Anybody here outdoorsy?

[Baby Hercules]

The acreage from the infamous Hayman Fire was literally across the road from Our bunkhouse ...

 

Yowza.

 

many folks around the area were not happy with the Forest Service ...

 

You can't please all the people all the time. Around here, they only hate the Parks Service and Wilderness Management divisions. But our Forest Service employees haven't burned down 200,000 acres with a flaming letter, yet. Give 'em time. My only beef with the local FS is that the dude who mans the phone lines at a particular ranger district is a flaming idiot. You call with one question, a real easy one, and ten minutes later you still have no answer and you want to bang his head against a wall. My buddy at another station keeps laughing at me and warning me not to call there but it's literally the only resource for information on a particular section of Mt. Hood. I vote for getting rid of Mr. Idiot and using his pay to install webcams. Problem solved. Or, hey, you could take his spot. I have a feeling people would get answers REAL quick with you guarding the clubhouse.

 

public relations ( I Am not so good at that )

 

I got sucked into a forum conversation last night, trying to explain to someone that science is not infallible, especially medical science. Every person's body is different and the most valuable thing you can learn to do is to listen to what yours is asking for. Seemed he'd rather have strangers make his decisions for him. Poor guy. (sigh)

 

I Loved CO ... But, I didn't like the general pop or attitude ... I found the Pac West people more to My liking

 

That's why I moved here: less keeping up with the Joneses, more variety of people and ideas, less dry cleaning, more Polartec. Ha, ha.

 

You do have to give up on " better " weather though

 

I have acquired an intense distaste for sunburn, so I love it overcast. The humidity I can do without, though. I only like to towel off once when I step out of the shower. Up side is that everyone's skin and hair is lush and healthy from all the moisture in the air.

 

I found a stampeding herd of buffalo to be the scariest ... & not so scary but amusing

 

Ditto on stampeding people, especially when it's a mental stampede of ignorance and ego.

 

Getting head butted by a Mountain Goat in Glacier NP ... He was playing around but kept head butting Me every time I turned around ... ... ...

 

It was your hair, it turned him on. I got head butted by a Great Dane this past winter. He dislocated my nose and broke my sphenoid. He was just playing--he was a puppy--but damn, dem puppies is big!

 

Time for my leg workout.

 

Herc

[Baby Hercules]

I'm only a few trails away from completing the entire 5000+ square mile Forest Park! Yaaaay!

 

Baby Herc

[Baby Hercules]

It's done, baby! About 200 miles in three months, the entire Forest Park system: every trail, every road, every firelane, even user trails that aren't on the map. I made a bunch of new friends out there and dropped 15 pounds. My hiking shoes look like hell--Ha, ha! Pics and stories about every hike at link below.

 

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Baby Herc

[LisaB]

It's done, baby! About 200 miles in three months, the entire Forest Park system: every trail, every road, every firelane, even user trails that aren't on the map. I made a bunch of new friends out there and dropped 15 pounds. My hiking shoes look like hell--Ha, ha! Pics and stories about every hike at link below.

 

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Baby Herc

 

 

Damn, that is impressive! Congrats!

[Baby Hercules]

I needed a new challenge after the Forest Park win so I just took up trail running. It's only a couple miles at a time so far and it looks more like trail shuffling to the casual observer but I absolutely love it! This morning I ran in a torrential downpour with high winds and took great pride in being one of the few souls dedicated enough to be out there, no matter what. (pause for chest thumping) Plus, the hot shower after a weather-beaten route through the hills can border on the ecstatic. A lifting friend at the gym agreed to celebrate with me in the spring with an easy 5 miler in a nearby park we both like.

 

Anybody here trail run?

 

Baby Herc

[Baby Hercules]

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.

 

Did you intend to quote me and then just forgot to reply??

 

Baby Herc

[Vegercize]

Got these in the mail today and looking forward to testing them out this weekend! Nice and light for a Vegan Boot

 

http://www.altrec.com/salomon/womens-3d-fastpacker-mid-gtx-hiking-boot

[ReneeMBM]

Just moved to the tropical end of the Outback and I've been out and about seeing incredible scenery and waterfalls and looking at rockclimbing destinations. Currently out-of-commission a bit due to a 4-month-old baby... Swimming almost every day atm. The wet season is HOT.

 

I'd love to hike the Appalachian Trail in the USA!

[el lobo]

Outdoorsy? Hell yeah! Filling my lungs with fresh air, escaping the noises of the cityscape, clearing my mind, re-energize, re-vitalize!

Running, climbing, hiking and playin' in the dirt. Does it get any better than that?

We're all children under one sun, children of the open air. Mother Earth and Father Sky - it's in our genes, man!

 

Namaste

[Baby Hercules]

Just moved to the tropical end of the Outback and I've been out and about seeing incredible scenery and waterfalls and looking at rockclimbing destinations. Currently out-of-commission a bit due to a 4-month-old baby... Swimming almost every day atm. The wet season is HOT.

