Shakedown Hike #2

Next week Chase, Sheila, and I will be setting out to Springer Mountain to hike as much of the AT as we can in 5 and a half days! We are planning on driving up in the evening after work, grabbing a hotel and getting a good nights sleep, and then setting off from Amicalola State Park in the morning.

This is our first hike with all of us together and it will be my longest hike yet. We are planning to cover 57.3 miles of the AT plus the 8.8 miles of the Approach Trail for a grand total of 66.1 miles! Oh boy!

To makes things even more exciting, the forecast for next week has winds in the 45 mph range on top of Springer and the low temperature near 28 degrees Fahrenheit! I think this will be a pretty good test of our fortitude and winter gear, though I'm sure the weather in February is going to be pretty different.

We had some last minute gear purchases to make to be ready for the cold weather, including some heavyweight long underwear, Nalgene cozies, and some waterproof over-mitts. Eventually I will put out a collective gear list, but for now there is just no time. I have a lot to say about the gear we've already purchased and used a bit, and I'm anxious to get that information out there!

My biggest challenge has been putting together Sheila's first aid kit. I had to purchase a bunch of stuff and make sure her kit packs down enough to fit in her pack. I plan on making a special post dedicated to doggy first aid. Sheila will be carrying about 5 lbs of her own gear, including 1 L of water, 1.5 days of food, her first aid kit, a ball, a brush, and her bowl. We just ordered a Guyot Designs Squishy Pet Bowl in size small (24 oz). We have the 48 oz version, but it is really just too big and it is a little awkward to pack. I hoping the smaller size will remedy this! We also bought an OllyDog Mt. Tam Hands-Free Dog Leash . I used it to take Sheila for a walk around the neighborhood, and while it is nice having my hands free, I'm not sure if I like how stiff the stretch is in the leash. I'm planning on taking her for a run tomorrow morning to see how it might work out.

Well, that's all for now. I'm completely exhausted… To bed!

Hi Blogger. Long time, no post.

I’ve been crazy busy trying to decide what to do with the rest of my life regarding grad school and spending a lot of time studying for the GRE. I took the test yesterday, and I did fairly well. I wanted to do better on the math section, but I ran out of time and didn’t have a chance to check my answers. I had 10+ minutes at the end of each verbal section, and I wish I could have used that extra time on the math. Oh well, though, there is no use dwelling on things you cannot change.

I’m supposed to be spending this week mulling over grad schools and narrowing down professors, and I’m sure I’ll start on that in a little while. I wanted to take the chance to make a proper blog update. I’ll probably load a few things into the queue and let it be for the rest of the week.

I’ve got a few updates on what gear we’ve switched out and why, a whole new gear list for Sheila the Aussie Dog, and even a little bit of insight on our budget situation and how we plan to return from Maine. I hope they will be insightful and entertaining!

Feel free to ask me any questions about us or our hike! I’d be happy for a little human interaction. :)

Pisgah National Forest

I think this is where we are going to be in early November for our winter shakedown. I’m thinking of looping somewhere behind Davidson Campground on the Art Loeb trail.

Anyone have any experience out here?

Planning our next shakedown!

Yup, I’m addicted.

Shakedown Hike #1 / North Carolina Advernturetime: Conquering Albert

Monday, July 22

I awoke refreshed and with a better outlook. We packed up camp and headed the hell of out of Betty Creek Gap. And of course, about a quarter of a mile down the trail, we hit Mooney Gap which had a campsite that looked a million times better than any of those in Betty Creek, although there was a “No Camping” sign posted and was situated right along a forest road. We stopped for water, which didn’t take as long as it did at Carter Gap, so maybe perception is everything in these instances. At this point, the next mile and a half was all uphill to Albert Mountain. I donned the GoPro, and off we went!

The going was tough, and the tough got going indeed. We made great time as I pushed forward to make it to our next checkpoint. We passed a group of hikers from the ATC Biennial conference, whose only warning was “It’s about to get rocky.” Rocky was an understatment. There were boulders that we had to climb up in order to get to the summit of Albert. The overhand climb was a little tough because I wasn’t used to the extra weight of my pack and there were moments when I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it. I cursed mothernature many a time on the way up, but when we finally made it, I was exstatic. Beautiful views and clear weather greeted us at the top, and we celebrated with a hot lunch. This was a bad idea.

