Come out of hiking thread

[WriterDom]

I like to hike. I have a decent backpack that I bought from someone about 10 years ago but have never used it. I wish I could take 2 months and hike to Maine.

 

[MisterSir]

If I'm right in my initial guess and the only difference between hiking and walking is where you do it, then while I like to walk I don't get to hike that much - living in suburbia means mountains and hilly nature trails are a tad thin on the ground, but wandering around the neighbourhood in the evening with a little Rush is paradise, especially now the sun doesn't completely go down until ten or eleven. If the streets are deserted, even better.

 

[midwestyankee]

I've hiked most of the way from Chicago to Maine on several occasions. A half dozen trips to the back of the plane to drain off excess coffee probably covers five or six hundred miles of the distance.

I have several friends who did the Appalachian Trail when we were in college. I've covered a small portion of it in Maine and New Hampshire, including several mountain peaks in the Presidential Range that fall along the trail. Doing the whole thing, though, is a serious undertaking.

A couple of notes from the AT site:

"In 2004, Lee Barry, known as “Easy One,” became the oldest thru-hiker at age 81 when he completed his fifth hike (and second thru-hike) of the A.T. Only 11 thru-hike completions have been reported by hikers age 70 or over, and most of those hikers had already thru-hiked the A.T. at least once before."

"Nancy “Magellan” Gowler become the oldest female thru-hiker in 2007 at age 71 when she completed her second thru-hike."​

 

[Cattypuss]

Me like too, only here we tend to call it walking. I live in the North of England and go fell-walking (trans: mountain-hiking) quite a lot.

 

[Xelebes]

I like walking. Sometimes while I walk, I hike. IT makes it more interesting.

 

[WriterDom]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Mountain

I hiked to Blood Mountain on the hottest day of the year. Ten years ago. I was fine but it ends at Blood Mountain and the walk down was pure hell. All we carried was water and trail mix.

About 12 miles I guess. But it's really neat to have the feeling of being in the wilderness.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartram_Trail

Now I live much closer to the Bartram Trail. I've crossed it fishing but never hiked any of it. That's in serious mountain country. A lot of water they say and all those streams have trout. I need to look more into that.

 

[Keroin]

I've hiked most of the way from Chicago to Maine on several occasions. A half dozen trips to the back of the plane to drain off excess coffee probably covers five or six hundred miles of the distance.

I have several friends who did the Appalachian Trail when we were in college. I've covered a small portion of it in Maine and New Hampshire, including several mountain peaks in the Presidential Range that fall along the trail. Doing the whole thing, though, is a serious undertaking.

A couple of notes from the AT site:

"In 2004, Lee Barry, known as “Easy One,” became the oldest thru-hiker at age 81 when he completed his fifth hike (and second thru-hike) of the A.T. Only 11 thru-hike completions have been reported by hikers age 70 or over, and most of those hikers had already thru-hiked the A.T. at least once before."

"Nancy “Magellan” Gowler become the oldest female thru-hiker in 2007 at age 71 when she completed her second thru-hike."​

Have you read Bill Bryson's about the AT? Hilarious.

I'm a hike-a-holic. In October I'm going to 29 Palms to hike through Joshua Tree Ntl Park. Where I grew up, you were given hiking boots instead of baby booties when you were born.

 

[00Syd]

I really enjoy hiking but haven't been in years. I climbed to the top of Katahdin in Maine the summer when I was 13. It was absolutely amazing. Seb says he'll try to take me hiking some time this summer, and I really hope it happens. I'd love to get into that again.

 

[WriterDom]

Might have my ashes spread here.

http://suches.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=26:preachers-rock&catid=20&Itemid=37

Or do like my brother wants and have them in a creek where Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina all touch.

I don't really want to be buried. Waste of money. Waste of earth.

 

[notalwaysweak]

I want my ashes scattered at sea.

On topic, I like hiking but can't go far (due to being unfit as hell). The longest walk I've done recently was 9km and that was fairly flat. I'd like to get fit again so I can go exploring.

 

[gypsy*seer]

Luckily, living in New England, I never run out of new places to hike. I have my favorites, but the area that I live in now, offers up new hiking places literally every day!

Now...to get the full effect, just add wilderness camping and I'm a happy girl!

