What are you?

[Grandscale]

Just curious...

What do you consider yourself? If you had to choose one word to describe yourself and your relation to the outdoors, what would it be? Hiker, adventurer, mountaineer, explorer, backpacker, nomad, etc...

[Lnj]

I'm a Hiker

[Gambit McCrae]

Hiker yes
Adventurer yes
Mountaineer no
Explorer sure
Backpacker yes
Nomad Looked up the official term, eh.. sure.. I guess we are a community. I would prefer Pilgrimage, Crusade, Journey...

[Tipi Walter]

Nature Boy.

When I was a 9 year old kid I lived in Lawrence KS and discovered a whole world of fossils in the dirt and would take them to my 4th grade class, along with frogs and toads and anything else I could find. My teacher let me work on my fossils in class and she called me Nature Boy.

[Traillium]

Naturalist. A botanist. But a generalist and dilettante in reality. I spent most of my career teaching outdoors.

One of my major goals in thruhiking the Bruce Trail here in Ontario next spring is to follow Spring northwards for six weeks.
… I'm wondering how to capture those aspects of my solo experience …


Bruce Traillium

[Kookork]

Naturalist. A botanist. But a generalist and dilettante in reality. I spent most of my career teaching outdoors.

One of my major goals in thruhiking the Bruce Trail here in Ontario next spring is to follow Spring northwards for six weeks.
… I'm wondering how to capture those aspects of my solo experience …


Bruce Traillium

I hiked the Bruce trail end to end in 2011 with my dog( self supported). It took me 6 weeks also. One of he best hikes of my life. It was naturally a solo hike.

There were times, I did not see a soul for three days including the locals. Finding a site to camp was a challenge in some areas and compromise is what that solves it.

Believe it or not July 2011 was the warmest month in Canadian recorded history and in some days the temperature was as high as 100 degrees Fahrenheit with 80% humidity( imagine the swarm of flies). The flora and fauna you see is incredible and the waterfalls you pass takes it to a new level.

[Traillium]

I hiked the Bruce trail end to end in 2011 with my dog( self supported). It took me 6 weeks also. One of he best hikes of my life. It was naturally a solo hike.

There were times, I did not see a soul for three days including the locals. Finding a site to camp was a challenge in some areas and compromise is what that solves it.

Believe it or not July 2011 was the warmest month in Canadian recorded history and in some days the temperature was as high as 100 degrees Fahrenheit with 80% humidity( imagine the swarm of flies). The flora and fauna you see is incredible and the waterfalls you pass takes it to a new level.

I'd love to know more, Kookork!

Tented, I suppose? Tell me more about finding sites, please. Any grief from BT organizers? (I'm hammocking, so hope it will easier to find spots.)

How about water, especially in that hot summer? And the dog?

How did you provision/resupply? How often did you leave the formal trail?

Any special tips?

Thanks in advance!


Bruce Traillium

[Kookork]

I'd love to know more, Kookork!

Tented, I suppose? Tell me more about finding sites, please. Any grief from BT organizers? (I'm hammocking, so hope it will easier to find spots.)

How about water, especially in that hot summer? And the dog?

How did you provision/resupply? How often did you leave the formal trail?

Any special tips?

Thanks in advance!


Bruce Traillium

BT is not a difficult trail for thru hiking. Organizers do not encourage( or discourage ) hikers from thru hiking but you need to rely on your knowledge and common sense for resupply. The BT guide book was all I needed. It has minimal tips about resupply but before starting the trail plan your resupply route by the help of Google map and add the route to your pages.

If you hike 20 km a day there is no stretch of the trail that you are far from resupply more than 4 to 5 days max.
But you need to be flexible because some grocery stores have limited variety suitable for hike( if any).

Water is not an issue except when you are around the Bruce Peninsula ( while you can see the Georgian bay water with very limited access to it if any) . I never carried more than 3 liter ( it was a hot summer) but got away most of the times with less than 2 liters.
Hammock is the best option. I tented and was forced to tent in some deserted dirt roads and uneven ground in some places. Carry enough water to give you the freedom to camp wherever you like.

Avoid camping in private lands at any cost( I did ) . Now BT association owns more than half of the lands that BT passes through ( take extensive road walking out of the equation ) and although they do not encourage camping in their properties , they do not stop you from doing it( and many times it is your only option) .stealth camping helps you a lot when there is no viable option around. I tented in many conservation areas ( stealth) and packed and left early next morning with no problem.
Once even I tented in a public golf course with their blessing but I can see a hammock would let you have way more options.
I don't think I hiked more than 4 km off trail to resupply except for orangeville( your neighborhood) which I hitch hiked for 20 km to find a store to buy dog food. If you plan and search your resupply points before starting the trail you won't face the problems I faced ( I had no study of these things when I hiked the trail and learned as I went which was difficult but memorable).

