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Hiking America’s three longest trails in less than a year. What could go wrong?

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Re: Hiking America’s three longest trails in less than a year. What could go wrong?

#61

Post by DonaldFisk »

vanilla_nut wrote: post #43
ryanlol wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The only countries in Western Europe where there's a lot of freedom to camp are Scotland, Norway, and Sweden. If Sweden counts as Western Europe, we might as well add Finland to this list too. Besides a few exceptions (military bases, the border zone, a few protected natural parks) you have an absolute right to camp anywhere as long as you don’t cause more than minor harm to the landowner.

Just learned about the Right to Roam in the UK a couple of years back, and planning on putting it to good use during a bike tour next year. Do you know of any resources that do a good job of comparing “right to roam” equivalents throughout Europe and/or the world?

Everyman's right/right to roam only applies in Scotland (see https://www.mygov.scot/scottish-outdoor-access-code for details). There are more limited rights in a few places in England, such as Dartmoor. Elsewhere, access to private land without permission is trespass: if the landowner asks you to leave, you must leave.

Re: Hiking America’s three longest trails in less than a year. What could go wrong?

#62

Post by tastyfreeze »

jmnicolas wrote: post #58

> A black bear charged at one of them in Washington state. I'm a 43 yo French guy. In all my life, I only know one man that had problems with wildlife in France: he was charged by an angry wild boar and had to jump in a river to evade it. So I'm not worried at all about my safety when hiking in France. However if I was hiking in the US I'd probably carry a 44 Magnum at all times (the ultra lightweight one from S&W).…

Unless you mess with them or their cubs black bears are like big tree climbing pigs.

Re: Hiking America’s three longest trails in less than a year. What could go wrong?

#63

Post by mmmBacon »

jmnicolas wrote: post #58

> A black bear charged at one of them in Washington state. I'm a 43 yo French guy. In all my life, I only know one man that had problems with wildlife in France: he was charged by an angry wild boar and had to jump in a river to evade it. So I'm not worried at all about my safety when hiking in France. However if I was hiking in the US I'd probably carry a 44 Magnum at all times (the ultra lightweight one from S&W).…

I spent 5 days alone in the wilderness in Denali National Park with only bear spray and another week with a partner in Wrangell-St. Elias. Being in the wilderness in Denali was really unlike anything I had ever done before; hard to explain but I had never been that alone before.

Despite having spent lots of time in wild lands in the lower 48, the only time I felt like I wanted a firearm was during my first 24 hours in Denali.

At the time firearms were not allowed in the national parks but I wouldn’t have brought one anyway. It was good to experience that vulnerability and learn how to just get on with it.

Re: Hiking America’s three longest trails in less than a year. What could go wrong?

#64

Post by oblib »

I appreciate the goals and tenacity to achieve them of the folks who do this kind of thing but it's not my style.

I've spent a lot of time in our State and National forests and for the past 15 years most of it has been off trail and the past 10 most of my trips have been solo.

Thru hikers tend to focus on the trail and their only goal is making miles. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's not even close to the same as experiencing the "wilderness". It's much more akin to running a marathon. So it's easy to spot thru hikers on a trail. They most always have their heads down and eyes focused on the trail and often won't even say "Hi" as they race by you.

To really experience the wilderness you have to learn how to "bushwhack" off trail. To do that you need to learn how to use a compass and triangulate your position on a map. That's not near as common of a skill as one might imagine thru hikers have.

For me, making miles was never a goal. Immersing myself in the wilderness and finding "Super Scenic Spots" to hang out for awhile has always been the goal.

One of the things you learn when you start bushwhacking is the wildlife will be hiding from you before you even get there. They can hear or smell you coming. But after a bit, if you're quiet, they'll come out and get back their normal routine, and that's really something awesome to experience.

I have to give them credit though because it was thru hikers that motivated me to get off the trails more. Over the years I've increasingly had those folks walk into my camp and ask, and just as often demand, that I give them food and supplies because "I'm out" of whatever it is they needed.

And over the years I increasingly had to to cut trips short because I couldn't say "No" and some of them were truly in desperate need. The first few times I was glad to help and it felt good to help, but after awhile I noticed this was getting to be too common and I grew tired of it because my trips kept turning into rescue and relief missions for those folks and getting cut short.

But when I get off those trails no one ever walks into my campsite. And when I backpack solo I can leave no trace, but when I invite friends who're not really backpackers they tend to want to build a campsite. What I do is much more akin to "Shinrin-yoku".

