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Rasty’s Blog 4

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  • Winter Linville Gorge

    On February 27th, 28th and 29th I did a two night out and back trip from Wolf Pit Road trail-head to Table Rock mountain and back. In typical cafe fashion I planned this trip while driving 80 mph east on I-40 heading back from the Smokies. I stopped at a McDonald's to borrow some free Wifi to get a picture of a the trails and away I went. Going up Wolf Pit road in my 2002 Honda Accord was risky with the amount of ice and snow on the road. The final hill going down to the trail-head parking lot made me think I was in trouble when it was time to go home.





    Views going north along the rim and a view of Table Rock maountain



    The trail goes along this very steep section. The trail is about 2 feet wide in some spots with nothing to the one side except air.









    Early the next morning I was able to get out as the ice was still very hard on the road. That Honda has been places that an Accord has no reason to be. [Read More]
  • Great Smoky Mountain National Park

    On February 25th and 26th I did a nice loop in the Smokies from Big Creek Ranger Station parking lot to Deep Gap along the AT south of Mt. Cammerer fire tower. There was about 6 to 8 inches of snow while going up. I stealth camped due to the amount of snow coming in and the next day went down the Big Creek trail. Overnight there was another 6 to 8 inches of snow and freezing fog.



    Heading south on the AT towards Mt. Cammerer



    At Mt. Cammerer fire tower and the storm approaching from the west.



    About 6 to 8 inches of snow overnight



    Heading down the Big Creek Trail





    [Read More]
  • Neusiok Trail
    September 2013


    The Neusiok Trail is a 21 mile trail in eastern North Carolina inside the Croatan National Forest and is part of the Mountains-to-Sea trail. This was the second trip for me on this trail. In 2012 My daughter and I yo-yo'd the trail in three days. This trip was planned as a two day yo-yo but I cut it short due a problem with my foot. The best way to hike the trail is from the Oyster point campground north to the Pine Cliffs recreational area. There is three AT style shelters along the trail which sleep 4 people. At these shelters there is a water pump which is the main source of water in the area. There are a few small streams but these can be unreliable and very muddy so bring a filter. I camped on the Neuse river on this trip and woke up to the sound of machine gun fire from the Marine Corps air station Cherry Point.

    Maps with plans for 3 day Yo-Yo

    [Read More]
  • Benton MacKaye Trail
    April 21st through May 1st

    Day 1 – Mile 110 to 119.9 (Reliance, TN to Coker Creek)

    I left the House at 1 am to make the drive to Reliance, Tennessee. Hikerboy had been on the trail around 10 days at that point and was taking a zero at Reliance waiting on me. We planned to hike a short day on Monday and I was glad we did. With 3 hours of sleep and 9 hours of driving anything more than the 10 miles we did would have killed me. Day one always sucks when you don’t train on hills. The first couple of miles were flat with great views of the Hiwassee River then the trail goes up with some really nice river views. We made camp at Coker creek. Hikerboy managed to find the one marshmallow to step in within 10 miles. He’s such a good manager he managed to step in it twice.



    Day 2 – Mile 119.9 to 137[Read More]