Making Your Own Trail

Mr.Hiker · 12-28-2009, 12:48 PM

Have you ever tried making your own trail just for the sake of adventure and fun?

My friends and I tried this once in one of our hiking trips. We followed the normal trail when going up the mountain but we made an alternative route going back to the camp. It was not easy but its worth the experience.

jason · 12-28-2009, 03:33 PM

I've done this up in New York. Just kind of went where ever I wanted, not following any sort of trail.

Down here, I have not. With the exception of clearing some branches that grew over the water way I was using with my canoe.

**2coastcamper** · 12-28-2009, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jason

I've done this up in New York. Just kind of went where ever I wanted, not following any sort of trail.

Down here, I have not. With the exception of clearing some branches that grew over the water way I was using with my canoe.

You "make your own trail" down where you live, and you'll likely end up as gator food!!!

**2coastcamper** · 12-28-2009, 08:13 PM

But seriously. I did this last time I went camping. I abandoned the trail immediately, and chose to follow the river instead. I trugged along for a couple of hours, and then crossed right over the trail randomly. The next day, I hiked the trail ... and what took me two hours off-trail, I did on-trail in about 30 minutes, haha! But it was worth it. I got to see much more of the river than anyone else on the trail. And I climbed a few big rocks and even waded into the river at one point. It was a blast. And since I was following the river, I always knew how to find my way back to where I'd started.

HappyFeet · 12-28-2009, 10:00 PM

I never tried this in my hiking trips but I will try this with my friends. I'm just afraid of snakes when I go off trailing. What do you do to protect yourself when you go out of the trail?

firefly · 12-29-2009, 11:42 AM

I have done what 2coastcamper has done. We have a great camp ground up in Brooksville. The river there is called the crooked river. It winds all around the camp. We would follow that instead of the trails. The only animals we would run into were snakes, raccoons, rabbits. I never saw a gator in that river but we do have them in Florida. Believe it or not they can run fast on those little legs of theirs.

Traveler · 12-30-2009, 11:22 PM

Me and my friends often do this because this is where the real adventure is. We only do this on places where we know about the area and what lurks in that place.

jason · 01-05-2010, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2coastcamper

You "make your own trail" down where you live, and you'll likely end up as gator food!!!

Honestly, I'm more worried about snakes then gators. There is a lot of ground cover here, palms and such. They are perfect for snakes to hide. I have a better chance on land seeing a gator then a snake.

Bradsalex · 01-09-2010, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HappyFeet

I never tried this in my hiking trips but I will try this with my friends. I'm just afraid of snakes when I go off trailing. What do you do to protect yourself when you go out of the trail?

To protect you legs during hikes like that where there is the potential for snakes you should wear gaiters. They are fairly cheap and you can find them in pretty much any outdoor sports store.

I also like to go off into the wilderness and leave the confines of the trail behind. I don't usually do this until I've hiked the trail at least once so i get the idea of the lay of the land. Going off on your own is nice because you can go what you want to do and go where you want to go without interrupting anyone else's hike. There is more to see and there's more of an adventure feeling to it.

12-28-2009, 12:48 PM	#1
Mr.Hiker Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 29	Making Your Own Trail Have you ever tried making your own trail just for the sake of adventure and fun? My friends and I tried this once in one of our hiking trips. We followed the normal trail when going up the mountain but we made an alternative route going back to the camp. It was not easy but its worth the experience.

12-28-2009, 03:33 PM	#2
jason Look 2x Safe a life Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Florida Posts: 1,219	I've done this up in New York. Just kind of went where ever I wanted, not following any sort of trail. Down here, I have not. With the exception of clearing some branches that grew over the water way I was using with my canoe. Follow us on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/outdoorbasecamp Youtube Channel Coming soon...

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12-28-2009, 08:13 PM	#4
2coastcamper Moderator Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Northern California Posts: 418 Blog Entries: 6	But seriously. I did this last time I went camping. I abandoned the trail immediately, and chose to follow the river instead. I trugged along for a couple of hours, and then crossed right over the trail randomly. The next day, I hiked the trail ... and what took me two hours off-trail, I did on-trail in about 30 minutes, haha! But it was worth it. I got to see much more of the river than anyone else on the trail. And I climbed a few big rocks and even waded into the river at one point. It was a blast. And since I was following the river, I always knew how to find my way back to where I'd started.

12-28-2009, 10:00 PM	#5
HappyFeet Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 72	I never tried this in my hiking trips but I will try this with my friends. I'm just afraid of snakes when I go off trailing. What do you do to protect yourself when you go out of the trail?

12-29-2009, 11:42 AM	#6
firefly Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 109	I have done what 2coastcamper has done. We have a great camp ground up in Brooksville. The river there is called the crooked river. It winds all around the camp. We would follow that instead of the trails. The only animals we would run into were snakes, raccoons, rabbits. I never saw a gator in that river but we do have them in Florida. Believe it or not they can run fast on those little legs of theirs.

12-30-2009, 11:22 PM	#7
Traveler Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 34	Me and my friends often do this because this is where the real adventure is. We only do this on places where we know about the area and what lurks in that place.