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I love hiking!

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    • I love hiking!

      Hey y'all! I've been loving the hell out of some hiking lately! This week I went with a group and hiked an 8-mile loop on Mt. Pisgah with some other single folks on V-day. I took Maya (my Valentine!) and she was amazing!!! She was the greatest hiking buddy. I'm getting more and more sure of taking her along with me on the AT in June. I'm also going to participate in some trail magic with a trail angel next month. I'm pretty psyched about it and am becoming a bit addicted to the AT lifestyle!

      Got an overnight planned next weekend up in the cold smoky mountains. Is it Saturday yet? :D
      Images

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      www.appalachiantrailclarity.com - Life on the A.T.

      Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself.

    • years ago i had flight privledges with eastern airlines. had to wear a jacket and tie, and it was on a standby basis, but one way was $5. if i remember correctly we could upgrade to first class for another $5.

      and before that when i was in college eastern used to have roundtrip flights $99 miami-nyc. on one trip my return flight was delayed (about 6 hours, although about every hour they announced they were "close" to leaving). free food, free drinks, (it was a party atmosphere) and a week later i got a check in the mail for $50 for my inconvenience. sweet.
      2,000 miler

    • max.patch wrote:

      years ago i had flight privledges with eastern airlines. had to wear a jacket and tie, and it was on a standby basis, but one way was $5. if i remember correctly we could upgrade to first class for another $5.

      and before that when i was in college eastern used to have roundtrip flights $99 miami-nyc. on one trip my return flight was delayed (about 6 hours, although about every hour they announced they were "close" to leaving). free food, free drinks, (it was a party atmosphere) and a week later i got a check in the mail for $50 for my inconvenience. sweet.
      Sweet!

      ...cheapest flight I ever got was from a friend who was a travel agent and lumped me in on some corporate plan I guess (don't know how he pulled it off...didn't care at the time) Newark, NJ to San Francisco $63 bucks...round trip!

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      You look so happy! I'm glad you love hiking. You will never be the same. :)


      Thanks, TJ. :) Glad I met you.

      Grinder wrote:

      I like the sound of this hiking thing. Anyone know where I can go on line to find out about it?


      OzJacko wrote:

      Try Facebook. There's this really great group about section hikers on the AT.


      Y'all crack me up!

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Twistwrist, are you still hiking in the Smokies this weekend? Saturday we're expecting freezing rain and Sunday just rain.


      Thanks, TJ! Yeah, I'm watching that weather...calling it my "initiation" weekend as I'm going to be brutally initiated with the worst of the trail pretty early. Might as well get it out of my system and learn to deal with it early, huh?
      I slept in 19 degree temps on Powell Mountain a couple of weekends ago. I've packed my 20 degree quilt, my heavy 55 degree sleeping sack, and an extra fleece blanket. With extra water and all my food, my total pack weight is 25.6 pounds. Not bad for all the extra cold-weather hsit I'm taking...plus there will be some body heat going on. ;)
      www.appalachiantrailclarity.com - Life on the A.T.

      Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself.

    • twistwrist wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      You look so happy! I'm glad you love hiking. You will never be the same. :)


      Thanks, TJ. :) Glad I met you.

      Grinder wrote:

      I like the sound of this hiking thing. Anyone know where I can go on line to find out about it?


      OzJacko wrote:

      Try Facebook. There's this really great group about section hikers on the AT.


      Y'all crack me up!

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Twistwrist, are you still hiking in the Smokies this weekend? Saturday we're expecting freezing rain and Sunday just rain.


      Thanks, TJ! Yeah, I'm watching that weather...calling it my "initiation" weekend as I'm going to be brutally initiated with the worst of the trail pretty early. Might as well get it out of my system and learn to deal with it early, huh?
      I slept in 19 degree temps on Powell Mountain a couple of weekends ago. I've packed my 20 degree quilt, my heavy 55 degree sleeping sack, and an extra fleece blanket. With extra water and all my food, my total pack weight is 25.6 pounds. Not bad for all the extra cold-weather hsit I'm taking...plus there will be some body heat going on. ;)


      How will you keep that extra water liquid? You can insulate water bottles with extra socks, and keep them upside down, but that may not be enough. Your water may look perfectly transparent and liquid, but when you bump, shake, or turn the bottle, supercool water can suddenly form ice crystals.

      If you take a tent, do you trust it and the stakes in the wind? Can you drive the stakes into ice and frozen ground? If not bringing a tent, do you have something to keep the wind from blowing through your quilt and sleeping sack? This is the sort of weather when it is nice to have a large tarp and rope to seal off the open side of a shelter, but the opening on some shelters is too big for my 8x10 tarp. If you are at a shelter with bunks, take a lower bunk and hang a tarp down from the top bunk. I spent a cold windy night at the shelter just north of Pearisburg, with my tarp over my sleeping bag. In the morning, there were ice crystals on the outside of my sleeping bag.

      Cooking will be easier if you keep your lighter and fuel warm and dry.

      I have a tiny bit of winter camping experience, but I choose not to go out in freezing rain, or snow that is likely to melt and later freeze.
      I am human and I need to be loved - just like everybody else does

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      Grinder wrote:

      twistwrist wrote:

      plus there will be some body heat going on.


      Hey! Isn't this a family channel? No "Dear Penthouse..." letters, please! Some of us have virgin eyes.

