F:AT Perpetual Hiking and Backpacking

Long shot on a boardgame site. I was reading the end of the year thread, some of you had some awesome boardgaming on New Years. By contrast, my wife and I agreed that we would never go to a lame ass New Years party ever again when we got married, nor worry about finding a cool party or anything like that. Instead, we go hiking every New Years. This year, we went to Guadalupe Mountains and climbed a very, very windy and somewhat snowy Guadalupe Peak. Highest point in Texas. It was great.

Here's a picture of the peak, it's the peak in back of the peak with the light in the front (El Capitan). It's actually higher than El Capitan, though it doesn't necessary look like it from this perspective. www.summitpost.org/el-capitan-and-guadalupe-peak/241742

Hiking was my wife's passion, but we started doing it together when I met her and I've grown to really enjoy it. It's one of these hobbies that is really difficult for periods, but you get paid back in how rewarding it is. I hate to say it, but like Calvin, there's an element of character building involved. But the places you get to make the whole thing worth it, beyond any reward for just the character building part.

So any of you guys do any hiking or backpacking? I'll probably post here whenever we go on a new trip, this year is going to be very hectic so I'm not sure we'll be doing much hiking (I'm going to Seattle, Scotland, and Southern Africa this year for work). We will be returning to the Guadalupe Mountains, however. They're close, like 3 hours.

That's awesome! I really like hiking, and my wife does too, but we haven't found the time since we had kids.

We had a low-key relaxing new years at our house. My wife and I watched some TV and went to bed at a normal hour (before midnight).

Count me in. I was Joe Boy Scout as a kid and still hike on occasion with my own kids now. My last run was the section of the Appalachian Trail adjacent to the original Washington Monument (above Antietam Creek Battlefield).

My Ma used to joke I was the only guy that went on vacation and lost weight.

S.

One of life's little pleasures is finishing a backpack and eating like 1500 calories and knowing that doesn't even come close to covering what you expended.

Yeah, hiking with kids. I admire the people I see on the trails who try it. I can't imagine doing it. My wife and I aren't having kids, so it does free us up for this sort of thing.

Gary Sax wrote: Yeah, hiking with kids. I admire the people I see on the trails who try it. I can't imagine doing it. My wife and I aren't having kids, so it does free us up for this sort of thing.

I can loan you one, please forward your address.

Kids are tougher than they look and do better than you would think. It's as much about setting expectations as anything and I always make it a point to have killer gorp along to keep them happy.

S.

I hiked professionally in the Army. This year, I intend for the wife and I to get gear and hit the Michigan trails. It will be good to do that again.

PASS.


Watching The Price is Right's mountainclimber is exhausting enough for me.

I just started hiking again this past year and plan to continue it for a long time. It's one of my favorite hobbies and I just got some upgraded equipment from my family as well. So far I've just been hitting some of the various trails in northeast Georgia. I've got about 4-5 planned out that I want to see in the first quarter of the year as well.

My wife and I hike an okay amount, though I'd like to do more. Since we're in NH, we usually go up to the White Mountains. We've started to check off the 4000-footers, and did several last year. I work out a bunch, so I'm in better shape than she is, which she finds frustrating, since I'm nowhere near as exhausted as she is while we're climbing. Lately, I've started throwing 4-6 bricks in my ruck, which is good training for me (I do GoRuck Challenges from time to time, and obstacle course races regularly), and it slows me down enough that she feels better.

My next big hiking goal is to climb Mt. Washington. Don't know when that'll happen, because my wife will really need to work up to it.

I like hiking and do it whenever I can. Not much in the winter though without snowshoes. Which reminds me I need to buy some new snowshoes.

I'd much rather take a hiking vacation than go to Vegas or whatever.

I love hiking and backpacking.

Here is a picture of my son and I on top of Enchanted Rock from yesterday. Nothing beats a New Years hike. I am hoping to take him to Big Bend this year as well(and some other smaller venues)

Mt. Washington isn't that bad, actually. The trails are really well laid out. I think the other White Mountains are much more difficult. Weather is the hardest part, you just have to get lucky. My family did it when I was 12 or 13, and my sister was 8 or 9. If you get pooped at the top, you can ride back down, too.

We did a small hike (we have a 5yo) to Año Nuevo to see the elephant seals over the break. About 3 miles total, and she did great. Those are some BIG animals.

In NH the Presidential Traverse is cool.

I've never really been too into "just hiking", though I do like to wander around in nature for the afternoon, nothing more than 10-15 miles for random walks though. All my bigger trips have usually revolved around climbing. I've done some lengthier jaunts into the wilderness to explore new spots to climb, mostly out west. End up out for a week or two and get to do some killer climbing in places few people bother the effort to get to.

I'd someday like to go on a long horse trip; do a few hundred miles+ from point A to point B on the back of a horse through some wilderness. Maybe some fun historic route or something.

Chaz - seems you dig those GoRuck challenges yeah? I've been thinking of doing the NYC one for a while but I dunno, money is a thing and I've been really disappointed with stuff like Tough Mudder.

When I was a kid I did some 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail, I've done Yosemite, Yellowstone, Mammoth Cave, Big Sur, LOTS of trails in Oregon, Bachelor, some Hood, the "Sisters"... I used to hike a hell of a lot. A lot of Tahoe hiking too.

It's been 3 years, maybe, at this point since I've hiked. Once I got sick it pretty much fucked my whole world up. Now that I'm on the mend (or rather, meds) we're going to start up again. In October we did ~12 miles out in Oregon at Silver Falls, and I was fine with that, so I reckon I should be able to do more.

This NYE the fam went to my buddy's house where my wife preceded to get utterly fucking hammered, while we all played endless games of pool. Really digging my new Lucasi.

jeb wrote: Mt. Washington isn't that bad, actually. The trails are really well laid out. I think the other White Mountains are much more difficult. Weather is the hardest part, you just have to get lucky. My family did it when I was 12 or 13, and my sister was 8 or 9. If you get pooped at the top, you can ride back down, too.

This is going to sound whacked, but I think its easier in the winter than summer...IF the weather is halfway decent. On a cold ( but too cold day ) with minimal wind, its actually quite comfortable as long as you're moving. The visibility is much better due to lower humidity. WAY less people. And from a physical standpoint, instead of hiking on cobbled roads ( which is what a good chunk of the Presi trails are in effect ) you're hiking on packed snow - much easier on the legs/knees. And on the way down, you can ski/sled/glissade large parts. WAY faster.