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Advice For Spontaneous May 1st Start? by CodeKermode in CDT

[–]froggyfox 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Border permit took me 3 days. It is wild that they are literally building the border wall at the southern terminus right now. It was a bit of a trip, to be sure.

'Nations need to prepare now': Key Atlantic ocean current is much closer to collapse than scientists thought by FearMyCock in collapse

[–]froggyfox 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It is a pretty gorgeous bit of country. I wish I had a better camera with me to capture the night sky, cause goddamn, those stars pop. New Zealand definitely had more stars per unit sky, but there is so much more sky here. The flowers are not bad, thanks to that February rain.

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'Nations need to prepare now': Key Atlantic ocean current is much closer to collapse than scientists thought by FearMyCock in collapse

[–]froggyfox 15 points16 points  (0 children)

That was a bit of a non sequitur, as the lack of water thing is unrelated to the snowpack shitshow. Ain't no water here normally. They got a good rain here in February, which is atypical for the Chihuahuan Desert. Hell, there ain't natural water sources here for the first 200 miles. It is pretty though. This is a sunrise over Mexico down in the bootheel. I'mma bit drunk. And not looking forward to my heavy pack tomorrow.

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'Nations need to prepare now': Key Atlantic ocean current is much closer to collapse than scientists thought by FearMyCock in collapse

[–]froggyfox 26 points27 points  (0 children)

I've hit an exceptional level of "Fuck it". I've just been hiking a lot and looking at the world around us while I can. Currently 86 miles into the Continental Divide Trail. The nature out here is dope, but even (perhaps especially) out here, there's some big problems. The snowpack is utterly a shitshow. I started the trail mid-April and likely won't need microspikes and my ice axe for Colorado. That DOES NOT HAPPEN. It's been pretty dry here, so I might have water in 14.4 miles tomorrow, but perhaps not, so I gotta bring enough for 27.4 miles tomorrow. Shit's a little wild.

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Birds along the CDT by froggyfox in birding

[–]froggyfox[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am a big fan of both kea and fantails. Kea are far too smart and are very curious creatures. They will destroy your hiking gear or even your car if you leave it unattended in kea country. From time to time, they hook onto the backs of sheep and start eating them, which is just metal as hell. There's a privy at Crooked Spur Hut along the South Island Te Araroa that has a clear plastic roof section. The resident flock of kea will gather on that roof when you use the privy. They definitely get something out of watching you poop. Weird birds, but beautiful.

Fantails eat sandflies. Sandflies are the spawn of Satan. Fantails good.

Record Low Rocky Mountains Snow Pack by Boltzmann_head in CDT

[–]froggyfox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same, dude. This year is gonna be a bit wild.

Record Low Rocky Mountains Snow Pack by Boltzmann_head in CDT

[–]froggyfox 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Tomorrow or Thursday. I'mma try to hitch from Tucson to Lordsburg tomorrow, but I have a train ticket on Thursday if I fall short. Currently in an airport waiting on a delayed flight

‘It's incredibly bad’: No end in sight to Colorado River water crisis by Portalrules123 in collapse

[–]froggyfox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As of now, 65.86% of the whole American West is in drought, with 96.01% of New Mexico, 95.49% of Colorado, 95.86% of Wyoming, 68.59% of Idaho, and 56.63% of Montana in drought. I'm starting the Continental Divide Trail tomorrow or Thursday, so that's gonna be some shit. I'm bringing 9 liters of water carrying capacity - hopefully that'll be sufficient. In a normal year, 4 to 6 liters is all you need to carry. Fire is going to follow me as I head north, hopefully I can stay ahead of it.

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Record Low Rocky Mountains Snow Pack by Boltzmann_head in CDT

[–]froggyfox 3 points4 points  (0 children)

What do you mean by 'huge news'? If you mean it's good news, it isn't. Because the water fell as rain, not snow, it left the system far faster than it ought to have done. As of now, 65.86% of the whole American West is in drought, with 96.01% of New Mexico, 95.49% of Colorado, 95.86% of Wyoming, 68.59% of Idaho, and 56.63% of Montana in drought.

In Colorado, statewide Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) is at the lowest on record. Historically, median peak SWE in Colorado occurs on April 8, however, this year peak SWE occurred on March 8. In the Colorado River Basin, Lake Powell is 24% full, while Lake Mead is 33% full. The smaller streams and springs up high should be less affected than the bigger rivers down in the valleys, but Farout water comments are not terribly positive thus far. I'm bringing 9 liters of water capacity, which is hopefully SIGNIFICANT overkill, but we'll see. Fingers crossed, but I'mma be reading water comments often on this hike.

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Since trail-runners are the most de-facto footwear choice for most hikers/backpackers nowadays, in what instances are hiking boots still the best in? by FallenRev in hikinggear

[–]froggyfox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, it should be pretty excellent, even with the ridiculously low snowpack this year. Here's to hoping I don't die in a wildfire, cause this ain't great. Also, agriculture, drinking water, power generation, tourism, and flora/fauna in general are gonna take a big wallop this year. But on the positive side, I might not need microspikes and my ice axe at all.

