🎙️Chatter Central

c/backpacking-routes

13

patriciah51•4h ago

TIL a shortcut on the Pacific Crest Trail near Tahoe saves about 8 miles of boring switchbacks

Last month I was hiking the PCT just south of Lake Tahoe and an older guy told me about a cutoff trail locals use to skip a long, dusty section. I followed a faint path he pointed out and ended up cutting 8 miles off my day, but it was pretty steep in spots. Honestly, has anyone else found random shortcuts that actually worked out on long trails?

16

veraj53•20h ago

Tried a budget hiking stove and it cost me $40 plus a ruined dinner

Picked up a $15 ultralight stove off Amazon for a weekend on the Appalachian Trail near Harper's Ferry. First night, the fuel canister connector leaked and I couldn't boil water for my dehydrated meal. Had to eat cold mush and trudge back early. Anyone else ditched cheap stoves for a reliable brand like MSR or Jetboil?

30

sanchez.pat•1d ago

Old timer told me to ditch my GPS for a paper map on the JMT

Met this guy at a resupply in Tuolumne Meadows who said he's been hiking the Sierra since the 70s. He told me my GPS would die by day three and I'd be lost... sure enough, battery crapped out near Donohue Pass. Had to rely on a crumpled Tom Harrison map I bought at the last minute, and honestly I covered way more ground without staring at a screen.

28

mary_foster92•4d ago

Found a way around the permit lottery for the Enchantments

I kept losing the lottery for the Enchantments in Washington, so I tried a different approach. I checked for cancellations every morning at 7am for two weeks straight. Snagged a permit for a Tuesday in late September, which is way easier than the summer dates. Has anyone else had luck with the cancellation route for tough permits?

19

victor_jones99•4d ago

Old guy at the hostel told me to skip the water filter on the JMT...

Met a retired ranger in Bishop before my John Muir Trail attempt. He said just boil water for 3 minutes and save the weight. I listened cause he had that weathered look. Day 4 near Evolution Creek I got so sick I had to bail at Muir Trail Ranch. Cost me $200 for a ride out and lost 6 days. Never skipping the filter again.

24

robinson.hannah•4d ago

Shoutout to the $80 camp stove I bought that barely worked above 8,000 feet

So I figured I'd save some cash and grab this random branded backpacking stove off Amazon instead of the usual MSR or Jetboil. It was like $80, looked decent enough in the photos, and I thought hey how different can a stove really be. I took it up to the Wind River Range last September on a 4 day trip and the thing just kept sputtering and dying every time I tried to boil water. At one point I was literally cupping my hands around the burner trying to keep a flame going while my dinner just sat there cold. I probably wasted 3 hours total across the trip just fighting with that piece of junk. Now I'm out $80 and I still had to borrow a friend's stove for the rest of the trip. Has anyone else been burned by a cheap stove that couldn't handle altitude?

19

mark_price•5d ago

Wasted $40 on a water filter that broke after 3 days on the JMT

I headed out on the John Muir Trail last summer and bought one of those cheap Sawyer knockoffs from a random outdoor store. After 3 days the thing completely clogged up and I couldn't get any water through it. I lost about $40 on that filter plus had to beg other hikers for their spare purification tablets near Thousand Island Lake. Trust me, just get the real Sawyer Squeeze or even a Katadyn BeFree. Has anyone else had a cheap filter fail on them mid trip?

13

scott.miles•7d ago

My $80 water filter was a mistake on the JMT last summer

I spent $80 on a new lightweight filter for the John Muir Trail and it clogged up on day 3 from a murky stream near Evolution Lake. Had to borrow a friend's old school pump filter the rest of the trip while mine sat useless. Anyone else ditch the fancy stuff and stick with something basic out there?

17

graydavis•7d ago

Got lost on the Pacific Crest Trail for 3 hours because I trusted my phone's GPS over a paper map

Near Mount Whitney last August, my phone died right when I hit a fork in the trail that looked nothing like the app showed. Now I always carry a real map and compass even if the route is 'easy' - has anyone else had a GPS fail at the worst possible time?

11

veraj53•23d ago

Took a hammock instead of a tent on the Appalachian Trail last month...

I figured I'd save weight but ended up sleeping on the ground under a tarp for three nights because every decent tree spot was already taken, so I guess I learned that popularity of the route matters more than gear choice.

16

keith_rivera19•24d ago

Warning: my paper map trick almost got me lost in the Smokies

I used to rely on just GPS on my phone for route planning. Last fall on the AT near Clingmans Dome, my battery died 4 miles from the nearest shelter. Now I always carry a waterproof paper map AND a compass, and I practice using them before each trip. Has anyone else found a backup routing method that actually works when electronics fail?

4

stellachen•24d ago

Took a shortcut on the Salkantay trek and almost got lost for 3 hours

I followed a faint side trail near the Salkantay Pass thinking it would shave off a mile, but it dead-ended on a cliff with no view markers. Has anyone else tried skipping sections of that route and ended up way off track?

6

terryk10•25d ago

Hiked the same 8-mile loop in Shenandoah three years apart and the difference was wild

First time in 2021 the trail was almost empty, saw maybe 5 people total. This past October I went back and it was packed, passed 30 groups before I even hit the summit. What changed in that area to draw so many more hikers, or am I just unlucky with timing now?

