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    • That brought back memories, I grew up in MS where the state bird is the mosquito, but I'd never encountered them like Assateague Island, I'd seen videos of what they were like in the Tundra, and that's what they were like there, millions, no trillions, no bazzilions of them, I would use a towel to swat them away and then make a dash into the tent and close the fly, lucky if I only got 50 or so in the tent, my Double Rainbow was covered with red spots on the ceiling where I killed the little bastards each night before going to sleep...only to have a few left overs buzzing in my ear as I tried to sleep. We had to paddle 6 miles of ocean water to get to the island, we got a very late start waiting on a couple who was two hours late and we were concerned we would get caught in the water after dark, my son and girlfriend were in the lead canoe and I was about 100 behind, I saw them hit the island and start jumping and waving their arms, I thought they were celebrating having made it there...turned out they were under heavy attack. Believe it or not it was a great 4 days. The trip was me and about a dozen of my sons friends, all professional people who work hard...and party hard. I told my son that 10 years from now when he and his buddies reminisce about the trip the things they will remember are the mosquitoes and the "paddle" back. Matt (my son) yelled at one of the other canoes and asked if they had the Jack Daniels, they pulled the two canoes together and started into the Jack Daniels, soon there were two more canoes, they got to talking and someone said it would be great if they had something to make a sail from, Tommy says I got a tart...those lazy asses (all engineers) strung up a sail and didn't paddle a stoke for 6 miles and partied the whole way while I had to paddle.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.

    • max.patch wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      I always liked Skurka a lot. Even that article is nearly 4 years old, there is still some good stuff in their. I guess I need to go ahead and buy some gaitors and try them out.
      ok...but gaitors make ya look funny.
      [IMG:http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/1/0/0/9/4/AT014.jpg]
      Only if they're colour matched to your rain jacket.
      :)
      Resident Australian, proving being a grumpy old man is not just an American trait.

    • max.patch wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      I always liked Skurka a lot. Even that article is nearly 4 years old, there is still some good stuff in their. I guess I need to go ahead and buy some gaitors and try them out.
      ok...but gaitors make ya look funny.
      [IMG:http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/1/0/0/9/4/AT014.jpg]
      Actually I was thinking more like the Dirty Girl ankle high ones. :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • Just saw this article on the HMG site. I'm on my Ithingy phone and having trouble copying, so it would be great if someone wants to repost it in the right place or start a thread.


