Uncle Fungus Goes Ultralight

[Tipi Walter]

My 18 day April backpacking trip starts in Unicoi Gap on the BMT as I'm to meet my friend Amy Willow who is thruhiking the BMT from Springer thru the Smokies. I join her for a week from Unicoi Gap to Tapoco Lodge, a distance of around 60 miles, and we use the two new reroutes---Cold Spring Gap to Bob Bald/Hangover Mt to Big Fat Gap and Windy Gap to Nichols Cove and Yellowhammer to the Gap and the brand new Tapoco Lodge trail. And she does the new Yellow Creek Mt reroute into Fontana.

I go "ultralight" because I use a 3 lb tent instead of my usual 9 lb behemoth, and I go stove-less with no-cook foods, and also use a lighter pack. I still have my 18 day food load which is in no way UL.

Trip 164
April 11 - April 28 2015

HIGHLIGHTS
** 18 DAYS ON THE BMT WITH AMY WILLOW

** FIRST TIME DROP-OFF AT UNICOI GAP

** 18 DAYS WITH THE HILLEBERG AKTO TENT

** A STOVE-LESS NO-COOK TRIP

** UNCLE FUNGUS GOES ULTRALIGHT

** AMY SHOWS UP IN UNICOI GAP

** OFF THE BMT ON THE KIRKLAND/BROOKSHIRE LOOP

** OVER SUGAT MT TO THE WHIGG

** ALL DAY RAIN TO COLD SPRING GAP

** ALL DAY RAIN FROM COLD GAP TO NICHOLS COVE

** I HIKE AMY OUT TO THE TAPOCO LODGE ON A BRAND NEW TRAIL

** AMY DOES YCMT AND I RETURN INTO SLICKROCK WILDERNESS

** BACK TO A SOLO TRIP

** 60 MILES IN 6 DAYS A RECORD

** THE SUCKING VACUUM OF ME ALONE

** A HARD RAIN AND A LEAKING HILLEBERG TENT

** 160 HOURS OF RAIN

** FULL SPRING CAMP ON THE WINDY GAP TRAIL

** TRAILWORKING THE DEEP CREEK TRAIL

** A COLD SNAP IN THE WILDERNESS

** DEEP CREEK TRAIL COMPLETELY WORKED

** MOST OF HAOE LEAD TRAIL COMPLETELY WORKED

** MEETING BMT BACKPACKER HIKERBOY ON HAOE PEAK

** TRAILWORKING SOUTH FORK CITICO TRAIL

** OVER FLATS MOUNTAIN AND OUT



TRAILS
Entrance in Unicoi Gap
BMT North
**Unicoi Gap Camp**
BMT North
**Tate Gap**
BMT North
Six Mile Gap
Sandy Gap
Kirkland Creek
Holly Flats roadwalk
Brookshire Creek
**Horse Camp on Brookshire Creek**
Brookshire Creek
Sugar Mt
Fish Hatchery
Sycamore Creek
**Rainbow Trail Camp aka Will's Camp**
Sycamore Creek
Whiggs Meadow
Mud Gap
Skyway BMT
Beech Gap
Fodderstack Ridge
**Cold Spring Gap**
54A South
Bob Bald
Four Mile Ridge
Hangover Mt
Hangover Lead South
Big Fat Gap
Windy Gap Trail
Nichols Cove
**Dog Hat Camp on Nichols Cove**
Yellowhammer Trail to Gap
New Tapoco Lodge Trail
Tapoco Lodge
Tapoco Lodge Trail Backtrack
Yellowhammer Gap
Ike Branch
Slickrock Creek
**Slisgah Camp aka Sgt Rock Camp**
Slickrock Creek
Ike Branch
**Wild Bird Camp**
Ike Branch
Yellowhammer
Nichols Cove
**Gravesite Camp**
Nichols Cove
Windy Gap Trail
**Windy Gap Spring Camp**
Windy Gap
Hangover Lead South
**Clearcut Camp Hangover Mt**
Deep Creek
**Footbridge Camp on Deep Creek**
Deep Creek
Haoe Lead
**Toad Camp on Haoe Lead**
Haoe Lead
Haoe Peak
Four Mile Ridge
Naked Ground
Bob Bald
54A South
South Fork
**Iron Camp**
South Fork
**SF Detour Camp**
South Fork
Beehouse roadwalk
Flats Mt
**Flathead Camp**
Flats Mt
**Camp Hope on top of Flats**
Flats Mt
Skyway roadwalk and OUT

Here are all of my pics from the trip---

http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpa...Days-with-Amy/

Here is Amy's trail journal when we meet up---
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=489514


I get dropped off in Unicoi Gap on the Joe Brown "highway" in Coker Creek.



