another one I just thought of.

 

We were doing a 5 day, 4 night trip in the Catskills along the Devils Path. One of the more rugged trails in the region.

A friend (first time backpacker) couldn't meet us the first day, so we arranged to meet the second morning where the trail crosses a road so he could join us.

 

We get about 1/4 mile and he is bitching about how heavy his pack is. He takes it off to adjust it and I try to pick it up. I'm not a weak guy and I had a tough time lifting it. I'd say it went well over 80 lbs.

 

I asked him what he had inside and he started listing...axe, saw, stove, mallet, machete... I told him to ditch all that stuff, we had no need for it and his car wasn't far, so we took it back to his car. Pack was still heavy, but he felt he could deal with it.

 

So we climb Plateau mountain and reach a nice overlook for lunch. Steve (the friend) pulls out a large can of tuna (Sams Club size), a regular kitchen can opener, a full package of pita bread, a bag of bean sprouts and a jar (and I mean a full sized jar) of mayonnaise and makes himself a tuna salad sandwich.

 

We reach camp and he tells us about the oriental meal he's making and has enough for everyone. So he pulls out a wok, a head of bok choy, numerous cans of seafood (shrimp, clams, mussels, more tuna, octopus, etc... ) and a few cans of water chestnuts and bamboo shoots . Then he pulls out a bottle of duck sauce, a bottle of stir fry sauce, a bottle of soy sauce, a bottle of fish sauce. These are all 16 oz or larger bottles. Then a head of garlic and the rest of the bean sprouts.

 

He proceeds to make the best (and probably the heaviest) backpacking meal that any of us ever had. it was superb, but I'm glad I didn't have to carry it.

 

It wasn't until later that we figured out he had two changes of clothing for each day. Clean socks, shorts and shirt (and I assume underwear) for each day's hike and a clean shirt, socks and jeans for when we reached camp.

 

I wouldn't quite call him a bozo, but he certainly didn't get the idea of traveling light.

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This might not be so much of a bozo story but a very interesting one indeeed. Last Christmas I took a week off to do some hiking and skiing in the Black Hills area. I set off on a 10 mile roundtrip hike to check out an old mine along a creek. The temp was in the upper 40's and in the canyon where the sun didn't shine, the melting snow had turned to ice on some spots on the trail. About 4 miles in I encountered a pair of trail running shoes lying on the trail. I thought this was odd and scoured the area for someone in need of help or possibly a body. I found nothing and moved on to the mine. After checking out the mine I ventured back and encountered a man roughly in his 40's about 1 mile from the mine and 4 miles from the trailhead. The man looked worried and we exchanged hello's and moved on. Then about 1 mile from the trailhead I encountered another pair of shoes on the trail. I thought this was the oddest thing until I moved closer and saw that the shoes were attached to an older man who was lying in the tall weeds. The older man had slipped and fallen on the ice and had possibly broken his hip. He was in tennis shoes, jeans and a flannel shirt. He said that he crawled off the ice because he was freezing and was waiting for his son to find him. The older man and his son had gotten seperated and his son was traveling in the wrong direction looking for him. The sun was starting to set and I helped the man to his pickup at a snails pace. I then put on my headlamp and set back on the trail to look for the son. I found him about 2 miles back in and filled him in on the situation. These guys were from Nebraska visiting for the holidays and carried no provisions with them. I drew them out a map to the nearest hospital and we parted ways. I never knew what became of the older man but I certainly got my exercise that day. Needless to say I went skiing the rest of the week. :angry:

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...

 

So we climb Plateau mountain and reach a nice overlook for lunch. Steve (the friend) pulls out a large can of tuna (Sams Club size), a regular kitchen can opener, a full package of pita bread, a bag of bean sprouts and a jar (and I mean a full sized jar) of mayonnaise and makes himself a tuna salad sandwich.

 

...

 

 

I managed a straight face until I got to the full-sized jar of mayo.

