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    • twistwrist wrote:

      I trail journaled my awesome weekend! First night camping solo in a shelter has set quite a high bar! That was the most fun I've had in quite some time. :) If laughter is an instant vacation, then raw, guttural, "laugh til you cry" laughter is paradise. I love that feeling, and it's been quite a while since I've laughed like that. :)
      I hiked the approach trail and slept in the Springer Mountain shelter, learned my system of filtering water, cooked my first meal (and discovered the esbit stove sucks), and hung my first bear bag (and learned how annoying it is to realize AFTER hanging the bag that I had toothpaste and a forgotten bag of trail mix still in my pack).

      My how I wanted to just keep walking north and say screw it all. But alas, I'm back at work...3 more months.


      trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=483160

      Great journal!
      And yes, ear plugs are a must. Learned that after a night in a shelter with a guy who was passed out at 7pm when i got to the shelter , snored all thru the night and was still snoring at 7am when I packed up and headed on my way! Ive never gone with out earplugs again, and I try not to sleep in a shelter either.
      RIAP

    • you made great time getting to springer.

      history lesson - the black gap shelter you passed on the approach trail used to be the springer mountain shelter. when they built the current springer mountain shelter they hooked up the old shelter to a helicopter and flew it to its present location at black gap.
      2,000 miler

    • Twistwrist, glad to hear you had such a good trip!
      Have one of our stove gurus set you up with an alcohol stove. They are simple and cheap to operate and do a good job at making heat. Combine it with a good wind screen, and a pot stand (if needed) and they are the way to go in 3 seasons, IMHO.



      A.T.Lt wrote:



      .......ear plugs are a must. Learned that after a night in a shelter with a guy who was passed out at 7pm when i got to the shelter , snored all thru the night and was still snoring at 7am when I packed up and headed on my way! Ive never gone with out earplugs again, and I try not to sleep in a shelter either.


      Gee, it's too bad I never woke up to meet you.
      Occasionally I snore so loud I wake myself up, but I guess it didn't happen then :D
      Where were we, anyway?

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

    • max.patch wrote:

      you made great time getting to springer.

      history lesson - the black gap shelter you passed on the approach trail used to be the springer mountain shelter. when they built the current springer mountain shelter they hooked up the old shelter to a helicopter and flew it to its present location at black gap.


      Woah, that's cool!

      Grinder wrote:

      Twisty, thanks for the link to your journal! I just finished reading it, and look forward to the rest. :)


      Thanks! I ran into other hikers who had already read my journal online. They remembered me from my picture on the bike. Found it kind of surreal that some of these folks already kind of knew my journey before ever meeting them in person.

      On the subject of stoves, any of you use a jet boil? What are your thoughts?
      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.

    • LIhikers wrote:

      Twistwrist, glad to hear you had such a good trip!
      Have one of our stove gurus set you up with an alcohol stove. They are simple and cheap to operate and do a good job at making heat. Combine it with a good wind screen, and a pot stand (if needed) and they are the way to go in 3 seasons, IMHO.



      A.T.Lt wrote:



      .......ear plugs are a must. Learned that after a night in a shelter with a guy who was passed out at 7pm when i got to the shelter , snored all thru the night and was still snoring at 7am when I packed up and headed on my way! Ive never gone with out earplugs again, and I try not to sleep in a shelter either.


      Gee, it's too bad I never woke up to meet you.
      Occasionally I snore so loud I wake myself up, but I guess it didn't happen then :D
      Where were we, anyway?


      twistwrist wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      you made great time getting to springer.

      history lesson - the black gap shelter you passed on the approach trail used to be the springer mountain shelter. when they built the current springer mountain shelter they hooked up the old shelter to a helicopter and flew it to its present location at black gap.


      Woah, that's cool!

      Grinder wrote:

      Twisty, thanks for the link to your journal! I just finished reading it, and look forward to the rest. :)


      Thanks! I ran into other hikers who had already read my journal online. They remembered me from my picture on the bike. Found it kind of surreal that some of these folks already kind of knew my journey before ever meeting them in person.

