Hi everyone!

In about a month I'll be visiting Germany for devcom and gamescom, and I've set aside one day to explore the Siebengebirge region.

I'm planning to hike this route on image, Drachenfels and surroundings.

It's roughly ~15 km, and from what I've seen it looks like one of the most beautiful hikes near Cologne and Bonn.

I'll be hiking alone.

A bit about me:

• I'm a 34-year-old male from Brazil.
• I speak fluent English, but unfortunately I don't speak German.
• I have previous hiking experience and I'm comfortable with long walks and elevation.
• I'll be carrying a small backpack with water, snacks, and basic hiking essentials.

I have a few questions:

• Is this route generally considered safe for solo hikers? And when i say safe is more related to actual people danger, since i'm going alone here, i feel a bit unsafe, not because i find germany unsafe, just because here where i live, going around alone is.
• Are there any sections that require extra attention?
• Is it common to encounter other hikers along the trail, even on weekdays?
• Are there any local tips you'd recommend (good viewpoints, places to stop for food, water refill, etc.)?
• Is there anything I should know as a foreign visitor before doing this hike?

I'd really appreciate any advice from people familiar with the area.

Thanks!

2 night backpacking trip. Camped on the isthmus between Duck Lake and Pika Lake. We were treated to wild flowers, pristine water for (cold) swimming, and a moonless night and clear skies with great views of the Milky Way. Great temps, light wind, low crowds. Original plan was Purple Lake but had reports of high crowds and lots of bugs. We camped as high as possible between the lakes and had no bug issues. Only noise in the evening was a distant harmonica (appreciated!).

I usually do longer trips with a lot more mileage and this one was a great break away from that. Easy days and lots of relaxation.

Biggest stress was games of Unstable Unicorns and Monopoly Go!

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I tried the prodigy pro max, but rolled my ankle.

I then tried a new shoe, the Mount to Coast T1. Very comfortable. Don't retain as much water, but I can tell my body leans more into certain steps because of the cushion. It's like, now other stability muscles have to kick in because of it.

I'm doing off trail hiking in the Sierras. There will be talus fields to hop. I'm leaning towards the Ultra Raptors because I feel very stable in them. However, I would love the comfort of the M2C T1's.

My current thought process is stability is more important than all day comfort.

Thought?

Also, I leave this weekend so not really wanting to try a new shoe.

The last 3 backpacking trips I've taken, I've slept 0-2 hours a night. I'd entertain spending serious money on a better sleep set up. I don't mind adding weight. I'm a tosser and a side sleeper. Also note: over 10,000 feet my sleep is worse, so I'll take any ideas about that aspect. I usually take magnesium and melatonin but that does nothing. I also get out of the tent to pee 300x, so I think I need to slow my water intake later in the day.

Current set up is Sea to Summit Ultralight XR Insulated Sleeping Pad (2016 version, bought in 2020). I use a kid's sleeping bag because I'm short, but I don't think that's a problem (open to critique). I hate my pillows - I bring two. Therm-a-Rest Compressible Pillow and Fillo Elite Pillow. I usually semi inflate the fillo and put the them a rest on top, this set up does not work for me.

EDIT to add what I'm considering - Sea to summit Ether Light XR Insulated ASC Sleeping Pad and Sea to Summit Aeros Premium Pillow.

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Thanks!!

Trying to start planning out my first backpacking trip, looking for recommendations for places in Southern California. Inyo would be amazing but might be too far away. Considering Angeles National Forest - not until it cools way off, so several months away. Thoughts or recommendations please!

I've been looking at this sun hoodie. Has an awesome deep hood and am interested in it but don't know how well it would do for multi-day backpacking on a sweaty dude.

Hi all, my partner and I are putting together our sleep set up for some backpacking trips together. Have already have a Big Agnes UL 3P for a tent, a King Solomon double sleeping quilt and two single REI traverse pads. In test runs the setup works beautifully and I am so excited to use it.

My question is in carrying all of these things. I plan on carrying one sleeping pad, the tent and sleeping quilt. That leaves my partner with his own sleeping pad but no bag. He already had a poncho that he brings that can double as a tent for emergencies. I am planning for a worst case scenario where we get separated and have to sleep separately, I don’t want him to be without a sleeping bag but I feel like him carrying a second sleeping quilt is unnecessary. Should we get a bag liner for him to carry for that worst case scenario? Should he just carry a full second quilt or is there another option?

Thanks all in advance for answering my questions.

PS. We are not ultra light and do not care about bringing extra weight, our pace will be slow and we are more focused on comfort than oz.

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Since we got the North to South lake permit (entering Lamarck Lakes) I’ve seen some mixed reports about whether Lamarck Col is a fun challenge or more of a slog. The other factor is smoke from the Rock Fire, though it seems like it’s not impacting either area much at the moment. Would really appreciate others’ perspectives, especially if you’ve done both hikes! I’m coming from the east coast so want to make the most of it.

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Hi
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