/out/ - Outdoors » Thread #202326

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Anonymous Thu 26 Sep 2013 18:54:50 No.202326 View View Reply Original Report

Quoted By: >>203913

Can we have a general mountaineering/rock climbing thread?

I've been itching for some adventure lately, and I've got a pipe-dream cross country motorcycle tour 'planned' (loosely) with a focus on getting to National Parks, with the Rocky Mountains being my final goal. The more I sit in this office, the more I realize I still have time to get out and live before its too late.

I'm at work, so I have no images folder. Have some Carl Sagan for your time!

Anonymous

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Anonymous Thu 26 Sep 2013 19:09:16 No.202335 Report

Quoted By: >>202336

Have a few images, OP

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 26 Sep 2013 19:10:44 No.202336 Report

Quoted By:

>>202335
Jeebus, thanks for that. My hands get a little sweaty whenever I see/watch things like this, never trumps the feeling of "lets do this" though

Anonymous

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Anonymous Thu 26 Sep 2013 19:11:13 No.202338 Report

Quoted By:

Anonymous

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Anonymous Thu 26 Sep 2013 19:13:05 No.202340 Report

Quoted By: >>202341

fucking new 60 sec post timer.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Thu 26 Sep 2013 19:14:45 No.202341 Report

Quoted By:

>>202340
And fuck you too, unix timestamp glitch.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Thu 26 Sep 2013 19:17:13 No.202342 Report

Quoted By: >>202344

Last image for now. Sorry don't have any rock climbing images.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 26 Sep 2013 19:21:17 No.202344 Report

Quoted By: >>202356 >>202358

>>202342
That's fine by me, rock climbing is just a part of my overall interest these days. My obsession is basically to get from one point to another over rugged terrain by any means possible. If that means gearing up and climbing over some rocks, then so be it.

Really, anything even related to what you've posted will captivate me to no end.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 26 Sep 2013 19:38:13 No.202356 Report

Quoted By: >>202361

>>202344
>to get from one point to another over rugged terrain by any means possible.
Fuck yeah. I can relate to this.

I've been doing tours with a lot of altitude changes in the past and only recently found the opportunity to do more "classical" trekking over long distances without much mountains and valleys.
I try to avoid using bikes etc though.

>I've got a pipe-dream cross country motorcycle tour 'planned' (loosely) with a focus on getting to National Parks, with the Rocky Mountains being my final goal.
How's your /out/ experience in that regard? Care to share a few more details on the tour?

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 26 Sep 2013 19:38:45 No.202357 Report

Quoted By:

Amateur rock climber here, monitoring this thread.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Thu 26 Sep 2013 19:39:22 No.202358 Report

Quoted By:

>>202344
Also, have another image, this time with a motorcycle.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 26 Sep 2013 19:52:35 No.202361 Report

Quoted By: >>202363 >>202364 >>203913

>>202356
Always nice to see the hivemind. I love the idea of doing an "only-feet" kinda thing, but the mechanic in me says vehicles aren't totally off limits :D

In terms of my overall experience, I've not got many (or any really) true adventures. I've not gotten a chance to do hundreds of miles overland or go serious climbing, but I try to do what I can. I live in Virginia not far from the Appalachin trail, and I blow it up with whom I can find to accompany me. We climb where we can without proper equipment (shits expensive), we bushwack, we hit back country and we camp anytime we get the opportunity. My go-to for homelessness is camping instead of couch surfing. I try to substitute experience for enthusiasm, but I know thats got to change.

The whole idea for the bike trip is to have one of those "as soon as I got out of (college/highschool) I bought (bike/car/truck) and saw the country." I'm only 19 as it stands but I've got this overwhelming feeling that I'm being pushed into a hole by the world around me, telling me that "Oh thats crazy, just get a quiet job and live the rest of your life in boredom like the rest of us do". I. Cant. Stand. The. Idea. I refuse to accept it. I just want to get out and do something that would be considered "stupid" to most people. All the people I associate with spend their time on the Iphone browsing facebook to talk about what rave they crossed the country for, and I want to slam my head against a wall thinking of all the natural beauty they missed along the way. When I heard someone say they drove around Yosemite to save time, I cringed....... The details to my trip are *very* loose as of yet, what I've got down is and idea of what I want to do (visit as many national parks and climb as many mountains as I can on my way across the country) and how I want to do it (on a motorcycle, like a crazy person). If ANYONE has ANY information or resources they can point me towards that'll help me along my way, you will be a god.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 26 Sep 2013 19:53:44 No.202363 Report

Quoted By: >>202375

>>202361
Sorry for the rant.....

