gmyersut's Profile
| Name: | gmyersut |
|---|---|
| Level / Points: |
 11,550 points |
| I am a: | Hiker/Backpacker - I enjoy both hiking and backpacking and have no preference |
| I go hiking: | Several times a month |
| I usually go on hikes that are: | Moderate to Difficult |
| Gender: | Male |
| Birthplace: | Chicago, Illinois |
| Country: | United States |
| State: | Utah |
| City: | American Fork |
| Postal Code/ZIP: | 84003 |
| Biography: | I began hiking right after moving to California in 1961 and did my first backpacking trip in 1967 in the Sequoia N.F. in what is now Golden Trout Wilderness. I celebrated high school graduation in 1969 with a 5-day backpacking trip into Yosemite N.P. starting from Hetch Hetchy, repeating that trip the next year. In 1971 and '72, I did many day hikes, or shorter overnight backpacking trips in: Big Sur; Muir Woods; Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Sequoia, Zion, and Grand Canyon NPs; Death Valley and Joshua Tree N. Mon. (now National Parks). Later in 1972, I started a 1-year vagabonding adventure in Europe and the Middle East in which I enjoyed great hikes in: Wales; Ireland; Scotland; Egypt; and Israel. In 1976, I did a 6-day 50-mile backpacking trip in the Hoover Wilderness and into the northern reaches of Yosemite N.P. After that trip, I moved to Missoula, MT where I began regular day hikes in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, the Mission Mountain Wilderness, the Bob Marshall Wilderness, and Glacier National Park. In 1977, I did a 6-day 40-mile backpacking trip in the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness. After that trip, I had to content myself with frequent day hikes or overnight backpack trips into the mountain wilderness areas in Western Montana as a consequence of the age-old American problem -- how to balance recreation with school/career/family. My career has taken me to Alaska and now Utah, where I continue to hike, backpack, or snowshoe several times a month in the many wilderness areas and national parks near my home. |
| My Best Hike: | Highline Trail, Glacier National Park, Montana. |
| Best Hike Description: | I hiked the Highline Trail (15.2 miles round trip from Logan Pass) in Glacier National Park 8 times over the 10 years I lived in Kalispell, Montana. I have been on it in all kinds of weather and it never ceased to take my breath away with its awesome splendor. |
| My Worst Hike: | No such thing as a bad hike. |
| Worst Hike Description: | Most trying conditions I ever hiked in: Mt. Lowe Cog Railway in Angeles National Forest in 1970. We had a fierce wind-driven rain, inadequate rain gear, and the trail that day followed an old cog railway STRAIGHT up the mountain, and we had to climb over the old trestles every few feet. Soggy PBJ sandwiches for lunch topped off our ascent up the mountain. Soaked to the skin and cold when we returned, we still said, "That was great!" |
| A Memorable Trail Moment: | Celebrating the 4th of July in the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness in Montana at our camp just below Cutaway Pass on what would soon be designated the Continental Divide Trail, we played cribbage until the rain started after dark, then retired to our tent. During the night the rain turned to snow -- we had to stand watch all night to make sure the snow did not collapse our tent. The next day we had to wait until afternoon before enough of the snow had melted to hit the trail. |
| Dumbest Trail Move: | .22 caliber pistol (will definitely not stop a grizzly) |
| Trails That I Want To Hike: | Chilkoot National Historic Trail Gates of the Arctic National Park Wrangell-St. Elias National Park |
