Discussion Topic |
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Gunkie
Trad climber
Valles Marineris
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 23, 2017 - 01:11pm PT
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Going backpacking for the first time in nearly 40 years. I don't remember liking it too much then. I've bivied many many time below El Cap, Half Dome, Cannon Mtn, other crags but haven't been on a real backpacking trip forever.
Taking two of my kids; the other is in college right now. What's so great?
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fear
Ice climber
hartford, ct
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Aug 23, 2017 - 01:18pm PT
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Nothing.
But with kids you can make it great.... Bring fun stuff for them to do. Make sure to include destinations with great sights, water, cool stuff.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Aug 23, 2017 - 01:23pm PT
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What's so great?
Eating food with dirt in it? Insect bites? Sleeping in a wet sleeping bag? Sunburn? Blistered feet?
Seriously, what's not to like?
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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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Aug 23, 2017 - 01:49pm PT
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No Phuking phones, people trying to sell you stuff, and if you go to the right spots...people bothering you. Bonus is great fishing if you know where to look. Spending a week alone, or with good people, in the mountains resets my mind and puts me at peace. That's just me though...
Bring games for the kids. Both the boy and girl loved fishing. Oh yea, and don't piss off my daughter...
Edit; If you are eating food with dirt in it, or sleeping in a wet sleeping bag, sunburn, blistered feet, you have to ask yourself why. It's just backpacking, not mountaineering.
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crankster
Trad climber
No. Tahoe
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Aug 23, 2017 - 02:01pm PT
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About 10 less pounds of climbing gear.
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Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
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Aug 23, 2017 - 02:26pm PT
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Self-propelled and self-sufficent, can't beat the feeling. Gets better and better the more days you are out. Keep it mellow for the kids, they wil enjoy it.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Aug 23, 2017 - 02:31pm PT
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Gunkie! Re: What's so great?
We ran into an old cowboy at about mile 10 of our 1970 trip in to climb Gannett Peak in the Wind Rivers. He was a little suspicious of 4 hippie backpackers/climbers on his turf, but after a couple minutes of light conversation, he warmed up a bit.
He leaned over towards us and said: "Backpacking is a lot like hitting yourself in the head with a hammer."
After a short pause, he added: "It feels so great when you stop."
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Pete_N
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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Aug 23, 2017 - 02:33pm PT
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The long approach to nowhere? (credit: Chris Kalous)
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Aug 23, 2017 - 03:12pm PT
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If I'm backpacking in to a climb it's like a mission. Head down, go!
If I'm just out for a few daze I tend not to get very far.
I'm thinking of doing a backpacking/photo trip soon, Wishon to the top of Tehipite, and maybe down into the valley. It depends on the smoke and air quality in October up there. And the weather outlook. If I go I'll probably get lazy and skip going down, and back up, from Tehipite Valley, preferring to tool around on the crest of the canyon looking across at the Monarch Divide...
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Aug 23, 2017 - 03:30pm PT
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It has its moments - once you get there.
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AP
Trad climber
Calgary
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Aug 23, 2017 - 03:32pm PT
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Hiking is kind of like climbing with no payoff at the end
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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Aug 23, 2017 - 03:52pm PT
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Backpacking is wonderful if you go ultra lightweight. It takes some selective purchasing and knowhow that a climber should have, but its a big difference going 10 miles into the mountains with 20 pounds versus 40.
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SC seagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, A sailboat, or some time zone
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Aug 23, 2017 - 04:00pm PT
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I like it pretty much.
Ferret does most of the cooking. That's good.
My fav is the shower once civilization is reached.
I do not like talus fields (especially after 7 hours)
Susan
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Inner City
Trad climber
Portland, OR
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Aug 23, 2017 - 04:08pm PT
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The Beauty!!
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NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
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Aug 23, 2017 - 04:12pm PT
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About 10 less pounds of climbing gear. Classic!
Unplanned bivies are a wonderful thing for learning a minimalist ethic. It is remarkable how truly little we need in order to survive and be happy. I look forward to the freedom this will impart on my future backpacking trips.
I wonder though whether that knowledge makes us appreciate the accoutrements of civilization more, or whether we just parallel track those ideas and blindly ignore the pleasures and comforts around us in our civilized life while we focus on something else. I guess it depends on each of us and our moods.
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Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
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Aug 23, 2017 - 05:12pm PT
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Arriving.
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Gunkie
Trad climber
Valles Marineris
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 23, 2017 - 05:51pm PT
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Chris, that photo of your daughter is priceless :)
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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Aug 23, 2017 - 05:52pm PT
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Hiking is kind of like climbing with no payoff at the end
Haha. My wife always says to me "you never want to hike anywhere unless there's a climb at the destination" and I say "yeah. And?"
