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Who’s into hiking or backpacking?
Do you love a good trail? Are you a hiker, backpacker, trail runner, or neighborhood saunterer? If so, this conversation is for you! Share your favorite routes, dream trips, the gear you love, where you find inspiration, or essential advice. Got any cool trips planned, in the near or distant future? Whether you’re a newbie or trail-tested veteran, share what you know!
I like hiking but I live in South Florida where there’s no elevation change, everything basically looks the same and it’s currently 90+ degrees with chance of thunderstorms every afternoon.
I am planning some camping trips for the fall though. I have two small kids who have never been so I’m excited to get a tent and see how they do! We’ll probably head out of state for it- I’m guessing somewhere near the smokies. The “hiking” will probably be really short to ease them into it.
I started backpacking when I was in Boy Scouts, with three trips to Philmont in northern New Mexico, and I’ve enjoyed hiking ever since. This summer I’m taking my ten year old son on his first backpacking trip, to Isle Royale National Park (which I’ve visited ten times previously). Then, later in the fall I’m doing part of the Superior Hiking Trail in northern Minnesota - hoping for beautiful fall colors! My retirement plans, hopefully coming to reality shortly, include thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and walking one of the many Camino routes in Spain. I’d love to hear from anyone who has done either (or both!)
Glad to hear it had that affect on you too! I really, really loved Philmont-after my three treks I did four summers on the backcountry staff. That was probably the peak experience of my life, spending months in those beautiful mountains. I’ve always wanted to backpack or maybe even bikepack through the Valle Vidal north of Philmont, which is really open and has some of the most amazing views. It’s on the “someday” list.
My oldest did Philmont with scouts last summer and absolutely loved it. We took him hiking and camping all up and down the pacific coast trail, but never multiple days of just hiking as he grew up. My youngest doesn’t like hiking or camping, so we usually compromised with half day hikes at most. The Camino is on my wife and my list for trips we want to take in the next few years.
I'm 7/10 of a section hike of the Appalachian Trail, while I would have loved to get some serious milage done (and had planned to) during covid, I blew my ACL and PCL in my right knee in November of 2020 (and at 44 you don't bounce back like you did when you tore the other ACL when you were 19).
I truly love just throwing on a pack and wandering into the back country for a few weeks, I don't know that I will get out west and do much of it mainly because I've transitioned to hammock camping and a general ultralight setup that really benefits from . . . well, lets be honest, nothing on the east coast is really "off the grid" in any real way. But for gear, the big standout is my dynema tarp . . . shit is magic and I love every cent I spent on it. The other big takeaway is I bought a "decent" 30L light daypack, and put a carbon fibre frame in it, along with the (pretty insane, but screw it, I'm a single professional in no debt . . . what else am I going to spend money on) pretty large amount of titanium that I have used to replace all the steel and other metals in my entire kit. My current full "5 days in the back woods" weight is just over 30 lbs, so not true "ultralight" but significantly better than my decade ago 68 lbs loadout. I can more in depth for those that really want to know, but I'm crap at brand names, and I often buy shit off little one-off websites (my hammock is a dutchware, my quilts are custom . . . yes, I learned to sew for this, all my line is dynema, I do all my own food pre-cook it and vacume pack it).
Other than my Virginia to North Carolina section that I'm wandering off in . . . 26 days to go do, I have a few "weekend" 20 ish mile trips into the Adirondacks this summer planned. I love the Adirondacks and they are one of the few things that made moving back to NY even sort of "Worth it", I'm on the opposite side of them that I grew up on, but that just means that I don't know them super well like I do up in the Tupper/Saranac area.
I definitely love it, but unfortunately it’s hard to get away with work these days. I’ve been all over California, Eastern Sierra Nevadas, Point Reyes seashore, Mt Shasta basecamp, but my favorite was the Trinity Alps. Gorgeous area.
