Back in high school, I remember hiking with freinds in Yosemite.Our footware of choice were Vans skater shoes.I carried an old kelty pack(super tioga) on one trip.That pack weighed in at just under 80lbs.I weighed about 130-140lbs at the time.Our menu consisted of frozen steaks,frozen burger,fresh eggs.Most of our equipment was geared towards car camping.Full size laterns,cast iron skillets,blue enamel dishes.It was crazy.Racheria Fall,7-8 miles,was like a death hike.I remember on the way back out, guys leaving brand new equipment on the trail,for lack of wanting to carry that much weight. Yeh, those were the good ole days.We obviously knew nothing about backpacking back then.I can honestly say that I've grown to love packing more every time I go.We must've looked like fools to educated hikers,but you live and you learn.
In high school, with 3 boneheaded friends, beetling to jasper in some godawful beater of a vehicle, No laterns, but D cell flashlights, two pup tents, Coleman peak 1 stoves, frozen hamburger, fresh eggs, butter, army frypans, Jeans, extra cotton long johns, Kodiak Boots, no hiking poles, external frame canadian tire packs, heavy crappy synthetic bags, at least 5 lbs each of useless gear we'd never use, and Oh and of course since we were underage it was cool to bring beer. one six pack[1], metered out between four guys, so we got to have a cold beer in a raging slushstorm in snowbowl campground while sitting in moist jeans waiting as the peak one roared through what seemed like gallons of white gas howling away against the wind blasting out of little shovel pass to throw heat under a pathetic brick of frozen hamburger in an army frypan. (pump it more!!! pile stuff here....)
Amazing how I knew everything and was so smart as a teenager, and still managed to be so retarded sometimes <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
[1] and note for the record.. At this time canadian beer did not come in canned "six packs" - with nice light aluminum cans. A six pack was 6 of these. (yes we packed out the empties)
Registered: 12/23/07
Posts: 255
Loc: Expat from New Orleans, now in...
Phat wrote: Amazing how I knew everything and was so smart as a teenager, and still managed to be so retarded sometimes <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
Brumfield wrote: Yes, but wouldn't you give anything to do it all over again... just once more. Crazy days like those from our youth are priceless. We were dumb, did worse than stupid and dangerous things, but man did we have fun. Brum
That trail spends a long time quite a few hundreds of meters above anything remotely resembling trees. There's a reason it's called skyline <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
Brumfield wrote: Yes, but wouldn't you give anything to do it all over again... just once more. Crazy days like those from our youth are priceless. We were dumb, did worse than stupid and dangerous things, but man did we have fun. Brum
Well, to some extent I'd agree with you Brum. But I also like to thing you learn more from your mistakes than from your successes <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Today I scoot through skyline in a day less than I did then, even though I'm a lot older and a lot heavier. I probably carry 1/3 what I carried on my back than I did then. I ain't 16 anymore, but there's something to be said for the wisdom of experience <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
That picture looks exactly like The Chugach coming out of Anchorage!!!!!
MNS
Edit: I'm referring to your above timberline photo, not the one with trees
Well, It's actually along the ridge about in the middle of amber mountain, skyline trail.. If you follow that link the trail at this point is basically running along the tops of the ridges from the lower right to the upper left (it sneaks down around the lake on the upper left to skirt mount Tekkara, the thing that's in the later photo behind the trees in the morning.
Of course if the Chugach looks like that too, well I'll have to make sure I find it if I'm ever around Anchorage. I'm rather fond of the skyline.
Registered: 12/23/07
Posts: 255
Loc: Expat from New Orleans, now in...
