Backpack Hunting & Backpacking !

[Guy Miner]

Yes, I know we're a "seasoned" group here for the most part, with gray hair or no hair, but anyone backpack? Now, or in younger days?

I am really itching to hit the trail again this summer! Still a LOT of snow up high in the Cascades, and it's the high country I want to hike, so I'm going to be impatient for a while I suppose.

Most years I still get out for at least a long weekend or two on the trail. That didn't happen last year. This summer I want to do more than a mere weekend, I yearn for a week or so on the trail. Looks like I'm going solo again, my sons are busy with life, and many of my buddies say they're too old... Sheesh...

Likely somewhere along the Pacific Crest Trail, though that's kind of a "highway" and I'll likely spend more time on some of the side trails and more remote canyons.

My favorite time of year to backpack the high country is September. The kids are back in school, so for the most part church groups, school groups and Boy Scouts are off the trails. Far fewer people, which to me, is one of the attractions of backpacking. The Larch are turning by then, making the scenery terrific. Most of the bugs of summer are gone, killed by a few nights of frost. The trout are biting, almost in a feeding frenzy sometimes, feeding heavily before winter freezes over the lakes. It's a good time to be on the trail.

A younger buddy and I are talking about a September "high hunt" backpacking trip for mule deer. Sounds good to me, I've done it before. But even before that, I just want to get out on the trail, climbing the ridges again, swinging along for miles, camping under the stars... Yeah! I need a trip or two this summer.

2011 Camp:


Me at 55, packing in for the September 2011 "high hunt."


The Cascades:


My youngest son, using his sandals to cross an ice-fed stream:


I've been backpacking almost every summer since I was an eleven year old Boy Scout - Guess it grabbed me hard because I still enjoy life on the trail. Mostly I've backpacked out west, but also spent some time on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia.

So who else backpacks? Now or in the past? Or wants to someday?

Guy

 

[russ808]

Guy,
You are so lucky to be able to do that so close to home.
Russ

 

[SJB358]

Guy, I love to backpack hunt myself. Sometimes it doesn't require a huge freighter, but I am pretty happy to pack up my kit for a week or so to hunt out of. Some of my funnest hunts have been with a rucksack on my back.











And the smaller Eberlestock X2

 

[Guest]

Guy, my son and I are just getting into packing at this point. He started Boy Scouts a couple of years ago, but we just went on our first backpack overnighter last fall. We missed the one this spring due to a church youth event he wanted to attend. I struggled with keeping my mouth shut about it, as I tend to influence him strongly sometimes - my wife says I lean hard on him to get him to do what I want - but I managed not to say anything except that it was his decision and either would be fine. He chose church this time, which I can't really complain about. He's chosen Scouts before, over church and other activities. Anyway, we bought packs and a tent and a couple of lightweight sleeping bags, along with a pack stove and some other gear. It's been fun the few times we've used the gear, and I've come to really like the pack tent we bought. Our one overnight was a short one (one night) but the hike was beautiful and challenging for a newbie. We hiked to "Walls of Jericho" in northeast Alabama (http://huntsville.about.com/od/photogal ... f-Jericho/ and http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/re ... ericho.xml) which was a very beautiful 3.5mi hike in to the canyon, with a sometimes steep descent totalling over 1000' of drop down to the floor where we camped. We spent the afternoon enjoying the cold water of the creek and relaxing, played some campfire games after supper, and slept good despite a slight threat of weather. Up the next morning, breakfast, and breaking camp. Once all was cleaned and properly policed, we set out for the trucks. That's when the boys realized that 1000' drop yesterday equated to a 1000' climb back out. It was tough, and I ended up with a serious pair of blisters due to my boots being too warm, but my boy and I made it to the top. He was well beyond his comfort zone, but we pushed hard and he felt good after making it, and slept good on the ride home. He's apparently forgotten the climb out, as he's after me to take a pack trip, "just you and me, Dad" for which I'm trying to find a free weekend without much luck.

I'd like to try some pack-in hunts, and in fact talked to a buddy in Montana about packing into a public area surrounded by private ranches out where he lives. He said I could gain access to the public area across the ranch on which he works, and he could bring a truck and/or some horses if I got an elk down. I'm thinking that may be the thing to do here in the next couple of years. Maybe my son will get interested and come along. I need to dig out some pics of our various day hikes and the Walls trip, but I have no idea where those are right now. Thanks for posting this. I love reading what others are doing.

 

[Guy Miner]

Scotty - I know you're a big strong fellow and all that. But wow... Carrying in a picnic table? :shock: Yikes!

dubyam - keep those trips with the young fellow reasonable and he'll enjoy. I almost quit backpacking when I was a kid because I wasn't ready for some of the arduous pack trips we went on when I was eleven and twelve years old.

