NationStates

Ratateague wrote:

Pax Nerdvana wrote:You're an ex Boy Scout? I'm currently a registered Scout. The only backpacking I've really done has been with my troop.

Yeah, but once a boy scout, always a boy scout. That reminds me of a saying a scoutmaster had... how'd it go? "Scouts who reach eagle go on to be successful leaders, the rest become scoutmasters to compensate and relive the old days."

Pax Nerdvana wrote:I've been on trips that have had issues. One time, one my fellow Scouts forgot the food. Fortunately, we were cabin camping, and we had enough, somehow. Another time, I ended up carrying all of an old Eureka 4-man on a backpacking trip. That thing is heavy, because the poles are metal.

Try carrying two sets of cookware on every trip, working around the sabbath, and enduring kosher marshmallows.

Pope Joan wrote:Looking over historical materials at an Adirondack library, I was amazed at the strength and endurance of those old-timers.

Portaging a long mahogany canoe. Carrying canvas tents with heavy poles. Even the boots were heavy.

Pax Nerdvana wrote:Kosher marshmellows?

Ratateague wrote:

Pope Joan wrote:Looking over historical materials at an Adirondack library, I was amazed at the strength and endurance of those old-timers.

Portaging a long mahogany canoe. Carrying canvas tents with heavy poles. Even the boots were heavy.

That's the sort of thing that stuck out from my Harper's Ferry trip; the tidbit of information you tend to remember from any given hike. "Nevermind the earthworks... how did they get those cannons up here?" Union soldiers lugged a 100-Pounder (10 tons) Parrott Rifle up Maryland Heights. I was winded from powering up that slope with a day pack.

Pax Nerdvana wrote:Kosher marshmellows?

non-delicious marshmallows (usually)

Pope Joan wrote:Looking over historical materials at an Adirondack library, I was amazed at the strength and endurance of those old-timers.

Portaging a long mahogany canoe. Carrying canvas tents with heavy poles. Even the boots were heavy.

Ratateague wrote:That's the sort of thing that stuck out from my Harper's Ferry trip; the tidbit of information you tend to remember from any given hike. "Nevermind the earthworks... how did they get those cannons up here?" Union soldiers lugged a 100-Pounder (10 tons) Parrott Rifle up Maryland Heights. I was winded from powering up that slope with a day pack.

Ratateague wrote:

Pope Joan wrote:Looking over historical materials at an Adirondack library, I was amazed at the strength and endurance of those old-timers.

Portaging a long mahogany canoe. Carrying canvas tents with heavy poles. Even the boots were heavy.

That's the sort of thing that stuck out from my Harper's Ferry trip; the tidbit of information you tend to remember from any given hike. "Nevermind the earthworks... how did they get those cannons up here?" Union soldiers lugged a 100-Pounder (10 tons) Parrott Rifle up Maryland Heights. I was winded from powering up that slope with a day pack.

Pax Nerdvana wrote:Kosher marshmellows?

non-delicious marshmallows (usually)

Pope Joan wrote:

Ratateague wrote:That's the sort of thing that stuck out from my Harper's Ferry trip; the tidbit of information you tend to remember from any given hike. "Nevermind the earthworks... how did they get those cannons up here?" Union soldiers lugged a 100-Pounder (10 tons) Parrott Rifle up Maryland Heights. I was winded from powering up that slope with a day pack.


non-delicious marshmallows (usually)

Droop Mountain is an interesting name.
The Union did that at Droop Mountain in WVA too; since it was impossible, the rebels were taken by surprise

Pope Joan wrote:

Ratateague wrote:That's the sort of thing that stuck out from my Harper's Ferry trip; the tidbit of information you tend to remember from any given hike. "Nevermind the earthworks... how did they get those cannons up here?" Union soldiers lugged a 100-Pounder (10 tons) Parrott Rifle up Maryland Heights. I was winded from powering up that slope with a day pack.


non-delicious marshmallows (usually)

The Union did that at Droop Mountain in WVA too; since it was impossible, the rebels were taken by surprise

Indo-Malaysia wrote:I'm planning on hiking from one end of England to the other across Hadrians Wall

Indo-Malaysia wrote:I'm planning on hiking from one end of England to the other across Hadrians Wall

Xmara wrote:I've only been hiking a couple of times.

First time was when I was 11 and I went on this weekend wilderness retreat with my American Heritage Girls troop (AHG is basically a Christian-oriented version of Girl Scouts). We went on this 2 mile long hiking trip to a cave (seemed like a hundred to me though); I got dehydrated on the way back and had to rest on a log.

Second time was when I was 12 and my 7th grade class went on a hiking trip behind the school (there was a mountain with a trail behind the school).

Most recent time was last year when I went with some of my college friends to Wine Cellar Park, and we hiked up to the lake.

Pope Joan wrote:

Xmara wrote:I've only been hiking a couple of times.

First time was when I was 11 and I went on this weekend wilderness retreat with my American Heritage Girls troop (AHG is basically a Christian-oriented version of Girl Scouts). We went on this 2 mile long hiking trip to a cave (seemed like a hundred to me though); I got dehydrated on the way back and had to rest on a log.

