The Hiking Thread

[O Really]

Speaking of hiking - we're carless most of today due to seasonal detailing, so we're taking the bus over to Marco Island to do the Sea Trail...
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/flor ... sland-area

Winter's tough...

How's the red tide situation?

Haven't had much issue all winter. None now. Some residual issues north of Ft. Myers, but it's gone now too.

[Vrede too]

10-year-old Selah Schneiter climbs Yosemite's El Capitan, youngest person to do so (with pics and video)

This 10-year-old just made rock climbing history.

On June 12, Selah Schneiter became the youngest climber on record to make it to the top of "The Nose" route on El Capitan -- one of the most challenging and infamous vertical rock formations, in Yosemite National Park, California.

... She was joined by her dad, Mike Schneiter, and longtime family friend Mark Regier, and their attempt to climb the full route took place over five days, including camping overnight on the slab....

In contrast:

Hiker rescued from Mt. Washington may have to foot the bill

An 80-year-old hiker who was rescued trying to reach the summit of Mount Washington could end up footing the bill for the emergency services, New Hampshire officials said Tuesday, amid efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of the popular tourist destination.

Authorities may even file criminal charges in the case, after two relatives left James Clark behind, Maj. David Walsh of the state's Fish and Game Department said....

Clark was found Friday immobile in the fetal position with signs of hypothermia hours after telling his two grandsons to go on without him. Clark was treated at a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and released Saturday.

"This probably wouldn't have happened," if the group had stayed together, Lt. Mark Ober of Fish and Game said.

Mount Washington is notorious for its erratic weather, particularly its high winds. A 231-mph (371-kph) gust on the 6,288-foot (1,916-meter) mountain in 1934 remains the highest wind speed ever observed by man. Two people who were hiking in the area have died in recent days.

Clark didn't have the right clothing or gear to make the ascent in freezing rain, Ober said. As a result, the agency will likely recommend to the attorney general's office that Clark pay for the cost of his rescue, taking advantage of a law that allows the state to recoup rescue costs when it determines that a person acted negligently....

Clark, of Dublin, Ohio, told the New Hampshire Union Leader that he blamed himself for telling his two grandsons to go ahead without him. They ended up reaching the summit and then returning a different way. With no sign of Clark by evening, the pair called search and rescue officers.

When rescuers found Clark on Lion Head Trail, they gave him dry clothes and warmed him up in a sleeping bag before carrying him about 2 miles (3 kilometers) to the nearest road. From there, an ambulance took him to the hospital....

Hey grandsons .

[O Really]

80-year old with no proper gear who wants to climb Mt. Washington should take the autoroad and then go for a walkaround when he's up there...
https://mtwashingtonautoroad.com/

[Vrede too]

80-year old with no proper gear and sucky grandsons who wants to climb Mt. Washington should take the autoroad and then go for a walkaround when he's up there...
https://mtwashingtonautoroad.com/

[O Really]

The grandsons were even suckier than I thought at first. I reread the article and saw "They ended up reaching the summit and then returning a different way." Seriously!! Of course they shouldn't have left him. Nevermind they shouldn't have taken him with inadequate clothes, but when he started to be distressed, they should have turned around and gone back down. But they effin' left him and didn't go back for him!!!?? I don't care if he said "go on without me" I don't think he really meant "leave me up here 'til I freeze." And even if he had said that, they should have hauled his ass down the mountain anyway. Somebody ought to get noticeably left out of the will as well as the Christmas card list.

[O Really]

Something wrong here. Woman disappears while hiking with husband. Description of 69-year old female included...wearing black bikini, red baseball hat, and hiking boots. They carried no mobile, apparently no water, and it seems they were almost back to their RV when she went gone.

Gonna be on ID/Dateline someday probably.

https://people.com/human-interest/woman ... e-husband/

[Vrede too]

Something wrong here. Woman disappears while hiking with husband. Description of 69-year old female included...wearing black bikini, red baseball hat, and hiking boots. They carried no mobile, apparently no water, and it seems they were almost back to their RV when she went gone.

Gonna be on ID/Dateline someday probably.

https://people.com/human-interest/woman ... e-husband/

This one seemed weird to me for several reasons, but I haven't seen any suggestion that it's illegitimate.

Missing Huntington Beach woman found alive in Inyo County; man with knife had chased her, family says

[Vrede too]

Vrede,

You think 4.5 hours is enough time to explore Cumberland Island? Gonna spend some time up there next week.

Gracias,

- JTA

It's a loooong island and you're limited by the ferry schedule. You can spend as much or as little time as you want. We began by walking all through the formerly developed, historical southern tip, which I thought was interesting. Then, we went miles up the eastern beach until tired (or it was time for the last ferry) and walked back through the central island scrub. The question is whether you think 4.5 hours is worth the effort in getting there. The beaches are covered with horseshoe crab shells. If you think they're as cool as I do take along a tote bag for carrying one home.

Good deal. Might as well spend the day there if I'm paying 30 bucks for a ferry. Maybe I'll pack my hammock and chill out somewhere if I get lazy and wanna kill some time.

Gracias.

Wilderness Watch:
Cumberland Island National Seashore
Attn: Visitor Use Management Plan

I agree.

[O Really]

You'd think that if you went far into the bush and camped/paddled the Yukon River, you'd not see a lot of garbage. Apparently not - at least not in one of the more popular stretches of the river. People are pigs (sorry, pigs, no offence intended)

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/w ... &ocid=iehp

[Whack9]

Found this while hiking in shining rock.

It looks like a fungus of some sort, but turns out it's a plant.

Indian Pipe.

From Wikipedia:

Unlike most plants, it is white and does not contain chlorophyll. Instead of generating energy from sunlight, it is parasitic, more specifically a mycoheterotroph. Its hosts are certain fungi that are mycorrhizal with trees, meaning it ultimately gets its energy from photosynthetic trees.

