I’m sharing pictures of it in context with what I was wearing before.
Built Cool Hat on top.
Ok. That going out of business outfitter had one hat for sale when we dropped by looking for more buffs (they had gone from more than a hundred to only one buff on the floor under stuff).
The hat is all polyester (hydrophobic) with mesh. The neck protection isn’t meaningful since I always wear a sun hoodie when I need protection.
It got my attention with the larger bill that provides more shade and face coverage. The other hat is “good enough” — which I know from experience — and is “standard” size.
The bottom line is my wife prefers it on me which skips all the other points. So I’ve a new item of gear.
I’ve shared all the other details for you to consider since we don’t share the same wife.
On the other hand. These socks looked good. Especially at $.50 a pair.
Socks with holes after one wearing
You can see that sock falling apart. Rocky ScentIQ Merino Wool Hiker Socks – Large 7-12 Mens, 7.5-13 Ladies.
The advantages are a great blend. 85% merino. No compression but great fit. Just enough nylon to wear better than 100%. Cushioned.
I was ready for them to be my new favorites. Or maybe my new sleep socks.
But they started to fall apart with mild use.
On the other hand these appear to be two generations old. The current ones look a bit different and I suspect not having the same problems.
IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR THRU-HIKERS & BIKERS – SPRING 2026
Winter rains have been falling across the state over the past six weeks, and the desert is carpeted in green leaves that may emerge as wildflowers next month.
This is shaping up to be a spectacular season for thru-hiking and biking the Arizona National Scenic Trail!
However, 25.5 miles of the AZT within Grand Canyon National Park remain closed due to impacts from the Dragon Bravo Fire. Rerouting around the Grand Canyon is nearly impossible, so for the second consecutive season, there is no connected route from Mexico to Utah.
This is tough news for all of us at the ATA who work hard year-round to ensure there’s a continuous path.
This update is intended as a planning guide for anyone considering a northbound thru-hike or ride on the AZT this spring season.
The only way around the closed area is to take a shuttle from the South Kaibab Trailhead to the North Rim. TransCanyon Shuttle https://www.trans-canyonshuttle.com is starting their season early to accommodate AZT thru-hikers and bikers.
Reserve your seat a few days in advance once you know when you’ll need a ride from the South Kaibab Trailhead.
Affected passages from south to north:
Passage 38 (Grand Canyon Inner Gorge) – CLOSED from the Clear Creek trail junction (just north of Phantom Ranch) to the North Kaibab Trailhead
Passage 39 (Grand Canyon North Rim) North Kaibab Trailhead to the Park/Forest Boundary – CLOSED
For more information on Grand Canyon National Park Closures: https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/key-messages.htm
SO WHAT’S A THRU TO DO?
Once you get to the South Kaibab Trailhead, consider hiking 7 miles down into one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
Cross the Black Bridge and spend some time at Boat Beach to experience the power of the Colorado River, and then decide if you’d like to visit historic Phantom Ranch and maybe buy a cold beverage or a snack.
If you want to experience as much of the AZT as possible, walk north for another 0.35-mile to the Clear Creek trail junction, then turn around and head south.
If you secured an overnight camping permit in advance through the Backcountry Office https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/backcountry-permit.htm ), then enjoy a night at Bright Angel Campground. Most consider this an essential part of the Arizona Trail experience. Then, hike back uphill to the South Kaibab Trailhead.
Hiking in past years.
From the South Kaibab Trailhead, have a friend or family member drive you around to the North Rim. TransCanyon Shuttle will offer daily rim-to-rim transportation, and securing your reservation in advance is highly recommended.
They will drive you as far south on Hwy 67 as is permissible. This might be to the town of Jacob Lake, or as far south as the Forest/Park boundary.
Negotiations are currently underway with the Arizona Dept of Transportation, Grand Canyon National Park and the Kaibab National Forest. The shuttle driver will take you are far as they are legally allowed to drive.
From there, continue north on the AZT toward the Arizona/Utah border. Or, if you want to experience as much of the AZT as is open, hike south to the Forest/Park boundary and then reverse your route and continue on to the northern terminus.
Mountain bikers who don’t mind highway miles and dirt tracks on the Navajo Nation should consider researching Segment 7 of the Western Wildlands Route developed by our friends at Bikepacking Roots. This eliminates the need for a shuttle, but will require some yo-yo (southbound and then northbound) road and trail miles.
Every day that goes by that the AZT is not a continuous path, we’re not fulfilling our vision. We appreciate your patience and support as we work through these challenges.