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 26 Sep 2013 19:56:15 No.202364 Report

Quoted By: >>202373 >>202378

>>202361
Sorry for the rant.....

But yeah, basically cross the country on a motorcycle getting out into the world and having as much fun as I can with what I can save/have saved in the past/coming year. I'll be spending the next few months filling in the gaps, such as buying gear and equipment and planning an actual route as to where I'd like to go. The idea of a concrete path is kind of against what I'm looking for, but i've got an idea of a couple places that are definite points of interest to stop and hang out for awhile. Who knows, if it goes well enough (and I don't die) I'd like to make a lifestyle of it, that is if I ever decide to come back!

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 26 Sep 2013 20:04:04 No.202373 Report

Quoted By: >>202386

>>202364
Go for it man. I met a guy up at Whitney, who was from North Carolina. He said he was just driving from national park to national park. He said he had been to Canda, yellowstone, the tetons, moab, and after he finished whitney he was going to the permit station to get permits for the JMT.

I cant offer any information but I would love to do something like that, but for now Im stuck to weekend trips.

Oh and dont go hiking / climbing big mountains in winter unless you have serious experience.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 26 Sep 2013 20:05:32 No.202375 Report

Quoted By: >>202385

>>202363
Haha, I stopped reading at iphone and facebook, but I still caught the request for information at the end.

I suggest you get some experience with hiking and sleeping outside along the trail (as opposed to "family" camping).
Lurk /out/ a lot, there's plenty of information here and there.

Don't underestimate mountains and especially weather in the mountains.

Your backpack and your shoes are the most important equipment. These really have to be quality stuff, even if you're cheaping out on equipment.

Lowe and Meindl are good brands for shoes, just make sure you understand that there's different shoes for different terrain (stiffness of the sole - to the point where you can use crampons, height of the shoe, water tight or breathable, etc).

With planning in general, there are two ways you can do it:
>Plan loosely and don't bother with details
Which will alleviate the stress a little, and make things easier sometimes. But you'll see a lot less and there's the danger of encountering situations that completely block your progress and you have to cancel the trip.

>Detailed plan
You'll see a lot more, but it will feel less flexible and like you're being pulled along by your own plans instead of having adventures and not being stressed.

Personally I try plan in a way that allows a lot of flexibility, but I think for that to work, you need some experience.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 26 Sep 2013 20:10:14 No.202378 Report

Quoted By:

>>202364
Also, regarding the lifestyle thing, go for it, but don't make any hasty decisions.

I met a guy that aborted his Biology Bachelor to become a chef. Travels a lot in SE Asia, but has to work a lot and hard.
I on the other hand wouldn't want to miss my academic education, and I still find time to do what I love.

It's something you should consider carefully, I think.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 26 Sep 2013 20:23:34 No.202385 Report

Quoted By: >>202553

>>202375
Don't get any misconceptions, I'm not a part of that demographic by any stretch of the imagination. But when your walled in a building for 8 hours a day 5 days a week for several years, you gotta make some sacrifices.

That aside though, I've got a bit of experience with the hiking and camping, I'm not a total newbie but I've got no misconceptions of my actual experience being low on the scale. We've done back country several times before, so not having your car backed up to the fire isn't a foreign concept to me, the whole idea of getting away from that kind of thing is what really drives me.

>Don't underestimate mountains
The highest I've ever gotten to really summit from the bottom was only 3300 ft, and that really put things into perspective from what I was used to. The true highest I've gotten is 4500ft, but it was a much shorter hike to get there. Weather is always a huge concern for me when we get out there though, I always get a report and try to keep my head up for the clouds. I've been caught out when the rain starts coming in, and I spent most of my childhood dealing with upstate NY winters, but I still understand (or atleast think I do..!) the razors edge that can be weather in the woods.

>Backpack and shoes

As of yet, I don't actually have a good pack. Just a small one that we use for our weekend/day trips that I can pack the few things I deem important enough to have. For boots I've got a pair of Keen high-tops that I've been working in that I just recently came across for free, before that I was using my steel-toes from my construction days! I can't tell you how nice it is not to have a chunk of metal on your feet....

>Planning

You pretty much summed it up I guess, I'm shooting for a healthy balance between "Rigid time schedule and route" and "Just winging it". I'm really trying to feel out which way I should lean towards, but I guess the next couple months of my life will dictate that for the most part.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 26 Sep 2013 20:25:48 No.202386 Report

Quoted By:

>>202373
Someones already living my dream....! The only thing that ever confuses me is where do these people get the money...... even if you've got all your gear together you still gotta put gas in the car and food in your face. If you couldn't tell from the general tone of my posts, I'm not a well-off guy, and I'm trying to do what I can with what I've got to work with.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 26 Sep 2013 20:29:08 No.202387 Report

Quoted By: >>202392 >>202399

> motorcycle trip

You may have heard of the singer Jewel?

