Posts tagged backpacking

I’ve been slacking with writing trip reports (missed 49 over the last couple of years), so there’s only one way to get started again. Here goes…

What: Springer Mountain & the first few miles of the AT
When: April 6th & 7th

I’ve been up Springer Mountain many times. It’s a special place that I look forward to visiting many more times.

This weekend, a co-worker had a weekend free and had never been to Springer. I don’t need much of an excuse to head to the mountains.

After Chris (Yoti) got off work at 4PM, we drove up to the parking lot on Forest Service Road 42. The parking lot was full, with the exception of one spot that had just become available. Perfect.

We grabbed our packs and started the gradual 0.9 mile climb up Springer Mountain. We headed straight for the camping area near the shelter. The shelter was full, but that was of no concern since neither of us stay in the shelter. We both are tree dwellers; we both sleep in hammocks.

We found a couple of spots and quickly set up our hammocks and tarps. I used my Warbonnet Traveler hammock with my new Hammock Gear Cuben Fiber tarp. The tarp is only 6.5 ounces! For insulation, I used my Jacks ‘R Better Nest underquilt and an opened sleeping bag as a top quilt.

6.5 ounces of cuben fiber goodness

Chris was riding in his Hennessy Hammock with the Super Shelter as insulation along with my DIY tarp.

Through the trees, we noticed another hammock. It wasn’t long before we met Ashman. He was in a Hennessy with a Jacks ‘R Better tarp and insulation. It’s always fun meeting other hammock hangers to talk gear.

The sunset on Springer was amazing. We could see the sun going down through the trees and decided to run up to the summit to watch it. As we were running up the trail, we watched through the trees as the sun slowly disappeared over the mountains. We made it to the clearing at the summit about 30 seconds too late. Still, the light show was spectacular.

Back at the hammocks, I realized we would be in for a surprise. I had set my jacket out and within a few minutes it was damp. Condensation! I felt the tarp. Wet. I felt the underside of the tarp. Wet. At that point, I figured it would be an interesting night. With so much condensation, I had concerns about whether my down underquilt would be rendered useless. There was only one way to find out.

After hanging our bear bags, it was time for bed. Well, that was our plans. A family who had come in late had other plans. They talked and laughed until almost midnight. Ugh!

The sunset was just a warm up for what we were about to see. We watched the most amazing full moon rise as the sun went down. I’ve never seen the moon so bright. I never used my headlamp during the night. It was as if there was a warm glow of a nightlight on the whole night. I kept thinking to myself that it would be amazing to night hike without a headlamp under this moon.

the moon shining through my tarp during the night

The moon wasn’t our only companion overnight. The owls were out in force. It started in the distance with a gentle “WHO”. Before long, there were several all saying “who cooks for you”. They were loud and they were awesome. At one point, a Screech Owl just north of us joined in the conversation.

The temperature dropped to the mid 30’s overnight. Although our tarps were soaked inside and out, the condensation wasn’t a problem for us. We did see some people in tents who had a different experience. There were quite a few people around the shelter who got wet in their tents and endured a cold wet night.

good morning, Springer Mountain

coffee & breakfast from the hammock

Springer Mountain shelter

After packing up, we talked to a few hopeful thru-hikers. They were already dumping gear. One of them offered us his air mattress, but we declined. They were carrying such things as a guitar and buckets of GNC powder. Talk about unprepared for a thru-hike. They’re going to learn the hard way: on the trail.

After a brief detour to the summit, we headed north with no agenda except to hike until we felt like turning around. After pulling a muscle in my leg last weekend at mile 8 of an 18 mile day, I knew I had better take it easy.

Stover Creek shelter

Noontootla Creek at Three Forks

In no time, we made it to Long Creek falls where we set up hammocks and ate lunch. Lunch turned to lounging around. After about an hour, we had to force ourselves to pack up the hammocks and head back to the truck. It wasn’t easy leaving the comfort of the hammock.

I’ve had lunch in worse places before!

