Afternoon Hike in the Misty Mountains 7/26/17

So moot it be...

Moderator: Greg

Post Reply
User avatar
Manveruon
Thangailhir
Posts: 2582
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:11 am
Location: Littleton, CO
Contact:

Afternoon Hike in the Misty Mountains 7/26/17

Post by Manveruon »

So it's taken me a couple weeks to get all the photos edited and uploaded, but here they are!

A couple Wednesdays back my friend Bryan and I embarked on a short hike along the Threemile Creek Trail near Guanella Pass, here in CO. I had never been on this particular trail before, but looking it up online I thought it looked picturesque, and I knew there was some light rain in the forecast, so I was excited to get out in the wilderness! I love hiking in the mist and rain, but around these parts, days with that sort of weather can be few and far between, so I jumped on the chance. Now that I'm not working a regular 9-5 I have been wanting to take advantage of my relative freedom during the week, and this seemed like a good opportunity. I was lucky to convince Bryan to play hookie and come with me, but I was planning on going all the same, even if it was alone.

The trail was easy to find and fairly close to home (about an hour's drive from the city), which was convenient - but it also meant there would be the potential to run into more "muggles," which was another reason I wanted to go during the week. We did run into a few folks, but not many, given the weather. One older couple, who were coming down as we were going up, smiled wide and wished us "happy gaming," haha.

At first I wasn't sure if I had made the right decision choosing this trail, because for about a quarter mile it follows the road very closely, and then actually crosses the road - but after this it ascends into higher country and HOLY COW WAS IT GORGEOUS. I still can't get over just how beautiful this trail was, and I am SO GLAD I picked it! I will definitely be going back. The weather helped, of course. It was misty and overcast most of the time, with some light, intermittent rainfall, but it only turned into a complete deluge once. Luckily, we were near a very large rocky outcropping when this happened, and we were able to take shelter - which was a good thing too, because the rain turned briefly to hail. Luckily, however, it cleared up relatively quickly.

During this time, I decided to unpack a little and try my hand at lighting a fire - a skill which I am still sadly struggling with quite a bit. I got a large number of good sparks from my firesteel, but couldn't get them to catch on my charcloth to save my life. I'm not sure if it's the material I used (linen, mostly) or if I somehow didn't char it enough, or just... what... but, it was rather frustrating. After toiling for quite a while I finally managed to get a single spark to catch, and I transferred this to some unwound jute twine kindling, but all I was ever able to achieve was a good deal of smoke before the whole thing finally went cold. OOOOOH WELL. BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME. I will certainly keep trying.

Anyway, those are the main highlights, but before getting to everyone's favorite part (PICTURES), I did want to take a moment to talk a little about my kit. Most of the time, when I do afternoon hikes, I don't bother kitting up in my full overnight gear, because it obviously gets pretty cumbersome, but this time around I decided to try it out, since I hadn't in quite some time. I abandoned my haversack in favor of a setup relying mostly on my bedroll, and that wonderful piece of kit which I somehow have neglected to use ever before - THE SNAPSACK!

...LEMME TELLYA. I. LOVE. THAT. SNAPSACK. Elleth made it for me as part of the 2015 Yuletide gift exchange, but as I haven't done any overnighting since then, I haven't felt the need to use it yet. WELL BOY OH BOY WILL THAT BE CHANGING IN THE FUTURE! I totally get it now, guys. I totally get why you like those things. It's so bloody convenient! If you want a snack, you just untie the end in front of you and reach right on in! You can even do it as you walk! And it really helps redistribute weight! LOVE. IT. In fact, Elleth, you should be happy to know that I used every single one of your bags and pouches on this trek, and they came in super handy! The only one I haven't really found a purpose for yet, sadly, is the Lasdhir. It's such a lovely, ingenious little design, and if I were forraging for kindling along the way or such perhaps it would come in quite useful, but for now I'm afraid I haven't utilized it. Still, everything else was extremely helpful, and I am deeply grateful! My only real gripe with my gear this time around was my bedroll, which I can't seem to get into quite the right size or shape. This time I tried to do the "skinny bedroll" technique you guys have talked quite a bit about, but it still came out rather big and chunky, and also somewhat too long. It always ends up too bulky in one way or the other... still needs some tweaking. But I did run the strap through the center this time, which I found very comfy! In the end, I found it was most comfortable when I wore it slung on my LEFT shoulder, crossing my back perpendicular to my quiver, with the snapsack lying between my two chest-belt pouches. I will probably use this setup in the future,

AAAAANYWAY, that's about it! Whew, that was longer than I intended. But hey, on to the pictures! I strongly recommend checking out the entire gallery here: https://www.facebook.com/michael.sherid ... 423&type=3

The above gallery also includes several videos, which are always fun! Otherwise, here are some highlights for you!

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image
Last edited by Manveruon on Sat Aug 12, 2017 2:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
Maerondir Perianseron, also called “Mickel,” Halfling Friend - Ranger of the Misty Mountains
User avatar
Manveruon
Thangailhir
Posts: 2582
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:11 am
Location: Littleton, CO
Contact:

Re: Afternoon Hike in the Misty Mountains 7/26/17

Post by Manveruon »

And here's the aftermath. The whole hilt of my Bristol got pretty heavily tarnished during this outing, as well as the scabbard tip. With a little elbow-grease it shined up again quite nicely, but it's clearly not as "stainless" as I originally believed, heh. Oddly, the blade was totally unblemished.

