Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Okay . . . let's try this again.

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govmentchedda
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by govmentchedda »

Whatcha got?

My son did a 3 day 2 night trip this summer as part of his day camp, just outside of Asheville. They hiked about 20 miles in total, and they wore packs, but I believe the camping location, (while up on a mountain), was pretty civilized (bathrooms nearby and food was not part of what they packed). He did borrow the pack from the kid that completed the AT through hike though.

Speaking of which, that family finished either on Christmas Day, or the day after. They then went immediately to south Florida to start the Florida trail, but abandoned that trip because of how underwater the trail was. Not sure what they have planned next. The son on that trip made Eagle Scout this spring at either 14 or 15 years old. Dude is a beast.
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by sancarlos »

Just got back from Lake Tahoe. Did a couple awesome hikes while we were there. What a beautiful part of the world.
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by tennbengal »

So...this sucks super hard:

https://deadspin.com/knife-wielding-hik ... 1834732083
One Appalachian Trail hiker is dead while another is recovering from several stab wounds after a man attacked a camp in southwestern Virginia with a knife early Saturday morning. Massachusetts resident James Jordan was arrested by Wythe County Sheriff’s Office deputies in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest shortly after the deadly attack, and he was charged with one count of murder and one count of attempted murder in U.S. Western District of Virginia court today.

According to a criminal affidavit (which you can read below), Jordan was a somewhat notorious figure on the trail because of a recent incident. In April, he was arrested in Unicoi County and charged with criminal impersonation, as well as some drug-related charges, after he allegedly threatened several hikers in Tennessee and North Carolina. Jordan, who was also known as “Sovereign” in the trail, was reportedly seen brandishing a knife and a machete at several hikers at the time.
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govmentchedda
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by govmentchedda »

A kid* from my Boy Scout Troop is soloing the trial right now, and I think he'd just crossed into Virginia from the south recently.

*ETA - the kid is a college age student who was an Eagle Scout in Troop 4, not a current scout.
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by wlu_lax6 »

tennbengal wrote: Tue May 14, 2019 10:30 am So...this sucks super hard:

https://deadspin.com/knife-wielding-hik ... 1834732083
One Appalachian Trail hiker is dead while another is recovering from several stab wounds after a man attacked a camp in southwestern Virginia with a knife early Saturday morning. Massachusetts resident James Jordan was arrested by Wythe County Sheriff’s Office deputies in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest shortly after the deadly attack, and he was charged with one count of murder and one count of attempted murder in U.S. Western District of Virginia court today.

According to a criminal affidavit (which you can read below), Jordan was a somewhat notorious figure on the trail because of a recent incident. In April, he was arrested in Unicoi County and charged with criminal impersonation, as well as some drug-related charges, after he allegedly threatened several hikers in Tennessee and North Carolina. Jordan, who was also known as “Sovereign” in the trail, was reportedly seen brandishing a knife and a machete at several hikers at the time.
Best man at my wedding is the criminal chief (Assistant US Attorney) for the U.S. Western District of Virginia. Did not see his name on the press release, but am guessing he is involved.
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by tennbengal »

wlu_lax6 wrote: Tue May 14, 2019 1:04 pm
tennbengal wrote: Tue May 14, 2019 10:30 am So...this sucks super hard:

https://deadspin.com/knife-wielding-hik ... 1834732083
One Appalachian Trail hiker is dead while another is recovering from several stab wounds after a man attacked a camp in southwestern Virginia with a knife early Saturday morning. Massachusetts resident James Jordan was arrested by Wythe County Sheriff’s Office deputies in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest shortly after the deadly attack, and he was charged with one count of murder and one count of attempted murder in U.S. Western District of Virginia court today.

According to a criminal affidavit (which you can read below), Jordan was a somewhat notorious figure on the trail because of a recent incident. In April, he was arrested in Unicoi County and charged with criminal impersonation, as well as some drug-related charges, after he allegedly threatened several hikers in Tennessee and North Carolina. Jordan, who was also known as “Sovereign” in the trail, was reportedly seen brandishing a knife and a machete at several hikers at the time.
Best man at my wedding is the criminal chief (Assistant US Attorney) for the U.S. Western District of Virginia. Did not see his name on the press release, but am guessing he is involved.
Is he known as "Sovereign"?
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by HaulCitgo »

Avoid murdering folks on federal property at all costs. There have to be plenty of state parks to chop up people.
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by govmentchedda »

Just checked and the kid from my Troop is fine, and still headed north.
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by wlu_lax6 »

tennbengal wrote: Tue May 14, 2019 1:08 pm
wlu_lax6 wrote: Tue May 14, 2019 1:04 pm
tennbengal wrote: Tue May 14, 2019 10:30 am So...this sucks super hard:

https://deadspin.com/knife-wielding-hik ... 1834732083
One Appalachian Trail hiker is dead while another is recovering from several stab wounds after a man attacked a camp in southwestern Virginia with a knife early Saturday morning. Massachusetts resident James Jordan was arrested by Wythe County Sheriff’s Office deputies in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest shortly after the deadly attack, and he was charged with one count of murder and one count of attempted murder in U.S. Western District of Virginia court today.