 

[midwestyankee]

Luckily, living in New England, I never run out of new places to hike. I have my favorites, but the area that I live in now, offers up new hiking places literally every day!

Now...to get the full effect, just add wilderness camping and I'm a happy girl!

Do they have single malt scotch at the stores where you do your wilderness camping? Because that's my default requirement for comfort.

 

[gypsy*seer]

Do they have single malt scotch at the stores where you do your wilderness camping? Because that's my default requirement for comfort.

But of course! All of the creature comforts (except a Coleman stove!)
Do you have any idea how much (insert beverage of choice here) you can get in a zip-lock baggie?

 

[DVS]

I'm an eagle scout. Camping and hiking was my thing, when I was younger. I loved all of it. Camping, waking up and building a fire and cooking your breakfast, then hiking the day, looking for another nice spot to camp that next night.

Friends and I hiked Big Basin State Park (I think that was the name) out in California one year. It was wonderful. We hiked the first day, camped that night, then hiked the next day and camped that night. That night, we were at the ocean and watched the sunset from a cliff.

Hiking in that park was great. The huge redwood trees, and the forest life...streams, water falls, Newts running around everywhere and everything was green. It was just a lush heaven.

I also have friends that built a raft and rafted down the Missouri river for about 50 miles. I didn't go with them, but I wish I had that experience to remember. It was kind of a Tom Sawyer thing, they said. Dangerous, but lots of fun.

I'm older now, and biting bugs tend to love my taste. I hate to get out too deep into the woods because of ticks, misquitoes and such. It's sad, but because I can catch poison ivy so violently, I worry about that more than I enjoy the hike. As a kid, I could walk through it and not catch it. Now, it seems all I have to do is look at it.

Yes, hiking, camping and all related things are fond memories for me. Maybe some day I'll get me another tent, take some time (and a healthy supply of bug spray) and head out.

 

[Esclava]

Wow - all this talk about hiking and camping ... <feeling wistful ...>

I'm a tent camper from way back. In high school, my friends and I used to go hiking in the Big Bend area on long weekends. Unfortunately, the ring-leader of that group was killed a week before graduation and we have never done it together again.

While I miss the hiking, I still find time to go camping. I toss my tent, sleeping bag, flashlight, firewood, water, MREs, books, and a radio into the back of my truck and roll out to the lake every other weekend. I love being out in nature and just listening to the water lapping the beach.

I just wish it wasn't so difficult to find a companion to go with me ... I might actually return to hiking!

Esclava

 

[midwestyankee]

I, too, am an Eagle Scout but I despise camping with every fiber of my being. I enjoy being outdoors but sleeping in the woods lost its charm when I was 17. These days, if my overnight accommodations do not have room service available, I get jumpy. Hell, it bugs the crap out of me when they don't have - or forget to supply - the hand lotion in the bathroom.

 

[LilyBart]

Have you read Bill Bryson's about the AT? Hilarious.

I just finished that book earlier this week, A Walk in the Woods. It was very hilarious. As well as inspirational and really informative. I don't know why I waited so long to read it.


~LB

 

[jockdom]

I've hiked most of the way from Chicago to Maine on several occasions. A half dozen trips to the back of the plane to drain off excess coffee probably covers five or six hundred miles of the distance.

I have several friends who did the Appalachian Trail when we were in college. I've covered a small portion of it in Maine and New Hampshire, including several mountain peaks in the Presidential Range that fall along the trail. Doing the whole thing, though, is a serious undertaking.

A couple of notes from the AT site:

"In 2004, Lee Barry, known as “Easy One,” became the oldest thru-hiker at age 81 when he completed his fifth hike (and second thru-hike) of the A.T. Only 11 thru-hike completions have been reported by hikers age 70 or over, and most of those hikers had already thru-hiked the A.T. at least once before."

"Nancy “Magellan” Gowler become the oldest female thru-hiker in 2007 at age 71 when she completed her second thru-hike."​

Bill Bryson wrote a very funny book on the subject.

 

[rosco rathbone]

I like to hike. I have a decent backpack that I bought from someone about 10 years ago but have never used it. I wish I could take 2 months and hike to Maine.

2 months??? What are you , superhuman?