SCGamecock
08-01-2012, 14:43
7 1/2 months until my 2013 AT thru
Last week I hiked from Hwy 311 Catawba VA to Daleville VA
- I hope this parking lot is safe for my car (Hwy 311 near Catawba, VA), well, not my car, it’s a rental
- I’m 42 years old, this is my first time hiking alone, no big deal right?
- Do I have enough water? 2L should be enough, I’m only going to Campbell Shelter, 4.7 miles
- I haven’t hiked up and down mountains in a long, long time
- Johns Springs shelter, haven’t seen an AT shelter since I was around ten years old, log mentions a bear
- What was that noise? Stop looking over your shoulder
- I think I’m being stalked by the Last Mohican
- Was that a bear? Nope, a bird
- Haven’t seen a bear since I was around ten years old when one big ‘ol Mama bear walked up to my Dad, said ‘Hello’, and took his backpack, ripped it
open, and ate most of our food (somewhere near Clingmans Dome, she liked the spaghetti sauce, I think she was showing off for her two cubs)
- Just make a lot of noise, that’ll scare the bear away (I remember the Rangers saying), yeah, ok, right
- No views so far, I guess that’s why they call the AT the Green Tunnel
- A young couple tells me the spring at Campbell Shelter is dry
- Great, I’m trying to get a taste of the AT and checkout my gear and my first stop doesn’t have any water
- I drove 3 ½ hours to see McAfee Knob and my first stop doesn’t have any water? Really?
- Why doesn’t my first stop have any water?
- Stop freakin’ out, deal with it. That couple gave you most of their water, you have 2L, deal with it
- Will 2L of water last until Lambert’s Meadow shelter tomorrow? It’ll have to. If I have to, I won’t cook tonight or in the morning.
- Was that a bear? Nope, a squirrel
- Sure is hard to reach the side pockets on my ULA Circuit backpack
- Two Aquafina bottles and a Sawyer Squeeze is really easy (only if I didn’t have trouble reaching them)
- Might need to use a 2L Platypus bladder also
- McAfee Knob, maybe two dozen day hikers, wrapped in fog, no views
- I drove 3 ½ hours to see McAfee Knob and there are no views? Really?
- Feels good to take off my socks, no hot spots on my feet
- Salomon’s and blue Superfeet inserts, like walking on air
- The knob is crowded, I’ll just go on to the shelter and eat lunch
- Wow, I’m alone at the shelter
- Surely I won’t be alone at the shelter tonight
- I should experience the shelter alone tonight, it’ll be good for me
- I’m 42 years old and I’ve never spent the night alone in the woods, no big deal right? Hmm
- I wonder if my stuff would be safe if I left it at the shelter and hiked back to McAfee Knob for a while?
- Forgot my long handled titanium spoon, so I make one from a Gatorade bottle
- Tuna and protein bars, I’ll have to get more creative
- They were right, the spring is almost dry… almost
- Was that a bear? Nope, a falling tree limb
- Surely someone will stop for the night
- Here comes some guy hiking from the North
- There goes the same guy hiking to the South
- My Thermarest Neoair is comfortable, all setup in the shelter, now what?
- Dinner alone, Mountain House, awesome
- Make sure the valve to your Micro Rocket is closed before attaching the fuel next time
- Make sure your Bic lighter works before you leave, it didn’t work, luckily I did brought the igniter
- I need a thinner synthetic top, this one is taking forever to dry
- Dry camp socks feel great, dry camp clothes feel great
- I could still cut some weight by leaving that at home, at that, and that, do I really need that?
- 26lb pack with 4 days of food and 2l of water, not bad, but I could cut some weight
- The breeze is blowing, but not in the shelter
- How did that PCT method of hanging my food bag go? Rope back through the carabiner
- 25l food bag is a big bag, too big? Let’s see a bear get that
- Hiking poles propped up, limbs with dead leaves covering the shelter entrance, my early warning system is all setup. If a bear tries to poke his head
into the shelter to chew on my toes, I’ll surely hear him coming first
- Why not just put a fence on the fourth side of the shelter, if I remember right, the shelter in the Smokey’s had a fence
- Can’t sleep. From the energy drink earlier in the day? From the loud crickets? (And they are really loud) From the mouse that keeps coming over to
say hello? Or from the anticipation of a visit from Smokey the Bear?
- Didn’t sleep much, if at all
- Laid on top of my Marmot Helium, need to get a Summer sleeping bag (Took Winter bag to test the weight)
- Sunrise is beautiful coming through the trees, should have hiked back to McAffe Knob to watch it come up
- Most every entry in the shelter log mentions the sunrise from McAffe Knob, it’ll have to wait
- A couple of Clif bars for breakfast, I’ll stop in a while and cook some oatmeal (I never stopped to cook oatmeal)
- Privy was surprisingly clean, onto Lambert’s Meadow shelter
- Great view from Tinker Cliffs, nice break, something to eat (a few tortillas and more bars)
- Lambert’s Meadow shelter by 11:00, now what?
