Sweat Your Ass Off - 1

“Maple...it's true...they have alot of wild horses there....the ponies are cool but don't feed them or leave them food...and...don't try to pet them...they bite!

They like to stay near the northern end of the island because it's more conjested with people....and the stupid people like to ignore the regs and think it's cool to feed them...the further south you hike...the herds thin out a bit...

The other really cool thing about this place...along with Cape Hatteras...is the ability to build a bonfire on the beach but it has to be below the high tide line...the other issue is fire wood...that's were the supply vehicle comes in....”

“well then we are up for this.

twinkle does this sound good to you? or were you looking to stay near the Cats or the Daks?”

“Wild, wild horses
Couldn't tear me away...”

“I'm in, but... Assateague in June doesn't sound like a Sweat Your a$$ Off trip? Sounds like a regular old wimp camp trip where we can bring loads of crap. Not that there's anything wrong with the plan (I like it!), We'll just have to call the trip something else and have a real SYAO trip later in the summer : )”

“I agree with you to an extent that this wouldn't exactly be a SYAO trip based on an assumption that the definition of SYAO trip requires extreme hiking conditions in some extreme remote area......that sounds too pompous....I almost want to use the term snob....but I wouldn't exactly call it a wimp trip either.....in fact..and personally I won't get hung up on calling it anything....that's irrelevant.....make it simple and call it a TT Beach Party...

There are 2 backcountry sites on the island....1st one (Little Levels) is 3 miles from parking lot and the 2nd one (State Line) is about 11 miles...soooo if you hike to the 2nd site then hiking 22 miles round trip in 85-90 degree temps might constitute one calling it a sweat their arse off trip....”

“Whoopsie! My bad strat.. that is an excellent suggestion. I hope to mail out that CD within a few days.. hee hee!”

“I was sorta thinking along the same lines; this Assateague thing sounds too pleasant to be a SYAO trip.

You want hot? The Sipsey in August, now that's hot. And humid. At least the river is right there to jump into and cool off in.

Ocala, of course, would be another good choice for SYAO, but I sorta think that would be akin to choosing Alaska for a FYAO trip, lol...”

“AmyG too funny I also did the course at Wallops Island. Did you have to wallow in the mud in the salt marsh? And eat pickle wart?”

“Assateague is a really cool place. I have an interesting photo sequence of a stallion and his three mares. They spotted us watching them in the salt marsh and the stallion got very agitated and (I guess) saw us as a threat. He demonstrated his masculinity and dominance in no uncertain terms. I’d post the pics but I’d be banned for sure.”

“well if your not willing to show us, then they must be very bad!”

“I can't get away in June. Maybe I'll start a 1st week of July in the Dacks thread.”

“my a$$ did get kinda sweaty this morning while i was hiking... dang it's hot out there for feb, walkin down the middle of the river in my t-shirt was kinda nice”

“I'll pass on the beach but I'm up for anything in the Dacks or western pennsylvania this summer. I'm free just about every weekend.”

“wild horses? they're all over the place, ya can't get away from them. They try to get in your car, or in your tent... not really, but after the innitial awe of actual wild horses, they get annoying and don't seem that wild, they remind me of caribou in the canadian tundra... just kinda wander around without really paying attention to you, unless they want to lick your windshield for a while, then i suggest laying back and waiting for them to get out of your way, lol... but yes, there are plenty of wild horses roaming around on assateague and chinkiteague, and the maryland part of assageague allows dogs in the national seashore, and forest had a good time barking at the stupid horses.”

“Every year they swim the ponies accross and used to auction off foals. Huge tourist time. We'll want to avoid if they still do this. Have any of you read any Margeret Henry???”

“Everytime I read this thread title I think it is a Richard Simmons exercise video.

Where can we go as a huge group to sweat our tails off and hike without destroying Psycho and Yogi's habitat?”

“.....snob elitist hiker...when I saw this thread develop I thought there's no way the "Pennsy types" would stoop down to this....dude...like the beach is where it's at...forget that macho mountain man stuff for once...Daks???...Western PA???....c'mon Pennsy....on one hand I have the Beach and the other the Daks....now i'm laughing....and BTW...this is all in good nature....call it constructive criticism.....LOL....but really dude.....catch a wave!”

“I'll bring the Iced Tea, literaly.”

“im liking the beach idea. (it has nothing to do with the fact the I can bring my kayak)

maple”

“LOL Stratus! Hey, it's simple. I just hate the water. I used to swim every morning before work and grew to hate swimming. I almost drowned in a triathlon so I am not thrilled about deep water.

Give me mountains!! ;o)”

“They're not wild horses ...they're wild ponies ...and they're not all that wild ...kinda tame actually.