11

cameronn62•1mo ago

Tried the popular Lost Coast Trail route last summer and the inland alternate was way better

Did the Lost Coast in June. Everyone hypes the beach walk but the inland trail through the King Range had way less wind and no sand in everything. Still got the views without fighting 30 mph gusts all day. Anyone else skip the coast sections on purpose?

23

lucasjackson•1mo ago

Met a guy on the JMT who taught me how to read water crossings properly

I was hiking the John Muir Trail last August and ran into this older dude named Rick at a camp near Evolution Creek. He saw me staring at the crossing looking nervous and just laughed. He walked me right up to the bank and showed me how to spot the darker sections of water where it's shallower and the current is slower. Said most people panic and try to cross where the water looks smoothest, but that's actually where it's deepest and most dangerous. He also showed me how to use my trekking poles at a wider angle for better balance. I ended up crossing that creek about 15 times over the next week with zero issues. Has anyone else picked up a random skill from a stranger on the trail that totally changed how you do something?

9

jordan903•1mo ago

Had to choose between the ridge trail or the creek bed bypass on day 3 of my Smokies trip

So I'm hiking up to Mount LeConte last month and I hit this fork where the main ridge trail was all exposed with no shade but the creek bed bypass looked like it would add 2 extra miles. I went with the creek route because it was like 85 degrees and I was already sweating through my shirt. Big mistake. That bypass turned into a boulder scramble where I had to jump between wet rocks for over an hour. My ankle rolled twice and I slipped into the water up to my knee on the third jump. I made it but it took way longer than expected and I got to the shelter after dark. The ridge trail would've been brutal sun wise but probably faster and safer. Has anyone else picked the wrong fork and regretted it halfway through?

21

shane_fisher37•1mo ago

Lost the trail on the Art Loeb for 4 hours near the Pilot Mountain overlook

I was hiking the Art Loeb trail in Pisgah National Forest last spring and missed a turn near the Pilot Mountain overlook. One minute the blazes were clear, the next I was bushwhacking down a drainage. Pulled out my phone but had zero signal. Ended up using a compass I always carry to head east until I hit the parkway. That detour added 4 miles and I ran out of water with a mile to go. Has anyone else had to navigate off a compass on a trail with bad marking?

12

sanchez.pat•1mo ago

Picked the JMT over the PCT alternate through the Sierra's last summer...

I chose the full John Muir Trail instead of the shorter Piute Pass route because I wanted to see Evolution Valley, and honestly the extra 4 days of climbing was worth it for those lakes, but has anyone else done both and regretted the extra mileage?

14

cameronjenkins•1mo ago

My hiking pole snapped on the Black Mountain trail near Asheville last Saturday

I was about 3 miles into a 12 mile loop when the lower section of my old Leki pole just gave out going downhill, and I had to finish the whole hike limping along with a single pole and a stick I found on the ground has anyone else had a major piece of gear fail mid-route?

9

cole994•1mo ago

Nearly got caught in a flash flood on the Hoh River Trail last fall

Was three miles in when the rain started hammering and some guy coming back said the river was already rising fast, so I turned around and now I always check the weather radar before any rainforest hike, anyone else had a close call like that?

25

riley_miller25•1mo ago

Hot take: the AT shelter system is overrated after 3 nights of bad luck

I always heard everyone rave about staying in shelters on the Appalachian Trail, but after three straight nights with snorers and a mouse crawling over my face, I'm not sold. Tbh, my hammock setup was way more comfortable and I slept like a rock the rest of the trip. Anyone else ditch the shelters for good or am I missing something?

26

felix_williams71•1mo ago

That guy who told me to skip the water filter on the JMT was dead wrong

Met a grizzled hiker at the Whitney Portal store last June who swore he'd never used a filter in 20 years... spent three days in Bishop with giardia after drinking straight from a creek near Muir Trail Ranch. Has anyone else gotten sick from trusting 'local knowledge' on a popular route?

9

mason.brian•1mo ago

Noticed something weird on the Lost Coast Trail last month

I hiked the Lost Coast Trail in California last month and saw something that stuck with me. Almost every group I passed was carrying way too much water, like 4 to 6 liters each for a 2 day stretch. There are reliable streams every couple miles in the spring, so you really only need a filter and a couple liters. I counted 12 people on the trail and maybe 3 of them had a proper filter. The rest were lugging heavy bottles and dumping out extras at camp. Anyone else see this kind of overpacking on coastal routes where water is easy to find?

14

mason.brian•1mo ago

Got caught in a freak hailstorm on the Pacific Crest Trail near Tahoe

I was about 12 miles past Echo Lake on a 5 day solo hike when the sky went from blue to dark gray in like 20 minutes. No shelter nearby, just open granite and sparse pines. The hail started coming down hard, pea sized at first then bigger, and I had zero cover. I threw my pack over my head and ran for a cluster of trees, but the branches were too thin to block anything. Ended up crouching under my tarp for 45 minutes while it pounded my shoulders and legs. My sleeping bag got soaked through a gap in my pack cover, and I had to stop early to dry everything out at a camp spot. Has anyone else had a weather situation blow up that fast on a well known section of trail?

25

richard_anderson•1mo ago

Always thought I could just wing it with a paper map until a trip in the White Mountains...

Got turned around for three hours trying to find a trail junction that was clearly marked on my phone's GPS map. The paper one I brought was from 2008 and didn't show the reroute. Anyone have a go-to app or GPS unit they trust more than old maps?