Tipi Walter
04-03-2008, 18:37
MARCH 27
When the weather warms up, when family life gets to be too much, when the endless TV talk of politics elicits bleeding from the ears and eyes, and when no amount of viagra can get you excited about the indoor life at home, it's time then to grab the Uncle Fungus trail journals and pretend you give a crap about foot-trails, food sacs and fuel bottles.
I start out at Beech Gap in the Citico wilderness in TN and hike on the BMT to Snow Camp, about a six mile trek. Here I set up camp after running into 9 backpackers from Coker Creek, TN.
MARCH 28
I leave Snow Camp and climb up to Bob Bald just in time for a cold rain to make me set up the old Hilleberg Staika. On this trip I'm to met with a fellow WhiteBlazer named Envirodiver tomorrow on the Bob so I might as well stay put. I feel like I'm carrying about 4 to 5 backed-up turtleheads all in a row, I need a rectal midwife!
MARCH 29
The rain comes in earnest and I'm up under thundering skies and a wind-whipped deluge. This particular kind of weather is the stuff that repels the hardiest backpackers(forget about the dayhikers), and will keep even the most serious nylon pumpers either home or turned around back to their cars. So Momma Nature looks to me for hope, she depends on me to file a first hand field report on her most current creative act and she's happy to produce such art but she needs an audience and I'll just have to do until the real thing comes along.
ENVIRONDIVER ARRIVES: A brother backpacker from WhiteBlaze arrives on the Bob and we hit it off with tales from the nylon world of gear and places. He describes his love of the outdoors and his collection of gear and we discuss camping, backpacking and tenting in the southeast. He's carrying a smallish Gregory Z pack and has a SD Lightning wedge tent with a short REI pad. Since he works part-time at REI he knows his stuff and gets to put it to use on trips like this.
We both hit our separate tents to wait out this current rainstorm and as soon as it's over we'll both go get water at the spring. We hooked up later to get water and hung out for a late night meal before the rain forced us back into the tents.
MARCH 30
How do I explain a good backpacking day in the Citico? First off, I joined Envirodiver for morning tea by his tent and then after about an hour a WhiteBlazer with a dog passes by on the trail and yells out my name. We invite him into camp and he introduces himself as HootyHo with his dog, Rooty, another WhiteBlazer but this time from around Knoxville.
He outlined his route from Farr Gap down the Stiffknee and up the Slickrock and then up the Nutbuster Trail to Naked Ground where he camped this morning before leaving and heading up to the Bob and swinging around the giant horseshoe that runs from the Hangover all the way back around to Farr Gap. I took the necessary fotogs and we said goodbye to him.
Envirodiver and I packed up and I walked him down to the Bob tee and over to the BMT at Snow Camp where we took a short break before getting him back to his car by way of the new BMT connector to Cold Spring Gap trail and over to Cold Spring Gap. At the trailpost on #149 he turned left to Beech Gap and I turned right and walked a trail I haven't walked in 5 years. So long E!
My tent's up along the North Fork Citico creek past the 6th crossing, a place I call the Stump Site.
MARCH 31
I packed up the gear and was on the trail down the North Fork by 8 am. After 6 crossings in the crocs I rebooted down to Warden's Field and immediately hit the Pine Ridge trail up to the BMT and the Fodderstack trail. I turned left and reached Crowder Camp for the night.
CONSTANT JET NOISE: A very irritating airliner just passed overhead and it was loud! Isn't there some law prohibiting jets from flying over wilderness areas? I'm just a day-dreaming fool stuck in his dayglo hippie bubble but you'd think the price of gas and the crappy economy would shut down the nearly useless airlines.
APRIL 1
Way before sunrise a stiff wind hits the ridgetop under a starry sky, the first indication of rain. I leave Crowders on the BMT south past Mill Gap, Pine Ridge junction, Harrison Gap, Rockstack, Glenn Gap and up to Snow Camp and the Bob. Coming down the Bob to Naked Ground I meet 3 backpackers from Durham NC and we all walk to Naked, me to camp and them for water and a further hike to the Hangover to camp. I set up just as a thunder and lightning rainstorm hits the high ground.
APRIL 2
The temps turn cold on a wet and foggy predawn morning but I'm warm in the Hilleberg tent. The full light of morning brings a bright sun. What's going on?
I left Naked Ground and climbed to the Bob where I set up for a final night. Joining me later was Craig and Jenny and their boy so we all hung out together and shared dinner. I carried my food products and stove to their camp and hung for several hours until dark and said my goodbyes to get back to the tent in a cold breeze.
APRIL 3
There's a moderate wind here atop the Bob and I can see some stars above though I know the clouds are coming with rain.
Now I'm up in a terrible fog and a rough Bob wind. I hear thunder coming my way so it's time to pack up and leave. I packed up quickly and took a last look at Craig's camp and then hoofed it down the mountain back to the Unicoi Crest and Beech Gap. So ends another great trip.
