Last Saturday at the REI in Austin I was returning a broken strap and this dude is telling the clerk about his brand new backpacking tent. He said he set it up by a lake in New Mexico and the wind kept popping the poles off the clips. He blamed the design but also admitted he never practiced setting it up at home first. It made me realize I should always do a dry run in my backyard before heading out on a real trip. Has anyone else had a gear fail because you rushed the setup without testing it first?
A friend told me the streams in the Sierra were so clean I could just drink straight from them on the John Muir Trail. Two days in I got really bad stomach cramps and had to stop every hour. Turns out even clear water can have giardia (who knew, right?). Has anyone else trusted bad advice like that and regretted it?
I was reading the PCTA's latest survey data last night and couldn't believe it. Apparently most people who start the trail quit before hitting the Sierra Nevada section around mile 700. Has anyone here actually made it past that point and what pushed you through?
Last August, I took a side trail marked as 'unmaintained' on the map about 2 miles south of the rim. It shaved off 3 miles and saved me an hour of hiking through switchbacks, but I had to scramble over a fallen log bridge. Has anyone else tried unofficial shortcuts that actually worked out?
I cut 2 hours off my planned route but learned the hard way that those unmarked forest service roads don't always connect like they look on the map, has anyone else had a shortcut totally backfire on them?
He said cotton would blister me up and I laughed it off until mile 45 when my feet were hamburger, anyone else have a piece of gear advice they ignored and regretted?
My pack zipper split wide open near Crater Lake, Oregon. Had to use paracord and a carabiner to keep it shut for the next 40 miles. Anyone got a good field fix for busted zippers that lasts longer?
I planned my route through that section last month thinking the creeks would be running but it was all dried up from the fire damage. Had to backtrack 6 miles with one liter left and my legs were cramping bad. Anyone else had trouble finding reliable water sources on older burns?
I did the Roan Highlands section last weekend and saw three groups with empty bladders because they trusted a random spring without treatment. A $10 Sawyer Mini weighs less than a granola bar, why risk getting giardia for a few ounces? Anyone else notice more people ignoring basic water safety this season?
Was on the Mist Trail in Yosemite last June. Took what I thought was a cut across an old use trail. Ended up on a steep slab of granite with a 40 foot drop on one side. Had to backtrack an hour in the dark with just my phone light. Learned my lesson. Anybody else take a wrong turn that turned into a real mess?
I did the 41-mile Rae Lakes Loop last September based on a tip from a forum post here. The before and after was dramatic - I went from struggling with 30-pound packs on flat trails to actually enjoying the elevation gain through Glen Pass. What really changed was my pace after I ditched half my gear at the ranger station's advice. Has anyone else found that dropping weight transforms a multi day route like this one?
I ran into this guy near Crater Lake back in 2017 who swore he'd been drinking untreated water for decades without getting sick. I was carrying a heavy pump filter at the time so I figured I'd give it a shot. Three days later I was curled up in my tent with the worst giardia of my life, barely able to keep water down. Did anyone else get burned by bad backcountry advice from someone who seemed way too confident?
Got that expensive spork after my cheap plastic one snapped on day three of the PCT, but now I feel ridiculous pulling out a fancy metal spoon while my trail buddies eat cold ramen with sticks, anyone else ever overpay for gear that just makes you look like a show-off?
Ngl, I bought a $400 DCF tent everyone raved about online, but after 3 nights of drizzle in Washington last month, I got soaked through the seams. Anyone else ditch the hype and go back to a heavy sil-nylon setup?
I was hiking the Clear Creek loop last weekend and found a 20 foot section of trail completely collapsed from erosion. You had to either scramble up the muddy bank or cross through the creek itself. I chose the creek crossing and soaked my boots halfway up. So which is safer: climbing the loose dirt or getting wet feet and risking a slip on slick rocks? I'm curious how other backpackers handle this kind of thing.
I keep seeing people post about fording rivers without first checking the time of day... like crossing a snowmelt stream at 3pm when it's at its peak flow. Last summer on the PCT near Muir Pass, I watched a group try to cross a creek at noon and they got swept 20 feet downstream. Why do so many folks ignore the basic rule of crossing early morning when the water is lower?
I was hiking the High Divide Trail in Olympic National Park last September and decided to take a cutoff I read about on a blog to save 3 miles. Turned out the trail wasn't maintained and faded into a deer path after about half a mile. I spent 2 hours bushwhacking through devils club and huckleberry bushes trying to find the main route again. My legs were scratched up and my pack got snagged on branches multiple times. I finally pulled out my phone and used GPS to backtrack to where I started. Now I stick to official trails and double check any shortcuts with park rangers first. Has anyone else had a bad experience taking a so called shortcut on a route?
I was out on the Poison Spider trail in Moab last Tuesday and my little butane stove just wouldn't light in the wind. Wasted a whole lighter trying to get it going, dinner was cold ramen that night. Next day I grabbed a piece of cardboard from my truck and folded it into a little wind screen around the stove. Worked perfect, boiled water in 4 minutes flat. Has anyone else rigged up a quick fix like that on the trail?
I was hiking the Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier last summer and came across a busted aluminum tent pole just sitting on a rock near the Indian Bar shelter. Somebody must have snapped it the night before in that wind storm we had. I picked it up thinking maybe I could use it as a splint or something, but it was too bent. Has anyone else found random gear on the trail and actually put it to use?
I hiked it in 2019 and saw maybe 20 people total over 3 days. Did it again last summer and there were groups every mile. Has anyone else noticed popular routes getting slammed like this after they show up in some magazine spread?
Got caught in a downpour near Muir Trail Ranch and my down bag turned into a sponge. Took 4 days of hanging it from tree branches and using my body heat at night to get it even half dry. Anyone else carry a pack towel specifically for this?
Everyone raves about the Pacific Crest Trail and I figured it was just Instagram hype... but last summer I did a 50-mile stretch from Tuolumne Meadows to Reds Meadow and the granite basins were unreal. Has anyone else changed their mind after actually hiking a part they doubted?
I did the CT last July and just felt like I was walking through crowded forest service roads the whole time. The Winds near Big Sandy gave me real solitude and way better alpine views in 5 days than 3 weeks on that trail. Has anyone else bailed on a popular route for a less famous one?
Got completely fogged in above tree line last Saturday and the cairns saved me from wandering off a cliff, but some purists say that's lazy navigation and ruins the route finding skill, what's your take on relying on trail markers versus reading a map in bad conditions?