Wilderness Photography

The wild flowers are going crazy right now in the mountains. Fields of wild iris in bloom. Here's one that had a little buddy.

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For the 4th year in a row I was able to attend the Hill People Gear Summer Gathering. It's always a highlight of my summer camping plans. My wife and son came along for the 3rd time (daughter had to work all weekend this year and wan't able to make it). The location is on some forest land at ~9000 ft on top of a mesa about a 5 hour drive from home.

The last stop in civilization before heading into the wild is this really cool coop where you can gas up, buy some baby chicks and whatever other ranching supplies you might need, and pick up some Palisade Peaches and Cherries.



From here you lose cell phone service and it's about another 1.5 hours out to the site.

This is a family oriented car-camping meet, so this is what our camp looks like (yes, the Jeep could probably fit in the tent)



The view from our tent window. Not a bad thing to wake up to every morning.



And the view at twilight:



The masterminds behind HPG - Nick, Evan, Scot:


We gained a new friend while there. A dog wandered into camp, malnourished and barely able to stand. Some food and water did him wonders and he was soon running and playing with the other dogs. But he still liked hanging out in the shade.



Chalk Mountain:



Every year the HPG folk put on some classes related to the backcountry. One of them this year was a land navigation class. We learned to use a compass, map, pacing, bearing, etc. One of the challenges was to navigate to a spot on the map where two creeks met, which meant going down this hill. For me, this involved some boxing around while other folks just went straight down.





Another view of the beautiful land we got to explore:



My son was in charge of prepping the wood for the fire on the second night. Here he is photobombing (his favorite past time) while inspecting his handiwork.



The family and I headed out to a nearby lake for a hike.



The boy contemplating life (or whatever it is 11 year old boys think about):





Heading back home, through the ranches. Lots of sheep out there (our new doggy friend was a sheep ranching dog that had wandered away).



Our dream ranch is still there waiting for us:



Like at all meets, there's a fair share of gear passing around and showing off. The Fiddleback Camp Nessie was a big hit (like it always is). I also got a chance to try out some new HPG gear.

You can't find nicer guys than the Hill Bros. You owe it to yourself to check out their gear (the new Qui-Ya pack will be heading my way soon). Was great hanging out with folks we've seen the last few years, and meeting some new as well. I've already got next year's on my calendar.

Thanks for looking.
 
Very cool photos Nathan of your HPG camping trip. That is some beautiful country for sure. The fact that it is a family event for you makes it all the more meaningful for you while you are doing things you like to do. Every year when you post these photos, I am always amazed that it appears you have the place all to yourselves.

Thanks for sharing your adventure with us.

Phil
 
HPG makes unique and innovative gear. I wish there was a retailer nearby or I knew someone who owned their gear, I'd like to see it in hand before committing to purchase. Thurin, if you're ever interested in a pack exchange during the slow months of Fall/Winter, I'd love to participate. :D

BMurray, that's quite a spring. My in-laws took us to the park at Maramec Spring a few years ago in July for a lovely day in the shade.
 
trestle said:
HPG makes unique and innovative gear. I wish there was a retailer nearby or I knew someone who owned their gear, I'd like to see it in hand before committing to purchase.
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I'm in the same boat. I've been looking at that Aston House pack for a while now but it's a lot of cash to drop without ever seeing one. I can't even find a good review of one.
 
Jim, are you able to see the whole photo when you click a pic on their website? I'm almost exclusively on a 15.4" laptop screen and when I click on their photos, I can only see half the photo and can't scroll or re-position the pic in any way. Very frustrating.
 
trestle said:
Jim, are you able to see the whole photo when you click a pic on their website? I'm almost exclusively on a 15.4" laptop screen and when I click on their photos, I can only see half the photo and can't scroll or re-position the pic in any way. Very frustrating.
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The same exact thing happens to me. I'm on a macbook air 11". I have to open the linked image in a new window or tab. Very frustrating. The Aston House has some good pics and 2 videos but a lot of the other packs don't show pics of the interior of the pack. I've been debating between Hill People and Mystery Ranch. I've been using Maxpedition stuff for a while now but I'd like something made in the US.
 
I tried opening in a new tab and yes, that allows me to see the whole image, but without a zoom feature or any product descriptions. Considering one of the founders has a background in web design, the site feels....dated.