      BAXTER STATE PARK SOON TO REGISTER A.T. THRU HIKERS



      blog.hyperlitemountaingear.com…w-registration-at-hikers/
      Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    • A fitting end to one of the world’s most famous trails, Katahdin (5,267 feet) is Maine’s highest mountain and the centerpiece of Baxter State Park (BSP). Steep, tall and surrounded by forests, it’s also an icon for tens of thousands of aspiring Appalachian Trail (A.T.) thru hikers. It’s the northern-most 14 miles of the A.T. When NOBO or section hikers enter the Park at Abol Bridge, they’ve got just nine miles to the Katahdin Stream Campground, where a special campsite—the Birches—is set aside for up to 12 long-distance hikers (which happens to be the same number of hikers allowed to summit Katahdin at one time, as a group).
      However, because of movies like “A Walk in the Woods” and “Wild” as well as increasing numbers of well-known athletes hiking the A.T., the number of thru and section hikers is growing fast, and the impact on Katahdin, the Park and its other users is being impacted, sometimes negatively. According to Tenny Webster of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, 2016 could be a banner year in terms of numbers of people summiting Katahdin.
      “We’re waiting to see what happens this year,” Webster says. “We typically see about 10% growth in the number of thru and section hikers who summit Katahdin each year. But this year may be an anomaly. We’re potentially looking at even greater numbers.”
      So what’s a State Park, that’s already very carefully managed for use, to do? For starters, they’ll begin implementing a registration system for thru hikers this year.
      According to Park Director Jensen Bissell, the Park limits the number of daily visitors to Katahdin by the size of the three parking lots that service the trailheads to the mountain at Roaring Brook, Katahdin Stream and near Abol Bridge. On busy weekends, without a permit, you’ll have to hike elsewhere in the park. Appalachian Trail thru hikers, on the other hand, have so far only been limited by availability of campsites.
      “There are times when the long distance hiker facility—The Birches—is full and hikers have to find space in the campground,” he says. But that happens infrequently. The bigger issue, he explains, is that the Park never planned for A.T. thru hikers, let alone the exponential growth in people finishing their NOBO or section hikes during the peak tourist season, from July through October 15.
      “When I started working with the park 18 years ago, there were a few hundred thru hikers who came over the course of the summer,” Bissell says. “Now those numbers are surpassing 2000! We now have to begin to consider what we think would be consistent, equitable and fair management for thru hikers and other user groups.” The Park plans on implementing a registration system for thru hikers this year (2016), whereby they’ll be required to get a card before they enter the Park. Details are still being worked on in regards to where and when A.T. long-distance hikers can get a permit, but according to Bissell, hikers should be able to register at Park headquarters, at Togue Pond or with the BSP A.T. Trail Steward at Abol Bridge (please visit BSP’s Facebook page or website for updates on the registration process). And eventually, depending on growth and whether or not thru hikers adhere to the Park’s rules, Baxter State Park may have to cap the number of thru hikers who enter the Park on a given day.
      Baxter State Park currently classifies thru hikers in four categories: southbound (SOBO) hikers, northbound (NOBO) hikers, section hikers and flip floppers. They have some concerns with SOBO hikers in regards to whether or not they are safely equipped to hike Katahdin or the 100-mile wilderness. “But SOBO hikers know the date they’re going to arrive at the park, so they just camp like any other user,” Bissell says. “It’s the first three categories we are concerned about.”
      And says Tenny Webster, the way these groups of hikers use the Park is key to future access for Appalachian Trail hikers. The situation is unique in that when former Maine Governor Percival Baxter gifted the Park to Maine, he established several deeds of trust that determined how it would be managed.
      “Baxter has a fixed capacity,” Webster says. “They are, in some ways, unprepared to deal with a rising group of users they didn’t account for when the Park was established. They’ve got rules, and if we want to keep using the Appalachian Trail in that Park, all hikers will have to abide by those rules, even if they don’t like them. We hope people think about the consequences of their actions and the people who want to hike it five years down the line.”
      Bissell adds that the usage models of entities such as America’s National Parks and the ATC are for continued higher use levels. “But Baxter State Park, which is the terminus where much of the A.T. traffic is concentrated over a couple months, has always had a policy of limiting use in order to protect the sensitive vegetation and the visitor experience on Katahdin. It’s such a draw for so many people. We’re asking people to recognize they need to help us try to protect this mountain now so that thru hikers can have the same experience in 50 years that they have now. I’m pretty sure if we start doubling the use of Katahdin, it won’t be the same.”
      Here are a few things long-distance hikers on the Appalachian Trail can do to ensure future access to Baxter State Park:
      1) Register with the Park. Visit the Park’s Facebook page or website for updates on the registration process. They will be announcing details soon (this March).
      2) Call Baxter State Park in advance, as soon as you know the approximate date you will arrive and reserve a campground. You don’t need reservations for The Birches site at Katahdin Stream Campground, but it is first come, first served, and only 12 are allowed.
      3) Do not enter the Park in groups larger than 12 people, period.
      4) If campsites are unavailable, please find an alternative place to camp for the night outside of the Park.
      5) Consider alternative itineraries other than starting at Springer Mountain and hiking north.
      6) Respect the Park’s rules (i.e. do not bring alcohol or large film crews to the summit of Katahdin).
      7) Adhere to Leave No Trace (LNT) guidelines and pack out all the stuff you’re packing in.
      Visit the ATC’s website to find out more about how they’re preparing for an increasing number of thru hikers on the Appalachian Trail.