 

Was he packing a block... or crushed ice?

 

:angry:

 

 

michelle

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So we climb Plateau mountain and reach a nice overlook for lunch. Steve (the friend) pulls out a large can of tuna (Sams Club size), a regular kitchen can opener, a full package of pita bread, a bag of bean sprouts and a jar (and I mean a full sized jar) of mayonnaise and makes himself a tuna salad sandwich.

 

 

The only thing missing is a Sam's Club size jar of pickels! :ph34r:

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Yesterday, late morning, I encountered a woman and her four huge obese hairy dogs on a hiking trail. This in west central Florida in a swampy area in a state forest. Temps in the upper 90s, humidity following morning rain probably at 85% or above. The dogs were heat stroking, clearly needed to be trucked out. One of them was down and non-responsive, comatose. Two others were down, but raised to sternal recumbancy and drank the water I had.

She wasn't carrying any water!). The young fat yellow lab was still on its feet.

 

This wasn't what I'd call back country. I'd come out as the crow flies probably less than a mile from parking, straight into the cypress hunting orchids. She'd followed the much longer well marked trail which swings well around the swamp, maybe 2 miles to that point. But in July, late morning? with NO water? What was she thinking? How could she not notice the dogs' distress until it was so severe?

 

She was okay, but I don't know that the one huskie type dog made it. She hadn't been able to get a cell signal, and neither could I, but I gambled and moved another .15 or so east (away from the cars) and got a signal. Called the only forester whose number I have, and got lucky - he answered and he was nearby. He called another forester and both of them converged on us. (Those guys don't care much about the paint on their vehicles...) Loaded the dogs into the air conditioned cabs and her into the bed and got out of there. I refilled my water from theirs and walked out. I confess, I deliberately didn't accept the ride, because I wasn't wanting to be any further involved with her and the dogs at the parking. I assume they helped her load them into her vehicle and she went to a vet.

 

In a wet year, or even a normal year, there would be water along the trail that the dogs could lap. But I don't think she knew that, and she wasn't carrying any for herself. It was all very sad and strange.

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Those poor doggies!

 

What kind of fish is that in your avatar?

 

Yesterday, late morning, I encountered a woman and her four huge obese hairy dogs on a hiking trail. This in west central Florida in a swampy area in a state forest. Temps in the upper 90s, humidity following morning rain probably at 85% or above. The dogs were heat stroking, clearly needed to be trucked out. One of them was down and non-responsive, comatose. Two others were down, but raised to sternal recumbancy and drank the water I had.

She wasn't carrying any water!). The young fat yellow lab was still on its feet.

 

This wasn't what I'd call back country. I'd come out as the crow flies probably less than a mile from parking, straight into the cypress hunting orchids. She'd followed the much longer well marked trail which swings well around the swamp, maybe 2 miles to that point. But in July, late morning? with NO water? What was she thinking? How could she not notice the dogs' distress until it was so severe?

 

She was okay, but I don't know that the one huskie type dog made it. She hadn't been able to get a cell signal, and neither could I, but I gambled and moved another .15 or so east (away from the cars) and got a signal. Called the only forester whose number I have, and got lucky - he answered and he was nearby. He called another forester and both of them converged on us. (Those guys don't care much about the paint on their vehicles...) Loaded the dogs into the air conditioned cabs and her into the bed and got out of there. I refilled my water from theirs and walked out. I confess, I deliberately didn't accept the ride, because I wasn't wanting to be any further involved with her and the dogs at the parking. I assume they helped her load them into her vehicle and she went to a vet.

 

In a wet year, or even a normal year, there would be water along the trail that the dogs could lap. But I don't think she knew that, and she wasn't carrying any for herself. It was all very sad and strange.

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This week the Appalachian Trail Conference is holding it's semi annual meeting here in NJ. Nearly a thousand hikers have converged on the area to spend the week, meet, go to seminars and other hiking/backpacking related activities, including hikes.

