oh yeah that's right, that was our first camp, man you need to get back in my neighborhood, I have many more questions for you...lol, for those that don't know: much like Tipi, TN Hiker is a wealth of local hiking and history knowledge for us East TN and Western NC hikers; meeting up with folks like them has been a super fun part of my ongoing educational endeavors.
in fact, Tipi gifted me with some really cool native American history of the area on this trip being reported....good stuff
oh yeah that's right, that was our first camp, man you need to get back in my neighborhood, I have many more questions for you...lol, for those that don't know
hey patman......
thanks..
im still in maryland for a few more months and what not......
after that, moving to western north carolina...
I sent you a couple of emails a few months ago------wasnt sure if i had done something to piss ya off...
Tippi where you planning for March?
My love for life is quit simple .i get uo in the moring and then i go to bed at night. What I do inbween is to occupy my time. Cary Grant
Tipi, If I had to guess, you're not and ultralight backpacker what does that pack weight? ...if you don't mind me asking..
I heard a trail crew opened up Mill Branch trail in Citico Creek wilderness so I may be heading there---and to see some friends up on Bob Statton Bald.
Is it possible to be an ultralight winter backpacker with a 21 day food load? Pack weight on this trip tipped the scales at over 100 lbs.
OMG!! have you guys seen the prices on these packs!!! http://www.mchalepacks.com/ultralight/index.htm
I'll start my trip on the Citico side (like Jeffrey Hell and South Fork trail)---and need to be on Bob Bald March 5-6---and then loop back down into Citico.
My pack weight for a 21 day trip is usually around 93 lbs (verified) but on this trip I went wild by bringing too much food---hoarding I guess due to it being a January trip and a desire to maximize Comfort Foods. It's a mental illness cuz I ended the trip with about 6 lbs of extra food. Oops. Unconsciously hoped to get snowed in for a month? Probably.
Carrying such a pack is doable if you keep your daily mileage down to around 4---with occasional 7 and 8 mile days---like on this trip. And I had the extra weight of winter gear---like candles and microspikes and down vest and big down parka and 7 Hot Hands packets etc.
What's your point? We have TN local boys who don't think twice about spending $70,000 for a new Ford F-150 Lariat. You see these kind of expensive new trucks everywhere. A McHale pack is worn on my back (unlike a truck) and is cheap when compared to the best of other things. It's the Ferrari of packs and yet it's not $350,000 like a new Ferrari.
The McHale frame/hipbelt/harness system does make a heavy load seem lighter---something I noticed the first time I tried it. What's weird is my upper body/arm strength can barely handle moving a 100 lb pack around---like when I'm hitchhiking with the thing---and yet once it's on my back I can scoot along pretty well and not notice the weight so much. This is due to strong core muscles down to my hips and legs---old muscle memories from hauling heavy packs for 41 years. The body certainly does "grow into" any repeated activity---whether it's playing a violin or carrying a heavy pack.