- Stream barely running, log mentions a bear that ‘would not leave’
- Do I want to hang around alone with a bear that might not leave? It’s only 11:00
- I could backtrack the 6 miles to Campbell Shelter or cut my three nights to just one and do 8.7 miles to Daleville and find a ride back to my car
- I don’t mind cutting my trip short, I’ve checked out my backpack, shoes, and filter system
- It’s hot, muggy, buggy, and a bear may be lurking around… onto Daleville
- 2l of water should be fine for the next 8.7 miles to Daleville… right? No water sources
- Here comes the rain, lightening popping all around me
- Love my Marmot Mica rain jacket and Precip rain pants
- I sweat a lot, been drenched in sweat most of the trip, I'm going to stink
- Probably shouldn’t be carrying these aluminum hiking poles with all this lightening…. duh
- I wonder if I look like a cool outdoorsman, I’ve got cool hiking poles
- Wish I knew how far I had to go
- What made me think I could just rip off another 8.7 miles?
- I’ve never hiked 15 miles in one day, let alone up and down mountains
- I’ve backtracked 3 times after losing the trail, that’ll make it 15 miles for sure
- Rain stopped, it’s hot
- I definitely need to eat more as I hike
- I drink a lot of water
- I’m now out of water
- Surely I don’t have that far to go, I can see civilization, that’s where I’m going, it’s gotta be close
- 2 ½ hours later, still hiking
- I think I’ve turned my ankles dozens of times and kicked every rock between here and Catawba
- Wish I had some water
- 8.7 miles was longer than I thought
- A guy comes running around the corner and scares the living poo out of me. He tells me I have another half a mile
- Seems like longer than half a mile
- I’m glad that I’m done hiking for the day
- I’m glad to see the Exxon station
- I drink a quart of Gatorade, start on the second quart, and eat some jerky
- I am spent, but I’m glad that I know what hiking 15 miles up and down mountains feels like (there are harder sections, I know that)
- I hike down to the Howard Johnson’s to use their internet
- I look up shuttle providers on Whiteblaze and find Trail Angel Homer Witcher
- Homer was there in 10 minutes, great guy, 71 years old, thru hiked the AT when he was 60 with his wife and 8 and 10 year olds, married on McAffee
Knob and honeymooned on Tinker Cliffs… awesome
- I wake up the next day sore… but I feel the addiction
- It’s all pretty simple… at least to me anyway
- I knew why I wanted to hike the AT before I took this little trip
- I want to see it.... I want to see what's next
Last week I hiked from Hwy 311 Catawba VA to Daleville VA
- I hope this parking lot is safe for my car (Hwy 311 near Catawba, VA), well, not my car, it’s a rental
- I’m 42 years old, this is my first time hiking alone, no big deal right?
- Do I have enough water? 2L should be enough, I’m only going to Campbell Shelter, 4.7 miles
- I haven’t hiked up and down mountains in a long, long time
- Johns Springs shelter, haven’t seen an AT shelter since I was around ten years old, log mentions a bear
- What was that noise? Stop looking over your shoulder
- I think I’m being stalked by the Last Mohican
- Was that a bear? Nope, a bird
- Haven’t seen a bear since I was around ten years old when one big ‘ol Mama bear walked up to my Dad, said ‘Hello’, and took his backpack, ripped it
open, and ate most of our food (somewhere near Clingmans Dome, she liked the spaghetti sauce, I think she was showing off for her two cubs)
- Just make a lot of noise, that’ll scare the bear away (I remember the Rangers saying), yeah, ok, right
- No views so far, I guess that’s why they call the AT the Green Tunnel
- A young couple tells me the spring at Campbell Shelter is dry
- Great, I’m trying to get a taste of the AT and checkout my gear and my first stop doesn’t have any water
- I drove 3 ½ hours to see McAfee Knob and my first stop doesn’t have any water? Really?
- Why doesn’t my first stop have any water?
- Stop freakin’ out, deal with it. That couple gave you most of their water, you have 2L, deal with it
- Will 2L of water last until Lambert’s Meadow shelter tomorrow? It’ll have to. If I have to, I won’t cook tonight or in the morning.
- Was that a bear? Nope, a squirrel
- Sure is hard to reach the side pockets on my ULA Circuit backpack
- Two Aquafina bottles and a Sawyer Squeeze is really easy (only if I didn’t have trouble reaching them)
- Might need to use a 2L Platypus bladder also
- McAfee Knob, maybe two dozen day hikers, wrapped in fog, no views
- I drove 3 ½ hours to see McAfee Knob and there are no views? Really?
- Feels good to take off my socks, no hot spots on my feet
- Salomon’s and blue Superfeet inserts, like walking on air
- The knob is crowded, I’ll just go on to the shelter and eat lunch
- Wow, I’m alone at the shelter
- Surely I won’t be alone at the shelter tonight
- I should experience the shelter alone tonight, it’ll be good for me
- I’m 42 years old and I’ve never spent the night alone in the woods, no big deal right? Hmm
- I wonder if my stuff would be safe if I left it at the shelter and hiked back to McAfee Knob for a while?
