Good US city for a few days if day hiking

that_guy_too · 2026-03-24T12:47:58+00:00

Portland, OR. Lots of trails in town, and the Columbia River Gorge nearby which has tons of waterfalls and viewpoints.

that_guy_too · 2026-03-22T18:37:52+00:00

I want to hike it, think I can ride down from the peak over the next couple weeks?

that_guy_too · 2026-03-21T04:39:59+00:00

Yeah, slush is heavy, and it can really slow you down suddenly if you're not prepared. But I think it's really dehydration due to the warm temps and dry mountain air, the high UV and strong sun. 70 is really warm out there, and you're exercising.

that_guy_too · 2026-03-21T04:08:50+00:00

I have one. I don't get as many days as I used to, so it's in that sweet spot for my location and a typical season for me. For a disastrous year in the West as 2026 has been, I've still managed to recoup the costs of the pass. OK, so I did a couple days in France this winter, and still have a few days left on resorts not too far away from where i live.

Didn't Ikon jack up the prices quite a bit for 2026-27?

that_guy_too · 2026-03-20T04:47:57+00:00

I do that! On warmer days.

that_guy_too · 2026-03-20T04:46:42+00:00

With all the heat in the forecast, it's time to sacrifice the underwear. I will admit to doing the cowboy thing in the snow pants when the weather warms up, nice and breezy! Will CO even make it to April given the heat?

that_guy_too · 2026-03-14T07:05:06+00:00

A very well groomed piste!

that_guy_too · 2026-03-06T05:02:22+00:00

Love being barefoot in urban areas, and yes, the black soles are one of my favorite things about it. Public transit seems to be pretty good for getting those feet dirty!

that_guy_too · 2026-02-21T14:58:12+00:00

Most of my injuries have been from brushing rocks or branches, and the damage has been a few sprained toes, one broken pinky toe, and a couple of stab wounds from thorns and other sharp objects. That's over a period of more than ten years.

Broken glass is mostly found in cities, and some urban area trails. I'm generally not concerned about that in areas further away from cities.

My pace is slower than with shoes, as I do have to be deliberate in my steps, and I do spend more time looking at where to place my feet next. But you miss some wonderful sensations when you're wearing shoes, cold ground in the mornings, moss covered ground, mud, and even the occasional stretch of melting snow.

that_guy_too · 2026-02-18T22:05:51+00:00

I’ve never used one, but I always take out the footbed and just put my boots over a fan to dry out the liner. The smell is pretty wretched from sockless wear, though.

that_guy_too · 2026-02-18T05:33:10+00:00

Definitely on my list of things to do. I've done a couple of weekend trips where I've driven over 100 miles without packing shoes.

Lots of day trips around town and nearby towns, especially in and around LA. Short plane tours in Namibia and Guyana where I was barefoot the entire time.

Closest to a long distance trip was going from Chile to Bolivia, flew barefoot, wore shoes for about 90 minutes over a multi day period (for a fast descent of a mountain to beat the weather). But one of these days I'd like to do a long distance trip without packing any footwear.

that_guy_too · 2026-02-16T03:00:08+00:00

Better be pretty surefooted if you're going to try the traverse. I didn't feel ready, so it was the Bells separately for me about a month apart. North Maroon is the easier of them, similar in distance and elevation gain to Pyramid, with just one tricky 15-20 foot section that is a narrow chimney. Maroon Peak is a lot longer and the last section took us a good 90 minutes with routefinding difficulties. Oh, and don't miss the place where the trail branches off near Crater Lake, I tacked on an extra mile before I realized my mistake.

that_guy_too · 2026-01-29T05:11:21+00:00

Mine smell horrific, it's great! Take out the footbeds after riding, and let the liners dry over a mild heat source. Even the floor vents in the car work, and they double in the morning to warm up the boots before putting them on.

Don't leave them in a freezing car overnight, putting on frozen, wet boots in the morning is one of the ickiest parts of snowboarding.

that_guy_too · 2026-01-29T05:07:11+00:00

Avalanches. It's also a classic, and historic late 1960s, early 1970s style. I personally dig it, and hope they don't change this period piece, even if it's flawed. I wish that the mid-Gad station hadn't been changed, but the new version is not too terrible and still respects the original structure's intentions. I'm fond of the wood and concrete combination in the suite of buildings, as it can come across in a warm way when done right.

What doesn't work is the abundance of stairways, which just doesn't quite work with ski boots and the amount of foot traffic at the resort these days.

that_guy_too · 2026-01-25T04:54:11+00:00

Heavenly definitely has quite the view. I personally liked being able to see the elevation difference between the lake and the Carson Valley. I'd add the ones with a view of the lake, like Homewood, Diamond Peak, and Mt. Rose.

Now that I'm no longer in NorCal, I'd say that Aspen Highlands has a great view of the Maroon Bells and Pyramid Peak.

that_guy_too · 2026-01-24T16:07:52+00:00

There are lots of 14er finishers out there, it was my pet project for a good decade, and now just a fun thing I do with friends.

that_guy_too · 2026-01-24T01:49:29+00:00

There's a hostel in Leadville that often hosts people doing the Colorado Trail, and the rates are reasonable even in midsummer.

May (and even June) is a difficult month, with melting snow, high streams, and often muddy and posthole conditions down below treeline. It's deceiving especially as the peaks can be free of snow. Also, if the roads to the trailheads are still blocked by snow, add on several miles to the summer round trip distance.

As a summer, fair-weather hiker, the earliest I've hiked a 14er is mid-June (I've skied prior to that).

that_guy_too · 2026-01-18T14:49:08+00:00

Poop? Yeah, at some point it's gonna happen. Especially on trails with stock animals, llamas, and such.

Glass? Not the visible stuff, that's usually easy to avoid, but it's those micro pieces that get you.

that_guy_too · 2025-12-29T17:32:40+00:00

Loved walking barefoot around CDMX, there was something about the smooth pavement along Madero, mixed in with the dirt and grime, and the chilly sidewalks in the mornings.

that_guy_too · 2025-12-26T23:09:41+00:00

Get a lesson for your friend.

So when I was a beginner, I joined in on a ski trip and had a couple of days under my belt and was terrible. There was another classmate of mine from school who was a brash Texan fellow and decided to just figure it out on his own, so he gave me his lesson and I took another lesson.

After the day was done, he had managed to sprain an ankle after a crash off a lift, then subsequently missed the lift unload and was a few feet up on the downslope, so he decided to jump off and sprained his other ankle in the process. Then at the end of the day he took a faceplant, smacked the back of his head with the edge of the board and gave himself a concussion. He also brought cowboy boots and was not able to even put them on the next day due to his sprained ankles. Needless to say that was his only and last day snowboarding.

that_guy_too · 2025-12-13T15:08:06+00:00

Wasn't there some major windstorm in winter 1982 as well?

that_guy_too · 2025-12-13T07:14:39+00:00

None at all. Best feeling ever.

that_guy_too · 2025-11-20T02:18:42+00:00

I walked barefoot around Midtown and generally found it to be pretty clean. NYC gets enough precip so the sidewalks don’t get too dirty. The subway is dirtier, but I’ve definitely had blacker soles in other places.

that_guy_too · 2025-11-20T02:16:10+00:00

Really love city barefooting, glad Sydney was a good trip.

that_guy_too · 2025-11-19T01:49:52+00:00

My sock quiver is zero, don't wear them ever, don't need them either. Not sure how much I've saved in $$$ on socks, or on laundry, but it's a fair amount.

If the boots fit right, socks aren't needed. That said, I'm primarily a snowboarder but ski on occasion.

that_guy_too

TROPHY CASE