To Do in 2023

PaulMags said:
It's the only kind we do. :) Most people into packrafting, I find, do the rafting portion and little of the backpacking portion.
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yeah... but unless you do things differently than I do, that gear really adds weight, once you have the raft, paddle, PFD, some drybags, etc. -- that nice comfy 25 pound pack turns into a 40 lb monster, so I sympathize when people don't want to carry it super far.
 
regehr said:
yeah... but unless you do things differently than I do, that gear really adds weight, once you have the raft, paddle, PFD, some drybags, etc. -- that nice comfy 25 pound pack turns into a 40 lb monster, so I sympathize when people don't want to carry it super far.
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Probably not quite that heavy, but I suspect we keep our weight lower than most.

In addition to our ordinarily light backpacking loads, our rafting gear trends towards the light side.

We use Alpacka Scouts optimized for up to class 1 or maybe 2 (at the most), emphasizing hiking-oriented trips, Ninja paddles (ditto), and MTI Daytrippers, the lightest type 3 USCG-approved PFDs IIRC.

Of course, the tradeoff is can't do harder Class II+ rapids, but those packrafts also weigh a lot (Though the new Refuge seems intriguing at 5.5 lbs with a deck and more whitewater capability)

I went on a solo ~65-mile trip with approx 50 miles backpacking to 15 miles floating, and I don't think the pack weighed quite that much, except maybe when I did a full water carry for one stretch.

In any case, perhaps I should say we hope to continue to do more PACKrafting trips ala this Reddit post. :)
 
PaulMags said:
We use Alpacka Scouts optimized for up to class 1 or maybe 2 (at the most), emphasizing hiking-oriented trips, Ninja paddles (ditto), and MTI Daytrippers, the lightest type 3 USCG-approved PFDs IIRC.
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definitely sounds like my style, I'm terrified of real white water. maybe my favorite packraft so far was my very first one down the Dirty Devil where there were fun riffles and rock gardens but any time I had any doubts about anything I just... stood up in the middle of the river and figured it out.
 
There is not much happening for me this year.
First of all, I am relocating and moving back to the Big Island on February 21st. In the last two months, I was flying back and forth between Seattle and Hilo quite a bit to get things ready. Iʻm definitely happy when Iʻm done with that.

March: I attend a photography workshop near Fairbanks, AK, and shoot the Northern Lights. Iʻm beyond stoked because I was saving the money for this trip for quite a few years.

My other plans are less ambitious but still fun and great.

Backpack to Halapē on the southern coast in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes NP
Backpack to all the backcountry sites in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes NP

If they can repair the road and trail on Mauna Loa, I want to backpack to the summit.

Do several summit hikes to the top of Mauna Kea.

Hike my annual 1,000 miles a year.

If I can swing it, I would love to hike the Kalalau Trail on Kauai.
 
kwc said:
My plan for 2023 is to live vicariously through all of the BCP trail reports.
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Come join us for some more....
 
Winter:
  • Take the entire family out to the mountains for a short winter hike
  • Take my oldest kid out to the mountains for a tough winter hike
  • Climb a very-physically-challenging peak (“very physically challenging” for me means 3.5k-4k ft of gain in winter conditions)
  • Practice using ice axe
Spring:
  • Do at least one hike requiring crampons/axe
  • Practice mountain biking skills (up until now I’ve never worried about improving my skills; I just go ride for fun. I'm starting to think it would be fulfilling to actually improve though)
Summer:
  • Go backpacking in the Sierras or the Cascades (I’ve never done a great trip in either range!), or maybe even both
  • Do at least two great (full-day) day-hikes (over the past few years, I’ve neglected tough day hikes in favor of backpacking and mountain biking. I’d like to do a little more day-hiking this year).
Year-round:
  • Take all of my kids backpacking
  • Do at least four backpacking trips
  • Learn a knot
  • Spend ~1 hour each month studying or reviewing some first-aid-or-safety-related topic
  • Don’t gain weight
  • Continue to resist the urge to buy a packraft (see regehr's comment above about the weight)
  • Don’t fall off my bike (last year I succeeded at this for the first time in years! Now I need to repeat that success)
 
b.stark said:
Would also like to do a proper backpacking trip in Escalante country in the spring. Would love to do a solid 5-7 day trip in that area.
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Any interest in doing a car/key swap for a one-way traverse from Halls Creek to Coyote Gulch? (see https://backcountrypost.com/threads...anyon-and-the-baker-route-car-key-swap.10016/) I was planning on doing this last year but the other party had to cancel for family reasons. I'm not sure yet if I'll actually be able to fit that trip in this year or not, but I thought I'd throw it out there as a possibility.
 
RyanP said:
Spring:
  • Do at least one hike requiring crampons/axe
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I don't think I know where you're based but the spring snow climbing opportunities in the SLC area are outstanding, there are plenty of great 11ers including one that I consider particularly easy on snow (Red Baldy). outside the Wasatch the twin couloirs beneath Deseret Peak are also absolutely worth climbing.
 
Thorofare in August. That's the only thing planned right now.

Major goal is to get back to hiking at least 1 day a week. COVID scrambled up things and I got out of the habit. The last couple months have shown me that my overall happiness is higher when I get more outdoor time.


I don't think I will make it to the High Sierra this year, but maybe.

Lot's of little trips planned for the southeast
Hopefully a bikepacking trip of some sort.
 
regehr said:
I don't think I know where you're based but the spring snow climbing opportunities in the SLC area are outstanding, there are plenty of great 11ers including one that I consider particularly easy on snow (Red Baldy). outside the Wasatch the twin couloirs beneath Deseret Peak are also absolutely worth climbing.
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I'm actually in the Denver area, but thanks for the suggestion anyway!
 
RyanP said:
Any interest in doing a car/key swap for a one-way traverse from Halls Creek to Coyote Gulch? (see https://backcountrypost.com/threads...anyon-and-the-baker-route-car-key-swap.10016/) I was planning on doing this last year but the other party had to cancel for family reasons. I'm not sure yet if I'll actually be able to fit that trip in this year or not, but I thought I'd throw it out there as a possibility.
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I don't do trips(edit to clarify: backpacking trips, I do other travel solo regularly) more than the occasional overnight solo so a car/key swap isn't super likely, but I'd be willing to do a shuttle for you if we're both in the area at the same time. I have been known to hike with strangers from the internet before, so if you're looking for company that could be an option. I also have no solid plans yet so we'll just have to see what happens.
 
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b.stark said:
I don't do trips more than the occasional overnight solo so a car/key swap isn't super likely, but I'd be willing to do a shuttle for you if we're both in the area at the same time. I have been known to hike with strangers from the internet before, so if you're looking for company that could be an option. I also have no solid plans yet so we'll just have to see what happens.
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Thanks; I'll keep you in mind. Yeah, if a solo Spring UT trip happens for me, it will likely be without a lot of notice since it'll get last priority for my vacation time this year (but I'd really love to fit one in!)
 
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