Hiking and backpacking

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  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
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    Kinda funny. My family has a house in.. I did not stutter in a the Smokey mountain national park in Tennessee. I walk across the drive, and I am in national forest! Lol
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
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    I love hiking. There is nothing like being in the great outdoors to recharge those batteries and connecting with yourself and nature. It is just frustrating because I have problems with my right knee which means I can't do steep slopes without pain which limits where I can go and what I can see.

    My dad in his 70's was still backpacking (I like hiking but also like a comfy bed at the end of it) and hiking the pilgrim tracks in Spain.
  • Evelyn_Gorfram
    Evelyn_Gorfram Posts: 706 Member
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    stevenringeling wrote: »
    I love hiking but I live in a small state so I only do local hikes that take 2-3 hours.
    Um, I don't get it. Can you not hike across state lines?

  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    I love hiking but didn’t get out much this summer because heat and smoke. Last year we spent 2 weeks in Switzerland for for our anniversary and hiked every day. One of the most incredible experiences of my life!
  • jdubois5351
    jdubois5351 Posts: 460 Member
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    Oh my goodness, all your pictures are making me soooooooo jealous! I want to go to the mountains RIGHT NOW (not feasible, though, as it's a 7 hour drive, and I have no vacation time coming up until the end of December, when hiking in the mountains isn't really an option anymore). Beautiful, beautiful picutres! Keep them coming, let me live vicariously through you!
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
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    jdubois5351 wrote: »
    Oh my goodness, all your pictures are making me soooooooo jealous! I want to go to the mountains RIGHT NOW (not feasible, though, as it's a 7 hour drive, and I have no vacation time coming up until the end of December, when hiking in the mountains isn't really an option anymore). Beautiful, beautiful picutres! Keep them coming, let me live vicariously through you!

    I live in Iowa and I'm pretty busy / would like more vacation time too, so I don't get out to the mountains nearly as often as I would like. However, we have lots of woods, lakes, streams, and hills (I live near the Loess Hills, which is a rare land formation only existing 2 places in the world: here and in China).

    Even in the plains, there are neat places to hike. For example, Prairie State Park in MO has natural prairie (i.e. not restored). Whether you are interested in seeing animals (from bison and elk to crayfish and turtles) or plants (indian paintbrush is the prettiest prairie flower), there is something.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    Honeymoon Pass, on the north side of Tiffany Mountain. This area burned real good about 15 years ago, there isn't a living tree above shoulder height. Which means it's a wildflower paradise, in season. Hiked there last weekend.

    I like how dark and foreboding this one looks.

    44609545251_c9bbb4a336_o_d.jpg

    The meadows were lovely.

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  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    From a winter hike near Loup Loup Pass. There must have been a nest nearby because there was an entire family of baldies.

    38424651420_b935097a9f_o_d.jpg
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    Pratt River Trail, Middle Fork Snoqualmie.

    40091105351_65b4b95f84_o_d.jpg
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    Cascade Pass trail again.

    37125160594_7eab7742c8_o_d.jpg
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    Climbers' trail to South Early Winters Spire.

    23950605348_319e0e65b2_o_d.jpg
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    edited September 2018
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    I love hiking but have never done an overnight camping/hiking trip. We always have our toddler so we are pretty limited as to how far/how long we can go out. I used to have a baby carrier but I sold it and I wish I hadn't. Unfortunately for me I live in the Kansas City area which is dirty and there's not much in the way of hiking areas here. No mountains or anything cool like that. Pretty much flat. I'm getting depressed looking at all these pictures. I have to travel if I want to go anywhere that beautiful. I don't understand how anyone could not love hiking. It is my favorite thing to do. Something about being out in nature makes me so happy. I hate to be stuck inside.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    edited September 2018
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    midwesterner85 wrote: »
    jdubois5351 wrote: »
    Oh my goodness, all your pictures are making me soooooooo jealous! I want to go to the mountains RIGHT NOW (not feasible, though, as it's a 7 hour drive, and I have no vacation time coming up until the end of December, when hiking in the mountains isn't really an option anymore). Beautiful, beautiful picutres! Keep them coming, let me live vicariously through you!

    I live in Iowa and I'm pretty busy / would like more vacation time too, so I don't get out to the mountains nearly as often as I would like. However, we have lots of woods, lakes, streams, and hills (I live near the Loess Hills, which is a rare land formation only existing 2 places in the world: here and in China).

