📢Hub Chatter

c/backpacking-routes

10

the_julia•3d ago

My GPS trail map went from hero to zero in 2 seasons

Last year I hiked the Eagle Ridge loop in Colorado using a free app and it kept me dead on trail the whole 12 miles. This spring I loaded the same route on the same phone and it had me bushwhacking through a creek for 40 minutes because the map data got corrupted. Turns out the app updated overnight and changed the trail markers without telling me, so the old breadcrumb path was garbage. I had to pull out my paper backup and laugh at how tech fails when you least expect it. Anyone else had an app update wreck a familiar route on them?

17

richard137•5d ago

Ran into an old thru-hiker at the grocery store who said he only uses a 28L pack now

He claimed anything bigger just encourages you to carry junk you don't need, but my 45L has been my go-to for 6 years and I can't imagine cutting that much, so who's actually right here or is it just different hiking styles?

5

mark731•21d ago

Thought the JMT was overrated until I actually hiked it

I spent years telling people the John Muir Trail was just a crowded Instagram trail with nothing special. Then I finally did the section from Reds Meadow to Whitney last September. The way the light hits those granite basins around Evolution Valley around 5pm is something no photo can capture. Has anyone else written off a popular route only to eat their words after?

18

troy_ross•21d ago

Rant: That stretch on the JMT that nearly broke me

Last August I hit the stretch from Muir Trail Ranch to Evolution Valley on the John Muir Trail. Three days of nonstop uphill with a pack that felt like 50 pounds after my food bag got soaked. Rain started on day two and never let up, so my boots were waterlogged and I got blisters between my toes. By the third morning I just sat on a rock and stared at the trail for 20 minutes before I could move. Has anyone else hit a section that just totally wrecked your motivation?

30

robinson.holly•21d ago

Backpacking the Long Trail was way harder than I expected

I spent years reading forums and watching videos about the Long Trail in Vermont. Everyone made it sound like a nice 2 week hike through pretty green mountains. So last September I finally went for it with my old gear and a map I printed at home. By day three my knees were killing me from all the steep ups and downs through the mud. I kept slipping on wet rocks and my boots were never dry. Turns out that trail has way more elevation change than the Appalachian Trail for the same distance. I also learned the hard way that planning for 15 mile days in that terrain is just a joke. Has anyone else found a supposed easy route that completely wrecked them?

8

wells.brooke•22d ago

The JMT nearly broke me but the High Sierra Trail changed my mind about California

I spent 6 days on the John Muir Trail last summer and honestly, I was over it by day 4. Too many people, too much dust from the mule trains, and I got sick of the same alpine lake views over and over. I swore I would never do another Sierra trip. Then my buddy convinced me to try the High Sierra Trail from Crescent Meadow to Whitney Portal this spring. It's only 72 miles compared to the JMT's 210 but it packs in way more variety. The first section through the giant sequoias blew my mind, totally different from the high granite stuff. And that stretch through the Big Arroyo felt like I had the whole place to myself, I saw maybe 3 other people in a full day of hiking. Has anyone else tried a shorter Sierra route and liked it more than the classic long ones?

25

blairwhite•1mo ago

Lost $80 on a 'waterproof' map case that leaked on day one

Honestly, I saw this fancy map case at an outdoor store in Bend for $80 and thought it would save my gear. First rainstorm on the Pacific Crest Trail, water got inside and turned my maps into wet mush. Tried to dry them out by a fire and they just curled up and tore. Has anyone else had a pricey piece of gear fail that fast?

22

mila_craig4•1mo ago

Just visited the Ozark Trail and changed my mind about loop routes

I always thought loop routes were boring compared to point-to-point hikes. Then I hit the Ozark Trail's Blair Creek section in Missouri last month. The way the trail winds through those rocky bluffs and crosses the creek multiple times really caught my attention. Each time I came back around a bend, the view looked completely different from before. The elevation changes kept it interesting even though I was technically making a circle back to my car. I ended up covering 28 miles over 3 days and never felt like I was repeating terrain. Has anyone else had a loop route surprise them like that?

9

ninal91•1mo ago

Spent $300 on a GPS device that turned out useless on the Appalachian Trail

I dropped $300 on a Garmin InReach Mini 2 before my Shenandoah section hike last spring. Thought it would save my bacon if I got lost or hurt. Problem is the thing barely gets a signal under tree canopy, and the messaging is so slow my wife got three of the same text seven hours apart. I ended up using my phone with downloaded maps way more. Has anyone else found those satellite messengers aren't worth the hype for east coast routes?

26

abbyk10•1mo ago

Hot take: I thought ultralight gear was just for show until a 20 mile day on the Appalachian Trail

I used to roll my eyes at people spending $400 on a tent that weighs less than 2 pounds... figured it was all hype for Instagram flexing. Then last summer I did a section of the AT near the Smokies with my old 5 pound tent and a heavy pack. By mile 12, my shoulders were killing me and I had to stop every hour. A guy I met at a shelter let me try his backpack for five minutes and it felt like carrying nothing. Now I've swapped three pieces of gear and my total pack weight dropped by 8 pounds. That extra weight savings made a real difference on the climbs. But I still can't justify spending $600 on a sleeping bag though. Has anyone else here made the switch from heavy to ultralight and regretted it?

11

patriciamoore•1mo ago

Met a guy on the Pacific Crest Trail who ate the same instant ramen for 47 days straight.

He said the trick was crushing the noodles before boiling so they fit in a smaller pot, and I still think about that every time I pack my stove for a trip.