All of us are working hard to reopen the AZT and/or identify reroutes with your safety as our top priority. Please avoid closed areas, understand the hazards of traveling through burned forests that have reopened, and enjoy every mile you’re able to hike or ride this year.
After the winter snow melts and we have an opportunity to assess the damage, we will work with Park and Forest staff to reopen the trail as soon as possible.
Remember, every dollar you donate supports rehabilitation of the AZT, construction of new trail around severely damaged areas, improvement of water sources, and so much more.
That’s fine, but sometimes you are on a trail with a lot of water
On the Lost Coast Trail
In this picture that is the sun setting over the ocean while a fog bank is getting ready to roll in.
On the Lost Coast Trail most camp sites are either mouse infested (the driftwood on the bluffs with the grass) or next to where streams cut some access away from the ocean.
This campsite had a stream off to the right.
The stream
We woke up completely dry.
That is because of the rule that often gets skipped and that is contrary to what the boyscouts taught when I was young.
Pitch your tent under a tree where the branches shelter you and ventilate your tent.
Dry again (different tent)
Now when we started hiking the grass and trail were drenched. So much water had condensed out. The dew was as heavy as any I’ve ever seen.
But our campsite was perfect.
I’ve done this sort of pitch in terrible conditions and come out dry over and over again.
I gave the ‘backpacking in a snowstorm’ thing a try. I didn’t enjoy it, though I’m glad I did it in a controlled setting.
• Walking through snow is hard. It’s a little bit like swimming. • If you don’t have snowshoes, that will be tough. If your shoes are under the snow as you walk, snow gets in your shoe. If you have gaiters, great. I hope you also have waterproof shoes. • It’s hard to find running water sources under snow. • It takes a lot of fuel to melt a usable amount of snow into water. • Isobutane is very inefficient as it gets colder. • Hopefully you planned for cold weather sleeping if you’re out there in this season. The snow and wind will make it feel that much colder. Especially if you get a little wet, either from sweat or snowmelt getting your feet wet. • If you do decide to bail out once weather starts, the chances of finding someone on the road to give you a ride to safety is far lower than if you bail out earlier. • It can be harder to clearly identify the trail when everything is covered in snow. Even the trees and blazes get covered. • It can be hard to identify hazards under the snow, such as holes, uneven rocks and roots. • My suggestion is, unless you have experience in this type of wilderness adventure or are willing to risk it with a very clear bail out plan in place, then get off trail until this is cleared up. • Most (all?) filters will not tolerate freezing. You have to keep that close to your body to keep it warm. • You can’t drink ice. If your water bottles freeze, you have to melt it before you can drink it. You have to keep those close to your body / inside your sleeping bag. • A sleeping bag insulates (duh). If your body is cold, it will insulate that cold. If you pour cold water in an insulated mug, it stays cold. If you pour warm water in an insulated mug, it stays warm. You have to get your body warm as much as you can before getting in your bag. Eat a warm meal / drink some warm liquid. Do some light exercise (pushups, sit-ups, try not to get sweaty) to get your inner body temps up a bit. • You can heat up water and put it in a Nalgene to help warm up the inside of your bag. • Put your clothes inside your bag with you. • Frozen boots are hard to put on. Untie them and loosen them fully the night before. You’ll still have to put on cold shoes, but at least you’ll be able to put them on.
The Alpine Mode app for power management.
They also had additional comments:
Warm your batteries before charging / decharging them. I keep mine in my sleeping bag with me. My phone will typically be close to my body as well.
Further, and this is true for the iPhone at least, when they are plugged in, they go into a high-powered use mode. If you leave your phone plugged into your battery overnight, it may drain your battery bank more than is helpful. Especially if you have low or no phone service in your area. It increases power to the cellular modem to try to compensate.
I will usually charge it up while I’m awake, and unplugged it before I fell asleep, even if it’s not fully charged. I could resume charging it in the morning.
If you leave your iPhone in Low Power Mode, it will not do this and you can leave it plugged in without this problem. Unfortunately, the iPhone automatically turns off Low Power Mode when it reaches a certain charging threshold. I have worked around this by creating an automation shortcut that will automatically turn low power back on if it turns off. It’s kind of stupid that I have to do this, but it works well.
NOBO vs SOBO. If you say something is “off to the right”….include whether you are NOBO or SOBO.
This has started to become much more common.
Avoid using mile markers. If reporting water, tent site, etc. located in-between waypoints, then don’t refer to it by mile marker, because mileage changes every year. Say, for example, “0.8 miles NOBO”.
It really helps when you add a note to a waypoint to give the distance past the waypoint and the direction.