FOTOGS FORTHCOMING!
When the weather warms up, when family life gets to be too much, when the endless TV talk of politics elicits bleeding from the ears and eyes, and when no amount of viagra can get you excited about the indoor life at home, it's time then to grab the Uncle Fungus trail journals and pretend you give a crap about foot-trails, food sacs and fuel bottles.
I start out at Beech Gap in the Citico wilderness in TN and hike on the BMT to Snow Camp, about a six mile trek. Here I set up camp after running into 9 backpackers from Coker Creek, TN.
MARCH 28
I leave Snow Camp and climb up to Bob Bald just in time for a cold rain to make me set up the old Hilleberg Staika. On this trip I'm to met with a fellow WhiteBlazer named Envirodiver tomorrow on the Bob so I might as well stay put. I feel like I'm carrying about 4 to 5 backed-up turtleheads all in a row, I need a rectal midwife!
MARCH 29
The rain comes in earnest and I'm up under thundering skies and a wind-whipped deluge. This particular kind of weather is the stuff that repels the hardiest backpackers(forget about the dayhikers), and will keep even the most serious nylon pumpers either home or turned around back to their cars. So Momma Nature looks to me for hope, she depends on me to file a first hand field report on her most current creative act and she's happy to produce such art but she needs an audience and I'll just have to do until the real thing comes along.
ENVIRONDIVER ARRIVES: A brother backpacker from WhiteBlaze arrives on the Bob and we hit it off with tales from the nylon world of gear and places. He describes his love of the outdoors and his collection of gear and we discuss camping, backpacking and tenting in the southeast. He's carrying a smallish Gregory Z pack and has a SD Lightning wedge tent with a short REI pad. Since he works part-time at REI he knows his stuff and gets to put it to use on trips like this.
We both hit our separate tents to wait out this current rainstorm and as soon as it's over we'll both go get water at the spring. We hooked up later to get water and hung out for a late night meal before the rain forced us back into the tents.
MARCH 30
How do I explain a good backpacking day in the Citico? First off, I joined Envirodiver for morning tea by his tent and then after about an hour a WhiteBlazer with a dog passes by on the trail and yells out my name. We invite him into camp and he introduces himself as HootyHo with his dog, Rooty, another WhiteBlazer but this time from around Knoxville.
He outlined his route from Farr Gap down the Stiffknee and up the Slickrock and then up the Nutbuster Trail to Naked Ground where he camped this morning before leaving and heading up to the Bob and swinging around the giant horseshoe that runs from the Hangover all the way back around to Farr Gap. I took the necessary fotogs and we said goodbye to him.
Envirodiver and I packed up and I walked him down to the Bob tee and over to the BMT at Snow Camp where we took a short break before getting him back to his car by way of the new BMT connector to Cold Spring Gap trail and over to Cold Spring Gap. At the trailpost on #149 he turned left to Beech Gap and I turned right and walked a trail I haven't walked in 5 years. So long E!
My tent's up along the North Fork Citico creek past the 6th crossing, a place I call the Stump Site.
MARCH 31
I packed up the gear and was on the trail down the North Fork by 8 am. After 6 crossings in the crocs I rebooted down to Warden's Field and immediately hit the Pine Ridge trail up to the BMT and the Fodderstack trail. I turned left and reached Crowder Camp for the night.
CONSTANT JET NOISE: A very irritating airliner just passed overhead and it was loud! Isn't there some law prohibiting jets from flying over wilderness areas? I'm just a day-dreaming fool stuck in his dayglo hippie bubble but you'd think the price of gas and the crappy economy would shut down the nearly useless airlines.
APRIL 1
Way before sunrise a stiff wind hits the ridgetop under a starry sky, the first indication of rain. I leave Crowders on the BMT south past Mill Gap, Pine Ridge junction, Harrison Gap, Rockstack, Glenn Gap and up to Snow Camp and the Bob. Coming down the Bob to Naked Ground I meet 3 backpackers from Durham NC and we all walk to Naked, me to camp and them for water and a further hike to the Hangover to camp. I set up just as a thunder and lightning rainstorm hits the high ground.
APRIL 2
The temps turn cold on a wet and foggy predawn morning but I'm warm in the Hilleberg tent. The full light of morning brings a bright sun. What's going on?
I left Naked Ground and climbed to the Bob where I set up for a final night. Joining me later was Craig and Jenny and their boy so we all hung out together and shared dinner. I carried my food products and stove to their camp and hung for several hours until dark and said my goodbyes to get back to the tent in a cold breeze.
APRIL 3
There's a moderate wind here atop the Bob and I can see some stars above though I know the clouds are coming with rain.
Now I'm up in a terrible fog and a rough Bob wind. I hear thunder coming my way so it's time to pack up and leave. I packed up quickly and took a last look at Craig's camp and then hoofed it down the mountain back to the Unicoi Crest and Beech Gap. So ends another great trip.
FOTOGS FORTHCOMING!