Dave Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 Just got back from hiking at Shenandoah Valley National Park over the past four days. Excellent trails leading to spectacular views. I figured I'd start a Hiking thread so we could discuss some of the areas we hike, gear we take along, share photos, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morphinity 2.0 Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 Two places I've been: Acadia National Park - absolutely beautiful and the trails aren't treacherous. The views are wonderful and being close to Bar Harbor is great. I recommend it to anybody. Breakneck Ridge - it's near West Point, and it has gorgeous views of the Hudson River. I went last fall and the colors were great. It's not as treacherous as it sounds, but it's definitely a moderate hike I've also hiked the Sourland Mountains in NJ, but they're nothing special. It's just a nice trail. I'm always interested in new places to go. I'd love to hit up as many national parks as I can over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siddious Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 I am jealous. I have been wanting to go hiking for about 2 years now but have not actually done it. Problem is I dont know where to go. Used to do a lot of hiking as a kid whenever I would go visit family back in Poland. Miss doing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted June 24, 2013 Author Share Posted June 24, 2013 I'll start. I left NJ at 2:00am this past Wednesday morning to hit sunrise at Great Falls, VA. First thing of note, sunrise was at 5:44 a.m. but the park didn't open until 7:00 according to research. Still, I found a bunch of shots of sunrise at the falls online so I knew there must be a way in. No one shared that online, though. When my buddy and I got to the falls around 5:15, we realized we had a problem. You take a long drive into the park area, but don't get to the gate, which was closed but not locked. We could have parked somewhere far away and walked about a mile to get in, but we didn't have that kind of time to get set up for sunrise. I sent my buddy in to shoot while I waited with the car. At 6:00am someone showed up to open the gate and I headed in. The sun had already come up but the light was still good enough to get some shots in. The falls are spectacular. There are three official overlook areas and plenty of stern warnings not to wander off the beaten path. I figured the first overlook would be for suckers, so went right for number 2. I didn't find my friend there, but set up and started shooting. After a while, I headed over to the third overlook and my friend was there. We shot there for some time, then we went back to overlook 2 so he could shoot there. The light was starting to get too harsh and the angle bad, so we packed up to head on to our next stop. As we passed the trail to Overlook 1 we figured we'd give it a quick peek. Of course, it was the best viewing area of the three. We broke out our camera gear again and shot for a while, but the light was terrible at that point. Lesson learned. We then packed our stuff in the car and took a scouting run for next time. By ignoring some warning signs, we found some better close in views that we could hike to so long as the water level was reasonable. I will say that I'd follow their advice about getting too close to the water. Many of the rocks were wet and slippery, I went down once in a small offshoot creek. Had I been close to the river, I could have easily gone in. And the water here is rapid. Still, as long as you're careful and give the river a wide berth, you can get to some better spots than the overlook. We headed back to the car, I changed out of some wet clothes and we left the park for the hour and a half ride to Shenandoah Valley. I'll post up part two of the trip soon. I'm still waiting on the 600 or so photos I took to transfer from my laptop to my desktop computer. I'll process some of those up and include them as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYRangers92 Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 Going hiking in Romania in three weeks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronxy Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 hudson valley is the easiest area to access if you're coming from NYC. You just take the hudson line to breakneck ridge (metro north only stops at the breakneck stop on the weekends) and just follow the huge mob of people who are all wearing backpacks. ColdSpring to Beacon has a trail that you can hike from one town to the next. The area is pretty awesome. I am a bit biased since i live there These three are the most popular Breakneck (fun rock scramble) http://www.nynjtc.org/hike/breakneck-ridge-trail Mt Beacon http://www.nynjtc.org/park/mount-beacon-park Mt Taurus http://www.nynjtc.org/hike/east-hudson-highlands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Falco Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 Well this is quickly going to become my favorite thread :D If everything goes well, I will be taking a two week long trip out west in August. I'd like to get a new pair of hiking shoes.. Recommendations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYRangers92 Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 I just bought merrell moab boots. Haven't tested them on terrain yet but they were very comfortable when I tried them on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 So what you guys are telling me is that we need to schedule a BSBH summer hike? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rizz GAWD Lav No Cap FrFr Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 So what you guys are telling me is that we need to schedule a BSBH summer hike? I like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puck Head Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 Canoe Kayak Mountain Bike Paddle Board All things I enjoy on a regular basis with my son. Hiking is something he does with his mother.....it's just not my cup of tea. I think i'm too impatient and lazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morphinity 2.0 Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 So what you guys are telling me is that we need to schedule a BSBH summer hike? Teambuilding. We can do trust falls... ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Falco Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 Ok, so I'm taking a big trip out west in August for 2 maybe 3 weeks. Hiking will definitely be a significant part of the trip so I'd like to get some new gear for it. Can some of the hikers here recommend a solid backpack and hiking shoes? Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 Ok, so I'm taking a big trip out west in August for 2 maybe 3 weeks. Hiking will definitely be a significant part of the trip so I'd like to get some new gear for it. Can some of the hikers here recommend a solid backpack and hiking shoes? Thanks in advance. I always recommend people to go to REI for advice on hiking, camping and other outdoorsy gear. It's well worth it to become a member. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYRangers92 Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Hiking up Moldoveanu in about an hour. Still insanely sore from yesterday. Best way to combat soreness without some sort of electrolytes available? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momentum Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 I used to live in Cold Spring literally at the foot of Breakneck mountain (the mountain was my backyard) So that is one hike I know and can recommend, the view is awesome from up there and you see Manhattan to the south on a clear day in the distance. On another note the best hike I have ever been on and I can recommend to ANY hiker of ANY experience is the Kungsleden "The Kings Trail" in northern Sweden. One of the best most beautiful hikes in the world. It's a trail about 270 miles long through the unspoiled and extremely beautiful wilderness of northern Sweden. One of the few real wild places left in Europe. My family on my mothers side comes from this area so I used to spend a lot of times in this area growing up as a kid. Seriously if you're into hiking and love nature this trail alone is worth going to Sweden for, never mind all the other things to see and do in Sweden. You will NOT regret it. It creates great memories that last a lifetime for almost anyone who hikes it I think. Here's some clips from it that ofc doesn't do the real thing justice but at least you can get an idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Some of the best hiking I've done was in Sweden too. Never went further north than ?lvdalen near the Siljan Lake, but my goodness, is the nature incredible over there and basically incredible throughout Sweden. From the fields and plains of Smaland to the great lakes and even the city parks of Stockholm. I've seen a lot of beautiful forests and mountain ranges, but very few offer more splendid and pristine views than Sweden. As far as hiking in the US, I can recommend the Appalachians around the Smokey Mountains, including the daytrip on foot to the top of Clingman's Dome. Shenandoah Valley is equally amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYRangers92 Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 So the mountain today wasn't moldoveanu but it was still intense. Really enjoying it though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Ok, so I'm taking a big trip out west in August for 2 maybe 3 weeks. Hiking will definitely be a significant part of the trip so I'd like to get some new gear for it. Can some of the hikers here recommend a solid backpack and hiking shoes? Thanks in advance. Dan, Jules is right about going into a place like REI or EMS or the boots. You're gonna want to actually try them on and move in them to make sure you are comfortable, but packs are easier. My suggestion is anything Dakine. Very useful and efficient packs that actually look cool too. How long will your hikes be? Day hikes? Overnighters? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Ok, so I'm taking a big trip out west in August for 2 maybe 3 weeks. Hiking will definitely be a significant part of the trip so I'd like to get some new gear for it. Can some of the hikers here recommend a solid backpack and hiking shoes? Thanks in advance. I have a Gregory pack that's pretty awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momentum Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 I always recommend people to go to REI for advice on hiking, camping and other outdoorsy gear. It's well worth it to become a member. AGREED, REI is awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momentum Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Some of the best hiking I've done was in Sweden too. Never went further north than ?lvdalen near the Siljan Lake, but my goodness, is the nature incredible over there and basically incredible throughout Sweden. From the fields and plains of Smaland to the great lakes and even the city parks of Stockholm. I've seen a lot of beautiful forests and mountain ranges, but very few offer more splendid and pristine views than Sweden. As far as hiking in the US, I can recommend the Appalachians around the Smokey Mountains, including the daytrip on foot to the top of Clingman's Dome. Shenandoah Valley is equally amazing. I have to do Shenandoah Valley.....if it wasn't for all these damn kids slowing me down..lol...oh well...in a few years they can join me :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momentum Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Two places I've been: Acadia National Park - absolutely beautiful and the trails aren't treacherous. The views are wonderful and being close to Bar Harbor is great. I recommend it to anybody. Breakneck Ridge - it's near West Point, and it has gorgeous views of the Hudson River. I went last fall and the colors were great. It's not as treacherous as it sounds, but it's definitely a moderate hike I've also hiked the Sourland Mountains in NJ, but they're nothing special. It's just a nice trail. I'm always interested in new places to go. I'd love to hit up as many national parks as I can over time. Acadia National Park man....I agree. One of my favorite spots in the world. Just amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siddious Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 definitely gonna go for a hike upstate somewhere once it cools off a bit. any suggestions for someone who hasnt been hiking since he was a kid; and has never hiked in the U.S.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 definitely gonna go for a hike upstate somewhere once it cools off a bit. any suggestions for someone who hasnt been hiking since he was a kid; and has never hiked in the U.S.? Check Ronxy's post from earlier: http://www.blueshirtsbrotherhood.com/showthread.php?10170-Official-Hiking-Thread&p=512111&viewfull=1#post512111 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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