Planning my first trip since I was a kid.

Hello all, this is my first post here, and my first real hike since I was about 13-14.

I'm looking at taking Butterfield Trail from the trailhead and back around to the Lee Creek trailhead here in the new few weeks. I've downloaded a .gpx of the trail and I'm looking for gear (sold off most of mine or tossed it in various moves long ago)

This Sunday I'm taking my partners little brother (13 and sits on a couch playing video games all day everyday) to Pinnacle(spelling?) mountain with two back packs weighted down to see if he is and i'm still in enough shape to manage the trail in a long weekend.

If anyone has been on the Butterfield recently and can advise on the conditions, potable water, (possible fishing in lee creek?), and some must see spots I would love to hear about it!

Here's to the trek (and remembering everything from when I was a kid!)

Luke

First, luke, welcome to the forum. There are a lot of knowledgeable people here that are happy to help in your quest to rejoin the outdoors and backpacking.
Second, the Butterfield trail is a great place to start someone into backpacking or to get reacquainted with it.
I haven't hiked the Butterfield since March of this year so I'm not up on the current trail conditions, but I'm sure Preacha Man or one of the other NW Arkansas boys can help you with that.
Water should not be a huge problem for you, but it may still pay to contact the office there before going to inquire about it.
Have fun and let us know how it goes.
UL

Luke

I can relate to what you are going thru. I did a lot of bbping back in the 70's but due to job chances and a bad marriage (not the current wife!) I left camping till around 8 years ago. I had to start over and the wife wanted to give it a try. Now she and I go everywere and also do trail work together. As far as the gear I would recommend that you plenty of research. Checkout:
Backpackgeartest.org
Lots of good info there.

Also for a good easy first trip try the Caney Creek Wilderness Area of Western AR.
My wife and I do trail work in there, weekend afternext we will be doing some trail clearing on the Buckeye trail. All reports say that the Caney Creek trail is in good shape.
If you want more info send me a PM.

Thanks guys!

I've been reading up on everything I can to catch my brain up on safety, topo map reading, my backcountry firstaid etc. I'm really ready for a break, I'm in the middle of remodling a new house (never again will I remodel myself) and being an analyst I work about 50-70 hours a week. I'm always getting away for vacation time, but seldom getting back to nature, I got inspired by a trip back in May to Dominica where I innertube rafted down a river in the rain forests there. My partner and my family all hiked up the mountain there and had a nice daylong float down. Absolutely amazing!

My goal is to hike the Ouachita trail in the next three years (would like to do 1 complete trip before I'm 30.)

So tell me, sanity check here... 30lbs pack hike up and down Pinnacle and a double loop on the "trails" out there, is it enough to gauge our ability for this trip?

You will Die with a 30lb dude, unless your in great shape now, I would back it way down.. start small and go up.. If you were going to do that use water in bottles where you can dump the water if you get into trouble... water is roughly 8lbs to the gallon. I would not hike with a 30lb pack to the end of my driveway but thats just me.. oh and Welcome. lol

Luke,

Welcome to the forum. The Butterfield is well maintained due to the fact that everyone goes on it. There will be a few trees down, but nothing that you can't easily get around. As far as water goes, there is always plenty. I have gone in every season, wet/dry doesn't matter, just take some kind of purifier with you. I have gotten to where I hike it with just my day pack. Even if I stretch it out to a 3 day hike I still take my small pack, and at most it weighs 20 pounds with water.

I do not know if you are a tent or hammock dweller, or if you prefer to just sleep on the ground under a tarp, but there are plenty of ways to not kill yourself by overloading your pack. It frosted here last night, so plan on low 30's or high 20's at night. You should be fine with a 30-32 degree bag, and then your pants and jacket on.

The Butterfield is a big rollercoaster, with a climb up then down, and then another up and down. It is really not that bad, just take it easy if you are out of shape.

If you want any extra company, let me know when you are going and I will see if me and my neghbor boy can go along.

Dwight

Luke,

I know what you mean about going through rainforests. I used to live in Jamaica, and would hike the old railway lines that the British built through the mountains there. It really is a great place to be.

Dwight

LOL I know 30 sounds like a lot, but I was thinking that it would prep me so that if I have to carry little man's pack load if he tuckers out then I would know if I could. As far as on Pinnacle I was going to load it with water incase I couldn't make it. That and I'm sure I'm going to over pack the first time out anyway.