Second time was when I was 12 and my 7th grade class went on a hiking trip behind the school (there was a mountain with a trail behind the school).

Most recent time was last year when I went with some of my college friends to Wine Cellar Park, and we hiked up to the lake.

I think any hike is most rewarding when you get a photo op, like a lake, at the end.

That it why we especially enjoyed the "Lost Pond" trail in the Pyramid Wilderness, northwest of Lake George

USS Monitor wrote:

Indo-Malaysia wrote:I'm planning on hiking from one end of England to the other across Hadrians Wall

Oh, cool! Now I kind of want to try that... About how long does it take?

Indo-Malaysia wrote:

USS Monitor wrote:
Oh, cool! Now I kind of want to try that... About how long does it take?

From Bowness-on-Solway to Fort Segedunum, it's about 84 Miles. I'd guess it's 2/3 days assuming you are only walking.
We're thinking of also magnet fishing along bodies of water along Hadrians Way to find something nice to stick on a shelf.

Pax Nerdvana wrote:I have a backpacking trip this weekend.

Kernen wrote:

Pax Nerdvana wrote:I have a backpacking trip this weekend.

Lucky bastard. I've not been able to go for a few years and I miss it.

I've got an old army rucksack I use, but it's hell on my back in my advanced age. As a old Eagle Scout, I'm probably making my assistant scoutmaster roll in his grave by moving away from military surplus. Nonetheless, I'm in the market for a civilian pack. Maybe an Osprey.

Pax Nerdvana wrote:

Kernen wrote:Lucky bastard. I've not been able to go for a few years and I miss it.

I've got an old army rucksack I use, but it's hell on my back in my advanced age. As a old Eagle Scout, I'm probably making my assistant scoutmaster roll in his grave by moving away from military surplus. Nonetheless, I'm in the market for a civilian pack. Maybe an Osprey.

I'm currently in the BSA. It's always nice to meet a Scout or ex-Scout. Milsurp gear is an excellent choice, due to the fact that it's virtually indestructible. I personally collect military surplus, and I want a pack for my collection. Alps Mountaineer makes good stuff, as does Osprey.

Kernen wrote:

Pax Nerdvana wrote:I'm currently in the BSA. It's always nice to meet a Scout or ex-Scout. Milsurp gear is an excellent choice, due to the fact that it's virtually indestructible. I personally collect military surplus, and I want a pack for my collection. Alps Mountaineer makes good stuff, as does Osprey.

Military surplus is nice on some fronts, but it has cons. Its heavy and not always comfortable, and it isn't designed to be repaired. And when you're older, you start feeling your knees and back a lot differently. Which is why it's time for a change for me. Also, I've never been on a backpacking trip where I actually needed 90 liters of storage. I always overpack.

Have you moved into hammock camping yet?

Pax Nerdvana wrote:

Kernen wrote:Military surplus is nice on some fronts, but it has cons. Its heavy and not always comfortable, and it isn't designed to be repaired. And when you're older, you start feeling your knees and back a lot differently. Which is why it's time for a change for me. Also, I've never been on a backpacking trip where I actually needed 90 liters of storage. I always overpack.

Have you moved into hammock camping yet?

Not really. I own a hammock, but I've only slept out in it a couple of times.

Kernen wrote:

Pax Nerdvana wrote:Not really. I own a hammock, but I've only slept out in it a couple of times.

You should consider it. It's much lighter than a tent, and more comfortable besides. It's a warmer month setup, but once you get a little practice, its hard to beat.

I have an ENO Double Nest with the bug net and a rain fly. I've rigged up a gear hammock directly below the sleeping hammock so I can keep my pack off the ground and under the fly. It is, hands down, the most comfortable I have ever been while camping. And a hammock is lighter and smaller than a tent, which is a big pro. You should look into it.

That said, the Eureka Timberline 4-man tents are pretty much the best tent ever built, weight and all.

Pax Nerdvana wrote:

Kernen wrote:
You should consider it. It's much lighter than a tent, and more comfortable besides. It's a warmer month setup, but once you get a little practice, its hard to beat.

I have an ENO Double Nest with the bug net and a rain fly. I've rigged up a gear hammock directly below the sleeping hammock so I can keep my pack off the ground and under the fly. It is, hands down, the most comfortable I have ever been while camping. And a hammock is lighter and smaller than a tent, which is a big pro. You should look into it.

That said, the Eureka Timberline 4-man tents are pretty much the best tent ever built, weight and all.

Hammocks do have their advantages. I've thought about it before, but haven't really done it. We have an old Eureka 4 man, circa 1999 or thereabouts.

Kernen wrote:

Pax Nerdvana wrote:Hammocks do have their advantages. I've thought about it before, but haven't really done it. We have an old Eureka 4 man, circa 1999 or thereabouts.

Golden age for Timberlines right there. Give it a shot on an overnight this summer. So long as you keep it slack, you end up lying flat and its super comfy. I sleep better in my hammock than in my own bed. Of course, that may be for want of cats to smother me.