A Quick Trip...

[dustinf]

to the Dolly Sods Wilderness in West Virginia. I'd never been there before, and it was pretty awesome. An odd combination of river crossings, steep climbs, mud, rock scrambling, and cutback descents.

I did 12 miles yesterday in a pretty constant downpour/rain. Today, more showers woke me up at 5:30am. I broke down camp by headlamp, and started down the trail at first light. Just a quick 3 miles back to the car, and 3 1/2 hour drive home.

With all the rain, I kept my big camera in my pack. Some of the pics are phone pics, but a couple are with my 5d.

Packed and ready to go:

A quick cameo:

There's the trail:

View:

Camp:

Dinner:

 

[Elkmagnet]

Scouting or just backpacking? That's a good way to burn a weekend in my opinion.

 

[dustinf]

Scouting or just backpacking? That's a good way to burn a weekend in my opinion.

Just backpacking, shaking down some gear for my trips this fall.

 

[L. I. Yankee]

nice country.....

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

How do you like the outdoorsman pack? I just recently found out the they had a poly frame, and I was curious how well it handles a heavy load. Based on the number of people who are using them these days, I am guessing it does just fine.

 

[dustinf]

How do you like the outdoorsman pack?

Like everything else, it has it's pro's and con's. It wears like an internal frame, but much better ventilation on your back. It adjusts well and it's easy to adjust your load shoulder to waist or vise versa, to give one a rest as you hike.

It's definitely on the small size. The pockets are ok, but I'd much rather have a couple(or even just one) pockets that are bigger. I feel like it's designed more like a daypack than an extended trip pack. Lots of little spaces for organization, and not enough big spaces for 5 days food, sleeping bag, and cook pot.

If I could shrink the Mystery Ranch 6500 pack bag down to 5000, and put it on the Outdoorsmans frame/suspension, that would be the perfect hunting pack.

 

[What Map]

Looks like you're good to go. Give us some more pics and a report on the flip flop.

 

[noharleyyet]

Should I ask if you had a sidearm?

 

[kansasdad]

I know you captioned that photo with a "there's the trail" but I think maybe you are mistaken.....just a pile of rocks and a hillside!

 

[dustinf]

Should I ask if you had a sidearm?

Just bear spray.

But I should have armed myself before walking into the Wheeling Cabelas store wearing a CNN t-shirt...

 

[noharleyyet]

Just bear spray.

But I should have armed myself before walking into the Wheeling Cabelas store wearing a CNN t-shirt...

...match the hatch.

 

[havgunwilltravel]

Sure looks like a pretty place for a hike and to test out some gear.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

Like everything else, it has it's pro's and con's. It wears like an internal frame, but much better ventilation on your back. It adjusts well and it's easy to adjust your load shoulder to waist or vise versa, to give one a rest as you hike.

It's definitely on the small size. The pockets are ok, but I'd much rather have a couple(or even just one) pockets that are bigger. I feel like it's designed more like a daypack than an extended trip pack. Lots of little spaces for organization, and not enough big spaces for 5 days food, sleeping bag, and cook pot.

If I could shrink the Mystery Ranch 6500 pack bag down to 5000, and put it on the Outdoorsmans frame/suspension, that would be the perfect hunting pack.

That is kind of what I expected. I switched in the last two years to carrying my camp in "load cells" so when I set camp I can keep things organized in the load cells, and then I load them back on the crew cab. We switched to poly framed packs in the military a few years ago, and they don't handle a load well at all, but it sounds like you have a much stiffer frame.

Sounds like a fun walk.

 

[Dinkshooter]

Eastern Tenderfoots are funny.

Where is the dog?

 

[WV Hunter]

Looks like home to me. I wasn't to far from there this weekend. I did the via Ferrata in Pendleton County (Judy Gap) and then hung out for a few in Pocahontas County and hit a few trails along the Williams River in the National Forest and ate lunch up at Snowshoe. Good times.

 

[spook12]

Eastern Tenderfoots are funny.

Is your ''Westuppity'' flaring up today?

 

[Dinkshooter]

Is your ''Westuppity'' flaring up today?

Always

 

[dustinf]

Where is the dog?

At the pool, of course...

 

[jryoung]

At the pool, of course...

LOL the fodder that dog supplies is endless.

 

[dustinf]

LOL the fodder that dog supplies is endless.

You have no idea.