Long Creek Falls

bridge near Stover Creek shelter

On the hike back to the truck, we stopped to find a couple of geocaches and I ran into a couple of friends from NC & TN that I haven’t seen in quite a while. We had a nice mini-reunion right there on the trail near Stover Creek. They were continuing on to Hawk Mountain Shelter for the night. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous that they were out for another night. I can’t complain, though. It was a quick trip, but it was a fun trip.

Just before reaching the truck, we met a guy who was hiking north for a few weeks. His pack had to have weighed at least 80 lbs. It was amazingly huge. The pack itself probably weighed 10 lbs. It was bulging at the seams, and he had lots of “gear” hanging on the outside. Between the sound of his bear bell and the cup, two pots, and skillet banging together hanging on the outside of the pack, there was no way for him to sneak up on you. We wished him luck, and just shook our heads in amazement as he slowly forced one foot in front of the other. I was hurting just watching him.

Back at the trucks, there was one thing on my mind: Sonic! We made our way down the mountain and made a quick stop at the outfitters in Ellijay. I always enjoy stopping there and supporting such nice people. And then it was time: chicken strip dinner with tator tots and a cherry slush. That was the best meal I’ve ever had from Sonic.

Even though it was a short trip (1 night and only 12 miles), I got to test out new gear and tweak old gear. This was the first trip I used the JRB Nest on the Traveler hammock. It worked fine, but I want to tweak how it connects to the hammock. I’ve used the Nest on several different hammocks, and it’s just a matter of dialing it in on each one. All that means is more time in the woods. No complaints here!

I also worked on lightening my load. For last weekend’s trip, my pack weighed 23 lbs (with food and water). This weekend, I got it under 17 lbs (with food and water), and had to bring extra clothes due to the colder weather. By summer, I’ll be at around 14 lbs (with food and water). If I’m able to do 18-20 mile days easily with a 23 lb pack, I can’t wait to see how much trail I can see this summer.

Always dreaming of the next trip…

What: Long day hike
When: March 30, 2012
Where: AT Approach Trail
Who: Just me

I’ve spent a lot of time recently out in the woods hiking, but not backpacking. Not sleeping in a hammock in the woods. Not enjoying everything about being in the woods at night.

It was time. I needed to get out there and refill my adventure reserves. With no one else available, there were just one thing to do: a solo trip.

I left early and headed to Amicalola Falls State Park. I arrived just as the visitor center was opening. Since I was going to leave my truck overnight, I needed to check in and leave my information and itenerary. I was out the door by 8:35AM and on the trail by 8:45AM.

This was it. My time to be alone in the woods. Don’t get me wrong. I do enjoy hiking and backpacking with others. However, there’s just something special about being by yourself on the trail.

My plan was to hike the approach trail and stay on top of Springer Mountain for the night, then hike down via the Len Foote Hike Inn trail.

For the first few hours on the approach trail, I didn’t see anyone. It was nice.

As expected, I ran across some “junk” along the side of the trail that some previous hikers had left. Let me back up and explain the AT Approach Trail. The start of the AT is on Springer Mountain. There’s no road access to Springer Mountain. The closest forest service road is 0.9 miles north of Springer. Most thru-hikers backtrack from the road up Springer, then turn around and begin their hike north. Purist, however, start at Amicalola Falls State Park and hike the 8.8 mile approach trail. The approach trail is no joke, especially to those who have no clue what they’re doing. On the AT, you either learn quickly, or fail quickly.

There’s been reports of all kinds of junk thrown to the side of the approach trail as people realize what they’re getting into. I’ve heard reports of large stoves, BBQ grills and even a propane tank. I have no clue who would think they could carry a propane tank up the approach trail, much less all the way to Maine.

I didn’t find a BBQ grill or propane tank, but I did see plenty of trail trash (and I’m not talking about people). One guy alone left a pair of sweat pants, a thick canvas jacket, blue jeans, two blankets, a towel, a travel mug, a skillet and 12 cans of Kibbles & Bits. TWELVE cans! I don’t feel sorry for that ill-prepared hiker. I feel sorry for his dog.

junk a hiker ditched along the trail

I stopped to find a couple of geocaches along the trail, but other than that had no agenda for the day. I was just out enjoying being on the trail.