I'm going to have to get new everything at this point new pack, new tent (not into the hammocks and zach, wouldn't be able to handle a tarp and bedding down on the ground - he's scared to death as it is that we're climing Pinnacle LOL) and there are some cheap 2 man light tents over at gander mountain, new sleeping bag, a GPS (traded most of my gadgets in for a phone that does it all, but I don't want to have to rely on it in an emergency if something happens to me for him to get back out with), I'll build my own stove and first aid kit(that reminds me i need some epi-pens) this weekend if I can break away from working on the house.

I thought i still had my purifier canteen thing but I've yet to find it. How much water is good to bring along? 32 oz each?

Preacha,

Jamaica is one place I don't think I would hike these days, it's gotten so bad there now, the next revolution seems to be anytime now.

I do love Antigua and the BVI's though, although the options for hiking there are getting fewer and fewer as more tourists pour inland now that "eco-tours" have become the new thing to do for cruise line passengers.

Luke:
As someone who has hauled packs weighing from 5 lbs to over 60 lbs, I would recommend that you take your time and look for good quality lightweight gear. It doesn't have to be ultralight weight, but the less you carry on your back, the easier your hiking is going to be.
For backpacks, I would look at Granite Gear, ULA, Gregory, and GoLite, just to name a few. Some of these companies have both lightweight and heavyweight packs to choose from.
Sleeping bags are another of the Big Three that you can save weight. Look at Montbell, Marmot, and Western Mountaineering. All three have great down bags that are light, yet roomy and durable.
Shelters are getting lighter, also. Tarptent has some great lightweight designs.
OuachitaHiker recommended backpackgeartest.org. This is a great place to review gear and get an idea of what works and what doesn't.
Also, remember to check out eBay before you buy. You can get some great deals on gear, both new and used, once you decide on whqat you want.
In closing, there are some good discussions about gear here on the boards, so check them out.
If you have any questions, I'm sure the guys here will be more than happy to help.
UL

My first experience taking kids hiking was my neighbor boy and some of his friends. They always play video games, and one time a skinny 13 year old boy brought a pack that weighed around 35 pounds. It was tugh for him, but he made it through the Butterfield just fine. Just take your time with kids, they will get used to it. My neighbor now sleeps on the ground under my tarp (he tried hammocks and doesn't like them).

Jamaica is ok as long as you stay away from Kingston, certain parts of Montego Bay, and Cockpit Country of course (Thats where the Natives live). I lived up in the mountains, and people there are just like regular country people here. A truly beatiful country to live, the food isn't bad either.

Dwigt

Hey Luke! Sorry I'm just getting in the conversation, but I was out on the trail!

Anyway, welcome to the site. Glad you're heading out, and I hope you can make it a really positive event for your partner's little brother. (and for yourself as well!)

As far as how much water to carry: I highly recommend getting a backpack which has an inner pocket for a Camelbak Reservoir. I think most packs probably come with them nowadays. Most of the time I carry my 2-liter (70 oz.) Camelbak. If I know I'll be in a pretty dry area, I'll carry extra in plastic Powerade bottles.

I am a "Classic Overpacker." I think it stems from a trip I was on as a teenager when I was undergeared and spent 4 days and nights wet and cold. It was a miserable trip, and I have a hard time not taking everything I think I could ever possibly need because of it; it's a constant battle. If you're preparing for a trip by packing a miserably heavy bag, go for it; SAFELY. Being well-conditioned makes things so much more enjoyable out there, and helps prevent injury. (See my Womble trip report...sigh.)

As for what to take on the actual trip, listen to these guys; they know what they're talking about.

Again, welcome to the site!

Well we made it Sunday with no issues he wanted to go again today (unfortunately the call of the paycheck reined me in) and all in all we did total of a five mile hike with one 30 min lunch break (picked up subway and used the plastic baggie to teach him about LNT philosophies, we picked up almost two pounds of litter on the base trail ), the packs are bought as well as sleeping bags first aid (home made) and such, without food each pack is weighing in at 9.8-10.2 lbs if we distribute the tent between us one thing I still need to look at is a backpacker stove, I've found some decent ones locally but weren't worth the price point to me. anyone have experiance with a homeade stove? I was thinking about using a sterno and a large soup can with holes punched in for a wind screen as the heat source, but I've never tried them A. outdoors and B. to actually boil water.

