Backpacking

[Eddie]

Steri-pens are the way to go, IMO. Light, easy to use, and supposedly close to 100% effective. I bought my son the newer model last year, it is much less tempermental than my 3 YO one. It also didn't seem to use as batteries as quickly. I think they are well worth the investment.

Local Costco is selling the Steripen Traveler for $50. I'm being tempted to grab one and try it out this summer.

[BigPiney]

Local Costco is selling the Steripen Traveler for $50. I'm being tempted to grab one and try it out this summer.

I would like ot try the one, but I have a fear of something happening while I am out in the middle of nowhere and the pens not working.

I have also heard vry goo things about Aquamira - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Talked to someone who did the whole PCT and they used it the entire way. Very lightweight.

[bluegoose]

Last night I made some of those drinking straw fire starters from the video that steelblue posted. Took about 5 minutes to make 4 of them. Using the flint and steel it took less than 30 seconds to light it. Once lit, the fire burned for more than 7 minutes. Very easy to do and worked like a charm. Cool idea.

[Eddie]

I would like ot try the one, but I have a fear of something happening while I am out in the middle of nowhere and the pens not working.

I have also heard vry goo things about Aquamira - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Talked to someone who did the whole PCT and they used it the entire way. Very lightweight.

I'm tempted to pick up the Steripen, but then take along drops or tablets as a backup if something goes wrong. I like the redundancy of knowing if one thing goes wrong I have another option.

Last night I made some of those drinking straw fire starters from the video that steelblue posted. Took about 5 minutes to make 4 of them. Using the flint and steel it took less than 30 seconds to light it. Once lit, the fire burned for more than 7 minutes. Very easy to do and worked like a charm. Cool idea.

Good to know. I'm planning to put some of those together with my boys before our first trip this summer.

[ERCougar]

I'm taking my son on his first backpacking trip tomorrow morning. We're headed to Kolob Arch, then up the Laverkin Creek drainage to Beartrap Canyon Falls. There's a good section of this that is supposed to be like the Narrows without the water. I'm so excited I can't stand it. I bought my backpack in 2000, took it up Coyote Gulch and then it went into hybernation in the Midwest. Until now. :clap:

[Pheidippides]

I'm taking my son on his first backpacking trip tomorrow morning. We're headed to Kolob Arch, then up the Laverkin Creek drainage to Beartrap Canyon Falls. There's a good section of this that is supposed to be like the Narrows without the water. I'm so excited I can't stand it. I bought my backpack in 2000, took it up Coyote Gulch and then it went into hybernation in the Midwest. Until now. :clap:

How old is your son?

[ERCougar]

How old is your son?

He's 12. He's a decent hiker, but I've never trusted him to carry in his own stuff. Depending on how this goes today, we may start the other kids earlier.

[kccougar]

We were talking about family vacation spots last night, throwing out ideas like Russia and Italy when my son mentioned that he would prefer a backpacking trip in Yellowstone like I did with him a couple years ago. I was surprised and pleased. So I'd like to do something a little later this summer. Suggestions for a 2-night trip in or around Utah would be great. How long is the route you are taking, ER?

[Eddie]

He's 12. He's a decent hiker, but I've never trusted him to carry in his own stuff. Depending on how this goes today, we may start the other kids earlier.

Sounds like fun. I've very nearly got my wife talked into taking the entire family on a short pack trip this summer. I figure if it is only for a couple of days, there won't be much needed as far as clothing, food, etc. So I can haul most of the weight and just get the kids to carry their own stuff. Our youngest is 10 now, and I figure as long as she hauls her own sleeping bag and a change of clothes I can get the rest for her. The rest should be set to carry their own stuff.

We were talking about family vacation spots last night, throwing out ideas like Russia and Italy when my son mentioned that he would prefer a backpacking trip in Yellowstone like I did with him a couple years ago. I was surprised and pleased. So I'd like to do something a little later this summer. Suggestions for a 2-night trip in or around Utah would be great. How long is the route you are taking, ER?

How far do you want to hike and what kind of terrain do you want to cover? There are a TON of places in the Uintas that are pretty easy to get to. When he was really young, I took one of my sons up the trail that runs along the Smith Moorehouse river. We just went up a couple of miles until we found a spot that the river wasn't real close to the trail, then crossed the river and camped on the other side. We heard a couple of groups of people pass, but we never actually saw anyone and no one camped anywhere near us. He still talks about that trip.