28

wren_rodriguez•1mo ago

Rant: My old hiking boots lasted 8 years, but these new ones fell apart in 8 months

I used to buy a pair of leather boots from a shop in Boulder and they would hold up for almost a decade of weekend trips. Last spring I grabbed a pair of those lightweight mesh ones everyone recommends and the sole started peeling after my third trip on the Pacific Crest Trail. Is it just me or did boot quality drop off a cliff after 2020?

7

jason_stone12•1mo ago

That week on the Wonderland Trail last July nearly broke me

Everyone talks about the views at Spray Park but nobody mentions the stretch between Mowich Lake and Ipsut Creek that just goes on forever through buggy forest with no payoff. I hit that section on day four with blisters forming and ran out of water two miles before the next stream. Has anyone else found a better way to break up that northern loop or do you just grin and bear it?

12

king.lisa•1mo ago

That trail marker near Devil's Lake almost got me lost last week

I was hiking the Potholes Trail at Devil's Lake State Park last Saturday and the wooden marker at the fork was completely faded, you could barely read the arrow... I took the wrong turn and ended up a mile off route before I realized. Has anyone else run into trail signs that are totally unreadable out there?

16

barbarahill•1mo ago

Spent $60 on a water filter that died on day two of a week-long trip

I was hiking the Eagle Creek Trail in Oregon last summer and bought a Katadyn BeFree filter for $60 at the last minute. Worked fine the first day, but on day two it clogged up so bad I couldn't get a drop through. Had to boil water over a fire for the rest of the trip, which added an hour to every meal stop. Anyone else had a filter crap out on them mid-route?

4

henderson.kim•1mo ago

Changed my whole approach after a ranger chewed me out on the JMT last summer

He told me my bear canister technique was trash - I was leaving it too far from camp. Now I keep it 100 feet downwind and it's way less hassle. Anybody else get schooled by a ranger?

9

eva_garcia56•1mo ago

Just learned the PCT loses about 3 feet of trail each year to erosion

I was reading a trail maintenance blog and found out the Pacific Crest Trail loses roughly 3 feet of tread annually from weather and hiker use. That really surprised me considering how many people hike it every season. Has anyone else come across stats about trail wear on long distance routes?

30

troy_ross•1mo ago

Hit 500 trail miles this year and I'm actually pissed about it

I just crossed 500 miles on the Appalachian Trail this past weekend near the Grayson Highlands and I'm honestly frustrated. Not because of the milestone itself, but because I didn't plan my route better and missed the section around Mt. Rogers where the wild ponies hang out. I was so focused on hitting that number that I rushed through three days of boring ridge walking instead of taking a detour to see something cool. Now I'm sitting here thinking about those 500 miles and half of them feel like a blur of blisters and bad campsites. Did anyone else blow past a cool landmark or side trail while chasing a mileage goal? Should I just go back and redo that part next season or is that a waste of time?

24

susan_ward•1mo ago

The one trail marker that sent me half a mile off course last weekend

I was hiking the Rattlesnake Creek loop near Missoula and someone had turned the sign at the fork to point the wrong way, so I ended up following it into a dead-end wash for 45 minutes before I realized. Has anyone else run into fake or tampered trail signs out there, or was this just some weird prank?

22

nina_hall•1mo ago

Took a wrong turn on the Salkantay route and ended up in a landslide area

Three years ago I was doing the Salkantay Trek in Peru and missed the cutoff to Mollepata. The trail I ended up on was narrow and loose rock, and I hit a section where the whole hillside had slid out maybe 20 feet wide. I had to backtrack an hour to find the real path, but the detour added two extra days to my trip. Anyone else ever misread trail markers on that section and get into a jam?

5

luna_green•1mo ago

Wasted $60 on a so-called 'ultralight' sleeping bag that weighed as much as my regular one

Bought it from some online deal after a late night search and it showed up at 4.2 pounds instead of the 1.5 they claimed. Anyone else get burned by sketchy gear specs on Amazon?

8

johnh82•1mo ago

Hit 500 trail miles in a single season and my feet nearly quit on me

I was hiking the Laurel Highlands Trail in Pennsylvania last October and hit the 500 mile mark for the year. Didn't even realize I was close until I pulled up my app at a shelter. That number just snuck up on me because I never track too close. My boots were falling apart, I had blisters on top of blisters, but I just kept moving. Honestly it felt more like a relief than a celebration when I saw it. Anybody else hit a random milestone that caught them off guard?

11

park.adam•1mo ago

Drove 6 hours to a trailhead and found the parking lot FULL at 5 AM

I planned this hike on the Long Trail for weeks. Checked the AllTrails app the night before and it said the lot had 40 spots. Got there at 4:45 AM and every single spot was taken. Turns out the data on the app was from 2020 and they paved over half the lot since then. I ended up parking a mile down a dirt road and walking in. Has anyone else run into trailhead parking data that's totally outdated?

29

jade_hernandez•2mo ago

I finally had a perfect day on the Long Trail in Vermont

Last August I was on day 6 of the Long Trail near Mount Mansfield and everything just clicked. No rain, no bugs (like, zero black flies for once), and I found a swimming hole off the side trail to Butler Lodge around 2pm. The next morning I woke up and my stove wouldn't light, which kind of killed the vibe. Has anyone else had that one magical day where nothing goes wrong, followed by a total gear fail?

8

charlesowens•2mo ago

Wasted $60 on a cheap bear canister... learned the hard way

I bought a no-name bear canister off Amazon for $60 last spring before a trip in the Sierra. First night out, a raccoon popped the lid off in about 20 minutes and scattered my food across the campsite. Ended up having to hike out a day early with nothing to eat. Has anyone else had a budget piece of gear fail at the worst time?