Greetings from the Mid-West

[David Rule]

Greetings from Central Ohio. Found Backcountrypost by accident and have really enjoyed reading the different trip reports and all of the other great sections. Thank you for sharing!!

Quick introduction. Father of three girls now all grown and married (all the son in laws love the outdoors - Hunting, fishing, backpacking). The youngest daughter has spent a lot of time on the trail or in a canoe with me. Lived all of my life in the mid-west. Many wilderness canoe trips in my teens to northern Ontario thanks to a Sunday school teach who took us on one and two week trips. Where I learned to love the outdoors. Not many opportunities when the kids were little but as they got older I was able to sneak away on some solo trips of my own. Southern Ohio (Zaleski and Shawnee), Dolly Sods in West Virginia, the Adirondacks, Lone Peak Wilderness in Utah, Yosemite, and Colorado Rocky Mountain Park. Youngest daughter got interested and joined me on parts of the Appalachian Trail, southern Ohio and our favorite trip a week in the Boundary Waters canoeing. Posted a few photos below of several of those trips.

Now a little older, hopefully a bit wiser and with more time I am planning more trips for the coming years. Enjoy solo trips but that has mostly been due to lack of interested joiners that could get off time and where interested in adventure. The group trips I have taken have been great as well. Been inspired by the MyOwnFrontier youtube channel. Thank you Joey Coconato. A trip report from @scatman I found after watching one of his video's lead me to find Backcountrypost.com Not only to get out and explore more to new areas in the west but to learn how to take better video's and pictures to share with people who can't get out for one reason or another.

A few pics (not great photography but special to me) from some of my trips.

 

[MikeM]

Welcome!

 

[Rob]

I'm originally from the Cleveland area, now reside in Utah...welcome!

 

[gnwatts]

Welcome @David Rule

 

[LarryBoy]

Originally from the Cleveland area, via Michigan (yeah, yeah, I know... GO BLUE!). Now in Utah. Welcome! What parts of the AT have you done? See you at the sign for Newfound Gap.

 

[Perry]

Welcome David!


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[wsp_scott]

Welcome David, I'm in Lexington KY and do most of my backpacking in the SE (Red River Gorge and other parts of the Daniel Boone NF, Smokies, Dolly Sods, Grayson Highlands,...).

 

[Vegan.Hiker]

Welcome David. I’m from NJ so it’s great to have someone else on here familiar with the northeast, especially the ADK’s. Joey is a great guy to share the trail with if you ever have the chance.

 

[acbigbear]

Greetings from Massachusetts


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[Miya]

Great to have you! Thanks for thw back story! I am sure you will be contributing lots of trip reports and can't wait to see them!

 

[David Rule]

Originally from the Cleveland area, via Michigan (yeah, yeah, I know... GO BLUE!). Now in Utah. Welcome! What parts of the AT have you done? See you at the sign for Newfound Gap.

Thank you! And yes I should do the OH-IO thing but we can let that slide. I have done the 71 or so miles through Smoky Mountain NP and 55 miles in Maine. The picture was on a short three day loop I did with my daughter. Charles Bunion Loop. We had rain and snow on that trip as well as a black bear hanging out by our shelter for several hours. Have always enjoyed backpacking and day hikes in the park.

 

[David Rule]

Welcome David, I'm in Lexington KY and do most of my backpacking in the SE (Red River Gorge and other parts of the Daniel Boone NF, Smokies, Dolly Sods, Grayson Highlands,...).

Thank you. Practically neighbors. I have heard a lot of good things about Red River Gorge and Daniel Boone NF. I will need to try and plan a fall trip in that area.

 

[David Rule]

Welcome David. I’m from NJ so it’s great to have someone else on here familiar with the northeast, especially the ADK’s. Joey is a great guy to share the trail with if you ever have the chance.

Thank you. My first multi-day backpack trip was in the ADK's with the best man in my wedding. Lots of great memories and some very funny stories from that trip. Was supposed to be a 7 day trip that ended in 4 when we ran out of food. (College students can't plan) Spent the rest of the time in Lake Placid enjoying the pubs. Would not hurt my feelings to run into Joey on the trail some day. Admire that he is able to do what he likes best and do it his way. If his video's don't get you fired up to get out, nothing will.

