New VA Member : First Hike

[Grafixster]

Greets all!

I'm Anthony and recently (about 2 months ago) I was bitten by the hiking/backpacking/camping bug. I'm a city/suburb boy with a strong tech background. That being said, my wife and kids are the same. I was thinking a few months ago about getting out in the wild for some away from the world time and during the search, I got bit by the "want to camp" bug.

At first, my wife was opposed. "no showers..." was the problem. My daughter was a little more interested (she's 12). After I learned about the basic requirements and what to pack I started to look for a place to go solo. Then I found the Appalachian trail. I found the closest point for me to get to the trail was Ashton. I've been researching it like I would a business deal and I've come to a plan. After I started printing maps and buying supplies my wife slowly started to show interest :)

Now, my family is totally on board and they are now as excited as I am. What I did was build my own pack and then they were able to put together theirs. It was a bit costly because I'm an avid fisherman but have absolutely no camping/hiking equipment. Not even shoes. everything purchased pretty much came in 3's. Backpacks, stoves, tents, cooking sets, sleeping bags, .. you name it. We are so into it, we even started dehydrating our own food for fun.

So, here is my plan.

- Drive 3.5 hours from Virginia Beach, Virginia to Ashton Va.
- Park (permission allowed) at the Ashton Inn
- Hike 6ish miles to the Paul C Wolfe Shelter to rest and cook up some lunch
- Hike onwards to our Humpback Mountain destination and take pics, videos of us with the scenery.
- Camp for the night
- Trace steps to head home.

Total trip should be about 22 miles. I have no idea if it's to much to push my family to do or not enough but I figure that's a decent goal. I've seen a lot of pics from people who stopped by Humpback Mountain and I think my family would be blown away to see something other than beach fronts and concrete structures. I'm blown away at just the pictures.

I know I've probably packed more than what we need but I'm also looking forward to experiencing that myself and adjusting my pack when I get back.

My questions are:

1.) Is this section of AT and distance the wisest thing to do for a family first? We aren't the super athlete family but we aren't the couch tater family either :)
2.) I read there was a nice water source close to the Paul C Wolfe shelter. Is this true and are there other sources along the way?
3.) When we get to Humpback Mountain, I know there isn't a shelter but how far east or west off the trail should we set up camp or is there a better option out there?
4.) On this section of the AT, besides the scenes for Humpback Mountain, are there any others I should be looking for along the way?

Any other tid bits would be great!

Thank you and thank you to Whiteblaze - I've learned a LOT here so far.

[moldy]

1. This is a great section to pick for your first hike. Not too steep. The treadway or path has some broken rocks that can be tough to negotiate in places.
2. There is a nice creek right in front of the shelter, get your drinking water up stream. The amount of drinkable water available in this area is dependent on when you hike. There is plenty of water in the Spring and it peters out later on in the Summer and during drought years it can be a bit of a problem. There will be water at bear spring.
3. There will be plenty of places to camp. Most will be without nearby water. I like to go closer to a cliff edge for the view and breeze.
4 This will be a walk in the woods with no great challanges or much in the way of interesting points.

Now if I were you and did not want my family to hate me for dragging me out in the woods, I would drive a little further in Virginia down I-81 to Troutdale. Leave your can at the little resturant and have someone shuttle you South to Elk Garden. Then hike backto your car through Mt Rogers and Grayson Highlands State Park on the Appalachian Trail. If you can do this during May when there are baby wild horses and wildflowers and in good weather you could be nominated as Saint Dad. Google up Mt Rogers and Grayson Highlands.

[rocketsocks]

Have a great hike and :welcomejust one critique,you mentioned getting every thing in 3's,does that mean that your daughter is carrying a full load,(her own tent,food,stove?She may do better if her load was lightend somewhat,not really knowing your all your gear this is only a general observation.Keep it loose,fun and take lots of breaks.Hard candy is a great moral booster.Again,Have a great hike.