 

My wife and I volunteered to lead some hikes this weekend. Mind you that when you sign up they urge you to make sure you choose hikes at your ability level and tell the leaders about any potential medical issues.

 

Our group of 12 was of mixed ages, ranging from mid 20's to a guy in his mid 80's. We start out on a moderate 4 mile hike and about 20 minutes into it it's apparent that the old gentlemen is going to be a problem. He's shuffling along very slowly, but I've hiked with guys like this before and they often can hike for miles at that pace.

 

What we learned later in the hike was that he was nearly blind. He couldn't see the rocks in the trail, so we had to guide him through the rocky areas with someone on each side holding him so he didn't trip and fall.

 

OK, bad enough? As the trail gets a little rougher, a woman in her 60's starts having problems. Turns out that she has a bum heart valve and is scheduled for valve replacement surgery in two weeks. She announces that her doctor told her she can have a heart attack any minute :tired: .

 

So the group gets around the lake and the trail crosses a road that is an easy route back to the parking area. Well my wife suggests to the older guy and the woman with the heart issues that she take them back via the road while the rest of the group completes the hike on the trail. The woman agrees to, but George Burns? No, he ain't going back on no road. He insists on completing the loop on the trial. :D .

 

Anyway, what should have been a 2 hour hike lasted 4 hours.

 

Did we learn our lesson? NO.

 

Today we lead another hike. This one is a 7 miler, much more rugged than yesterday but still considered moderate. At the last minute a gentleman, obviously in his late 80's comes by and decides to do the hike.

A few members roll their eyes, but I say "I've hiked with guys his age who can kick my butt on the trail". He was walking pretty briskly in the parking lot, so I let him join us.

 

He was fine for the first mile, then the trail started uphill and that was it. He was shuffling along at a glacial pace. We'd hike 10 minutes, then wait 10 for him and my wife (who was acting as the "sweep"). I was at the head, but my wife told me that when it got steep he would actually get on all fours and crawl. After an eternity we reach the highest point of the hike and I try to cheer him up by telling him that it was all downhill from that point. He announces that he's even worse on downhills if they are rocky. Well everything in northern NJ is rocky thanks to the last glacier which ended here and dumped all the rocks it dragged along with it when it melted.

 

Anyway, he wasn't kidding about being slower on downhills. At the 4 mile mark we pass a camp road that I know leads to the main road in the valley. I'm thinking there has to be a way to get this guy to go down the road (accompanied by one of us of course). It's very hot, very humid and he's not looking real good.

 

Suddenly my wife announces that her feet hurt, she's really tired and wants to know if he can walk her down to the main road (about a mile and a half but its all downhill and paved). He accepts. My wife came up with a brilliant way for him to save face and bail out.

 

Anyway, we have 3 more miles to go and reach the end nearly the same time they get to the road. A quick car shuttle and everyone is OK, but a 2.5 hour hike lasted nearly 5 hours.

Edited by briansnat
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I surely do hate it when I'm the bozo in the back country. But it's all to easy to do. Last month, Ms. Imajeep and I went after the Parker Mesa Overlook cache. Six miles total, out and back along a fire road from Topanga Canyon to the mesa, which overlooks the entire LA basin from above Malibu. Spectacular sight, if you are ever out that way.

 

Before we went out, we debated whether to use the hydration packs. "Nah," we figured, "It's a quick out and back on a dirt road. People trail-run this thing. How bad can it be?" So we grabbed a couple of one-liter water bottles and headed out. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

 

We didn't realize how dumb until we headed back. We grabbed four caches along the way out, and then spent nearly an hour hunting for the Parker Mesa cache, which (we think) was MIA. By the time we headed back, we were down to slightly less than half our water, at which point we realized that we were actually pretty tired, that we'd already been out for several hours, and that it was about 90 degrees on the trail.