According to a criminal affidavit (which you can read below), Jordan was a somewhat notorious figure on the trail because of a recent incident. In April, he was arrested in Unicoi County and charged with criminal impersonation, as well as some drug-related charges, after he allegedly threatened several hikers in Tennessee and North Carolina. Jordan, who was also known as “Sovereign” in the trail, was reportedly seen brandishing a knife and a machete at several hikers at the time.
Best man at my wedding is the criminal chief (Assistant US Attorney) for the U.S. Western District of Virginia. Did not see his name on the press release, but am guessing he is involved.
Is he known as "Sovereign"?
Did not know what that was a reference to until a quick Bing.

My buddy is the prosecutor on this one. My friend is a pretty avid hiker, camper, hunter, fisher, etc. Was very excited to see the case get picked up by Outside Magazine and Backpacker magazine.
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by wlu_lax6 »

During the hearing, Jordan asked about the whereabouts of his dog. Prosecutor Zachary Lee said the dog is at a no-kill animal shelter in Wythe County.

The judge permitted Jordan to make arrangements for someone to pick up the dog. The government said they had no reason to keep the dog. Jordan had been hiking with his dog on the trail before he was arrested.
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by tennbengal »

Did not know what that was a reference to until a quick Bing.
It was kinda also in the snippet I placed above...
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by Steve of phpBB »

tennbengal wrote: Tue May 14, 2019 3:06 pm
Did not know what that was a reference to until a quick Bing.
It was kinda also in the snippet I placed above...
Shit, you expect us to read the whole thing now?
And his one problem is he didn’t go to Russia that night because he had extracurricular activities, and they froze to death.
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by tennbengal »

Steve of phpBB wrote: Tue May 14, 2019 3:54 pm
tennbengal wrote: Tue May 14, 2019 3:06 pm
Did not know what that was a reference to until a quick Bing.
It was kinda also in the snippet I placed above...
Shit, you expect us to read the whole thing now?
It was in the sentence above what he wrote! My jokes never land...
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by sancarlos »

tennbengal wrote: Tue May 14, 2019 3:55 pm
Steve of phpBB wrote: Tue May 14, 2019 3:54 pm
tennbengal wrote: Tue May 14, 2019 3:06 pm
Did not know what that was a reference to until a quick Bing.
It was kinda also in the snippet I placed above...
Shit, you expect us to read the whole thing now?
It was in the sentence above what he wrote! My jokes never land...
fwiw, TB, I laughed.
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by A_B »

Did you guys see some dude killed someone on the app trail? Thought it would be good for this thread. Crazy. Had a weird nickname. “Sovereign”.
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by Shirley »

How many tries did wlu take to spell 'sovereign' closely enough for Bing to figure it out?
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by HaulCitgo »

Sending a second to private school in the fall so the Memorial Day beach week at the close of school has turned into a long weekend at a state park. Lots of hiking ahead in what is expected to be 95+. We are serious noobs and the wife is not in shape. Likely 5 miles per day or so. Any ideas how best to carry a substantial amount of water? Other advice so that we dont have to summon rangers?
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by DaveInSeattle »

HaulCitgo wrote: Wed May 22, 2019 1:04 pm Sending a second to private school in the fall so the Memorial Day beach week at the close of school has turned into a long weekend at a state park. Lots of hiking ahead in what is expected to be 95+. We are serious noobs and the wife is not in shape. Likely 5 miles per day or so. Any ideas how best to carry a substantial amount of water? Other advice so that we dont have to summon rangers?
Most backpacks these days have a space for carrying a hydration bladder.

I have something like this one: RAPTOR 14
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

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HaulCitgo wrote: Wed May 22, 2019 1:04 pm Sending a second to private school in the fall so the Memorial Day beach week at the close of school has turned into a long weekend at a state park. Lots of hiking ahead in what is expected to be 95+. We are serious noobs and the wife is not in shape. Likely 5 miles per day or so. Any ideas how best to carry a substantial amount of water? Other advice so that we dont have to summon rangers?
If you are serious noobs, and your wife is not in shape, I would recommend not doing a multiday backpack trip in 95 degree heat.

