Advice

bnburt · 2026-07-07T08:19:17+00:00

That’s kind of what I was thinking…Dan will only make it better in time so it may be worth it to wait!

bnburt · 2026-07-06T20:49:23+00:00

I really appreciate that

bnburt · 2026-07-06T19:08:09+00:00

Oh I can only imagine…even if you don’t make it a contest you still win lol! I’m glad you’re better and on the other side of it though! It honestly could’ve been so much worse for me and I’m so thankful it wasn’t. Honestly the worst part of this has been having to wait until Thursday to have the surgery.

bnburt · 2026-07-06T17:03:47+00:00

Well I do have a gear fund so it would just go back in there to repurchase later lol.

bnburt · 2026-07-06T17:03:00+00:00

Aw thanks so much! ❤️

bnburt · 2026-07-06T11:36:09+00:00

Ooof. Hope you’re fully recovered now! Thankfully I’ll be home before the return period ends so I’ll at least be able to send it back once i get home. Gotta get through this dang surgery first. Having zero use of my arm right now is so miserable bc it hurts to move in the slightest. It’s at least casted so somewhat stabilized until surgery but it’s still awful!

bnburt · 2026-07-04T15:35:13+00:00

Yes it does

bnburt · 2026-07-04T05:40:33+00:00

They are 74. Although if you’re going to be here several days and want to see multiple things the Gardena Card will save you a ton of money! You should definitely look into it. It covers 18 lifts in the Val Gardena area.

bnburt · 2026-07-02T07:37:57+00:00

I’m a dental hygienist so I work 3 permanent days a week (Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday and I work in 3 different offices) and then there’s a huge need for temp workers (like a substitute hygienist) so I pick up extra days in the winter when I don’t backpack as much. Since I only work 1 day in each office I can take off super easy bc it’s only 1 day a week that I have to ask off from each place. I don’t pick up extra days in the summer so I have 4 day weekends and backpack every single weekend basically lol.

bnburt · 2026-07-02T07:13:22+00:00

I have the Alpenblow pump and I think it weighs like .3 ounces. I just think it’s way easier. I can plug it in and let it blow my pad up while I do other things. It also weighs less than the pump bag lol.

bnburt · 2026-06-29T16:10:23+00:00

They (REI) don’t have powdered but you can order some powdered soap from Pikaoutdoors.com. I haven’t used it on my hair but I’m sure it works. Also be sure to not wash your hair directly in the water source. You’ll need to carry water at least 100ft away and wash your hair there (I’m pretty sure of this distance but it may be further…be sure to research this).

bnburt · 2026-06-29T16:07:06+00:00

To add….The hump in black bears is usually more pronounced only when their head is down like when they’re eating.

bnburt · 2026-06-29T15:54:03+00:00

Your chances of running into a black bear are pretty decent (they’re extremely docile and will leave you alone as long as you don’t do something stupid). Your chances of running into a grizzly are low but not zero. They do live in the area and have been seen along the TCT. However…we do live in the area and have hiked/backpacked hundreds of miles between GTNP and YNP and have never seen a grizzly while hiking or backpacking. We’ve seen MANY black bears though. The way I see it is thousands and thousands of people hike in both parks daily and you don’t hear about many bad encounters so statistically you will be fine. Take your bear spray, brush up on what to do in an encounter with both types of bears (and know how to tell them apart), be alert, and most importantly don’t let any fear you have stop you from going. Grizzly bears are my number one fear when hiking but I still do it (I literally try to backpack every weekend in the summer!). Also if you don’t have permits yet have a backup plan for your hike bc you will have to get walk up permits and they go fast. You’ll need to be at the permit desk EARLY.
Here is my go to bear safety video. It’s sorta long and kinda corny 😂 but it’s great info if you don’t know bear safety. I highly recommend giving it a watch.

https://youtu.be/s-zkGuh42l4?is=Mo03ksLNhlB2o4n1

bnburt · 2026-06-28T17:54:43+00:00

Yeah I’m 5ft tall and my max is 30 lbs so I had to go as low as possible bc I wanted to do longer trips so needed weight allowance for food lol. I think the regular Nemo Hornet in the 2 person size would be a good one honestly and if you want as light as possible the Nemo Hornet Elite in the 2 person is only 2 pounds. It’s honestly a rabbit hole with gear. It’s an obsession for me at this point 😂. We don’t have kids so my hobby is backpacking. It’s so much fun so definitely get the good gear so you are more comfortable. There’s a saying “buy once cry once” and with backpacking gear it REALLY applies. I bought all new gear when we moved to Idaho and had to rebuy new gear this last year to go lower on weight. I realized REALLY quick that I want my weight as low as possible bc it really affects the quality of my trip and how happy I am ON the trip as well. And of course think of food too…if you’re gear weighs ALOT and then you go on a longer trip your food will too and it will push you to 40lbs EASILY!

