I'm really surprised....

J

JOSH111

Joined
Jun 25, 2002
Messages
362
I just got back from the Adirondacks for a week stay in fish creek ponds, (5th wheel "camping" :D) not real camping.
On friday I headed on up to Mt Ampersand for a well deserved get away from the wife/daughter/inlaws :thumbup:. The first thing I noticed on the way up is a group of 4 that I passed with no back pack or anything!:thumbdn:.
When I reached 3000 feet I felt the temp drop and I was wet from sweat and drizzle, another 379 feet at the top the wind was a constant 40-45 mph and I was cold. 30 minutes later the group arrived in shorts and t shirts (with kids!) after I had changed to the dry warm stuff.
My point is what the do people think when they when they head to the wilderness from a camp site or other resort on a day trip?
It kinda irritated me, but they lasted a grand total of 10 minutes due to their discomfort I stayed an hour and a half and took pics and enjoyed the scenery:D.
So I guess thats the end of my Labbat Blue fueled rant :D
 
Think? Ha.

Believe I posted this once before, but the last time I put in on the river, a woman and her two kids put in at the same time. A minimum 4hr. trip to the takeout for them,. About 11am to 3pm in sit-on-top kayaks on a sunny 90F+ day. They brought nothing. No water, sunscreen, snacks, protective clothing, headgear-nothing. The kids didn't even have sunglasses. Now how much fun could that have been?
 
i'm not really surprised.

i once came across a car that had broken down on a dirt backroad in NSW, Australia. they'd been there for a couple hours when i came past.

these twits were at least an hours car travel in any direction from any help.

they'd gotten a flat tyre. their spare was also flat (they hadn't checked it before heading off) and they had no drinking water in the car or anything to eat.

they were also VERY lucky i came along. it started raining not long afterwards and NO LOCAL driver would have taken that particular road less than 36 hours after even the merest hint of rain.

damn city slicker tourists.
 
I got stuck this march in a hailstorm at 6800 feet-now if I have any plans of doing any serious amount of climbing there's gloves, a hat and a wool sweater in my daypack.
 
Many people in the Adirondacks think that a hiking path to the mountain peaks is the same as a walking path through a park. Luckily for them many of the most popular trails are well traveled and full of folks who think a bit clearer about being prepared.
 
On Saturday, the wife and I went with another couple to visit another town about 3 hrs
away from us. Travel involved going over a mountain pass (well traveled), so I brought
a bush bag with me (basically a BOB).

I was the brunt of bushman jokes for most of the trip, but I have to say, that if we'd
broken down anywhere along the way, it would have been hours before we could have
gotten help, and I was the one who had extra food and water, space blankets for an
overnight stay, firestarting kit, and first aid kit.

Didn't need it this time, but better to be prepared and not need it, than to be without it
and actually need it.

Cheers
 
Must be a Boy Scout thing. When I lived up there, we'd always have a watchcap, at least a sweatshirt, some water and of course snacks in a pack when on the trail. I usually kept a pair of mittens as well. If you're walking, and keep your head, feet, crotch and hands warm, you can get by with surprisingly little other clothing.

I used to drive people nuts, because I'd go and shovel the snow off the walkways at the town house we lived in at the time, I'd wear my boots with heavy wool socks, heavy mittens, a Ushanka hat, and shorts. No shirt. They'd come out with all kind of proclamations of my imminent demise due to pneumonia, and wouldn't listen when I told them that
A.) I was 120 feet from my house.
B.) I was in more danger of getting sick if I was out here all parka'd up and sweating my ass off.

Same thing skiing. I skied mostly moguls and such and that's hard work. When I started my run, I'd unzip my coat. only when I was at the bottom, or even on the lift and started feeling cold would I zip it up.
 
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Here are a couple of pics.
Ampersand.jpg

binopic.jpg
This pic is my phone through my Leupold binos.
ampersandchipmonk.jpg

ampersand-me.jpg

I had a bad hair day because I just took my beanie off:D The wind was giving me an ear ache.
 
Nice shots, that's quite a storm. As inconvenient as they can be sometimes, they sure are cool to witness up close and personal.
 
