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Chuychanga

By Chuychanga
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Biff Tannen
Biff Tannen

First day was fucking rough. Had an anxiety attack and almost had heat exhaustion. BUT, today was fucking fantastic. I’m camping on a ridge with cell signal and got to bathe under a waterfall before d

Biff Tannen
Biff Tannen

A few more  

Biff Tannen
Biff Tannen

So I'm a month out from the PCT.  I put in my two weeks at work.  This is fucking happening.  I'm kinda freaking out.  Kinda loving it.  I don't quite know how to react.  Posting on this degenerate we

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tomahawk dunk

tomahawk dunk 359

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Some towns the trail actually goes through, the other towns you hitchhike to them. You hitchhike out there quite a bit. I absolutely loved all the small towns I went through. Most of which I had never heard of.

Mainly resupply in towns. I did get a little bit of stuff mailed to me.

You do normally find and filter water as you go. Some places in the desert there are caches of water people put out. Some places in the desert I carried 5+ liters of water.

The app Far Out provides a lot of the info that you need regarding the trail and towns.

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 46060

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Re: water, Far Out has a ton of close-to-real-time info (used to be called Guthook's) and most hikers use it for GPS and water/campsite/general trail info it seems now.  There's also a PCT water report google map that is manually updated by a couple of ex-hikers that take in updates from hikers via text and email, but it seems Far Out is becoming the go to.  Correct @tomahawk dunk?

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tomahawk dunk

tomahawk dunk 359

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10 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

Re: water, Far Out has a ton of close-to-real-time info (used to be called Guthook's) and most hikers use it for GPS and water/campsite/general trail info it seems now.  There's also a PCT water report google map that is manually updated by a couple of ex-hikers that take in updates from hikers via text and email, but it seems Far Out is becoming the go to.  Correct @tomahawk dunk?

Yeah, we used the Far Out app for water and camp sites every day.

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Saint Tacky

Saint Tacky 1647

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I would think weather in NoCal and the Rockies - snowfall and a shorter window of opportunity - would make it almost impossible.

I've heard stories of folks bailing on PCT and CDT for the AT, and doubling back during warmer months. But, finishing all three would seem to involve a lot of air travel and good fortune.

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JMFP

JMFP 1126

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On 9/27/2022 at 10:02 AM, Johnny Sack said:

Some friends and I are going to do the Devil's River in late April.  Cannot wait.  Going to need to get the right gear for camping out.  I assume hammocks might be in order?

I prefer hammocks. I have a Hammock Gear with the zippered on bug net. My nephew uses an Amok and really likes it. I'm guessing the nights in April there maybe around 50-60 degrees? I'd pack a light underquilt and a puffy blanket. 

I'd recommend getting your gear soon and spend the night in the backyard a couple times before your trip to figure out what you need to stay warm/comfortable and to practice setup.

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tomahawk dunk

tomahawk dunk 359

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On 3/19/2022 at 3:33 PM, Your Mom said:

This caught my eye today and I thought a few of you might like it.  I haven’t watched any of it yet.  Documentary crew follows a group of strangers on the 1200 Pacific Northwest Trail through Montana, Idaho, and Washington.  Weather, grizzlies, etc…   I guess  the PNT is supposed to be the most rugged of the long trails. 

https://watch.outsideonline.com/series/thru-the-pacific-northwest/7TasvQGk-HU6Xm3Rk
 

This is probably my favorite of all the PCT hiking videos on YouTube. Actually sent this one to Biff when I first started the PCT. Peter Hochhauser who did this one also was part of THRU. 

I haven't seen THRU yet but one of my German buddies from the PCT told me about it and said Peter was involved in it. Will get around to it soon.

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stc

stc 1496

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camped at south llano river state park this past weekend. sitting around the fire and heard something over by our van, got up to inspect and it sounded like it was coming from inside the van? upon further inspection it was coming from the engine compartment...figured it must be a mouse or a rat. opened up the hood and there's a ringtail sitting next to the battery staring at me. i watched it for a minute and it appeared to be chasing a bug or lizard. all my years camping i think that's only about the 4th ringtail i've seen in the wild, did not expect it to be in the engine compartment. was concerned it had chewed some wires or something but everything was fine. 

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 46060

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March 8th.  That's my current start day for the Pacific Crest Trail.  Holy shit.

So, backstory, I was set to go in March of 2020 and I pulled the plug a couple of weeks before Covid hit, due to work and life circumstances.  Covid would have ended my hike anyway, but I've spent the past 3 years saving money, getting in a better mental space (I hope), and training.

Got my permit (awaiting confirmation) today.  March 8th is way earlier than I would like to start, so I'll try and change the date come January when they do the 2nd round of permitting.  But either way, holy shit, it's crazy to think I may be going on a crazy adventure starting in less than 4 months.

