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View Full Version : report from amicalola and neels gap



smokymtnsteve
03-12-2004, 00:43
dropped my oldest son off at the top of amicalola falls this afternoon at two..great weather ...Red was the only hiker to have signed in at the visitor center today.

I walked up to frosty mtn with him then drove to mtn xings at neels gap... mtn x-ing was fairly busy today several hikers around .

i dropped off Red's first supply box at neel's gap and meet MALA a fellow whiteblaze.net member. mala is driving to rainbow springs campground so instead of shipping red's second supply box ..mala is taking it for me along with some others...mtn Xings is operating the outfitters at Rainbow Spings now so they are making frequent trips between the two places...so first two "mail drops" were "free" for me today..THANKS MALA!


RED made a last minute decision to hike this year so he has most of MY equipment that I had already packed..( and my first food boxes) so I am statring the process again..hope I can get together enough stuff together to meet him out there soon.

Red is packing about 38 lbs with 4 days of food...but that includes a couple of paperback books ( he loves to read) and a 2 pot cook kit and a frying pan.

Red is a good trail cook..he makes pancakes in the mornings for breakfast...if you see him out there have him make you a pancake. or one of his veggie chili burgers..

he should be at Springer tonight (thursday)
gouch mtn (friday)
top of blood (sat)
neel's gap (sunday morning)

Happy
03-12-2004, 01:09
Good report Smokymtnsteve, I will be up there this weekend and hope to meet him...I could handle some pancakes!!!

smokymtnsteve
03-12-2004, 02:04
he should be at mtn x-ings sunday morning then head on to blue mtn for the evening.

his stewed apples are good too...he always carries 2 fuel bottles

anything under 40lbs he thinks is light...he also has 2 flashlights and a headlight with him....2 paperback books and two ink pens, journal ..3 bic lighters...
long poly pro underwear and fleece pants , and some heavy long nylon pants with big pockets, extra hiking shorts , 3 pair of socks, 2 spoons and a fork, he likes to have his stuff with him...and he can still do 15-20mile days..I don't know how he does it...

2 titanium pots with lid
and a non stick frying pan...

Jaybird
03-12-2004, 08:23
SmokyMtnSteve:


Thanks for the "Red Report".

love hearing words from the trail & reports about those "out there" already!


thanks for keeping us in touch with the trail. :p

papa john
03-12-2004, 09:37
Best of luck to him...is he doing a journal online?

smokymtnsteve
03-12-2004, 10:36
Best of luck to him...is he doing a journal online?

no.. but I will give some reports here as he moves along...

his plans are real flexible...he is heading north this spring don't know if he will end up in maine or alaska.

smokymtnsteve
03-12-2004, 10:43
Good report Smokymtnsteve, I will be up there this weekend and hope to meet him...I could handle some pancakes!!!


you should hike with him during blueberry picking time..nothing as good as fresh blueberry pancakes on the trail for lunch.

Rain Man
03-12-2004, 10:59
dropped my oldest son off at the top of amicalola falls this afternoon at two..great weather ...Red was the only hiker to have signed in at the visitor center today.

GREAT!!! I look forward to reading your reports and updates!!!

Rain Man

.

smokymtnsteve
03-12-2004, 11:07
thanks rain man...I'l be back and forth between the trail and home for the next month ...let me know if I can help you or grass picker...

where is grass picker today?

Nightwalker
03-12-2004, 13:07
thanks rain man...I'l be back and forth between the trail and home for the next month ...let me know if I can help you or grass picker...

You may run into me out there as well. I leave from Springer tomorrow.

Frank

smokymtnsteve
03-12-2004, 13:44
ok FRANKLOOPER..I'll keep an eye and ear out for ya...you get going and try to catch red...

Look for my little purple station wagon at trail x-ings.

I try to keep a little extra coleman and goodies around it :sun]


sure is some great weather right now ...

Rain Man
03-12-2004, 15:45
thanks rain man...I'l be back and forth between the trail and home for the next month ...let me know if I can help you or grass picker...

where is grass picker today?

GrassPicker left Franklin, NC yesterday before lunch with "Nails" (from Florida) for the shuttle back to the trail (not sure which gap). She expected 3 (or 4) days to Nantahala Outdoor Center. That's as close as I can place her today.

She's thinking of doing a flip-flop ... getting us to take her up to Harpers Ferry, WVA, and hiking south, so that she gets to the mountains after some conditioning. She's having trouble with a knee, you see, thus the reason for the 3 days in Franklin. We'll see how it does on this section after that rest.

Rain Man

.

Rain Man
03-12-2004, 15:48
You may run into me out there as well. I leave from Springer tomorrow.

Frank, my SC friend!!! You make me so jealous!!! Have a great hike!

I expect you'll see GrassPicker somewhere, as you may catch her... or she may do a flip-flop to Harpers Ferry and head south. We may be driving over next week to pick her up or visit. You want us to bring anything for you? Just let us know.