At 17, I was swinging along over those trails & ridges without a problem!

I really liked your idea of having something fun for the guys to do - like swimming in the creek - once they got somewhere. At my age I'm content just being in the mountains. Hike all day, or a half day, set up camp. Relax. Maybe do a little fly fishing. Take a few photos. Try to spot some wildlife. Then get up and walk some more. But the kids really like having something fun to do. Careful though - it can be a LONG way to a doctor from back in.

Get the kids in your troop working towards the hiking merit badge, then the backpacking merit badge comes easier, once they're already accomplished hikers.

Guy

 

[tecumseh]

All the hunting trips to Montana and Colorado have been and will continue to be backpack hunts as long as I'm able to do it. You can really get into some really remote country and see things that most people will ever get to experience. What kind of packs do you guys use?

 

[runtohunt]

I love to pack in to hunt. The buck that I am most proud came on a archery back packing trip. He was a dink but, I will ALWAYS remember that hunt. Three summers in a row I back packed in to hunt. Those were some great trips. Solitary back packing has tested me both physically and emotionally in ways I never thought possible. I wish that I had more time for it.
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[FOTIS]

I absolutely love it. Just wish I had more time to do it.

 

[Guest]

What kind of packs do you guys use?

Bear in mind I'm a novice, but I'm a novice who does a lot of research and talks to a ton of folks who have good experience before I step off into a purchase. After speaking with a dozen or so folks with plenty of packing experience, I kind of had an idea what to look for in a pack, sleeping bag, and other lightweight gear. I started doing my research and eventually came upon ALPS Mountaineering, an outdoor gear company. I looked over their gear, along with Kelty, Gregory, Osprey, High Sierra, Jansport, and any number of other pack brands, at several local stores as well as a number of stores in Atlanta, Birmingham, Nashville, and the Chicago area while traveling. As I compared features, capacity, style, size, and price, ALPS really stood out as a strong value for the dollar. When I found out they are huge supporters of Scouting, I decided that was the right choice. We ended up with the 3-season gear for my son and myself as follows:

My son's pack: http://www.alpsmountaineering.com/alps/ ... ZwqHCtAS6o
Our tent (under 6lbs with the footprint, for a 3-person tent!): http://www.alpsmountaineering.com/alps/ ... ZwqVCtAS6o
Our air pads: http://www.alpsmountaineering.com/alps/ ... ZwqbitAS6o
My pack: http://www.alpsoutdoorz.com/outdoorz/pr ... ZwqpytAS6o

I decided I'd go with a slightly heavier pack that was a freighter frame style, as I can lighten it by just using the frame and my daypack if I want, plus it will carry everything I need, including a rifle, and pack out meat. I'm always thinking of the bigger dreams behind the little one. Of course, now I want a smaller pack for weekend trips, but this one works fine so far.

I did not set out to get nearly all our gear from a single brand, but as I compared features and price, these were the best deals. We did get Mountain Hardwear sleeping bags - synthetic 20deg bags that have already proven they're correctly temp-graded, as I was toasty and comfortable at 24deg in January, as was my son.

I hope this is helpful. ALPS is like most brands, in that they have some areas where they're stronger than others. ALPS' real strength is durability, compared to other brands, from what I can tell. Sure, their tents weigh about a half pound more than a comparable tent from other makers, but they're a tad bigger and slightly heavier fabric, so they'll last longer. I encourage you to check them out.

 

[bbearhntr]

Thanks for your thoughts on your ALPS products Dubyam. I have been looking for a pack frame for my upcomming moose hunt and have been spying the ALPS Commander Freighter Frame plus pack bag. Amazon has many good reviews and I am merely waiting for another job to come my way before I make my purchase. I shared your opinion of ALPS products that they offer more features per dollar than their closest competition, that is to say I thought they were a very good value.

I got my first taste of backpacking when I was in my early teens. Some friends of mine and I purchased some cheap internal frame packs from somewhere and spent many weekends back packing on my grandparents 80 acre farm. It has about 500 ft of verticle climb from the farm house to our old campsite. For 14 year olds that seemed much taller than it does today. :lol:
A couple years later we made a 5 day trip to the Apostle Islands of lake Superior. That was a blast.
When I was 16 I took a week long trip with my aunt and uncle into the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness in Montana. That trip was the highlight of my teen years and I swore I would someday live in Montana. A mere year later I was busy chasing girls and forgot about backpacking. :shock:

Been married now to one of those girls I was chasing 16 years ago and have 3 beautiful children but....I sure miss those mountains some days. :wink:

 

[gerry]

I have done it a lot in the past and hope to do more in the future, I had some health concerns recently but things are improving. Sickness, lack of sleep and a physically demanding job wore me down, funny thing is I'm in great shape otherwise. Anyway I have done 8 or 9 sheep hunting trips, countless mountain goat trips and hunted alpine grizzly over the years. Lots of great adventures and memories.