    • max.patch wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      I always liked Skurka a lot. Even that article is nearly 4 years old, there is still some good stuff in their. I guess I need to go ahead and buy some gaitors and try them out.
      ok...but gaitors make ya look funny.
      [IMG:http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/1/0/0/9/4/AT014.jpg]
      Is that a five foot pack on a four foot hiker?
      Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
      Dr. Seuss Cof123

    • The weirdness that is the winter continues. Most of the snow has melted. The only thing remaining is a thick (about eight inches in some places) layer of ice on side roads. My driveway is clear and dry but I basically have to 4-wheel to get to it.

      The Fur Rendesvous is in full swing with the culmination being the ceremonial start of the Iditarod, this Saturday. There is a freight train on the way from Fairbanks down to Anchorage packed full of snow just for the race. Yes, really.

      I'm hoping to get out early enough to see the Running of the Reindeer (yes, like the Running of the Bulls but it's Alaska, we have reindeer) and the Iditarod. I got to experience the Iditarod last year and it was definitely bucket list worthy. Whatever anyone might think about those dogs and the lives they live. They were HAPPY!!!

      Hopefully, I will get some good pictures to share.
      “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” - T. S. Eliot

    • Ewok11 wrote:

      The weirdness that is the winter continues. Most of the snow has melted. The only thing remaining is a thick (about eight inches in some places) layer of ice on side roads. My driveway is clear and dry but I basically have to 4-wheel to get to it.

      The Fur Rendesvous is in full swing with the culmination being the ceremonial start of the Iditarod, this Saturday. There is a freight train on the way from Fairbanks down to Anchorage packed full of snow just for the race. Yes, really.

      I'm hoping to get out early enough to see the Running of the Reindeer (yes, like the Running of the Bulls but it's Alaska, we have reindeer) and the Iditarod. I got to experience the Iditarod last year and it was definitely bucket list worthy. Whatever anyone might think about those dogs and the lives they live. They were HAPPY!!!

      Hopefully, I will get some good pictures to share.
      Can't wait! I always enjoy your pics.

    • its just coffee. go to mcdonalds, give em a dollar, and get on with your life.

      from the wall street journal:

      About a year ago, Starbucks opened a “Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room” in Seattle, featuring its small-batch coffees. Sourced from around the world, the coffees are roasted on-site and might be served by pouring hot water over a glass carafe ($3.50 to $6.50) or in a 24 ounce French press ($8 to $13). Starbucks is expanding the program to offer the limited-quantity coffees and specialty brew methods by opening 500 new “reserve stores” world-wide in the next five years.
      2,000 miler

    • When the local media interviewed a bunch of behind the camera types clutching their Oscars (Mad Max) at the airport this week, they were asked what they were going to do next. They all said they were going to get a "decent" coffee as they hadn't had one in the USA.
      Coffee
      Resident Australian, proving being a grumpy old man is not just an American trait.

    • OzJacko wrote:

      No one has mentioned the hiker found frozen in the Whites on Sunday.
      Anyone got some background?

      N.Y. man identified as hiker found frozen on White Mountains trail[IMG:http://cdn.patch.com/users/1296254/2016/03/T800x600/20160356d597d90bc8d.JPG]

      By JOHN KOZIOL Union Leader Correspondent


      Authorities have identified the man found frozen Sunday morning on Castle Ravine Trail as 54-year-old Timothy Hallock of Orient, N.Y. New Hampshire Fish and Game Lt. Tim Hallock of Hallock’s Marine Services in Orient and president of the New York State Outdoor Guides Association, died while hiking in New Hampshire. Wayne Saunders said Hallock may have been on the trail for up to two days; an autopsy is scheduled for today. Christopher Shane and his cousin, Jamison Knowlton, discovered Hallock’s body around 8:45 a.m.

      On Monday, he extended condolences to Hallock’s family and said “in a weird way,” he and Knowlton are glad they found Hallock because it might have taken authorities days to do so.