Be careful saying “north of here” or “south of here” when you really mean NOBO or SOBO from here—which is 99% of the time what we really mean. If you are truly giving a direction, say ‘compass north’ or ‘compass south’—-let’s leave true or mag to another discussion 🙂
So many times “north” or “west” or any apparent direction turns out not to be the compass direction.
In addition, when using FarOut you generally know if you are NOBO or SOBO on trail regardless of what the current compass directions are.
Water depth. Saying “water was waist high” is …OK. Saying “water was waist high. I am 5’10” tall” is better. Why not simply say…”water was 3 feet deep”?
It was really useful to me when a guy posted “I’m six feet tall and the water was chest deep”—that toldme what I needed to know.
SERVICES
Hours: Store/restaurant/post office hours are some of the most useful comments out there—especially after the hours just changed!
Prices: If you mention a hotel price, specify if it was weekday or weekend.
WILDLIFE
Random animals. The random “I saw a bear/I saw a snake” comments are generally despised. It is forgivable if it is the first snake after a 300-mile section with no snakes.
No kidding. Animals don’t stay put.
My favorite comment of all time was in 2023 and someone posted “Anyone have an update on that snake from 2019?” A creative way to make a point 🙂
Problem animals. Always good to report problem bear/deer/mice/etc. at a tent site ….or a snake or alligator or dead rat guarding a water hole.
This is also useful. I changed up plans to avoid areas with problem mice. I also was able to plan around dead animals in water sources.
SOCIAL
Social media. Many users are concerned that the app is turning facebook-ish and don’t like to see social media plugs.
Username Anyone else find it confusing/annoying when the FAROUT user name is not the trail name or the real name? The things we put up with …
Having a long social media signature for your posts is annoying. You can control your FarOut user name so it matches your trail name.
If your trail name matches your user name you don’t need to repeat it.
HUMOR
Comments seemed divided. What I have interpreted is that:
-Inside jokes between family members are frowned upon.
-The first guy doing gate reports was entertaining and generally well received. And the first guy writing in haiku was actually giving useful reports–just in a silly format. But the copycats have since got out of hand and are clogging up the comments.
Too much bad humor will make you the target of practical jokes. Often pretty intense practical jokes. Just a heads up.
LOST AND FOUND
Opinions mixed on this topic, but I will try to paraphrase:
-if you lose…or find… a phone, wallet, passport, small child, insulin pump, wedding ring…then feel free to post at a bunch of key waypoints
-if you lose a bandana…suck it up
-if you find a bandana…one post of “I found this and left it at trailhead/hiker box/picnic table” will be appreciated.
Remember most bandanas are pee rags. Most lost gear is gone for good.
But, if you find gear and leave it at a waypoint, it is an excellent thing to post about that! People are glad of that news.
HOUSEKEEPING
Definitely go to Account page to review and delete your old comments if they have become irrelevant.
This is one way to handle lost gear posts.
WATER SOURCES
A post every 4 or 5 days on a water source is sufficient. 5 posts a day is annoying….but what happens is, with no service, you don’t know there have already been 4 posts that day. So better to post…and delete later if it wasn’t needed.
When dealing with problematic or unreliable water more reports are better than too few.
DISSERVICES TO AVOID
Downplaying conditions. Saying “the snow on San Jacinto is no big deal” without revealing that you are only backpacking this year because you didn’t feel like climbing Everest for a sixth time.
Posturing about conditions “thumps chest, it was nothing” is really annoying. No one needs bragging. They just need/want accurate reporting.
Fearmongering. Stick to the facts or label opinion as opinion.
Again, accurate reporting. The fearmongering is as bad as the chest thumping.
Destroying the reputation of a restaurant/hostel/trail angel over a perceived sleight
SLANG
Using slang is not fetch. Avoid it. It seems about 40% of hikers use English as a 2nd (or 3rd) language… or they are Brits.
So much slang gets tiresome after a while too
Then you have to consider that Boomers (hey, another slang term!!) have no idea what you kids are talking about.
Examples:
WATER: sauce, juice, wawa, insta-fill
Something that starts cute (looking at you “wawa”) can become not appreciated.
SUPERLATIVES: sup, rad, the bomb, the shit, sick view, slaps, hella, ginormous
And using slang just to use it. I remember posts about how a hiker box slapped and when I came through the next day it was empty.
Additional comments from posters
If giving a water report, whether it’s a crossing, or a flow for filtering, include the time of day. Waist high at 9 AM may be impassible at 3 PM, and the reverse is true as well.