We hung out on Albert longer than Chase wanted to, but I welcomed the break after our tough ascent. On the way down, the food weighed heavy in my belly, and it we moved slower than anticipated. My feet began to hurt from the steep desent, but it leveled out soon enough. We made it into a beautiful valley area and stumbled upon a brand new shelter. We took the opportunity to rest and to talk to a guy who camped at Standing Indian Campground often. We weren’t too far from Glassmine Gap and the trail back to the parking lot, so we pressed on, stopping to take pictures at a stream coming out of the base of a tree. The trail was pretty easy through here and we were at Glassmine Gap sooner than we expected.

We took a short break and then turned down Long Branch Trail. This trail was narrow and seemed like it wasn’t used very often. There were a few downed trees and we were forced to reroute around them. A lot of the trail was downhill and my feet and ankles were starting to really hurt. We weren’t too far from the car at this point, and I was yearning for a bit of AC and a place to sit down.  The guy we were talking to at the shelter caught up to us and passed us, which was a little discouraging until I realized he wasn’t carrying 30lbs on his back.

We made it back to the car and I was happy to unload my pack and take my boots off. I would have plenty of time to recoup as we now had a 6 hour drive to Raleigh ahead of us. We pulled out of the campsite and pulled off the highway to snap a couple of victory pictures at a scenic lookout. It was a great feeling to be finished! We got back on the road and celebrated further with a big, fat, juicy, disgusting Hardee’s burger.

Our trip was amazing and we learned a lot. I’m hoping to post brief reviews of some of our gear soon!

Betty Creek Gap to Glassmine Gap: 5.3 miles
Long Branch Trail: 2.0 miles

Total mileage: 22.6 miles

Shakedown Hike #1 / North Carolina Adventuretime: Betty Creek Nightmare

Sunday, July 21

We awoke around 8:30am, made a quick breakfast of oatmeal and hot cocoa, and packed up the campsite. It was a beautiful morning and we had some great views of the surrounding mountains from the lookout point at the top of Standing Indian. I felt great as we descended into Carter Gap and we were making great time. The area that the Carter Gap shelter is located in is beautiful , though it is a bit of a hike to get to the water source since it is located behind the old shelter that has since been dismantled. It took almost 50 minutes to filter 6L of water with our Squeeze and were really annoyed by the setback. I also realized that my monthly visitor had arrived and I had not packed sufficiently! Thus began the moment in which everything turned south. We packed up and hiked on planning to make it to Betty Creek Gap before nightfall. The clouds began to press in on us It slowly got darker and eventually the rain began to fall. We pulled on our gear, excited to test out our gear and set off again convinced the rain would stop before we had to make camp. We were wrong.

I became evermore agitated at the whole prospect of hiking to Betty Creek as we got closer and the rain continued to fall. I was tired, sore, annoyed, wet, etc. We had just another mile or so to go, and I became downright unbearable to be with. I apologized to Chase later, as I was taking out my frustrations on him as we hiked the last quarter of a mile to the gap, blaming him for our unfortunate circumstances. Chase had said there was a shelter at the gap, and I was so looking forward to a dry place to sit and nurse my sore feet and tender belly. There was no shelter at Betty Creek. I thought I was going to break down crying. Chase was ever so patient with me though, and I can’t thank him enough for setting up camp and letting me relax and calm down in the tent.

Our campsite sucked. It was muddy and rooty and Betty Creek Gap was extraordinarily creepy. We had a cold dinner in the tent, finishing off the last of the summer sausage and bagels. I was significantly happier after eating and drying off a little in the tent. Chase left to hang the food bag and I sat alone in the middle of creepy Betty Creek Gap, absolutely terrified at every raindrop that sounded like a snapping twig. Chase told me after he came back that the entire gap was filled with an eerie fog, and that he was also creeped out a bit. We tried to get some sleep, and I definitely slept better than the first night, but Chase was up off and on due to the angle of the campsite. He woke me up in the middle of the night to show me a mouse that had chewed a hole in my brand new pack to get at some trash that I had overlooked. Cheeky mouse!

I was pretty grateful for this day in retrospect. Not every day can be awesome and I like knowing how I will react in bad situations. I felt bad for acting like such a brat, but if I had been more prepared, everything would have been better.

Standing Indian to Betty Creek Gap: 9.2 miles
Total mileage: 15.8 miles

Shakedown Hike #1 / North Carolina Adventuretime: (out)Standing Indian Mountain hiking!

