Gear Raffle: Hyperlight Mountain Gear Expedition Backpack

83 Responses to Gear Raffle: Hyperlight Mountain Gear Expedition Backpack

1. Logan Wilcoxson August 5, 2012 at 8:17 pm #

   I believe that people are far more dangerous than anything else.

   It does no good to ban people from wilderness. The thing that we need to do is get more people into wilderness areas to enjoy them
2. Blitzo August 5, 2012 at 9:58 pm #

   1. On the AT, ticks are by far the most dangerous just by the sheer exposure and the high liklihood that ANYONE can contract a debilitating disease from them. I’d have to think long and hard as to bears vs mice for the #2 spot. Porcupines get honorable mention.

   2. I subscribe to the use it or lose it policy. Use of a resource is what makes it valuable. Letting a wide range of people experience wilderness is what provides the conservation resources to protect it. But humans being humans, for TRULY valuable resources, without strict management, humankind will inevitably screw it up.
3. Michael August 5, 2012 at 10:36 pm #

   Question 1 : People. Mainly near major access roads, where some people may look suspicious. Without enough experience and not the appropriate equipment for the season.

   Question 2 : Some areas might need protection for endangered species.
4. Adam P. August 7, 2012 at 4:46 pm #

   1. I will go with my own experience on this one. I have yet to see a bear on the AT, but have seen a copperhead snake and a rattlesnake. I came within inches of stepping on the 6 ft. rattler, and it scared the bejeezus out of me. I would say a tired hiker, not paying much attention to the surroundings, could easily stumble upon a lethal snake and pay the consequences. I say this is the most dangerous animal on the AT.

   2. NO WAY! We cannot close the backcountry wildernesses to humans. It is one of the most enjoyable feelings out there – to be lost and one with nature. Instead, we should protect more backcountry wildernesses for us to explore. We should increase the schooling of mother nature, how sensitive she is, and raise the knowledge on how to protect her.
5. Laural Hill August 7, 2012 at 10:15 pm #

   1) I’ll go with ticks, as I had a good friend from college with Lyme Disease and it basically ruined her 20s.

   2) WA state has very interesting views about wilderness advocacy. Basically “use it or lose it” is what hikers have come to grips with. There are places that are “hiker or stock only”, and then there are non-protected areas where ORVs and motorcycles are allowed. Interestingly enough, sometimes “neighboring” trails will have tons of hikers on the former, and nearly none on the latter, because they fear an encounter with a motorized vehicle. The problem of overuse in the areas near Puget Sound is a very real one, and some rangers give tickets daily to backpackers who camp near lakes (even if it’s a “pre-established” site).

   Places that are overly visited have even now lottery systems in effects (if you’ve ever heard about The Enchantments, a place in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness above the treeline, you can enter the lottery and if you “win”, that’s your once a year shot). Lots of goats there. Lots of bears near Mt. Rainier and in the Olympic forests. Seeing empty bottles on a trail is always disappointing, but it definitely gets me to give money to trail orgs around here. Especially when driving to trails over countless potholes…

   But heck, I see bald eagles driving across the bridge to Seattle, perching on the lightpoles. My boyfriend’s parents call deer “giant rats” because they eat their shrubbery, less than 13 miles away from downtown Seattle. Washington doesn’t seem to have much of a problem balancing wilderness with access. Guess we’re spoiled, since the state is so huge and varied. I’m driving 3 hours to the desert this weekend to watch the Perseids in a nature preserve.
6. Marco August 10, 2012 at 10:32 pm #

   Thanks, Philip, I didn’t know that.
7. dan z August 14, 2012 at 12:36 pm #

   1) Over-confidence and a general disregard for intuition, i.e. pushing ahead while tired or encroaching bad weather.

   2) Keep the back country open. Closing would not only cause continued use (broken rules). it would also provide ammo for legislators to use the land for commerial / other uses that don’t benefit keeping it natural. In that, i mean, they could say “well no one uses it, so OK logging”, in which we all lose.
8. dan z August 14, 2012 at 12:36 pm #

   1) Over-confidence and a general disregard for intuition, i.e. pushing ahead while tired or encroaching bad weather.

   2) Keep the back country open. Closing would not only cause continued use (broken rules). it would also provide ammo for legislators to use the land for commercial / other uses that don’t benefit keeping it natural. In that, i mean, they could say “well no one uses it, so OK logging”, in which we all lose.
9. Earlylite August 16, 2012 at 5:14 pm #

   Thanks for all of your feedback and entries!

   The winner of this random drawing is: Mark Warren of Stoneham, MA who hikes in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and on the Long Trail in Vermont.