Agree with super light if possible. Worth renting gear if it's only an occasional thing.
I did mt Whitney a few years back by the mountaineers route. First time in a long time I did a long hike without climbing gear. It was so easy!
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thebravecowboy
climber
The Good Places
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Aug 23, 2017 - 05:54pm PT
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endorphins are a helluva drug. i mean what's knott to like about endogenous morphine?
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splitclimber
climber
Sonoma County
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Aug 23, 2017 - 05:59pm PT
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I'm with you Fet.
Been doing more longer backpack trips to climbing or peak bagging destinations.
Great to be out for a long time and really disconnect from society and loose some weight. :)
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Ken M
Mountain climber
Los Angeles, Ca
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Aug 23, 2017 - 06:02pm PT
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Wow, I'm amazed at many of the answers. It sounds like there are a lot of people who didn't learn how to do this.
On a bright note for you, there has been a HUGE revolution in gear in the last 40 years. These days, I am amazed by what I put myself through.
Weight reduction is the amazing thing, facilitated by advancements in gear.
I think my weekend pack is about 6 lbs (packed) (not counting water)
My weeklong is about 20 lbs.
it takes experience/work/consideration to make that happen, but it is doable.
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ruppell
climber
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Aug 23, 2017 - 06:09pm PT
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For me it's just a means to an end. I haven't put my pack on without climbing gear in it in a very long time. The climb is the goal not the "backpacking".
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Gene
climber
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Aug 23, 2017 - 06:42pm PT
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Aug 23, 2017 - 06:55pm PT
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What is so great about backpacking?
Beats me.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Aug 23, 2017 - 06:59pm PT
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It beats being in the office. Plus a bunch of other stuff if you can get past the trees to see the forest.
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kunlun_shan
Mountain climber
SF, CA
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Aug 23, 2017 - 07:53pm PT
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Backpacking is a combo of two things I find boring; hiking and camping. I know lots of city folk who LOVE camping. A buddy of mine can't help but continually repeat, "I LOVE this sh*t!", if he's out in a tent. Personally I try not to do either as ends in them themselves, but will for spectacular scenery. I've spent literally hundreds of days living out of a tent, am comfortable and fine, but find little novelty in it. I have no problem with walking a long way for multi days camping or bivying, if a good climb or good skiing is involved.
For overnights I dehydrate my own food and eat as well as at home. I absolutely refuse to eat crap freeze dried pouches.
edit - Especially for kids, or anyone not used to being able to live outside with what one can carry on one's back, its an eye opening, life altering, super fun experience!
It is cool to be able to carry everything one needs and live along the way :-)
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
sawatch choss
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Aug 23, 2017 - 08:16pm PT
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I'm definitely a fan of humping it in to somewhere nice, ideally with large boulders and maybe a dip pool, and then kicking it.
Slogging down the trail every day like it's my job, not so much.
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
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Aug 23, 2017 - 09:11pm PT
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Once you get used to the load, it's fun. Great way to travel. Cross country where no trails are is best. You can go some really cool places.
Climbing or skiing is better but packing is great. Good gear and knowing what you are doing helps make it more fun.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Aug 24, 2017 - 08:28am PT
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backpacking is how I got into climbing, I started backpacking with the boyscouts, my troop would go on a trip every month.
there is something to the idea that you could just walk anywhere you wanted to, one foot in front of the other.
I've packed light and heavy for various reasons, and the trips I have taken with my wife, and now my daughter have been some of the best times in the "wild" places.
It is a lot of work, the best part is discovering how important sleep is, and that I don't get enough when back in "civilization."
There are beautiful places to go, though perhaps not as remote as they once were.
And all you have to do is pack up the necessities lift it to your shoulders and walk out the door.
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Cragar
climber
MSLA - MT
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Aug 24, 2017 - 09:15am PT
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If you have to ask...then..
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Nick Danger
Ice climber
Arvada, CO
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Aug 24, 2017 - 09:38am PT
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What's not to like about trees, sky, mountains, canyons, flowers, no phone, no traffic, no crowds, walking, smiling, smelling the out-of-doors, a cup of tea in a wilderness setting, stars undimmed by street lights...
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aspendougy
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Aug 24, 2017 - 10:06am PT
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When I was about 12 yrs. old, we did a trip into Ten Lakes (around 1962)and we used pack horses to take in all the gear. Human beings are not pack animals, I've never liked backpacking. With horses, we had fresh eggs, bacon, etc. for breakfast, it was lovely. Use Llamas if you are more environmentally conscious. Pretty soon, we will have drones taking in the stuff. Then flying cars.
