While snow shoeing in this weekend for a two night overnighter which turned into just one night, I was thinking about gear, right material, multi-use etc., conditioning. My weakest point I think, is that perfect shirt or parka/jacket, basically bp clothing. I have gotten by for years, slowly adding a piece of clothing every once in a while. Seems I can't spring for that nice hard/soft shell parka that someone raves about. It's just so darn expensive. May be just me and if I'm getting by, may only be an envy issue. What's your weak link, finding the trailhead, map reading, tent location?:)

Over estimating my speed and my physical abilities... seeing that I am a disabled veteran who once was in amazing shape and could take over the world... it takes me a while to remind myself that I am definitely disabled even at my young age of 26 hahaha!

My age and trying to do what I was doing 5-10 years ago bugs me. Gotta tell myself I'm older now can't do what I used to do in my forties. Not accepting my age yet. High note, this Fall, I had my biggest mileage day ever, 20-22 miles on the PCT close to home. Not a high elevation trip, so sucking air was not a factor.

Age - it's relentless. For a while I could deny its effects, but it is catching up......

Ditto age. My next task, after this response, is to email my 30 year-old buddy to cancel a trip because, at 60, I can no longer do a 4-day winter trip: the load is too heavy, and I don't have the confidence in my ability to stay warm that I once had; and since the trip has no bail-out options... (I'm going to do a shorter 2-day trip locally that does have such options, and test where my limits now are.)

My weakest link is finding enough time and resources to go as often as I would like to

I'd have to agree with y'all. I'm still doing pretty good, but it ain't the same as when I was 30.

And it's really been tough for me the past two years to find the time to head out too. I'm working on that.

I make due with the gear I have, and it gets a little better each year, but I don't think I'll ever have a very impressive gear list. I have too much other stuff to maintain (spend money on) for that.

There it is, that's my weak link right there. Too much stuff

My weakest link - finding people who are interested in going camping, or climbing. Geez I live in Central Oregon in the middle of some of the best recreation in the country and people are scared to use it. They won't do anything that "might" be dangerous. People from here do not camp. Why - when they can look out the window at mountains and pine trees? In 5 years I have found one cross country ski buddy. Winter sports are not what the locals do - they fish and drink. Trying to get people to snowshoe, ski, climb, canoe, kayak, even hike, is very difficult, yet people come from all over to do that here. The locals wear cotton hoodies and levis when its 7 degrees out, like this morning.
Jim

I've been having the same problem has JimShaw. I have a bunch of friends that enjoy day hikes and quick overnighters....but when it comes to backpacking for more than 2 nights its a different story. A lot of the times when I generate plans to do a > 2 night trip it almost always falls through for various reasons. I am left by myself. Although I have to say the few that didn't really have the appropriate gear have built up there backpacking gear repertoire this year and seem more in to it. So we will see what this year holds. It's still very enjoyable though, but I love enjoying the great outdoors in good company.

Jim, that is so true. I won't go into it here much, but I have been feeling the same thing. I'm planning a trip to the Leatherwood Wilderness at the end of this month and you'd think I was heading into the "Heart of Darkness" they way some people react when I ask them along.

People around here hike the same 3 trails. The Ozark Highlands Trail, the Buffalo River Trail, and the Ouachita Trail. They are all great trails I'm sure, but I like to hike off trail.

Lucky for me, I know some younger guys, mostly my daughters boyfriends and a few of their buddies, that will go, and I have a neighbor that will go occasionally too.

One of my daughter's boyfriends, Travis, has been there twice with me. He's a trooper, stuck with me the entire time and loved it. He, and another daughter's boyfriend, Steven, are going with me at the end of this month. Steven should be good too. Both of these guys grew up here and they've rambled in the forests since they were kids. I'm lucky they like to hang out with me

I've bushwhacked around here a lot, and the Leatherwood Wilderness is incredible. For the most part, all those 16,000 acres belong to just us when we go there. Guess I shouldn't complain

The National Parks had a saying that 95% of the visitors use 5% of the space. We sort of changed that to "the 5% rule" that basically 95% of any outdoor group uses 5%, so :
only 5% will hike
only 5% of those will hike off trail
only 5% of those will climb
etc, so that even in a park like Yosemite, you only meet a VERY tiny number of people in the backcountries unused trails and open space.
maybe 5% of hikers camp
maybe 5% of those winter camp.

My weakest link is outfitting others to come with. Usually it is my kids, who grow out of the stuff I bought last year. My last trip (this last week in the snow) I brought 4 sleeping bags. One winter bag for me and 3 bags for my son. I had to buy him new boots, mitts, pants, fleece, etc. At least the goggles I got him 2 years ago still fit. The last pants I bought him now fit his brother, so at least I don't have to repeat for #2 son, or #3 son. Eventually I think I will have more stuff than REI.

Interesting numbers Jim. But, I think you are right.