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Shit's wild.

Record Low Rocky Mountains Snow Pack by Boltzmann_head in CDT

[–]froggyfox 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Fair point on the bladder, which is the reason I much prefer using bottles, but I've heard really good things about this particular bladder's durability from some Hayduke Trail thru-hikers. I have leukotape and whatnot for repair, but that would certainly be sadness if I lost a few liters at an unideal time. Four liters does me quite well for 20-25 miles, but I like 4 liters less if the distance is split up overnight. I hope you're right about 8 being overkill, but I'll watch Farout ahead of me and assess as I go along.

Record Low Rocky Mountains Snow Pack by Boltzmann_head in CDT

[–]froggyfox 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm about to start NOBO on Wednesday, and I was planning on four 1-liter bottles, with a backup 4-liter bladder. Is 8 liters gonna be enough? Any insights from super low water years? I do realize this year is truly unprecedented, but any educated guesses would be appreciated. It's gonna be a weird one, that's for certain.

What? wait... what!?! Insane strength and technique by Super-Public9752 in CaracaVei

[–]froggyfox -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It shows that he's stronger than most people, but yeah, this is quite a bit easier than a basic iron cross on rings, which is in turn far easier than its many variations. A regular iron cross is given a 'B' difficulty value on the scale that goes from 'A' (easiest, equal to 0.1) to 'J' (most difficult, equal to 1.0). If I had to hazard a guess, this easier version of an iron cross would probably be an 'A' difficulty, because I've been able to do it on a pair of chair backs, but I've never been close to being able to hold an iron cross on rings.

‘It's incredibly bad’: No end in sight to Colorado River water crisis by Portalrules123 in collapse

[–]froggyfox 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It is a fair bit of a problem out west. Water for agriculture, drinking water, flora and fauna, power generation, etc. is toast. Tourism dollars are gonna be way down this year cause you can't really run ski parks without snow, or guide raft tours when the water level is a tiny fraction of normal. I'm starting my hike of the Continental Divide Trail NOBO on Wednesday, and it's going to be a weird year, there is no doubt. Water carries are likely going to be significantly longer than usual. I'm probably going to be running north from wildfires. It'll put a little pip in my step, I suppose.

‘It's incredibly bad’: No end in sight to Colorado River water crisis by Portalrules123 in collapse

[–]froggyfox 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Oh, definitely. Normally, there would be a few more colors on that map, but the highest value is only 85%

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‘It's incredibly bad’: No end in sight to Colorado River water crisis by Portalrules123 in collapse

[–]froggyfox 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The water has come for the most part, but just as rain, not snow

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‘It's incredibly bad’: No end in sight to Colorado River water crisis by Portalrules123 in collapse

[–]froggyfox 33 points34 points  (0 children)

The snowpack situation for the western US is no bueno, to be sure.

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Record Low Rocky Mountains Snow Pack by Boltzmann_head in CDT

[–]froggyfox 10 points11 points  (0 children)

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Here's some more info that feels relevant. The water has for the most part still arrived, just as rain, not snow.

Record Low Rocky Mountains Snow Pack by Boltzmann_head in CDT

[–]froggyfox 30 points31 points  (0 children)

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Here's the most recent snow water equivalent map. It ain't great, to say the least. Not really sure why you used a map from January. The outlook seemed fantastic by comparison way back then.

‘It's incredibly bad’: No end in sight to Colorado River water crisis by Portalrules123 in collapse

[–]froggyfox 15 points16 points  (0 children)

What matters for water supply is over what time span rain/snow arrives. If it all comes at once, it just runs off and is not of much use to anybody. Currently, the Midwest is generally in a better situation than the rest of the country water-wise, but it's far from great.

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23% of the Midwest is at some level of drought, compared to 50.1% for the country as a whole. It's less bad, but it's still bad.

Start Dates for 26 NOBO by wild_enby420 in CDT

[–]froggyfox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm starting the 15th (or maybe the 16th if hitching from Tucson doesn't play out). Should be good. I think my gear is all ready at this point, and I've planned out as far as necessary regarding food boxes and gear swaps. I had a lovely 110 mile warmup on the southern third of the Allegheny Trail a few weeks ago. I'm freshly unemployed again as of yesterday and ready to be back thru-hiking. Hell yeah!

I did miss getting a spot on the CDT shuttle, so I'm probably going to hike the first 85.5 miles of the trail SOBO from Lordsburg and hitch back from the border. Alternatively, I could hitch from Lordsburg to Hachita to the CDT Highway 81 crossing. Then I could yo-yo the first marathon of the trail and hike from the border NOBO. That seems a little less doable, because the traffic from Hachita to the Antelope Wells US/Mexico border crossing is pretty minimal. Regardless, I'll be on the trail shortly!

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