I was making great time and reached Black Gap Shelter (roughly 1.3 miles from Springer) by noon. I stopped and fixed lunch and talked to a couple of hikers from Florida out for a section hike and a guy out doing trail maintenance. Lunch was a peanut butter and jelly tortilla sandwich.

I wasn’t back on the trail for 5 minutes before the rain started. I got out my pack cover and put it on, but didn’t bother with my rain coat. It was so hot that I would have got soaked from sweat, so I chose to just enjoy the rain shower. I laughed when the rain stopped just as I finished putting my pack cover on. That may have been the shortest rain shower ever.

Onward and upward to Springer Mountain. It wasn’t long until I reached the summit, and the first blaze on the AT (or last if you’re a Southbounder). I’ve been here many times, but it’s always a special place to visit. There’s so much history on that slab of rock.

Just before Springer, I felt something give in my right knee. My right knee was supposed to be my strong one, but not today. From the point I first felt it, every step felt like a knife stabbing me in the knee. Thankfully, I was approaching Springer where I could relax.

AT plaque and the first AT blaze

I had made such good time that I got to Springer around 1PM. I wasn’t expecting to be there so early. I sat around a while, then started thinking. This was my turn-around spot and there was still about 7 hours of daylight left. When I’m out with a group, I don’t mind hanging out in camp. When I’m by myself, I enjoy hiking and seeing as much as I can. I also noticed that there was a thunderstorm in the distance heading my way. The weather forecast called for scattered thunderstorms throughout the afternoon and night.

Most would say it would have been smart to set up my tarp and enjoy a nice thunderstorm while dry in my hammock. There was another option to do something I love to do, but haven’t done in a while: hike through an afternoon thunderstorm. I love hiking in a thunderstorm. What’s even better is hiking after an afternoon thunderstorm. Right after a thunderstorm finishes, the woods are quiet. Eerily quiet. There’s just something magical about hiking through the woods when they’re like that.

The decision was made. I would start hiking back, hurt knee and all. I made it back to where the Len Foote Hike Inn trail split and headed that way. I’ve heard about the Hike Inn for years, but never been by there myself. On the way, I ran into Jonathan, the caretaker who is living in a tent on Springer Mountain during the months of March & April. Since that’s the busy season for thru-hikers, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy employs people such as Jonathan throughout the trail to help and educate as needed. Jonathan was making the several mile trip back up to his tent on Springer Mountain from the Hike Inn where he had hiked to take a shower. We talked a few minutes, then parted ways as the thunder joined our conversation.

I made it to the Hike Inn and stopped to check it out. The guy behind the counter was very nice. I enjoyed looking around at the pictures and books. He seemed shocked that I knew more about the Inn and the trail than most people who visit. Before leaving, he offered to fill up my water bladder…with lemonade! That was the best lemonade I’ve ever had.

I left the Hike Inn just as the thunderstorm hit. It was a good one too. On the way down, I passed quite a few people unprepared. They were all making the hike up to stay at the Inn. Finally, the caravan of hikers ended and I was alone again.

After the rain stopped, it was quiet. Quiet and peaceful. I was alone on the trail and it was great. Before I knew it, I realized that I was getting close to being back at the truck. I hadn’t planned on hiking so far. My original plan was to stay the night on Springer. Then I altered the plan and was going to stay somewhere along the approach trail. Then before I knew it, I was back at the truck. Hmmm…

I was enjoying the trail so much that I just kept walking. It was never my intention to just do an 18 mile day hike, but that’s what it turned into. Rather than hiking back up the approach trail to just find a spot to say for the night just outside the park, I decided to head home. I got to have a great adventure, even if I didn’t spend the night on Springer.

Eighteen miles. Excruciating pain from hiking 10 miles with a hurt knee. Soaking wet from walking through a thunderstorm. Starving. Was it worth it? You bet! Sure, I wish I had stopped somewhere to stay the night. However, I was enjoying the trail so much that my adventure changed and I’m ok with that. That’s the beauty of the trail. There’s no speed limits, no fashion police and no one to tell me how to hike. As they say, hike your own hike. I did and had a blast.

