What's the furthest you've hiked? - Page 4

DonDavis · DonDavis's Garage

Grand Canyon Rim to Rim. About 18-19 miles in about 9 hours. Down South Kaibab to Phantom Ranch and up Bright Angel.
So awesome. I want to do Rim Cubed eventually.

Here's from my hike.

https://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/712527-i-hiked-grand-canyon-2.html

flatbutt · 01-23-2021, 08:53 AM

OK if we're doing partners too. FB II and I did Avalanche Mt. in the Daks when he was in high school. Only about 12 miles in and out and the 4000 foot peak. The day did not suck.

mattdavis11 · 01-23-2021, 08:54 AM

4.23 miles as the crow flies, 5 miles on foot.

Wasn't by choice, more like a bad decision. A few of us were going to meet a friend at the highway entrance to our deer lease. He was scheduled to arrive around 11pm. We waited, partied to loud music, and eventually got drunk.

By 2am, we knew he wasn't going to make it, and stupid me allowed the battery on the truck to drain too low to crank. I hoofed it all the way back to camp, drunk, didn't have a flash light, but it was a full moon.

I don't remember how long it took, but I made pretty good time. Jumped in one of our Landcruisers, drove back out, jumped off the dead truck, drove back in and went to bed. I didn't hunt when the sun came up.

flatbutt · 01-23-2021, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattdavis11

4.23 miles as the crow flies, 5 miles on foot.

Wasn't by choice, more like a bad decision. A few of us were going to meet a friend at the highway entrance to our deer lease. He was scheduled to arrive around 11pm. We waited, partied to loud music, and eventually got drunk.

By 2am, we knew he wasn't going to make it, and stupid me allowed the battery on the truck to drain too low to crank. I hoofed it all the way back to camp, drunk, didn't have a flash light, but it was a full moon.

I don't remember how long it took, but I made pretty good time. Jumped in one of our Landcruisers, drove back out, jumped off the dead truck, drove back in and went to bed. I didn't hunt when the sun came up.

Were you also known as Bluto?

devodave · devodave's Garage

Most memorable - Half Dome 15.6 miles. Summer 1994. Beautiful weather, but I was not prepared for western weather (i.e. dry) and the 2 litters of water were not enough. Felt terrible for two weeks after that due to dehydration.

Most arduous - Mount Rainer Skyline Trail to Camp Muir (Base Camp) 8.6 miles. September 2004. This trail averages 1000' of elevation change per mile. Seemed like the incline was 45 degrees the entire climb! Got above treeline and I am in white out conditions, could not see the trail up the glacier (I was hiking alone) and decided to retreat. Arrived in time to have tea and cookies at the Paradise Inn (was able to get a hole in the wall room, literally!) Next morning, brilliantly clear weather, decide to attempt again, but just as a day hike (day pack) without gear and pack for an overnight at Camp Muir as was originally planned. Made it about 1000 feet below Camp Muir (I could see the hut!) with thick black clouds moving in. It took 2 hours to hike from 7500' (tree line) to 9500' and the change in the weather was concerning me. Decided to retreat once again, took about 30 minutes to back track that same distance and could have kicked myself for my lack of persistence. But this was the trip that I discovered excruciating pain in my upper back when hiking up inclines, probably the result of a motorcycle accident in 2002 that resulted in broken ribs and clavicle. Haven't really done much hiking since, but was planning a Philmont trip with the Scouts for 2021, COVID has kicked that down the road a bit!

Most Surprising - Mount Katahdin (Northern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail) 10.0 miles August 1996. I grew up in VA, so I thought the entire Appalachian Mountain range looked like what I knew from VA - lush, green, gently rolling mounds, not the shear peaks I had always associated with those in the western states. Boy was I mistaken! The Knife Edge Trail was definitely a surprise (it was fogged in, so the full effect may have been lost on me). I was on my honeymoon with my wife, so I was wearing a new pair of hikers purchased at one of our shopping stops in Maine. Couldn't walk that night due to stone bruises on the bottoms of my feet. (There seems to be a pattern on injury here!)

smadsen · 01-23-2021, 09:18 PM

Camp Curry to Half Dome twice, in '85 & again in '05. I'm 73 now, don't think the knees could do it again. I think about 18 miles & 5000' foot elevation gain R/T in one day.