I don't backpack, to be totally honest I hate camping. I do, however, LOVE to hike. As it turns out I leave for a hiking trip with my dad on Thursday. We will be exploring South Dakota and Colorado.
I think my favorite (and most brutal hike) was Angel's Landing in Zion some 12 years ago now. That trip down was so hard on my ankles I could step off a curb without pain for nearly a week, lol.
One of these days I would love to go down into the Grand Canyon.
I love backpacking and trail running! I used to travel for work so I got to go running in quite a few interesting places. One of my most memorable runs was in Tulsa, OK of all places. It must have been raining there recently and I went for a run at a park called Turkey Mountain (I'd most often just look for something nearby on AllTrails and go there on a day off). There was so much water, I felt like I was running through a stream half the time, even though there were well laid out trails throughout the park. It was just such a surprise that it stuck with me. I also went for a great run on a trail outside of Buckeye, AZ, over 1200 feet of elevation gained over 5+ miles. I didn't have nearly enough water and when I got back I realized it was probably a dumb risk to take when out on a work trip like that so I soon picked up a Garmin emergency beacon to bring with me. I've never done anything longer than a half marathon, but some day I'd like to train for one of the longer distances. I don't travel for work anymore either so I do miss finding random interesting trails but luckily I live somewhere with tons of good trails so that keeps me satisfied.
My favorite backpacking trip has to be the Timberline Trail, circumnavigating all the way around Mt. Hood. I did it with a friend in 3 days. It was a butt kicker, with tons of elevation gain/loss going into and out of the treeline. Amazing views the entire way and alpine wildflowers everywhere. Afterward we drank beers and ate a pizza at Timberline lodge which was a great way to refuel and reminisce on what we had just done. I'll definitely do some or all of that trail again.
Backpacking is fun, but I've been pushing to get most of my free weekends on mountaineering.
Still, below the treeline some of the things that tickle me are sleeping in my hammock and cooking over my mini wood gasifier stove
Where are you looking to climb? I'm an east coaster, but I've been steadily building my mountaineering skills over the years and finally got to do Kulshan (Baker) and Rainier this spring. The Rainier trip was on our own, so it was a really great culmination of skills-building. Looking forward to doing some less well-trod trips in the future!
I'd like to do Ranier, just never gotten the logistics to fall into place.
I really like Shuksan, I've done it a few times. Some corn skiing on Shasta would be nice. Some easy alpine rock in the Sierra would be good since it's near me.
I've climbed some easy glacier ice but climbing some water ice looks fun. Even if it's just at the craig.
Cragging waterfall/seep ice is where we get most of our ice out here. I don't lead stuff like that, but it's lots of fun on toprope. We were really lucky with the weather this year on Rainier. Once in a lifetime trip!
My goals right now are really just focused on building confidence in the alpine. It's weird, but I find it hard to feel confident doing the same things above the treeline that I'm comfortable with below the treeline (or at least at lower elevations). Part of that is routefinding, but part of that is just feeling comfortable committing to things when the escape route might take the better part of a day or more.
I've found the mental game (and specifically the familiarity with my own emotional state/fear/resilience) to be the most rewarding part of climbing and mountaineering. It's taken me to mental places I never thought I could go.
I have some mobility issues, but I love nature. Last weekend we went to Lassen. Last Fall, Crater Lake, which I highly recommend. I also like walking in cities.
Backpacking is the one hobby I've always wanted to get into but just never have. Hopefully when my kid is older we can give it a try.
I do a lot of back country camping/backpacking. Well, I used to, now with kids I get out 2-3 times a summer. I'm pretty spoiled, I live in what's essentially hiking mecca, we have the Rockies, Purcells, Selkirks, and the Cascade mountain ranges all within driving distance and there are some absolutely jaw dropping hikes here.
Last summer backpacking was my hyperfixation, I went camping/backpacking at least six times by this point last summer. This year I haven't gone once. Other new hobbies, a job change and buying a house have my priorities switched around.
