im a newbie. make fun of me.

“heres the deal. ive never gone on an overnighter, but my first will be in june in buckskin gulch. i was hoping for some advice/warnings/general ridicule from you guys.
im expecting the most miserably painful day of my life, so i know it wont be easy. but i was wondering what i should look out for or be prepared for especially. any help would be appreciated, thanks.”

“im a newbie. make fun of me

NO”

“Where's Buckskin Gulch?”

“Are you on your own or with others? Hope you're with others, cuz I'd think a nice old simple overnighter somewhere would be better for a first time out than a slot canyon in the boonies.

And -- welcome!! :-)”

“Where is Buckskin Gulch ?”

“Doh! treebeard beat me to it!”

“Everyone has gotten really tame around here in the last month.

Watch, you'll be the exception.

Do you have any gear yet? Done any reasearch on gear yet? Check out http://www.backpacking.net/ for a site packed with good info.”

“Utah.”

“And welcome.”

“It's no fun to make fun of someone who asks for it.”

“Don't think of it as "the most miserably painful day" of your life. Your mindset will be very important. Just enjoy the trail.

If you've figured out what you think you need to take, practice with it in an easy environment. Maybe even car camp with the gear you chose. You'll see that some things aren't needed and can be left, while other things might have been forgotten.”

“I forget if Buckskin is in the Escalante Monument area, or is part of the Paria River system.”

“hehehe, there's T Mac. He lurked for like 4 years before posting. (LOL!) BUT when he did, as he said, he just "fit right in" and no one hazed him.

Whatta guy! ;-P”

“LMFAO, both at me and all the rest of you.

He/she said in his/her subhead where Buckskin Gulch is.

DOH! Must be early.........”

“Setup your tent in the backyard or living room before your trip.”

“standard questions for newbies to TT: are you a guy or a girl, and how old? my psychic powers are telling me a guy, around 23.”

“Listen dork, make sure to leave all your water, food and warm clothes at home. Wear some nice cotton socks and dress shoes, and hit the trail. No need for a map or compass, just do what feels right. You won't need any matches or a lighter, because you'll probably be back before dark.

Have fun & welcome to TT.”

“Wishful thinking again, lyra? You always think it's a guy in his 20's!”

“Hey, lizs, no fair reminding everybody I ducked the hazing and initiation! :)

jwsowers should be fine since Matt laid the smack down yesterday after another new poster was called a troll only twice! My how times have changed... :)”

“LOL!! that's b/c it usually is, Aero. if i were making up the perfect playmate for me, it would be a guy in his 40s or 50s anyway.
;-D”

“wooo, i missed the smack-down? darnit.”

“That was good advice up above to try out the gear on a car camp trip, or hell even in the back yard. Just get comfortable with it and how everything sets up, cook on the stove, etc. You DONT wanna be trying it out for the first time out in a remote canyon.

Second best tip: make sure the boots are broken in good before you head out, your feet will thank you.

Check out the trips page and join in on one of the TT trips in your area.”

“Dumb newbie!

Here's my advice. Go out, make your mistakes, be miserable, and go home. You will either give it up in disgust, or hold onto the good memories and learn how to avoid the mistakes. It's an adventure. Grab it.”

“Have fun! And be safe. That's all you need to know.”

“lyra,..........Aw, never mind?

J W Sour Mash whiskey?”

“If backpacking really was the most miserably painful day of our lives, do you think we would all be doing it and giving you advice on it?

Backpacking will be what you make out of it.”

“awww, now i feel bad. Tarpy is my perfect playmate in life, but in terms of peeps on TT, i like the mellowed-out, aged-like-fine-wine types. tee hee!”

“If jwsowers truley seeks misery, he/she will come on the Adirondacks Buttkicker III trip.”

““i was hoping for some advice/warnings/general ridicule from you guys.”

LOL! You’ve been lurking here for a while haven’t you?

Have you day hiked before? Yes? Have you camped? Yes? There, you have backpacking mastered.

I’ve always heard that if you will be in canyons or slots you have to be aware of the weather, even weather far away as weather even far away can cause flash floods in areas away from the rain. Just take it slow, enjoy the day, and don’t worry about the miles.

BTW- you’re funny looking’ and yo momma dresses ya funny! 8)”

“I think I turned to vinegar a long time ago...”

“lyra likes to toy with the crusty old gents, huh?

(evil little thing!)”

“Why is it they're always going after the older guys?”

“money”

“'Cause we have more money.”

“you know bitpusher that is the closest two posts that I have ever seen supplying the same off the wall if somewhat obvious answer - scary isn't it”

“In my case it's not money, good looks, physique, or charm. I don't know what the hell it is.”

“Do something easy first, find out what you really need and what you can leave at home. Know you equiment frist, and remember that when you hike with a pack you get tried faster then with a day pack.”

“Yah it is, HOI...and I spent time thinking of something smartass to say, until the obvious answer hit me between the eyes...lol...”

“HOI,
Close! That was a dead heat!

We Mello ole guys have wisdom, wit, exopirence, money, security, and viagra!”

“Oh! forgot to give my advice to the newbie, so to not get off subject on this thread!
I started with a 50+ lbs pack and now I'm down to 20-25 lbs pack.. Go light weight is my advice. Many will disagree, but in turn many will agree.
For some sick reason, I find an additional challenge in cutting weight. Stovestomper, Binkley, LThiker and few others are lighht weight sicko's too. They're all good guys to get advice from, if you decide to got that route....
I also Second what Artex said...
good luck”

“Buckskin Gulch is part of the Paria River System near Kanab, Utah and Page, Arizona.

The biggest thing I would say is that you will want to prepare for water. We did it mid-May and encountered quite a few pools of water that you will have to wade through. No going around things in slot canyons. Quick drying pants/shorts and sandals are a good thing to have.

The most technical obstacle is rock jam. Some people bring a rope and use the footholds that have been worn into the rock to climb down the 15 feet, but we found a way to actually drop down underneath the rock jam that was much simpler.

It will be tough as normally most people go about 13 miles (Wire Pass to the Confluence camping spot) the first day and about 7 miles the 2nd(if you leave at the confluence), but it is a flat, easy 20 miles. Some people go all the way to Lee\\\'s Ferry, but I hear it is not as pretty. I think it is 38 miles at to Lee\\\'s Ferry.

The group we went in had my wife and two other first backpackers. My wife said it was fun and worth it. Mostlye, she was proud that she was able to do it, but it definitely wasn\\\'t the easiest thing she has ever done. If I were you, I would try and do a shorter trip first.

Anyway, if you want a better feel for what you are in for. Here is a pretty good description of the hike:
http://www.utahtrails.com/Buckskin.html”

“Howdie newbie!

I have a whole website dedicated to tips for newbies.

Check it out and don't forget to sign my guest book for a chance at this month's thebackpacker.com cap.”

“NO DON'T CLICK ON THE LINK!”

“Oh yeah... sorry about all the pop-up ads, but it's the only way to pay for the site right now.”

“yes, it's still a very informative link, despite the pop-ups!”

“lumberzac is just jealous because his site gets no traffic.”

“AND no one is talking about jumping any old guys' bones here, people, sheesh. LOL!! the old ones just have a better sense of humor, because they have to develop some sort of coping mechanism when they're practically staring death in the face, after all. KIDDING!! i just like saying things i shouldn't, is all.

(it's really b/c you're easier to overpower, btw.)
;-D”

“I don't have a site.”

“I can just imagine the porn sites Lyra frequents.”

“Violin's site rocks!”