View Full Version : Leonid Meteor Shower hike out of Damascus, Nov 14-17, '08?
Rain Man
11-04-2008, 22:06
[NOTE: Dates have been changed, pushed back by one day. Now hiking Sat-Tues.]
The Leonid Meteor shower should be full strength on the weekend of November 15-16. Backpacker magazine (Nov issue) recommends going to a wilderness mountain top in NC area to view the shooting stars. The AT in VA is close enough for me! Weather permitting, we should be able to see the shooting stars each and every night.
Anyone interested in a hike NOBO out of Damascus, perhaps starting Friday, Nov 14, and finishing up on Monday, the 17th? Ideally, I would come out at Dickey Gap/Troutdale on Monday mid-day, but am flexible on all details.
I have posted an invite on Nashville Backpackers MeetUp Group too, to see if I get any nibbles on driving over together on Thursday evening.
If you can't join me (us?), anyone interested in doing a shuttle on Monday?
Rain:sunMan
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Check your lunar data.
Might have to make do with a big ol' moon. Might not wash out all the streakers, tho.
Rain Man
11-05-2008, 10:52
Check your lunar data.
Might have to make do with a big ol' moon. Might not wash out all the streakers, tho.
I just love a bright moon! That will just determine what time during the night (or early morning) we have to be awake to watch the shooting stars.
The hike is the main thing. The Leonids are just icing o the cake, but not the cake.
Rain:sunMan
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jaywalke
11-05-2008, 16:04
Anyone interested in a hike NOBO out of Damascus, perhaps starting Friday, Nov 14, and finishing up on Monday, the 17th?.
Wear all of your blaze orange. That's the beginning of rifle season.
http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/hunting/regulations/deer.asp
Personally, I stay home that weekend. Depending on the area, it can sound like a war zone. I find I develop a flinch as I walk along, and a lot of the fun goes out of it.
Rain Man
11-06-2008, 00:33
Wear all of your blaze orange. That's the beginning of rifle season. ....
I had planned to ask the local forest service, but thanks for the heads-up. Blaze orange it is!!!
There is a possibility I will shift this hike back one day, but still hike four days, as a Nashville hiker can't get off Friday, but can get off Tuesday. There is also a possibility about three high school foreign exchange students will tag along (one being my "son" this year from Egypt).
Rain:sunMan
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mtnkngxt
11-06-2008, 08:13
I'd be up for it but could only stay sat and sunday.
Rain Man
11-06-2008, 11:43
I'd be up for it but could only stay sat and sunday.
That's cool. There are enough road crossings that anyone could join us for a day or two or three. I suppose it'll be a matter of staying in touch till final plans are made, and swapping cell phone numbers.
I've had one request to push the start date back from Friday to Saturday, but that's not decided yet.
Rain:sunMan
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Rain Man
11-07-2008, 10:46
Two new hikers at last night's meeting of the Nashville Backpackers MeetUp Group said they want to go on this hike.
As I mentioned earlier, we might shift the date by one day to Sat-Tue, but nothing is settled.
Can anyone tell me the water situation from Damascus to Dickey Gap/Troutdale? Any other issues? I understand hunting season is starting, so we'll wear blaze orange. Also, can anyone tell me about shuttles to/from Troutdale, either shuttling hikers or vehicle?
Thanks!
Rain:sunMan
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jaywalke
11-07-2008, 15:51
Also, can anyone tell me about shuttles to/from Troutdale, either shuttling hikers or vehicle?
I think Lone Wolf shuttles out of Damascus. You may want to PM him.
Maybe I'll catch you next time.
Rain Man
11-08-2008, 09:53
I'd be up for it but could only stay sat and sunday.
So, Mtn Kng, are you serious about joining just for Sat & Sun? If so, I'll count you as a serious "Yes" and will make sure you get our itinerary for those days, once we settle on the details (which, as always, will be subject to change on the ground). Also, we'll need to swap cell phone numbers.
Right now I have two definite "Yes's" from Nashville, plus three foreign exchange students (high school), including my own "son" from Egypt. There are one or two other "Maybes" from other locales.