      Shane said he and Knowlton camped out Saturday night. The next morning, they discussed the possibility of taking the Castle Ravine Trail rather than the Castle Ridge Trail, because the lack of snow suddenly made it more manageable. Not long into the Castle Ravine trail, they found Hallock. Shane, a “Mainer” from Casco who now lives in Brighton, Mass., works at a finance technology company in Boston. The experienced hiker said he tries to get up to the mountains about twice each month.
      Saunders said it appeared Hallock was hiking alone, had not left a plan of travel “or even let anybody know that he was going there.”
      He said Hallock had “good equipment.” Hallock was not carrying any identification.
      Saunders said his vehicle was found parked across Route 2 from the Lowe’s Path trail head at the Lowe’s gas station and store.
      The U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement helped Fish and Game identify Hallock and locate his relatives. “It’s never a good thing to be hiking alone in the White Mountains,” Saunders said. He said the lack of snow meant rescuers could not use a toboggan and had to carry the body, which made the recovery difficult.

      [IMG:http://www.wmur.com/image/view/-/38248938/medRes/1/-/maxh/460/maxw/620/-/ahae4wz/-/-hiker-dead-0000-jpg.jpg]


      New Hampshire Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas Andrew conducted an autopsy Tuesday. He said that, pending toxicology results, Timothy Hallock, 54, of Orient, New York, died of hypothermia.


      What the trail looks like


      [IMG:http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9a1MmAMAfro/U3qD7VhPY5I/AAAAAAAAHCQ/2UGJ-TG2nhg/s1600/05172014MountJeffersonOvernight+(29).JPG]
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:

    • It would be good to hear about contributing factors, when and if they become known. Everyone who wipes out in the White Mountains winds up having 'hypothermia' as the listed cause of death, but that's because everyone who's pinned down there eventually goes hypothermic. There might be a lesson to be learnt from how he came to be pinned down.

      I solo hike often, but winter solo or bushwhack solo are both beyond my personal risk tolerance. And someone always knows where I'm planning to go and when I'm expecting to be back, usually in excruciating detail because that's how I roll. (Ask Elf's wife if you don't believe me.)
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.

    • max.patch wrote:

      its just coffee. go to mcdonalds, give em a dollar, and get on with your life.

      from the wall street journal:

      About a year ago, Starbucks opened a “Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room” in Seattle, featuring its small-batch coffees. Sourced from around the world, the coffees are roasted on-site and might be served by pouring hot water over a glass carafe ($3.50 to $6.50) or in a 24 ounce French press ($8 to $13). Starbucks is expanding the program to offer the limited-quantity coffees and specialty brew methods by opening 500 new “reserve stores” world-wide in the next five years.
      Starbucks will soon offer s limited beer and wine selection in selected locations. Won't be the same as a good neighborhood tavern.

      A.T.Lt wrote:

      I hike solo a lot as well.
      Here's an article I read today which touches on solo hiking and this recent tragedy in the Whites
      jccrosscountry.com/2016/03/in-defense-of-solo-hiker.html?m=1
      I concur with much of the article other than submersion within the video game culture being a motivator to hike.

      Solo hiking is best for me though I frequently hike with others whom tend to be as or more experienced.

      Scout troops are the toughest to hike with.

      Lest we forget.....


      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC

    • A.T.Lt wrote:

      I hike solo a lot as well.
      Here's an article I read today which touches on solo hiking and this recent tragedy in the Whites
      jccrosscountry.com/2016/03/in-defense-of-solo-hiker.html?m=1
      Interesting find.. No I don't agree with the middle paragraph... but that's me.... death is final, and an unfortunate loss, quite possibly prevented.
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:

    • Wise Old Owl wrote:

      A.T.Lt wrote:

      I hike solo a lot as well.
      Here's an article I read today which touches on solo hiking and this recent tragedy in the Whites
      jccrosscountry.com/2016/03/in-defense-of-solo-hiker.html?m=1
      Interesting find.. No I don't agree with the middle paragraph... but that's me.... death is final, and an unfortunate loss, quite possibly prevented.
      I don't agree with the video games and being holed up alone in my room as an adolescent as a reason I hike, and or hike solo either.
      RIAP

    • A.T.Lt wrote:

      Wise Old Owl wrote:

      A.T.Lt wrote:

      I hike solo a lot as well.
      Here's an article I read today which touches on solo hiking and this recent tragedy in the Whites
      jccrosscountry.com/2016/03/in-defense-of-solo-hiker.html?m=1
      Interesting find.. No I don't agree with the middle paragraph... but that's me.... death is final, and an unfortunate loss, quite possibly prevented.
      I don't agree with the video games and being holed up alone in my room as an adolescent as a reason I hike, and or hike solo either.
      OK can we agree that hiking identification or notifying less than happy relatives might be the right thing to do??
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Wise Old Owl ().

