I am curious to find out if there are some other folks out there that enjoy backpacking and hiking. Here's a thread where you can swap stories and exchange ideas about gear and techniques.

:-)

I love to go hiking but obviously not a pro if I don't know what gear is required. Backpack with water, a snack and some toilet paper is all I take!

hiking gear=20 pack of beer iced down. the hiking trip ends when the ice chest gets to heavy to carry,lol

That's my type of hiking max trip out is always a lighter load!!

I am in Washington. I like the Pacific Crest trail. As far as gear start out with some good hiking boots.

lol

Hiking is cool, but I'm a backpacker myself. If I'm less than a full days hike from anything civilized I'm not far enough away yet.

Has anyone ever hiked Yosemite in California? If so, what is your favorite trail or granite wonder that you have conquered?

My favorite is Half Dome by way of the mist trail or John Muir. Making it all the way from Glacier Point in about 8 hours is quite an accomplishment too.
Yosemite Falls with all of those switchbacks is a decent hike too.
Next: What else? Straight up the face of El Capitan!

Yes I have backpacked many times in yosemite. I enjoyed half dome but I there is one hiked I liked better and I'm drawing a blank on the name. You can get to it two ways, one but hiking up John Muir from tuolumny meadows about 5 miles then heading straight up the mtn side. Or again from tuolumny heading E and slightly S and up. It's a steep climb with a full pack but quite a bit shorter.

Damn I wish I could remember the name of that peak.

Got it! I remember Vogelsang. Beautiful!!!

I've never been backpacking, but I would love to try it some time.

Worth every sore muscle totage. I recommend it highly

Sorry Davey I had to step away for a few minutes.
I have heard of Vogelsang and I'm sure I've seen pictures of it but I don't remember seeing it in person.
Too busy with those sore calf muscles They are something aren't they? It's a good thing they're only sore for about a month!

Mountainloven, you are very correct about the boots.
You can spend a ton of money on some fancy boots but I won't hike on granite at least in anything but HiTech's.
They stick to granite like glue. The last time I hiked Half Dome, there were so many people coming up the cables, there was no room for me to come down so I just walked outside of the cables. Not one tiny slip and it is quite steep and I walked fast.

I have hiked several miles through the Appalachian Trail (AT) at the border of North Carolina and Tennessee.

There is a small village called Wesser in Nantahala Gorge. There are a hand full of shops there and the trailhead for the AT is in Wesser.

We did a 28 mile backpack from Wesser to Fontana Dam. A lot of beautiful sites to see in the forest there.

I lived in North Carolina for 6 years and have explored many trails and hikes in those mountains.

For someone that wants to get into backpacking, I would recommend visiting some of the various stores that sell the backpacking equipment. Don't buy anything compulsively, and do some research on each item you might want to buy. There is a ton of gear out there. Some is made to perform well, some is cheap junk that becomes dead weight if you have to pack it out.

There is also a lot of information available on the Internet. Do a Google search on "Backpacking gear" or some such keywords you can think of pertaining to backpacking.

Usually, the best gear gets rated on various sites, so that helps when you go to buy certain things. But the best teacher is experience.

As a rule of thumb, you might want to consider just a day hike with some of the gear at first to get used to carrying the pack. You can always stop and try out stuff within a safe distance of your car and the trail head that way. You don't have to go overnight right away.

Then, as you get a bit more confident, hike a bit farther, then try an over-nighter.

I really enjoy a 7 day adventure in the woods. I carry the bare necessities when I got in, and have always had a really great time. For the beginning backpacker I would recommend working up to a backpacking adventure of that length. Do a few over-nighters, then maybe a weekender, then when you know how to use the gear, get out their with the eagles and breathe that fresh air. There is nothing like it I have ever found.

I just remembered...

There are plenty of web sites on the Internet that discuss things such as a checklist for items to carry when you do go on a backpacking adventure.

-Of course you'll have the pack.
-Good boots are a must.
-You need a way to carry and filter water if you are going to be in the woods for any length of time.
-Depending on the length of the backpacking trip, you may need to carry in your own dehydrated food source. (There are many options for this)
-There are various first-aid and safety items that are wise to carry.
-If you go over-night you'll need a tent or some form of shelter (depending on the climate)
-Sometimes you might need a sleeping bag
-Some light nylon rope comes in handy to tie your food up in a tree a good distance from the camp. This keeps the critters away from your goodies. It also (well mostly) will keep the critters out of your camp, too.
-Of course toilet paper, but if you are hiking through, it's usually expected that you might dig a small hole and bury what you leave behind. This is good for the environment and the animals.
-If you do go in the woods, tell somebody that isn't going the basics concerning your journey. Let them know the trail heads you are using, and your expected time of return. That way, if something goes wrong and you don't return within a safe time, your friends will be able to contact the rangers for you to commence a search if necessary.
-A few very light items can or might help you in a pinch. I carry an extremely loud referee's whistle. Actually, there is no pea (the thing that spins around in the whistle) inside of this model. The model I carry is a Fox 40 whistle. They only cost a couple dollars, and are extremely loud. It will make noise even if I barely blow into it... For example, if a person fell and injured themselves, and it was difficult to blow into the whistle, this type of whistle would still be audible even with a small puff of wind. There are various options for safety stuff, but this is one simple one. I carry one lashed around my neck like a necklace, and I carry a second one enclosed in my backpack.
-You also want to consider some way to start a fire when you are in the woods. BIC lighters aren't always the best choice. There are various options for fire starters out there, some require some practice, some are wind-proof, water-proof lighters (like advanced BIC lighters that work regardless of situation). There are also waterproof matches. This is something you can do some research about.

I am not the perfect backpacker, and I learn something new every time I have ever went out, or combined thoughts with other hikers in a thread like this.

Some of my ways might be good for me, but might not work for you... same goes with some of your techniques.

Here's an idea......

It would be cool to have a JustSayHi backpakcer adventure someday.

Just a thought, but it would be cool.

More later...

Backpacking is one of the larger reasons I bought a hot tub. Reduces recovery time considerably. Vogelsang was definitely one of my favorite hikes. It really isn't too far a hike. One of the shorter ones, but from there you can take some really awesome day hikes.

Here's a Google search for "Backpacking Checklist"

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=backpacking+checklist&btnG=Google+Search

Lot's of good tips on that one page. Lot's of links and info.

Just thought I'd bump the thread to see if anyone else out there likes backpacking.

TM

Thats a good start!! The good hiking boots comment is the most important thing. Hauling beer just gets lighter as you go!!lol. I like to hike the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Trail!!