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Astro on the FHT 2022

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    • Astro on the FHT 2022

      After considering the BMT, I decided to do the Foothills Trail next week. Too much going on to take three straight weeks off, and did not want to do it half way and then finish it a few weeks later, so maybe BMT next year. Still planning Colorado Trail starting on June 30. May also try to do Shenandoah part of AT in mid June as another tune up hike if it works out.

      After graduation Saturday will drive to Franklin, NC. After going to church Sunday morning and eating lunch will have my sister drop me off at Oconne State Park and try to get up to 8 miles in. Then planning to complete it at Table Rock State Rock by Saturday. Since I will be carrying at least six days food, I am going West to East to start with the more level part and move on to the higher climbs as I eat my food down.

      From what I have seen in videos looks likes lots of waterfalls, bridges, wooden steps, and plenty of campsites. Any advice about the Foothills Trail from your actual experience is greatly appreciated. :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Nice! It’s a great trail.

      My only tip…

      the campsites along the Chatooga River (section 11a-12 I think) are great but they’re popular and might be full depending on when you’re hiking. Make sure you have enough steam to continue to Burrell’s Ford in case you can’t find a site.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • Traffic Jam wrote:

      Nice! It’s a great trail.

      My only tip…

      the campsites along the Chatooga River (section 11a-12 I think) are great but they’re popular and might be full depending on when you’re hiking. Make sure you have enough steam to continue to Burrell’s Ford in case you can’t find a site.
      How bout that -- I've hiked part of this trail and didn't even know it. We did a 2 day, 1 night hike on the Chatooga River Trail. When we got the tents set up we went trout fishing and I caught a trout on the first cast. This is going to be great I thought; but that was the only fish I caught. I recall that for a "river trail" it sure spent a lot of time away from the water but then again I imagine it's tough to build a trail that's going to hug the water.
      2,000 miler
    • max.patch wrote:

      Traffic Jam wrote:

      Nice! It’s a great trail.

      My only tip…

      the campsites along the Chatooga River (section 11a-12 I think) are great but they’re popular and might be full depending on when you’re hiking. Make sure you have enough steam to continue to Burrell’s Ford in case you can’t find a site.
      How bout that -- I've hiked part of this trail and didn't even know it. We did a 2 day, 1 night hike on the Chatooga River Trail. When we got the tents set up we went trout fishing and I caught a trout on the first cast. This is going to be great I thought; but that was the only fish I caught. I recall that for a "river trail" it sure spent a lot of time away from the water but then again I imagine it's tough to build a trail that's going to hug the water.
      Yeah, it could have been a fluke. I was hiking towards oconee and decided to stop at B Ford. The next day I thought, it was a good thing I stopped, all the campsites along the river are taken! There were some sweet spots.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • 72.6 miles down and only 3.6 to finish. Since I have 5G level service I thought I would share the view at Bald Knob where I am taking a break. :)
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      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Day 1 (5/8/22)
      6.5m Oconee State Park to Campsite found on Guthook (Farout)
      Unfortunately got a late start and did not make it to Oconee State Park until 3:30pm. This was the first overnight hike with my new ULA Circuit. The Foothills Trail is 76.2 miles from Oconee SP to Table Rock SP. Both of those are in SC, but part of it is also in NC.
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      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Day 1 (cont.)
      This a flower that I remember seeing I believe in MA after Mt Everett.

      I had hoped to mack it 8.2m to Lick Log Creek. But due to the late start settled for a campsite shown on Farout, but not my Pocket Profile map from AntiGravityGear.com
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      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Day2
      13.4m to Stealth site
      Trying to make up for yesterday's late start I hiked until I found a place I thought I could fit my tent not too far off the trail. Was not as I flat as I preferred and had to watch how I slept so I would not slide off my pad. Would be more picking a spot or stopping earlier in th future. Had cooked dinner earlier at a campsite with water but pushed on after that. When knowing I might steath or dry camp I often now eat dinner earlier. Also gives a boost of energy for those last miles.

      There would lots of waterfalls, bridges, and steps on this trail.
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      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Day 3
      12.4m to Whitewater Campsite
      Plenty more water falls today including Hikers Peril
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      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Day 3 (cont)
      Along with stairs actually got a view. Crossed over into NC.
      Highlight of the day was Whitewater Falls, which required going a lot of rock steps and crossing the bridge. Rocks were sometimes not as close as I would have preferred.

      When I made it to Whitewater Campground there were 3 hikers that already set up camp. The woman asked if I snored, I said sometimes and went up a few hundred feet to the other camping area.
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      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • I apologize for not completing this trail report sooner, but I am already at Mountain Home in Front Royal with a shuttle in morning to Rock Fish Gap to my Shenandoah National Park AT hike. Will ty. To catch up wen I get back.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Astro wrote:

      I apologize for not completing this trail report sooner, but I am already at Mountain Home in Front Royal with a shuttle in morning to Rock Fish Gap to my Shenandoah National Park AT hike. Will ty. To catch up wen I get back.
      Are you rehiking the whole park?
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference
    • Day 4
      14.0 miles to campsite on FarOut (Guthhooks)
      Stopped at Bear Gap campsite to cook dinner (water and benches) and then carried on a few more miles to dry camp at a campsite on FarOut.

