Do you guys prefer short, but steep hikes, or long hikes with gentle slopes?For instance, going 3000ft elevation gain in ~2-3mi vs 10-15mi
a good hike should be 500 ft of elevation gain or less
>>2751706Don't you ever want to get to the top of a hill or mountain though?
>>2751708there should be a road to get you close enough.500 is still plenty of workout
>>2751705For class 1 walkups, I prefer longer hikes with gradual elevation changesOn steeper slopes, I prefer climbing routes to hiking trails
>>2751705I do both.>>2751706Ask me how I know you're fat.>>2751713I prefer the trails with the least people on them... those are usually the ones with the most elevation gain.
>>2751705My preference is for hikes that take me cool places.Generally the views are better on steeper hikes.>>2752060Unfortunately steep short hikes to cool places still often see lots of traffic. You just have to deal with it though.
>>2752092>Steep short hikes see lots of trafficAnything over 3 miles with over 2k feet elevation gain is almost always a ghost town--especially if you go on a week day.There are thousands of miles of hikes and hundreds of trail heads near me and probably 90% of people always go to the same 10% of the places.The flat hikes absolutely are exponentially more trafficked than the ones with elevation gain.
>>2751709Might as well just take a road all the way to the top, faggot
>>2751705Loops with super steep ascents and long, smooth descents. >trailrunnerfag
I have a strong preference for very steep hikes with high elevation gain. 2000 meters for example.
>>2752273>Anything over 3 miles with over 2k feet elevation gain is almost always a ghost town--especially if you go on a week day.the fuck? not where i live. actually, the long hikes (>10mi) with no elevation gain are way emptier than many hikes with tons (>3k ft) elevation gain.
>>2752335road that drops you off at the top of the ridge and then the trail is along the ridge is pretty nicethere can still be substantial elevation gain just on the ridge itself as well as obstacles like mud, roots, rocks, fallen trees, and other factors that still make it plenty of a workout. I don't get why everyone here is so eager to prove they do the hardest hikes of all.
>>2753959Are you in New England?
>>2751705I like both.
>>2754026nope, washington. people love the mountains here. can't blame them but stopping to let 100 people pass while going downhill after a hard climb is about as far from a good time as i can imagine.
>>2753965>I don't get why everyone here is so eager to prove they do the hardest hikes of all.Because we like challenging ourselves, testing our physical limits and seeing what we're capable of, fatty
>>2754026When I was in Vermont there was probably a good 30+ cars at the lot to go up Mt Mansfield. Saw at least 9 or so people while going up the route i had picked as well
>>2751705I like "3 hour" hikes up steep mountains that I try to do in 90 minutes. It's ideal cardio and really fun to run down
>>2751705I came here to post >>2752092>My preference is for hikes that take me cool places.>Generally the views are better on steeper hikes.
>>2751706Per mile, right?Right?
>>2754460Why would you say this?
>>2751705Personally I despise long mild elevation.I'm taking a very intense climb up a mountainside over hours of constantly barely going up any day of the week
>>2751705Steep elevation gain over short distance; get the hard shit out of the way and get up on top of the mountain and enjoy the sights.
>>2751705Well, let me tell you. As a Swede I'm used to the "gentle" slopes of the fjäll. It has its own challenges and pains, mostly because of the heavy pack wearing you down. It can be quite tough, but you just keep walking.So when I visited Germany I had the idea of traversing Mount Watzman. It will be a long day, but how hard can it be? I chose a day with nice weather, clear blue sky, no wind and about 30c. With some climbing gear and a few liters of water I left early in the morning. This became one of the hardest things I've done. I'm not the fittest guy and I wasn't prepared for non stop elevation, with zero meters of flat ground to catch my breath and the heat was killing me. Eventually I made it up to the watzman house a drank a beer before trying to at least make it to the first peak, as the plans of traversing were scrapped.I made it half way up until it became a bit too steep and you have to use your hands. With the scorching sun I figured it would be unwise to continue and frankly I was rather demoralized.Of course, as I started to make my way down my knees started to hurt, so now I had 2-3h of scorching sun, knees hurting every step and I had to take a shit.At one point I just wanted to sit down and cry, but that won't get you anywhere.Back at the hostel i laid down in the bed, sunburned, hurting and just out of it. Then I hear typical southern German (march/polka/waltz) music playing, they had small scene outside and a band was playing. Which felt a bit surreal in that moment.I hope to make the traverse one day and do it like the smart people, divide it in two days and walk up to the house in the afternoon noon.
>>2756789
>>2756790Watzmann traverse.https://youtu.be/VwcjpwhDzYs
>>2751706Fat
The most hellish hike I ever did was 4000 feet elevation gain in 3.3 miles, 95° and no tree cover.I would gladly pick any hike over that, any time.
>>2757041The worst hikes I've ever done were in the Adirondacks in the spring. Steep, slippery rock climbs with deep mudholes in the rare flat sections and bugs swarming you the entire way. Give me anything in the world over that vile shit.
Baby’s first 14er is basically 1,000’ of elevation gain a mile.Everyone from 8yo to 70yo can do this.
>>2757041My first ever backpacking trip as a kid was on tunnel creek trail from the south. 4500ft of elevation in 3 miles (alltrails shows this as a N-S-N out-and-back but we just did S to summit and back down S the next day). I have two brothers and my dad ended up ferrying everyone's packs up the last mile.
this used to be "the steepest trail in idaho" (not sure if its true) but they redid the trail to make it less steep and its still a slog
>>2751705I enjoy steep hikes I just need to remember you need to drink like 3x as much.
>>2757102>EveryoneI would bet you my life's savings that my brother would never be able to make it up that mountain or even a mountain with half the elevation gain. Years ago, we hiked up a mountain with 500' of gain and he barely made it. Over 40% of Americans are obese so there are more like him. Many of them would have no chance of making it up Quandary or any 14er that you couldn't drive up.
>>2757125Fat people can do things, they just can't do them at the same pace as a fit person. Fat people should hike with other fat people, if they try to hike with fit people they are going to have a bad time.
>>2757131This. I've found people who I never would have expected at summits and shit. I can only imagine how long it took them, but they did it.