It's so much fun though. I did a 30 mile trail last year with my brother and we're trying to get out again but idk if it'll happen this summer. Plus I'm gonna be rusty... Maybe I'll stick with 10-15 miles.
I love hiking but only tolerate camping. I grew up hiking in the mountains of southern New Mexico and El Paso, TX. I've also done a bit of hiking in Brazil and Australia and gone on nature walks in Germany. Now I live in the coastal plains of North Carolina, where there aren't many opportunities nor many people inclined toward the activity. I need to make more time to check out the trails around Raleigh-Durham and go out to the mountains.
I'm similar! I used to be more tolerant of camping but as the years go by I'd rather do a 25 mile day than two 12 mile days while carrying a heavy pack.
Coastal NC is a tough one. If you haven't checked out WV yet, there's some limited but worthwhile above-the-treeline hiking in Dolly Sods.
I had great times on Camino de Santiago. I walked three paths so far - Francés, del Norte, y del Salvador - and I would like to walk the other paths as well, especially the one from the south, Vía de la Plata.
I like the community aspect of the Camino - you walk many weeks and you keep meeting the same people, you have dinners with them and share stories while drinking a bit of wine. Getting to Santiago de Compostela and meeting some of my co-pilgrims there was one of the most touching moments of my life. It felt like we were little parts of something wonderful together.
If someone here wants to do the Camino - don't be afraid to shoot a message my way if you need anything I might be able to help with.
My wife’s cousin/best friend introduced us to the idea of the Camino. We spent a decade hiking and camping all over the Sierras in California while our kids grew up together. She did a section with her mom and has since made my wife promise that we will do sections together (or at least just my wife and her). Unfortunately, work and life has taken a toll on us and we currently don’t have any plans, but it’s still high on our radar. My biggest concern is that I have weak knees and typically use braces to keep stable when doing more strenuous or uneven trails.
Is there one route that you preferred to the others? Does each route have a distinct character or is the experience similar regardless of which you choose?
I would say each route has a different character. I liked each for different reasons.
Camino Francés was my first. I really liked the route and I liked the freedom of having a "refugio" every few kilometers - you walk through many beautiful little villages and you can walk with no plan. When you are tired or you get to a place you like, you simply stay there (although I walked that one long time ago in 2009 - Caminos are more crowded each year and I am not sure it is still like that. However, in those times I walked in May/June and never had any trouble finding a bed).
Camino del Norte - the "Basque country" part is beautiful but it is hilly and the hills are steep; I underestimated the difficulty and it took more time than I expected. The part in Cantabria is often on asphalt roads - walking for days on hard surface was killing my feet (there is very little of asphalt on Camino Francés). It was pretty painful to me and I was not the only one. Then the way separates into two - you can continue along the coast or you can go the "Primitivo" way across the mountains. I elected the Primitivo - it was a bit rough (very rural part of Spain, cows wandering freely in the mountains, beautiful views, terrible weather that changes every 10 minutes, it rains a lot there) but I loved that part. Especially the "albergue" in Bodenaya was incredible.
Camino del Salvador - this one is much shorter than the others, just one week (unfortunately), but I enjoyed this one too. Very few people (you have to call to refugios to make sure they know you are coming), it feels very remote (by European standards), you walk all day and it is just you and the mountains. The other two Caminos were much more about people, this one is about being alone most of the time (although I still enjoyed some dinners shared with three other guys that were on the Camino del Salvador at that time). I remember this one with strange dreamy atmosphere. Even the pictures look strange, the light looks as if I used some kind of filter... but I never do that.
My partner and I biked this route as part of a 5 month bicycle tour around Europe. I loved it! My partner, not so much. We did a combination of the coastal route + the picos. The climbs were tough but boy was the refueling worth it! Obviously San Sebastian is a gourmet's paradise, but the entire route was sprinkled with amazing little restaurants. I encourage anyone interested in the Camino to check it out!
