View Full Version : Great First Hike at Standing Indian Loop!
yankeehotelbackpack
05-30-2013, 16:40
Just wanted to thank the folks here that responded to my many nervous questions before my first big hike. Completed the Standing Indian Loop with a friend last weekend. The advice from this site was terrific; I carried only two superfluous items, which seemed great for a brand newbie. (Brought a chamois camp towel, which I never used, and had a couple oz. of Dr. Bronner's and ended up using only my hand santizer.) Hmmm... soap and a towel. Guess I didn't mind staying dirty for 3 days!
The weather was terrific, with one night getting down to the 30s, but otherwise beautiful. My pack continued to be a source of discomfort (some neck/shoulder pinched nerve feeling) but that let up on day 3 when my food/water weight was down. Need to shoot for 20 lbs! I also ended up with the bane of hikers' existence.... blisters. Big, painful ones. This was my own fault, as the hiking shoes I bought for this trip and trained in, gave me blisters even on my practice hikes. No amount of duct tape, moleskin, etc. could fix the fact that they were just a little too big, with lots of heel slippage. At the last minute I considered wearing plain old sneakers, but chickened out. Next time I'm hiking in running/all-terrain shoes! Good thing REI takes everything back.
People all along the way were so friendly and obviously glad to be in their element. The only exception were a couple groups of miserable-looking teenagers who were probably forced to go hiking over the holiday weekend!
I'm looking forward to many more hiking trips and just wanted to say thanks again to you nice folks that gave me advice.
Glad you had a nice trip, you will be hooked for sure now. I wouldn't get rid of the soap too soon. Every now and then a nice sponge bath with ice cold water really feels good in the summer.
Gray Blazer
05-30-2013, 17:25
A bottle of alcohol hand sanitizer is what I use to sterilize my cooking pot/cup and utensil (the famous spork). I also bring alcohol wipes to help with the funk. The shamwow type cloth(that you did not need (this time)) is a good thing to haveif you need to dry off your tent in the morning.
Turk6177
05-30-2013, 19:26
I believe you learn something new, or re-learn something old on every backpacking trip. Keep reading white blaze and you will have your pack weight down in no time. Every ounce counts!
yankeehotelbackpack
05-30-2013, 19:31
Yeah, in terms of weight, I think I could shave off some food ounces for sure. I packed too much food, wanting to err on the side of caution for the first trip. Cliff bars are super-heavy, as are the Jif Togo peanut butter singles I brought. I could sub Justin's nut butter packets for the Jif and find a lighter energy bar (or just eat cookies and crackers). I loved my hike but don't want it to hurt....
hikerboy57
05-30-2013, 19:43
Yeah, in terms of weight, I think I could shave off some food ounces for sure. I packed too much food, wanting to err on the side of caution for the first trip. Cliff bars are super-heavy, as are the Jif Togo peanut butter singles I brought. I could sub Justin's nut butter packets for the Jif and find a lighter energy bar (or just eat cookies and crackers). I loved my hike but don't want it to hurt....
its definitely a learning curve, ideally yu want to come off the trail with an empty food bag, you need to get out of your comfort zone a bit, and realize you wont starve to death, you might just be a little hungry.the other big weight savings is knowing where your water sources are and not carry more water than you need.
Gray Blazer
05-30-2013, 22:20
its definitely a learning curve, ideally yu want to come off the trail with an empty food bag, you need to get out of your comfort zone a bit, and realize you wont starve to death, you might just be a little hungry.the other big weight savings is knowing where your water sources are and not carry more water than you need.
I agree to disagree. I think it's best to have some extra food in case something happens.
hikerboy57
05-30-2013, 22:39
I agree to disagree. I think it's best to have some extra food in case something happens.
ramen is the answer, it weighs practically nothing and you wont go hungry. i do take extra food in the backcountry because i usually allow a few extra days for weather, but sectioning the at, when i know resupply is never more than a few days away, an extra ramen packet is enough insurance, and i can eat it for breakfast the last day out if i know im hitting town.if "something happens"to you on the at, its likely another hiker will come across you fairly quickly.only 3 times this spring did i come into town empty.and when you do, you smile, because you had "just enough"past tense.
on more remote trails and trips, i m more cautious
daddytwosticks
05-31-2013, 07:17
Sounds like a great hike. Glad you had fun. I did Mooney Gap northwards towards the NOC last Thurs-Sun and know what you mean about chilly weather.
Am planning to do some or all of the SI Loop as an overnighter before 4th of July. Can't wait. :)
Sounds like you had a great trip. That is a very nice section of trail. It also sounds like you learned a couple of things which is the beginning of an obsession for you probably. After each trip I look at what I carried and did not use and evaluate whether I need to carry those items again in the future. This has helped me continue to shed ounces off my pack weight.
ATL Backpacker
05-31-2013, 21:10
People all along the way were so friendly and obviously glad to be in their element. The only exception were a couple groups of miserable-looking teenagers who were probably forced to go hiking over the holiday weekend!
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You must be talking about the group of Webb students? I was on the loop this wkd as well...they were a tired looking-bunch, at least some of them were.