Is anyone out there?
DavidKuhnsSr
Posts: 7,351 Member
I wondered into MFP from Weight Watchers when they did away with their discussion boards. I am an avid hiker, here in the Pacific Northwest and had great hopes for a discussion board for hikers and backpackers. Sadly, it seems pretty inactive, even in the height of the hiking season.
I have hiked and backpacked the mountains for 55 years. Now, at age 66, I only day hike, but have actually upped my mileage a lot. Of the 15 hikes I have taken this year, the shortest was 14 miles. My longest, 29 miles with 3,700 feet of climbing, was a personal record.
At any rate, I find wilderness hiking to be wonderful for both physical and mental health. Whether you challenge yourself with long days and rugged climbs, or idle away an afternoon with a slow stroll through the woods, time out in nature is time well spent. I hope there are others out there who feel the same and will help reactivate this discussion board.
Hope to hear from you.
I have hiked and backpacked the mountains for 55 years. Now, at age 66, I only day hike, but have actually upped my mileage a lot. Of the 15 hikes I have taken this year, the shortest was 14 miles. My longest, 29 miles with 3,700 feet of climbing, was a personal record.
At any rate, I find wilderness hiking to be wonderful for both physical and mental health. Whether you challenge yourself with long days and rugged climbs, or idle away an afternoon with a slow stroll through the woods, time out in nature is time well spent. I hope there are others out there who feel the same and will help reactivate this discussion board.
Hope to hear from you.
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"Out there" in the PNW is a great part of the country for hiking (not to suggest there isn't a wonderful hiking spot near everyone). I don't have as much time for hiking as I would like, but finish my MBA in Oct. and will have more time then. I'm also interested in other outdoor activities - improving distance for trail running, and also would like to learn climbing. Climbing has been on my list for awhile, but I'm not strong enough or lean enough to be able to pull my fat butt up a rock wall yet.0
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I did a little climbing when I was younger. Not much into rock climbing, but did some alpine ascents in Oregon, where I grew up, and in Alaska, when I was stationed there (I did 24 years in the Army). I also did some ice climbing, back in the day, on frozen water falls near Denali. All that was long before I got fat in my 50s. I did little hiking from 2003 to 2009, a period during which I gained 40 lbs. But in '09 I joined Weight Watchers, lost 60 lbs. and have kept it off. Losing weight was what reopened my door into the outdoors. Being an old retired guy, I can head for the hills whenever I want - and I want to pretty regularly.0
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I hike and do some backpacking pretty regularly. I did a backpack rim to rim to rim of the Grand Canyon in early May, four days on the John Muir Trail at the end of July and I'm leaving on Tuesday to head to Spain to walk/hike the Camino Frances across Spain. I do lots of day hiking during Fall, Winter and Spring, but I live in Arizona where it is too hot to hike during the summer for the most part. I'm from Washington State, but we moved to Arizona in 2005.
Hiking is probably the key ingredient that helps me maintain my weight. In fact I've crept up a few pounds over the summer and am very glad to be heading out for a nearly 500 mile walk.
I am 3 weeks shy of 63 and have been retired for 4 years. It is great to be able to head out many days of the week. I'll be gone until October 19th, but will be doing lots of local hiking when I return.1 -
Great sounding trips! I too retired early - at 60, in my case. I average about 300 trail miles per year, all on day hikes. My son and his family just moved back here to Tumwater, however, and he has asked me to get out on some short weekend overnighters with him. I still have my Kelty Serac (circa 1978) hanging in the garage. I'd love to get it down and back in action.0
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Just stumbled upon this group and I'm glad to see a somewhat recent post! I love to hike and spend as much of my time outdoors as possible!
Red River Gorge in Kentucky is my happy place and I can't wait to see those green hills change colors for the fall!1 -
I just joined the group. Look forward to seeing more of us post here.