Image
Maerondir Perianseron, also called “Mickel,” Halfling Friend - Ranger of the Misty Mountains
User avatar
Manveruon
Thangailhir
Posts: 2582
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:11 am
Location: Littleton, CO
Contact:

Re: Afternoon Hike in the Misty Mountains 7/26/17

Post by Manveruon »

Also (Bryan just posted these), a couple shots of me with my bedroll swapped to the other shoulder.
20708431_10214138542566133_9120922972434066197_n.jpg
20708431_10214138542566133_9120922972434066197_n.jpg (154.96 KiB) Viewed 20082 times
20708039_10214138540606084_8178222057715852009_n.jpg
20708039_10214138540606084_8178222057715852009_n.jpg (138.22 KiB) Viewed 20082 times
Maerondir Perianseron, also called “Mickel,” Halfling Friend - Ranger of the Misty Mountains
User avatar
Harper
Haeropada
Posts: 793
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2015 7:11 pm

Re: Afternoon Hike in the Misty Mountains 7/26/17

Post by Harper »

It looks like you had a great time.

Nice kit.

Thanks for sharing.
User avatar
Greg
Urush bithî 'nKi ya-nam bawâb
Posts: 4496
Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2008 8:50 pm
Location: Eriador; Central Indiana

Re: Afternoon Hike in the Misty Mountains 7/26/17

Post by Greg »

Way to get out in it! Snapsack for the win!
Now the sword shall come from under the cloak.
User avatar
Elleth
êphal ki-*raznahê
Posts: 2932
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2010 5:26 am
Location: in the Angle; New England

Re: Afternoon Hike in the Misty Mountains 7/26/17

Post by Elleth »

Oh that looks grand! How I miss those western vistas!

The sword's honest wear looks better now I think. Nothing like mud, tarnish and scuffs to look a real ranger. :)
Persona: Aerlinneth, Dúnedain of Amon Lendel c. TA 3010.
User avatar
Greg
Urush bithî 'nKi ya-nam bawâb
Posts: 4496
Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2008 8:50 pm
Location: Eriador; Central Indiana

Re: Afternoon Hike in the Misty Mountains 7/26/17

Post by Greg »

You said you're having trouble getting the bedroll small...what all are you carrying in it? Blankets, tarp, contents...
Now the sword shall come from under the cloak.
User avatar
Kortoso
Haeropada
Posts: 822
Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2014 9:37 pm
Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand
Contact:

Re: Afternoon Hike in the Misty Mountains 7/26/17

Post by Kortoso »

You both look great!
There are no safe paths in this part of the world. Remember you are over the Edge of the Wild now, and in for all sorts of fun wherever you go.
Melthrist
Dúnadan
Posts: 99
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2017 6:53 am
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: Afternoon Hike in the Misty Mountains 7/26/17

Post by Melthrist »

This just makes me itch to get out into the bush!
A Elbereth Gilthoniel
silivren penna míriel
o menel aglar elenath!
Na-chaered palan-díriel
o galadhremmin ennorath,
Fanuilos, le linnathon
nef aear, sí nef aearon!
User avatar
Manveruon
Thangailhir
Posts: 2582
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:11 am
Location: Littleton, CO
Contact:

Re: Afternoon Hike in the Misty Mountains 7/26/17

Post by Manveruon »

Thanks folks!

Greg - the bedroll was pretty minimalist this time. All it really had was the tarp, two blankets, and a couple of less immediately needed kits (like my fire-starting kit and my field sewing kit). I suspect the reason I'm having trouble with it is mainly due to my failure to experiment with it enough when I'm NOT going into the field, so I will doubtlessly be doing more of that soon. I may be heading back to this same spot this Sunday, and if I do I'll give it another shot and see what I see. In the future though I intend to pack more into the roll - like a change of tunic and stockings, maybe an extra hood, and possibly some more prep-heavy food items, like oatmeal, lentils, or such. And if that's the case, then I'll need to get really good at packing it to insure it's all as compact as possible.
Maerondir Perianseron, also called “Mickel,” Halfling Friend - Ranger of the Misty Mountains
User avatar
Taurinor
Amrod Rhandir
Posts: 614
Joined: Sun Apr 28, 2013 9:06 pm
Location: Virginia
Contact:

Re: Afternoon Hike in the Misty Mountains 7/26/17

Post by Taurinor »

Manveruon wrote:Greg - the bedroll was pretty minimalist this time. All it really had was the tarp, two blankets, and a couple of less immediately needed kits (like my fire-starting kit and my field sewing kit). I suspect the reason I'm having trouble with it is mainly due to my failure to experiment with it enough when I'm NOT going into the field, so I will doubtlessly be doing more of that soon. I may be heading back to this same spot this Sunday, and if I do I'll give it another shot and see what I see. In the future though I intend to pack more into the roll - like a change of tunic and stockings, maybe an extra hood, and possibly some more prep-heavy food items, like oatmeal, lentils, or such. And if that's the case, then I'll need to get really good at packing it to insure it's all as compact as possible.
It might just be the bulk of the two blankets - good wool blankets have a lot of volume to them. I had a seriously bulky bedroll on my April overnighter earlier this year with two wool blankets and my wool tunic rolled up in my tarp -

Image

I got a giant blanket so I would only need one on cold nights, but to carry it I wrap it in my tarp and wear it in a horseshoe roll; there's just too much volume of cloth to use Greg's setup. The horseshoe is still relatively bulky, but the weight is evenly distributed front to back and I can switch shoulders as needed.
- Ned Houndswood, Breelander
Richmond Fantasy-Inspired Hiking and Camping (on WordPress and Facebook)
User avatar
Kortoso
Haeropada
Posts: 822
Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2014 9:37 pm
Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand
Contact:

Re: Afternoon Hike in the Misty Mountains 7/26/17

Post by Kortoso »

Greg wrote:You said you're having trouble getting the bedroll small...what all are you carrying in it? Blankets, tarp, contents...
Maybe it was cold at night.
There are no safe paths in this part of the world. Remember you are over the Edge of the Wild now, and in for all sorts of fun wherever you go.
Post Reply