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NotActuallyALonghorn

NotActuallyALonghorn 4998

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We have reservations for Thanksgiving weekend at Robber's Cave State Park in Oklahoma for the second year in a row, so it looks like this may become a family tradition. Hopefully the wife won't forget to pack the ham in the cooler this year like she did last year. Robber's Cave is probably one of the best underappreaciated state parks within reasonable driving distance of lots of folks in Texas. Whenever we decide to go on a last minute camping trip, we can almost always find reservations available there when they are all booked everywhere else.

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 46060

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8 hours ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

We have reservations for Thanksgiving weekend at Robber's Cave State Park in Oklahoma for the second year in a row, so it looks like this may become a family tradition. Hopefully the wife won't forget to pack the ham in the cooler this year like she did last year. Robber's Cave is probably one of the best underappreaciated state parks within reasonable driving distance of lots of folks in Texas. Whenever we decide to go on a last minute camping trip, we can almost always find reservations available there when they are all booked everywhere else.

I'll be at Inks Lake for my annual Thanksgiving weekend.  Weather looking like it's going to cooperate after a week of shit. 

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stc

stc 1496

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Camped at Cedar Hill State Park the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Park has a ton of campsites (350) and they were laid out pretty well to provide privacy. Tons of lakefront, quite nice in the summer I'm sure. Trails were all closed due to torrential rains but we caught a nice sunset after the storm rolled through.

24430377fa5732744f822adacadeec64.jpg

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 46060

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23 minutes ago, stc said:

Camped at Cedar Hill State Park the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Park has a ton of campsites (350) and they were laid out pretty well to provide privacy. Tons of lakefront, quite nice in the summer I'm sure. Trails were all closed due to torrential rains but we caught a nice sunset after the storm rolled through.

24430377fa5732744f822adacadeec64.jpg

I used to hike there a lot when I lived in Dallas.  Saw more snakes there than any other state park in Texas too.

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 46060

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Microspikes came in!  Was going to test them up in Colorado this weekend, but am not checking a bag and don't want to risk carrying them on.  Apparently it's up to the particular TSA agent if they deem them safe to carry on or not.  Anyway, aside from an ice axe, this is one of my last pieces of gear I need for my PCT hike this year.

 

DEF81FAA-1D45-4B50-98BE-DB2752B405FC.jpeg

Edited by Biff Tannen
It’s the lug nut. Fixed it.
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Kennythetiger

Kennythetiger 9584

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14 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

Microspikes came in!  Was going to test them up in Colorado this weekend, but am not checking a bag and don't want to risk carrying them on.  Apparently it's up to the particular TSA agent if they deem them safe to carry on or not.  Anyway, aside from an ice axe, this is one of my last pieces of gear I need for my PCT hike this year.

HWicW5E2Jjl1Hksq1wiGELuU3cLwQRie9OEWurGV

 

1 minute ago, Anton Chigurh said:

Those the Ultra Raptors? How do you like them? I considered the new ones, but went with the Brooks Cascadia 16.

Also interested. My dad owns the local trash business, and ice is a bitch for his employees. 

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 46060

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1 hour ago, Anton Chigurh said:

Those the Ultra Raptors? How do you like them? I considered the new ones, but went with the Brooks Cascadia 16.

Yep, I have narrow feet, so they work great for me.  I've been rocking them for like 5 years now at least.  Almost no blisters ever.  I have a pair of the second generation supposed to come in today.  Hoping they fit similarly, as they don't make the ones in the above pic anymore.

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 46060

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1 hour ago, Kennythetiger said:

 

Also interested. My dad owns the local trash business, and ice is a bitch for his employees. 

Probably would work, though maybe a bit aggressive for asphalt streets.  Maybe Yak Trax or something a little less spiky?

https://www.rei.com/b/yaktrax/c/winter-traction-devices?pagesize=90

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JohnnyRage

JohnnyRage 1617

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The best of The Grand Tetons sold out in seconds on January 10th. That was surprising. It also wasn't a lottery, it was real time availability wild west like trying to score tickets to Aerosmith.

However, when I finally remembered to log back in a few days later. I noticed there was availability in some of the prime spots along the Teton Crest Trail. It was for group camping sites though, and after playing with the settings the minimum group size could be 7. There's three of us. Put out the invites for more, but it most likely will be 3-4.

Will this be a problem when we pick up our wilderness passes? Is this in bad taste? Do the Rangers eventually dole these sites out to any size party upon walk-up requests? Would they ever split up group sites between two parties?

