Backpacking in the off season

[Wyobohunter]

Who else likes to backpack during the non-hunting season? I think it’s a great way to get out and do something/explore with very little pressure. Just a goal of going from A to B with maybe a little something thrown in along the way. This summer I think I’ll hike the Wind River range from North to South (Green River Lakes to Big Sandy Opening). I may do this instead of turkey hunting this year and I’ll bring along the 4 weight rod and see if I can get into some Golden Trout along the way…. It’s also a great way to shake down gear, I’ll basically use all of the same exact gear I’ll hunt with this fall, with some minimal fishing gear instead of a rifle or bow.

Who else has or is making non hunting backpacking plans for this summer?

 

[2muchhp]

I use to backpack all year, older now so not much into the 4th season without a hunt but when able during the other seasons it's great. This time of year I just make it day trips with snowshoes and a .22 look for whitetail sheds and bushytails.

 

[Phaseolus]

I’m kicking around the idea of through hiking the Colorado trail now that I’m retired. My Wife has done it.

 

[Deadfall]

Who else likes to backpack during the non-hunting season? I think it’s a great way to get out and do something/explore with very little pressure. Just a goal of going from A to B with maybe a little something thrown in along the way. This summer I think I’ll hike the Wind River range from North to South (Green River Lakes to Big Sandy Opening). I may do this instead of turkey hunting this year and I’ll bring along the 4 weight rod and see if I can get into some Golden Trout along the way…. It’s also a great way to shake down gear, I’ll basically use all of the same exact gear I’ll hunt with this fall, with some minimal fishing gear instead of a rifle or bow.

Who else has or is making non hunting backpacking plans for this summer?

That would be a cool trip.

 

[Jbehredt]

I don’t, but if I did it would be in the country you’re heading to.

 

[Poser]

I backpack/scout every weekend + a couple of 3-5 day trips starting late June/eerily July (snowpack dependent) through the opening of bear season at the beginning of sept.

Ive been looking at doing the Wind River High Route here sometime in the next year or two if I can figure out the logistics.

 

[Squamch]

I hike and camp year round. My boy will be 4 this summer so I'm gonna start bringing him on short backpack camps.

 

[3forks]

My folks owned ski shops and backpacking stores when I was growing up in Durango. As a result, I backpacked A LOT in the San Juans from a young age and never really loved it.

In high school, I started to really enjoy backpacking and still try to get out as much as I can. The idea of thru hiking has a lot of appeal to me, but I don’t have the time to attempt one.

I have been considering section hiking the Colorado Trail this summer, but time constraints and competing interests are an issue.

 

[*zap*]

I hope to be starting my backpack in/camp trips this week or in a few days.. Luckily we have a few trails around here that you can camp along and a 400 acre or so peninsula on the lake that you can camp anywhere...those spots are real close to me so I can do overnighters with no trouble.

 

[hobbes]

I usually get in some scouting trips that are as much backpacking trips as anything. My wife and I are hoping to hike The Beaten Path through the Beartooths this summer.

 

[mlgc20]

I consider myself a backpacker who also hunts. So, I am backpacking year round. I often do two trips per year to the Greater Yellowstone area. And I do quite a bit of backpacking in the Ouachita Mountains in Oklahoma and Arkansas. This year I am hiking the Thorofare in Yellowstone (again) and also hiking the Greenbrier River Trail in Southern West Virginia.

 

[Wyobohunter]

I backpack/scout every weekend + a couple of 3-5 day trips starting late June/eerily July (snowpack dependent) through the opening of bear season at the beginning of sept.

Ive been looking at doing the Wind River High Route here sometime in the next year or two if I can figure out the logistics.

I’d like to do the high route myself. I may do that instead of the crest. Unfortunately my vacation dates don’t line up with optimal time for the high route so it’ll be snow pack dependent. Depending on where you are from I don’t think the logistics should be that big of a deal as far as dropping a vehicle at one end and getting a ride to the other. I may drive to the southern end and drop the truck. Then ride the mountain bike down to the highway, stash the bike and hitchhike north to Green River Lakes. Then I could pick the bike up on the way home. Or just hitchhike from Big Sandy all the way. There is enough traffic at Big Sandy through the summer it shouldn’t be hard to get a ride. And it’s probably be easier to get a ride pre-90 mile hike before the stink takes over. If you are serious about doing it this year shoot me a PM. Maybe we could work together on the shuttle situation.

 

[Poser]

I’d like to do the high route myself. I may do that instead of the crest. Unfortunately my vacation dates don’t line up with optimal time for the high route so it’ll be snow pack dependent. Depending on where you are from I don’t think the logistics should be that big of a deal as far as dropping a vehicle at one end and getting a ride to the other. I may drive to the southern end and drop the truck. Then ride the mountain bike down to the highway, stash the bike and hitchhike north to Green River Lakes. Then I could pick the bike up on the way home. Or just hitchhike from Big Sandy all the way. There is enough traffic at Big Sandy through the summer it shouldn’t be hard to get a ride. And it’s probably be easier to get a ride pre-90 mile hike before the stink takes over. If you are serious about doing it this year shoot me a PM. Maybe we could work together on the shuttle situation.

I’ve talked about doing the high route with a friend -we had to cancel our plans for a Southern Sierra high route trip this past September because of the fires. I think our logistical hangup is neither one of us really want to take the tile to drive to WY, shuttle and stage vehicles etc. ideally, we would be able to fly in and be on the trail the next day, but just doesn’t seem to be very easy to do it that way.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I’ve done a few long trips here in AK and I always thought it would be cool to do some through hiking but that stuff gets harder as responsibilities pile up. Work, family, bills, houses, pets etc. not sure how I would really get away from it all for months at a time.

A few years ago I was really thinking hard about doing the Appalachian trail, I got a bunch of lightweight gear and was starting to figure things out but in the end I just wasn’t able to get away for that long.

 

[JPM8765]

That sounds like a fun trip. I like to shed hunt with my pack during the off-season.

 

[ethan]

Absolutely! Up until about June, then it’s to hot around here

 

[dlee56]

We found a jade vein in the side of a mountain on my depredation goat hunt this last year so we're planning on making a backpacking trip back to see what we can rock-pick.

 

[justinspicher]

Id say I do more backpacking than I do hunting. Generally, I’ll take my pack for a walk 3-4 days a week when I am home. Sometimes it is just a quick walk around the neighborhood, other times its a full blown trip into the backcountry. This winter/spring, I want to do some longer snowshoe trips, maybe learn to cross country ski.

 

[Paladin]

January, February is when I get in some backpacking around here. Weather wise it's the closest we get to September weather out west and so it's the only time I can really check my hunting set ups / new gear. I have started doing a scouting trip out west over Memorial weekend and getting to where I look forward to it more and more. It is a great time to be in the high country.

 

[camping1601]

We do in the spring before it gets to humid here. Sometimes a vacation trip out west.