Tips from an old pro

[balzaccom]

We got to thinking on our last trip...and that's always a reason for concern. But here are a few tips we'll share. Not that we, personally, have ever done these things, but....

1. It is always easier to lift up your pack when you are not standing on the hip belt.
2. It's easier to cook on your gas stove when you remember to bring the fuel.
3. In a pinch, last year's campfire permit can make up for the fact that you forgot to bring TP.
4. Bug repellent in your pack is worth two bug repellents left in your car at the trailhead.
5. Waterproof boots are only waterproof if you keep the tops above the water.
6. The cairns you are following may have been left by a lost hiker who was never found again.

[jlweinberger]

This is fantastic advice. Thanks for posting. Made my night!

[Jimr]

7. long pants you pulled out of your pack and wore at the TH camp will be sorely missed if you pack them into your vehicle the next morning.

[balzaccom]

7. long pants you pulled out of your pack and wore at the TH camp will be sorely missed if you pack them into your vehicle the next morning.

Excellent!

And salt and sugar look very much alike. But they taste different, especially in your coffee in the morning.

[Gogd]

• It is worth investing in a metal cat hole shovel.
• A camp fire likes to share its smoke with you, and always knows where you are sitting.
• Raccoons are far more troublesome than bears.
• The best way to avoid getting a "water borne illnesses" is to wash your hands before eating, cooking, and always after going to the bathroom (because most "bad water illnesses" are actually caused by poor personal hygiene).
• Ear plugs and back up corrective lenses belong on the list of the ten essentials.
• Good rain gear and boots pay for themselves the first time you really need them.
• Best to stash your car keys somewhere near the TH, else risk losing them in the BC

Ed

[dave54]

The log you fail to inspect prior to sitting will be filled with carpenter ants.

The easy crosscountry shortcut on the map will be the most treacherous double black diamond scramble you ever tried.

The only flat level spot in the vicinity of your campsite will be filled with thornbushes or poison oak.

The guaranteed always reliable water source isn't, when you are low on water.

"There is no one around so I will duck behind this bush to relieve myself" means a cross-country hiker of the opposite sex will appear out of the woods.

Your secret off-trail campsite for solitude will be a teenage party spot when you arrive.

It is one thing to mistake one tube for another and slather toothpaste on your self. Quite another to brush your teeth with SPF50. Don't ask me how I know this ...

[Jimr]

"Your secret off-trail campsite for solitude will be a teenage party spot when you arrive."
I used to have a recurring nightmare that I was hiking to lake 9797 on Goddard Creek. After much work to get there, I drop down to find a road built right to it and a Chalet with a full parking lot.

[Gogd]

I used to have a recurring nightmare that I was hiking to lake 9797 on Goddard Creek. After much work to get there, I drop down to find a road built right to it and a Chalet with a full parking lot.

I hope your soul had mercy and allowed your visage to indulge in an otherworldly cold beer and burger that you didn't have to pack in

Ed