View Full Version : AT Thru Hiker Observations Springer Mtn to Hawk Mtn Shelter : Feb 28 - Mar 1st
I drove up and did a 2-day hike this week...an out-n-back from AFSP Visitor Ctr to Hawk Mtn Shelter.
Caught the 2 days of rain ...Tues-Wednesday this week (1/28-3/1). I wanted to see how big the crowd was going to be since March 1st is a popular start date. Looks like it will be a large NoBo crowd again this year. Ranger at the Visitor Center said they had already registered 200+ NoBo thrus in Jan & Feb.
Met and passed a lot of NoBo thru hikers beginning their journey. Just a guess... but on Wednesday March 1st I probably passed 40+ NoBo thrus when I hiked back from Hawk Mtn shelter to the AFSP Visitor Center.
Most were smiling and happy and everybody looked so clean and shiny, with pretty new gear and shoes/boots!
and some things never change.....
soooo many are carrying huge-very heavy packs, my guess is many will be dumping stuff at Neels Gap. Some packs easily looked over 60-70 lbs. maybe more. One guy had a cast iron skillet strapped to back of his pack, said he's gonna fry up bacon in camp for breakfast every day.
wow that's some awful good bacon
I wished them all good luck with their adventure. I hope to get up to northern VA to resume my AT section hiking in mid April this year.
happy trails
colorado_rob
03-03-2017, 14:04
Thanks for the report, we start next week.
Would you happen to know if there is any ice or hard-packed old snow on the descent to Neel's gap? One of our hiking group is kind-of wanting to carry microspikes just for that section, apparently she was reading in AWOL's AT hiking account about ice on the north side of Blood mtn in May, something like that. I was assuming zero ice there right now. We plan on bouncing our microspikes along the trail for when we might need them, but not next week on Blood. Thanks in advance for any additional info.
Gambit McCrae
03-03-2017, 14:33
Thanks for the report, we start next week.
Would you happen to know if there is any ice or hard-packed old snow on the descent to Neel's gap? One of our hiking group is kind-of wanting to carry microspikes just for that section, apparently she was reading in AWOL's AT hiking account about ice on the north side of Blood mtn in May, something like that. I was assuming zero ice there right now. We plan on bouncing our microspikes along the trail for when we might need them, but not next week on Blood. Thanks in advance for any additional info.
I would not carry for that little of a requirement. If startin in early jan - feb...a cold December year I would probably carry some but prior to this little cold front we are having, its been in the 40s-60s for a while
Whack-a-mole
03-07-2017, 20:03
You don't need micro spikes for the decent of Blood mtn. Now if they could figure out how to put shock absorbers in my knees, that would be the ticket. That trip down, is going down very large rocks, like giant steps, so you are taking very big steps down, and down and down. My knees were knocking by the time I hit the bottom.
Greenlight
03-07-2017, 21:31
I'd have had the heart to tell him that you can buy Bacon Jerky at Walmart now. But... wow. Just wow. What some people will do for bacon.
One guy had a cast iron skillet strapped to back of his pack, said he's gonna fry up bacon in camp for breakfast every day.
Uncle Joe
03-07-2017, 21:43
I've seen some along that stretch before. You're right, all those big packs. I saw one guy with a huge camera pack.
I was originally going to start March 1st but maybe I'm glad I will be starting towards the end of the month now. Not that people won't be trying to start April 1st but I should already be near my first resupply by then.
Longboysfan
03-08-2017, 11:29
You don't need micro spikes for the decent of Blood mtn. Now if they could figure out how to put shock absorbers in my knees, that would be the ticket. That trip down, is going down very large rocks, like giant steps, so you are taking very big steps down, and down and down. My knees were knocking by the time I hit the bottom.
I'll second this one.
peakbagger
03-08-2017, 12:51
Time to get the poles out and lengthen them out for those rock steps, that's where they make a lot of difference.
I saw no ice or snow... Feb29-Mar 1st was 2 days of relative warmth and rain, with a cold spell right behind.
Weather in March-April in the southern Appalachians changes quickly and often.
good luck on the hike!
Thanks for the report, we start next week.
Would you happen to know if there is any ice or hard-packed old snow on the descent to Neel's gap? One of our hiking group is kind-of wanting to carry microspikes just for that section, apparently she was reading in AWOL's AT hiking account about ice on the north side of Blood mtn in May, something like that. I was assuming zero ice there right now. We plan on bouncing our microspikes along the trail for when we might need them, but not next week on Blood. Thanks in advance for any additional info.
There was 3-4 inches of fresh snow in central West Virginia (and in SNP) late last week. Was there for some skiing, not hiking.
JumpMaster Blaster
03-09-2017, 21:52
One guy had a cast iron skillet strapped to back of his pack, said he's gonna fry up bacon in camp for breakfast every day.
How...is he going to keep the bacon fresh...
One Half
03-09-2017, 22:01
how's the water sources on that section?
MuddyWaters
03-09-2017, 23:27
How...is he going to keep the bacon fresh...
Well, before about 150 years ago, before electricity and ice, or refrigeration, smoking and curing meat was how it was preserved. Bacon and ham was staple of diet, especially in rural south where plantations were totally self sufficient communities. Raw bacon today is not the same thing, but you can get smoked and cured.
Hiking and camping food used to be about...bacon and flour for pancakes
People have forgotten how to survive without electricity. Butter, farm eggs, bacon, ham, vegetables, potatoes, etc didnt need refrigeration. Ironically, I have many ancestors that lived 80s up to 101 back then, in 16-1800s, before medicine, hygiene, running water, refrigeration, etc. Which is but one reason I believe modern lifestyle is killing us early. While the average life expectancy has improved...the upper end has stayed exactly the same. People dont die early from accident or sickness, but they dont necessarilly live any longer than they ever did otherwise, on a diet of bacon.