She and her hub lived off there bikes for a couple months on thier first tour.

Google "Jewel motorcycle trip" to find more. Very cool to hear how they did it.

Also seek out "Barry Caraway", great at trip reports via email.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 26 Sep 2013 20:36:14 No.202392 Report

Quoted By: >>202399

>>202387
*cyclerides.com//newsletters

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 26 Sep 2013 20:48:31 No.202399 Report

Quoted By: >>202404

>>202392
>>202387
Just shot an email to the "contact us" page, signed up the news letter too. Thanks for that lead, sounds like an awesome place to start.

Thanks again everyone for the replies, anything that gets me a step closer to making this happen is alright in my book.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 26 Sep 2013 21:07:20 No.202404 Report

Quoted By:

>>202399
Glad to help Anon.

I've been riding for years, have two bikes and a quad. But Barry rides more than I do and more than most do.

Check the archives for "Top 15 Rides in USA", he' s done 9/15 and many more than once. Lot's of good info and advice to be had.

>Learn from a pro.

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 27 Sep 2013 00:22:52 No.202553 Report

Quoted By:

>>202385
>3300ft 4500ft
Man, that's like nothing. Just remember always pack for the worst weather you might possibly expect. Always bring gear for cold (~0°C, dunno what's that in F, around when water freezes) and wet weather (downpours: jacket, pants, backpack cover). Don't even bother to bring cotton when going on a mountain. Ever. Period.

>Keen high-tops
dunno what that is
>steel-toes from my construction days
Anything's better than that.
Considering That you won't walk all the way and have a motorcycle, you backpack won't be that important anyway. So that's alright.

I hope you will be providing /out/ with images.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Fri 27 Sep 2013 20:26:10 No.202929 Report

Quoted By: >>203881

Che Guevara took a motorcycle trip across Latin America after med school. There was an interesting movie about it.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sun 29 Sep 2013 22:50:24 No.203879 Report

Quoted By:

I just bought some equipment, first quick draws :)

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sun 29 Sep 2013 22:52:21 No.203880 Report

Quoted By:

and 6 of these :)

The Americannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

The Americannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn Sun 29 Sep 2013 22:59:14 No.203881 Report

Quoted By: >>204043 >>204048

>>202929
For the first couple of minutes then it went hurr durr communism

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sun 29 Sep 2013 23:44:12 No.203913 Report

Quoted By:

>>202326
I did that this summer, OP. The motorcycle trip through RMNP, that is. I went from Utah to Missouri and back again, meeting up with family along the way. I found it difficult to camp while traveling by bike, though, to be honest. You get to the campsite, and set up your tent before dark because riding in the dark is dangerous, but you basically have no privacy in a campground without a car; no way to secure your gear when you go hiking; and have limited options for storing food safely away from bears at night. Most campgrounds also close up shop in the mid-evening, so if you don't get there early enough to check in, and if they don't have an after-hours fee deposit box, you'll have to camp "illicitly" until they come by in the morning to collect. There's no sleeping in your car with a motorcycle.

I ended up staying in hotels/motels almost every night of my trip. Next summer, though, when I do this again, I'll bring a book to read in camp and just pack minimally so even if something were stolen off my bike, I wouldn't miss it. Definitely a great trip, but I did not do much hiking overall. I just couldn't stomach the thought of leaving my fully packed bike at the trailhead all day, or even overnight.

>>202361
As far as experience goes, I did my bike trip with approximately 7 months of total riding experience under my belt. It was the first time I'd even ridden a motorcycle more than 100 miles at a time. /o/ can help you shop for bikes and gear, but I settled on a Suzuki Boulevard C50. If I did it again, I think I might have gotten a Kawasaki Vulcan instead, but I ended up with a fine bike with low mileage for just about $3000. You'll want something with 750cc minimum displacement for extended highway riding. Cruiser-style bikes are more comfortable for long hauls than sport bikes. Another option I seriously considered is the Honda Shadow 750, although they aren't fuel-injected so they might be more finicky to start in cold weather.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 30 Sep 2013 05:37:58 No.204043 Report

Quoted By:

>>203881
No it didn't

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 30 Sep 2013 05:54:13 No.204048 Report

Quoted By:

>>203881
actually the movie hardly touched politics

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 30 Sep 2013 17:13:33 No.204177 Report

Quoted By:

>Great, thread derail over the murderous Commie Fag Che.

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