[ERCougar]

Well, we made it.
I knew we had a long day planned, so we started out early yesterday, with the goal to be on the trail by 8:30 (couldn't pick up our permit from the park office until 8). Despite a last minute decision by my FIL Mike to join us, and a brief argument between him and a park ranger that escalated into a discussion with the ranger's boss ("I heard we can't hike parunaweap any more" "You're right, sir" "Why not?" "I'm not sure. It's closed" "Will you find out?"...Boss: "Cultural sensitivity issues" "Does that mean the Paiutes did it?" "No, sir, it was the decision of the Park Service." "If I take a Paiute friend, can I hike it?"...and so on...), we still ended up leaving the truck (trucks--Mike couldn't stay over. More on that later) pretty close to the goal.
The first four miles of trail descend about 1200 feet into the Laverkin creek valley, with nice views of the classic Zion red/orange buttes with their contrasting green foliage. By the time we hit the creek, it was starting to get hot, and Britton was starting to get tired--our camp several miles later was a welcome relief and we unloaded packs. The trail follows a fairly flat and sandy section with plenty of creek crossings for another few miles, in the middle of which is a one-mile detour to Kolob Arch, the second largest arch in the world, but without the contrasting view that makes Delicate Arch so iconic. I was going to skip this detour, as I had my sights on Bear Trap Canyon, which was going to be a stretch anyway, more so if Mike was going to hike his way out the same day. Mike insisted, however, so we detoured. Kolob Arch is much more impressive in person than in photos and was worth the detour, although I'm not sure my son is as convinced.
Returning to the creek, we continued up the canyon a few miles until we hit Bear Trap Canyon. Lush and green, bordered by 300+ foot walls with just a small creek in the middle that we could stay out of for the most part, up until we hit a pool with a 20 foot waterfall, this canyon is a gem, and completely worth the trip to get there. We took a good break, which revived Britton from a 1.5/10 to a 7/10 (doc's and nurses will laugh at this, but it worked, dang it). Mike took off for home, with us worrying that we'd find him laid up on the trail somewhere the next time, and we headed back to camp. Suitable trees were a little sparse so we set up hammocks bunk style (I wish I had taken a picture of this--it was pretty cool), settled down to a dinner of Ramen Noodles (this followed PBJ for lunch--yes, we backpack in style), and hit the sack. I suspect the heat got to Britton a little bit because when I asked him what time he wanted to get up in the morning, he said 5 am (he is NOT an early bird).
The next morning, we broke camp, loaded up on water, and hit the trail again. There may be nothing better than hiking Zion in the early morning hours. Or just early morning hiking. Wildlife is still pretty active, people are still asleep, and it's COOL! The next few hours, even the first part of the ascent out of the creek drainage, went well, right up until the sun really started beating down. Fortunately, the trail was pretty shaded, but the toughest climb is along an exposed fin, where it gains about 500 feet over a mile or so. This took Britton back down to the 1.5 range, this time not even being relieved by Beatles tunes, and most of our conversation consisted of "I hate this trail", "I'm never doing this again", "Who created this freaking rock?", etc. We left the theodicy questions aside and through about an hour of Britton holding back tears and me avoiding accusing glances from descending hikers, found the truck about 10:30.
I hope Britton looks back on this with fondness some day, but right now, he claims his two favorite sites were the camp the first night and the truck the next morning. Sigh. In retrospect, I made the same mistake I always do when we travel--tried to fit too much into too little. This pushed him really hard, and it would have been nice to have a little more time to enjoy the scenery. He's only twelve, and I certainly wasn't doing 14 miles days at his age. Hopefully, this is one of those parenting mistakes that a kid's resliency will forgive.
On a side note, major props to Mike, who, at 63 years old, completed 21 miles of hiking, with the following report to his wife: "That was a good little hike". That is one tough SOB (sorry--I can't think of another word that fits).
Also, my $10 backpacking stove worked like a champ! Same with Backcountry Navigator, where I could follow offline topos on my phone. A full day of gps navigation used up the battery (I could have turned off continuous tracking but I'm nerdy like that), but I had a spare anyway. Great program and very user-friendly, and buy a $10 battery (or for iphone users--an extra phone--the costs of joining a(nother) cult) for every extra day and you're set.

[SteelBlue]

