reuben
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Gonna need more Camels at the next refugio...
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Post by reuben on Aug 24, 2016 14:22:35 GMT -8
Looks like I'm going there next year. I know some of you slackpacked Scotland recently. I may end up doing the same since the wife and possibly a couple of others will be with us as well, but I may go early or stay late and backpack. There seem to be a lot of great day hikes in the Highlands (lots of elevation gain, great views, etc.), to the point that people even die (not a good thing). I saw that jay was there last year but he hasn't been online here since February of this year. I'm looking more towards U.S. style backpacking, but am open to suggestions, not to mention the limitations I may find there. I might do some back/slack packing in Spain as well, but paella and jamon are also high on the list! Any suggestions, especially those based on personal experience? I don't know when we're going yet, but it's looking pretty likely. |
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balzaccom
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Waiting for spring...
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Post by balzaccom on Aug 24, 2016 14:46:21 GMT -8
I have traveled extensively in Spain: Andalucia, Rioja, Navarra, Catalunya, Aragon, Basque country, and Madrid,
Drop me a note if you want more info about any of those...
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Post by absarokanaut on Aug 24, 2016 15:23:31 GMT -8
I did a semester abroad in high school at La Universidad de Salamanca. I loved backpacking Parque Nacional de Ordessa. The birder area is fabulous.
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BigLoad
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Pancakes!
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Post by BigLoad on Aug 24, 2016 15:32:00 GMT -8
Scotland was a lot of fun, and the route we took could have been done as a real backpack by adding a few miles. The camping areas seem quite heavily used, comparable to the AT during peak through-hiker season.
I can't comment on Spain, but that's one of my next OCONUS destinations.
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reuben
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Gonna need more Camels at the next refugio...
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Post by reuben on Aug 24, 2016 15:37:33 GMT -8
I can't comment on Spain, but that's one of my next OCONUS destinations. It's a big world, eh? I want to go back to places I've been, but also want to see several places I haven't. So many places, so little time... Stupid job...    |
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rebeccad
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Writing like a maniac
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Post by rebeccad on Aug 24, 2016 16:10:03 GMT -8
I may be getting old. I admit that looking at BigLoad's response, my feeling is "why?" If you can hike all day and have a good meal at a pub and a bed, in a town you have to hike through anyway...that's the European way and it looks pretty good! When in Rome and all that  |
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reuben
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Gonna need more Camels at the next refugio...
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Post by reuben on Aug 24, 2016 16:30:26 GMT -8
rebeccad - good point. But I'm sorta kinda young enough that I'm still willing to tilt against the windmills. Besides, Rome isn't in Scotland. 
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rebeccad
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Writing like a maniac
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Post by rebeccad on Aug 24, 2016 22:10:51 GMT -8
LOL.
Seriously, though, I remember when we were in NZ 20 years ago, and were "saving money" by camping basically next to a hut. We figured out about halfway through that that was just silly. And if the campgrounds are crowded as BL suggests, yuck. I'm not a person who uses inns or hotels much (in 2013 we spent 28 days on the road in Canada, and camped every night, doing all our own cooking except for 3 nights), but I might like a nice pub more than an icky campground.
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BigLoad
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Pancakes!
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Post by BigLoad on Aug 24, 2016 23:01:33 GMT -8
I may be getting old. I admit that looking at BigLoad's response, my feeling is "why?" If you can hike all day and have a good meal at a pub and a bed, in a town you have to hike through anyway...that's the European way and it looks pretty good! When in Rome and all that It was really nice to do it that way, and I hardly even notice the weight of a daypack compared to what I carry in the desert. |
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reuben
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Gonna need more Camels at the next refugio...
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Post by reuben on Aug 25, 2016 2:54:42 GMT -8
I'm thinking of going to the Baaaaaasque region.
As for you, my little newt - back in your puddle!
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amaruq
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Call me Little Spoon
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Post by amaruq on Aug 25, 2016 4:06:08 GMT -8
Besides, Rome isn't in Scotland. Yeah, but Scotland has better Scotch. Keeping an eye on this thread for pending Highland suggestions. |
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zeke
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Peekaboo slot 2023
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Post by zeke on Aug 25, 2016 4:17:13 GMT -8
Some of our hikes ended directly at the pub we slept at that night, and then left back to the trail the next morning. IMO, our best hikes required a car shuttle at one end because the pub was 3-5 miles from the trailhead. I wouldn't have like adding those miles to each end and also doing the mileage we hiked. Young, strong, buff guy you are, you should check out which Munro you wish to tackle. (Munro is the term they use for all of their high peaks, above 3000')
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reuben
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Gonna need more Camels at the next refugio...
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Post by reuben on Aug 25, 2016 4:36:37 GMT -8
Little Spoon, I found this site, which, at first glance, seems to have great info - how to get to each one, what the hikes are like - scree, rock, path, woods, exposed, maps, waypoints, alternate routes, transportation, lodging, lots of user reports, etc. They also wrote a book, "The Munros", which I've ordered. Don't know if it has much info on the lesser hills (under 915m) or not. |
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RumiDude
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Marmota olympus
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Post by RumiDude on Aug 25, 2016 5:26:52 GMT -8
There is a loose knit bothy system you can utilize. Not quite hut-to-hut but there is an organization that promotes it.
Rumi
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Aug 25, 2016 13:05:22 GMT -8
A lot of photos get posted to the Mountain Laurel Designs FB page of mids and Trailstars in Scotland. Looks like terrific country.
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