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I’ll be hiking the Pfiffner Traverse in a week with a few friends. We’re all strong hikers and each have a couple of high routes under our belts, so the only real liability is conditions. I’ve never hiked in the Rockies before – does anyone have any tips with respect to dealing with monsoon thunderstorms? How has the bug pressure been lately, given the high snowpack?
I’ll probably be up in the high country again in a few days. I can give you an update after that regarding bugs. I will say that every trip I’ve done this summer there have been mosquitoes, but the last one a week ago wasn’t as bad and I assume it’ll continue going that way.
As you know, pretty much all of that route is above treeline. It’s been a weird season for weather and conditions can be unpredictable anyway. We’re currently having stormy weather up in the mountains. Main thing is familiarizing yourself with the route, finding potential bail points, planning days with afternoon storms in mind, etc.
You may be able to get some cell reception up there and check the weather. I like the app with NOAA reports since you can pinpoint your location in the mountains. It’s usually pretty reliable.
Got out again for a few days. Made a loop by connecting trails via a cross-country hike and a tiny bit of class 3. As always, just another excuse to get above 13,000’ and eat candy.
Nice pics! How did the weather treat you? Is that a Motrail by chance?
That is indeed a Motrail. It’s the lightest 2 person tent I have. Not as much room as the one I normally use (lunar duo), but lighter for sure.
We got rained on a little bit everyday, but lucked out overall. We rushed down from 13,500-ish because clouds were building, but it didn’t start raining till we were back on trail.
love the idea of combining existing trails into your own custom loop! glad to hear the weather gods spared you, this time 😉
hombre, after thinking about it and seeing few upvotes, it’s be great if you posted little mini trip reports as separate posts, just so more people see them. up to you of course but i think people would be interested and inspired!
I’ll definitely consider it, if I have the time of course. Gear analysis, etc, is definitely fun, but the point in all off this is getting out in woods after all. Seeing others’ pics of cool places they’ve been is far more interesting to me.
well said! i didn’t mean doing anything in-depth, just the photos, rough location, time, distance would be enough. you could whip up a post for your current one in a minute. it’d be great to see a post from you. agreed that getting out there is what matters most, but think it over :)
Looking forward to a trip at the end of the month. Just a couple more weeks… until then it’s just trying to avoid getting too fat
Whereabouts are you planning?
The Uinta Highline Trail in Utah!
Hey! We are thinking of a hike in the Uintas in September, but never been there (normally we stick more northward). Any tips?
I’ve heard that Red Castle is the best thing in the Uintas and often overlooked. The most popular trail is probably Henry’s Fork to King’s Peak. Lemme know!
Cool, thank you!
That’s right! We discussed it a little bit ago. It’s definitely on my bucket list.
You’re probably just about to leave.
first week of September. it’s a high snow year so i’m going to let it melt. wouldn’t want to go any later
It’s funny how mountain weather works. We’ve had snow at the end of August or, like last year, we were sleeping at 12,000’ mid-October.
You’ll probably be on trail about a week, I’d imagine?
planning for 4 days, but I have an extra day if I need it
So, 20-25 miles a day? Pretty good.
Is this a good place for trip photos?
This past week we did a bushwhack hike that lead us to an off-trail lake, from which we hiked over a pass to other off-trail lakes. The quietude and isolation were really nice.
We’re planning to go out again this week. Not sure where yet. We’ll have to see where it won’t be raining.
This is absolutely the place for photos and casual chat. Nice photo! Sounds like a nice day, nothing like having the place all to yourself. How’s the weather been this year? How did you decide on this spot?
Weather’s been a little wet, which, along with the melt from the snowpack, has been good for wildflowers.
I tend to just look at maps for off-trail options. Caltopo with ‘slope angle shading’ turned on helps a lot. The hike was tough, pretty much 1000’/mile up and down, with tons of deadfall everywhere. But it was nice having the place to ourselves, especially on a weekend here.
that’s steep! i’ve come to appreciate slope angle shading after seeing it on some others’ Caltopo maps.
Granite Gear Virga 26L ~1lb currently $58 on Amazon. 26L internal volume, total capacity ~40L including external pockets. Someone on BPL managed to trim to under 14 oz. Great frameless starter pack.
That is a good deal. I use a GG pack for 2 person trips and they’re hard to beat, especially since you can find them on sale a lot of the time.
I was really tempted by the GG Kumo for a long time but ended up going so far down the rabbit hole I sewed my own pack 😋 i like GG, when are they on sale? around the holidays?
Oops, I meant Granite Gear in this context, although I have referred to Gossamer Gear as GG previously when talking about my solo pack. Granite Gear packs are easy to find cheap.
It’s way cooler that you sewed your own pack. That’s a skill I’ve been meaning to pick up forever.
That’s a skill I’ve been meaning to pick up forever.
Give it a shot! Packs are intimidating but the material is easier to sew and more forgiving of mistakes than super light stuff like tarps, quilts, etc.
That makes sense. My mom has been offering to teach me, so I definitely should.
I eventually want to make an FKT-style quilt for summer, that’s maybe rated 50* with a 30* footbox. Something light that I could stretch slightly lower by layering clothes.
I’ve been cooking in my 20* quilt this summer.
that’d be a great first project, based on what i can tell apex-sandwich quilts are pretty straight-forward. exactly how the differential insulation is secure i’m less sure, but you could probably just cut it and tape it :)