Rain:sunMan
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There were quite a few hunters out and about this past weekend. Lots of hikers, too, very few of whom were wearing blaze orange.
Jim Adams
11-09-2008, 22:07
Does anyone know what day and time the peak is to happen?
geek
Does anyone know what day and time the peak is to happen?
geek
http://stardate.org/nightsky/meteors/
Early morning Nov. 17th.
Jim Adams
11-10-2008, 07:44
Thanks Marta!
geek
Check your moonrise/moonset ...
Rain Man
11-10-2008, 14:37
Check your moonrise/moonset ...
US Navy calendar of moon rise and moon set. (http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneYear.php)
Rain:sunMan
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I'll be down in central VA mid week. Do you think there would be much of a meteor show on Wednesday/Thursday evenings? Weather forecast is iffy, though. It'll probably be too cloudy to see anything where I'll be. Is there a website listing optimum time/days for viewing?
Mr. Parkay
11-10-2008, 18:30
The Leonid Meteor shower should be full strength on the weekend of November 15-16. Backpacker magazine (Nov issue) recommends going to a wilderness mountain top in NC area to view the shooting stars. The AT in VA is close enough for me! Weather permitting, we should be able to see the shooting stars each and every night.
Anyone interested in a hike NOBO out of Damascus, perhaps starting Friday, Nov 14, and finishing up on Monday, the 17th? Ideally, I would come out at Dickey Gap/Troutdale on Monday mid-day, but am flexible on all details.
I have posted an invite on Nashville Backpackers MeetUp Group too, to see if I get any nibbles on driving over together on Thursday evening.
If you can't join me (us?), anyone interested in doing a shuttle on Monday?
Rain:sunMan
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I live in Damascus, so feel free to send me a PM if you guys still need a shuttle.
We have canceled the meteor showers this year, sorry folks. If you would like to see it come back please send me a lot of money and I will think about it........
I saw a "falling star" meteor last night while soaking in my hot tub:D
Rain Man
11-11-2008, 12:38
I Is there a website listing optimum time/days for viewing?
Ain't Google wonderful?....
International Meteor Organization (http://www.imo.net/)
"The Leonids have a 'traditional' node time in 2008 on November 17 around 09h UT, though the bright waning Moon close to the constellation of Leo will be a severe problem for observers on any location."
Wikipedia - Leonids (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonids)
"The meteor shower is visible every year around November 17, plus or minus a week .... "
Geology.com (http://geology.com/news/2007/leonid-meteor-shower-peak-is-november-17-18.shtml)
"Mark your calendar for November 17-18th. That’s the peak of the Leonid Meteor Shower. Visible might be as many as ten meteors per hour and viewing will be best in the pre-dawn hours. The meteors will seem to originate out of the constellation Leo."
To me, this coming weekend is a win-win. You'll get either a full moon (always nice) or shooting stars (also nice) or both.
Rain:sunMan
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Rain Man
11-11-2008, 12:46
We have canceled the meteor showers this year, sorry folks. If you would like to see it come back please send me a lot of money and I will think about it........
Can we at least have the Full Moon, free of charge?!!! LOL
Rain:sunMan
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Rain Man
11-11-2008, 12:48
I'd be up for it but could only stay sat and sunday.
So, what's the decision? Inquiring minds want to know.
Rain:sunMan
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I won't be joining your group, but look forward to meeting you out on the trail. T-Bob and I {Scrub} will be hiking from Grayson Highlands to Damascus, on Fri, Sat, Sun this weekend.
Glad I found this for a heads up on the meteor shower, maybe we will get a chance to see some streakers. Looking forward to meeting you and your crew.:banana
Rain Man
11-13-2008, 13:51
I won't be joining your group, but look forward to meeting you out on the trail. T-Bob and I {Scrub} will be hiking from Grayson Highlands to Damascus, on Fri, Sat, Sun this weekend.