 

[LarryBoy]

Thank you! And yes I should do the OH-IO thing but we can let that slide. I have done the 71 or so miles through Smoky Mountain NP and 55 miles in Maine. The picture was on a short three day loop I did with my daughter. Charles Bunion Loop. We had rain and snow on that trip as well as a black bear hanging out by our shelter for several hours. Have always enjoyed backpacking and day hikes in the park.

My very first backpacking trip was in the Smokies. Hypothermia, 65 lb packs, guy lost his shoes, the whole nine yards. Knee deep snow was just the kicker

What 55 mi in Maine?

 

[David Rule]

My very first backpacking trip was in the Smokies. Hypothermia, 65 lb packs, guy lost his shoes, the whole nine yards. Knee deep snow was just the kicker

What 55 mi in Maine?

I had a friend from college days whose parents had a summer home in Maine. We did about 55 miles on the southern part of the 100 Mile Wilderness section. We didn't have time to do the entire section but arranged for his dad to pick us up where one of the logging roads intersect the trail. He has since gone back and done the entire section himself and went all the way on to Mt Katahdin. Unfortunately I couldn't get off work back than and have always wanted to do the entire section of the 100 Mile Wilderness on to the end of the AT at Mt Katahdin.

 

[LarryBoy]

I had a friend from college days whose parents had a summer home in Maine. We did about 55 miles on the southern part of the 100 Mile Wilderness section. We didn't have time to do the entire section but arranged for his dad to pick us up where one of the logging roads intersect the trail. He has since gone back and done the entire section himself and went all the way on to Mt Katahdin. Unfortunately I couldn't get off work back than and have always wanted to do the entire section of the 100 Mile Wilderness on to the end of the AT at Mt Katahdin.

This is gonna sound strange, but you're really not missing much. The northern half of the Wilderness isn't really that interesting; the southern half has the cool stuff (White Cap and the rest of that range if I recall correctly). The northern half is mostly just flat woods walking. You can make great time, but it's merely OK. There's a couple of cool ponds with views of the Big K... but you can get nice ponds anywhere in Maine.

If I had to choose, I'd rather hike the stretch between Andover/Oquossoc and Monson, over the Wilderness. That's a really cool stretch of trail. OTOH, Katahdin is a really, really cool mountain.

 

[David Rule]

This is gonna sound strange, but you're really not missing much. The northern half of the Wilderness isn't really that interesting; the southern half has the cool stuff (White Cap and the rest of that range if I recall correctly). The northern half is mostly just flat woods walking. You can make great time, but it's merely OK. There's a couple of cool ponds with views of the Big K... but you can get nice ponds anywhere in Maine.

If I had to choose, I'd rather hike the stretch between Andover/Oquossoc and Monson, over the Wilderness. That's a really cool stretch of trail. OTOH, Katahdin is a really, really cool mountain.

So many spots on my list and so little time. I have the same thing from several people I have talked to the did the whole AT. They really liked the area south of Monson. That trip was over thirty years ago right out of college.


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[DrNed]

via Michigan (yeah, yeah, I know... GO BLUE!)

I knew there was a reason I loved you!

@David Rule We'll just call BCP the DMZ for midwesterners.

In all seriousness, welcome. Glad you're here!

 

[LarryBoy]

I knew there was a reason I loved you!

@David Rule We'll just call BCP the DMZ for midwesterners.

In all seriousness, welcome. Glad you're here!

And by "DMZ", you mean "Toledo Strip"?

 

[Vegan.Hiker]

Thank you. My first multi-day backpack trip was in the ADK's with the best man in my wedding. Lots of great memories and some very funny stories from that trip. Was supposed to be a 7 day trip that ended in 4 when we ran out of food. (College students can't plan) Spent the rest of the time in Lake Placid enjoying the pubs. Would not hurt my feelings to run into Joey on the trail some day. Admire that he is able to do what he likes best and do it his way. If his video's don't get you fired up to get out, nothing will.

Hey, better than a 4 day trip that went 7! I’m guessing you were at the Lake Placid Brewery. Good spot for drinks after a trip!