      :P


      huh? I'm pretty sure she meant she was going to stay warm by doing the hokey pokey. You have a dirty mind.


      1. There's poking, it's dirty.

      2. You say I have a dirty mind like it's a bad thing.

      3. Takes one to know one!

      PooFan :P
      Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less. - Robert E. Lee

    • :saint:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Grinder wrote:

      twistwrist wrote:

      plus there will be some body heat going on.


      Hey! Isn't this a family channel? No "Dear Penthouse..." letters, please! Some of us have virgin eyes.

      :P


      huh? I'm pretty sure she meant she was going to stay warm by doing the hokey pokey. You have a dirty mind.


      :saint: :saint: :saint: Well of course that's what I meant. :saint: :saint: :saint:
      www.appalachiantrailclarity.com - Life on the A.T.

      Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself.

    • Well damn. So we were going to leave this am to hike Charlie's Bunion, but the road leading in is closed due to ice and weather. Plus 70mph winds are a factor, so I'm stuck in Greenville not hiking, but still having a good time with some cool people. Still bummed. I'd been looking forward to the challenge, but hsit happens the way it's supposed to.
      www.appalachiantrailclarity.com - Life on the A.T.

      Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself.

      The post was edited 1 time, last by twistwrist ().

    • socks wrote:

      twistwrist wrote:

      :saint:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Grinder wrote:

      twistwrist wrote:

      plus there will be some body heat going on.


      Hey! Isn't this a family channel? No "Dear Penthouse..." letters, please! Some of us have virgin eyes.

      :P


      huh? I'm pretty sure she meant she was going to stay warm by doing the hokey pokey. You have a dirty mind.


      :saint: :saint: :saint: Well of course that's what I meant. :saint: :saint: :saint:
      Wow, sex angles.


      Oops, meant Six Angels :saint:

    • twistwrist wrote:

      Well damn. So we were going to leave this am to hike Charlie's Bunion, but the road leading in is closed due to ice and weather. Plus 70mph winds are a factor, so I'm stuck in Greenville not hiking, but still having a good time with some cool people. Still bummed. I'd been looking forward to the challenge, but hsit happens the way it's supposed to.


      Sorry about your hike. That's a difficult one to plan in the winter. If the weather's iffy and the road is open when you begin a hike, there's a good chance it will close while you're hiking. I've read about hikers being stranded and I always put extra stuff in my car...even for a day hike I take a sleeping bag and extra food.

      My first winter hike was (an attempt) to Charlies Bunion...I still laugh at myself. I wore cotton yoga pants and blue jeans. I was postholing to the tops of my knees and hiked about a mile before I turned back. My pants were soaked and my legs were freezing. Of course, I didn't bring extra clothes to change into either. I still had a fun time and learned that I had a lot to learn about winter hiking. :)
      Lost in the right direction.

    • Ive usually hibernated during the snowy winter months, but last year got a pair of snow shoes and been doing a day hike every other sunday. Its been brutally cold this pat week, and am going out tonight to enjoys some beers so not sure Ill make it tomorrow! :) Might be to warm and cozy to leave bed and get up and at em!
      RIAP

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      twistwrist wrote:

      Well damn. So we were going to leave this am to hike Charlie's Bunion, but the road leading in is closed due to ice and weather. Plus 70mph winds are a factor, so I'm stuck in Greenville not hiking, but still having a good time with some cool people. Still bummed. I'd been looking forward to the challenge, but hsit happens the way it's supposed to.


      Sorry about your hike. That's a difficult one to plan in the winter. If the weather's iffy and the road is open when you begin a hike, there's a good chance it will close while you're hiking. I've read about hikers being stranded and I always put extra stuff in my car...even for a day hike I take a sleeping bag and extra food.

      My first winter hike was (an attempt) to Charlies Bunion...I still laugh at myself. I wore cotton yoga pants and blue jeans. I was postholing to the tops of my knees and hiked about a mile before I turned back. My pants were soaked and my legs were freezing. Of course, I didn't bring extra clothes to change into either. I still had a fun time and learned that I had a lot to learn about winter hiking. :)


      A lot of value in that last sentence! :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • Astro wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      twistwrist wrote:

      Well damn. So we were going to leave this am to hike Charlie's Bunion, but the road leading in is closed due to ice and weather. Plus 70mph winds are a factor, so I'm stuck in Greenville not hiking, but still having a good time with some cool people. Still bummed. I'd been looking forward to the challenge, but hsit happens the way it's supposed to.


      Sorry about your hike. That's a difficult one to plan in the winter. If the weather's iffy and the road is open when you begin a hike, there's a good chance it will close while you're hiking. I've read about hikers being stranded and I always put extra stuff in my car...even for a day hike I take a sleeping bag and extra food.

      My first winter hike was (an attempt) to Charlies Bunion...I still laugh at myself. I wore cotton yoga pants and blue jeans. I was postholing to the tops of my knees and hiked about a mile before I turned back. My pants were soaked and my legs were freezing. Of course, I didn't bring extra clothes to change into either. I still had a fun time and learned that I had a lot to learn about winter hiking. :)


      A lot of value in that last sentence! :)


      I'm heading out for 5 days of winter learning experience on Monday. Each time I go out during the winter I'm better prepared for the next time.
      Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
      Dr. Seuss Cof123