If you want to give backpacking a try, plan for a one-night trip with as short a hike as possible. The fun in backpacking isn't the walking with a bunch of shit on your back, it's the camping out in the wilderness and the feeling of self-sufficiency. Also, to make it less miserable for your wife or others, you should plan on carrying all the communal equipment, so your wife just has to carry her own clothes, a sleeping bag, and some water or snacks.

Also, water is fucking heavy. So just carry the amount you will need - assuming you will be camping somewhere where water is available. If you will be hiking along a stream, then you don't need to carry as much with you. (You will of course need a filter or water treatment tablets so you can drink the water you find either along the trail or at the campsite.)
And his one problem is he didn’t go to Russia that night because he had extracurricular activities, and they froze to death.
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by HaulCitgo »

Fair enough. But no camping so the backpacks should be relatively light. The state park offers efficency cabins that look to be about like a motel 6 with a kitchenette. We will fish and bike but will likely rise early and drive to two locations for 1/2 day hiking. They have a variety of trails but two separate state parks nearby to the third where we will stay have a couple 5 mile loops or so to last several hours. We can bail and head back if needed. Mostly im worried about hydration. Made that mistake before in the NH mountains. Wont happen again. The goal is pretty much to have uncomfortable converstations with the daughter and some quality time with family. Will consider cutting down on the distances.
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by Sabo »

DaveInSeattle wrote: Wed May 22, 2019 1:11 pm
HaulCitgo wrote: Wed May 22, 2019 1:04 pm Sending a second to private school in the fall so the Memorial Day beach week at the close of school has turned into a long weekend at a state park. Lots of hiking ahead in what is expected to be 95+. We are serious noobs and the wife is not in shape. Likely 5 miles per day or so. Any ideas how best to carry a substantial amount of water? Other advice so that we dont have to summon rangers?
Most backpacks these days have a space for carrying a hydration bladder.

I have something like this one: RAPTOR 14
Yes, a day hydration pack might be the way to go. Most are small enough so they're not too cumbersome but can carry a couple liters of water and some smaller items like food for the day, wallet, keys, etc. I sometimes use a hydration pack when I go on a long bike ride because it's easier to use than reaching for the water bottle on the bike frame.
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by Steve of phpBB »

HaulCitgo wrote: Wed May 22, 2019 1:34 pm Fair enough. But no camping so the backpacks should be relatively light. The state park offers efficency cabins that look to be about like a motel 6 with a kitchenette. We will fish and bike but will likely rise early and drive to two locations for 1/2 day hiking. They have a variety of trails but two separate state parks nearby to the third where we will stay have a couple 5 mile loops or so to last several hours. We can bail and head back if needed. Mostly im worried about hydration. Made that mistake before in the NH mountains. Wont happen again. The goal is pretty much to have uncomfortable converstations with the daughter and some quality time with family. Will consider cutting down on the distances.
Ah. Yes, that changes things quite a bit. Day hikes are a completely different animal.

I'd assume you'd be fine if everyone had a 48-64 ounce hydration pack, like a Camelbak or an imitation brand. They make your back sweaty, but if it's that hot, you folks will be sweaty anyway.
And his one problem is he didn’t go to Russia that night because he had extracurricular activities, and they froze to death.
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by Baloney »

The line to climb Everest yesterday

Image

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/23/worl ... c-jam.html
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by brian »

Was just going to post that somewhere. Fucking hell.
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by govmentchedda »

JFC
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by A_B »

I remember he days when you had to die to climb Everest!

(That was last year I think)

ETA: it’s at this point that I realize two people died and it may been because of he delays. This isn’t mountaineering, it’s vanity.

I’ve read a lot about Everest and usually follow Alan arnettes blog but haven’t this year so I didn’t realize there were deaths.
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by sancarlos »

Looks like if anybody leans a bit to the left, he’s going to go over the edge and die.
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by tennbengal »

Baloney wrote: Thu May 23, 2019 3:13 pm The line to climb Everest yesterday

Image

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/23/worl ... c-jam.html
That’s stupid. Climb something else.
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by Baloney »

Everest: Three more die amid overcrowding near summit

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48395241

Seven in a week now
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

Post by Rex »

sancarlos wrote: Thu May 23, 2019 6:29 pm Looks like if anybody leans a bit to the left, he’s going to go over the edge and die.
Democratic primary thread is over there, buddy.

Everest is my clickbait. I will read anything you put in front of me about it. Mind you, I am someone who feels the effects of altitude when I am in Denver, so I’ve never had any personal desire to get into mountaineering or get anywhere even close to Everest. I’m just fascinated by remote places and the people who go there.

That picture is so sad to me. It’s like the total opposite of what drew people to climb the mountain in the first place. And seriously, one quick shift in the weather would have killed what, 40 people?
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Re: Backpacking thread (even if I just talk to myself)

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I felt aswirl with warm secretions.
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