Jim, I've found on my Fall bp trips, even into highly popular areas, not many people there in early Oct. The main group that I have gone with on bp trips the last six years post over on Facebook now, I don't like the place, so I am mostly back to solo bping or staying home. What a difference. Two years ago, I was out at least one night each month, last year, barely a dozen and a half nights maybe between bping and car camping.

Duane
I keep tellin ya, come on up here. I think Bigfoot and I are camping in the Three Sisters Wilderness towards the end of January to shake out BFs new winter gear. Its been in the single digits lately (down here in town) but haven't seen below zero yet this year. They say cold winter is coming this January and it has reached -30 here before - in town.

Jim

Actually interestingly enough, my problem the last couple of years is not having buddies to go with - ok it's not a *bad* problem, but I do like to hike solo, and only goot in one good solo trip this last year.

Admittedly, I do like hiking wiht friends too, but I definately see the problems Jim is referring to. My solo Jaunt from Maligne Lake to camp parker this summer (pics here was during fabulous weather. My first two nights, and last night were basically where nobody goes, and I wasn't surprised to see nobody there. However my third night was at what should have been a very busy campground, on the very popular brazeau loop hike in jasper. I saw two couples in that campground and that's it..

Which I supposed comes to the reason why I haven't been solo as much as I'd like - I've been dragging a good number of newbies along trails with me..

Daughters with boyfriends - wow, you've got my sympathy. I only have one daughter, and going through that once was enough. It got to the point where I no longer tried to keep track of their names; I just labeled them Toad 1, Toad 2... (as in, "You've got to kiss a lot of toads...")

I suppose that taking them into the woods with you occasionally is a pretty good way to keep them in line, especially if you remember to periodically let your eyes glaze over as you dig an oversized cathole and softly whistle "Dueling Banjos."

For what it's worth, my daughter did eventually find the prince, and they gave us two wonderful granddaughters (which just confirmed that, after all is said and done, his intentions were exactly what I thought they were all along.)

that's pretty darn funny!

Actually, my wife and I have had a problem with growing too fond of a few of these guys. There's only been one toad who's appendages I fantasized removing with a baseball bat, but even in my fantasies there was a long line to stand in for that, so I decided to let the others take care of him because they all had better reasons than I.

As it stands, "Karma" seems to have taken care of him. He now has two children with different women, neither are my daughters, neither which he married, and both which now despise him. He'll be hoeing in that row for a long, hard, time

I've built up a large group of hiking buddies, but for some reason they don't like weather. And we've had nothing but for the past month and a half, with maybe a handful of days when the sun shined (like today - I need to go get the wet gear out of the trunk to dry it).

Ankles.

Countless sprains have stretched the ligaments and they are unstable. I do exercises and watch where I step but I still roll one every month or so.

I have trouble finding partners too but I really don't mind going solo.

If you don't want to be alone, try the John Muir Freeway around August . Lots of nice people to chat with...

My weakest link...you mean I can only pick one? Then its time. Not enough time to get everything covered with work and the family. Running out of time age wise. The clock just keeps ticking.

sk

For me it is plantar fasciitis. For the past 6-7 years I have had to deal with an almost chronic, low-grade case of it in one foot or the other. I can manage the problem but I can't seem to get rid of it. I have had cortisone shots, I do exercises, I stretch, I tape the offending foot and take ibuprofen while I'm hiking: It all helps but I have yet to find a cure.

Time, both not enough and getting up early enough to start

Summer time I can go after work on a Friday, but in the winter you have to get up _early_ on Saturday (or whatever day you are starting out) - and I'm not a morning person.

The other part is just having the time - something is always going on...

On the other part of the discussion - Rangers are part of the problem - I know everytime I call and get trail conditions and say hey I'm thinking of doing trail "A" this weekend, they always discourage and suggest some easy trail...

Heather

Jim, whatta I gotta do, invite myself? I'm to the point that I feel like I'm being put off, but you have been moving, so I've cut you some slack.:) New year, new allotment of vacation time, 160 hours earned or saved, plus 24 Float hours. Not even a Govment job. PM me, I'll see how the weather holds. I like to put in at least a few weeks ahead for vacation time. mtnsteve has Winterfest later this month close to Lassen Park, I don't do Facebook, so have very little info on his trip, that is late Jan I heard. At this point I'm not going there due to lack of communication to me.

I may have met that guy....

I sat on jury for a murder trial in Indianapolis a few years ago. The defendant had somehow managed to convince his two girlfriends to jointly pay for a defense attorney. Both of them had children by him.

He was guilty as sin.

I don't think that the hiking and camping is the problem, but I do think that doing something "dangerous" my lead to some apprehention. It really seems strange that you would mention 'something dangerous' because most of us, any way, go out of our way to avoid doing any thing that may be dangerous in the backcountry.