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rgold
Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
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Aug 24, 2017 - 10:20am PT
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Most of the backpacking I have done has been in the service of climbing objectives, but I have found other things to appreciate about it.
At the risk of stating the obvious, backpacking is about getting to places you have no other way of experiencing. So one shouldn't forget that appreciation of the the locales, both at the objective (if there is one) and along the way is the primary reason to embrace some of the discomforts of the genre.
It shouldn't be about the gear or the novelty of sleeping outside, and it shouldn't be about speed, endurance, overcoming adversity, or personal growth through tribulation. If you are too tired or too miserable to fully attend your surroundings, I think the trip is a failure.
I had an interesting illustration of this a week or two ago in the Tetons. I was by myself hiking up Stewart Draw on my way to climb the East Ridge of Buck Mountain. I was acclimatized and fit (for me at 73), but have found that although I can chug along for as long as it takes, I simply can't move very fast any more---not compared to people twenty or more years younger.
One of the benefits of this age-imposed languidness is that I notice my surroundings a lot more than I used to, and this connection to the places I'm passing through has made the hiking part of the mountain day far more interesting and pleasurable than it used to be when I moved fast and had to keep my eyes mostly on the ground immediately in front of me.
So I'm plodding up the hill, enjoying things like
and
when (inevitably) two young guys catch up with me, movin' fast and breathin' hard. One of them says, "Some hike, huh?" My reply seems to startle them: "Yeah, this is one of the most beautiful approaches I've done here." There's a moment of silence and then one of them says, "I'd like to shake your hand. Most people think of this has a tough grind---that's what I was referring to."
I realized we were having a somewhat different type of experience in the same environment. I think it fair to say that theirs was primarily athletic, and mine was primarily esthetic. And let's not forget that while I had to change my descent plans to avoid potential thunderstorms on the ridge, they were up and down and out of potential harm's way---the price for reverie is not necessarily inconsequential. But when backpacking is the activity, then I think that structuring it so that one really gets to enjoy the surroundings is of paramount importance.
Going light is a big help as long as it doesn't become a goal in itself that sacrifices possible comforts for minor weight savings. If kids or grown neophytes are involved, make sure their equipment is comfortable and already-tested and that they are fit enough for the contemplated activities. Then plan for plenty of time, so that things are never rushed and one can stop and enjoy as much as possible. And don't purposely head for misery: pay attention to the weather and the bugs.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Aug 24, 2017 - 03:18pm PT
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Backpacking and climbing are means to the same end for me: getting somewhere unique. I started climbing to get more places, if you climb for the athletic sport of it I can see how backpacking might not align with that.
Some people say backpacking is boring, my biggest complaint is that I get stressed because there's too much to do and not enough time in the day! Peak bagging, swimming, fishing, photography, identifying plants and animals, caving, climbing, sight seeing, relaxing away from people, exploring, snowboarding, learning about natural history, crossing off places on my maps, fishing again, etc etc etc
(it helps if you're a biology nerd, then it's like a scavenger hunt)
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Aug 24, 2017 - 06:23pm PT
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If you don't like or understand backpacking, then maybe you're into climbing for the wrong reasons.
'Nuff said.
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rbord
Boulder climber
atlanta
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Aug 24, 2017 - 08:56pm PT
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Backpacking is just a marketing scam designed to sell backpacking gear. What would the marketers do if we were all dead? We'll show them! Let's go climbing :-)
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kunlun_shan
Mountain climber
SF, CA
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Aug 24, 2017 - 08:58pm PT
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If you don't like or understand backpacking, then maybe you're into climbing for the wrong reasons.
^ City kids. ;-)
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Aug 24, 2017 - 09:33pm PT
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Ian Jewell for the win. wow
I'm going to just add reading. I never have a chance to unplug and just plow through books like I used to. Read three on this last trip.
Especially love being in a tent (no bugs) with the slightest breeze keeping temps right at 68 or so where I have to pull up the bag around me.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Aug 24, 2017 - 09:47pm PT
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It's a bit like driving on an LA freeway...not much fun while you're doing it but it gets you where you want to go.
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Inner City
Trad climber
Portland, OR
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Aug 25, 2017 - 07:11am PT
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I think one of the primary joys of backpacking is just being outside all day in
a wilderness setting. So much to see!
Ian, looks like you have done a bit of So. Utah outdoor time..is Gravel canyon part of your experience?
Just did a five day Yosemite loop..Red Peak Pass...it was grand...and yes Del, plenty of bourbon!
