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Anybody here outdoorsy?


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I'm a nature girl, a wild child. If I don't get outside every day, I get a little tense. If I don't go hiking at least once a week, I get a little twitchy. And it's not really a hike for me unless there's sweating, dirt, rock, danger, altitude, and maybe even a little bleeding as well.

 

I've hiked in 100+ heat, blizzards, pouring rain, lightning storms, and the dead of night. I've seen bears, eagles, coyotes, deer, elk, moose, rattlesnakes, Black Widows, and slugs eleven inches long. Haven't seen Sasquatch or a cougar yet but I've got my fingers crossed. I've found gem quality smokey quartz, mahogany obsidian, and aquamarine. I've climbed 23 of the tallest mountains in the contiguous 48 states, some of them more than once, most of them solo, none of them with ropes. My goal is to witness an erupting volcano, a minor earthquake, and a tsunami--all from a safe distance, of course, and preferably not all on the same hike. But it could happen.

 

Do you hike? Where do you go? What have you seen?

 

Baby Herc

 

PS: My latest outdoor adventure is at the link in blue below.

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Absolutely. I love any outdoor activity. If I dont get to be out in nature I get depressed. I heavily dislike cities, luckily I live in a forest.

I do a lot of motorized things outdoors which probably is not the most nature-minded but where I live its pretty much the norm, like atving and snowmobiling. But I love hiking, canoeing, camping, horseback riding, etc. Thats really cool that you have hiked all those mountains. I would like to do some serious mountain climbing some day.

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I wish I was outdoorsy. I think I would be if I had an outdoorsy friend.

 

Honestly my desire to be outdoorsy battles with my tendency to be a whimp and girly. For instance: I wish I liked to camp. I really do. But I just can't deal without plumbing and a nice comfy bed and I don't like bugs.

 

I was raised by a camping family, lobsteriffic, and got so good at it that, at one time, I actually preferred it to living in a house. Then, something happened and I suddenly began worshiping hot showers and clean, dry sheets. I still have all my gear but I don't know when it's going to come out of hibernation.

 

Herc

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Absolutely. I love any outdoor activity. If I dont get to be out in nature I get depressed. I heavily dislike cities, luckily I live in a forest.

I do a lot of motorized things outdoors which probably is not the most nature-minded but where I live its pretty much the norm, like atving and snowmobiling. But I love hiking, canoeing, camping, horseback riding, etc. Thats really cool that you have hiked all those mountains. I would like to do some serious mountain climbing some day.

 

Those mountains I did were mostly Class 3's and under. Try to imagine setting a StairMaster or Gauntlet machine on the steepest, toughest setting and just doing that for 5 to 8 hours. Except with fresher air and a better view. You could do them, no problem, as long as you don't have an issue with heights. (The other hikers might stone you to death if you showed up at the trailhead on a snowmobile or ATV, though.) I did a few technical routes that would induce sphincter clenching in most, Kelso Ridge stands out in my mind as the most fun. http://www.summitpost.org/trip-report/170297/kelso-ridge.html As you can see from the photos, an agile pair of legs can pretty much just walk right up most of it, as long as you don't look down to the 800' drop on either side. Many rope up for it but I abhor a lot of gear, don't even carry a knife with me when I solo in the wild. There's a quote I like from an old John Wayne movie that goes, "Only a man who carries a gun ever has to use one." Yup.

 

Herc

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  • 4 weeks later...
I love nature, but I also love hot showers, comfy beds, and being bug free! In other words not a camping type of person.

 

Believe it or not, me, too. I used to be an expert at "roughing it" and I still can if needs be but the allure of clean sheets sliding smoothly over a warm, freshly-scrubbed body is far too great a draw. I've even evolved past hotels--it's a private cabin or nothing! Won't ever sell my camping equipment, though. Too much nostalgia.

 

Baby Herc

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I am outdoorsy girl in the Pac NW as well! What mountains have you climbed Baby Herc?

 

Well, as a previous Coloradan, it's hard for me to claim any of the Pacific Northwest summits I've done as "mountains." I'm used to starting at about 10000' and ascending to over 14000'. Our Mt. Hood is only around 11000'. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Hood As I lack technical gear and the interest in lugging it around, I stick to things I can scramble so I haven't officially summited any of our volcanoes yet. I've done Munra Point on the edge of the Columbia River, though, fifteen hundred vertical feet in around a mile--definitely not for the weak of leg nor acrophobic! http://www.nwhiker.com/CGNSAHike22.html

 

I've gotten as high as you can get on Mt. Hood without roping up, a place aptly named Tie-In Rock. It's where climbers tie-in to each other for safety around 8514' above sea level. Actually, I went a little past that point but I ran out of daylight, so I had to turn around before I got to touch a glacier. My next adventure report, the one I'm working on now, documents that rather spooky day. Stay tuned. http://www.summitpost.org/route/155414/cooper-spur.html

 

Yeah, I love that quote. So glad another Portlander appreciates it! It encapsulates everything I believe in rather nicely.

 

Baby Herc

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I love to hike and enjoy the nature around me. The only mountains near me are the Smoky Mountains which I call hills. I lived in Colorado for a short spell. Now those were mountains.