Re: Hiking America’s three longest trails in less than a year. What could go wrong?

#65

Post by ip26 »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #33
ctrager wrote: post #23

This is a quote from the book "The Motion of the Body through Space" by Lionel Shriver. It's about exercise, but it applies to hiking ambition too. "People who exercise less than you are pathetic; people who exercise more than you are nuts.”

“Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?” — Carlin

Do the people doing thirty over really see it that way?

Re: Hiking America’s three longest trails in less than a year. What could go wrong?

#66

Post by ghaff »

TuringNYC wrote: post #28

I had friends do the Appalachian Trail and much of the decisioning was on how to start it after the winter but complete it before the next winter. I can see how the trail becomes nX more difficult during winter. Doing three in a year is remarkable for this reason, I think the almost mandates you done some through the winter.

The limiting factor going south to north is that you have to climb Katahdin in Baxter State Park at the northern end. And you probably want to do this by about October 15 (and will run into park restrictions shortly after that). (There is a lot of steep rocky terrain through northern NH and areas of Maine as well).

So you have to work back from that to when you start from Springer Mountain in GA which can be as early as about March 15 I gather although you're still sort of semi-winter conditions. Some people recommend starting more like mid-April for better weather and fewer through-hiker crrowdsbut you're obviously giving up 30 days or so of margin.

Re: Hiking America’s three longest trails in less than a year. What could go wrong?

#67

Post by jmnicolas »

alphakappa wrote: post #59
jmnicolas wrote: post #58

> A black bear charged at one of them in Washington state. I'm a 43 yo French guy. In all my life, I only know one man that had problems with wildlife in France: he was charged by an angry wild boar and had to jump in a river to evade it. So I'm not worried at all about my safety when hiking in France. However if I was hiking in the US I'd probably carry a 44 Magnum at all times (the ultra lightweight one from S&W).…

If a bear charges you, chances are the gun won’t be much help.

At least I would have a chance. I have a hard time believing pepper spray is anything more than a fell good amulet!

Re: Hiking America’s three longest trails in less than a year. What could go wrong?

#68

Post by ryanlol »

vanilla_nut wrote: post #43
ryanlol wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The only countries in Western Europe where there's a lot of freedom to camp are Scotland, Norway, and Sweden. If Sweden counts as Western Europe, we might as well add Finland to this list too. Besides a few exceptions (military bases, the border zone, a few protected natural parks) you have an absolute right to camp anywhere as long as you don’t cause more than minor harm to the landowner.

Just learned about the Right to Roam in the UK a couple of years back, and planning on putting it to good use during a bike tour next year. Do you know of any resources that do a good job of comparing “right to roam” equivalents throughout Europe and/or the world?

This is an awesome resource https://transeurotrail.org/

Wonderful bike trail, has realistic information on where you can camp for each country.

Re: Hiking America’s three longest trails in less than a year. What could go wrong?

#69

Post by jmnicolas »

mmmBacon wrote: post #63
jmnicolas wrote: post #58

> A black bear charged at one of them in Washington state. I'm a 43 yo French guy. In all my life, I only know one man that had problems with wildlife in France: he was charged by an angry wild boar and had to jump in a river to evade it. So I'm not worried at all about my safety when hiking in France. However if I was hiking in the US I'd probably carry a 44 Magnum at all times (the ultra lightweight one from S&W).…

I spent 5 days alone in the wilderness in Denali National Park with only bear spray and another week with a partner in Wrangell-St. Elias. Being in the wilderness in Denali was really unlike anything I had ever done before; hard to explain but I had never been that alone before. Despite having spent lots of time in wild lands in the lower 48, the only time I felt like I wanted a firearm was during my first 24 hours i…

> It was good to experience that vulnerability and learn how to just get on with it.

Nothing bad happened to you; you might think different if you were missing a couple limbs due to a bear attack (yes I know it's probably not survivable).

Re: Hiking America’s three longest trails in less than a year. What could go wrong?

#70

Post by hodgesrm »

jmnicolas wrote: post #67
alphakappa wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If a bear charges you, chances are the gun won’t be much help.

At least I would have a chance. I have a hard time believing pepper spray is anything more than a fell good amulet!

Shooting a charging bear is harder than it sounds. If you don't kill it, chances are you'll just really piss it off.
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