Many times on trail, I’d see a reference to a “bone dry“ water source, only to get there in the late afternoon to find a nice trickle. Or, I’d see comments talking about a horrible river crossing that was barely ankle deep when I crossed at 8 AM the next morning.
Yes!
Good stuff! The “downplaying conditions” trend really bothers me. I’ve seen some truly irresponsible stuff posted. I’ve also seen some truly factual cautionary stuff immediately labeled as fear mongering. The issue of direction- “NOBO vs north of the trail” is another one.
Most people, in the age of phone navigation, really don’t know where they are most of the time. But it turns out that your location and where compass north is can be a pretty dang big deal.
…
Things I wish people wouldn’t do:
• Post Rude/crude comments. • Post inaccurate comments that treat conditions like a funny joke. (Humor is fine/good but it can be taken too far.) • Comments that downplay conditions. • Post comments that fear monger conditions. • Post comments that try to torpedo businesses just because some whiney hiker didn’t get a hoped for freebie or whatnot. • Post social media handles.
I honestly don’t mind the lost stuff posts, but keep it within reason. If you lost a $5 bandana, let it go. Or just tell people if they find it, it’s okay to remove it. (Don’t try to obligate someone into trying to send it to you as you are hiking.) If you lost your wedding ring? An entire tent? I’m totally okay with a reasonable amount of posts looking for it and asking for its possible return.
Some things you should do:
• If someone hasn’t posted information regarding a pass in the Sierra in the past 4-5 days, post an update. Be factual instead of saying “it was easy”.
What’s easy for you (say a 24 year old in prime physical condition), may not be easy for another (maybe a 65 year old JMT hiker going over a pass 5 days after you.) helpful info:how much snow there is, how many people were wearing microspikes, crampons, none of the above.
Directional info like far left route seemed safer than those going straight thru. Etc.
• Same for any potential dangerous river crossings. (And if a river was dangerous and now it’s easy peasy, SAY THAT if no one else has yet. Some people may be unnecessarily rerouting or avoiding sections for no reason.)
• In a dry section, if someone hasn’t posted water info in 4-5 days, add a note. If there’s 5 comments per day saying exactly the same thing, you don’t need to repeat that.
• Give your height when posting about river crossing experience. (People are actually pretty good about this already, keep it up!!)
• That is, spend a couple minutes before going to sleep each night, adding a few comments on tough waypoints.
• Remember to give SoBo or NoBo info if you say something like “it’s on the left side” or “it’s just before the water”.
• Give distances from a waypoint rather than mile marker info. This helps the NoBoers be able to understand the SoBoers information – or JMTers and vice versa. Eg, “there’s a great camp spot 0.5 NoBo from here on down hill side” vs “great camping at mm 755.”
I personally enjoy wildlife sighting posts. Tell me about your bear, cougar, fox, porcupine, pole chewing deer, rattlesnakes, bald eagles, etc sightings.
Saying “wild horses are in this area” is great. “Snake on trail at mile 948.3” is useless.
Personally I get annoyed by the lost and found posts particularly when someone makes them repeatedly on every waypoint in a given section. Right up there with the post about how there was a rattlesnake at the trail junction at 2:45 pm. Granted I think the downvote feature is mostly there so people don’t email they quite as often to report someone spamming…
I suspect the lost-n-found filter is for this issue.
The advertising is also useful.
Off topic
There was a pretty neat outfitter in Ogden, Utah.
The owner is retiring and selling off all the inventory at fire sale prices.
But they still had socks.
Three floors of inventory and two locations are now part of one floor.
I was sad to see them go but glad I stumbled across them. Too bad the deals won’t last. Merino socks for $.50 can’t be beat.
I have to admit I was too tired to really log our progress of describe the trail well.
Introduction /factors
The trail is about twenty-five miles. The name comes from the fact that the coastal highway could not be routed through the area.
Thus it gained the name “lost coast”.
There is a trail down the coast at that point. The significant point is there are three areas where the trail drops down to the beach and can only be hiked through when the tides are low and are impassable when they are high.
The shuttle
Much of the sea in the area consists of sharp drop offs and rip tides and those areas are terribly dangerous when the tide is high.
In addition, access is limited by permit to avoid overuse.
Trail begins
Beginning
Starting the hike has a few parts
Check the tide charts for good windows.
Obtain a permit.
Have a bear canister (required) (there are bears. We saw a lot of paw prints).
Reserve a shuttle.
Generally one arrives at Whitethorn, California. The next morning your car is parked at Shelter Cove and a shuttle picks you up and drives you to the other end.