On Day 2 of my trip I wait for Amy Willow to pop in on her trip heading north on the BMT. She's an old backpacking friend who I first met in 1985. She thruhiked the AT in 2006.



We leave Unicoi Gap and get to Tate Gap where she sets up her new Big Agnes tent next to a little creek and off the BMt 2/10ths of a mile.



On Day 3 we leave Tate Gap and take a pic break in Six Mile Gap above Sandy Gap.



We get to Sandy Gap and notice a big thunderstorm on State Line Ridge so we do a BMT reroute from Sandy down the Kirkland Creek trail with its 11 crossings and loop up the Brookshire trail to rejoin the BMT at the Brookshire crossing. Here is Amy crossing the first Kirkland Creek ford.



After we pull all 11 Kirkland crossings we head up the Brookshire trail and have this Upper Bald River crossing before reaching out camp in the rain near the BMT jct.

[Tipi Walter]

Now begins my 160 hours of rain---a whole week of the crap. But we reconnect to the BMT at the Brookshire crossing and head up and over Sugar Mt. I stop on the downward side of Sugar to show my affection for the well marked, well switchbacked trail.



Sugar Mt drops us down to Tellico River and we start up the Sycamore Creek trail below Whiggs Meadow and about 3 miles up stop at this "secret" campsite off the BMT about 100 yards. The big hill on the right is Laurel Top and on the other side is the Snowbird backcountry. My 3 lb Hilleberg Akto tent is visible.



We pass over the Whigg but can't see anything in the cold fog and rain and so we reach Mud Gap where we get walloped by a downpour so we seek refuge under a tiny bulletin board.



From Mud Gap we pull the 3 miles to Beech Gap and another 2 miles to Cold Gap in the rain and then head up to Bob Bald in the fog so there's not much to see.



We reach Hangover Mt and head down the rugged Hangover Lead South trail and both agree it's a terrible choice for a reroute because after 4 days of rain the trail is a muddy mess and needs steps, water bars, trail supports and some serious trail improvements to work as a long-distance trail.



We get off Hangover Mt in a rainstorm and huddle in Big Fat Gap as I get wet and hypothermic so we book down the Windy Gap trail and Nichols Cove to a low campsite by the graves. Then on Day 7 we hike Yellowhammer and the brand new Tapoco trail down to the lodge and we rest and part ways here as Amy goes up the YCMT and I backtrack up Tapoco to Yellowhammer Gap and Ike Branch down to Slickrock Creek.

[Tipi Walter]

This is my last view of Amy Willow as she crosses Cheoah River by the lodge and finds the YCMT trailhead. So long, Amy!!



I return up the new trail behind Tapoco lodge and here it is, freshly made. We were probably the first backpackers ever to hike this trail.



The new Tapoco trail climbs steeply here to Yellowhammer Gap. I take Ike Branch down to Slickrock Creek for Day 7's camp.



After a night on Slickrock Creek, I return up Ike Branch to a campsite in Ike Gap and then take Yellowhammer to Nichols Cove when I have to hike all day in a downpour deluge. The next day I take Nichols Cove up to Windy Gap and take Windy Gap to the Windy Gap spring where I set up camp and this is my view below Hangover Mt. (All this is on the new BMT reroute).



My 160 hour rainstorm finally ends by Day 11 and so I leave Windy Gap and climb all the way up to Hangover Mt on the new BMT.



I spend the night on the Hangover (see smugmug pics) and then decide to trailwork the Deep Creek trail and get off the BMT for awhile. Here is a Deep Creek trailpost by the little wooden footbridge.

[Tipi Walter]

I spend several days trailworking the Deep Creek/Haoe Lead loop and Haoe Lead puts me back up on the BMT at Haoe Peak at 5,253 feet or something. Once on top who do I run into but BMT thruhiker Hikerboy pulling the whole trail and headed to Tapoco lodge for the night.



With a big storm forecasted on Saturday, I take Four Mile Ridge over Bob Mt and head down 54A South to Cold Gap and take the South Fork Citico trail down to this crossing which must be done. The water was up but I made it.