BT without bugs is a heaven in so many levels and if you start in spring I guess you have that heavenly experience.

It is a well maintained and easy to hike trail even in summer months that the over growth can potentially cover the trail. I think in early spring you would find it even better.

Losing the trail is definitely a possibility in some young forests and over growth bushes. You need to be alert and stop the moment you think you missed the next white blaze and re access your situation. I lost the trail handful of times but I was never lost and found the trail in less than 30 minutes in worst cases.
PM me if you have any question or if you think I can be of any help. You would not regret hiking The Bruce Trail.

[Traillium]

BT is not a difficult trail for thru hiking. Organizers do not encourage( or discourage ) hikers from thru hiking but you need to rely on your knowledge and common sense for resupply. The BT guide book was all I needed. It has minimal tips about resupply but before starting the trail plan your resupply route by the help of Google map and add the route to your pages.

If you hike 20 km a day there is no stretch of the trail that you are far from resupply more than 4 to 5 days max.
But you need to be flexible because some grocery stores have limited variety suitable for hike( if any).

Water is not an issue except when you are around the Bruce Peninsula ( while you can see the Georgian bay water with very limited access to it if any) . I never carried more than 3 liter ( it was a hot summer) but got away most of the times with less than 2 liters.
Hammock is the best option. I tented and was forced to tent in some deserted dirt roads and uneven ground in some places. Carry enough water to give you the freedom to camp wherever you like.

Avoid camping in private lands at any cost( I did ) . Now BT association owns more than half of the lands that BT passes through ( take extensive road walking out of the equation ) and although they do not encourage camping in their properties , they do not stop you from doing it( and many times it is your only option) .stealth camping helps you a lot when there is no viable option around. I tented in many conservation areas ( stealth) and packed and left early next morning with no problem.
Once even I tented in a public golf course with their blessing but I can see a hammock would let you have way more options.
I don't think I hiked more than 4 km off trail to resupply except for orangeville( your neighborhood) which I hitch hiked for 20 km to find a store to buy dog food. If you plan and search your resupply points before starting the trail you won't face the problems I faced ( I had no study of these things when I hiked the trail and learned as I went which was difficult but memorable).

BT without bugs is a heaven in so many levels and if you start in spring I guess you have that heavenly experience.

It is a well maintained and easy to hike trail even in summer months that the over growth can potentially cover the trail. I think in early spring you would find it even better.

Losing the trail is definitely a possibility in some young forests and over growth bushes. You need to be alert and stop the moment you think you missed the next white blaze and re access your situation. I lost the trail handful of times but I was never lost and found the trail in less than 30 minutes in worst cases.
PM me if you have any question or if you think I can be of any help. You would not regret hiking The Bruce Trail.

Wonderful response, Kookork! You've reinforced what I've been learning! Thanks!


Bruce Traillium

[Kookork]

If I have to choose one word it would be a hiker .

If more then Hiker/climber/ex hunter/angler/Bird watcher/naturalist/ex rock climber/dreamer.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Sarcastic.

[runt13]

Outdoorsmen!

RUNT ''13''

P.S. usually its 2 words ''Complete Outdoorsmen''

[Puddlefish]

I refuse to pick a single word to describe me.

"Ain't no thing like me, except me!" ... Rocket Raccoon.

[soumodeler]

Backpacker or Hiker. Both are the same to me.

[Cheyou]

A carbon based life form

thom

[George]

A carbon based life form

thom

that would be "organic"

[George]

one word can have fairly wide definitions i.e. "football" in N America is a completely different thing than most of the world

"backpacker" in most of the the world is someone who travels/ tours with a goal of economy - usually, but not necessarily using a backpack for luggage

"hiking" is reasonably defined as walking a trail

subsets - as I would define them

speed hiking - the main goal is speed

distance hiker - the main goal is obvious

light hiker - main goal is existing on minimum

trail runner - usually does not backcountry camp

nature lover - fan of scenery, wildlife, photography or just being in the backcountry

tree hugger - radical environmentalist

gear freak - main goal/ activity is obsessing on gear of self and others

dirt bag hiker - goal is to exist with cheapest gear possible

trail bum- main goal is to drop out of society and exist on the trail

??? - main goal is to party/ socialize on a trail - while this is a much commented on phenomenon it does not seem to have a common name - any ideas?

[Carbo]

If it's true that "you are what you eat", then I'm a Carbohydrate.

[Dogwood]

I'm many things not one. What I do are many things not one. Yet, I'm infinitely interconnected to a whole.
I Am Who I Am.

[Lone Wolf]

a drinker with a hikin' problem