I use a Mystery Ranch 6500 with the Nice frame and love it, it is very comfortable and very tough I highly recommend it to anyone. After years of using crappy packs and wearing them out I finally spent the money and got a real good pack. If I were to do it again I would opt for the 7500 to fit more bulky items in it but the 6500 has served me well. My pack is the tan one, I believe they call it Coyote.



Love hitting the alpine.



Or hunting the goat cliffs.



It's still nice on cold October days.

 

[DrMike]

Great country, that, Gerry. Superb pictures that captures the beauty.

 

[pre6422hornet]

Wow! ! Breathtaking!!

 

[SJB358]

I love to pack in to hunt. The buck that I am most proud came on a archery back packing trip. He was a dink but, I will ALWAYS remember that hunt. Three summers in a row I back packed in to hunt. Those were some great trips. Solitary back packing has tested me both physically and emotionally in ways I never thought possible. I wish that I had more time for it.
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RTH, great pictures and HUGE congrats, that is a big accomplishment! Way to go!

 

[SJB358]

Awesome hunt pics Gerry and that Mystery Ranch is an awesome set up. A couple of my buddies have Mystery Ranch rucks and they let me use one while we went on a small training hike and I gotta say it was very nice.

I run a Cabelas Alaskan II, it is pretty light, has a ton of space and an external frame that packs meat really well.

 

[tecumseh]

A couple pics of my Cabela's Alaskan Extreme Outfitter Pack.

 

[Elkman]

It would take me a day or so to get ready, but I am ready to go to the mountains most anytime. gerry that country looked like it could hold an elk or two also. Very much like the Wyoming high country.
I have to get my fire gear packed up now, as my work period is fast approaching. The whole west is very dry and right now "cold".

 

[Guy Miner]

Tecumseh - I don't get real excited about any one particular brand. Hiked too many happy miles with several different packs to think that any one pack is the "perfect" pack above all others. Have learned to avoid the dirt cheap ones though. Early lesson as a teenager when a supermarket frame pack started falling apart mid-way through a week long backpacking trip.

After wearing out an early internal frame North Face pack (it was really comfortable and I used it a lot while climbing, skiing, on snowshoes, etc) I resurrected my ancient 1970's BIG BLUE Kelty "Serac." What a great old pack! It creaks a bit while I walk, sort of matches the sounds from my knees & back. We get along just fine. I like that it contains almost everything, including my sleeping bag, inside. Still has room on top for the sleeping pad & tent though, should I opt to take a tent. The LARGE top compartment is usually empty on my hunting trips. Always have high hopes of filling it with boned-out venison.

My youngest son uses an old Jansport frame pack that I carried for a week of mountain scrambling in Mexico long ago. Mama used that pack off and on for ten years, then gave up backpacking. Ah well. I kept the pack and my son has put it to good use.

The older son backpacks with a newish "Osprey" pack. Very nice, light and comfortable. Doesn't seem to hold a lot and I wouldn't prefer it myself, but he likes it. Maybe because he sticks Dear ol' Dad with the heavy, bulky stuff that won't fit in his jazzy Osprey? Hmmmm....

I also treated myself to a pack system by Nimrod, a local maker just up the road in Cashmere Washington - the same place where Wilson handloading tools are made, and home of Aplets and Cotlets. Interesting little town.

The Nimrod system is built on a waist pack with a harness. Then there's a top section, and finally a black nylon bag, perfect for hauling meat... Huh. Everything is AMERICAN made and very high quality. It's not cheap. Very comfortable to use. I've been working with it for a few years and am satisfied, though it won't carry as much bulk as my old Kelty Serac frame pack. That's okay. The owner of Nimrod is a great guy, and a true-blue high country hunter. He also makes gear for wildland firefighters. Tough stuff.

Link to Nimrod: http://www.nimrodpacks.com/

My Nimrod on a bear hunt, here in the Cascades:


I put the cheap Uncle Mike's holster for the .44 on there - but Nimrod also makes their own handgun holster.

Guy

 

[Guy Miner]

High country mule deer hunt a few years ago:








Washington's Cascades:




Trail:


Elk, mule deer & bear out there, just have to find 'em:


Guy

 

[C.Smith]

I'm just getting back into backpacking. Went on my first one in a long time last year. Had a blast. Hiked in 4 miles (2000 vertical feet down) to a small stream and had some great fishing action. We are getting set to do it again this year. My son is going to go along this time. I warned him about how hard it was to hike but he is determined to go. Love the photos thanks.

Corey