Neat.

[Whack9]

I'm up in NJ for the week. Went for a hike today in an area with a lot of brush. When I returned to the car my legs and arms were itching like crazy. I figured it was the brush or something irritating me. Well, I was somewhat correct.

Upon closer inspection I notice hundred upon hundreds of barely visible bugs crawling all over me.

Seed ticks.

Very young ticks that are in the larval (nymph?) Stage of life.

I hurried home and got undressed outside, stuck my clothes in a bag and showered trying to rinse them all off.

I had a bunch at this point that had latched onto me so I had to scrub them off as best as possible. I probably have over a hundred bites.

What a mess.

[GoCubsGo]

I'm up in NJ for the week. Went for a hike today in an area with a lot of brush. When I returned to the car my legs and arms were itching like crazy. I figured it was the brush or something irritating me. Well, I was somewhat correct.

Upon closer inspection I notice hundred upon hundreds of barely visible bugs crawling all over me.

Seed ticks.

Very young ticks that are in the larval (nymph?) Stage of life.

I hurried home and got undressed outside, stuck my clothes in a bag and showered trying to rinse them all off.

I had a bunch at this point that had latched onto me so I had to scrub them off as best as possible. I probably have over a hundred bites.

What a mess.

Never heard of them.....tick season is basically over, are you sure?

You sure it's not chiggers?

[O Really]

Never heard of seed ticks. Actually, I've never picked up more than 2-3 ticks at a time anywhere. But here's the story...
https://www.self.com/story/seed-ticks

[Whack9]

I'm up in NJ for the week. Went for a hike today in an area with a lot of brush. When I returned to the car my legs and arms were itching like crazy. I figured it was the brush or something irritating me. Well, I was somewhat correct.

Upon closer inspection I notice hundred upon hundreds of barely visible bugs crawling all over me.

Seed ticks.

Very young ticks that are in the larval (nymph?) Stage of life.

I hurried home and got undressed outside, stuck my clothes in a bag and showered trying to rinse them all off.

I had a bunch at this point that had latched onto me so I had to scrub them off as best as possible. I probably have over a hundred bites.

What a mess.

Never heard of them.....tick season is basically over, are you sure?

You sure it's not chiggers?

I think you're right. I've ways thought chiggers were small and orangish red in color.

The bites I've got all over my leg look like chigger bites though, so that's probably what they were. Maybe I had some ticks on me as well, because some of the hell demons had their heads buried in my ankles much like ticks do. But I think chiggers do something similar as well.

Man, no shit, my legs all the way from my ankles to my waist are covered in bites.

[GoCubsGo]

https://m.wikihow.com/Treat-Chigger-Bites

[Whack9]

https://m.wikihow.com/Treat-Chigger-Bites

Thanks man, but I already cut my legs off with a saw-zaw. I'm feeling better already.

[GoCubsGo]

https://m.wikihow.com/Treat-Chigger-Bites

Thanks man, but I already cut my legs off with a saw-zaw. I'm feeling better already.

And a coupla Bud Lites to kill the pain?

[billy.pilgrim]

Never heard of seed ticks. Actually, I've never picked up more than 2-3 ticks at a time anywhere. But here's the story...
https://www.self.com/story/seed-ticks

Didn't read the story, but there's a weed on Tennessee that farmer's call chigger weed. The almost microscopic little shits hatch out and cover the soft top leaves waiting for whatever happens by.
It grows alongside trails and roads.
People usually steer clear but it's not uncommon to get hundreds by simply brushing into one.
City folk are always touching things as they walk along, farm people - not so much.

Chiggers bury all the way in and are red. Ticks come in a variety of browns and only go in head deep.

Chiggers itch the most but probably won't kill you.


After reading the article - somebody is wrong

[billy.pilgrim]

Never heard of seed ticks. Actually, I've never picked up more than 2-3 ticks at a time anywhere. But here's the story...
https://www.self.com/story/seed-ticks

Didn't read the story, but there's a weed on Tennessee that farmer's call chigger weed. The almost microscopic little shits hatch out and cover the soft top leaves waiting for whatever happens by.
It grows alongside trails and roads.
People usually steer clear but it's not uncommon to get hundreds by simply brushing into one.
City folk are always touching things as they walk along, farm people - not so much.

Chiggers bury all the way in and are red. Ticks come in a variety of browns and only go in head deep.

Chiggers itch the most but probably won't kill you.


After reading the article - somebody is wrong

Wiki says

"The larval mites feed on the skin cells of animals. The six-legged parasitic larvae feed on a large variety of creatures, including humans, rabbits, toads, box turtles, quail, and even some insects. After crawling onto their hosts, they inject digestive enzymes into the skin that break down skin cells. They do not actually "bite", but instead form a hole in the skin called a stylostome and chew up tiny parts of the inner skin, thus causing severe irritation and swelling."


But nothing on "seed ticks"

I'll keep looking. My ex literally came running into the house screaming with hundreds on her

[billy.pilgrim]

Never heard of seed ticks. Actually, I've never picked up more than 2-3 ticks at a time anywhere. But here's the story...
https://www.self.com/story/seed-ticks

Didn't read the story, but there's a weed on Tennessee that farmer's call chigger weed. The almost microscopic little shits hatch out and cover the soft top leaves waiting for whatever happens by.
It grows alongside trails and roads.
People usually steer clear but it's not uncommon to get hundreds by simply brushing into one.
City folk are always touching things as they walk along, farm people - not so much.

Chiggers bury all the way in and are red. Ticks come in a variety of browns and only go in head deep.

Chiggers itch the most but probably won't kill you.


After reading the article - somebody is wrong

That was easy


https://www.self.com/story/seed-ticks