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Aug 25, 2017 - 07:14am PT
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I'm taking off this morning for a three day solo trip to the Ice Lake Basin. 5.5 miles and 3,200 vertical feet will take me to Fuller Lake at 12,500 ft. I'll camp there and feast on native cutthroat caught with my Tenkara rod.
Tomorrow i'll enchain three peaks between 13,800 and 13,950 snd return to camp for some more fishing.
Day three I'll hike out after a leisurely breakfast. The whole time will be spent above tree line in beautiful alpine tundra covered with all color shades of indian paintbrush.
The hike up to camp will be a bit of a drag but well worth the effort to put me in an absolutely gorgeous place accessible by no other means.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Aug 25, 2017 - 07:42am PT
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Thanks for the kind thoughts. I actually enjoy the physical challenge of hiking uphill with a pack. It's one of the reasons I'm still fit at my age. Heading out!
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Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
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Aug 25, 2017 - 09:22am PT
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Don't run away and hide in the mountains Jim, we know you want to watch the leprechaun dance with death while in repose in your Lazyboy, giant bag of Cheese Puffs handy. Mountains are dangerous, don't you know that?
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rbord
Boulder climber
atlanta
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Aug 25, 2017 - 02:20pm PT
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If you're not up for some suffering, what's the point? Plenty of time for nonsuffering when we're dead.
I feed the 6 yr old soccer girls otter pops to trick them into developing positive neural connections between suffering on the soccer field and fun. Start tricking them early and it might last a lifetime!
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Risk
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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Aug 25, 2017 - 09:38pm PT
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What's so great?
Let us know when you get back if you answered your own question. Hopefully, you'll find it boring and will never go again. The fewer, the better.
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Gunkie
Trad climber
Valles Marineris
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 28, 2017 - 05:26am PT
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It was a good time; albeit, I'd rather be climbing or surfing. My kids had fun as I carried most of the water and food. I wanted to make sure they enjoyed the time walking.
13.25 hours of hiking total to cover 27.5 miles.
Day 1: 5:00 pm - 7:45 pm, 2.75 hours/5.5 miles
Day 2: 10:00 am - 4:45 pm, 6.75 hours/15 miles
Day 3: 9:00 am - 12:45 pm, 3.75 hours/7 miles
The Pinchot Trail in NE Pennsylvania is a loop trail recommended for beginners. I think it was a good choice for the first outing. Not a ton of up and down, but it did have it's share of Pennsylvania rocky trail. The kind of trail where you have to look at your feet and never look up kind of hiking. Almost no views aside from a side trail to an observation tower. But it has plenty of nice camping sites and plenty of streams to filter water from. I'm sure we'll be out again and have our kit better dialed in next time. Way too much trail mix and not enough beef jerky. We camped at the very north site on night one and the very south site on night two.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Aug 28, 2017 - 07:06am PT
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Sweet! I was raised in the Philadelphia area. Went to boy scout camp in the Poconos. Those beautiful, thick forests back there limit you to territorial views.
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Slabby D
Trad climber
B'ham WA
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Aug 28, 2017 - 08:26am PT
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Your original question makes a lot more sense now that we all know your backpacking in Pennsylvania. Not quite the same vibe as the Sierras or the Cascades eh?
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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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Aug 28, 2017 - 08:46am PT
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Nice, the area looks great Scott. It's obvious the dog had a great time too.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Aug 28, 2017 - 08:46am PT
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Jonesing for Pennsylvania...
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Gunkie
Trad climber
Valles Marineris
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 28, 2017 - 08:58am PT
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It's obvious the dog had a great time too.
Yeah, after the second day, 15 miles...
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nita
Social climber
chica de chico, I don't claim to be a daisy.
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Aug 28, 2017 - 08:59am PT
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*
I like Mr Dangers quote, but i swapped out one word.. and added a couple of more words.
What's not to like about trees, sky, mountains, canyons, flowers, no phone, no traffic, no crowds, walking, smiling, smelling the out-of-doors, a cup of coffee in a wilderness setting, stars undimmed by street lights
Also the great thing about backpacking is... getting away from any t.v & radio news, hate, and noise....
Drinking in the fresh air and quiet beautiful views......lovely.
sigh, my knees are messed-up .. so, it's a no-go.. or.. no-go-far..until the knees are fixed.
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Risk
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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Aug 28, 2017 - 09:43am PT
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Places like this
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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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Aug 28, 2017 - 09:47am PT
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Classic Scott! "A good dog is a tired dog"
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Tom Patterson
Trad climber
Seattle
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Aug 31, 2017 - 10:31am PT
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Some people love it...some people hate it. I'm in the "love it" camp, though I've not been doing it lately since moving to Seattle.