      Made it to the halfway point today along with lots of stairs and bridges. Some went swimming to cool off, but I just got some water and a snack and kept moving.
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      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Most trails just throw some dead limbs to let you know not to go that way, but the Foothills Trail has built nice posts with signs to stop you. :)
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      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

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

    • Day 5
      12.8m to Flat Rocks campsite.
      Morning before too long has me start walk along Toxaway River then over impressive Toxaway Bridge. Campsites with picnic tables on other side. But soon after that was Heartbreak Ridge 596 steps. There was one bench to rest at, but they could have used more. :)
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      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Day 5 (cont)
      More waterfalls. Met a couple my age the day before and would leap frog them through out the day and spend the last two nights at them at campsites. Heading up Heartbreak Ridge would be last I would see of the man and two women from WI. He was talking to his GoPro as he went. So who knows I might be on YouTube somewhere. :rolleyes:
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      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Day 6
      8.5m to Cantrell Homesite Campsite
      First highlight of the day was panoramic views from Sassafras Mountain the highest point in SC. Some of the views were also of NC. Forecast was for rain that afternoon and evening. Sprinkled some on me at the observation deck. Also why a much shorter day today. Also the largest elevation gains of the trip.
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      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Day 6 (cont.)
      Once I arrived at the Cantrell Homesite I set up my tent and went to search for the water source. Was not really flowing very deep, so I used the cistren. Back at camp I relaxed talking with the other couple on the Flintstone furniture. Fortunately during our conversation I also eventually boiled the water for my supper. After pouring the hot water in and letting it sit for the 9 minutes, the rain started to fall, so I ate from tent seating with my feet and food outside my tent under the vestibule. Went to bed early with just half a day to go.

      I had bought the Alpine Aire meal in Colorado last summer. Enjoyed it and bought some online recently. I like Mountain House, but it is nice to mix it up other things also.
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      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

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

    • Day 7
      8.7m to Table Rock State Park
      Only half day as it was mostly down hill. Had opportunity to speak with guy who had thru hiked AT about 10-20 years ago who I had originally met at Mt Sassafras the day before. He was planning to the Bartram Trail next, so I shared my experiences with him. Arrived at park office by 1pm so plenty of time to throw trash and relax a little before my sister arrived at 2pm.

      Some nice views on the way down. And as if there were not enough bridges already, they are adding a new one. :)
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      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • I would definitely recommend this trail. Lots of waterfalls and some nice views. Plenty of stairs/steps to make the elevation gains/losses easier. Lots of campsites, many with benches. At 76.2 miles easy to do in a week. I started at 3:30pm Sunday and finished 1pm Saturday, so would have had no problem doing it in 6 days (and Friday I stopped early after only 8.5 miles). Thus easy to do with a week's vacation if you spend a day traveling each way.

      Unlike the AT, most people I met were in their 50-70s, probably some in their 40s. Not many of the 20s crowd. Popular as an AT pre-hike (one young woman I hiked with this past week in SNP has done it for that reason), and those who have completed the AT and just want something new but similar when they a week or less.

      Almost as many women as men. Two groups of three women, one set in 30-40s, other 60-70s. Actually was a little confused as I walked past the later group sitting on benches eating their lunch. Then as I was taking a break at Horsepasture River (115' bridge) the former group passed me. I thought wow they really are moving fast and they look a little younger than I remembered. Then a few miles later the former group had set up camp and I was gathering water and making my dinner. They started talking about the older three women, and then it all made sense. For a while there I thought perhaps they found the fountain of youth. Sure enough as I head out after eating in comes the older group of women. :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • While I strongly recommend the trail, as for navigation I would recommend FarOut (Guthooks) which just recently added it, and the AntitGravityGear PocketProfile to provide a basic map and elevation profiles for quick glances at the big picture. I also bought the Foot Hills Guidebook, but did not find it useful. I left it with my sister just in case I had to bail out due to injury. I do not regret buying as I know money goes by to the Foot Hills maintaining club. Similar to how I bought a few AT Companions (supports ALDHA/ATC) along the way, even though I always ended up using AWOL.
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      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • I know my photography leaves a lot to desire, but trust me this is a great trail to do if you get a chance. I know TrafficJam and DryBones have also hiked it. And if you some better views of it, there are several YouTube videos of it.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • One other note, I went the second week of May which was great. The young woman I hiked on SNP of the AT this past week said she did it September, which was still fine with her since everyday there was a least once place she could get into the water and cool off in. So you could probably hike it year round, unless there was a lot of snow or ice, which probably is not that all common in SC. Once again it is very well maintained thanks to Duke Energy. While I don't know that all trails should go NASCAR with sponsorships, but it seems to be working on this one so far.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General