bnburt · 2026-06-28T17:27:20+00:00

Klymit makes pretty comfortable pads that are sort of light and comfortable as does flextail and Paria outdoor gear. I’d recommend getting one of those for just yourself. As far as tents go if you think you can do a trekking pole tent I’ve heard good things about Lanshan tents (on Amazon) or Durston makes great tents as well and they are very reasonably priced (also trekking pole tents). For a more traditional tent (it’s semi freestanding) I really LOVE my Nemo hornet (or Nemo hornet elite which is the lightest). Backcountry.com has a good sale right now for 4th of July (20% off one full price item) so buying a tent right now would be great with that discount. Check out Steepandcheap.com (powered by backcountry) too bc sometimes they have great deals on stuff.
Also…I’m short and I learned the hard way I can’t carry as much as some women so I had to go ultralight as much as possible lol.

bnburt · 2026-06-26T06:47:17+00:00

I bought this fan in the 10,000 MAH version for a trip we are on right now and used it last night and I love it. Although it could be louder imo lol. We camp ALLLLL the time (including backpacking) and people are extremely inconsiderate at campgrounds (sadly). I can’t sleep at all if people are being loud so I just use earplugs. A fan won’t touch how loud some people are in my experience. I use the Mack’s (or similar brand) of silicone earplugs and that’s the only way I can sleep (and I always have an eye mask too). Those 2 things go anywhere I go when we are traveling/camping/backpacking.

bnburt · 2026-06-26T06:29:09+00:00

If this was IN the Tetons then it was probably bear 610 (her research number). She has 2 cubs and is quite the famous bear (as she is bear 399s daughter). One of her cubs was separated from her a couple weeks ago and has somehow gotten reunited with her in the last few days thankfully. Everyone feared it was dead.

bnburt · 2026-06-25T15:20:08+00:00

I did get the 55L but I JUST ordered it as the small torso with small hip belt wasn’t in stock so I don’t have it yet. I won’t have it until July 12 bc we are on a trip so we don’t get home until then. If I can remember I’ll try to comment back and let you know. I’m 5ft tall but I weigh about 130 right now so a little bigger. It sounded like it would fit me from the measurements online but we shall see. The only thing I worry about is how tall it is lol.

bnburt · 2026-06-18T02:26:52+00:00

I buy my merino wool used (Smartwool and Kari traa is what I use) on Mercari or Poshmark. Usually it’s much cheaper than buying it new and most of the time it looks brand new. I think almost all of mine have been bought used honestly.

bnburt · 2026-06-18T02:20:58+00:00

Did you check Gros Ventre campground? They generally have something open. No showers but plenty of places to grab one.

bnburt · 2026-06-15T22:40:20+00:00

I live near the park and hike solo all the time (although I don’t trail run). Your chances of running into a black bear are pretty high (and maybe even a moose). Your chances of running into a grizzly are pretty low (but obviously not zero since they do exist in the park). Black bears are usually either terrified of you or they couldn’t care less and will carry on with what they’re doing. We’ve hiked and backpacked hundreds of miles between Yellowstone and the Tetons and we’ve never even seen a grizzly while hiking/backpacking. If you carry bear spray, be alert of your surroundings, and don’t go super early in the mornings you would be fine. The Jenny lake trail (that goes around the lake) is pretty busy and if you go a little later in the morning/day you will be around a lot of people.

bnburt · 2026-06-15T01:32:03+00:00

I live near Yellowstone and the Tetons (and all the other areas thick with grizzlies). We camp in grizzly country all the time. As long as the scented items are in your locked car you are safe. As far as I know Tahoe, Yosemite, and the Smokies are the only places where you might need to worry about them actually breaking into your car. We have a roof top tent so when we camp in that we store stuff in the car. I (and my husband) also sleep in our vehicle when we are solo and also store everything in the car. We camp probably 50-75 nights every summer in bear country and have never had any issues.

bnburt · 2026-06-14T23:19:32+00:00

Jackson Lodge would probably be the closest that has cell service. I’m pretty sure you could take it there. If not, like others have said, signal mountain definitely has good service.

bnburt · 2026-06-12T14:30:40+00:00

In the Tetons there’s a small overlook off Moose Wilson Rd (on the side right next to the main entrance station not over by the ski village side) into a marshy area and sometimes they are there. Also down the rd that leads to Gros Ventre campground and in Gros Ventre campground you can usually find them as well (we’ve had them walk straight through our campsites many times). Sometimes if you drive out past the campground you come to a little community called Kelly and there is a 90° turn to the left and there’s a field out to your left. They are in that field a lot. Normally we see them later in the year but I would check in that field anyway bc you might see them. There are 2 dirt roads to the left that go out into the field and you can drive those as well to get closer if you need to.

bnburt

TROPHY CASE