Did you know fall hiking is considered to be the time span from September 22 to December 21? I didn't but maybe that's because I'm from Alaska. The time stretch provides quite a range of temperatures and weather conditions even at a single elevation. Last night we went to another REI hosted presentation on fall backpacking led by Bernie Wilt. We’ve been to two presentations before and this one was exactly what I was hoping it would be. The first one was on Fall Hikes in the Columbia River Gorge and another one on trail running put on by Salomon, which was really just a 1 hour commercial for their products. It did answer the two questions I had about trail running though. 1) do I need any special gear or considerations to do it? No. Trail specific shoes might help but they aren’t necessary. We did learn some things to consider in shoe shopping though like materials and tread design, but overall we don’t need to buy anything new and definitely not anything expensive (thanks, but no thanks on the $500 watch with GPS, maps, weather, and altimeter or the super duper hydration vest because believe it or not we don’t run super ultra-marathons). 2) Where around here are trails to run on? Technically, trail running is running anywhere but on the road/ pavement, but the only places they had to suggest were Forest Park (which we have yet to check out despite it vast size and trails available and proximity to Portland proper) and a few short ones around the Beaverton area, one of which we have already run on- the Nike campus trails. So, all in all that presentation was our least favorite. [...]Back to last night’s topic. Bernie was introduced as someone who has done more hiking with his left foot than the rest of us combined. He tests out all sorts of gear, but he also seems to genuinely enjoy hiking for hobby. He is also excellent at articulating what you need to know and why a particular product, material, feature is better, helpful, safer, etc. I pretty much spent the whole time writing down every word from every slide and I’ll post it all below in an outline format. I might sound like an expert, but really I'm just regurgitating what I heard, wrote, and learned. Hopefully soon, I can start putting it all to practice!
*Just a note that some of the links are not necessarily to a brand's site if it is a product.
Benefits of Fall Hiking (may vary by personal preference!)
- Fewer people
- Fewer bugs
- Improved forest visibility
- Cooler temps
- Fall colors
Activities
- Wildlife viewing
- Photography
- Fishing
- Mushrooming- or foraging wild apricots or other edibles like crawdads (which Bernie says are in EVERY stream here in OR)
- Read/ write- dont forget utensils
- Watch/ listen (to something other than the TV or traffic)
- Practice skills like knot tying, foraging, navigation, etc, or any of the above items!
Be Prepared
- Carry the essentials- dont get hung up on the "10 essentials" list. Just use it as a base.
- Be aware of dramatic weather changes- just because it says the storm will hit in two days doesn't mean it won't come early!
- Less daylight- plan accordingly- for example, headlamps and more time hanging out in the camp (get comfortable with yourself and hopefully don't go stir-crazy
- Wetter = slippery
- Hydration- tends to be neglected in cooler/ wetter environments which means it's all the more important
- Batteries- don’t last as long in cool weather. Recommended lithium bc they are lighter weight and better in cool weather.
- Test, test, test EVERY piece of gear (including food if you've never tried it) before you go! Try it out in your yard and make a point not to worry about what your neighbors will think of you!
Clothing
- Always carry overnight gear- even on shorter day hikes- you never know what might happen
- Carefully analyze weather conditions- check with NOAA, Ranger Stations, etc
- Rain gear- eVent, Gor-tex PackLite, Froggtogg's Driducks are his recommened brands
- ponchos- eXped poncho can covert to bivey and a tarp and are super lightweight
- bring extra bags to keep wet clothes separate from dry ones
- Hats/ gloves- you might wear them while hiking or when you go to sleep. The concept of sleeping fully clothed was new to me. For some reason I've got it stuck in my head to change into PJs and I'm always too cold then.
- Quick-drying clothing
- Layering provides versatility, less bulk, and multiple uses (fleece is a good option)
- Shoes- eVent and Gortex shoes are waterproof and warm, but don’t get them submerged. You also don't need "super serious" boots. If you have tread and they are comfortable you should be good to go. (This is a new concept for me.)
Backpacks
- Covers to keep them rain-free; super bright hurt-your-eyes orange is recommended if your are in an area where there may be hunting or if you are in need of rescue
- Liners- similar to covers, but go inside your pack, but are not made for submerging
- Use dry bags (the heavy-duty kayaking kind) inside your pack to keep items dry in rain or stream crossings
- Mesh pockets- good for airing out wet clothes. You can also safety pin the mesh laundry bags to the outside of your pack to let them dry while you hike.