 

 

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 46060

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13 hours ago, JohnnyRage said:

The best of The Grand Tetons sold out in seconds on January 10th. That was surprising. It also wasn't a lottery, it was real time availability wild west like trying to score tickets to Aerosmith.

However, when I finally remembered to log back in a few days later. I noticed there was availability in some of the prime spots along the Teton Crest Trail. It was for group camping sites though, and after playing with the settings the minimum group size could be 7. There's three of us. Put out the invites for more, but it most likely will be 3-4.

Will this be a problem when we pick up our wilderness passes? Is this in bad taste? Do the Rangers eventually dole these sites out to any size party upon walk-up requests? Would they ever split up group sites between two parties?

 

 

I don’t know about the ethical part of it, but I would imagine you could just say that your group of 7 had a few last minute cancellations. I can’t imagine they would pull back the permit for that. And I’m pretty sure you only need one person to pick up the permit anyway. Probably will be asked to fill out the names of everyone in the group though.  I’m just kind spitballing here. 

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JohnnyRage

JohnnyRage 1617

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Just got scammed buying a too good to be true Marmot Tent. $249 --> $91

Haven't been so blatantly butt fucked since the early 2000's in the real Cotton Bowl.

Stay away from Storetents dot com, and was able to see a similar toyscollectables

 

FUCK IT, I was taking a gamble on the non-winged version of this

https://www.rei.com/product/200287/marmot-limelight-2p-with-footprint?CAWELAID=120217890014326421&srsltid=AeTuncpbEmUBhXN-Q0XvLui6MvKcB9fuWIUJE6lrtkdBfTtCGkxs7mwwDxk

 

d1b222c6-aa5e-49cc-949b-88e043a024d3?siz

 

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Lhorn

Lhorn 5079

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1 hour ago, JohnnyRage said:

Instead I bought some Faux Leather Womens Boots for $33 + $58 shipping.

Not to victim blame but those prices are ridiculous.  Brand name rooftop tents for less than a hundred?!  Sorry you got scammed.  That sucks.   
 

73F39EC9-AEC9-40E5-BFFF-EEC32D7FB4BC.thumb.png.ea03c2f3306fd88de2aa7e9cae26ae2a.png

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JohnnyRage

JohnnyRage 1617

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Me too, 250 to 91 is in the realm of clearance closeout possibilities, but I didn't browse the website. I only looked at their mission statement and return policy.

(1st clue, the back end wouldn't process without out a few attempts and no order number. Fortunately received a junk email order from a company by another name with a .xyz domain. Credit card had another named company in Hong Kong. When I went to move the order email to my inbox I noticed the real address had a .RU domain.)

All in all wasted 30 minutes of my morning, and I've been meaning to get a new card and card number for a  while now. Valuable lesson learned.

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Lhorn

Lhorn 5079

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7 minutes ago, JohnnyRage said:

Get fucked, I would never ever buy a rooftop tent.

Oh yeah, user name and all….

 

I have no interest in rooftop tents but that was the first thing that pops up on their page.   Btw how are people putting rooftop tents on everything with wheels.  Roofs of pedestrian cars and crossover SUV are usually only rated for like 80-150#

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JohnnyRage

JohnnyRage 1617

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Holy F a direct flight from DFW to Jackson Hole, Wyoming was $810. It was cheaper to fly out of Austin and stop in DFW. Flight is on Alabama gameday.

 

The lottery for Glacier National Park Wilderness permits will be taking place in March. I cannot recommend it enough. I posted about it last year in the wrong-ish forum looking for help. An annual September trip kind of warps my weather perception of places, but I would consider retiring there and day hiking for health.

https://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/backcountry-reservations.htm

https://www.surlyhorns.com/board/topic/24459-glacier-national-park-what-state-is-it-in/#comment-4959935

 

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 46060

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18 minutes ago, JohnnyRage said:

Holy F a direct flight from DFW to Jackson Hole, Wyoming was $810. It was cheaper to fly out of Austin and stop in DFW. Flight is on Alabama gameday.

 

The lottery for Glacier National Park Wilderness permits will be taking place in March. I cannot recommend it enough. I posted about it last year in the wrong-ish forum looking for help. An annual September trip kind of warps my weather perception of places, but I would consider retiring there and day hiking for health.

https://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/backcountry-reservations.htm

https://www.surlyhorns.com/board/topic/24459-glacier-national-park-what-state-is-it-in/#comment-4959935

 

One day I want to stay in one of the chalets.

 

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JohnnyRage

JohnnyRage 1617

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29 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

One day I want to stay in one of the chalets.

 

The Chalet’s are separately booked from the lottery, and probably book up earlier.
 

You can ride horses up to the rebuilt Sperry Chalet. If they also would haul your gear that would make Sperry to anywhere so easy, even for olds and kids.

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