Looks like you had a great view ! If I go out woods bumming around here I always take my Maxpedition 10X4 Bottle bag /kit with me, It's got all I need to make it for an emergency over night stay ;) My wifes family makes fun of me for packing the little "Man Purse" as they call it but I don't care:p
 
My wife and daughter both made fun of my ever-present man bag (or "murse" as it's come to be known). They made their little comments until they were both stung by bees (different occasions) and, had I not had the "murse", would have suffered through fairly uncomfortable walks back to the car. Those incidents followed by numerous "I need a/some ......." insert batteries, water, wet wipes, TP, etc. etc. They don't mock the bag anymore!
 
I get the same comments when I wear the fatboy :D
I can't believe I forgot to mention the new rig I created the week before and tested for the first time on the hike,pics later.
 
warrigal said:
Darwinism in practice.
Click to expand...

That sums it up!

We get the same here in England. Not exactly a country known for its dry days, yet meny meny people go out without even a waterproof in a small bag. Then moan about it being freezing cold and being soaked to the bone.

Hard cheese I say! I ALWAYS have some kind of waterproof with me, either in my backpack (which I tend to pretty much always have with me, at least in woodland) or I just my trusty kit in my car boot which only ever comes out when I get my MOT done (then stright back in along with my first aid kit). With that kit I could do everything needed to keep dry, fed and warm. I also keep a good wool blanket on my back seat all year round which not only is great for keeping warn, but also the perfect size for picnics, just throw it on the grass and job done no need to pack more stuff in the car.
 
I am currently living in New Zealand and have been happy to see that there still is a bastion of of common sense when it comes to hiking in the mountains. About the only people you see up on the trails that are not properly dressed or prepared are tourists. Lucklily most are here during the summer, when it is not so dangerous if the weather turns. The kiwis learned long ago that not preparing for the mountains can get you killed.

I have hiked all over the world but have never had the weather change faster on me than here in NZ. Even when the weather is predicted to perfectly fine, it can get very nasty in the mountains very fast.

Just two weeks ago we went on a day hike up in the local mountains and started in fine sunny conditions at the car. By the time we reached the top two hours later, we were in the middle of a horizontal snow/sleet storm that had come from the opposite side of the mountain range.
 
utf-8BSU1HMDAwNTMuanBn.jpg

This is the rig I threw together the week before and tested on the hike.
Here is what I had in there on friday.
The pack is a LBT 1468A that I mod'd with some suspenders.
2- GI canteens in pouches on the sides.
2-PB&J samiches.
Hatin custom fixed blade.
1-small first aid kit.
1-northface hyvent shell.
1- nylon fishing shirt.
1- PP 1/4 zip long sleeve.
1- ECWCS pants cut to shorts.
1- gore wind stopper gloves (saved the day because of the howling wind and damp hands)
1- fleece beanie.
1- beat up marpat boonie
1-8x42 leupold cascade binos.
2- cans of Blue.
1-digi cam.
1-GPS 5 by garmin.
1- surefire L6 on the outside.
1- headlamp and extra batteries.
1- gerber diesel multiplier
 
Reminds me of my mate back in England. He was climbing one of the Munro mountains in Scotland, it was white out winter conditions and he was slogging his way up wrapped head to toe in Goretex complete with crampons and ice axe. Anyway from up ahead out of the mist and snow suddenly appears an old couple wearing gum boots and carrying umbrellas,as they passed my mate they turned to him and said " Be carefull up there lad the weathers nasty !":eek:
 
I got that shock a few years back. 95 degree heat and people were climbing Multnomah Falls with flip flops. Maybe 1 in 20 people were carrying a bottle of water and wearing appropriate footwear. Me, full on boots, knife, and 2 liters of water. People get lost and sometimes spend the night up there yet people still plug away in ignorant bliss. You'll eventually grow accustomed to the site of the unprepared, unfortunately.
 
It's a widespread phenomenom. In Yosemite, Half Dome is a huge draw, and everyone wants to do it. It is a 16 mile round trip with 5000' vertical, yet it is very common to see people on that trail with no water, no food, and wearing t-shirts, shorts, and sneakers (or worse, flip-flops).
 
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