I've only ever done two trails on two mountains and I don't remember the name of the one I climbed in California but I like mountain hiking. Its a very nice change from trail hiking around a lake or big hills.

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I lived in Colorado for a short spell. Now those were mountains.

I've only ever done two trails on two mountains and I don't remember the name of the one I climbed in California but I like mountain hiking.

 

All hail the Rockies! I'm jealous as hell that you got to rummage around in the Sierras, though, that's my next goal. Here's my latest adventure on our local volcano: http://allthoughtswork.wordpress.com/2010/09/25/the-shadow-monster-of-mt-hood-9-25-10/

 

Baby Herc

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wow! that shadow monster is AMAZING! I've seen some pretty amazing visual strangeness since climbing in the Pacific NW. On the summit of Sahale peak there was a circular rainbow surrounding my shadow on the pinnacle like a crown. And near Mt Jefferson there was this weird phenomenon where a shadow of yourself projects upward into fog and appears to be a giant standing above you, spookiness! I'll have to try to find my photos.....

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wow! that shadow monster is AMAZING! I've seen some pretty amazing visual strangeness since climbing in the Pacific NW. On the summit of Sahale peak there was a circular rainbow surrounding my shadow on the pinnacle like a crown. And near Mt Jefferson there was this weird phenomenon where a shadow of yourself projects upward into fog and appears to be a giant standing above you, spookiness! I'll have to try to find my photos.....

 

Yowza--I'd love to see that glory! That's what the rainbow around your shadow is called, a glory. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glory_(optical_phenomenon) Saw my first one scoping out Mt. Sniktau http://www.summitpost.org/mount-sniktau/152332 on the Continental Divide on New Year's Eve. I always had to scope it out first because I'd start climbing again in the dark around 3 AM on New Year's Day so that my view at the top would be the first sunrise of the new year. Not so easy to do in the Pacific Northwest when you're socked in with clouds most of the winter. (sigh)

 

The first time I did this was on the mountain on the other side of Loveland Pass from Mt. Sniktau a few years prior. It was near blizzard conditions and I had no decent gear, not even a headlamp. I carried one of those massive Maglites all the way up and all the way down; I think my pack must have tipped the scales at 35 pounds or so. At the summit, I had to strip down completely naked and change into a dry set of clothing I had brought along because I hadn't heard of Goretex or Thinsulate yet. Go ahead, strip down in a blizzard some time and see how it feels--Yipe! Right after I got warm, the storm broke at sunrise and I was treated to a specTACular view, not to mention snow devils full of whirling diamonds in the sun. Not bad.

 

Man, I'm ready for snowshoe season!

 

Baby Herc

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OK, I found the answers to my questions; the trip report has been updated. Some really great folks came to my aid.

 

Dallas, the wilderness is relatively harmless...relative to the city, that is. :wink: Try it sometime, I look forward to hearing about your adventures.

 

Baby Herc

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  • 1 month later...

Anybody getting out in the snow yet and having fun? Not much but rain here in the Pacific Northwest but you can always get out to the coast for some storm watching. It's a favorite hobby among the locals.

 

My latest attempt at storm watching here: http://allthoughtswork.wordpress.com/2010/12/10/stormy-weather-10-24-10/ Another trip with snowshoeing coming soon.

 

Baby Herc

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Wow. That is so awesome.

 

I have a very high appreciation for the outdoors.. I think it would vastly improve my mood if I got out more and saw stuff like this. I haven't gotten out nearly enough in my life and spent way too much time in front of a computer.

My husband and I want to go hiking.. I'm not sure when. I'm always hoping to see snakes and things yet haven't seen much... there are some woods around here, and I saw a wild snake only once (it was in Oklahoma).. I think it was just like a garden snake or something but I didn't get a good look because my mom freaked out and wanted to leave.

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Wow. That is so awesome.

 

I have a very high appreciation for the outdoors.. I think it would vastly improve my mood if I got out more and saw stuff like this. I haven't gotten out nearly enough in my life and spent way too much time in front of a computer.

My husband and I want to go hiking.. I'm not sure when. I'm always hoping to see snakes and things yet haven't seen much... there are some woods around here, and I saw a wild snake only once (it was in Oklahoma).. I think it was just like a garden snake or something but I didn't get a good look because my mom freaked out and wanted to leave.

 

I love da schnekkies, too! (schnekkies = snakes) Here's one of my favorite hikes with a schnekkie adventure within it: http://allthoughtswork.wordpress.com/2008/06/14/snakes-and-ladders/

 

This is not really the time of year to see them but it's still a fabulous time to begin scoping out trails you'll want to do in the summertime: the trails have fewer people on them now, they are quieter, there's more parking at the trail heads, and your body needs as much sunlight as it can get right now. Even a dark overcast day is many times brighter than the most brightly lit indoor room. Put on some clothes you don't mind getting a little muddy and get out there!

 

Baby Herc

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I am a person who has always wanted to be super outdoorsey so I am working on becoming that now. I am learning to white water kayak and rock climb and hike/backpack. It is helping me get back in shape too. An organization I am involved with is summiting Mt. Hood in June, and I would love to do it but I am just not sure if I am up for that one yet.

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