@Russ1663 How ‘bout that, I’m in Hampton  ... View more

https://youtu.be/dQhfQYxeZ8c here's an awful vid I filmed, just for fun prior to leaving for Colorado and a ski week at keystone ... View more

@Dad_Aint_Hip  oh man!  thanks for the great catch! lol ... View more

like @Diesseldorf said, I sooooo recommend you learn to wax your own skis!  I find it really satisfying to repair scratches w a little ptex, then wax-on, using my trusty 'garage' iron, (doesn't everyone have a dedicated iron laying around in the garage, lol?)  Then wax-off! recommend getting a book or watch some vids so you don't damage.  you do need some stuff..clamps, old iron, a variety of scraper tools, something to clean and sharpen the edges, some candles to light the ptex, then a good rasp-bastard file to grind it carefully down, then the waxing can begin. a little shop vac works wonders to get all the scrapped wax off the floor.  enjoy!   ... View more

The weminuche is a fantastic area!  On a return trip to do the maroon bells 4 pass loop, a few years ago now, there was snow on the passes, so we opted to drive south and do a week in the weminuche, going in at the ute trail head and waded across the Rio Grande into the wilderness, first trip and we didn't get into as much of the higher country as we probably could have (one member of the group get a bit altitude sick, so we lost 1 day to rest up). Would def do a return trip.  But would allow more time to acclimatize, and get a fishing license. not my best vid, but shows the river crossing https://youtu.be/FGemaNTU5E8 I can't believe it been 10yrs, have so much more experience now, and a much lighter pack! ... View more

it probably won't stay white very long.  Like @Dad_Aint_Hip says, it's show it's 'wear' and 'mileage' pretty soon. Maybe you can drag it around in the backyard before heading out, lol. So you can look like a veteran trekker! My ursack used to be white, now it looks like an old vet!  (maybe that's  why they now have a black model), anyway, because it's all white, I used a magic marker to put my initials on it, it large bold letters, which, imo, added to it's 'character'. ... View more

my osprey exos 58 works well for a 10 day trip, with an ursack, but is very heavy, can approach 37 to 40lbs, depending upon camera/photography goals. It can take the bv500, sideways on top, but it's tough to fit 10 days.  The good news is it gets lighter everyday (captain obvious here).  But the bv is required in most of the sierra np's. I think it's a wonderful pack. ... View more

look at the weight of the big 3, pack, tent, sleeping bag; btw what are their weights? ... View more

very interesting. now I have a question, if you're tracking your elev gains, don't you want to count the -2 to +3...as a +5 gain, to the totals?  I mean, you went down, don't you get credit for going back up? or is it just gains above a 0 axis? Anyway, I use gaia w downloaded maps and the routes I created, basically to spot check my paper maps when necessary or I'm bored.  It does provide a track with elevation stats/profile if I use it and will also do so to the route I've imported. That said, I've never got the fascination of tracking elev gains while backpacking (or miles, frankly) "ha! I hiked 20 miles today, you only hiked 10...that must mean..." oops sorry going down another tangent ... View more

to be completely honest (and honesty is the best policy), you'll never get that view on the ground, this is after many hours of post production using, adobe photoshop elements, adobe lightroom, and topaz labs denoise AI.   ... View more