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Hiking/Backpacking/Camping/Questions Answered by Expert Mike
| Subject | Date Asked |
| determining hiking distances | 9/13/2010 |
| Q: My friend and I are debating how to determine hiking distances from a hiking map. The hike we plan ... A: It's true that you can't just use the grid on the map and say that if we walk from one side to the ... | |
| Hiking boot / lacing techniques | 7/23/2010 |
| Q: I am recovering and re-habbing from an ankle fracture. Getting stronger day by day but still need to ... A: I'll do the best I can. But first, generally speaking I think that all laces are too long these ... | |
| camping in Grand Canyon in octobe | 10/17/2009 |
| Q: I am planning a holiday to Grand Canyon next week. Isnīt it too cold there now in October to sleep ... A: You're asking a person who lives in Oregon and sleeps in a tent pretty much year round, including ... | |
| Boots with good traction | 10/15/2009 |
| Q: there... Not sure if this question is for this category, but it is the closest that I could find. ... A: I'm not sure that there are boots that offer great traction on ice. As for snow and other ... | |
| Looking for someone to join me | 9/27/2009 |
| Q: 3000 miles away from where I live in N. Louisiana I purchased only 1 yr ago 160 acres of land on ... A: Of course this isn't really a question, but that's ok. This book might interest you if you've not ... | |
| backpacking without reservations | 9/11/2009 |
| Q: My husband and I are backpacking beginners; our only experience so far has been a trip to Angel ... A: My first suggestion would be to (if you haven't already) go to your local REI and see if you can ... | |
| Hiking | 7/6/2009 |
| Q: Hey, Mike. About 5 or 10 years ago I read an article about 5 different mountain hikes in Alaska. ... A: You've probably tried what I tried, and that was to search for varieties on "five hikes Alaska ... | |
| Backing | 6/14/2009 |
| Q: Hey! My brother and I are celebrating our last summer before we graduate college and really want ... A: Some favorite trails of mine from around Portland. I'm not sure when you might be coming. If it's ... | |
| camping and backcountry camping in Rockies and Hoh Nat'l Rainforest | 6/7/2009 |
| Q: and thank you so much for this site. It's been a nightmare trying to find some answers. I'm ... A: My familiarity with the areas you're going to is limited but I'll be happy to share what I know. ... | |
| Where to camp in CA with no difficulty? | 5/16/2009 |
| Q: I am going to California this weekend. Is there anywhere within 3 hours of LA that I can hike n set ... A: I'm not terribly familiar with the west side of the Sierras. I was in Yosemite many years ago but ... | |
| Extended trips | 5/15/2009 |
| Q: Hey Mike, I've had this idea of an extended camping trip for quite a while now and I'm finally ... A: The longest I've stayed out was 9 or 10 nights and I was carrying all my food, not hunting or ... | |
| First time hiker | 4/8/2009 |
| Q: I am a beginning hiker. I have only hiked a few trails in Missouri. The trails are labeled as ... A: I'm afraid I don't have a good specific response to part of your question. I've been to Zion 3 or 4 ... | |
| Follow-up Backpacks with wheels? | 3/24/2009 |
| Q: My wife can no longer carry a backpack, but can hike. Are there backpacks on wheel(s) that could be ... A: If your son is able to carry a pack you might need only one llama or goat. I don't know what ... | |
| Backpacks with wheels? | 3/24/2009 |
| Q: My wife can no longer carry a backpack, but can hike. Are there backpacks on wheel(s) that could be ... A: At one time, perhaps 10-15 years ago a couple of companies produced backpacks with large wheels ... | |
| backpack weight | 3/10/2009 |
| Q: I just got an internal frame pack. I loaded it w/ its gear witch is 70 pounds and loaded w/ all my ... A: Ok, I believe that I'd do all that I could to lower that weight. Chances are that the bulk of ... | |
| backpack weight | 3/8/2009 |
| Q: I just got an internal frame pack. I loaded it w/ its gear witch is 70 pounds and loaded w/ all my ... A: How long are you planning on being out and in what weather and terrain? I can say that 70 ... | |
| backpacking/snowshoeing in may | 2/20/2009 |
