Camping and Backpacking GEAR thread

I'm partial to Patagonia socks

 

Anyone been trying to call in for Havasupai reservations? Havent had any luck. It's consistently busy. wondering if it really is just that hard to call in or there is something wrong with their phones.

 

Im planning a trip to Big Sur in March. Where can I find info on this campground and do I have to make reservations or is it first come first served? Thank you.

 

It really is just that hard to call there. It's insanely popular. Beautiful though, I've been twice. Definitely, definitely make the hike down Havasu Creek all the way to the Colorado. Absolutely stunning.

I know way too many people who only went for 3 days, don't make that mistake. You really need 5 days minimum to enjoy it. Just an idea of what we did on our last trip:

Day 1: Hike in, setup camp and take a nap. Spent the rest of day at Havasu Falls and explored Carbonate Canyon, including a small mine.
Day 2: Spent the day swimming at Beaver Falls and explored Beaver Canyon.
Day 3: Hiked from the campground to the Colorado River. Outfitters bringing tourists down the Colorado stopped and gave me a couple beers and some food!
Day 4: Explored Ghost Canyon and hung out at Mooney Falls.
Day 5: Got up early a hiked out.

We could have easily spent another couple days there.

 

That place is the bomb. I went about 15 years ago as a dumb kid who packed way too much with crap gear. Started way too late in the day, so hiked in the heat (it was July I think?). Got to the reservation, passed out, woke up at some point later and walked the rest of the way into the campsite. I went in with no conditioning, and too much stuff. Lesson learned.

 

Yes, been twice myself already. But trying to go every year. Just have never had this hard of time calling in. Really hoping to get a reservation. Think this time we plan to fly out. I've always hiked out but want to see how the flight is this time around. Last time I hiked out and got to the car before my friend flew out and he was first in line for the flight.

 

It's a hole in the wall spot. No reservations and it's called Nacimiento campground. I think the only thing you'll need is a campfire permit. The whole area is maintained my the forest service and there's really no designated camp sites aside from the top of the hill. Everywhere else is wherever you like.

 

Fantastic. Is the actual site vehicle accessible or does the site require a hike to get to. Reason I ask is I've been considering getting a roof top tent and im curious if a rtt set up would work.

 

Got to play with a prototype...

https://youtu.be/12Lpiwy8Iaw

Can't say I have any real expertise, but I thought it was pretty cool.

 

I decided to stay more than one night on the trail. I got a killer spot on lake ouchitau and just relaxed.
I enjoyed not needing the rain fly since it was warmer at night, I was able to listen to the woods, ducks and all these little frogs around me.
But get this, and I'm not joking at all. At about 9 I woke up from a quick nap and I realized all the sounds where gone and no more any squirrels or bird noises or anything. It creeped me out but I'm one to laugh at people to get afraid of explainable things.
Well by 10:30 ish I can't fall asleep and I'm jumping at everything, every single tent movement and wind noise. So I go outside my tent and try to enjoy the small fire. I hear weird steps in the not so far distance and I know I was the only one at the trail head so out came the gun and I let the slide drop and shouted out to cut the crap. I don't like trips alone for this purpose.

Well I basically almost capped myself when I see a split second reflection way way off in the distance. Tent down, dirt on fire, bag packed in like 3 minutes.
To make a long story short I didn't see anything on my way getting back onto the trail but could hear it, and the next nearly two miles I could hear a faint step when my feet hit moss rather than leafs. I had a head lamp and flashlight both going and my gun out and safety flipped off. I only got one glimpse of it about 250 ft up the hill parellel to the trail. F***ing mountain lion. That was after about .2 miles but was the only visual I got.

I've never experienced anything remotely as terrifying as that. I felt zero safety with my .45 and had all my hair standing up the whole way .

 

Probably would've been better not to break camp if it was a mountain lion.

I have read a bit in my day and am convinced that to a varying degree, people who hike alone and armed are almost always more fearful of the night sounds than those who are alone and unarmed.

That said, been there done that. I've camped places where I was told not to stop in town and not to tell anybody where you were going, if you did.

Talk about a long night with a gun in my pack.

 

I'm honestly not sure if I did a smart move or not. I'm from missouri and I have zero experience with mountain lion, I know nothing about them. A bit about Bob cats and the like but I didn't know what it was. I usually laugh about thoughts like these because I think it's funny how the mind can scare you. Even your ears in many environments can cause your mind to freak you out. That's why I tried sleeping and sitting by the fire. Plus I can't leave the woods and tell my friends I'm out of the woods, have them ask why, and me tell them because I'm a sissy.
All I know is when I saw the way the shoulders and back where hunched and how the feet looked and the head and tail I felt like the world froze around me. Same stance my kitten gets in when she tries to pounce on my feet as I walk by.

Oh, but check the lake out and the view. I want to go back but most likely won't stay the night.

 

A few years ago I was hiking with two friends in the Muddy Mountain Wilderness. You can see the mountain we were on from Las Vegas, it's not super remote, but access is difficult enough we didn't expect to encounter anyone else (our particular route was an hour of driving and 20+ miles of hiking). We're climbing a ridge, no trail, just making our way up the rocky slope when I spot something red and glistening ahead of us. It really stands out because everything around us is muted green desert scrub or gray limestone. I don't have my glasses so I don't realize what I'm looking at until we get a lot closer. It's a deceased big horn sheep with bite marks on the back of it's neck and it's guts exposed just forward of the hindquarters. Obvious mountain lion kill, and it looked very fresh.

That was in broad daylight with two companions and it really freaked me out. I can only imagine what it was like for you, alone and in the dark! Scary shit man. Glad it ended well for you.

 

Here is a really sh*tty image of a wolverine coming to say hello...I was freaked

 

I live in SoCal and while MTN Lion attacks are rare, they do happen. With the drought becoming worse and worse, sightings are more frequent and I can tell you this much: Buddy, you were being stalked. If the lion was close enough where you heard it's steps you were in serious shit. Most survivors of lion attacks report never even hearing the lion approaching. Just the brute force of the pounce. Good on you for getting out of there when you did. Solemn view from camp though.

 

Haven't had one myself but countless times I've read they're everything you can expect - heavy, reasonably priced and bomb proof. Never seen a complaint on comfort.

 

Glock 19 or similar Don't leave home without it.

 

Saw a video awhile back where bear spray worked on a mountain lion. Check the outdoor hunting websites. Bear spray is extremely effective on brown bears if you have enough time to use. I usually carry a weapon for the two legged vermin but for everything else bear spray works just fine.
It is not the animals to be wary of here it is the vermin.