What's your least favorite part of summer hiking 2004?

[KZKlimber]

OK -we haven't had a good poll in a while, or any poll for that matter.

The recent thread about summer conditions prompted this.

If you love everything about summer just substitute most for least and answer accordingly.

Why? - because it doesn't matter!!!!!

 

[shadowcat]

least fav part....

this summer
1. NOT BEING ABLE TO HIKE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

if i had been able to hike:
1. black flies
2. too much mudd
3. not being able to go more often

least fav part any time of the year:
1. blabbermouths, knowitalls. loudmouths and chatterboxes!

 

[HikerBob]

Has to be the bugs, although I seem to have survived pretty well this year so far.

Last year it was deet here deet there deet everywhere and I still got eaten alive.

What's my secret this year? Well, since learning (through this or another BB - I forget which) that black flies need skin contact to bite I've been wearing long pants (baggy) and long sleeved shirt (wicking) It's a little warmer but apart from a few mossie bites I've come through mostly unscathed.

Another other big difference this year (and a good reason not to stand downwind on the trail or sit too close at any post-hike revelry!) I don't shower, use soap, shampoo or deoderant the morning of a hike.

Maybe it's just me, but I swear when I was on Adams recently all the fresh, clean folk were swatting and swearing while I lounged and took pics of the bugs

Too-smelly-for-bugs-Bob

 

[hillman1]

Having a job, and being trapped indoors.

 

[Mark]

You left off:

() All of the above.

Winter: bring it on!

 

[Warren]

Traffic.

I was having a lot of fun right up to the fourth of July weekend, going here & there, another there a bit more of other heres and theres. Having a car was neat!

But damn, after the fourth I began to loose interest in 8+ hours drives where three of them are spent traveling oh, only 50 miles.

 

[sp1936]

Bugs, bugs, bugs. Everything else is OK.

Steve

 

[Jaytrek57]

Last minute obligations! They have happened to often this summer. Twice... last second bachelor parties…granted they were rafting trips…

Peace.

 

[Tuco]

My top three are traffic, traffic and traffic.

 

[WalksWithBlackflies]

I'm still having mud nightmares from the Seward this past weekend. Literally. Other than that, it's been a great summer.

LOVE the cooler temps, and the bugs at home (Syracuse) have been worse than the Adks. Only used Deet once on Allen.

I've begun most of my hikes at 5am, so crowds haven't been a problem.

 

[Jay H]

Hated the heat and humidity, but I haven't really gone anywhere where there would be mud or crowds. I purposely have done a good job in avoiding them so I can't really say that crowds would of been a problem.

The first few days of my bike trip this summer was super hot and humid though so I voted for that.

Jay

 

[TenPeaks]

For me it's been too much rain. Every hike I've been on this year, except 2 have been either drizzle, rain, thunder or some other form of water falling from the sky. The worst was my 5 day trip to Baxter in July. It rained for 4 of the days I was there. Now I hear showers are expected this Saturday for my upcoming trip to Maine.

 

[Bob Kittredge]

None of the above

Can't really think of anything to complain about, except maybe for the lack of flowers in Alpine Garden this year.

There was one hot, humid hike back in May, but since then, it's been relatively cool every time I've been out. Rerouted one June hike because Nelson Crag would have been too cold and windy.

Bugs and mud have been nothing special. Rain - well, ya gotta pay some dues. And Mahoosuc Notch was one of the nicest rainy day hikes I've ever done.

On the plus side, my three days in Baxter State Park were fantastic, especially on the Knife Edge. And the woods around Cardigan and Tripyramid this past weekend were wonderfully green and lush.

Winter's cool too, though I'm not really looking forward to November.

 

[Guinness]

350+ Miles one way – I’ll deal with that.
Rain – Minor nusance.
Crowds – don’t like it, but I know that I am part of the crowd to someone else.
Traffic – No problem.
Bugs – Not bad this year.
Heat – Not this year.
Mud – Can’t expect sidewalks.
Bears – No encounters this year.

What bothers me the most is the Garbage left behind by wannabe climbers and those that see lean-to’s and camping areas as party spots. Take it somewhere else and leave the park to those who respect it.

 

[daxs]

The drive to the trailhead. The closest decent trail is at least a 3 hr drive. The dacks are about a 7-8 hr drive. The drive is made more miserable by the traffic on the Garden state parkway (GSP) and the tolls on the GSP and NYS Thruway. It costs me about $16 in tolls for the round trip. I may bitch but it won;t stop me from driving.

 

[hikethe115]

This has been a good year for hiking in the summer IMHO. But I responded to the poll based on what I normally like least in the summer. I would say in spring/early summer it's bugs, but for the most of the summer it's the heat. I love hiking in the fall and winter.


Rain – While we have had a lot, it really hasn't been a problem for me personally this year
Bugs – Not bad at all this year
Mud – There's lots, but it's no big deal
Crowds – There are more people in the summer, but I'm one of the crowd too
Heat – This is what can normally drag me down in the summer, but it hasn't been a problem this year
Bears – I mostly day hike so bears are not an issue

 

[Grumpy]

My Owie!

Least favorite part of summer 2004 hiking?

Mine has to be a wounded knee that I managed to acquire while descending from the Mt. Mansfield (VT) summit in the latter part of July. My boo-boo turned out to be an insulted and very painfully inflamed tendon at the top of the kneecap. It led to a hospital emergency room visit in search and hope of relief. This loused up further hiking plans for this year’s primary mountain fix activities.

Mrs. Grumpy nursed me back to health by conscientiously handing out prescribed doses of high-power Vitamin I, supervising prescribed application of ice packs and enforcing prescribed rest and “don’t do it if it hurts” orders while we continued our vacation. As a result I was able to take on some low-angle approach trails in the Adirondacks less than a week after the Mansfield episode, so there is hope.

G.

 

[KayakDan]

We did our one and only summer hike up Madison this past weekend to satisfy my need for being above treeline.

Muddy,hot ,bugs,traffic...are we having fun yet?
But....up on Madison it was great.

OK,back into the kayak until the real hiking weather arrives.

 

[Mr. X]

Bugs are the worst for me, it gives me a reason to shut off my alarm on a hiking weekend morning and say "the mountain will be there next weekend too.".

 

[Adk_dib]

the humidity just makes it so darn uncomfortable. I stay in shape so my legs and breathing is pretty good. But in the heat I just have to stop sometimes to wipe off the sweat. The bugs, I can always wear long shirts and pants. A couple of times a year in june I can go down to the catskills were they are not as bad (I have only been hiking the catskills for a couple of years so I'm no expert on them. So no comments that they are just as bad down there). And for all the rain we had, on the weekends I only got rained out once and that was in may. the views this year on the summits though have not been as good with all the clouds.