For the last couple of years, I’ve been using a Hennessy Hammock as my shelter and it has served me well. I’ve modified it a bit to fit my needs better, but realized that some things I couldn’t change. For example, I’m always looking for ways to lighten my backpack. I had already changed the heavy Hennessy ropes for a lighter, adjustable suspension system. With the Hennessy, there’s only so much you can do to make it lighter. It was time to go a different route.

Rather than purchase another hammock, I decided to try my hand at making one. Here’s what I ended up with:

As you can see, a backpacking hammock has a few unique features. First, you’ll notice it has a bugnet. Though not necessary all the time, it sure is handy when getting eaten up by black flies or mosquitoes. Next, you’ll see the tie-outs. Unlike a hammock in most people’s backyard, there’s no chance of flipping or falling out of this hammock.

The hammock has a ridgeline (rope running from one end to the other). The ridgeline has a few purposes. First, it keeps the bugnet off of you. Second, every time you hang the hammock, it will have the exact same sag. This is important, because once you find the “sweet spot”, you want to be able to reproduce it every time. Finally, the ridgeline is used to hang items from at night such as a headlamp, etc.

The other major difference between a backpacking hammock and an everyday one is the suspension (how it is connected to the trees or posts). When backpacking, you may need to set up or take down the hammock very quickly. You will also need to adjust the height of the hammock when you set it up. Having a lightweight suspension that can be quickly set up and adjusted is a must.

Back to the hammock.

There’s a zipper on the right side of the hammock for entry.

For maximum comfort, always lay asymmetrical in a hammock. In a hammock such as this one, you can lay very flat doing so. In fact, in this hammock (and my Hennessy), I can sleep on my side or even on my stomach comfortably.

This thing is roomy!

A zipper on the left side allows the bugnet to unzip and be stowed at the foot end of the hammock. Here, the bugnet is unzipped and simply hanging on the ridgeline waiting to be stowed away.

The bugnet stowed away:

As much as I prefer sleeping without a bugnet, in the summer that just isn’t practical. I’ll be using the bugnet until the winter, and even then have the option of zipping the bugnet on if needed.

I’m pleased with the outcome of the hammock. It’s almost a pound lighter than a stock Hennessy, weighing in at 1lb 14oz. Now I have an excuse to go backpacking again soon (like I need an excuse).

More pics at Flickr.

This weekend I hit the A.T. with 5 other guys (Chris, Joey, John, Brian & Kevin.) just south of Fontana Dam. We headed to Brown Fork Gap Shelter for the night. We arrived around 2PM, so we had lots of time to sit around and do nothing. I took the opportunity to play around with my hammock setup.

I was using whoopie slings and dutch clips as my hammock suspension for the first time. Both worked great. This was also the maiden voyage for my DIY Black Cat tarp. I had tested it in the back yard with the water hose, but this trip would be the first time to field test it. It didn’t take long for that test to come.

After supper (chicken burritos), a thunderstorm rolled in just north of us. The rain slowly moved our way and we started hearing thunder rolling in from the East. I pulled in the ends of my tarp that were facing the wind to try to stop any blowing rain. I was going to add some tie-outs on the bottom of the sides of my tarp, but decided to wait until after this trip. I will be adding those soon, so the tarp will stay taught with the ends pulled in.

I got in my hammock and pulled out my phone to check the weather. It didn’t look good. The weather for Robbinsville, NC (just below us in the valley) was calling for severe thunderstorms and large hail. Yikes! I wasn’t too worried about the thunderstorms, but really didn’t want to be under a silnylon tarp with large hail falling. I apparently wasn’t too worried, because the next thing I remember was waking up a couple of hours later listening to thunder and rain. I was high and dry, and quite comfortable.

The thunderstorms rolled through in just a couple of hours, then it got calm. It rained a little during the night, proving a nice soundtrack to sleep to.

The next morning, we got up early and after breakfast headed south. We all met for lunch at Locust Cove Gap before making the climb up Cheoah Bald. When we reached Cheoah Bald, we were greeted by biting gnats. Lots of them. Chris built a small fire to try to deter the gnats. Cheoah Bald would have been a really cool place to watch the sunset, but we didn’t get that luxury. We had planned on staying up on the bald, or just south at Sassafras Gap Shelter, but while we were on Cheoah Bald, we could see a thunderstorm quickly coming our way. We decided to turn our short day into a longer hike and head on down to the Nantahala Outdoor Center.