 

This could have been a serious problem--fortunately it wasn't. The GPS helped us ration our water on the hike back, but we still had a few nervous minutes worrying about dehydration. And no, we didn't laugh it off when we got home. Lesson learned: Even for the easy hike, even the one where we think we will only be out for a couple of hours, take water. Lots of water. And in California, unless we know the trail, we assume desert conditions. Not much older; but hopefully, a little bit wiser.

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Here's my story.

 

My dad and I were going to climb Mt. Sherman one early June morning, and we had invited several of my dad's friends along. When we met them, one is in a pair of cutoff sweatpants, hiking boots, and a t-shirt with a light jacket. Holy schnockers, we say. It's early June and we're climbing a 14er. Does he know what he's getting into? (He's ex-AF, by the way).

 

Now, Mt. Sherman could probably be classified as the easiest 14er climb in the state, but in early June there are still massive amounts of snow, and I even had an ice axe just in case. Our friend in the cutoff sweatpants was not doing well. I was in the unfortunate position of being not fast enough to keep up with most of the crowd, but not wanting to saunter off by myself up the mountain, so I was stuck back with him and my Dad, who was being nice and keeping him company. The second half of our group had summited and was most of the way back down when we still had only 300 vertical feet to go, which drove me nuts. The wind was blowing like nothing else, and for some reason we had gone across the face rather than up the ridge (maybe because there was snow on the ridge and cutoff sweatpants are no good in snow. Shocker.)

 

I really wanted to dash up the last 300 feet and be done with the climb, but I didn't (I can't remember why, now), and our buddy was getting slower and slower by the minute. The progress was like this: Step, pant pant pant, step, pant pant pant, and so on. Finally I got sick of sitting in the wind and suggested we turn around, which he was only too happy to do.

 

At the bottom, he told me that he had been waiting for me to give up, because he didn't want to give up before a girl. I wanted to throttle him. Talk about a way to die for foolish pride.

 

We mostly summit on our own nowadays.

 

(I have lots of good dumb tourist stories from my summer in RMNP, but those don't quite qualify).

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When I did my first real hike with geocachers; Moun10Bike, Hazard, TotemLake, UWDawg, and others, one guy showed up in cotton pants, a Badass Coffee Company cotton t-shirt and a wooden stick. He even had an old military ALICE pack!

 

Sheesh, what a maroon.

1931275_600.jpg

Edited by Criminal
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When I did my first real hike with geocachers; Moun10Bike, Hazard, TotemLake, UWDawg, and others, one guy showed up in cotton pants, a Badass Coffee Company cotton t-shirt and a wooden stick. He even had an old military ALICE pack!

 

Sheesh, what a maroon.

1931275_600.jpg

I remember that day well. Cotton jeans, cotton blend shirt, polyester baseball cap, 132 oz water for my dog and I and no water filter to work with. I kept bringing the rear up so many times I think mine was even ahead of me. Oh yah... cotton jean jacket. Running low on water at the turn around point and ran out 4 miles from the trailhead. Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink if it were not for the good samaritans on the trail. One of two hikes that taught me not to go without a water filter. I called Criminal to let him know I had gotten off the trail ok at abotu 4:30 PM; I think about an hour or more behind everybody else. It took me 4 days to recover enough to walk without a cane.

1931275_2700.jpg

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Oh! Speaking of water reminds me of another time my dad and I were the bozos. We were doing our first overnighter at Hoist Lake in the northern Lower Peninsula. We thought we knew where we were going to get our water, but we neglected to read the notices posted at the trail head, one of which said the wells on the trail were dry. We discovered it for ourselves when we got to the one handpump on our route. We managed though; we filtered nasty-looking lake water through a handkerchief, then boiled it. We were fine after that. Perhaps the wiser thing would have been to abandon the trip, but we had been dropped off at the trailhead and had nowhere close to go from there.

 

Notes to self: carry a way to purify water, read notices, have an escape route

Edited by Dinoprophet
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