If the weather is good we are shooting for this Friday thru Sunday, or if not, the first weekend of November as we will still be right near peak fall foliage and three days will give him enough time to explore and enjoy the area.

Thanks for the welcome Jay,

I also think my over packing stems from a trip when I was younger, 3 weeks out, most of it in the rain and weather in the 40's bucked off of my horse who cut her leg in a stream I stayed wet and miserable and ate nothing but fish or beans the entire trip.

UL has a pretty neat wood stove that he claims works pretty good. But you have to be careful what you believe outta those ultralighters...

I currently use a Jetboil. It's heavy and sort of bulky, but man it boils water fast. Wind, rain, sleet, hurricanes...that baby boils in no time flat.

Here's an Alcohol Stove I'm going to buy soon. Seems worth a try to me (especially for the price!) But if you were to order one first and let me know how well it worked, I wouldn't have any complaints.

...and let's not talk about our painful childhood memories anymore.

That's a pretty sweet stove! I'm going to toy around with making a sterno version since the sterno is so much easier to travel with than rubbing alcohol (but not as fun as 100 proof vodka LOL)

UL if you're around I tried looking for a link here to some instructions on this wood burning stove of yours but didn't see one, if you can PM some info to me. I made a solar oven that weighed around 6 oz. for a high school science earthday project and made some great biscuits. Love to have fresh bread, some premix and a little water... OK I really need to take a lunch today!

Oh yeah I forgot to ask if anyone knew, Precha maybe? How much of the trail is in the actual state park? or where is it OK to have a small campfire? I've got a GPX file of the trail, but i don't know where the park boundaries are.

Here's the link to UL's wood stove; sorry I didn't post it before: Wood Stove

As far as stoves there isn't much that I haven't tried. I started with a SVEA white gas stove in the 70's, still love that
ROAR that they give on a cold winter day! I have a alcohol stove, both a Pepsi and another, the name escapes me at the moment, thats a Sr. thing you know. Also I have a Whisper lite International for those really cold days. But most of the time I use a canister stove. I have a old model Primus Yellowstone. it works just fine. I beleive there is a place for all types, I am just one person that must have one of each!

OH

That is pretty cool, if the plumber doesn't show up this week I'm sooo breaking out the sheet metal and tools heh I may build both of them just for the fun of it.

Jay, I got an alchy stove from a guy, and I think he said it was from BBlight, or thru-hiker. I really like mine, but I have never took it with me, I just have tested it around the house. It is the classic one made from soda cans and then riveted together, when it fires up, it realy burns well. I usually take my pocket rocket though, I really like the cannisters.

Dwight

meh, the plummer is showing up tonight to start work so no playing with fire tonight...

Welp, while waiting for the plummer to actually show up last night (he finally did at 8:57pm) lil Zach and I went over first aid and trail safety, using a topo map and a compass, what to do if he's lost, and how to get out alive if somethign happens to me... apparently not the best stuff to be talking about in front of his mom (she about started crying) but it got my partner excited enough about backpacking that he's considering joining me on my next trip, up to caney creek - a huge step for a guy who's idea of a good hiking trip is to hike all day and stay at a hotel that night!

Considering changing the plans a bit and heading out saturday early early and taking off monday instead of friday, can't really decide yet- i still think friday is going to be a lot more rain than they are predicting.

I hope you are wrong about the weather. Down here Fri. is only a 10% chance of rain. The wife and I are going on the Buckeye and Caney Creek trails to do trail work. When you get to go on the Caney trail all should be fine. That is from the East trail head. I doubt that I will make it to the West trail head. Any way I hope you have a great trip with no rain!

luke:
Looks like the link to the instructions on making the wood stove isn't working anymore, so I thought I'd post them here for you.




The neat thing about this stove is that you can use wood, esbit tabs, or even alcohol in it to boil your water.
Let me know how your's turns out for you.
UL

Wow, that rain was pathetic last night, my yard was nearly dry by 5 am... and yet power was out all over North Little Rock, almost didn't get any starbucks this morning

anyhow, almost all packed and ready to go, just four more hours of work, yell at my plummer, eat a big dinner and breakfast and we're off to the trail.