 

I'd love to hike the Appalachian Trail in the USA!

 

Renee, I'm envious. I've always wanted to see the lush parts of Australia. Hey, just get a baby backback and in a few months, you'll have a tiny hiking partner that will work your quads extra hard.

 

It's funny, because just the other night a hiking buddy and I were laughing about our favorite Appalachian Trail book, "A Walk in the Woods," by Bill Bryson. http://www.amazon.com/Walk-Woods-Rediscovering-Appalachian-Official/dp/0767902521 Go find this book immediately, it is absolutely hysterical. Bill is a professional writer who decided out of the blue to hike the AT. Out of shape, with no gear or skills, he describes his journey from pudgy newspaper columnist to hard body hiker with humor, detail, and little tangents that tell some history about the area. An old buddy whom he hasn't seen in years, Katz, joins him and the guy is like a walking slapstick comedy. If you are outdoorsy, have some hiking experience, and want a good picture of what the AT experience is like, start with this true story account and go from there to maps, guides, and technical manuals. As a matter of fact, I think I'll check this book out of the library again on my next trip and read it for the tenth time.

 

My favorite part of the whole book is when he buys all his brand new gear and sets it up in the basement to practice. He gets in the tent, into his sleeping bag, and lays there, trying to imagine what it will be like to do this every night under trees in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, he has just read a book on bear attacks in the wild, so his imagination is getting the best of him in a hilarious way. Also, he's worried about the toothless, inbred hillbillies out there who are just waiting to reinact a few choice scenes from "Deliverance." He fantasizes that he can hear one of them just outside his tent, whispering loudly, "Hey, Virgil, here's another one. Git the rope!"

 

 

Baby Herc

[Baby Hercules]

Outdoorsy? Hell yeah! Filling my lungs with fresh air, escaping the noises of the cityscape, clearing my mind, re-energize, re-vitalize!

Running, climbing, hiking and playin' in the dirt. Does it get any better than that?

We're all children under one sun, children of the open air. Mother Earth and Father Sky - it's in our genes, man!

 

Namaste

 

High five! Where do you hike, Wolf? What part of the world are you in?

 

Baby Herc

[el lobo]

Rock on!

Currently stuck in Denmark, Scandinavia. One of the flattest countries in the world with endless farming fields which doesn't suit my "playstyle" at all. I need it rough 'n' wild.

My most recent hike was in Sweden, but I've hiked/climbed in Norway, Thailand, Corsica and China.

Next stop, a south american adventure when I can afford it.

[Baby Hercules]

Rock on!

Currently stuck in Denmark, Scandinavia. One of the flattest countries in the world with endless farming fields which doesn't suit my "playstyle" at all. I need it rough 'n' wild.

 

Bummer. I'm with you--I grew up in the Midwest where the tallest thing was a grain silo. I escaped to the Colorado Rockies and cavorted for over a decade exploring remote areas and scrambling mountains solo. Miss that, big time.

 

My most recent hike was in Sweden, but I've hiked/climbed in Norway, Thailand, Corsica and China.

Next stop, a south american adventure when I can afford it.

 

If I were in your predicament, I'd be exploring the shoreline, fjords, outcroppings, anything. And showshoeing/skiing. Do you have a website or photo account of your adventures? Mine's below, covering the last six years in the Pacific Northwest temperate rainforest.

 

Keep the faith; South America will wait for you.

 

Baby Herc

[lohungfong]

of course I like the outdoors. veganism and nature go hand in hand I think. Taking a run with the wind in my hair, and the birds fluttering around, with an open blue sky. much better than running on a treadmill.

[el lobo]

I have a bunch of photos ect. but none of em' are going online at the moment.

 

Keep the faith; South America will wait for you.

 

With all the human descruction going on, I guess South America will be waiting, but let's see for how long the rainforest will hold up...

[Baby Hercules]

of course I like the outdoors. veganism and nature go hand in hand I think. Taking a run with the wind in my hair, and the birds fluttering around, with an open blue sky. much better than running on a treadmill.

 

Man, you make me want to go for a run right now! Speaking of veganism and nature going hand in hand, I love learning about native plants and berries that I can eat while I'm out hiking. It's fun to graze in the forest, the price is right (FREE!), and it doesn't get any more organic than that.

 

Baby Herc

[ReneeMBM]

Just moved to the tropical end of the Outback and I've been out and about seeing incredible scenery and waterfalls and looking at rockclimbing destinations. Currently out-of-commission a bit due to a 4-month-old baby... Swimming almost every day atm. The wet season is HOT.

 

I'd love to hike the Appalachian Trail in the USA!

 

Renee, I'm envious. I've always wanted to see the lush parts of Australia. Hey, just get a baby backback and in a few months, you'll have a tiny hiking partner that will work your quads extra hard.

