Best, Worst, Heaviest, Lightest - Stories Backpackers Tell

[mtn.goat]

Longest Dayhike (time): Great Range Traverse in 85-90 degree temps - 12 hours - 26 miles

Longest Dayhike (Dist): Devil's Path - 26mi (Soon to be 32.6 miles when I do the Wakely Dam Ultra next weekend )

Hardest Dayhike: Great Range Traverse (soon to be topped by a more ambitious GR Traverse with a "few" extra peaks thrown in)

Highest Point: 18 mi hike to San Gorgonio Peak in S Cal - 11,500' (In a year I hope to consider this a moderate elevation )

Best Dayhike: Hike to San Gorgonio Peak - first experience hiking "out west" and first experience with altitude... loved every minute of it

Heaviest Pack: 50lbs on a 5 day hike on the LT

 

[sierra]

2 of my favorite stats
1. Most vertical distance in the shortest amount of time, 13,004 ft in less then 12hours, left San Francisco at 10.30 pm, summitted Mt Dana at 10.00am.
2. My best jesture in the hills. found a quartz rock on the summitt of Mt.Jefferson, I knew my mother would like it for her garden, so I packed it down and gave it to her, the rock weighs 72lbs!!!! she liked it so much its still in her house in the family room on the floor, its nice to be appriciated.
These stories have not been embellished, I lie alot better then that.

 

[KZKlimber]

Heaviest load - 35# pack and towing 35# sled roped up on the Eldridge Glacier in Denali.

Highest summit - 11,600ft (Humphreys Peak Az)

Coldest temp - Whiteface Auto Road Ski 26 below F at base wind blowing 40 MPH

Longest mileage in a day 19 miles

Longest clock time outing - Semour, Donaldson, Emmons in a day - 9AM to 11PM

Best trip to the trailhead - flying into the Alsaka Range and landing on the glacier in a ski plane!!!

 

[pedxing]

Heaviest load... started out around 70 pounds. I was hiking the 100 mile wildereness with my son (who turned 13 on the trail that trip). It was the year White House landing opened to the trail and we knew nothing about it. To be safe, I carried two weeks of food. I carried the heavier pack and was more safety obsessed than usual.

Gloomiest day: Probably day 3 of the same hike - cut my foot badly when I slipped during a stream crossing and found myself wondering if it was wiser to turn around..

Giddiest day ever: Day 6 of the same hike: foot healing well, at least 25 pounds of food gone from our packs. A beautiful day and a great swim left us feeling fantastic and laughing as we flew down the trail.

Highest: Mt Fuji - 13K and change, once at 12 y/o and once with 11 & 10 y/o sons coming along.

Dumbest mistake - Too many to mention, and I will probably manage to top them all in the future.

The most over packed backpackers I ever saw, were carrying two full size axes, a two burner Coleman camp stove, many cans of Dinty Moore - blew past me on day one... and were limping off the trail on day 3. Nice guys went to a department store and the oudoors department guy outfitted them (I hope they ditched their axes before they met up with him!)
Longest day was 22 miles on the Maine AT, I'm no mile monster.

Most challenging: Coming down 6 Husbands with my 12 y/o son on a backpacking trip when a storm forced us to bail off the ridge on day 3. It was probably also the most fun.

 

[AntlerPeak]

I had to go back to the old hiking journals to dig out this info

Longest distance full pack single day
19.3 miles 5,600 foot ascent Kennebec River to Safford Brook in Maine

Longest unplanned day hike
30.0 three round trips from Wakeley Dam to Cedar River Lean-to looking for my dog who seemed to have lost the trail.

Longest Planned day hike
Several twenty to twenty one mile trips on Redfield, Allen, the five Dixes and complete traverse of the Santis

Worst Grueling compulsive-obsessive and stupid hike
A Saturday in October with a friend who had 43 ADK peaks with Cliff and Redfield targeted. Above Uphill lean-to sleet, freezing rain drove us back, net 19+ miles no Mt.
The next day I was stupid enough to try again, this time turned back higher up on the mt due to more sleet and deep snow net 39 miles in two days no mt.
One week later 20 mile day trip and bagged the summit of Redfield. 59 miles three days one mt.

Steepest ascent
Mt Saint Helens 4000 feet in last 1.9 miles from timberline to crater rim.

Most senic hike
Pick any one of the 213 5,000 foot peaks summited in the Wa Cascades.

Heaviest pack
Don't know the weight but I put my Kelty Mountaineer frame pack on and the trail crew filled it with the old shingles from the Oxshoe Pond Lean-to roof. To make matters worse they piled them up and tied the lot down. It was a good thing the trail out was fairly straight because sudden stops or turns and I would not have gotten up.

Worst Weather
See compulsive hike above

Worst Ever Trail, other than Bradley Pond
On the old AT from Mt Cube to route 25a. The entire trail was criscrossed with sap lines forces us to duck, dive and climb over them.

Best Ever Trail
There are actually quite a few but Trail 96A in Snowgrass Flat in the Goat Rocks Wilderness traverses a meadow at 6,000 feet with miles of wild flowers and views of five volcanos Rainier, St Helens, Adams, Hood and Jefferson has got to be among them.

 

[JackH]

best and worst

Longest day: 21 Miles. Long trail heading north past Stratton Pond when I still had knees.

Highest Peak: Grand Teton, never summited but made about 12000 ft.