I car camped at Assateague Island a few times during the 80s ...nice place ...if you don't mind getting sun-toasted ...shade is at a premium. ...and there are indeed bugs ...big ones ...green flies that bite stealthliy until you're bleeding ...then you feel the pain (like a bee sting!) and see the welts they leave on your epidermis. I've seen road crews in the area clothed in total-body mesh outfits with those green flies swarming all around them like something from an Alfred Hitchcock movie! ...though that's propbably the case at only certain times of the summer. Did a long day hike into N Carolina's Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge a couple of years ago with a friend who lives nearby. Nice, but it was hot! Also consider that the breeze may be blowing only very close to the shoreline ...an eighth or quarter mile in and the air can be as dead as my uncle Long John Silver. I've been literally attacked by Red-winged blackbirds down there, and there are poisonous snakes in the area. At Back Bay Nat'l Wildlife Refuge, there is camping at designated sites only (might need to be reserved well in advance?) ...most of which are in the sand behind the shoreline dunes. No shade, stangnant water pools and marshes are mosquito-heavens, water from pump stations tastes like yuk. Sand blows into everything ...your boots, clothes, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, even your food. Caveat emptor.

On the brighter side... Some stretches of beach are very isolated and beautiful. Many ospreys hovering just offshore and diving for food. Tons and tons of shorebirds. Cool sea breezes, the trance-enducing sound of the waves. Swimming and body-surfing in the ocean. Etc., etc.”

“wow talk about raining on my parade.



maybe we should rethink the area.

Ok so its an island ight?
so that might mean that all the flys are attracted to uummm the horse poop?

oohh the smell....

maple”

“TwinkleToes... BTW, when I said "SYAO" I mean more like ...ummm 70-80 degrees F ;-)”

“wild - tame horses/ponies (same thing) yes tame, there was no bugs when i was there, late november, seemed fine to me, but i didn't sweat my a$$ off.”

“Island in the north east????



I know LBI has a wilderness preserve

LBI= Long Beach Island..
NJ”

“Beings that I used to live in Ocean City for 4 years, there's NO way I could go to Assateague without spending a day/night walking the boardwalk and driving the strip and seeing all the old sites.

...and it does get hot in June.
Did I mention humid and sticky?”

“Just come to Maine over father's day weekend and bike in the Trek Across Maine...last coupla years it's been high 90s, as high as 103. It's a people bake and they drop like flies...but it's a blast! LOL :)”

“okay - kiddies - seems you've been busy while i was away at work today - now its almost 2am - i've got insomnia - which sucks - BUT....

here are my thoughts - Pony Island is cool - except there is pony poo all over the place, drinking water is hard to come by, lots of tourists, and its really, really hot in the summer due to a lack of shade.....personally, I think Cape Cod would be a better choice for a beach camping dealeo - plus you can ride your bike everywhere!!!

but...i'm game if everyone else is and i will still plan a trip to the 'daks - so there ya go - eat yer hearts out!”

“I am not sure but I think that you can camp on the beach out near Montauk. Anyone know about this?”

“TwinkleToes - y'know I was wondering about the pony poo! Only in dreams do you often get all the good with no bad! :@)”

“im not going anywhere that I cant use my kayak damnit!!”

“Assacheek Island Natl Seashore, huh?

It is in Maryland, about 10 miles south of Ocean City, Md.

There is a State Park(hot showers) at the north of the island with the Natl Park(cold showers and CHEAPER) a few miles to the south.

I have car camped at the Natl Seashore every summer since '92.
My brothers and sisters and I, along with the kids, get a group site for a week in July or early August.

For a few years now we have been using a U.S. Army GP Medium tent for shade.....16 feet X 32 feet and about 280 pounds.
Its really nice on rainy days!
The last two trips have each had 2-day nor'easters with 45 degree(angle) rain and temps in the 60's while it rained.
The tent made life quite bearable.

If you go in June the ocean will be ice cold, more than likely.

Most years the ocean breeze keeps the bugs at bay, but there have bveen times when the breeze failed!
A few years ago we where nearly driven mad by the biting flys and mosquitoes when the ocean breeze left us for a few days.
We bought a dozen fly-swatters!
Some of us nearly bailed out.

The group sites are right up behind the dune and in the open.
The bugs lurk in the bushes and trees and FORGET about the bay side!

I've seen backpackers headed south along the beach.
Somehow backpacking there doesn't appeal to me.
Bathing in the ocean sounds nice, but the cold shower at the group site is nice after that damn sticky salt water.

And the horses, though cute, are a real pain in the assateague!
They will raid the campsites and wreck things like screen houses.

And the tourists who stop along the road to FEED THE HORSES are mostly from New Jersey!!!!
Those mooks help train the horses to raid the campdites.....thank you very much!!!”

