LB nails the issues for US winter thrus and discusses some lesser-known trails.

Unknown baseweight in an HMG Southwest 5400 vs. ~7 lb baseweight + way too much food in a NashvillePack Cutaway. The HMG’s owner was moving slower than expected and was making plans to complete the trail the next year, the Cutaway’s owner finished the trail in under 100 days.

Love the idea of a place so extraordinary that you return again and again, building your experience and honing your approach.

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SO jogs in Brooks so tried Cascadias and liked them, though to be fair we haven’t done anything too gnarly yet.

Pack was sewn by me, it’s an imperfect clone of an MLD Burn in spiffy new Challenge UltraGrid fabric. My new off-season hobby it seems. Pack came out pretty well though I always see the imperfections in it.

I agree a smartphone camera is perfectly good (I took a bunch of photos on the PCT I really liked with an iPhone) but SO is passionate about photography and full camera is non-negotiable at this point. SO carried 3 heavy-ass lenses this time but is interested in dialing it down to 1 do-it-all lense, though apparently they’re expensive.

Can’t wait to hear about CINP! 👍

Overall it went well; SO tried trail runners for the first time and found them comfortable. Trying a frameless pack, initially SO was frustrated that pack body was annoying to access. Repacked pack so that frequently-accessed items sat outside and were easy to access but still secure — this worked. Second change is going to be streamlining camera kit by consolidating lenses and mounting the camera permanently on shoulder strap, hoping a Peak Design capture clip does the job. Tried to go a step further by convincing SO that iPhone camera is enough but this proved to be non-negotiable 😅

Glad to hear you are feeling better and congrats on your speed record 😀👍

Channel Islands NP

I know almost nothing about Channel Islands, tell me about it!

got back from Asheville, NC and GSMNP, everything went really well. trip was really more about reconnecting with a friend and my SO dipping her toe into the ultralight world; but anytime one can visit a NP it’s special. will write up a teeny tiny trip report when I sort through the pictures. how are y’all doin?

Soon 🤞

Start low risk. Bring a sleeping pad, quilt or bag and some kind of shelter and go from there.

Tell us more about your winter trips!

Happy October everybody! What’s going on with you? I’m planning a bit of hiking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in a couple of weeks. Even though I live on the East Coast and GSMNP is the most-visited NP in the country it’ll be my first time.

For cold and rain consider Showa gloves (originally made for fishermen), I picked some up on eBay for under $20 and use them for biking in winter.

Great pics! Sounds like a good shakedown hike, lots of useful feedback. Fleece-wise a cheap, run-of-the-mill 100 wt 100% polyester fleece should weigh 8 oz or so and do the trick. For camp shoes drop the crocs and use bread bags as liners inside whatever you’re hiking in. Swap the wool gloves for polyester as it absorbs less water. How’d your puffy get wet?

Looks nice, great pics! Love hearing about the weather and wildlife, how do salamanders survive up there? How’d you hear about the wolf sighting? Sad to hear about the fire but it’s all too common.

Thanks hombre! It was the right call but it still feels bad to blow up my big trip for the year in one day, but I guess I put myself in that position.

Gear-wise:

• 1L water capacity: workable but stressful on 19 mile stretch from McKee to Leidy. One option would be to carry 2L, but the better option would be to skip McKee Draw and go straight to Leidy TH, then 1L would be fine.
• Midlayers: 5.5 oz Kuiu Peloton 97 + 1.2 oz poly imitation buff — worked but just barely enough. Would swap out for 8-9 oz 100 wt fleece + 2-3 oz beanie for additional warmth safety margin.
• Antigravitygear rain jacket 2: I’ve been testing this every chance I got this year and I trusted it. Performed well in the rain and the pitzips are awesome. The hood is somewhat awkward and works best with a brimmed hat.
• Nunatak SULO 30: warm down to light frost, maybe ~30F on first night. Coming from an Arc UL 30 had initial learning curve keeping my neck/upper torso warm the first night as there is no draft collar and adjustment is more barebones, but it is there and I figured it out. Non-gram-weenies will prefer the Arc UL for ease of use.
• Borah Gear Solo Tarp: I have a custom tieout right in the center of the tarp, this does NOT help for storm mode. I’d like a tieout near the foot end so I can lift the tarp off my feet when pitched super low. Why haven’t I thought of this before?
• Easton Nano 6” stakes: was worried the heads would pop off but worked great in the wind, like them, will use again. Might get the MLD-recommended 8” ones someday.
• MYOG ~35L 13 oz frameless hipbeltless pack: love thruhiking with a pack that compresses small enough to qualify as my airline “personal item” and fit under the seat in front of me. Really streamlines travel and the tickets are cheaper. 4 days of food was manageable but slightly uncomfortable the first day, better on day 2 after eating food down a bit.
• 5g microscissors: steel blades starting to rust after several years. could feel them straining to cut Walmart packaging. They’ve served me well but I will upgrade to beefier 2.5” Westcott titanium.
• Rain skirt: worked great in rain
• 30 ml hand sani: this is way too much for a few days, I’d like to find a bottle half the size that works with thick hand sani.
• Ozark Trail trekking poles: threw away one half, just used one. Had to crank the shit out of them to get them to hold. Don’t really trust them, but for $22…

Nice backup 😁 be safe, take pictures and let us know how it goes!

love the nature shots and the minimal sound, the guy has a tasteful aesthetic

Does the snow signal the end of the season for you or do you do winter hiking/touring as well? I only got a few decent pictures as my trip was cut short but here’s some:

Gabbro Pass, with snow still on it end of August. Locals said there may have been as much as 20 feet this past winter.

Locals fishing at Chepeta Lake

Sunset over SLC

My favorite picture of all was completely unrelated to the Uintas or SLC, it was a mother and daughter watching buffalo at Antelope Island State Park:

Sorry to hear you got rained on but glad to hear you made it out ok. My wife and I have lost a hiking friend years ago after a harder-than-expected Presidential Traverse with a friend who had gotten badly out of shape. Back then we didn’t really know anything and didn’t realize what we were getting into. But it sounds like you do know what you’re doing; is there an opportunity to limit trips with the casual friend to lower risk endeavors?

Terrific photos! Too bad about the knee pain, but glad you worked it out. I hope to visit the Sawtooths one day.