Hiking...

I love to hike, but haven't been in a long time. I used to like camping, but a year of living in a remote cabin in Alaska (no electricity, no running water, etc.) kind of gave me my fill of primitive living. ;)

The last time I went hiking was up in North Carolina when I did about 6 miles of the Appalachian Trail.
 
Very cool. My partner and I do a lot of hiking on the AT.

Remote cabin in Alaska? Do tell...
 
It's been a long time - but back in my late 20s I had the opportunity to go live in a friend's cabin down on the Kenai peninsula. I was about 5 miles outside of Seward on the Exit Glacier Rd (which has been paved and modernized since - when I lived there it was a dirt strip).

The cabin was one room, wood stove, loft, on a creek from the glacier. I had no elec, no running water, no phone, (and this was pre-days when cell phones were common, even if I could have gotten reception out there). The deal was I could live there rent free as long as I did some work on the cabin and the property.

I took a few part time jobs while I was there - worked as a fish slimer at the cannery for about 3 days (worst job ever), and did some work in the local hotels in Seward for a while. But mostly I worked on the property and took a ton of photos. It was awesome. :)
 
Wow, that's amazing. Sounds heavenly... I would've gotten so much reading done there. And hiking. I'm jealous.
 
Lots of it done in new hampshire
Lots of it done in the adironidacks in new york
Lots of it done in teh ramapo range in new jersey/new york

Camping? no thank you my idea of roughing it is no room service after midnight
 
We were planning on doing the adironidacks later this year... not sure if we will or not. Gordy now wants to head out to CO later this year.
 
OMg! I just finished watching INTO THE WILD and was totally moved by it! It was incredibly well done (yay Sean Penn!) and I could not get over the scenery! I wasn't familiar with the story, so found the end pretty ... unexpected (don't want to spoil things). I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in a thought provoking evening - definitely not lighthearted entertainment!

I am just now getting into camping and hiking. BC is the most beautiful province in all of Canada (she said modestly)! Come for a visit, y'all.

Cheers
ABBA
 
Just last week I hiked up the Stawamus Chief near Vancouver:



And two days later I hiked the Grouse Grind, also in Vancouver:



I'm starting to enjoy hiking a lot, and plan to do more.


Also - I loved 'A Walk in the Woods'. Bill Bryson is hugely fun to read. I'm currently reading 'Notes from a Small Island'.
 
Steve said:
Have you guys seen the movie, "Into the Wild"?
Click to expand...

I actually read the book along time ago and I'm curious to see how they glamoirized the movie. I enjoy Jon Krakuar's (SP) writing.

My thoughts are that this kid was a little off. He might have been very smart but did not have much common sense when it came to his adventures. He was ill prepared for that trip to Alaska and I wasnt surprised about the outcome. Tragic story when anyone loses their life and it certainly could have been avoided.

Matt
 
I have only recently (last 2 years) been into hiking and have done all mine in the White Mountains, NH. I will probably go on a couple more this year with one of them being Mount Washington.


Has anyone read Into Thin Air?
 
ABBAgirl said:
OMg! I just finished watching INTO THE WILD and was totally moved by it! It was incredibly well done (yay Sean Penn!) and I could not get over the scenery! I wasn't familiar with the story, so found the end pretty ... unexpected (don't want to spoil things). I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in a thought provoking evening - definitely not lighthearted entertainment!
Click to expand...

I love it too.

That said, you'd be surprised how many Alaskan residents despise Christopher McCandless, the actual kid the main character played.

From wiki:

Because he chose not to bring a map and a compass (items which most people in the same situation would have considered essential), McCandless was completely unaware that a hand-operated tram crossed the otherwise impassable river 1/4 mile from where he attempted to cross. Had McCandless known this, he could easily have saved his own life.[2] Additionally, there were cabins stocked with emergency supplies within a few miles of the bus, although they had been vandalized and all the supplies were spoiled, possibly by McCandless, as detailed in Lamothe's documentary. Yet Ken Kehrer, chief ranger for Denali National Park, denied that McCandless was considered a vandalism suspect by the National Park Service.[19] The most charitable view among McCandless's detractors is that he was somewhat lacking in basic common sense, i.e., venturing deep into a wilderness area on his own without adequate planning, preparation, and supplies was almost guaranteed to end in disaster.
Click to expand...