We dropped 3,339 feet in 8 miles from Cheoah Bald to the NOC. On the way down, Chris spotted a Garter Snake crossing the trail. Farther down the trail, I was about 30 minutes ahead of the others when I walked up on a huge Black Rat Snake just off the trail. It was about 6 feet long, just hanging out on a log. It didn’t care that I was there and stopped to take pictures. It was a cool sight to see. Shortly after seeing the large snake, I rounded a corner and spooked a bear. Having just seen two snakes and startled a bear, I was extra alert for the next 15 minutes or so.

Walking on the ridges with lightning popping on either side of me was quite the experience. There was nothing to do but keep moving downhill. Just when I thought the thunderstorms had passed me, and as I entered a section of the trail without much of a canopy above me, the heavens opened up. It poured. It rained hard for the last 4-5 miles down to the NOC. We all got soaked. It wasn’t worth it to put on rain gear, because it was so hot that I would get wet from sweat, so I just keep moving. It was actually fun to be hiking in such a downpour (knowing my gear was all dry in my pack with pack cover on).

John had caught up with me and we hiked the last few miles together. We reached the NOC just before 5PM and the others arrived shortly after. Before heading our separate ways, we hit the river-side restaurant for burgers that we had been craving all day. It wasn’t the best burger I’ve ever had, but it tasted like it that day.

Even though we cut the trip short to avoid riding out another thunderstorm on top of a mountain, it was a fun trip. I always enjoy hiking, and enjoyed the chance to experiment with new gear. The new tarp worked great, and it’ll be even better with some tie-outs added soon. Whoopie slings and dutch clips are so much easier that what I was using for my suspension (descender rings). It’s always fun to test new gear. Throw in a nice hike and good hiking companions and it made for a great trip.

I’ve posted pictures on Flickr and a video on YouTube.

Hi, my name is Jason and I love backpacking. Sleeping on the ground (even with a Thermarest) was never comfortable to me. In 1994, I switched to backpacking with a hammock for a while. I made the switch to hammocks permanent a couple of years ago when I purchased a Hennessy Hammock Expedition.

Sleeping in a hammock (the right kind) is much more comfortable than sleeping on the ground. With a hammock, you need a good tarp. My Hennessy came with two tarps: one small one and one large one. I love the small tarp because it’s so minimal. it covers just enough, but doesn’t obstruct your views. On the other hand, because the coverage is so minimal, you really have to know what you’re doing in a storm. The large tarp I got has great coverage, but it’s heavy.

I wanted a good tarp with lots of coverage, but lighter than the Hennessy one. I could have bought one from quite a few places, but decided to make one instead. I’ve made a few pieces of backpacking gear before, but I’ve held off making a tarp because if it doesn’t perform right, you’re screwed. In a cold rain in the winter, a tarp failure could be very dangerous. In the end, I decided I liked the idea of doing it myself and taking that risk that I could handle a situation if it did arise.

The tarp was a challenge to make, but not too bad. The tarp tie-outs have tarp tensioners made out of surgical tubing. Tarp tensioners are necessary on silnylon tarps because during wet weather they can stretch slightly. If you don’t have tarp tensioners, your tarp will sag. Tarp tensioners will keep the tarp tight. I also went with an over-the-tarp ridgeline. One end of the ridgeline has a microbiner that attaches around the tree and the other end has a Figure 9 on a prusik loop. The tarp is attached to the ridgeline with s-biners attached to prusik loops making centering the tarp a breeze.

Here’s a few pictures of the completed tarp:

Trekking poles used to create “porch” area:

Here’s the tarp on its first backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail:

The first night was trial by fire. A couple of thunderstorms rolled in during the night. I pulled the ends in to block the wind and blowing rain, crawled in and went to sleep to the sound of rain on a tarp. The new DIY tarp worked perfectly!