      On the subject of stoves, any of you use a jet boil? What are your thoughts?


      We we were at the wawayanda shelter in jersy

      I swear by the pocket rocket I need to get handy and try to make an alcohol stove
      RIAP

    • TW, as far as stoves...
      I've used sterno, jetboil, pocket rocket and alcohol. The Jetboil is idiot proof but do some research. I have 2 Jetboils and the older model is better than the newer one. I'm having trouble with the igniter on the newer one.

      The pocket rocket is great, the only difference that I can see is you need a separate pot and the pot isn't as stable when sitting on the stove as the Jetboil. The advantage is you can get a much lighter set-up than the Jetboil. I haven't used my pocket rocket in a while and I'm not sure why.

      Alcohol stoves are great but I've found that I only like them in certain conditions as they aren't idiot proof and I'm an idiot. :)


      Just my humble opinion based on my bumbling experiences.
      Lost in the right direction.

    • twistwrist wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      I'm also clumsy and have fallen in streams several times.


      BirdBrain wrote:

      twistwrist wrote:

      Is it utterly stupid not to take a rain cover or line my pack for an overnight if there's a 0% chance of rain?


      I never consider weather a determinate factor in my decision to line my pack. I have a trash bag liner in it every time I hike for 2 reasons. 1) I like to stream line things with as little variation as possible. 2) Streams, rivers, brooks, rills, puddles, spills, and falls are possible obstacles rather it is raining or not.


      Yes! Both of these answers made me think of something I hadn't before. I, too, am a klutz. Not sure how many rivers/streams I'll cross on the approach trail (one of my things to look up tonight in my AT guide), but I'll line it for sure. Thanks, y'all!


      The water crossings on the approach trail are easy. There is a water crossing north of the USFS 42 parking lot where I walked across a log with the help of a pole.

      TJ - I had my own "turtle down" experience after tripping over a fallen tree.
      I am human and I need to be loved - just like everybody else does

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      TW, as far as stoves...
      I've used sterno, jetboil, pocket rocket and alcohol. The Jetboil is idiot proof but do some research. I have 2 Jetboils and the older model is better than the newer one. I'm having trouble with the igniter on the newer one.

      The pocket rocket is great, the only difference that I can see is you need a separate pot and the pot isn't as stable when sitting on the stove as the Jetboil. The advantage is you can get a much lighter set-up than the Jetboil. I haven't used my pocket rocket in a while and I'm not sure why.

      Alcohol stoves are great but I've found that I only like them in certain conditions as they aren't idiot proof and I'm an idiot. :)


      Just my humble opinion based on my bumbling experiences.


      I learn so damn much from you sharing your "bumbling experiences"! :)
      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:

      TW, as far as stoves...
      I've used sterno, jetboil, pocket rocket and alcohol. The Jetboil is idiot proof but do some research. I have 2 Jetboils and the older model is better than the newer one. I'm having trouble with the igniter on the newer one.

      The pocket rocket is great, the only difference that I can see is you need a separate pot and the pot isn't as stable when sitting on the stove as the Jetboil. The advantage is you can get a much lighter set-up than the Jetboil. I haven't used my pocket rocket in a while and I'm not sure why.

      Alcohol stoves are great but I've found that I only like them in certain conditions as they aren't idiot proof and I'm an idiot. :)


      Just my humble opinion based on my bumbling experiences.


      I learn so damn much from you sharing your "bumbling experiences"! :)


      Thats so sweet. I'm usually very embarrassed at the dumb things I do. I always learn something though.
      Lost in the right direction.

    • Gee, it's too bad I never woke up to meet you.
      Occasionally I snore so loud I wake myself up, but I guess it didn't happen then
      Where were we, anyway?



      We we were at the wawayanda shelter in jersy



      I think every time I've been there Kathy and our dog has been with me.
      Since you didn't mention them I guess the snorer must have been someone other than me.