Glad I found this for a heads up on the meteor shower, maybe we will get a chance to see some streakers. Looking forward to meeting you and your crew.:banana
We'll look forward to meeting y'all. Looks like "weather" for this hike. Some rain, some sun, some snow, some warm hiking weather, and some frigid nights in the teens. Ahhhhh ... can't wait!
The Leonids may be best visible early morning in the north sky, if I recall off the top of my head.
Rain:sunMan
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Have a fine time, Rain Man, I'll be thinking of you all watching the skies! Love those toasty sleeping bags in the crisp air.
Rain Man
11-14-2008, 10:37
Have a fine time, Rain Man, I'll be thinking of you all watching the skies! Love those toasty sleeping bags in the crisp air.
I'm sure we will, Beth! We will be appreciating those warm bags! And maybe our rain gear.
I leave after school today with the three exchange students. We'll pick up another local hiker just outside Nashville. Spending the night tonight at Dave's Place in Damascus. Meeting up with another hiker in the morning at breakfast, then hitting the trail.
Three more hikers are coming over Sunday evening to camp and watch the stars with us.
I even have a blaze orange Elmer Fudd hat with ear muffs!!! LOL
Rain:sunMan
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I even have a blaze orange Elmer Fudd hat with ear muffs!!! LOL
Rain:sunMan .
I want pictures :D
I even have a blaze orange Elmer Fudd hat with ear muffs!!! LOL
Rain:sunMan
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Bell ringer at a retail store yesterday had one of those on. Warm is warm.
Rain Man
11-19-2008, 14:11
I want pictures :D
Your wish is my command. I've posted one group of photos, including me in the blaze orange Elmer Fudd hat. LOL Just browse my gallery here.
Sorry that these are only 640x480. For some reason, Ahmed's camera was set to that. I am waiting on a CD of more photos from Rafael's camera and will post those ASAP.
Hope to get a little trip report written up in my spare time, whatever that is.
Also, JERMM, I just ordered a new camera for myself yesterday. A Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5K, 9.1 Megapixel, 10x Optical zoom with 28mm wide-angle Leica lens.
:D
Rain:sunMan
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Also, JERMM, I just ordered a new camera for myself yesterday. A Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5K, 9.1 Megapixel, 10x Optical zoom with 28mm wide-angle Leica lens.
:D
Rain:sunMan .
very nice
Rain Man
11-21-2008, 09:33
Weekend hike on the Appalachian Trail, from Damascus to Elk Garden, VA. November 15 & 16, 2008. Rain Man, Gollwood, Rafa (from Brazil), Omer (from Turkey), and Ahmed (from Egypt). Support from Larry Riddle, aka The Only Wanderer aka TOW.
Several hikers signed up for the trip, then one by one backed out. So, the three AFS exchange students and I headed out alone from Nashville around four o'clock on Friday, November 14, 2008 for Damascus, VA. We arrived close to midnight and stayed in "Dave's Place" hostel as arranged for us by Larry "The Only Wanderer" Riddle. It was prime hostelier for only $10 each per night.
We got up as planned at 6:00 on Saturday morning. I had hoped to hit the trail no later than 8:00, but that was not to be. Three young, inexperienced hikers do not know how to pack up, much less pack up quickly. Finally we were off to TOW's house and then to find a place for early breakfast. Most places were closed, but we found "In The Country" and now recommend it highly. As we sat waiting on our breakfasts, in walks Mayor Creed Jones, so the foreign boys got to chat with a real, live, America elected official. Of course, photos were made!
We were met at breakfast by Brett "Gollwood" Decker, a fellow WhiteBlazer. He had driven down from Ohio to do the hike with us. The five of us left our vehicles at TOW's and hit the trail (sidewalk) around 9:15 in cool temperatures and under overcast skies and in good spirits.