- Forgot my long handled titanium spoon, so I make one from a Gatorade bottle
- Tuna and protein bars, I’ll have to get more creative
- They were right, the spring is almost dry… almost
- Was that a bear? Nope, a falling tree limb
- Surely someone will stop for the night
- Here comes some guy hiking from the North
- There goes the same guy hiking to the South
- My Thermarest Neoair is comfortable, all setup in the shelter, now what?
- Dinner alone, Mountain House, awesome
- Make sure the valve to your Micro Rocket is closed before attaching the fuel next time
- Make sure your Bic lighter works before you leave, it didn’t work, luckily I did brought the igniter
- I need a thinner synthetic top, this one is taking forever to dry
- Dry camp socks feel great, dry camp clothes feel great
- I could still cut some weight by leaving that at home, at that, and that, do I really need that?
- 26lb pack with 4 days of food and 2l of water, not bad, but I could cut some weight
- The breeze is blowing, but not in the shelter
- How did that PCT method of hanging my food bag go? Rope back through the carabiner
- 25l food bag is a big bag, too big? Let’s see a bear get that
- Hiking poles propped up, limbs with dead leaves covering the shelter entrance, my early warning system is all setup. If a bear tries to poke his head
into the shelter to chew on my toes, I’ll surely hear him coming first
- Why not just put a fence on the fourth side of the shelter, if I remember right, the shelter in the Smokey’s had a fence
- Can’t sleep. From the energy drink earlier in the day? From the loud crickets? (And they are really loud) From the mouse that keeps coming over to
say hello? Or from the anticipation of a visit from Smokey the Bear?
- Didn’t sleep much, if at all
- Laid on top of my Marmot Helium, need to get a Summer sleeping bag (Took Winter bag to test the weight)
- Sunrise is beautiful coming through the trees, should have hiked back to McAffe Knob to watch it come up
- Most every entry in the shelter log mentions the sunrise from McAffe Knob, it’ll have to wait
- A couple of Clif bars for breakfast, I’ll stop in a while and cook some oatmeal (I never stopped to cook oatmeal)
- Privy was surprisingly clean, onto Lambert’s Meadow shelter
- Great view from Tinker Cliffs, nice break, something to eat (a few tortillas and more bars)
- Lambert’s Meadow shelter by 11:00, now what?
- Stream barely running, log mentions a bear that ‘would not leave’
- Do I want to hang around alone with a bear that might not leave? It’s only 11:00
- I could backtrack the 6 miles to Campbell Shelter or cut my three nights to just one and do 8.7 miles to Daleville and find a ride back to my car
- I don’t mind cutting my trip short, I’ve checked out my backpack, shoes, and filter system
- It’s hot, muggy, buggy, and a bear may be lurking around… onto Daleville
- 2l of water should be fine for the next 8.7 miles to Daleville… right? No water sources
- Here comes the rain, lightening popping all around me
- Love my Marmot Mica rain jacket and Precip rain pants
- I sweat a lot, been drenched in sweat most of the trip, I'm going to stink
- Probably shouldn’t be carrying these aluminum hiking poles with all this lightening…. duh
- I wonder if I look like a cool outdoorsman, I’ve got cool hiking poles
- Wish I knew how far I had to go
- What made me think I could just rip off another 8.7 miles?
- I’ve never hiked 15 miles in one day, let alone up and down mountains
- I’ve backtracked 3 times after losing the trail, that’ll make it 15 miles for sure
- Rain stopped, it’s hot
- I definitely need to eat more as I hike
- I drink a lot of water
- I’m now out of water
- Surely I don’t have that far to go, I can see civilization, that’s where I’m going, it’s gotta be close
- 2 ½ hours later, still hiking
- I think I’ve turned my ankles dozens of times and kicked every rock between here and Catawba
- Wish I had some water
- 8.7 miles was longer than I thought
- A guy comes running around the corner and scares the living poo out of me. He tells me I have another half a mile
- Seems like longer than half a mile
- I’m glad that I’m done hiking for the day
- I’m glad to see the Exxon station
- I drink a quart of Gatorade, start on the second quart, and eat some jerky
- I am spent, but I’m glad that I know what hiking 15 miles up and down mountains feels like (there are harder sections, I know that)
- I hike down to the Howard Johnson’s to use their internet
- I look up shuttle providers on Whiteblaze and find Trail Angel Homer Witcher
- Homer was there in 10 minutes, great guy, 71 years old, thru hiked the AT when he was 60 with his wife and 8 and 10 year olds, married on McAffee
Knob and honeymooned on Tinker Cliffs… awesome
- I wake up the next day sore… but I feel the addiction
- It’s all pretty simple… at least to me anyway
- I knew why I wanted to hike the AT before I took this little trip
- I want to see it.... I want to see what's next