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Victory Lunch

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    • Victory Lunch

      Not much of a trip report, but I am sitting here in the car with a coffee from Sheetz writing this brief post...

      This is Hunter --

      Hunter just finished his first hiking trip and the one thing that he started talking about half way into the trip was getting his favorite sub -- roast beef and American cheese -- at Subway! Imagine his joy when the first sign that greeted him walking into Damascus was Subway.

      We started out meeting Lone Wolf for a shuttle up to Grayson Highlands and a 3 mile hike to one of the camps near Thomas Knob. And within his first hour of hiking he watched a storm whip up over Wilburn Ridge and dump a lot of rain. Stopping only once we reached camp. Not a peep about the weather. This was his first 3 miles ever, first time hiking in a storm, first time cooking on a cannister stove and first time camping. He also learned why we skipped shelters as we passed the shelter to get water with the only conversation being about the aggressive mice.

      Wednesday was 8 miles from Thomas Knob to a nice wooded camp on Whitetop Mt; while Thursday was another 8 miles to the camp near the Hassinger Bridge on the Creeper Trail, along Whitetop Laurel Creek, where he camped through another night of storms. This morning we got up and did the 12 miles along the Creeper Trail from the Hassinger Bridge to Damascus, with Hunter setting the pace that took us those 12 miles in four hours. Subway and a call to his mom was his reward.

      For myself it was rewarding to get to see Hunter's experience of the trail for the first time.


      PS -- his trail name is now The Weatherman because he kept predicting the evening's weather.
      Of course I talk to myself... sometimes I need expert advice.

    • Tuckahoe wrote:

      Not much of a trip report, but I am sitting here in the car with a coffee from Sheetz writing this brief post...

      This is Hunter --

      Hunter just finished his first hiking trip and the one thing that he started talking about half way into the trip was getting his favorite sub -- roast beef and American cheese -- at Subway! Imagine his joy when the first sign that greeted him walking into Damascus was Subway.

      We started out meeting Lone Wolf for a shuttle up to Grayson Highlands and a 3 mile hike to one of the camps near Thomas Knob. And within his first hour of hiking he watched a storm whip up over Wilburn Ridge and dump a lot of rain. Stopping only once we reached camp. Not a peep about the weather. This was his first 3 miles ever, first time hiking in a storm, first time cooking on a cannister stove and first time camping. He also learned why we skipped shelters as we passed the shelter to get water with the only conversation being about the aggressive mice.

      Wednesday was 8 miles from Thomas Knob to a nice wooded camp on Whitetop Mt; while Thursday was another 8 miles to the camp near the Hassinger Bridge on the Creeper Trail, along Whitetop Laurel Creek, where he camped through another night of storms. This morning we got up and did the 12 miles along the Creeper Trail from the Hassinger Bridge to Damascus, with Hunter setting the pace that took us those 12 miles in four hours. Subway and a call to his mom was his reward.

      For myself it was rewarding to get to see Hunter's experience of the trail for the first time.


      PS -- his trail name is now The Weatherman because he kept predicting the evening's weather.
      Hey Roast Beef, he's got good taste! :thumbup:

      Wishing the Weatherman many more sunny and happy days on the trail.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • AnotherKevin wrote:

      Wow, aggressive schedule for a first-timer! I started my daughter a lot more gently.

      (Then again, I started her at about 8 - it looks as if Hunter is a few years older than that. :) )

      I like his smirk. He's probably a smartass like me. :)
      in addition to Hunter, we had one other hiker with us (thats Logan placing his order at the counter in the picture), out for his first hike too... and influenced by bushcraft concepts of hiking.

      I was certainlu concerned with number of miles along with the length of the hiking day and figured that 8 miles was perfect and allowed for a mile an hour. And the original plan was 3 miles the first day, 8 miles each the next three days and then the last day 4 miles for a relaxed finish.

      Something about best laid plans... but Hunter and Logan exceeded my expectations. I would let them sleep until 7am, have them get their breakfasts and break camp and we would hit the trail at 9am. I assumed we would hike until about 12:30, have lunch for an hour or so and then hike till about 5 or so. Nope... by 12 they were already at the 6 mile mark, and I had a devil of a time getting them to take a full hour for lunch. By 12:40 they had fed themselves, watered up and ready to keep going, putting us in camp about 2pm.

      Once the two of them realized Thursday night what kind of trail the Creeper trail was, as we looked over the plans for Friday, there was no holding them back as they realized they could kick out the last 12miles in a day... in 6 hours... and get home a day early. Well, that turned out to be 12 miles in 4 hours.

      The two of them had a lot of fun. And I knew it was going to be a great trip when the rain the first hour did not deter Hunter. That first night we set camp, with everything wet, he determined that its not camping without a camp fire. They got up the best though soggy fuel they could, some tinder and pitch from Logan's kit and there was a nice little fire as we had supper.
      Of course I talk to myself... sometimes I need expert advice.