[Grafixster]

1. This is a great section to pick for your first hike. Not too steep. The treadway or path has some broken rocks that can be tough to negotiate in places.
2. There is a nice creek right in front of the shelter, get your drinking water up stream. The amount of drinkable water available in this area is dependent on when you hike. There is plenty of water in the Spring and it peters out later on in the Summer and during drought years it can be a bit of a problem. There will be water at bear spring.
3. There will be plenty of places to camp. Most will be without nearby water. I like to go closer to a cliff edge for the view and breeze.
4 This will be a walk in the woods with no great challanges or much in the way of interesting points.


Now if I were you and did not want my family to hate me for dragging me out in the woods, I would drive a little further in Virginia down I-81 to Troutdale. Leave your can at the little resturant and have someone shuttle you South to Elk Garden. Then hike backto your car through Mt Rogers and Grayson Highlands State Park on the Appalachian Trail. If you can do this during May when there are baby wild horses and wildflowers and in good weather you could be nominated as Saint Dad. Google up Mt Rogers and Grayson Highlands.


Thanks for the added info - it looks to be right on the border of NC and VA. I need to learn the shuttle 'system' because I'm not quite sure how the logistics would work with the car and etc. (wish i lived closer to the trail!). I have family up in Louden County VA so I was thinking about prepping myself to go back solo and start at Ashton and walk my way up north to Louden and catch a ride back south with the goal of finishing the Virginia part of the AT. Now I'm thinking of heading south and working my way up :)

Lots of options! Exciting it is.

[Grafixster]

does that mean that your daughter is carrying a full load,(her own tent,food,stove?She may do better if her load was lightend somewhat,not really knowing your all your gear this is only a general observation.Keep it loose,fun and take lots of breaks.Hard candy is a great moral booster.Again,Have a great hike.

Yes, her as well and I thought about it a lot. My goal in doing so was to get her prepared to be able to do things on her own. Start her own fire (or stove), cook her own food, teach her how to use a compass and map etc. I did spare the weight for her though and the things that go in her bag are more expensive being ultra light). Also, I got her quality stuff so that when it's time for her to go solo (either on the trail or europe.. who knows), she will know her gear and can rely on it (and I'll feel at ease as a father :) ). She's 12 and has been doing a lot of the studying part with me. weather, elevation - even researching all the equipment which has actually been a good way for us to bond even more. Her bag (Sierra 55) should be delivered tomorrow. We'll get it packed, weighed and I'll post what it comes to (and content).

Again, my goal was of course to have fun with the fam but also, teach her something about wilderness that she can continue on with. What I will avoid is being the only father on the trail with a 110lb child carrying a 80lb pack LOL.

In end, if she can't stand it - i'll just pack it up and keep it as her bug out bag... :)

Thanks!

[rocketsocks]

Hey that's awesome,sounds like you have a good plan,and that the family is all in.Look forward to a trip report when you get back.take care.:sun

[scudder]

the glass hollow overlook -down a short blue blaze trail on the left as you go southbound about a mile past the shelter- is a nice rock outcrop with a view.

[dren]

Dangit. I just typed a nice log response and my browser crashed. Basically, take a lot of food...you'll need it. I did Humpback Rocks last weekend and it was tough. Doable but tough. Your family will hate you if they have to carry their packs up it for their first hike. I hiked it from the parking lot so the AT may be a little different. We didn't have packs on either. I just had a day pack.

We hiked to the shelter this weekend from the parking lot for Humpback Rocks. The first mile or so heading south from the Paul Wolfe shelter is a little steep for beginners. You will be sweating a lot for sure. The creek there is clear and strong. It's 40 yards or so from the shelter. You have to do a stream crossing there but it's not hard at all.

My 11 y.o. son complained about Humpback but not about hiking to and back from the shelter. Not sure why. Could have been his mood. To give you an idea of his fitness level, he recently ran the mile in 8 flat at school.....in blue jeans. And he stopped to tie his shoes once. I do a 7 minute mile, just as a point of reference. Not sure what my wife does. Hiking is definitely different from running, that's for sure. Did I mention we were ravenous afterward? Hiker hunger for sure.

Good luck with your hike. Push hard and press on. Most importantly, make it fun.