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Stumbled back in after a few years away from this group - good to see it reactivated! I'm also out here in the PNW - avid hiker and backpacker 3 seasons of the year and snowshoer for the 4th. The only 'climbing' I've done is in a gym, but have done a little alpine stuff and I'm always up for a scramble.0
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I'm here and checking in intermittently. I hike frequently but most often near home in Scottsdale. In 10 days I'll be doing an easy Grand Canyon backpack with a friend. I've backpacked the Grand Canyon 4 or 5 times before, always beautiful. Trying to stay in backpacking shape over the winter and then hike some of the John Muir Trail again next summer. I did walk the Camino in Spain in September and October with a 20 pound backpack, but the terrain was not as strenuous nor the backpack as heavy as a typical backpacking trip.0
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Early retirement seems to be a thing for hikers. I'm planning for retirement in 2019 or early 2020 at 59/60.0
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I retired at 60 (now 66) and have never regretted it for a minute. I didn't do as much hiking as I would have liked, this year, but still managed about 200 trail miles.1
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I retired at 58 about 4 1/2 years ago. I was burned out at work and figured I may not be able to do as much hiking if I waited to 65. Hiking and backpacking are a fairly inexpensive hobby, so that works too.1
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midwesterner85 wrote: »"Out there" in the PNW is a great part of the country for hiking (not to suggest there isn't a wonderful hiking spot near everyone). I don't have as much time for hiking as I would like, but finish my MBA in Oct. and will have more time then. I'm also interested in other outdoor activities - improving distance for trail running, and also would like to learn climbing. Climbing has been on my list for awhile, but I'm not strong enough or lean enough to be able to pull my fat butt up a rock wall yet.
Rock climbing is (or should be, if you do it right) almost all leg strength and very little from the arms. Your legs are naturally stronger and have much better endurance; a big part of the challenge is avoiding the temptation to move like in the movies.1 -
Planning on an AT thru when I retire1
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I would love to do a thru hike, but can't imagine selling the idea to my better half. I have enough trouble overcoming her worries on the adventures I take now.0
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So glad found out hikers here. Here in LA and I do 15 miles a week on average of hiking1
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DavidKuhnsSr wrote: »I would love to do a thru hike, but can't imagine selling the idea to my better half. I have enough trouble overcoming her worries on the adventures I take now.
My better half would most likely join me for some of the more scenic sections. Don't think she'd be interested in the 100 Mile Wilderness, though. 0 -
Probably 90 percent of my hikes are solo. I usually go mid-week, too, to avoid the crowds (I'm retired). So there usually isn't a lot of emergency help around when I am hiking. I've been hiking in the wilderness for 55 years. I'm really good at it. But my wife still worries herself sick every time I head out.0
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Ive been all over the world and Red River Gorge is still my favourite! Miguels is where i usually stay when I'm there!beginforthelasttime16 wrote: »Just stumbled upon this group and I'm glad to see a somewhat recent post! I love to hike and spend as much of my time outdoors as possible!
Red River Gorge in Kentucky is my happy place and I can't wait to see those green hills change colors for the fall!0 -
I'm so happy to have found this group! I am never happier than when on a trail, and now that I've taken off some weight I intend to hike even more adventurously. I'm looking for a hiking goal for when I lose my next 40 pounds ... I live on the Central Coast of California, but am seriously up for anything/anywhere! I'm so happy to have found this group, where I can get some ideas and be inspired by your adventures. I hope you'll add me as a friend -- would love to be surrounded by like-minded souls.1
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@kamamakai We don't seem to be a very active group. I live in Arizona and have been hiking for the past 10 years I guess. I also love being out on the trail. The hiking I've done in California is in Sequoia NP and Yosemite NP and a short bit of the John Muir trail which I backpacked with a friend. I get out close to home (Scottsdale, AZ) most of the year. Mainly I try to keep up with some strenuous hiking with good elevation gain. We got a new puppy a couple of months ago, so I haven't been doing as many longer hikes.1
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The hiking I've done in California has been in Yosemite and in the Redwoods. It was further north from where the really big redwoods are located... smaller redwoods at one of the state parks that is a part of the "Redwoods National and State Parks" system. I'm trying to remember the park name... Prairie Ridge? Wherever it was, I had selected that because it was a pretty easy day trip to pass through several varying ecosystems (some of the best hikes include ecological variety) from forest to a lot of ferns and eventually hitting the ocean before turning around.
Yosemite was just a day hike to Chilnualna Falls. It was raining / thunderstorms off and on, and when I got a bit past the falls, it was just rocky area (appeared to be above tree line) and I turned back because it was about as far as I wanted to go that day and being there on the rocks with lightning just confirmed it was time to turn back. As I kept going down in elevation, some of the smaller waterfalls and drainage areas crossing the trail were definitely flowing more heavily than on the way up - thus confirming my decision to turn back at that time.1 -
@kasaz @midwesterner85 The areas of California that you mention are truly beautiful to hike. Where I live, while lovely in its own way, there is not really any "destination points" per se to hike ... no waterfalls, beautiful rivers, trails covered by towering trees. I moved here by way of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, so it was a big change for me. When my son was young, we used to Geocache so as to find fun destination spots. Now that he's grown, I find myself just hiking for the love of the sport and appreciate the scenery that IS around me.
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