Most weight: 55 pounds on a 10 day backpack trip...also when I had knees.

Worst experience: This is a toss-up. (there have been so many) Mt. Jefferson with an overextended knee on the way down. A very sloooow decent. OR missing ferry while hitching back thru Platsburg NY and dealing with black flies all night without tent or bag.

Worst weather: Mt. Lincoln: December 2004. Caught near ridge with high winds and seriously blowing newly fallen snow.

 

[SherpaKroto]

I have a "heaviest" one, courtesy of our own shizzmac420. His pack was easily 70 lbs this weekend in the Great Gulf. Of course that included a case(!) of Fosters beer, CD player (with speakers), 40 CDs. He mentioned that it was the first time he almost couldn't get it on his back. He is one fun guy to have along on a backpack!

 

[lumberzac]

Longest clock time: Donaldson, Emmons, Seward, Seymour. 9AM – 12AM
Hardest: Sawteeth via the Scenic Trail in February. It took two of us 8 hours to go a mile with snow up to our chest at times
Heaviest load: 50lb pack when I was a kid and only weighed about 100lbs
Coldest: -26F Newcomb Lake overnight in February
Longest dayhike: Donaldson, Emmons, Seward, Seymour, 19 miles estimated
Longest distance with full pack: Cedar Lakes to Stephen Pond on the NPT, 18.8 miles.

 

[giggy]

shizzmac is the man - only met him once - but that was enough to know he is one of kind - (in a very good way) case of beer, stereo w/ speakers and 40 cds - now that is hiking in style. If only it was some good metal cds - he would have my full respect!

 

[spencer]

Shizzy,

no more Moe!

spencer

 

[Gris]

If only it was some good metal cds ...

Blasphemy!

Mo Moe! Mo Moe! Can't ya hear me knockin!?

That live Santana FRi nite was the best tho...

 

[SherpaKroto]

And the String Cheese Incident was great also. See the attachment for Gris' new avatar! He wasn't sleeping - he was just resting his eyes (Note: before anyone jumps all over us, the writing on the rock was already there)

 

[Gris]

Musta been during "The Wall..."

 

[BrentD22]

Ummm

Heaviest - First overnight trip 70lbs. - For work - 35lbs of personal gear + rock bar, safety axe, and long clippers. I'm not sure the wieght of the trail work tool, but I'm sure they add up quick!

Longest Day - Probably not all that far. I like the idea of hiking no more than 8 miles into some great camping spot, cabin, or other shelter (lean-to ect.). Then just chillin out and enjoying being out in the woods.

Shortest Day - About 1 mile. Started hiking up Lowe's Path then relized I had no toilet paper or stove fuel. I have no idea what made me remember, but for some reason I got so pissed off I just didn't go hiking at all.

Scariest - First overnight trip. Trying to hike in the dark in winter and losing the trail. I must have walked in a huge circle because after deciding to just stop hiking and camp where I stood I woke up the next day and I was on the trail. It was luck. I wasn't sure if I was on the correct trail. The next day I feel into a river during a crossing in 10d weather floated down for some time struggling to get to the side of the river. Once I got out I relized I was 2 days hiking out and I was starting to as I called it "go crazy". It was the first time and hopefully the last time I will need a rescue. I used my cell phone that I smartly put in a plastic bag and kept in an inside pocket of my coat. It only worked long enough for me to tell the state police (MA) where I was and how to get to me. Yes I felt STUPID and I was only 17.

Most Awsome Morning - Waking up to see the valley covered in clouds. It made me feel like I was 10k up even though I was only about 3k.

Best Solo - Adams in winter during heavy freezing fog with sleet. I couldn't see the next carin and once I finally turned around near Thunderstorm Jnc. (I was headed for Madison) I could not see my tracks in the snow because high winds quickly covered them. It was a true testiment of my compass work and skills. It made me feel good once I got back to Gray Knob that I made it!

Funnest - Hiking with 2 of my best friends. Again we where headed for Adams (Crag Camp). Too much to list here.


This was a fun thread................

 

[Mad Townie]

Heaviest load: 65 lbs. (before adding 2 Nagenes), heading out of Monson on the hundred, because my 61 lb. daughter couldn't carry much more than her own clothing and sleeping bag without going over 1/3 of her body weight.

Toughest: the second day of that hike, not much lighter, a little tireder, and heading up Barren, etc.

Most exhilarating: many candidates, but summiting K in February and being in shirtsleeves on top is right up there. Same can be said for each of my kids' first hikes, both on East Royce.

Most challenging: first time on the sharp end of the rope, leading a 5.7 that was supposed to be a 5.5 .

Most "interesting" conditions: about -15 and 80 mph winds heading back from Madison hut to Gray Knob last winter. But the sun was out and it was beautiful!

Most gratifying: I think it's coming up soon: a backpacking trip with that same daughter before she leaves for her first year of college (sniff).

 

[John H Swanson]

New Category

Toughest drive after a hike (same day):
Corey´s Road to E Brunswick, NJ AFTER Bushwhack, breaking trail, from Ward Brook Leanto to Seward, Donaldson, Emmons and back, then out to the winter parking lot on Coreys Rd.

Runner-up: Coburn Gore to E Brunswick, NJ AFTER Bushwhack, breaking trail up the west side of Snow Mtn (Chain of Ponds)