After a night on the South Fork I tie into the Beehouse Gap roadwalk and get on the Flats Mt trail and get to a midway point up the mountain at a "secret" campsite with water---Flathead Camp.



On the last day of my trip I finish the 6.2 Flats Mt trail which spurts me out on the Cherohowling Screamway (i.e. Cherohala Skyway) which has become a roaring racing motorcycle racetrack so bring ear plugs and a love for howling noise pollution. A short roadwalk takes me to my pick up point.


Little Mitten comes up the mountain to get me and so Trip 164 comes to an end.

[SGT Rock]

Nice trip.

[atmilkman]

Great stuff! Really enjoyable.

[Tipi Walter]

Nice trip.

I remember back in 2010 when you and me and Regina and others had to huddle together out of a cold rain in Mud Gap---

[V Eight]

Uncle Fungus Goes Ultralight

That has got to be the best click bait, I have ever seen on WB!

Great report, as always!

[rocketsocks]

Uncle Fungus Goes Ultralight

That has got to be the best click bait, I have ever seen on WB!

Great report, as always!

Right! got me Uncle Fungus, I didn't even know Hilleberg made a tent under 7 lbs.

[golfjhm]

How was the UL pack vs the Mystery Ranch? I'm still not sold that comfort and load stability is worth the trade off for a few pounds. Im a MR user but can't ever get out for more than 5 days. My semi UL buddies oogle over the MR hip belt.

[Tipi Walter]

How was the UL pack vs the Mystery Ranch? I'm still not sold that comfort and load stability is worth the trade off for a few pounds. Im a MR user but can't ever get out for more than 5 days. My semi UL buddies oogle over the MR hip belt.

The pack I used on this trip would not be considered an UL pack but more of an expedition pack in the 5,000 cu inch range, and able to haul 30 to 65 lbs comfortably. The pack for this trip was the Dana Designs Terraplane and the grandaddy of all the Mystery Ranch packs as the Dana was created by the same guy who created Mystery Ranch: Dana Gleason. BUT in comparison to my MR G7000, the Terraplane is considerably lighter.

[moytoy]

Always good stuff posted by TW.

[golfjhm]

The pack I used on this trip would not be considered an UL pack but more of an expedition pack in the 5,000 cu inch range, and able to haul 30 to 65 lbs comfortably. The pack for this trip was the Dana Designs Terraplane and the grandaddy of all the Mystery Ranch packs as the Dana was created by the same guy who created Mystery Ranch: Dana Gleason. BUT in comparison to my MR G7000, the Terraplane is considerably lighter.

That sucker is a collectors item. Definitely an interesting back story on Dana. Heard one of his children married a Gregory after he got out of marmot post Dana sale and prior to starting MR.

[Tipi Walter]

Here's a better pic of the old Terraplane stuffed with 18 days worth of food---

[Sheriff Cougar]

Love your photos and documentation about them. Thanks so much for sharing. Looking forward to more.....

[Cadenza]

That sucker is a collectors item.

I still have an original Dana Designs Terraplane, lightly used, good as new.
Mine is green.

Anyone have any idea what such an item is worth?

[coach lou]

.......TP.....Ultralight.......................... ..Say it ain't so Walter!!!

[Tipi Walter]

.......TP.....Ultralight.......................... ..Say it ain't so Walter!!!

It's a temporary affliction and only used to keep up with thruhikers on a forced march. Soon to return to my standard load of 8 lb pack and 8+ lb tent and 5 to 7 books etc.

[martinb]

That is definitely UL, for you. What was up with the leaking Akto?

[Tipi Walter]

That is definitely UL, for you. What was up with the leaking Akto?

The usual Hilleberg hype is that "Our tents do not need to be seam sealed" and after owning and using Hillebergs for the last 10 years this advice is just plain wrong. When I get a new Hilleberg I always seam seal the floor seams with McNetts seamgrip and the inner silnylon tent flies with McNetts silnet. The silnet is an excellent product which completely patches small holes on these tents, and their seams.

Problem is, I never seam sealed the Akto and so it's my own dang fault for not doing so, despite what Hilleberg says.


The first leak came thru the Kerlon fly at the elastic door opener seam and dripped down the elastic.


The second leak happened where the fly door vent zipper is sewn into the fly and leaked liberally thru these sew holes. All fixable with before-trip sealing.

The reason I'm whining about all this is because my trip included 160 hours of rain and several in the deluge-buckets-of-rain category and the poor Akto failed the test.