My Wife and I want to get into hiking out and remote camping. We live in NTX, any suggestions on good places to do this to "get our feet wet."
Also, what gear do you suggest?
Also, what gear do you suggest?
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Same here. My wife and I are planning on doing a 4 day stretch of Appalachian trail next year and are looking for places in Texas to get in some hiking and camping practice. -
Pack and shoes are the most important IMHO. I would go to an REI if there is one near you. Their employees are very helpful. You may pay a few bucks more on the item but they have a 1 year no questions asked guarantee on everything they sell. I would suggest the Texas State Park system first. Many of the parks have hikes ranging from 1-10 miles. Some have campsites that you hike a mile into. These would be a good place to start. I am hitting Big Bend State park in a few weeks for a true remote camping experience.Originally posted by Young gun 12 View PostComment
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Pretty broad questions there but how "remote" are you looking for?
Lots of decent hiking and camping areas around Lake Texoma, lots of good local places to get your feet wet. Look into our local Backcountry Hunters and Anglers group, theres quote a few beginner level hiking areas in the metroplex and north east texas as well.
For gear, go for as good as you can afford, I wouldnt worry much about ultralight gear until youre 100% committed and deep into the black hole of back country hunting / hiking.
A good pack should be what you spend your money on, everything else is kind of personal preference when starting out. I personally enjoy sleeping in my hammock with a sleep pad instead of tent camping.Comment
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The best way is to find a group and go, but places like REI also have classes and groups to join and are usually free. You can also rent gear from REI to try before you buy.
Facebook usually has groups that are local for hiking, just do a search and see what comes up.
There are many long distance hiking websites, guides and instructional videos out there; especially for the AT. Many ATers also have their trail journals posted, read through them and see what their experiences have to teach.
Youtube has about a million videos on pack outs for everything from beginner to ultralight, it is a great resource.Comment
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Would love to see a thread on your Big Bend hike. I am doing this myself in near future. Sotx...where are you and the Mrs. starting your AT hike at?Comment
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Tyler State Park!Comment
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This ^^Originally posted by White Falcon View Post
They have great trails that are good to start on. Cleburne state park does too.Comment
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It is. Just go into understanding that like hunting tackle (take broadheads for example) there are varying opinions on everything and the varying opinions for the most part are both right. As a beginner do not get overwhelmed and keep in mind when you’re watching these videos that some of the people posting are extreme light-weight folks. As a beginner you may not be as extreme . That being said, please take my advice, lighter is better.Originally posted by Rat View PostComment
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You say N Texas, so the Quachita trail is your best bet, if you want remote. Over 250 miles, through Quachita Mt's. It's a good place to get your feet wet, if your thinking about through hiking, pack in elk hunting, etc.. Tyler state park is cool, but it's a kiddy pool, and hard to get remote. Nice place though. Big bend is nice, but it's a drive, also water can be an issue if you like to wander. I like to wander.
Shoes and pack as mentioned, can break you quick. I've seen more people quit over blisters, than anything else.
Shoes are personal to me, as far as Packs, I would suggest Osprey over all others.
Welcome to the great outdoors
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The primitive camping at Dinosaur Valley is a good one to start with.Comment
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As stated previously, REI is a great resource. They can suggest equipment and offer hikes and groups to join.
Also, like everything these days there is an app. I think it is pretty good. It is called "All Trails" and it will provide a list of the hiking trails in a specific area, a rating of the difficulty and what type of activities are available, like camping.Comment
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Interested in this as wellComment
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But once cry once with hiking boots. Day hikes you can get away with trail shoes, but if you want to do some back country trips get a good mid weight or pack weight boot. REI has plenty to choose from.
Before you gear up and go crazy with it, pick 3-4 hikes of increasing distance and difficulty. Now is a good time of year to get started with it cooling off, but pick one of your “learning hikes” when it will be pretty warm so you can experience heat and combating dehydration. One of the keys to backpack is recognizing where your physical limits are and preparing to rest and refuel before you hit that limit.
Some suggested hikes that are not only good but well worth the experience towards building towards a back country trip:
1. Texas Lone Star Trail. Fairly flat and meandering. Good for covering a lot of distance without dealing with technical or elevation changes
2. Guadalupe Peak. 8 miles round trip with 3000ft elevation. Short and strenuous but the view is worth it
3. Emory Peak via the Laguna Meadow Trail to the South Rim to Boot Canyon and home on the Pinnacles. This is 14-15 beautiful miles through Big Bend, especially Boot Canyon.
Build up to a point that you get a feel for how much weight you want to carry and how long you’ll last on the trail with that weight. After several day hikes do a back country overnighter to get an idea of how much water and food weight you can handle and how to share the load of the tent and other gear across two packs.
Well worth the effort, you’ll see things not many other people ever get to experience!Comment
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Group of buddies from HS & College are getting a Hiking Trip thru Outer Mountain Pass @ Big Bend this summer. 25 miles over 3 days/2nights....
Got to get my fat butt going on cardio !!!!!
And buy all the gear.... tips?Comment
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