Quote:
Quote:
Brumfield wrote: Yes, but wouldn't you give anything to do it all over again... just once more. Crazy days like those from our youth are priceless. We were dumb, did worse than stupid and dangerous things, but man did we have fun. Brum
Well, to some extent I'd agree with you Brum. But I also like to thing you learn more from your mistakes than from your successes <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Today I scoot through skyline in a day less than I did then, even though I'm a lot older and a lot heavier. I probably carry 1/3 what I carried on my back than I did then. I ain't 16 anymore, but there's something to be said for the wisdom of experience <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
Brumfield wrote: All true, my friend, looking back I recognize the amelioration that experience as allowed me, but I can't help but miss the innocence of those days. With all of my mistakes, bad decisions, and very poor choices of my youth, I guess God graded me on a scale of effort, and not result. I suppose the proof in that is that I'm still here, and I for one, am immensely thankful to Him. I give no credit to myself. If it were left up to me, even with all of my wisdom, I could not even cause my own heart to continue beating, no matter how hard I would try. Brum
Registered: 02/23/07
Posts: 36
Loc: Pacific Coast, Ca, USA
yeah man...now days that stuff cracks me up...Im sure we did look like idiots...but hey, we were still kids just having fun,,,I bet people never seen someone sitting on the side of trail drinking a twelve pack of beer because they dont wanna carry it anymore...ha! I remember Prater leaving a new igloo cooler and coleman stove behind...the double burner type..thats crazy for sure...packs almost made you tip backwards they were so heavy, thank God for the switchbacks....
_________________________
"300+ Postings and Numerous Stories doesnt make you the Duty Expert....."
Brumfield wrote: All true, my friend, looking back I recognize the amelioration that experience as allowed me, but I can't help but miss the innocence of those days. With all of my mistakes, bad decisions, and very poor choices of my youth, I guess God graded me on a scale of effort, and not result. I suppose the proof in that is that I'm still here, and I for one, am immensely thankful to Him. I give no credit to myself. If it were left up to me, even with all of my wisdom, I could not even cause my own heart to continue beating, no matter how hard I would try. Brum
I rather firmly believe that in at least a few cases the only reason I'm around today after some of the idiotic stunts of my youth was that God was far too busy laughing at my stupidity to be distracted by such trivial matters as deciding that it was my time. Nowadays at my age I figure he'll think I should know better - so I show a little more discretion <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
Registered: 02/23/07
Posts: 1735
Loc: California (southern)
It took me a while to come up with my absolutely worst decision, but I can now present it to the group.
Three of us were climbing Mt Humphreys (12,000 ft plus) in December, 1962, as a training climb for the Mexican volcanoes over Christmas break. I was the only one to bring snowshoes (Army surplus bearpaws costing me all of $7.50), consequently I was the only one making decent progress through deep powder. About noon my companions turned back, but not intrepid me. I continued up to timberline and the wind blasted summit ridge, where I cached the snowshoes and continued on to the summit, crawling at times in the vicious wind. After summiting, I returned to timberline, just beaten up by the wind. I decided that I didn't need the snowshoes to descend and left them there!
As I floundered down toward the ski lodge and my friends, I came to realize that I had messed up royally. About 4:30, I could look back about 150 yards and see where I was a 4 PM. I knew that I was going to spend an unplanned night out in winter conditions. I dug a snow "cave", roofless because of the powdery conditions, but I put a poncho over the hole and got some shelter. I had an extra sweater, food, and a small stove - the infamous Borde (soon to be off the market because of its propensity for blowing up). I had done some reading of "Accidents in North American Mountaineering," so I had some idea of what to do. I ate, melted snow, made tea, snoozed, woke up from the cold, flexed my toes, ate, made tea, slept, and repeated on a very long winter night. As dawn arrived, I got up, pushed on, much refreshed, and made much better time down to the lodge, where I got a pretty much deserved chewing out by the deputy who would have had to mount a search effort if I had not showed up.
As it turned out, Orizaba and Popo were cake walks compared to this snow wallow "training climb."
lessons learned - you make really dumb decisions when you are physically stressed and probably hypothermic. To some extent, you can counter the consequences of these bad decisions if you carry appropriate gear, especially if you don't abandon it <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Does backpacking in the nude count as stupidity? Or did I see a holdover from the stone age? I guess if he was wearing a backpack he wouldn't be nude, or would he <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />?
Hey....i've thought about that lots of times when on solo hikes <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> I am glad i chose not to because with my luck i'd run into a Girl Scout troop or someone's church group <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />
_________________________
Hammockers aren't stuck up, they're just above it all.