Thanks for reminding me - walking all day makes me so hungry that even "pan de barra" with nothing tastes great... but Spanish cuisine offers so much more and the area between San Sebastian and Oviedo is stored in my brain under the "best food" label. I got caught in a downpour once and I was soaking wet and really cold. Finally I got to some little village and they made me an enormous portion of a soup - but it was not a regular watery soup, it was really dense and full of meat; one of the best meals of my life, I wish I knew how it was called.
That 5 month bicycle tour around Europe you mentioned - that sounds like my dream. Any chance you have a blog or a YouTube channel about this?
My family - uncles and older brothers, were part of a mountaineering/touristic organization, which I also joined when I was old enough to. The organization had basically... rented? Organized to have access to? a forester's "waystation" in the mountains of Western Romania. It was basically an old farmhouse.
We spent a lot of weekends there, sometimes entire weeks - also did a lot of what I imagine Boy Scouts do - we'd also sleep in tents, gather wood for fires, learn the local vegetation, etc.
There are a lot of... I'm don't know how to really translate them. Championships? Contests? Basically a lot of these tourist clubs gather and compete - usually it's a long hiking route with set checkpoints, there's orienteering (sometimes night orienteering!) and also a cultural event, with short plays and a lot of mountain/hiking song singings... it's really fun.
Sadly I've moved to another country and my hiking is limited to short one-day hikes that usually also involve me driving to the place. Still, I really enjoy just having a walk through nature, especially if it's really cool forests or a nice mountain (with a view at the top!)
I grew up in the mountains of Southern California, basically in a national forest. Really enjoyed hiking/backpacking. Joined the army, and the army has a unique way of ruining outdoors, especially as a radio operator in the infantry with a 100lb rucksack.
A few years after leaving active duty, I recognized that I take refuge in alone time in the woods, so I re-bought all the kit, new pack, tent, camp cookware, etc., with the intent to get back into it slowly (because the army also breaks bodies down), and then promptly destroyed my back at work, and all that new kit sat collecting dust for a year.
This year, I'm just starting to get back into carrying weight around the neighborhood, but alas, I now live in Texas where the weather means if I'm not out at 5 am, it's not happening that day.
I"ve started to get back into it recently. Trying to work my way up to do a long multiday trip soo. but a long way to go before i get there.
All of the above for me. Nature is church.
Especially hiking. One of my top hikes is Canyon Creek in the Bitterroot mountains (Montana).
Absolutely brutal hike,but fantastic scenery and such a sense of accomplishment.
In my country (Israel) hiking is a hugely popular pastime. Before baby came along I'd go every few weeks on day hikes with wife. Slowly getting back into it now, I got one of those osprey baby carriers and we've been on two hikes together and it's so much more meaningful now that I get to share the outdoors with my son.
I used to hike often, but I ran out of hiking buddies, and it's not safe to hike alone except in areas that have a lot of traffic.
It helps to have other hikers who have similar styles. Two of my friends took me on an 11 mile hike up the cliffs of Guadalupe National Park on the Bowl trail. They went up hills like it was a race, and moseyed downhill at their leisure, which was just the opposite of my tactics. I looked like an over-boiled piece of spaghetti by the time we got back to the car.
These days, I'd barely make it along the (flat) McKittrick Canyon trail in Guadalupe, but I'd like to go back in the fall when the leaves change colors.
The other great hiking area that is relatively close by is Big Bend National Park. It is deadly in the summer though. I think a couple of people died recently while hiking there. Plan your trip in the winter or very early months of spring.
I am perfectly situated near several areas of natural beauty in the south of England that are all accessible by public transportation. I'm happiest when I'm trying to to figure out if I'm on the footpath or if I've wondered onto private land and am about to get a stern look from a land owner while I stare at Kamoot. You will always stumble across some English Heritage or National Trust site which always means your not too far away from an overly expensive sandwich and cake.