| Q: I am trying to plan a trip to Colorado in late may, I would like to do an extended (2 weeks) ... A: I enjoy backpacking on spring snow. Normally, around here (Oregon) at least, I can find bare spots ... | |
| Spring Backpacking | 1/28/2009 |
| Q: I live in Northern California and I've been backpacking for years in the various mtn ranges that ... A: Perhaps I shouldn't have tried to answer this as I don't have a real answer. I'm planning a spring ... | |
| backpacking with a toddler | 1/26/2009 |
| Q: My husband and I are avid backpackers and are looking forward to taking our son to his first ... A: My wife and I began backpacking with our kids at this age, maybe a little before that age. There's ... | |
| Backpacking and camping | 10/11/2008 |
| Q: My uncle is taking me on my first backpacking trip this Christmas. He said i could pick a place. I ... A: First off, Mt. Rainier is in Washington, but the climate is the same as Oregon pretty much. You'd ... | |
| The nitty-gritties of backpacking | 6/16/2008 |
| Q: During the summer I volunteer as a scoutmaster for a Boy Scout camp. Last summer we went on a 3-day ... A: Sorry to be slow. I was off backpacking. 1) Cathole: I don't have much problem and find it ... | |
| camping | 5/15/2008 |
| Q: I would like to know if you could tell me where a good place to go camping in the Colorado Rockies ... A: I'm sorry to say that I've not been to Colorado (other than down by Durango) for a long long time. ... | |
| question | 10/25/2007 |
| Q: I have a situation. I am interested in going on a big backpacking trip. I am in the military and ... A: I'm not a hunter or a fisherman but have done both and was brought up in a family of people who ... | |
| sleeping bags | 10/24/2007 |
| Q: Ive been in the market for a winter sleeping bag for a few months and have finally decided on the ... A: I'm curious. Where will you be where it's that cold? Anyway, what you say is true. The proper ... | |
| backpacking near Kern River | 7/6/2007 |
| Q: Mike, I have done some light to moderate backpacking (5-10 mile days). A friend has asked me to ... A: I'm sorry. I'm in Oregon and not familiar with the Kern River. The river by that name that I ... | |
| andes/amazon | 6/22/2007 |
| Q: I'm planning a holiday for this coming August. I'm looking for something adventurous as me and my ... A: Hmmm...AllExperts tells me that I didn't answer this. I thought that I did. I really don't ... | |
| Andes/Amazon | 6/22/2007 |
| Q: I'm planning a holiday for this coming August. I'm looking for something adventurous as me and my ... A: I'm sorry, I know nothing at all (first hand, at least) about South America and the Andes. My wife ... | |
| Why can't you drink snow? | 4/3/2007 |
| Q: I've read that you can't survive for long by drinking snow. Why not? Best, Steve A: The deal with snow is that if you're becoming dehydrated AND hypothermic then the snow will steal ... | |
| Evolution Valley access | 6/17/2006 |
| Q: I would like to take my wife (we'll be married 7/1/06) through the Evolution Valley section of the ... A: I'm only familiar with the east side of the Sierra. But there have to be good guidebooks and maps ... | |
| Sequoia or Kings Canyon | 5/8/2006 |
| Q: I'm hoping to find a 3 day backpacking trip in SEKI. Unfortunately I have to go when snow is still ... A: I'm sorry that I can't help with this. While I've hiked quite a lot over on the east side of the ... | |
| What makes a good stove? | 12/1/2005 |
| Q: I'm currently undertaking a student design project focused on looking for gaps in the camping stove ... A: I can only address my views on backpacking stoves, which is a fairly narrow view. For a long time ... | |
| footwear/socks | 11/3/2005 |
| Q: can you recommend some high quality socks for me. My feet are always cold eventhough I have very ... A: Smartwool. They're the best socks I've ever had bar none. They're soft, comfortable, warm (even ... | |
| School project | 10/27/2005 |
| Q: I am doing a school projest that i need to no what kind of equipment that is need to go hicking ... A: I've never been in the Arctic itself but have spent a lot of time in high mountains which, due to ... | |
| Water | 7/26/2005 |
| Q: I just recently went backpacking and had a couple questions concerning clean water. First is related ... A: What kind of stove were you using? Normally water will reach a rolling boil at a lower temp when at ... | |
| shoes | 6/25/2005 |