Now I'm all for adventure in the wilderness. Anyone who knows me would agree... and I've done some pretty crazy stuff. That said, I'm not stupid about it. It can be very dangerous out there so I'm not so sure I see a point in going unprepared.

Interesting.

I am just now getting into camping and hiking. BC is the most beautiful province in all of Canada (she said modestly)! Come for a visit, y'all.
Click to expand...

So I hear.

Be careful what you welcome into your life!

:p
 
Cord the Seeker said:
Just last week I hiked up the Stawamus Chief near Vancouver:

Stawamus Chief hike near Squamish, BC | Vancouver Trails

And two days later I hiked the Grouse Grind, also in Vancouver:

Grouse Grind hike at Grouse Mountain, North Vancouver | Vancouver Trails

I'm starting to enjoy hiking a lot, and plan to do more.


Also - I loved 'A Walk in the Woods'. Bill Bryson is hugely fun to read. I'm currently reading 'Notes from a Small Island'.
Click to expand...

Wow, Stawamus looks fantastic! I'm jealous. Though PA is known for its wilderness, it certainly doesn't have the mountains I'd like. That said, there are some great lands to be hiked here.

Last weekend I hiked Worlds End State Park. We did 30 miles in a day and a half... it was phenomenal. The highest peak is only 2,000 but the trails are pretty tough and the scenery is beautiful.

Worlds End State Park pictures by stroutman81 - Photobucket

In February of this year we attempted the Presidential Traverse up in New Hampshire, known for some of the worst weather in the world. It lived up to that infamous title when we had to turn around after only making it up the first mountain. Winds were over 100 mph and temps/wind chill was at -60. We slept in it for one night and it was one of the wildest things I've done yet.

Here's a vid or two of parts of the experience:

YouTube - P2220001

YouTube - P2220011

YouTube - P2220008

YouTube - Snow in vestibule - Presidential Traverse

Thankfully, a year prior, not in winter, we did complete the Traverse. For those with some experience who would like a challenge, I most definitely recommend this hike. The first attempt which was successful I truly believe was the closest I've been to death in my life as we got stuck in a very bad storm. I wrote about that here in my journal a while back.

YouTube - Snow in vestibule - Presidential Traverse

YouTube - 021

YouTube - 012

YouTube - mt washington 2

YouTube - mt washington
 
usedtobefatmatt said:
My thoughts are that this kid was a little off. He might have been very smart but did not have much common sense when it came to his adventures. He was ill prepared for that trip to Alaska and I wasnt surprised about the outcome. Tragic story when anyone loses their life and it certainly could have been avoided.

Matt
Click to expand...

Just seeing this now, Matt... and I agree. See my post above with the words from wiki. I understand the kids mindset. I've dreamt about heading off into the wild and living off the land.

It's just that if I ever did it, I'd be a little more smart about it, is all.
 
usedtobefatmatt said:
My thoughts are that this kid was a little off. He might have been very smart but did not have much common sense when it came to his adventures. He was ill prepared for that trip to Alaska and I wasnt surprised about the outcome. Tragic story when anyone loses their life and it certainly could have been avoided.

Matt
Click to expand...

Yeah, a little off is right! Quite bright academically, but possibly some mental illness there (burning money, abandoning car, no identity, not letting anyone know his whereabouts, etc.). But something about his passion really got to me. I feel like I am on such a strange and wonderful journey of self-discovery in my own life, and I admire the fact that he really DID reject materialism and just go it alone. I respect it, but find it rather disturbing and kind of odd!:nopity:

Anyway, I thought it was worth reading. What is INTO THIN AIR about? Ummm...without totally spoiling the end, I mean. :Angel_anim:

Hiking the Grouse Grind would be awesome! I always see it featured in Tommy Europe's Last 10 Pounds tv show. It's just gorgeous! And he's kind of a nice view, too...hee hee
ABBA
 
Into Thin Air was written by Jon Krakauer about a 1996 expedition he led up Mt. Everest. ON the day they were due to summit, there was a rogue storm and something like 2/3 of the party died and their bodies had to be left on the mountain. [highlight over the white text, just in case there's anyone who doesn't know what happened.]

I don't remember all the details as it's been a while since I read the book.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top