The trail wound up and down hills and mountains, across roads and streams, through autumn leaves and rhododendron tunnels. Sometimes the sun poked out, but mostly it was cloudy and sometimes rain tried to drizzle on us. By afternoon, we had hiked about nine miles and had reached Saunders Shelter for a lunch break. A brisk, cold wind picked up. There were dozens of Boy Scouts pitching tents behind the shelter as we ate lunch. Everyone was doing well, except Ahmed from Egypt. He was not used to the cold nor the hard work of backpacking and could not mentally get his act together. In order to leave the shelter, the rest of us had to put his pack on his back for him and tighten the belt and straps for him. Not a good mental attitude on his part!
We had already climbed our two biggest mountains of the day, but had one remaining later just before Lost Mountain Shelter, our destination for the night. As it was getting towards dusk, we came upon a hunter dragging a buck deer up the trail. We never heard a shot or saw another hunter the whole weekend.
Night began to fall before we reached the portion of the AT that includes the Virginia Creeper Trail, but our eyes adjusted and the near-full moonlight helped, even with the overcast skies. However, as we reached the long trestle walk, it began to darken even more and to rain. At the other end of the trestle, officially known as the Luther Hassinger Memorial Bridge, we had to turn into the woods and rhodo thickets, which definitely required our head lamps. We hiked in the dark cold rain for nearly two miles up and over Lost Mountain. As long as we were hiking, we were warm enough due to the exertion, but that meant we could not stop for a rest break, because we could instantly chill.
Finally around 7:15 and after almost sixteen miles, we reached the shelter sign for Lost Mountain Shelter and found three SOBO thru-hikers in the shelter in their sleeping bags, eating noodles and journaling by the light of candles and headlamps. They welcomed us in warmly and made room for our crew. Golly set up his tent out front as the rain held off for a while.
As usual, there was a "pack explosion" as our 4 packs were emptied in the shelter to set up sleeping pads and bags, our cook stove and food, and etc. First we cooked a camp fire pizza for each of the thru-hikers, then more for ourselves. They boys were tired, inexperienced, cold, and hungry. They ate hurriedly and left their food, food bags, and packs all over the place. I made them get back up, put things away, and hang their packs and food bags. They had no idea why I was being so "stern" about this chore. Later I heard mice enjoying a snack somewhere in the shelter, but the boys were fast asleep and clueless. During the night, the temperatures and snow fell.
At the crack of dawn on Sunday morning, the thru-hikers were up eating breakfast and packing for the day. The boys were dead to the world. I went to get water and found a poor dribble coming from the piped spring, so I set up a pot to catch some water and went back to the shelter while the pot filled. I started water for breakfast and began waking the boys. Golly was up and packing. It was about 32 degrees and foggy.
The one thing that got the boys up at last was the snow. Two don't see snow in their homes countries of Brazil and Egypt and they quickly ran out to pose for photos. After a light breakfast, I had to cajole them to pack up and prepare to hit the trail. Dealing with teenage boys can be a bit like herding cats, at least with some of them. We did not hit the trail until 10:00. NOT good.
At 10:30 we crossed Hwy 58, signed the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area register, and started the climb up towards Beech Mountain. After crossing VA 601 we ran into a day hiker coming down the mountain. He was doing an over-and-back just for fun.
The climb up Beech Mtn towards Buzzard Rock was almost without switchbacks. It was a long, long, long "stair master" climb and we spread out from each other, me bringing up the rear. Golly and I usually tried to keep one adult in front and one in the rear. That's our story, anyway!
We were climbing in snow and under overcast skies. Very rarely the sun would poke out for a few seconds to tease us. The higher we climbed, the colder it got. My CamelBak water tube froze. In order to have any needed drinking water, I had to stop, take off my pack and dig out my CamelBak, put my pack back on, and then stuff the CamelBak down the front of my shirt, so my body heat would thaw out the tube. That's how I hiked the rest of the day.
Every little while I stopped to chew on some M&Ms or nuts or pretzels and take a few sips of water. I spotted Ahmed ahead of me in his blaze orange jacket, but was happy with the pace and kept my distance.
About two-thirds of the way up, the day-hiker caught up with me from behind. He had gone down and now back up and was lapping me! But he was a nice guy, so I didn't mind. Soon he was out of sight and past Ahmed.