Where in GOD"S name do you get all these statistics???? They claim that 87% of all statistics are made up...

I think that is a lot of my problem. I have buddies that hike, but you really could not say that they are hikiers. They go occassionally and have limited gear, therefore, I ususally end up either supplying some sort of gear or at least showing some body along for the ride how to use it. I think that has taken away from my enjoyment a little bit, but I do enjoy helping them. It makes them think that I am smarter than they are LOL.....

The 5-Minute Plantar Fasciitis Solution helped me tremendously.

I took my first solo trip last year and have been hiking for twenty years or more. It was in January and was on the AT. It was very very cold and the solitude was something that I have never experienced in it's totallity. It was really earie at times but man did it do me a lot of good to experience that solitude..I don't think that I have been any where that I have experienced total solitude. Not even a sound...Not one..Scary a little but was nice...

I would say that personal experience leads me to "feel" those numbers are about right.

If you do the math it works out to about 50 out of a 1,000 people hike and about one in 10,000 hikers are climbers. That sounds about right to me.



Hmmm....

Yep. That "feels" about right too!

It is different backpacking alone the first time. I'd hiked and car camped alone a lot, since I was 18, but I was probably in my early 40's when I did my first solo backpack. I had wanted to for a long time, but other things postponed it.

It's hard to describe how I felt when I finally did. I didn't get the heebie jeebies, but I did feel weird when I set up camp, cooked dinner, and sat there eating. It was kind of like having a party by myself.

HAHAHAH! That is exactly my situation sabre. Well for about 80% of my hiking friends (that is truly made up based on fact ). I have to take applied statistics this semester. What a load of crapola.

Age and the feet that come with it are my weak spots. This is part of why my load had gotten so light--it helps to compensate.

I seem to take about half again as long to get anywhere on foot--what used to be 4 hours is now 6. I don't mind all of this but I have to remember not to set myself up for any more than 10 miles in a day and 6 or 7 is more in line with my abilities now.

Buying gear is apparantly mine; I was pretty sure last year that all the gear I had already would be fine for my next sizeable trip, but now I find myself incrementally replacing tent, down jacket, and now sleeping bag, plus a new GPS ...

No one of these things do I absolutely *have* to have, but they all represent improvements (I think) over what I have been using, and on a per-mile and a per-day-of-hiking basis they amortize pretty well, and each of the new items will give me (yet) more flexibility in future years to tune gear to the specific trip.

But still.

Age is my biggest challenge. I used to be able to go 15-20 miles per day at 2 MPH. Now I find that 8-10 miles is good and 1 to 1.5 MPH is good. I still start up in the morning as soon as it is light enough to see but by 3:00 I am looking for a campsite. In some ways it is better than when I was younger. I guess that we mellow with age. In the past I thought that backtracking on the same trail was really bad. Now I just go until half of my trip time is used up and turn around. I remember reading that you should do all of your trips before you are 60 and I am 10 years beyond that and still going out.

Right on Grumpy Gord!

I didn't do the math, but I think the general principle is right: use tends to get concentrated in the most accessible parts of the area. Both times I visited Isle Royale, the boat was full going over (100 or so people.) The campground at the dock/lodge area was full, with no vacancies. Three Mile, the nearest "backcountry" campground, was full the first night; that "crowd" of 50 or 60 moved on to Daisy Farm the next day - and when we left Daisy Farm around lunch, we didn't see more than 5 people the rest of the trip, until we returned to Three Mile the night before we got back on the boat.

At the beautiful Pacific coast of Oregon there are many, many state-owned waysides and access points to our beaches. Predictably, the beach area within 1/4 mile of the parking lot always has the crowds. The further you walk, the fewer the people. This predictor tends to work well almost everywhere, in my experience.

Another rule of thumb I apply consistently is "if you want solitude, don't camp near a lake". People are drawn to lakes for many reasons: swimming, fishing, the guarantee of a view across the water, and they are just so easy to see on the map.

my weak link~ ennnn, maybe the speed, I can't catch up with the others at the start of the hiking, maybe I need to exercise more?

There is a corollary to Jim's statement (which I think is correct, BTW) - 80% of the problems are caused by 2% of the visitors. That 2% spends a lot of tax dollars.

usually made worse in groups:

"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K

good point phat, I've seen by normally environmentally conscious people not worry about max # in a group since we know what we are doing. Burning beer cans and garbage in coastal campsites so they don't have to pack it out. Sad, here I'm a little bit redneck and I would not do that stuff, can't do anything about the group size since I was invited and not organizing the trip, I can pack it in and pack it out though which I do and police my site, usually for something to do.

My weak link is the knees and my windage. The knees start aching then I find I'm huffing and puffing so its time to sit a spell. But, at 63 years, I don't care that much. I just keep thinking that eventually I'll get where I'm going and thats good enough. If I had better memory I'd recall just where that fountain of youth was.