To hike or not to hike

[jeanvabu]

My husband and I are debating about cancelling our trip up to the Whites for next weekend. I was wondering if the rising price of gas has made others reconsider their hiking plans?

Jen

 

[NewHampshire]

With the gas prices at their current level, and the President asking for moderation of use I have decided to drastically cut back on my northern excursions. Im still looking to get back up there once or twice this year before the snow hits, but I was at one point going up about three times a month. But its not so bad. The offical start of NHs Bowhunting season starts the 15th of this month, so Ill have that to preoccupy my time.
Brian

 

[DrewKnight]

Bought a smaller car recently / planning trips more carefully

We decided earlier this summer that it was time to go back to a smaller, more fuel efficient car, which under the current circumstances seems like a good thing to have done (our Land Rover Disco might just get 16mpg... if you shoved it out of an airplane at 20k feet and let it idle on the way down). The new small Volvo wagon gets about 28mpg on the way to the Whites...

We're also tending to both plan our trips more efficiently and stay a little closer to Waterville Valley... there are a lot of great hikes within 10 miles of where we're sleeping...

 

[TenPeaks]

Instead of giving up on a hike my wife and I cut back on other things so we can buy the gas we need to get to the mountains. For instance, after a hike we like to get a bite to eat in a restaurant somewhere. Now, we'll pick up a pizza or McDonalds on the way home.

 

[dr_wu002]

My husband and I are debating about cancelling our trip up to the Whites for next weekend. I was wondering if the rising price of gas has made others reconsider their hiking plans?

Jen

No, my beatup 1998 Saturn SL (green, w/ dog vomit in the back seat) got 43 mpg (with A/C use) going to Baxter State Park this weekend so I don't have to reconsider.

-Dr. Wu

 

[audrey]

There are many other things I'll give up before hiking, but we have been doing some nearer hikes and exploring more of Mass. and Southern NH during the last couple of years.

 

[sapblatt]

Gas

Not as much of cutting back as more of giving it more thought...instead of day hiking two Saturdays I am thinking about camping on a Saturday night and getting two days of hiking in for one trip. Also doing more carpooling when possible...the park and ride lot on 3A in Concord, NH is a great spot to meet and only about 70 miles from the Boston area. Gas prices also make me think more of doing out and backs instead of point to points with two cars.
Like Dr. Wu...I am glad I have an economy car...I get about 400 miles on an 11 gallon tank.

 

[crystaljc]

What about car pooling. Or just simply catching a ride with someone who is already going if you already have your own accomodation arrangments. And then sharing the cost of gas. For example, me and my girlfriend are going up October 1st just for the one night leaving around 9am on Sat and leaving to come home around 5pm on Sunday October 2nd. I have room in my car for 2 more and then just share the cost of gas to get there and back.

 

[Clown]

I'm not going to cut back on hiking. My truck is a 4 cyclinder so it's pretty good on gas anyways. I'm always looking to car-pool or if someone wants to catch a ride with me on the way up, that's fine. I like company.

 

[poison ivy]

I grumble about the prices, but still hike just as much (will be glad when my this year's final two trips to Maine are over though...)

Got to say, after spending a week in the woods, the gas prices came as a shock. Heading past the first gas station outside of Baxter, the price was $3.50 and I thought, geez, they're really gouging people there. I couldn't believe it when the prices got higher and higher the closer I got to civilization.

I ended up stopping for gas in a place it was $3.17 (just happened to pick that highway exit) and there were actually a dozen cars waiting in line to fill up there as it was apparently the cheapest gas in the area.

- Ivy

 

[Lawn Sale]

It has definitely impacted my decision on where to hike. It also was the deciding factor not to go back on the 100 mile last week when my hiking partner decided she'd had enough.

I'm hiking locally for now.

 

[--M.]

No Way!

No way at all, chief. Going hiking is the payoff for all the hard work you do between-times. Eat less pizza, buy fewer lattes, work an extra few hours (if you aren't "exempt") or just plain eat it, but compensate the gas cost and GO ANYWAY.

Tangent: To me, hiking, fishing, anything in the Whites or ADKs (or outer Cape) are a different world:
Closer to what I consider 'Eden' or 'heaven' or 'church' (wherein whatever deity is in charge is also reasonably benevolent) and
farther away from our 'real' world: compromised, potentially deadly or otherwise malevolent, and decidedly nasty. I'll gladly work extra (in whatever form) in the 'real' world if it pays for the gas (or whatever) to get me to the outback.

Might as well scrimp on the sanity just 'cause it costs extra.

Hope this doesn't offend...

--M.

ps: having hurricanes and Mississippi floods and such really sharpen my 'real-world' mission (to try my hardest to contribute to the planetary good). There sure is a lot of cloud for that silver lining.

 

[mike46r]

I went backpacking on the Long Trail this weekend. I have been to the Whites three of the last four weekends. If I am confident I can get gas I will keep going. I am a bit concerned about shortages, not cost. Plus I make a point to avoid the Whites and Adirondacks on holiday weekends.

 

[Sadie]

high gas prices

I'll still hike, but have already urged for more carpooling. Next weekend we were originally planning to take 2 cars up and do a car swap and take a different trail down, but instead we'll carpool and just go back down the way we go up to save the gas of 2 cars heading north. My economic Civic gets 35+ mpg--I love that car!

 

[Neil]

I HAVE to keep hiking. It's the only way I can get cheap American gas. No kidding. A U.S. gallon in Canada costs about $5.20 CDN which translates into about $4.00 US a gallon.
By slowing down from 75 to 65 I figure I consume 20% less gas.

 

[BorealChickadee]

On my trip this weekend gas was up to 32 cents a gallon cheaper in the Adirondacks than in my town in central NY. Gas (both Mobil) in Ticonderoga and Old Forge was a bargain compared to home.

I'm with Neil on noticing a pretty good increase in gas mileage by slowing down on 81 and the Thruway.

I'll just be careful to either do day hiking in the West Central region or if going twice the distance to the peaks making a full weekend out of it.

I don't like to shop, I don't eat out. Gas and hiking are about my only luxury items in life. I really can't cut that out and stay sane.

 

[rocksnrolls]

I'm definately looking to carpool more. I did my first hike with another VFTTer (hi Jessbee!) this weekend so I could split the gas costs and had a great time.

I'm also trying to use my cruise control more on the highway drives up and back, figuring that should help at least a little with my fuel economy. Hoping fewer cars on the roads will make that work out easier. Keeping my speeds near the speedlimit should help a little too. I know it helped save me some cash this weekend, since the NH state troopers were all over Rt 93

 

[Adk_dib]

I will definatly cut back, but after the fall foilage season
November and december will be bleak hiking months for me, I will stay home and watch football. You will notice a drop in fuel prices now that the oil componies have gouged us over the labor day weekend.

 

[Tuco]

I spend an awfullly large amount of money on gas going to work.

You can bet I won't limit myself to do so on pleasure. But as others have said, I may limit myself to some other non-necessary items.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Next weekend I'm going from CT to Cape Cod to take a l-o-o-o-ong walk on Nauset Beach. A week from today I'm going from CT to the Whites for 4 days of hiking. It's so obvious that life is fleeting and unpredicatable, so I'm not about to live in a cave at home while I have my health and the means to travel. Nor am I about to let the New Hampshirites have those mountains all to themselves !!