Rain Man

.

bailcor
03-12-2004, 16:28
Good to read your post. It's coming up on one year that you saved my tender feet from the trail. Hope to get down there again, and with what you taught me and my lighter pack maybe we can go a lot further. Best to you Smokey - KABAR aka Tender Foot

smokymtnsteve
03-12-2004, 19:31
good to hear from you KABAR...sure was a good time we had last year..
come on back down and see george joan and myself...our house is always open to you..and we are picking fresh salad mix and swiss chard again this spring.

peace,

smokymtnsteve

smokymtnsteve
03-12-2004, 19:47
.

She's thinking of doing a flip-flop ... getting us to take her up to Harpers Ferry, WVA, and hiking south, so that she gets to the mountains after some conditioning. She's having trouble with a knee, you see, thus the reason for the 3 days in Franklin. We'll see how it does on this section after that rest.

Rain Man

.


lots of folks have a little knee problems when they are starting...it all part of the adjustment period.

I remember red having some knee problems last year.

I teach the "bend and stretch " song


stretching is the best to help prevent tendon problems



BEND and STRECH
reach for the stars
there goes Jupiter
there goes Mars

bend and stretch
reach for the stars
stand on tippey-toes
oh so high!


sing'em the bend and stretch song
they will never be able to forget about a good warm up stretch
after hearing you sing this song and giving a good demonstration ending up with you on tippey-toes.


Red always carries a tube of 'aspercreme' muscle rub...that seems to help to.
I prefer salicylic acid products (asprin) over acetaminaphin.
as the asprin products work to relieve inflamation rather than just turn off the pain as with acetaminaphin

Nightwalker
03-12-2004, 23:50
good to hear from you KABAR...sure was a good time we had last year..
come on back down and see george joan and myself...our house is always open to you..and we are picking fresh salad mix and swiss chard again this spring.

peace,

smokymtnsteve

I'm all for little extra goodies, lol.

If I don't watch out, my trailname'll be "wrong-way", cause I get turned around a lot, but I guess we'll see!

Frank Looper

Jaybird
03-13-2004, 09:23
[QUOTE=Rain Man]GrassPicker left Franklin, NC yesterday......................................... .................................................. .....................................etc.,etc.,etc .,................................................ ............................................... ...........................
She's having trouble with a knee, you see, thus the reason for the 3 days in Franklin. We'll see how it does on this section after that .RainMan./QUOTE]


Rain Man:

Sorry to hear GrassPicker is having knee problems already...

Franklin is usually only 9 or 10 days in....but, i can identify...after about my 8th straight day last year....i hobbled into N.O.C. (ice-packed the knee all night)
but was ready to hike (slowly) for a short 4 miles the next day...(i purchased a knee brace @ N.O.C. too) continued on for the next 7 days with no problems (i maintained a slower pace...but i knew i'd get there eventually.

i guess the mtns of Georgia even takes its toll on the "20-somethings".

hope she gets that knee better soon!

Kerosene
03-13-2004, 14:57
Don't forget those Achilles tendons while you're "bending and stretching"! My left one has knocked me off the Trail twice. There are two ways to stretch:

1) On a rock next to a tree, or perhaps off the shelter floor, carefully drop your heel below the "parallel" (ideally after you've walked around camp for a bit to warm up). This will be a calf stretch. Bend your knee slightly to stretch the Achilles. Be careful not to overdo it or go too fast.

2) With your hands and toes on the ground, cross one ankle over the other and slightly bend the knee with its toes still touching the ground.

steve hiker
03-13-2004, 15:23
She's having trouble with a knee, you see, thus the reason for the 3 days in Franklin. We'll see how it does on this section after that rest.

Is she taking glucosamine condroiten? Works wonders, but it takes a few weeks to notice the benefits.

smokymtnsteve
03-14-2004, 21:19
Red called from neels gap this afternoon got there about 2:30. we had good talk he's feeling great.

after getting dropped off at the top of the falls thursday ..he walked to the top of springer and caught a great sunset and then did the short night hike onto the shelter at springer where there was one other hiker.

friday he walked to hawk mtn shelter...he says he is seeing other hikers day hikers and long-distance hikers.

saturday he walked to just south of woody gap and tarped out ..and today made mtn x-ing at neels gap and is staying at the hostel there. (3 other hiker there)

he meet fellow whiteblaze.net member HAPPY..out on the trail..thanks for coming by happy.

he seems to be having a great time..this is will be his third time doing the ga ga section..so I think he is feeeling at home


he has made some pancakes ...but he is leaving some extra veggie burger mix in the hiker box at neels..

will talk with him early in the AM ...he is probably going to hit blue mtn for tomorrow night ...

then a "easy" day to tray mtn.

also talked to terry at Rainbow Springs today the sauna is working ..hikers can use it ...it's wood fired.

Brushy Sage
03-14-2004, 22:10
he likes to have his stuff with him...and he can still do 15-20mile days..I don't know how he does it...
...[/QUOTE]

He's young, and more power to him! Looking forward to hearing about his progress.