    • Wise Old Owl wrote:

      A.T.Lt wrote:

      Wise Old Owl wrote:

      A.T.Lt wrote:

      I hike solo a lot as well.
      Here's an article I read today which touches on solo hiking and this recent tragedy in the Whites
      jccrosscountry.com/2016/03/in-defense-of-solo-hiker.html?m=1
      Interesting find.. No I don't agree with the middle paragraph... but that's me.... death is final, and an unfortunate loss, quite possibly prevented.
      I don't agree with the video games and being holed up alone in my room as an adolescent as a reason I hike, and or hike solo either.
      OK can we agree that hiking identification or notifying less than happy relatives might be the right thing to do??
      I do agree....But am guilty of not doing it! Theres been a few long weekends off the grid where I get hime and there are multiple messages from family wondering where I was
      RIAP

    • this is a really good idea...go to chik-fil-a, everybody puts their cell phones in the cell phone coop, and if ya make it thru then entire meal without anyone using their phones than ya get a free ice cream cone. some customers even ask to take the cell phone coop home.

      inside.chick-fil-a.com/all-coo…is-redefining-the-phrase/

      [IMG:http://inside.chick-fil-a.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/IMG_2062-1024x683.jpg]
      2,000 miler

    • I hike alone and don't tell anyone where I am going, but at least I carry identification and a cell phone with an ICE entry. If someone came across my dead body, and it was more convenient to burn my corpse or dump it in a hole and pile rocks on top, I would be OK with that.

      I played centipede one day in a video game arcade as a kid. I started playing plants vs. zombies after I started hiking. For me, there is little connection between hiking and playing video games.
      I am human and I need to be loved - just like everybody else does

    • max.patch wrote:

      this is a really good idea...go to chik-fil-a, everybody puts their cell phones in the cell phone coop, and if ya make it thru then entire meal without anyone using their phones than ya get a free ice cream cone. some customers even ask to take the cell phone coop home.

      inside.chick-fil-a.com/all-coo…is-redefining-the-phrase/

      [IMG:http://inside.chick-fil-a.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/IMG_2062-1024x683.jpg]
      I wouldn't need the coop at Chik-fil-a.....my phone would be at home.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.

    • After a train load of snow was brought in from Fairbanks for the ceremonial start of the Iditarod, Mother Nature decided to have the last laugh and dumped three inches of fresh powder on top of all of it. The temps were much cooler this morning than the past week, so I'm sure the dogs were happier than they would have been.

      I still have to go back downtown later today to see the Running with the Reindeer foot race but here are a few pics from this morning.











      “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” - T. S. Eliot

    • Ewok11 wrote:

      After a train load of snow was brought in from Fairbanks for the ceremonial start of the Iditarod, Mother Nature decided to have the last laugh and dumped three inches of fresh powder on top of all of it. The temps were much cooler this morning than the past week, so I'm sure the dogs were happier than they would have been.

      I still have to go back downtown later today to see the Running with the Reindeer foot race but here are a few pics from this morning.












      I always find it funny that they usually have to truck in snow for the ceremonial start of the Iditarod. For which is essentially a short run that is for pomp and circumstance only. Just to then start the real race miles away.
      RIAP

    • If y'all remember a few weeks ago that our old buddy Dakota Joe got shot in the leg. Now he's back in jail. Fleeing and attempting to elude Police, Resisting Arrest, and possession of a firearm by a felon. His address on his book in was "homeless". Surprised there wasn't a meth or heroin charge too.
      RIAP