Well, we made it.
I knew we had a long day planned, so we started out early yesterday, with the goal to be on the trail by 8:30 (couldn't pick up our permit from the park office until 8). Despite a last minute decision by my FIL Mike to join us, and a brief argument between him and a park ranger that escalated into a discussion with the ranger's boss ("I heard we can't hike parunaweap any more" "You're right, sir" "Why not?" "I'm not sure. It's closed" "Will you find out?"...Boss: "Cultural sensitivity issues" "Does that mean the Paiutes did it?" "No, sir, it was the decision of the Park Service." "If I take a Paiute friend, can I hike it?"...and so on...), we still ended up leaving the truck (trucks--Mike couldn't stay over. More on that later) pretty close to the goal.
The first four miles of trail descend about 1200 feet into the Laverkin creek valley, with nice views of the classic Zion red/orange buttes with their contrasting green foliage. By the time we hit the creek, it was starting to get hot, and Britton was starting to get tired--our camp several miles later was a welcome relief and we unloaded packs. The trail follows a fairly flat and sandy section with plenty of creek crossings for another few miles, in the middle of which is a one-mile detour to Kolob Arch, the second largest arch in the world, but without the contrasting view that makes Delicate Arch so iconic. I was going to skip this detour, as I had my sights on Bear Trap Canyon, which was going to be a stretch anyway, more so if Mike was going to hike his way out the same day. Mike insisted, however, so we detoured. Kolob Arch is much more impressive in person than in photos and was worth the detour, although I'm not sure my son is as convinced.
Returning to the creek, we continued up the canyon a few miles until we hit Bear Trap Canyon. Lush and green, bordered by 300+ foot walls with just a small creek in the middle that we could stay out of for the most part, up until we hit a pool with a 20 foot waterfall, this canyon is a gem, and completely worth the trip to get there. We took a good break, which revived Britton from a 1.5/10 to a 7/10 (doc's and nurses will laugh at this, but it worked, dang it). Mike took off for home, with us worrying that we'd find him laid up on the trail somewhere the next time, and we headed back to camp. Suitable trees were a little sparse so we set up hammocks bunk style (I wish I had taken a picture of this--it was pretty cool), settled down to a dinner of Ramen Noodles (this followed PBJ for lunch--yes, we backpack in style), and hit the sack. I suspect the heat got to Britton a little bit because when I asked him what time he wanted to get up in the morning, he said 5 am (he is NOT an early bird).
The next morning, we broke camp, loaded up on water, and hit the trail again. There may be nothing better than hiking Zion in the early morning hours. Or just early morning hiking. Wildlife is still pretty active, people are still asleep, and it's COOL! The next few hours, even the first part of the ascent out of the creek drainage, went well, right up until the sun really started beating down. Fortunately, the trail was pretty shaded, but the toughest climb is along an exposed fin, where it gains about 500 feet over a mile or so. This took Britton back down to the 1.5 range, this time not even being relieved by Beatles tunes, and most of our conversation consisted of "I hate this trail", "I'm never doing this again", "Who created this freaking rock?", etc. We left the theodicy questions aside and through about an hour of Britton holding back tears and me avoiding accusing glances from descending hikers, found the truck about 10:30.
I hope Britton looks back on this with fondness some day, but right now, he claims his two favorite sites were the camp the first night and the truck the next morning. Sigh. In retrospect, I made the same mistake I always do when we travel--tried to fit too much into too little. This pushed him really hard, and it would have been nice to have a little more time to enjoy the scenery. He's only twelve, and I certainly wasn't doing 14 miles days at his age. Hopefully, this is one of those parenting mistakes that a kid's resliency will forgive.
On a side note, major props to Mike, who, at 63 years old, completed 21 miles of hiking, with the following report to his wife: "That was a good little hike". That is one tough SOB (sorry--I can't think of another word that fits).
Also, my $10 backpacking stove worked like a champ! Same with Backcountry Navigator, where I could follow offline topos on my phone. A full day of gps navigation used up the battery (I could have turned off continuous tracking but I'm nerdy like that), but I had a spare anyway. Great program and very user-friendly, and buy a $10 battery (or for iphone users--an extra phone--the costs of joining a(nother) cult) for every extra day and you're set.

Awesome report. I made a similar mistake (on a relative scale) with my 2 daughters last year and now the mere mention of the word hike brings a quick "no". But on a recent trip to the coast with bluegoose's family they loved hiking in the redwoods, so I think I'll soon be forgiven. I'd sure love to see pics of your trip. You described it beautifully, but it made me want to see it even more.

[ERCougar]

I'd love to post pics, but I don't do it enough to know how to do it quickly. Or at all. I posted some on Facebook, if you're curious. In the meantime, I'll try to figure it out. (Tips appreciated)

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[SteelBlue]

You can post here right from your phone now. Easy. I did see your FB pics, made me want to go there.

[SteelBlue]

image.jpg



I just did this from my phone. Works like any site except once file chosen, no upload button appears. Just touch the text that says upload file and it works.

Edit: Not sure why it's rotated as it isn't on my camera roll. When I did the pic of my daughter at beach it didn't get rotated.

Edit: OK, been messing around a bit with this and I think I've discovered how to make pics from phone work. It's easy as Facebook if your pic has in any way been edited. The slightest crop, rotating etc... results in your image being posted normally. If it is virgin, the site rotates it for some reason. May not quite be true, but so far it's holding true in my experience. The image below posted correctly after I rotated it once in camera roll, saved it, then rotated it back (took 2 seconds).

image.jpg

[ERCougar]

My son was all smiles before we started
uploadfromtaptalk1370488481756.jpg
Kolob Arch:
uploadfromtaptalk1370488519781.jpg
Laverkin canyon starts to narrow
uploadfromtaptalk1370488578576.jpg
Beartrap canyon
uploadfromtaptalk1370488549786.jpg
The falls
uploadfromtaptalk1370488601759.jpg

Edit: thanks sb! That was easy! Super easy with tapatalk.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2