Having been involved in S&R in the past and now again, I can tell you nothing people do surprises me. We have a trail that goes down a canyon to a creek with a hot springs that is very popular. People are forever going down it during the warm daytime in bathing suits or shorts and flipflops. They usually carry little food and extra clothing. They do find the ability to carry adult beverages and smoking products. Well when it gets dark the temps drop dramatically and the trail isn't so easy uphill and in the dark. These people are usually cold,wet,hungry,tired and in trouble. But they do have their cell phones that work intermitantly. But of course they have no idea where they are and in fact usually call a friend or family member so the info we get is second hand.(the phones are usually dead or not working when we try) I have even seen them go in when the weather is threatening and get in trouble when the creek floods.
One of the stupidest and saddest thing I ever saw was a scoutmaster took a group of boys up to the summit of Mt San Gorgonio. Some of the boys were in a hurry to get to the top and were moving very fast. One of the scouts was a little over weight and not in as good of shape. Needless to say he was falling behind. The scout leader then made a fatally stupid mstake. He left the young boy behind, assuming that they could catch up with him on the way back. That was the last time anyone saw the boy again. A massive search was launched that lasted for weeks. It involved mounted, foot and air. The Army even got involved. The boy was never found, only his camera with a photo taken of himself, a scared lost little boy. I spent several days on that mountain searching and it still haunts me.
I myself am not immune from lapses in judgement. When I was a teenager, my friend and I were camping along a creek and it was cold at night. We had heavy old sleeping bags with some unknown synthetic filler. My bag had a snap in flannel lining that had come loose and was bunched at the foot of the bag. This was ok as it kept my feet warm. We were sleeping in a lean-to that we had built and had a fire burning in the front of it. I didn't want to accidently kick my feet in the fire so I placed a large rock between the foot of my bag and the fire......When I awoke the next morning, my bag was smoldering. I hadn't noticed that an ember had jumped the rock landing on the foot of my bag because of the liner that was bunched at my feet. Well that was the second stupidest thing that I had done. The stupidest thing was when I slapped the smoldering bag with my hand. The synthetic filler was a melted pile of very very hot goo that both stuck to my bare hand and burned it at the same time. I immediately jumped out of the bag and carried it over and emersed it and my burnt hand in the cold creek. That lesson cost me a sleeping bag and several large painful blisters.
Registered: 05/26/08
Posts: 125
Loc: bc/yukon border area
i think the stupidest thing ive ever seen was, as i went to lite a fire in an established fire pit i found a winchester 300 mag shell stuck into the earth so it was buried with only the primer showing. this was unbelievable. so for me rule #1 dig around in firepit before lighting
I see you're at the northern BC/Yukon border. From your post I see that "civilization" has even made it up there. Good tip, especially in NF lands or where there might be hunting down here.
Registered: 04/01/07
Posts: 63
Loc: California, USA
First off, I would like to say that I HATE camping in well established camping areas that have been commercialized because you always run into people like this...
While camping with my family in Ice House, CA (El Dorado County), I observed the "(explative deleted)" camper next to me attempt to light a fire using a large propane tank. I watched as he opened the valve on the tank, light the expelling propane gas using a match, and saw a 5 foot flame shoot out of the valve. The camper (Im embarassed to even call him that, because he was anything but a "camper"), suprised by the uncontrollable flame, started waving the tank around wildly in an attempt to point the flame at the fire pit.
After getting my family safe behind my truck, I ran over to the campsite and assisted the other camper extinguish the flame. After which I had a rather stern and colorful lecture with the guy.
Ive seen some stupid things in my life, but this one takes the cake for me. He could've burned the whole forest down! Idiot...
I've seen people throw gas on a fire but I think a propane tank takes the prize. Instead of giving out merrit badges we should come up with something that cannot be removed and will let everyone know they are among the worst in stupidity. I also don't like camping in established camp sites. That's the reason I only go to the wilderness.
Instead of giving out merrit badges we should come up with something that cannot be removed and will let everyone know they are among the worst in stupidity.
Google the Darwin Award web site and let me know if you think that applies <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Our long-time Sponsor, BackcountryGear.com - The leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear:
Affiliate Disclaimer: This forum is an affiliate of BackcountryGear.com, Amazon.com, R.E.I. and others. The product links herein are linked to their sites. If you follow these links to make a purchase, we may get a small commission. This is our only source of support for these forums. Thanks.!