More pictures can be found at Flickr.

Up next: a new DIY hammock.

Trail Length: 20.2 miles Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult Date: 5/23/09 - 5/24/09

It all started at 3:45 AM when my alarm went off. As much as I hated getting up, I knew it would be worth it. I headed up to Unicoi Gap where I met up with Jackson. We dropped his car there and then drove to Neels Gap. Once we dropped our packs off, I drove 1/2 mile to park the truck and had to huff it back up the winding road while trying not to get run over.

The hike began at 9AM with about a mile and a half climb gaining about 800 feet in elevation. It wasn’t bad. There would be worse to come later in the day.

Despite the weather threatening to get bad, there were a few nice views today. We stopped for about 5 minutes at an overlook for a snack, only to have to push on quickly due to imminent storms.

It wasn’t long before the rain started. We quickly put on rain jackets, but within a few minutes we opted to take them off and get wet. It was just too hot for rain jackets. We were fine as long as we kept moving. If we stopped, it got cold quickly.

Many times on Saturday we came upon large areas covered with ferns. The trail seemed so different from a few weeks ago when spring was just starting to show.

After hiking 5.5 miles with no more than a 5 minute break, we reached Tesnatee Gap. There is a road at Tesnatee Gap that winds around the next mountain. A couple of girls were sitting at Tesnatee Gap when we arrived. Without stopping, we pressed on and began the climb up Wildcat Mountain. The elevation gain is only 400 feet in 1/2 mile, but without stopping for a break, it was brutal. It was steep, and it seemed like every step was a step up a foot or two onto a boulder. We found out later that some locals told the girls at Tesnatee Gap that it wasn’t worth it, so the girls simply walked up the road to where the AT crosses, bypassing the climb up Wildcat Mountain.

After descending into Hog Pen Gap, we stopped for lunch and filtered water, since that was the last opportunity to get water for 4.5 miles. We met a few southbound hikers who told us the trail ahead of us was crowded. Knowing it was going to storm all night, we were hoping to get a spot in Low Gap Shelter. That meant one thing: it was time to go.

Knowing there were lots of people ahead of us, we pushed ourselves, passing 13 hikers (all heading the same way as us). When we were approaching the shelter, we heard several people talking. Fortunately, most were setting up tents. At the turnoff trail to the shelter, we caught up with the girls who bypassed Wildcat Mountain. Between them skipping that climb and us stopping for lunch, they had gotten a good ways ahead of us.

There was only one person set up in the shelter. It was Allen, a guy we had met earlier in the day. The two girls (Jessica & Angie) were debating whether to stay in the shelter. They were scared because they had heard stories about the mice that frequent AT shelters. Jackson and I quickly pulled out our mats and sleeping bags to claim our spot. The girls decided it was worth it to risk the mice rather than have to worry with a tent in the rain. The shelter sleeps 7 and that made 5. Throughout the rest of the afternoon several others came by the shelter, but everyone decided to set up their tent.

Just before dark, however, a couple came running in just as the rain started to come down hard. Wes & Stacy had started their thru-hike the day before! They hiked from Springer Mt. to Woody Gap the first day. That’s 20.1 miles. On Saturday, they hiked all the way from Woody Gap to Low Gap Shelter (21.4 miles). Most people who are starting a thru-hike cover that 41.5 miles in about 5 days. They did it in 2! They are attempting to hike the AT in less than 90 days, making Stacy the 2nd fastest female to thru-hike the AT.

Once we filtered water for the night and the next day, we cooked, then hung our bear bags and crawled into our sleeping bags. By this time, the rain was constant and it was hard. Right at dark, we heard some noises above us and flipped on a flashlight. Bats had moved in and were now hanging above us. Then as if on command, the mice came out. It was funny listening to people try to smash mice until everyone finally went to sleep. I had a couple of mice run across me (one across my chest, one across my feet), and others explored my backpack that was right by my head. The next morning, there was one just hanging out between me and Wes’ heads. Wes encouraged him to move along and that was the last of the mice.

