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Articles From Category “Trip Reports” 10

Single Entry Trip Reports

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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]
  • A BirdBrain Maine AT Adventure
    Part 2

    July 23 -

    We woke early. After boiling water for oatmeal and packing our gear, we saw movement down by and around the lean-to. Soon we were on the trail and the others were breaking camp. The rain started before they could even head into camp for a huge breakfast. I pulled the out the sleeves of my Packa and zipped up for whatever was to come. My partner was more optimistic. He left his Llbean rain jacket in his pack.

    A review of the Packa is now in order. This rain system doubles as a pack cover. I used it as one only when there was a threat of rain (which was not often). If it does start to rain, adorning it as a rain suit is as easy as pulling out sleeves, hood, and tail and zipping up. It is not that easy the first time you try it. However, with a bit of practice and arranging it properly, the system is fairly easy.

    I have heard so many people say all rain suits trap moisture. I could not disagree more. All other rain suits are wedged… [Read More]
  • A BirdBrain Maine AT Adventure

    The prequel -

    One night, late in the summer of 2012, I sat scanning Netflix for something interesting to watch. In my search, I came across a show called “National Geographic: The Appalachian Trail”. My evening’s entertainment was set. I did not know it at the time, but my next summer’s plans were being chosen too. As I watched the documentary, a desire burned within me. If only there was a way to do this. If only I knew someone else that wanted to do this.

    Several days passed. I forgot about the dream of hiking the AT and got on with life. One day my brother-in-law and sister came over to visit. He commenced to describe a show he had recently watched on Netflix about the Appalachian Trail. All of a sudden we were finishing each other’s sentences about our desire to walk this trail. Within minutes it was decided. We were going to walk the Maine section of the AT next summer.

    As an afterthought, we looked at our wives. They were speechless and so were… [Read More]
  • as rasty has already filed a pretty thorough report on the 10 days he spent with me, i'll just fill in a few details.
    the first site we camped at, coker creek, was the least desirable site on the entire bmt. close to a forest road crossing, their was a camper trailer parked for the night, we found a spot far enough away , but the place was less than tidy. i stepped on a marshmallow, so i put my camp shoes on to pick the crap out of the tread, when i stepped on a second marshmallow.we went to sleep early that night, as it had been a rather long first day for rasty.
    my second resupply point was at green cove motel 1.6 mi from the trail. everyone was friendly and helpful, and the local kids were enthralled to be visited by foreigners."my dad went to new york once!"the room was spartan, institutional yellow cinder block,no tv, but a powerful shower head, and thats all i cared about. it is sooo frustrating when you hit a town, craving a nice hot shower, and it comes out in a trickle,… [Read More]
  • i got to thunder rock campground in a light rain, hoping to find a phone so i could call rasty, as i didnt have any service on my cell, as is typical with att in the south.rasty was due to meet me in a couple of days, and we still hadnt planned a place to meet.
    when i got to the campground i asked the caretaker about a phone, she said they didnt have one. i went to set up my tent on the stupid gravel excuses for tentsites, common at public campgrounds. i couldnt get my stakes to go in, so i started to set up on the adjacent grass. the caretaker drove up in her little golf cart and informed me if a ranger caught me tenting on the grass, i would get a $75 fine.i explained i couldnt get my stakes into the gravel. she then asked if i had a mallet. i laughed and said, no ,i don't carry a mallet, as i usually dont set up my tent on gravel.besides, i said."it's just grass".she said regardless, i would still be fined. she then offered to bring some heavy duty stakes and a mallet for me to… [Read More]
  • the benton mackaye trail is very different than the appalachian trail.overall, i would rate it somewhat more difficult to both walk and navigate.as it was still early spring, some of the trail, particularly in the more remote wilderness areas, were full of brush and blowdown, making walking very tedious at times.the georgia section had steeper ups and downs than the same section of the at, but still easier than most trails ive hiked here in the northeast.i found sgt rocks, bmt guide a must, as well as the national geo maps. although the trail is usually easy enough to follow, the trail intersections can be confusing at times, as well as reentry into the woods off roadwalks, which are not always clearly marked. this lack of blazing is pronounced in the wilderness areas, where there are no blazes at all.it just means paying close attention at the trail intersections to make sure you're on the right trail.if you hop on the wrong trail, you could travel miles without knowing you're on the… [Read More]
  • i started from springer mountain on my 57th birthday, april 10th. The night before i had stayed at hiker hostel in dahlonega. everyone there was doing the appalachian trail. they mostly had that wide eyed "what am i getting myself into ?"look, but most were equipped fairly decently. i helped one guy lose some pack weight as his pack was close to 60 lbs with food and water. he had an arctryx mountaineering pack that weighed 7lbs alone!his sleeping pad weighed over 3 lbs and he was carrying 3 sets of clothes,plus raingear.i told him he should consider replacing his pack and pad at neels gap, helped him eliminate some other stuff he didnt need.
    i also met shea,who was wearing a ny mets cap, and lives just a few towns away from me in ny. i would run into shea again several times during the course of my hike. he's still on the trail, making miles.
    the benton mackaye trail starts just a few hundred yards from the at terminus.it intersects the at 4 times before turning westward. about 4… [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]