Unsolicited Advice - A Couple More Backpacking Do Nots

"Yeah well, you know, that's just like you're opinion man."  -The Big Lebowski

After writing a previous post about backpacking do nots, I thought up a few more.

1. Do not use long distance backpacking as a means to lose weight and/or get into shape.  You will be sorry.  Yes you will get into great shape backpacking and, yes, you will probably lose some weight but if you don't make an effort toward those two things before you go, the first couple of weeks on the trail will be a misery and the chances of injury and/or emotional meltdown will go up considerably.  If you're new to backpacking, all the months of planning, purchasing gear, buying food, etc. will go straight out the window when you quit after 3 days on the trail.  And unless you're very, very determined, you probably will.  You wouldn't try to run a marathon with no training, right?

2. Do not take your dogs on a trip over one week in length.  I love my dogs.  I hike with my dogs.  I would never backpack with my dogs.  Consider the mental effort it takes to keep going day after day.  To keep going when you're really tired.  To keep going when you're injured.  Dogs don't think that way and they're not privy to your plan.  They keep following you out of loyalty but after a while, when they're tired or hurt, they don't understand why you keep going and they can't say "please stop, this is too much for me."  Aside from those considerations, think about the logistics.  Who carries their food and water?  What will you do if your dog gets sick or injured in the middle of nowhere?  Yes, there are dogs who would gladly go backpacking with their owners but most pets who are used to the comforts of home probably aren't that keen to rough it for weeks on end.

3.  Do not purchase gear with the intention of returning it when you're done. One of the strategies that PCT thru hikers use in able to afford the gear necessary for a thru hike, is to purchase their gear at REI and then return it when they're done even though it's trashed and used up.  Please don't do this.  It's dishonest.  If you have a piece of gear that actually does fail or has a defect, then, yes, by all means, return it.  But don't return gear that you've worn out through use.  A pair of running shoes is not intended to last 2,650 miles over rough terrain.  In response to this issue, REI has changed their return policy so that items have to be returned within the same year they were bought.  It used to be a lifetime guarantee. The bad behavior of a few individuals has had repercussions for the rest of us.  I'm not defending corporations, I'm just saying be a decent human being and do the right thing.  Consider saving money for your trip and going when you're able to afford it instead of abusing the return policy of gear companies.

Getting Those Practice Hikes in, Winter Edition

It's winter.  Well, out West, it's barely winter but it's still winter.  My plan to do the Tahoe Rim Trail this summer means that I'm in full-on physical preparation mode.  I've been running, which feels good. I've endured thee years of near catastrophic injuries - Achilles tendon tear in 2011, tendinitis in 2012 (2 weeks before a half marathon I'd been training for, ugh), and a badly sprained ankle in 2014. Although I didn't have any injuries in 2013, I went through a tough year with three deaths and my parent's house burning down.  It wasn't a good year to feel hopeful about anything.  But I push on.  It's all you can do.  So finally, after a two year hiatus, I'm back to running.  And, of course, I'm walking a ton.  Between the two activities, I'm doing about 35 to 40 miles a week.  I'd like to get up to 50 miles a week but that's not always possible.  But it's a goal.

So yeah, it's winter (ish).  It hasn't snowed once in Fallon this year, which is very abnormal.  It's barely snowed in the Sierras.  But "barely snowed" means there's still quite a bit of snow up high and the hiking trails at Lake Tahoe are effectively closed to all but the most determined hikers (as in snowshoers).  I'm not afraid to say that I'm a fair weather hiker.  I have ZERO interest in plowing through the snow to set up a tent and freeze my butt off all night.  So I wait for things to thaw and warm up a bit.

Fallon has very limited hiking opportunities but the one redeeming feature of the area is that you can hike pretty much year round.  I already discussed my one terrain hike here.  But I've barely mentioned my weekly long hike - the Emigrant Trail.  The Carson River route of the Emigrant Trail passes about 5 miles west of Fallon and dates back to the 1830s.  I start near the Amor IX geothermal plant and head north.  It's an easy walk - sandy in places but it's mostly flat with a few very minor hills. The furthest I've made it is about 7.5 miles (keeping in mind that I have to turn around and go back the way I came).  It's monotonous.  The trail has long since become a dirt road driveable by most cars, so it's basically mile after mile of road walking with not much in the way of scenery.  But the benefit of walking the trail is you can go and go and go.  I walk it because it's accessible and even though it's not a strenuous, I can put my pack and get some miles in.  There's something to be said for that - it's still good training for motoring down a trail. As a historian, the trail (and its monotony) also makes me appreciate what the emigrants went through to cross the United States on foot (or wagon).

I've walked the trail so many times, I've memorized the roundtrip distances along the way - the 3 mile point, the 6 mile point, the 8 mile point, the 9 mile point, and the 12 mile point.  It's handy to know so I can set my goal for the day.  This year, the furthest I've made it is to the 9 mile point.  Eventually, I'd like to hike the section to where it dead ends into Highway 95 and back but that would be a 24 mile hike, which would take me all day.  A goal to work towards I guess.

This is pretty much what it looks like.  Miles and miles of this.

Several of these signs were put up near the geothermal plant, probably as mitigation for placing the plant so close to the trail.  I think they're kind of neat looking.  Apparently other people think so too, considering that a few have been stolen.