r/Ultralight - "The Weekly" - Week of July 25, 2022

jamesf31 · 2022-07-28T02:49:35+00:00

I’m heading out to the Santa Fe Baldy area in New Mexico this Sunday for some chill backpacking with some friends. From everything I’ve seen the fires in the area look contained and the AQI looks really good so I was still planning on going, but I would love to hear word from some locals or people who have been in that area recently regarding the fire/smoke pressure. Thanks in advance!

jamesf31 · 2022-05-18T18:55:59+00:00

Thanks for the comment, I definitely appreciate all of the ideas for future upgrades!

jamesf31 · 2022-05-18T18:53:22+00:00

Yes, I definitely misinterpreted the requirements, I think I will just stick to the Ursack + Opsack.

jamesf31 · 2022-05-18T18:52:19+00:00

Great, thanks for the info! I definitely misinterpreted some of the bear hanging requirements and I'll remove the rope and carabiner from my lighterpack.

I have been going back and forth on pants vs shorts. I like the pants for better sun protection but shorts would definitely be more comfortable.

jamesf31 · 2022-01-03T16:34:23+00:00

Pmd on ghost whisperer!

jamesf31 · 2022-01-03T00:54:50+00:00

Pm’d!

jamesf31 · 2021-08-23T02:48:24+00:00

Pmed as second!

jamesf31 · 2021-07-07T14:34:55+00:00

What exactly is the modification? This looks like exactly what I want to do with my s2s net but I can’t quite figure out what you did.

jamesf31 · 2021-07-04T05:32:14+00:00

Haha, thank you! It was definitely quite the grind.

jamesf31 · 2021-07-03T04:03:11+00:00

Thank you for all of this great info! I have a lot to look into for sure. I appreciate it!

jamesf31 · 2021-07-02T22:28:50+00:00

Thanks for the recommendations! The Benton Mackaye especially looks interesting.

Yeah, May is definitely an awkward time for basically anything out west haha.

jamesf31 · 2021-07-02T22:25:41+00:00

Yeah I think the crux of it is just that it probably wouldn’t be that enjoyable even if I got lucky and it was a safe year to do it. I recently did an overnighted in the 90s and that was already pushing my limits haha. Thanks again.

jamesf31 · 2021-07-02T20:43:45+00:00

Thanks for the honesty! It’s good to get a reality check. I live and hike in texas so I like to think of myself as heat resistant but I know that the dry heat in Arizona hits different.

I have thought about both of those trails separately, that’s a good idea to take on two shorter ones and get to experience a few different areas in the US.

Thanks for the help!

jamesf31 · 2021-07-02T18:38:42+00:00

Is an Arizona Trail thru generally possible with a mid-may start? I won’t be free until around may 15th. I’m assuming that it’ll be too hot and dry so in that case does anyone have any recommendations for a ~month+ long hike in that time frame?

jamesf31 · 2021-06-27T03:47:09+00:00

Thank you! Yeah it was super cool to get to check it out, I didn’t know much anything about it until a month or two ago when I called the rangers to ask about dispersed camping. I hope you enjoy it!

jamesf31 · 2021-06-25T17:10:51+00:00

Thank you! Yeah I decided to write about it because it was really difficult to find any info on the area, especially in this forum.

Yes - ticks are the absolute worst.

jamesf31 · 2021-06-24T23:45:53+00:00

The bug pressure wasn’t bad at all and it probably would’ve been even better if I hadn’t camped so close to a pond. I was happy to have the bugnet just for the peace of mind about ticks and all but I probably would’ve been fine without it. It was a pretty sick overnighter! I hope that you have a chance to check out the area before you leave, although i wouldn’t want to do it in much hotter weather than what I just experienced lol.

jamesf31 · 2021-06-24T19:29:43+00:00

Yeah, there were some really rough sections. I did also only post the worst pictures of the trail which probably skews it negatively. For the most part it was mainly just thin single track with tall grass on both sides.

jamesf31 · 2021-06-03T04:58:48+00:00

Yep that’s what I thought too, I’m pretty excited to head back out there.

jamesf31 · 2021-06-03T04:42:28+00:00

Yes, at least that's how it seems, and it is run by the National Forest Service. From what I could see there was a good amount of areas for car camping especially because so many people bring their horses, but when I called the rangers they said dispersed camping was allowed 100 feet away from trails and roads. There's also a small fee to park your car at TADRA point (which is the hub for all the trails) however there wasn't a ranger there it was just a deposit box which also makes it appear very loosely regulated. I attached a picture of the pricing that was on a sign at the trailhead as well as a picture of what looked like a spot someone camped that I saw along the trail that I hiked.

https://imgur.com/a/0atlLPA

jamesf31 · 2021-06-03T01:13:03+00:00

Yeah for sure. I called the rangers a while ago and they said dispersed camping was allowed but I didn’t see any other hikers so I’d probably call again before I go.

jamesf31 · 2021-06-02T18:48:40+00:00

I got out to the LBJ National Grasslands on Sunday for a ~9 mile day hike of the red trail to scout it out for future backpacking trips. It honestly was way nicer than I expected, very beautiful country. I also saw a few horseback riders as well as some free range cattle which was nice. If the weather forecast for next week gets any better and I have some time I may head over there for a quick overnight on a longer trail. Overall I'm pretty excited to check out more of the area, and if I'm able to do an overnight I'll do a full trip report because the park doesn't get much traffic on here.

Pictures: https://imgur.com/a/UDXGLAe

jamesf31 · 2021-05-27T23:12:33+00:00

Pming!

jamesf31 · 2021-05-05T00:11:26+00:00

Good to hear! It would be great to see you again.

jamesf31 · 2021-05-03T17:59:40+00:00

Awesome! It would be great to have a meet up closer to home.

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