The beach
The twenty five miles of coast takes about two and a half hours to drive, which gives you an idea of how unsuited to roads the area is.
Day one
You are dropped off at Mattole Trailhead.
The trail starts on the headlands slightly inland from the beach, in parallel. Heading south, the ocean is always to your right and to the west.
Elephant seal
The coast at this point has three tectonic plates intersecting and it grows almost an inch a year in height. The rock is shale and the beaches are black sand, rock and boulders.
At times the beach is carpeted with seals and sea lions accompanied by sea gulls. Those areas made me even more grateful for the higher trail.
Lost coast trail
The first day takes you through two impassable zones and a number of water crossings. A stream that will get your feet wet occurs about every two miles. When the water is low (no rain for a week or more) they are no more than knee deep if you choose wisely.
A bad route can run you waist deep.
The lighthouse
There are some neat landmarks like the decommissioned lighthouse. Milepost 3.2.
More sealsWaterfalls
There are a lot of waterfalls in the hills (and often cliffs) next to the trail.
On the way you pass cabins from time to time. When the park was set up, landowners who did not want to sell were allowed to keep their cabins.
More trail
For the most part the only access is by airstrip or hiking in. At least one cabin has collapsed and the trail is blocked by the fence cordoned ruins. We took a bypass trail at that point.
Water crossing
Eventually you get to Oat Creek after eleven miles.
Fog rolling inOur campsite.
At this point we were at 11.7 miles. There is often heavy fog, the ocean is near and there is a flowing stream.
Set up nestled closely under trees on pine needles instead of grass leads to being able to camp without condensation problems.
Winter notes
This time of year sunset was about 5:30 and sunrise about 7:30. That means more than twelve hours of darkness.
This leads to less time for hiking.
Everyone else gets a picture of an octopus
As an aside hikers are asked to pack out their toilet paper and to either cathole 200 feet from camping or to cathole on the beach below the high tide mark so the ocean will cart it off to fertilize the kelp beds.
Day two
Day two starts with some nice trail and a roadblock at the next impassable zone.
Morning
While it is the west coast, the coast slants here so that in the winter the sun actually rises over the ocean.
So when the sun rises enough, we began to hike into the sunrise.
Sunrise
At times the trail is at the edge of the bluff and has eroded off the cliff edge, but early much of it is clear.
Clear trail tread.
This leads to some double track and an airstrip on the trail. The fog was really heavy by then and no airplanes. There were a lot of deer.
There is only one very rough double track leading into the trail area. For the most part access is very limited.
At this point you come down off the bluff and onto rocks, boulders and sand and the third impassable zone begins at mile 17.2.
We took a nap there until the tide dropped enough by 2:30 started down the trail. There is a false trail that stays on the bluff and goes nowhere safe.
The zone beginsBlack sand beach towards the terminus
The first half was really rough. Then a stream where you can camp (and be trapped until the next low tide).
That is Shipman’s Creek at 18.6.
Next is Buck’s Creek at 20.0. It has camping but again is in the impassable zone.
Bear prints.
Gitchell Creek at 21.5 ends the zone. It has campsites but they are completely exposed.
So. We had thought of stopping there for the day but Gazelle was game to keep going and led the way.
Sunset
23.6 at Horse Mountain Creek there is also more camping but it is completely exposed.
Sunset was coming but we had time to finish.
Parking lot overlooking the beach
25.4 and the trail ends with a parked car and a number of warning signs regarding rip tides, undertows and other dangers in the ocean.
I was glad we hiked out and headed for showers and town food. Slept very well.
We got up early, got our last showers for a while and bought breakfast to eat later. We then drive to the trailhead parking lot to wait for our shuttle.
She arrived promptly at 8:15 for the 8:30 pickup and the four of us waiting for her loaded up and we were off in the midst following the same path the 8:00 shuttle took.
The road had wash outs and a truck on its side with the lights still on. We stopped to render aid but the vehicle was empty.
Trail begins.
We started on the trail at about 10:45 am and we got to the camping past Spanish Creek at roughly mile 11 just before 4:00 pm. Dark will be roughly 5:30 but there is a cloud bank over the ocean.
I’ve called Happy6 “Gazelle” before. She just floats down the trail. Today she left the other hikers in our group behind early and the six hikers in the shuttle fifteen minutes ahead of us she passed up before the lighthouse.
Creek on Lost Coast Trail
I’ll update this. We finished a day early.
Day one 11.7 miles. Day two we finished at mile 25.4. Almost fourteen miles. So much rock and sand and water crossing. My feet are sore. But I get a shower.
