The Outdoor Thread

[Al_4_ISU 12463]

Have at it. 

A weird winter (60 degrees swings every week, snowstorms coming, then melting off, then freezing over) and busy life crap (wife and I going through IVF) kept me out of the woods for most of this winter, but got to get out a few weeks ago with a buddy and do some hiking at a place called Brush Creek Canyon near Arlington, Iowa.

[Txlc 10]

I've got to learn how to post pics here. My last trip out was to the Olympic Peninsula Coast. Cape Flattery is one of the most beautiful places I have ever hiked to. Thanks for the pics AI_4_ISU. Looks like a great place to hike.

[Al_4_ISU 12463]

I use Imgur now.  Use to be a Photobucket guy.  Imgur is really easy, convenient, and free.

Would love to see those Olympic Peninsula pics.  It's a place that's always intrigued me.

[Braff Zacklin 13575]

Winter here in SE Idaho was also weird. Basically, we had March in January and January in March. That translated to relatively shitty skiing and much-delayed mountain biking.

I should've fished more.

[Al_4_ISU 12463]

1 hour ago, Braff Zacklin said:

Winter here in SE Idaho was also weird. Basically, we had March in January and January in March. That translated to relatively shitty skiing and much-delayed mountain biking.

I should've fished more.

We had a bit of that dynamic going on.  Basically, winter never really "set in" here like it usually does, but it still hasn't left.  A constant cycle of cold and snow, then warm up and melt off a few days later, only to get cold and snowy a few days after everything had melted.  Not enough snow for snowmobiling/skiing but not good conditions for biking or hiking either.

[Braff Zacklin 13575]

December for us wasn't super snowy, but it was cold enough that the white stuff that did fall was able to accumulate ... until an inversion set in the week between Christmas and New Year's.

January brought record highs in the low 50s and melted all our snow. February came with a virus that tried to kill me, and the end of the month and the first 10 of March dumped ~100 inches on the ski hill.

The snow has melted, but more keeps falling on weekends and we still haven't cracked the upper 50s, so everything is a bit moist.

Fuck it, though. I'm hopping on my bike this afternoon and hitting some of the lower trails.

[Saint Tacky 1614]

Is this the new Backpacking Thread?

[Al_4_ISU 12463]

I think there's a back packing thread now.  I meant as an encompassing outdoor thread (used to be one on the Shag), so yeah, backpacking fits.  Backpacking, hiking, biking, fishing, hunting, kayaking, whatever.

[Digdogger 1344]

 

[Gut Wagon 8073]

NE Iowa is some nice country, Al. Find any shed antlers in that bottom?

[Anton Chigurh 3319]

I’m in. I like outside. 

[Al_4_ISU 12463]

56 minutes ago, Gut Wagon said:

NE Iowa is some nice country, Al. Find any shed antlers in that bottom?

Didn't see any.  My buddy was looking though.