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Postholes

General Topics about Hiking in the Catskill Mountains that are not trail related
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kennykb
Posts: 241
Joined: Tue Apr 24, 2012 11:19 pm
Location: Niskayuna, NY
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Postholes

Unread post by kennykb »

Saw this one on another hiking forum, and couldn't resist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYivAQbYfoQ
I'm not lost. I know exactly where I am. I'm right here.
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mike
Posts: 1442
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2009 9:20 pm
Location: Ravena, NY

Re: Postholes

Unread post by mike »

I've seen this video before. Some people get upset by the post-holing. But, I personally don't care that much.
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Jon
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2011 9:43 pm
Location: Bangor, PA

Re: Postholes

Unread post by Jon »

I only care when it gets to the point where walking on the trail with my snowshoes will damage them because of the postholes. When they walk on the snowshoe trail, then I follow, my feet sink into the postholes and the snowshoes do not. Then this force without full flotation on my weight bends my aluminum frames. I wind up having to break a new trail just to the side, or have to take the snowshoes off.

Beyond just postholes, traveling without snowshoes packs the snow down more, but not as wide of a path as the snowshoe makes. So after 20-30 people hike up a snowshoe path the middle gets incised, and if you then follow the trail with snowshoes it is no longer flat and your feet will constantly be bent angled inward as the trail is now more like a U than a flat surface. This causes more ankle twists and is just difficult to walk along. I think that if people want to not wear snowshoes, that is fine, they should break their own trails not ruin the ones that people wearing snowshoes made.

I say there are two types of winter hikers. Those who wait for the least bit of snow possible so they can go snowshoe, and those who will try to go as long and as far as possible without snowshoes and only put them on after they absolutely can't go any further without them. The second group kinda ruins the trails that the first group makes =)
mtnclimber
Posts: 496
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:46 pm

Re: Postholes

Unread post by mtnclimber »

Hey Jon - I hear you! Most of the time it isn't a problem. But, if it was slushy and then it freezes, then it is the worst! Like hiking on large round rocks. A hobbling experience. The only other good thing about postholers is that they usually don't go that far. In the ADK you cannot bareboot it if there is 8" (?) of snow. I think you can use microspikes or crampons if the trail is hard. No rules in the Catskills.
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