When my son was a little guy (he's 26 now), we approached it from the philosophy of "leave them wanting more of it, not less of it." That was really effective, and he's now in the "love it" camp as well.
As to "what's so great" about it...I think that for me it's a different way of being somewhere. I mean, you can drive to some pretty amazing vista points, or pull your car into a beautiful campground somewhere, but backpacking brings you to more remote places, and your (my) experience of being there just feels...different. Life is simpler, the sounds are (for the most part) the sounds of nature, and your senses just feel more sharp, and yet more relaxed.
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Don Lauria
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
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Aug 31, 2017 - 11:50am PT
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Never knew backpacking existed until I was 25 years old.
On my first trip in 1958 I ran into Norman Clyde at 3rd Lake (15 years later I realized the significance of that encounter). My second excursion, in 1961, I discovered Mt. Aggasiz ... and climbed it. Without the Aggasiz ascent I would never have met the man that inveigled me into my first rock climbing at Stoney Point that same year. Rock climbing became raison d'etre!
Backpacking changed my life ... it is an integral part of my life to this day. I'm 85 now and I can't wait to get out the door next week on a five day Sierra trip.
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Aug 31, 2017 - 12:02pm PT
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Five day trip? Where you headed?
We just got back from a four day trip to Lake South America. That's a great spot. We scrambled up Mt. Jordan while were there.
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Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
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Aug 31, 2017 - 12:50pm PT
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Nice tent, but the price!!!!
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ontheedgeandscaredtodeath
Social climber
Wilds of New Mexico
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Aug 31, 2017 - 01:00pm PT
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My wife's brother and niece come out from NYC once a year to camp and backpack with our fam so I go backpacking once a year. It's fun and the kids for the most part love it. Our trip is this weekend- we are doing the hike from Crested Butte to Aspen, which should be very scenic.
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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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Aug 31, 2017 - 01:30pm PT
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Swellymon, that thing .. have you used it yet? Just curious..... I use a Six Moons single that's 6 or 7 years old now and weighs a little over 1.5 lbs for most my solo stuff.
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SC seagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, A sailboat, or some time zone
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Aug 31, 2017 - 07:07pm PT
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New tent just arrived
Looks like something you'll hatch from!
Susan
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Aug 31, 2017 - 07:18pm PT
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Tents are aid
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Aug 31, 2017 - 08:24pm PT
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Looks like something you'll hatch from!
Aaarghhh. Invasion of the Body Snatchers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
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Inner City
Trad climber
Portland, OR
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Aug 31, 2017 - 10:20pm PT
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Light is right...no tent, tarp only, no stove?
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Risk
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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Aug 31, 2017 - 10:32pm PT
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Technical climbing, backpacking is not. For me, in the High Sierra, if you need a rope, you're off route.
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Gunkie
Trad climber
Valles Marineris
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 1, 2017 - 04:05am PT
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Beautiful pix of the Sierra. In Pennsylvania, this is what we see all the time...
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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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Ferns in the understory......not as common out West. Got my first grouse in a heavy understory somewhere near Mt. Lassen as a kid. To my amazement, there was a beautifully ferned understory about waist high in the Sierra San Pedro Martir of Baja. This one is in the Sierra.
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sheepdog
Trad climber
just over the hill
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backpacking and climbing allow me to trade one existence for another. with climbing the transition is immediate, backpacking takes a day or so to settle in.
i'm looking forward to getting back here next week!
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Concerned citizen
Big Wall climber
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In a nutshell, access to magnificent terrain that cannot be comfortably reached by a dayhike.
My/our experience somewhat parallels the original poster, in that our summer holiday destination for many decades had been Yosemite for big wall climbs and dayhikes. Therefore, we had ample "backpacking" experience from packing in loads and bivying at the base of climbs in the valley and Tenaya Canyon. I joked for years that "we will take up backpacking when we're too old to climb."
So, even though we are not too old to climb, after age 65 we decided we wanted to get serious about backpacking. I concur with the suggestions that ultralight gear is an important game-changer. Keeping the load to (say) 25 or 30 lbs makes it a walk.
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Gunkie
Trad climber
Valles Marineris
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 26, 2017 - 06:12am PT
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Starting to enjoy this thing called backpacking... Harriman Park one hour north of NYC and just about had the whole place to myself at near peak colors; probably one week short. Would have gone to the Gunks, but just the reality of climbing on nice weekends at this time of year there kind of makes me nauseous.
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