    Even in the plains, there are neat places to hike. For example, Prairie State Park in MO has natural prairie (i.e. not restored). Whether you are interested in seeing animals (from bison and elk to crayfish and turtles) or plants (indian paintbrush is the prettiest prairie flower), there is something.

    That is true, there are places to hike around here (I am in the Kansas City area) but I have a love for mountains. We go down to southern Missouri often and I love it down there (the Ozark "mountains") it is beautiful down there. Lots of streams and creeks, and the water is so clear (compared to around KC where the water is all *kitten* gross and dirty.)

    All of my vacation plans revolve around hiking lol
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    edited September 2018
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    hesn92 wrote: »
    midwesterner85 wrote: »
    jdubois5351 wrote: »
    Oh my goodness, all your pictures are making me soooooooo jealous! I want to go to the mountains RIGHT NOW (not feasible, though, as it's a 7 hour drive, and I have no vacation time coming up until the end of December, when hiking in the mountains isn't really an option anymore). Beautiful, beautiful picutres! Keep them coming, let me live vicariously through you!

    I live in Iowa and I'm pretty busy / would like more vacation time too, so I don't get out to the mountains nearly as often as I would like. However, we have lots of woods, lakes, streams, and hills (I live near the Loess Hills, which is a rare land formation only existing 2 places in the world: here and in China).

    Even in the plains, there are neat places to hike. For example, Prairie State Park in MO has natural prairie (i.e. not restored). Whether you are interested in seeing animals (from bison and elk to crayfish and turtles) or plants (indian paintbrush is the prettiest prairie flower), there is something.

    That is true, there are places to hike around here (I am in the Kansas City area) but I have a love for mountains. We go down to southern Missouri often and I love it down there (the Ozark "mountains") it is beautiful down there. Lots of streams and creeks, and the water is so clear (compared to around KC where the water is all *kitten* gross and dirty.)

    All of my vacation plans revolve around hiking lol

    I was just down in the Ozarks last month (Buffalo River in AR) for 9 days. Unfortunately, I didn't have a whole lot of time to explore the area because I was there for a WFR training course that was pretty demanding of time and energy. But I did get a little bit of chance to run the Old River Trail for some short distances (only about 10 miles on 2 runs). I remember that some of the wild hogs I saw really looked like something I would like to take for food, lol.

    Between Ozarks and Ouchita, I really need to explore that area more. I'm running a Trail Ragnar in TX next month and will be in Tulsa in November for the Route 66 Marathon. I don't think I'll have time to stop off on the way down or back next month, but may have a couple days after the Marathon in Nov. to head out for some hikes.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    Hiking has always been a passion. A dream of mine has always been to hike the AT and my son and I are planning this out in a few years.

    I look at it as a quest for grace. Simply getting away from civilization is my primary motivation - it makes you appreciate and respect the comforts we have. I've had the greatest thoughts and conversations with others out in the wilderness.
  • girlwithcurls2
    girlwithcurls2 Posts: 2,263 Member
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    This thread is awesome. I celebrated turning 50 by climbing Mt. St. Helens with my sisters this summer. We all did our own training, but got in a few hikes to get the gals used to carrying a pack for 12 straight hours. We were in the coast range of Oregon where we could see the Pacific and 5 mountains in OR and WA from the summit. We also got up into the Cascade range. We'll be back up there this weekend on part of the PCT before the snow flies. We're day hikers for now, but with ideas of overnights... I love all of these photos. My husband and I feel strongly that where we live must have mountains and/or water, preferably an ocean, close enough. I'd be hard pressed to be in the midwest after growing up here.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    CSARdiver wrote: »
    Hiking has always been a passion. A dream of mine has always been to hike the AT and my son and I are planning this out in a few years.

    I look at it as a quest for grace. Simply getting away from civilization is my primary motivation - it makes you appreciate and respect the comforts we have. I've had the greatest thoughts and conversations with others out in the wilderness.

    I remember hiking one day, I must have skipped breakfast because all I could think of the whole time was how amazing it is that I can go to an Indian restaurant and be served amazing food. They say you learn the value of water when the well runs dry, sleeping on the ground is a great way to appreciate your bed.

    Hope you have a blast on the AT! You'll have to come out west and do the PCT next. :smile:

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