The temperatures continued to drop and at times the wind began to blow. I was concerned about the safety of the inexperienced boys on the near-mile-high exposed mountain top up ahead. As I began to climb out of the woods into very short trees, they were entirely covered in ice and snow. They wind blustered and the higher I climbed, the more open the trail became to the elements.
After approximately five miles from last night's shelter, we finally reached Buzzard Rock around 1:30, where everyone was clustered behind the rocks for shelter from the wind. The temperature was around 24 degrees and the wind was blowing. Rafa was happily checking for cell phone service to call his father in Brazil. But Golly was telling me that he was bailing out due to the weather, not to mention the day before had been his longest day of hiking ever. The day-hiker had a vehicle at the next trail head three and a half miles away and was willing to give Golly a ride.
I gave it some thought and realized the rest of us would be reaching our intended shelter after dark again tonight, only in much colder weather. Plus, Ahmed was suffering from the difficulty and a very bad attitude. I asked the other two boys how they were doing and they were somewhat non-committal. I asked the day-hiker if he could take Ahmed and he said yes, he had room for one more. So, I announced that we would also get off the trail at Elk Garden, the next road crossing.
Golly, Ahmed, and the day-hiker hit the trail at a brisk pace. Golly was to try to call Larry back in Damascus to drive a vehicle up to Elk Garden if he could. Otherwise, the day-hiker would drive Golly and Ahmed down to Damascus and Golly would come back with his vehicle.
Rafa, Omer, and I began a more leisurely hike down off Beech Mountain from Buzzard Rock, expecting to have a wait at Elk Garden up to an hour, but the cold would not let us move too slowly. Fortunately, once off the top of the mountain, the wind was blocked, though the temperature remained around 24 degrees.
I felt a little woozy in the tummy for just a bit. I should have eaten some power bars before starting that three-hour climb, or should have had a bigger breakfast, but was too busy getting the boys (especially Ahmed) up and going and packed. Anyway, that passed and Omer and I took regular brief stops in part just to enjoy the snowy scenery. Rafa had gone ahead. During one stop, Omer said with humor he would like to cut off his legs at the knees, so his calves and cold toes would stop hurting him. Still, he was enjoying the weekend.
Finally we could hear traffic and saw the road down through the trees, but we had to walk parallel to it for a long ways. At eight miles for the day and around 3:45 we emerged at the Elk Garden trail head on VA 600 (Whitetop Mtn Road). There was TOW with Golly's van! Golly had gotten enough cell phone service to leave Larry a message, which he had gotten in time to drive up. Our day-hiker friend departed in one direction and soon the rest of us were headed down the mountain in the other direction in a warm van towards Damascus. The boys all fell asleep in the back and I almost did in the front.
A quick shower and change of clothes at TOW's place and I was ready for an early dinner. We all headed to Dot's and found several thru-hikers there. More and more came in due to the bad weather as we ate, including Mountain Goat and her brother, Timber, two of the three we had stayed in Lost Mountain Shelter with the night before.
Around 6:00 we were in our car and headed back towards I-81. They boys chatted among themselves and texted the whole way home about the adventure. After stops for gas and a later dinner for the boys, we arrived back in Nashville around 11:30 Sunday night. They were back in school Monday morning.
The original plan had been to hike approximately fifty miles in three and a half days or so. We did approximately half that distance in approximately half that time. Had the weather not turned so cold, I'm sure we would have made our original goal. But the "strategic retrenchment" worked out perfectly well and avoided a death march. So, all's well that end's well.
Photos may be seen at --
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/browseimages.php?do=member&imageuser=1293
double j
11-21-2008, 11:24
great story. i sure do hope the boys will try again ,and not have the cold weather scare them off...
Great story, indeed! I wondered if we'd bump into each other -- I did start out as scheduled near Erwin on the 11th, and finished up in Damascus on the 18th... having decided to save Mt Rogers for another trip -- one where the sun comes out every once in a while. Had similar water freezing issues... also wanted to invent a camelfront instead of a camelbak! All in all, a satisfying adventure. Sorry to have missed you.