OK-944 · 01-24-2021, 04:46 AM

Most of our "4000 footer" day-hikes in NH's White Mountains average around ten miles, and its very common to have long stretches with 1000' per mile elevation gain...with a few trails (Huntington Ravine, King Ravine, Beaver Brook, etc.) at almost twice this.

But, if time is available...nothing beats a "hut hike," staying overnight at one (or more by stringing several together) of the Appalachian Mountain Club's high mountain huts. As the hut system was closed down for the entire 2020 season...my wife and I have reserved a night way ahead for next season - figuring that there will be an early run on them to make up for lost time.

Kinda sad about last summer...not only with the huts being closed but also the horribly overcrowded trail heads - the parking areas overpacked, with nary a local license plate in sight! Cannot blame the (mostly) Mass. crowd though - they truly needed some "fresh air" relief!

Tobra · Tobra's Garage

High altitude really sucks the water out of you. If you are not having to pee for more than a couple hours, you are not drinking enough. I used to get a bag of apples to eat along the way. Snack that quenches thirst, and some lucky critter gets an apple core. I wonder if any apple trees grew, probably at least one, it was a lot of apples

Get a sunburn WAY faster at altitude too. I have a hat now I wish had been invented sooner, but if I am talking time travel, there is an orange tree at my parent's house wish I planted 50 years ago instead of only 5

Halfdome Helpful Hint: You will want gloves for the cables

Jolly Amaranto · 01-24-2021, 06:10 AM

Most winters my brother and various other family members snowshoe out to different huts maintained by the 10 Mountain Hut Association in Colorado. Usually only five miles out from any trail head but after flying up from the Texas Gulf Coast, the altitude takes some adjusting to.

ckelly78z · 01-24-2021, 07:06 AM

We did another quickie 2 mile hike yesterday on some reasonably hilly ground in sunny 25* weather. It was mostly groomed trails/boardwalks near a river, but had some inclines also....the dogs loved it !

p911dad · p911dad's Garage

We hiked 4 high peaks in one hot July day out of John's Brook Lodge in Keene, NY with my 3 boys. They and the hike almost killed me!

Jolly Amaranto · 01-24-2021, 08:51 AM

My son and two nephews about killed my brother and me hiking the Outer Mountain Loop in Big Bend National Park. For a three day hike you have to carry all your water as there are no reliable sources along the trail.

Otter74 · 01-24-2021, 02:45 PM

I’ve done probably around 12 miles up to high passes and back in the CO Rockies, but the 10ish miles I did on the Applachian Trail in Georgia just after Christmas with a friend was harder than any of those. It kicked my legs’ asses. Meanwhile, for my friend it was just a recovery-day hike for a woman who had done a 75-mile run on the trail in October.

flatbutt · 01-24-2021, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by p911dad

We hiked 4 high peaks in one hot July day out of John's Brook Lodge in Keene, NY with my 3 boys. They and the hike almost killed me!

I've been there too, it's a tougher hike than people think.

p911dad · p911dad's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by flatbutt

I've been there too, it's a tougher hike than people think.

My one regret on that hike is I should have had a larger Camelback and more gorp!

flatbutt · 01-24-2021, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by p911dad

My one regret on that hike is I should have had a larger Camelback and more gorp!

gorp! good old raisins and peanuts. I used to make my own pemmican for the long stays.

Rinty · 01-25-2021, 02:26 PM

The Chinese Wall in the Bob Marshall Wilderness: 96 km in 5 days.

A long time ago.

dar636 · dar636's Garage

All awhile ago... the memorable ones were:

The Enchantments in the WA Cascades as a thru day hike, 20 miles.
Mt. Whitney in and back in a day - do not recall the round trip distance.
Denali outbound from the summit - 8 miles and a 13500' drop after 21 days on the mountain.
Aconcagua outbound from the Plaza de Mulas - 37 miles in one day, after 28 days on the mountain.

stevej37 · 01-25-2021, 05:09 PM

I've hiked (hitch-hiked) over 200 miles in one day.

Jolly Amaranto · 01-25-2021, 06:05 PM

A few years ago my two brothers and I plus my two kids and couple of nephews hiked the Rancherias Loop in Big Bend Ranch State Park in West Texas. The trail was not as well marked as the ones in the next door National Park and were a bit strenuous. No altitude issues. At least there were two springs with reliable water at about 1/3 and 2/3 the way around. We camped near both of them and only had to carry the amount of water required for one day. Very rugged and isolated. Did not see any other souls for three days.