| Q: it was very helpful and helped me to plan out better approach and so on. I'll get back to you if ... A: I use leather on snow all the time. I use leather for multi-day snow camping trips. But good ... | |
| Backpacking | 6/22/2005 |
| Q: That was some of the best advise I ever recived I really appreciate the time , patience and ... A: This is just a guess but if you take all you need in order to be safe, warm, and well fed you'll ... | |
| trekking | 6/21/2005 |
| Q: This is gonna be a long one Now this might sound weird , I am into trekking and hiking however ... A: Vinod, No map. That is a challenge. However, if you are sure there's a trail you can use that ... | |
| GPS | 5/5/2005 |
| Q: How are you? Thanks for taking questions from people. My question is about GPS. Do you have much ... A: I'm barely familiar with GPS units but I'm a geographer so I do know how they work. I just prefer a ... | |
| where and what to bring | 3/23/2005 |
| Q: I would like to get away from it once a year and try some camping out in the Western US. I only have ... A: Vague is fine. Almost all Federal parks and monuments of any size have camping facilities with ... | |
| pitching a tent on rock | 1/15/2005 |
| Q: I was hoping you could tell me how you pitch a tent on solid rock where driving a stake into the ... A: A freestanding tent is easier to set up on rock I believe. But both can be used on rock. I guess ... | |
| Long trip | 12/31/2004 |
| Q: Sorry Mike, I'm backpacking into the woods, and then camping for close to a month. I hope that ... A: Camping for a month with one trip in sounds like a challenge in terms of carrying food. I've never ... | |
| Long trip | 12/31/2004 |
| Q: Hey Tom, I'm an avid camper, but have never really camped longer than a week or so. I just have a ... A: The rules vary from park to park. The National Forest campgrounds here in Oregon generally, I ... | |
| Bryce Canyon National Park | 11/24/2004 |
| Q: I have been there a few times but i know nothing about it. If you could give me a little ... A: I'm not a climber per se so I don't know a lot about it. I suspect that due to the unconsolidated ... | |
| Food List | 10/21/2004 |
| Q: My brother and I are heading to the Grand Canyon November for 6 days. We've never been out for that ... A: When I go out for 6-10 days food is the heaviest factor in the pack. I'll normally take one or two ... | |
| Where to go backpacking with my nephew? | 9/27/2004 |
| Q: I am going to be taking my nephew backpacking in the middle of October for 3 days - we live the Los ... A: I'm sorry to say that I've not backpacked near Los Angeles. The nearest I've been is out of ... | |
| Backpacking | 8/11/2004 |
| Q: I am looking for a good backpacking place to take a relatively short trip(2 days) too in the ... A: Well, Cairn Basin on the NW corner of Mt. Hood comes to mind. It's heavily used but that's ... | |
| biogeography | 8/8/2004 |
| Q: Does the great ecological value of wetlands for the nation as a whole outweigh the rights of the ... A: I can only give my opinion here. These are involved questions. Landowners shouldn't be forced ... | |
| Hiking Distance | 6/18/2004 |
| Q: I am a realatively inexperienced hiker, but in considerably good shape. I will be going to Glacier ... A: I almost never set a distance to walk in a day. It's a vacation, not a death march. Just walk ... | |
| Hiking | 11/15/2003 |
| Q: Greetings! I am so glad I found you! I have a serious problem. I have been trying to get my friend ... A: It can be cold along the Grand Canyon in November but if you plan to stay in motels then the days ... | |
| Tips | 10/23/2003 |
| Q: I am doing a research, and was wondering wether you could help me out. If you are willing I want ... A: The very idea of going to a resort hotel gives me the cold chills. I'd simply never do it, period. ... | |
Hiking/Backpacking/Camping
Mike
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer questions about backpacking a snowshoeing in the American West: Mountains, Canyons and Deserts.
Experience
I've spent much of my life backpacking, hiking and snowshoeing in the Cascades, Rockies, high Sierras and the red rock canyons of the Southwest.
Publications
Just letters to the editor in Backpacker and Outside and my Backpacking homepages
Education/Credentials
B.S. Biogeography (timberline trees)
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