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  1. #11
    Senior Member OneClick's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dvankirk View Post
    I've thought that maybe their should be some kind of meetup area on the forum where people could arrange trips with others or even rides. Maybe somebody local could tag along as a guide. I would consider giving somebody a ride to a trailhead if it wasn't too far.
    That would actually be fun. I tend to shy away from group trips like this due to, ironically, logistics. Sounds dumb, but someone wants to change the time, half the people show up days early anyway, someone wants to stop and eat at the local pizza joint, they ask two more friends to join and eventually the whole world shows up, etc. etc.

  2. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by OneClick View Post
    That would actually be fun. I tend to shy away from group trips like this due to, ironically, logistics. Sounds dumb, but someone wants to change the time, half the people show up days early anyway, someone wants to stop and eat at the local pizza joint, they ask two more friends to join and eventually the whole world shows up, etc. etc.
    That's why most of my trips these days are solo. The more people that you add, the harder it is logistically to make it work. It's hard enough fitting stuff into my schedule.

  3. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by OneClick View Post
    Other than the obvious rental car, is there some other method I'm missing? I hate to spend $250 on a rental to basically just park it at the trail head for a week. But I doubt an hour ride in an Uber is any cheaper or even possible.

    I'm looking at expanding my menu farther out. Just kicking around numbers:

    Flying/Rental
    $547 for a flight, rental and gas.

    Driving own vehicle entire way
    $151 in gas (plus wear and tear)

    Driving rental entire way
    $401 for rental and gas

    Flying is actually making some sense, especially since it cuts 8 hours off the travel time.
    Unfortunately places I want to explore aren't always near an airport or have access to shuttles. Renting a car may cost more but it could also get you to the trail head faster. Hitching or waiting on shuttles can sometimes kill a half day or more. When I only have certain amount of days to hike those half days add up.

    My rule is 10-12 hour drive is my max and flying would be faster.
    1 hour drive to airport
    arrive 2 hours before takeoff
    time in air could be different depending on layovers or where I'm going, but say 5 hours from takeoff to land in destination
    collect baggage and get rental car normally less than 1 hour
    that's about 9 hours from leaving my house and then I still need to drive to trail head

    That's how I came up with my 10-12 hour max drive.

    I feel your pain. I hate paying for a rental car and parking at trail head for 7 days, but that's the price I pay for living so far from any mountains.

  4. #14
    Senior Member OneClick's Avatar
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    I like that 10-12hr rule. More like 9 for me, but close enough. I can add on those few extra hours if pressed.

    It's really amazing how much more is on the menu when I look at 8hr drives. NC, TN, PA, NY. Cool stuff too. I'm always locked on "going north" but the nice thing is, this time of year I can still get in some nice 50-60° hiking days while I wait for more snow up north. Skipping that 38° rainy weather won't make me sad in november/december.

    I'm doing Dolly Sods next week, but Shining Rock Wilderness is now my plan b. I don't know the person off the top of my head, but thanks to him for posting a review today. Looks like a nice, totally new place for me.

  5. #15
    TallPaul's Avatar
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    If you need some help around Shining Rock let me know.

  6. #16

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    The one good thing about flying is anywhere is within reach. Oregon is just as easy to fly to as North Carolina from Louisiana.

    Denver was the easiest. I Left New Orleans one morning and was hiking on the Colorado trail by 1:30 that afternoon. Most trips the first and last days are all travel and no hiking.

    The nearest backpacking trail is about 2 hours from me. The nearest mountains would be Arkansas or Alabama and those would take 8 hours of driving.

  7. #17
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    If you are good about paying your bills, look into an airline credit card. I use the southwest card to purchase everything, then just pay it off every month. points add up quick.. My wife and i haven't payed for an airline ticket in years.. plus you can use points to help offset the cost of rental vehicles and hotel stays.. Southwest has a sign up incentive right now, for 40000 points if you sign up and spend a $1000 on the card in the first 3 months.. I would imagine you spend more than $1000 a month just on groceries.. 40000 points is probably enough for 2 trips, plus the unused points roll over to the next year.. Its a no brainer in my opinion if you plan to travel.


    https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/sou...B&gclsrc=aw.ds
    Last edited by chromedome; 10-30-2019 at 07:37.

  8. #18
    Senior Member OneClick's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by chromedome View Post
    If you are good about paying your bills, look into an airline credit card. I use the southwest card to purchase everything, then just pay it off every month. points add up quick.. My wife and i haven't payed for an airline ticket in years.. plus you can use points to help offset the cost of rental vehicles and hotel stays.. Southwest has a sign up incentive right now, for 40000 points if you sign up and spend a $1000 on the card in the first 3 months.. I would imagine you spend more than $1000 a month just on groceries.. 40000 points is probably enough for 2 trips, plus the unused points roll over to the next year.. Its a no brainer in my opinion if you plan to travel.


    https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/sou...B&gclsrc=aw.ds
    Thanks for that idea. I've always been a loyal Amazon card user. I put everything on there and pay it off like you said...just more convenient than cash or anything else.

    I need to spend a lot less now that I'm divorced, so I'm not sure the Amazon points will even add up much. So maybe the airline card would do better; something to look forward to more than just a little play money on Amazon.

  9. #19
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    Agreed with the above. I use a card that gives me 1.5 points on the dollar and 5 points on rotating categories each month. I use that to pay for everything I can - gas & groceries of course, but also Comcast bill, cell phone bill, and any other monthly bills that accept CC payments. The points add up fast, and I typically just use them toward paying off the balance. I actually make several payments a month just so that I'm staying on top of the amounts more closely. Plus it doesn't hurt to keep a regular eye on the account activity in case anything fishy is going on.

  10. #20
    chromedome's Avatar
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    Also, look into The park, sleep, fly option that some airport hotels offer.. If your not gone for an extended period of time, they let you park at the hotel for free when you get a room the night before your flight.

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