How often do you hike or backpack?

[Dean F.]

… but that would be a VERY good summer. Usually I just manage a dayhike. I also try to use some leave for a "big" week-long trip every year. This year it's the Grand Canyon again in March.

I'm on call about one weekend a month, and whether or not I can get out the rest of the month depends upon my family's demands and if I have no inpatients that weekend.

But I swear on a stack of cuben tarps THIS HIGH that when I retire from the Army in 2018 I'm taking a month off and hiking the Colorado Trail.

[Curry]

I guess the selfish, thankless answer is, "not often enough" until I get to do an extended thruhike, like the PCT, which I have been pining to do for years.

I say "selfish, thankless" because that unfulfilled dream can easily make me take for granted or not be thankful enough for the extended hikes I have been able to do or the many week-long or weekend trips that I have enjoyed.

+1 to the sentiments for hiking places where you live with the same enthusiasm that tourists and travelers have as they pay quite a bit to come to your home state or island to see and do. I am priviledged to live in Hawaii where day-hiking on Oahu can easily be turned into overnights and outer-island trips to amazing destinations like Haleakala (Maui), Volcanoes (Big Island) or the Napali Coast and Waimea Canyon (Kauai) are essentially in my backyard.

I think it's easy to forget or take for granted what's just outside my front door. For example, I can't tell you how long it's been since I swam in the ocean, something I used to do just about every day.

So, cheers to rediscovering what you love most about your home area! I think I'll get in the ocean tomorrow….

[Jeff J]

I used to live in Portland, OR and work a job with lots of time off. That meant plenty of hiking in the Columbia Gorge as well as trips to the Cascades. I now live on the coast and started a career instead of just a job. So now I hardly get any hiking in. My schedule is sporadic and unpredictable, and the good hiking is 3 hours away.I try to squeeze in what I can, but it just isn't the same.

Living close will absolutely make a difference in frequency.

-Jeff

[Mobile Calculator]

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[Nelson Sherry]

Hmmm.

I try for at least one long day hike (6-12 miles) or bike ride, or ski/snowshoe now per weekend and probably succeed 3 out of 4.

Oct 2011 Mt Jefferson Travers, 40ish miles, 4 days, 3 nights
Dec 2011 Oregon Coast, 40ish miles, 4 days, 3 nights
June 2012 Rogue River Trail, 40ish miles, 3 days, 2 nights
July 2012 Steens Mtn loop, 20ish miles, 2 days, 2 nights
July 2012 Timberline Trail, 40ish miles, 4+ days, 4 nights
Sept 2012 Diamond Peak Loop, 30ish miles, 2 days, 2 nights

There are probably a couple more overnight trips that I don't recall right now.
This was one of my hikingest years in a while.
I missed my typical 1 or 2 multi-day bicycle tours this year for various reasons.

I live about 20 minutes from good day hikes and 1 to 7 hours from all the longer trips I did this year.

[Max Dilthey]

I camped about 70 nights in 2012, but only hiked about 10 days. Bike touring :)

[Confused Newbie]

I live near the Colorado Rockies, and I get out overnight about 2-3 times a year in a tent, and we stay in a yurt or cabin in the winter 1 or 2 times. Big challenge is having a 6-day-a week job where working on holidays is pretty normal. But I'm trying to find ways to work less.

[Edward Z]

I am the proud and happy father to 7 little ones under the age of 12. I am absolutely in love with the trail and want nothing more then to disengage and live simply along the dirt path.

I am trying to raise the kids wtih that same love. Luckily, I work in a government job with three day weekends on the 4 day a week / 10 hour a day schedule. So I can cut and run, but it means leaving mama with the youngest on her own while I get all the fun with the older tribe. But we do it. We have a travel trailer as well and average a weekend a month in the rv, with many hikes…and I try to go one other weekend on the trail.

A wish would be a month to take them out and long trail it… A want is just to be alone with them as much as possible talking about what THEY want to talk about, and the have is limited space to do each.

If I'm out every other weekend… I'll be happy. But that's a combo camping and hiking. But then on 3/27/27 I go full timing! Anything I can get I will! Good luck! Oh, and the upstairs still isnt painted.

[Jake D]

'12 I did around 500mi including 29 of the NH4ks, Presi traverse in a day, Long Trail thru hike

This year i'm hoping to finish my last 6 NH4k's, do a bunch of the "terrifying 25" trails and possibly another longer hike like the northern 300mi of AT. Also had an idea to do the Pemi loop in a day.. supposedly similar to the Presi in difficulty so i feel like I could do it.

[Dena Kelley]

I live right at the base of Chugach State Park in Eagle River, Alaska. I can walk out my front door and be in the Park in less than half an hour on foot. I can drive 5 minutes and be in the park in just a couple more minutes after that. So I would say proximity does make a difference. In the summer I hike or backpack nearly every weekend (more dayhikes than backpacking trips, sadly but am trying to change that) and also do some evening hikes during the week.

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