View Full Version : Hey NOOBS!
KnotHere
02-27-2012, 15:01
:welcome
This is for anyone starting out in the world of hiking/backpacking or some of the vets who want a good laugh. I am a weekender turned section hiker and now aspiring thru hiker. This is a little post about some of the stupid noob mistakes I have made when I was starting out.
I have been in your shoes, and it wasn't that long ago. There is SO much to learn and the key is to enjoy yourself along the way!
http://knotherewondering.blogspot.com/2012/02/looking-back-what-i-have-learned-over.html
Raul Perez
02-27-2012, 17:25
That was pretty funny. I have similar gear stories. Went on an overnighter for the first time and pushed up 40lbs of gear.
Now I've made my way to UL hiking. My knees, quads and feet now thank me.
Raul
KnotHere
02-27-2012, 17:34
Thanks Raul,
I have been enjoying the vids. Nice work.
DrRichardCranium
02-27-2012, 17:35
We used to pack heavy stuff when we went backpacking in the Whites during the late 80s. We still did OK though.
Hey KnotHere,
Really good post. Thanks for sharing and the smile it produced.
hikerboy57
02-27-2012, 17:54
love your last comment. if we could only look at life the same way....:)
tophatxj
02-27-2012, 18:00
First hike I did with a buddy was in jeans and cotton tshirt. Slept in a tent very much like the one in the article with no ground pad. Carried cans of spam for food and a full change of clothes including extra jeans.
LOL
KnotHere
03-01-2012, 00:02
I'm sure there's a ton of "tonnage" stories out there. Fun stuff, good times, and what were we thinking?!?
Wheres the pacific coast trail?
KnotHere
03-02-2012, 14:36
http://www.fs.usda.gov/pct
"The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT) is a treasured pathway through some of the most outstanding scenic terrain in the United States. Beginning in southern California at the Mexican border, the PCT travels a total distance of 2,650 miles through California (http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/pct/home/?cid=stelprdb5304733), Oregon (http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/pct/home/?cid=stelprdb5304735), and Washington (http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/pct/home/?cid=stelprdb5304737) until reaching the Canadian border."
I hiked on it twice when I was in 9th Grade. Amazing area but too many Rattlesnakes!!
Oh, I guess it was just a typo. I thought you meant Pacific Coast Trail. I know where where the PCT is of course, but I have heard of some pacific coast trail as well, but after I googled it I couldn't fint it.
MuddyWaters
03-03-2012, 06:03
Newbies to the outdoors seem to be heavily influenced by : 1) clue-less peers and 2) Walmart
I recall when my son started Tiger cubs in cub scouts, around age 6-7. Car camping, first campout, only 2 nights and one day, friday night and saturday/sat night.
Most people could not fit all they brought into the back of a pickup truck, some actually hauled trailers.
One guy brought lawn equipment and mowed, then weed-eated his camping area, no $hit. Another brought out a huge fogger , walked around spraying, and basically tried to kill every bug in 100 yd radius. Several brought their huge home propane barbecue grills, big canopys to cover them, astroturf to put down, several folding tables, generators, put up lighting, big propane stoves, lounge chairs. You know, all the essentials for a 1 day, 2 night trip with a 6 yr olds. One guy brought satellite TV and a projector to put it on the side enclosure panel of a canopy. Basically, they brought their college football tailgating to the woods. Throw in the kids bicycles, fishing gear, etc and it was ......a horrible spectacle. Sleeping required queen size air mattresses and electric air pumps to inflate, more than one had sheets and pillows, a made up bed in the tent!
So much stuff, that most dads had to take the day off of work just to get ready. Packing actually had to start a couple days before. Of course , since everyone else brought that stuff, you wouldnt be as proficient of a "camper" unless you did too!
Maybe I was fortunate, I didnt own any of that stuff.
And after all that, the tents were $50 tents Magellan tents from Academy. Huge, 6-8 person cheap chinese made "family" tents with 2 or 3 rooms. Not waterproof, not with taped seams, and most definitely not seam sealed. You know the kind, theres clear plastic panels on the roof so you can view the stars, and the unsealed rainfly overlaps the netted roof areas by ~1/2 inch. But hey, most were looking for the cheapest tent to buy, and this was it
And the rain rain rain came down down. Everyone got wet, soaked actually. A few put their canopys over their tents to help mitigate the damage. Water ran across the ground, stacked up agains the walls of tents, and came in the bathtub seams even. some people had inches of water in their tents.
And every fall, about October, at a Boy Scout camp near you, the spectacle repeats itself.
takethisbread
03-03-2012, 06:58
Cute funny tales. Not unusual though. My first pack weighed 36 lbs on a section hike. I rarely cross 15 lbs now. We think back to the things we carried and laugh at the waste.
:welcome
This is for anyone starting out in the world of hiking/backpacking or some of the vets who want a good laugh. I am a weekender turned section hiker and now aspiring thru hiker. This is a little post about some of the stupid noob mistakes I have made when I was starting out.
I have been in your shoes, and it wasn't that long ago. There is SO much to learn and the key is to enjoy yourself along the way!
http://knotherewondering.blogspot.com/2012/02/looking-back-what-i-have-learned-over.html
KnotHere
03-03-2012, 09:03
Sorry Luddite, a typo indeed. Great story muddy!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Miami Joe
03-03-2012, 14:40
Newbies to the outdoors seem to be heavily influenced by : 1) clue-less peers and 2) Walmart
I recall when my son started Tiger cubs in cub scouts, around age 6-7. Car camping, first campout, only 2 nights and one day, friday night and saturday/sat night.
Most people could not fit all they brought into the back of a pickup truck, some actually hauled trailers.