On the other hand, I'm an absolutely devout fan of anything coming out of Dana's shop (Mystery Ranch, Dana Design) going back to the days of Kletterwerks. I recently picked up a Mystery Ranch Scree, one of the new packs made at Clark AFB in the Philippines. It's not a US-made pack, but given their reasoning and continued dedication to community and American servicemen, I'm willing to overlook their place of manufacture. I have 6 Dana packs that are still going strong although the polyurethane coating on the insides is beginning to age so there's probably another MR headed my way later this year.
 
trestle said:
I tried opening in a new tab and yes, that allows me to see the whole image, but without a zoom feature or any product descriptions. Considering one of the founders has a background in web design, the site feels....dated.

On the other hand, I'm an absolutely devout fan of anything coming out of Dana's shop (Mystery Ranch, Dana Design) going back to the days of Kletterwerks. I recently picked up a Mystery Ranch Scree, one of the new packs made at Clark AFB in the Philippines. It's not a US-made pack, but given their reasoning and continued dedication to community and American servicemen, I'm willing to overlook their place of manufacture. I have 6 Dana packs that are still going strong although the polyurethane coating on the insides is beginning to age so there's probably another MR headed my way later this year.
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Yep. Same here. I'd like the ability to zoom in for a closer look. Their stuff sure does look nice though.

I had a Dana pack in the early 90's. I really liked it. I've been checking out that ASAP pack and I like that one as well. Looks to be the perfect size. Plus US made. I wish it had the same organizational options that the Maxped stuff has though.
 
Trade-offs and compromises, no? The perfect pack has yet to be built, or at least perfect for me. Or you it sounds like. :D btw, I just got the Kephart back from Jason B and a sheath from Mark, will post pics soon.
 
Not sure what you guys are looking for exactly in a pack, and I know these guys are kind of competitors at least in the hunting pack realm, but I swear by Kifaru.

I run a DT2 on their Hunting platform and it is rock solid, I wont ever need another hunting pack set-up for what I do. Makes 80 pounds feel like nothing, fits like a glove, and their custom service can't be beat in my opinion. I've seen these guys reach out to a customer who was complaining about them not offering a certain color anymore, they made the guy a one of in the color he wanted.

Anyways, figured I throw out a plug for another company I love! They've got lots of models and options for add on pouches and such.
 
Kifaru has an excellent reputation for quality and innovation and the few I've held in hand were certainly impressive. Thurin has sold me on their accessory packs which I'll be adding to my kit. However, for the pack itself, I chose Mystery Ranch because their products and philosophy fit me like an old glove. When I read their literature or speak with them on the phone or via email, we speak the same language and use the same vocabulary making everything much easier for me as a consumer. Perhaps I have tunnel-vision due to having carried Danas for so long but I have owned and sold off or returned other brands of packs and keep coming back to the old familiar. I could refrain your "makes 80 pounds feel like nothing, fits like a glove" etc. but you do have me at the custom service. Now that is something I can get with. I really like the 14'r on their website. Hmmm.
 
trestle said:
Trade-offs and compromises, no? The perfect pack has yet to be built, or at least perfect for me. Or you it sounds like. :D btw, I just got the Kephart back from Jason B and a sheath from Mark, will post pics soon.
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Odaon said:
Not sure what you guys are looking for exactly in a pack, and I know these guys are kind of competitors at least in the hunting pack realm, but I swear by Kifaru.

I run a DT2 on their Hunting platform and it is rock solid, I wont ever need another hunting pack set-up for what I do. Makes 80 pounds feel like nothing, fits like a glove, and their custom service can't be beat in my opinion. I've seen these guys reach out to a customer who was complaining about them not offering a certain color anymore, they made the guy a one of in the color he wanted.

Anyways, figured I throw out a plug for another company I love! They've got lots of models and options for add on pouches and such.
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In order to not totally derail this thread I'm gonna post my reply in the official off topic thread. :D

Also, here's some pics from a hike I took last fall. :D

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Love the shots with the trees in the middle of the cliffs and who doesn't love a dog pic? Looks like a great old friend.
 
trestle said:
Love the shots with the trees in the middle of the cliffs and who doesn't love a dog pic? Looks like a great old friend.
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Thanks. It's a great little hiking area. I'll post some summer pics of it soon. Yes, he's definitely a great old friend. :thumbup:
 
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