“...what the heck was all that mumbo jumbo about....i'm not sure what or where you've been dude....like...you make it sound like the place is a hell hole....BTW....speaking of Hell Hole....anybody ever ride the Hell Hole in Wildwood back in the 70's?....it was totally awesome...anyway.....back to the nonsense....like you said you car camped there....if you ever take the time and actually hike the place maybe you'll see a different perspective mate....now listen up...this is some real info for you about the area.....like I said...there are 2 backcountry sites which are beach side....the bugs live on the bay side....1 site is 3 miles in and the other is about 11 miles....if you hike along the ocean in the hard packed sand the bugs, snakes and whatever else you threw in there aren't there....maybe you'll see a crab...maybe some seashells....and maybe you'll see dolphins swim by....but bugs...nope...they like the bay side....don't know about you dude....but i've actually lived on the freakin beach....literally....yeah green heads are nasty and the tourist are mostly moronic but they like the northern end near the vistor centre....and if you don't like the sand....stay away from the beach dude...like really...catch a wave and you'll be sittin on top of the world....

Hey Twinkle Toes....sorry if I interrupted you're quest for a SYAO trip...I just wanted to throw out a suggestion...but according to your definition it's not good enough....but really...Cape Cod....too many fruit cakes on the beach there...if you know what I mean....oh BTW...good luck on your quest for SYAO...carry on mates..”

“Shade is a major consideration at the beach.

I would prefer hiking a river and be able to dip in the cool water.

At the beach its sticky salt water and sand in the crack and blazing sun.”

“LtHiker - there is camping near Montauk _ Hither Hills is the name of the car camp ground - pretty swanky after bp'ing!

It's near the ocean side - you can fall asleep to the sound of crashing waves - I went there about a year ago in early summer - the two biggest problems (but well worth the hassle 'cause its gorgeous out there) are wind (we saw many tents go flying (and I spent a night with part of my tent on my face from the gale) and deer ticks (major problem when you go hiking near the kettle ponds).

All in all - its lovely out there - I highly recommend it as a nice car camping excursion! oh yeah, but stay away from the Hamptons - there is a great ice cream shop but you have to deal with the BMW crowd - talk about the uber-wealthy!”

“Oh yeah!

Unworthy tents can easily become STORM CHOWDER at the beach!

We sleep in backpacking tents at Assateague.
They are well set and banked with sand.
I've seen huge cabin tents and crappy screen houses get demolished there.
The weather can be like mountain-top weather or very nice.”

“TT I think that I read or saw something about actually hiking out onto the beach out there. I will have to see if I can find it again.”

“all I have to say is...Surfers Rule......

wah wah wah....what can I find to wah about....what bunch of stinkin cry babies...”

“LtHiker - there is a lovely trail that takes you through forest, past kettle ponds, through the "walking dunes" (i think that's their name), and up along the sound side of island - it's a really great hike because you get to walk through so many different types of terrain.

Then out by the Montauk lighthouse there are trails that take you to the ocean - quite nice - there was also a kettle pond very close to the ocean that had tons of birds...

its a cool area with the surprising amount of wildlife (mostly birds), some interesting archeological sites, and geologically speaking (Geobeet, correct me if I'm wrong) because Long Island was created by the Wisconsian Glacial period - so the morraines and kettle ponds are direct witnesses of that era - pretty cool 'cause its so diversified!”

“well if the beach is not for you then maybe a nice lake. The Daks are full of them. here is a great website with ALL the info. you can swim/hike/KAYAK/ what ever floats your boat

http://209.211.249.129/recreation/hike-guide.cfm"/a<
”

“%$&$#&&A89
try this

Daks Info”

“(*$@$#@&*, to you too, leafy!

I love a woman who cusses!

I have seen lots of people kayaking at Assateague.”

“....sorry Maple....Surfers don't swim in leach infested lakes in the Daks...nada...i'll stay on the beach waiting for some tasty waves....”

“oh, but whats a little blood between our fellow outdoors people err bugs?”

“My 2 cents on camping in assateugu bugs bugs and more bugs. I used to go windsurfing down there and camped on the beach and in the campground. The beach wasn't as bad at night but the campground was horrible. One night after eating dinner in our tents (because of the mosquitos) we decided to drive into town. The mosquitos where so thick that going from the tent to the car we got swarmed, then had to kill all of the mosquitos that got in the car.
Have you all seen the ad for travel.com with the girl reading the wesite that says every room comes with bug netting. She pictures in her mind waking up at night hearing a noise, her husband turns on the light and the bug net is covered with big bugs. That is what it was like in the campground. You couldn't even open your screen for a second without letting in a dozen or so.

Of couse it could have just been the time of year. If I remember correctly it was August.”

“Lthiker, I suuuure did wallow in the muck! Oh, what fun! I can't say for sure about eating the pickle wart, but if it was offered for me to try, you can bet I did!
mmmm mmmmm good!

>;D”

“Amy that was a blast what year were you there? I think I was there in 83 or 84.”