Wet Duck
08-08-2008, 05:56
Long-time lurker, first time poster...I can't tell you how many hours I skim thru the posts on here picking up little tips and tidbits of advice for the trail here on WB.
First, a little about myself...I caught the hiking bug on the VA Creeper Trail. I can't tell you how many $5 shuttle rides I caught to the top of Whitetop Mtn. to either coast down on a bike back to Abingdon or hike down to Damascus or Alvarado when I was a kid. I ended up slackpacking with a group of guys from Erwin to Pearisburg, with the help of a bunch of parents the summer after high school. I moved on to Blacksburg and did Pearisburg to Troutville over the course of four years, with countless trips from VA-311 up to McAfee's Knob. We did both of these trips with little to nothing on our backs. I ended up working in Richmond for a year and that put my hiking on hiatus for a bit. But now I'm in grad school in Fredericksburg and I just finished up my summer internship and I'm ready to see how many miles I can pound out until fall semester starts.
My goal is to go from Rockfish Gap (I-64/Waynesboro) to Harper's Ferry in 13 days (~161 miles). This will be my first time on this portion of the AT. I've stayed in good shape and feel like I have some of my hiking legs still under me. I've got a wide range of questions so I felt the General Forum was the best place to ask...
I've been working on a more complete pack and my base weight is 26 pounds, and I figure a max of 40 pounds with as much as a gallon of water and 3-4 days of food. I feel like I'm carrying way too much stuff, but I'm trying out a wide variety of equipment that I've came across, and hopefully I can cull out a lot of the unnecessary items after this trip. But for right now I feel I can handle up to 40 pounds no problem. I'm planning on experimenting with both a tent and tarp, to see which I like best and maybe sending one or the other home by the time I get to Luray. I've got quite a bit of hand-me-down equipment too (pack, bag, tent), so I'm guessing time will tell whether or not I need to break down and make a trip to REI to work on some better gear. (All the gear has been on several test runs, so I'm confident it will last me at least through this trip.)
I plan on re-supplying at the Loft Mountain Campground, Luray (maybe?) and Front Royal, and then catching the train out of Harper's Ferry back home...Does all this sound possible?
Also, I'm just looking for face-to-face advice on the trail. I know that most NOBOs are long gone on their way to Maine, but is there any chance I meet some SOBOs to see if I've got the right idea with my equipment and set-up? Is Shenandoah NP popular with with section hikers this time of year? Also, should I expect the park to be pretty busy with day-hikers and tourists? I'm doing this hike alone, as all the guys I know are tied down to jobs right now, but that's ok, because I don't mind hiking alone. But I would rather camp with a couple of folks, so should I expect to be seeing some hikers (section or thru) around the shelters or campsites at nightfall?
My sleeping bag is only rated down to 40 degrees, but I know I'm a warm sleeper. I usually end up outside and on top of the bag. But the air temp during the night here has cooled off quite a bit recently with lots of dew in the morning. Should I be ok with this bag?
And lastly, how abundant are the water supplies thru SNP this time of year? I read lots of varied reports saying some springs are bone dry and others saying the trail is like a creek in places. It seems like it's rained a lot this summer, but I'm located about 60 miles from SNP. You never can tell until you're out there.
Thanks for any advice and suggestions, and I hope to see a couple of you out there!
First, a little about myself...I caught the hiking bug on the VA Creeper Trail. I can't tell you how many $5 shuttle rides I caught to the top of Whitetop Mtn. to either coast down on a bike back to Abingdon or hike down to Damascus or Alvarado when I was a kid. I ended up slackpacking with a group of guys from Erwin to Pearisburg, with the help of a bunch of parents the summer after high school. I moved on to Blacksburg and did Pearisburg to Troutville over the course of four years, with countless trips from VA-311 up to McAfee's Knob. We did both of these trips with little to nothing on our backs. I ended up working in Richmond for a year and that put my hiking on hiatus for a bit. But now I'm in grad school in Fredericksburg and I just finished up my summer internship and I'm ready to see how many miles I can pound out until fall semester starts.
My goal is to go from Rockfish Gap (I-64/Waynesboro) to Harper's Ferry in 13 days (~161 miles). This will be my first time on this portion of the AT. I've stayed in good shape and feel like I have some of my hiking legs still under me. I've got a wide range of questions so I felt the General Forum was the best place to ask...
I've been working on a more complete pack and my base weight is 26 pounds, and I figure a max of 40 pounds with as much as a gallon of water and 3-4 days of food. I feel like I'm carrying way too much stuff, but I'm trying out a wide variety of equipment that I've came across, and hopefully I can cull out a lot of the unnecessary items after this trip. But for right now I feel I can handle up to 40 pounds no problem. I'm planning on experimenting with both a tent and tarp, to see which I like best and maybe sending one or the other home by the time I get to Luray. I've got quite a bit of hand-me-down equipment too (pack, bag, tent), so I'm guessing time will tell whether or not I need to break down and make a trip to REI to work on some better gear. (All the gear has been on several test runs, so I'm confident it will last me at least through this trip.)
I plan on re-supplying at the Loft Mountain Campground, Luray (maybe?) and Front Royal, and then catching the train out of Harper's Ferry back home...Does all this sound possible?
Also, I'm just looking for face-to-face advice on the trail. I know that most NOBOs are long gone on their way to Maine, but is there any chance I meet some SOBOs to see if I've got the right idea with my equipment and set-up? Is Shenandoah NP popular with with section hikers this time of year? Also, should I expect the park to be pretty busy with day-hikers and tourists? I'm doing this hike alone, as all the guys I know are tied down to jobs right now, but that's ok, because I don't mind hiking alone. But I would rather camp with a couple of folks, so should I expect to be seeing some hikers (section or thru) around the shelters or campsites at nightfall?
My sleeping bag is only rated down to 40 degrees, but I know I'm a warm sleeper. I usually end up outside and on top of the bag. But the air temp during the night here has cooled off quite a bit recently with lots of dew in the morning. Should I be ok with this bag?
And lastly, how abundant are the water supplies thru SNP this time of year? I read lots of varied reports saying some springs are bone dry and others saying the trail is like a creek in places. It seems like it's rained a lot this summer, but I'm located about 60 miles from SNP. You never can tell until you're out there.
Thanks for any advice and suggestions, and I hope to see a couple of you out there!