- Pack volume- cooler temps mean more layers and bulkier clothing. Recommended packs: REI Flash 62, Gossamer Gear's Mariposa, ULA's Catalyst. Consider weight to volume ratios. For example, the Mariposa medium backpack has a total capacity of 69.2 liters and weighs 27oz. That's a ratio of .39oz for each liter available. Compare that to the REI Flash's medium 62 liter pack that weighs 48oz and has 0.7oz per liter available.
Shelters
- Use clothing/ sleeping gear for primary warmth. Shelter is secondary. You should be able to survive whatever temps in your regular clothes provided there is no wind or rain. Shelter is for protection again wind and rain not temperature or animals.
- Be prepared to use more guy outs to hold down tents, gear, etc in windier conditions.
- Space inside- shorter days mean more time inside your shelter, make sure there is enough room to be comfortable sleeping and hanging out. If there will be two people, use a 3-person tent.
- Ponchos, tarps, and bivys are also shelter options and can easily fit into a daypack for emergency shelter.
- Avoid setting up camp near “widow makers” such as large old trees and limbs (see storm set up bullet 2). Trees in wetter climates don’t have as deep roots (ie the trees on the coast). Be aware of areas prone to flooding.
- Ground sheets/ footprints- tarps and even Tyvek sheets that are used under the siding of houses (hello, Home Depot) make suitable footprints with less bulk.
Shelter Types
- Hammocks- bug netting, tarps, under quilts (keeping warm is the biggest issue with a hammock). There's a lot of good information out there on hammock camping. A good place to start is with Hammock Camping 101 (multiple pages) where you get a basic description, details on how to set up, setting up in a storm, tips, and accessories, and a list of other websites to check out. He also has a lot on hiking in general. And also, Just Jeff's Hammock Camping Page
- Tunnel and dome tents- best design for shedding rain and snow
- Tarps- more flexibility and better visibility than a tent.
- Pyramid tents- least popular bc they have less effective room inside and no evidence that they are better at shedding rain/ snow.
- Weight might not equal warmth
- Down versus synthetic fibers- Down can’t get wet but is lighter and best for sleeping pads; Syntheic is bulkier and heavier
- Supplement insulation with synthetic clothing.
- Sleeping bag liners- He recommends the Thermalite reactors by Sea to Summit
- Supplement air mats with closed cell foam (CCF) pads
Sleeping bags/ quilts
- Look for 15-20° rated materials
- Quilts versus sleeping bags: When you lay down in a sleeping bag the weight of your body crushes down the insulation and makes it useless. Quilts are lighter and just as effective.
Sleeping pads
- Exped Downmat 9- He claimed this down mattress was the most comfortable and warm and light weight. It also has a built in pump, and R-value of 8, and only weight 36oz.
- Gossamer Gear pads
- Look for higher R values for better warmth- just like in a house.
Cooking
- Fuel usage and type- in cooler temps you’ll need more fuel. Also different type of fuel. Pressurized stoves will have a hard time staying gaseous, so go with liquid fuel for cool and winter temps.
- Stove selection- SOTO microregulators propane type stove- very good in cold weather, remote canister stoves, wood gasifier stoves
- Pot selection- You'll need larger pots in winter in case you need to melt snow and a smaller one for hot drinks
- Fire starters- fire steel very effective in all temps and even damp weather.
Other Items
- Trekking poles
- Water bottle insulation- keep water from freezing or getting too hot. Make your own using Reflectex heating insulation and tape from home improvement stores
- Headlamps- handsfree!
Trails
- Columbia Gorge- Nick Eaton Ridge/ Indian Pt, Coyote Wall Loop
- Mt Hood- Solomon River Trail
- Oregon Coast Trail and Coast Range
- Local- Stubb Stewart, Wildwood, Silver Falls SP
Websites
- For Fall foliage- oregonfallfoliage.com, National Forest 800-354-4595
- For more information- practicalbackpacking.com (51k+ articles), absolutelyprepared.com
Things that weren't covered were food, bear bags/ protection, camp setups, etc.
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And for the best part....!!! Look what we won in the raffle at the end!!!
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