 

It's funny, because just the other night a hiking buddy and I were laughing about our favorite Appalachian Trail book, "A Walk in the Woods," by Bill Bryson. http://www.amazon.com/Walk-Woods-Rediscovering-Appalachian-Official/dp/0767902521 Go find this book immediately, it is absolutely hysterical. Bill is a professional writer who decided out of the blue to hike the AT. Out of shape, with no gear or skills, he describes his journey from pudgy newspaper columnist to hard body hiker with humor, detail, and little tangents that tell some history about the area. An old buddy whom he hasn't seen in years, Katz, joins him and the guy is like a walking slapstick comedy. If you are outdoorsy, have some hiking experience, and want a good picture of what the AT experience is like, start with this true story account and go from there to maps, guides, and technical manuals. As a matter of fact, I think I'll check this book out of the library again on my next trip and read it for the tenth time.

 

My favorite part of the whole book is when he buys all his brand new gear and sets it up in the basement to practice. He gets in the tent, into his sleeping bag, and lays there, trying to imagine what it will be like to do this every night under trees in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, he has just read a book on bear attacks in the wild, so his imagination is getting the best of him in a hilarious way. Also, he's worried about the toothless, inbred hillbillies out there who are just waiting to reinact a few choice scenes from "Deliverance." He fantasizes that he can hear one of them just outside his tent, whispering loudly, "Hey, Virgil, here's another one. Git the rope!"

 

 

Baby Herc

 

Ha! I read that book years ago, along with a few other of his books. It's what inspired me in the 1st place!

 

I have an Ergo Sport baby carrier. I'll invest in a hiking pack as soon as I adjust to the climate... Tough in the wet season!

[Baby Hercules]

That's great, you're all set. And I just reread "A Walk in the Woods" over the weekend. Laughed my butt off all over again. I'm dying to know what Katz actually looks like. I visualize him as about 5'9", rotund, with a scraggly salt and pepper beard and squinty, angry eyes.

 

Baby Herc

[Baby Hercules]

Forest Service Feedback

 

These quotations are actual comments left on Forest Service registration sheets and comment cards by hikers completing wilderness camping trips.

 

# "Escalators would help on steep uphill sections."

 

# "A small deer came into my camp and stole my bag of pickles. Is there a way I can get reimbursed? Please call."

 

# "Instead of a permit system or regulations, the Forest Service needs to reduce worldwide population growth to limit the number of visitors to wilderness."

 

# "Trails need to be wider so people can walk while holding hands."

 

# "Ban walking sticks in wilderness. Hikers that use walking sticks are more likely to chase animals."

 

# "All the mile markers are missing this year."

 

# "Found a smoldering cigarette left by a horse."

 

# "Trails need to be reconstructed. Please avoid building trails that go uphill."

 

# "Too many bugs and leeches and spiders and spider webs. Please spray the wilderness to rid the area of these pests."

 

# "Please pave the trails so they can be plowed of snow in the winter."

 

# "Chairlifts need to be in some places so that we can get to wonderful views without having to hike to them."

 

# "The coyotes made too much noise last night and kept me awake. Please eradicate these annoying animals."

 

# "Reflectors need to be placed on trees every 50 feet so people can hike at night with flashlights."

 

# "A McDonald's would be nice at the trailhead."

 

# "The places where trails do not exist are not well marked."

 

# "Too many rocks in the mountains."

 

# "Need more signs to keep area pristine."

 

 

Baby Herc

[ReneeMBM]

My head hurts.

 

 

veganza.com

[LisaB]

It sometimes baffles me how dense people can be. And these are the ones that at least go out and try to have a wilderness experience. Imagine the ones who never even go out!

[WadoRyuVegan]

I used to go dirtbiking.

Now I'm broke and have no dirtbikes or anything else with a motor in it for that matter. So, I take daily walks

 

Get a Mountain Bike ! great way to go dirt biking without motor and very in expencive

[WadoRyuVegan]

I'm outdorsey alright, like many have said confined spaces just get me depressed. I live in a large urban area but am lucky to have the English countryside on my doorstep. I love mountain biking and hiking. It's winter here now but I still spend most of the time outdoors. love it !

 

WRV

[zous]

and preferably not all on the same hike. But it could happen.

[Ojibwa]

Y'all are not going to like this. My dad was an Ojibwa Indian who took me on my first hunting trip when I was about 8 years old. I have hunted and fished all my life. Recently I discovered that what I like most about hunting is the hiking, so I've been doing a lot of hiking and I shoot sporting clays. I am vegan because it cured my diabetes, and diabetes is what killed my dad. I haven't done any hunting lately because what would be the point? I'm not going to eat it. I would really love to hear from another American Indian vegan to find out how they deal with the conflict between their hunting and fishing heritage and being vegan.