After quickly eating breakfast and packing up, we headed out at 9AM. We got a late start because it was still raining and we were enjoying being dry in the shelter. Despite the rain, it was again too hot to wear a rain jacket. Jackson and I made great time as the trail was on an old abandoned mountain road bed for a few miles. About three miles into the days hike, however, I had a problem. I hurt my knee. The bad part is that it wasn’t the knee I hurt back in the fall. I was being very conscious of protecting that knee, so I was relying too much on my “good” knee. Big mistake. I still had 7 miles to go and every step was quite painful. I made it a few more miles before having to stop and move my knee brace from my left (previously hurt) knee to my right one. With that, and while taking it slow, I was able to make it the rest of the way.

Wrong knee!

Before assaulting Blue Mountain, we stopped for a quick break. Here’s the perfect ingredients for a quick break on the AT: Gatorade, Cliff Bar (Banana Nut Bread here), Beef Jerky, trail data sheet and Motrin!

After the break, we quickly climbed Blue Mountain and began the 1.4 mile 1075 foot descent to the car at Unico Gap. I wouldn’t say that descent was fun. I’d say it pretty much sucked. The trail was nothing but large rocks, so you had to be mindful of every step. Because of the rain, the rocks were very slippery. Add the steep terrain and hurt knee and it made for a not so fun section of trail. Below is a picture of the trail along that section.

Despite the slowed pace, we still made great time, covering 10 miles in 5 hours. We were back at the car by 2PM. I was exhausted, wet, smelly, and in quite a bit of pain, however, had a blast.

I’ll give the knee a couple of weeks to recover, then it’ll be time to attack the next section. I can’t wait!

A few more pictures can be found in my Flickr account.

It’s been a few days since I was on the Appalachian Trail (AT), but here’s some randomness from the hike.

• Out for the adventure with me were a couple of guys I work with, Chris & Dereck, and Dereck’s brother Chad.
• We met several thru-hikers (those attempting to hike 2175 miles from GA to Maine on the AT) on Blood Mountain.
• One thru-hiker, Bruce, was 67 years old and this was his first time hiking EVER!
• It was raining (freezing rain on top of Blood Mountain) and cold, but we were prepared. Well, most of us were (I won’t mention names).
• Blood Mountain shelter was like an oasis to get out of the rain and wind.
• It was so foggy, that the shelter was a bit creepy looking (think Blair Witch Project).
• There’s a beautiful view from Blood Mountain, but we could only see about 20 feet that day due to fog.
• The other three guys bailed Sunday, so I headed to the southern terminus of the AT at Springer Mountain.
• I met up with Rylan & Golden who have a hiking podcast called Southeastern Backpackers. They’ve talked about my hiking injury a few times on their show, so it was nice to finally meet them in person.
• It was cool watching the thru-hikers take in the bronze plaque and the first white blaze on the AT at Springer Mountain.
• Just by their attitude, you could get an idea of which ones were prepared for a thru-hike and which ones were in over their head.
• I planned on making a loop hike on the AT and the Benton MacKaye Trails, but had to cut my trip short to help an injured thru-hiker.
• The hiker hurt himself on the approach trail (you hike 8.8 miles and gain 2,000 feet of elevation before reaching the start of the AT).
• He had quit his thru-hike before it even really started.
• He was too hurt to continue (back problems and two pulled groin muscles), so I drove him 2 hours to a town where his wife could pick him up.
• I felt bad offering him a way to quit his thru-hike at the very beginning, but he was in too much pain to continue. I hope he takes a few weeks to heal and tries again.
• The trails around Springer Mountain were incredibly muddy due to the amount of traffic and the constant rain for several days.
• Since I cut my hike short Sunday, that means I need to go back soon. This weekend sounds good.

Below are a few pictures (and a video) from both days. More pictures and videos can be found at Flickr.


Trail going up Blood Mountain.


The trail gets a bit more exposed near the summit of Blood Mountain.


Blood Mountain shelter eerily appeared all of a sudden through the fog.


It was a bit wet and windy on Blood Mountain!


A bronze plaque and the first white AT blaze at the summit of Springer Mountain.


This was the trail just north of Springer Mountain. Don’t you want to go get muddy?


Springer Mountain shelter


Ready to go again!