One guy brought lawn equipment and mowed, then weed-eated his camping area, no $hit. Another brought out a huge fogger , walked around spraying, and basically tried to kill every bug in 100 yd radius. Several brought their huge home propane barbecue grills, big canopys to cover them, astroturf to put down, several folding tables, generators, put up lighting, big propane stoves, lounge chairs. You know, all the essentials for a 1 day, 2 night trip with a 6 yr olds. One guy brought satellite TV and a projector to put it on the side enclosure panel of a canopy. Basically, they brought their college football tailgating to the woods. Throw in the kids bicycles, fishing gear, etc and it was ......a horrible spectacle. Sleeping required queen size air mattresses and electric air pumps to inflate, more than one had sheets and pillows, a made up bed in the tent!
So much stuff, that most dads had to take the day off of work just to get ready. Packing actually had to start a couple days before. Of course , since everyone else brought that stuff, you wouldnt be as proficient of a "camper" unless you did too!
Maybe I was fortunate, I didnt own any of that stuff.
And after all that, the tents were $50 tents Magellan tents from Academy. Huge, 6-8 person cheap chinese made "family" tents with 2 or 3 rooms. Not waterproof, not with taped seams, and most definitely not seam sealed. You know the kind, theres clear plastic panels on the roof so you can view the stars, and the unsealed rainfly overlaps the netted roof areas by ~1/2 inch. But hey, most were looking for the cheapest tent to buy, and this was it
And the rain rain rain came down down. Everyone got wet, soaked actually. A few put their canopys over their tents to help mitigate the damage. Water ran across the ground, stacked up agains the walls of tents, and came in the bathtub seams even. some people had inches of water in their tents.
And every fall, about October, at a Boy Scout camp near you, the spectacle repeats itself.
This is so true. My wife tells a story about her father and their weekend Girl Scout sojourns. Generators, kitchens, lighting hung from trees, bug zappers, electric heaters in the summer ... But that lawn equipment story just killed me. Glad to hear it rained like a sob.
-joe
BSA is a tale of two different groups. My first troop never camped like that. We carried twenty pound packs. My second troop used a trailer to haul all the crap they thought they needed.
The first troop leader was a twenty something Eagle scout. The second leader had no personal backpacking experience. I left scouts after a few months with the second troop and started taking trips with the parks and recreation department. They supplied transportation and group gear. I spent a summer volunteering with the same parks and recreation department taking 10 to 13 year olds backpacking or canoe camping.
Newbies to the outdoors seem to be heavily influenced by : 1) clue-less peers and 2) Walmart
I recall when my son started Tiger cubs in cub scouts, around age 6-7. Car camping, first campout, only 2 nights and one day, friday night and saturday/sat night.
Most people could not fit all they brought into the back of a pickup truck, some actually hauled trailers.
One guy brought lawn equipment and mowed, then weed-eated his camping area, no $hit. Another brought out a huge fogger , walked around spraying, and basically tried to kill every bug in 100 yd radius. Several brought their huge home propane barbecue grills, big canopys to cover them, astroturf to put down, several folding tables, generators, put up lighting, big propane stoves, lounge chairs. You know, all the essentials for a 1 day, 2 night trip with a 6 yr olds. One guy brought satellite TV and a projector to put it on the side enclosure panel of a canopy. Basically, they brought their college football tailgating to the woods. Throw in the kids bicycles, fishing gear, etc and it was ......a horrible spectacle. Sleeping required queen size air mattresses and electric air pumps to inflate, more than one had sheets and pillows, a made up bed in the tent!
So much stuff, that most dads had to take the day off of work just to get ready. Packing actually had to start a couple days before. Of course , since everyone else brought that stuff, you wouldnt be as proficient of a "camper" unless you did too!
Maybe I was fortunate, I didnt own any of that stuff.
And after all that, the tents were $50 tents Magellan tents from Academy. Huge, 6-8 person cheap chinese made "family" tents with 2 or 3 rooms. Not waterproof, not with taped seams, and most definitely not seam sealed. You know the kind, theres clear plastic panels on the roof so you can view the stars, and the unsealed rainfly overlaps the netted roof areas by ~1/2 inch. But hey, most were looking for the cheapest tent to buy, and this was it
And the rain rain rain came down down. Everyone got wet, soaked actually. A few put their canopys over their tents to help mitigate the damage. Water ran across the ground, stacked up agains the walls of tents, and came in the bathtub seams even. some people had inches of water in their tents.
And every fall, about October, at a Boy Scout camp near you, the spectacle repeats itself.
This is so true. My wife tells a story about her father and their weekend Girl Scout sojourns. Generators, kitchens, lighting hung from trees, bug zappers, electric heaters in the summer ... But that lawn equipment story just killed me. Glad to hear it rained like a sob.
-joe
Another brought out a huge fogger , walked around spraying, and basically tried to kill every bug in 100 yd radius.
Haha on a couple of canoe trips in the Everglades I wish I would have brought a fogger.
Live_for_hiking
03-05-2012, 21:11
I went into the boundary waters in MN about a decade ago with my brothers and their kids. We camped on this island for the week. We explored the area, fished, portaged to see Native American drawings, etc. Each night as the sun went down ... you could hear the approaching buzz of bazillions of mosquito's crossing the lake to suck us dry. I sure wish we had a fogger too! Then again, I'm not sure it would have killed them ... just made them bigger and stronger.
Quite the horror show! :eek:
BlakeGrice
03-05-2012, 22:20
my first trip, which was just last year, I had 50 pounds. As I type this, I am looking at my 3 ounce Zpacks zero with a base weight of 7lbs. Live and learn. Its all part of it though. No new guy is gonna have a cuben fiber pack and carry 12 pounds for 3 days. Just not gonna happen.