Saturday, July 20

We woke up around 8:30am and enjoyed a simple breakfast. I had a banana and a cup of Tang, while Chase went for the honey bun and a cup of coffee. We left the hotel soon after and arrived at the trailhead a little after 11:30am. I was super stoked to finally get on the trail and was ready to go soon after arriving. Chase took a little more time to make sure he had everything and that the car would be secure, but we were soon making our way happily down the trail.

We did it! I kept thinking to myself, We made it and we are actually hiking! I am setting out on my very first backpacking trip! It was surreal! And awesome!

The Kimsey Creek Trail starts at the Standing Indian Campground Backcountry Information center and then cuts through some of the campground before shooting off to follow the Kimsey Creek up to Deep Gap. This trail was listed in the “More Difficult” section of the backcountry trails surrounding Standing Indian, and they really meant it. The trail began going uphill very steeply within the first half-mile, and I thought I was going to hate backpacking. I am not in very good cardiovascular shape, and I was breathing heavy in under 2 minutes of the climb. But it got easier elevation-wise and we were soon paralleling the creek.

This was both refreshing and bothersome! Such a beautiful mountain stream! So many gnats! I was stopping every few steps to pick them out of my eyelashes. Yeah. Totally gross. (We used a picaridin-based bug spray, and it worked awesome! But it doesn’t repel gnats.)

Eventually we made it the 4.2 miles to Deep Gap! How wonderful it was until I realized that it was another mile to Standing Indian Shelter, and that hiking a mile takes more than a minute. The hike from the parking area to the shelter was pretty and less buggy for sure. We could hear thunder in the distance and the skies threatened rain, but we were spared. Making it to the shelter was wonderful. There were two hikers there who were setting up to spend the night. They had come from Carter Gap that day and enjoyed several weekend hikes throughout the year. They were very nice and even let us have a spare lighter when we realized we had forgotten to stop at the convenience store to pick one up.

We ate a lunch of a bagel with summer sausage and cheese spread at the shelter. Chase and his dad enjoyed the old “bagel and log” during scouting, but I don’t think it will be something I take as a viable meal on the trail. It was heavy in my pack and heavy in my stomach! One of the hikers at the shelter said he was cooking chicken and dumplings from scratch that night, but I didn’t ask him how he did it. It sounded too good to be true.

We filtered water to refill our hydration packs and bottles and carried dirty water to bring to the summit of Standing Indian, which is where we planned to camp that night. After leaving the shelter, it was a quick but steep two and a half miles to the summit. Our campsite was perfect. A grassy spot for the tent, exposed rock to cook on, a clearing to hang the food and relieve ourselves in, everything was wonderful. We got there a little bit late, so we ended up cooking a dinner of black beans and rice and tortillas in the dark. We didn’t get to bed until after 9:30pm. I didn’t sleep very well due to my sleeping pad going flat in the middle of the night (an REI garagesale item that I got for $20, so I’m not that upset). It rained in the middle of the night, and it was quite peaceful listening to the rain hit the fly.

Shakedown Hike #1 / North Carolina Adverturetime: Pre(mis)adventure Preparations

We had a blast on the trail, and there is a lot to be told! I will be breaking up these posts according to our pre-hike preparations, the hike, and an overall gear impressions post! Check back for updates!

Thursday, July 18

Today was a boring, uneventful day at my desk job that was only made brighter by the fact that I was leaving an hour early in order to go home and begin packing for our impending trip up to North Carolina. Chase was supposed to be at home gathering all of our gear and treating our clothing with pemethrin and I had already done a small amount of preparation so I thought that I wouldn’t have much to do when I got home. It turned out that we still had a lot of things to take care of and we were not all together ready for what we were about to do! This was stressful since we had talked about leaving by 7am to make it to Standing Indian Campground after lunch on Friday.

My pack was not fully packed until around midnight, and at that point I realized that no matter how I adjusted and fiddled with my pack, it was not sitting comfortably at all. I felt much of the weight on my hips, but the pack couldn’t get close enough to my back to prevent the shoulder straps from cutting into my collarbones. This was not okay. I tried everything over the next hour to get my pack to sit correctly on my frame. I reorganized the load with no luck. I adjusted all of my straps and the height of the harness itself, fiddling with different combinations of lengths but it was to no avail. Frustrated and defeated and more than a little grumpy, I finally decided to just go to bed an deal with it in the morning.

I did not want to start our adventure grumpy and with an ill-fitting pack so thankfully a decent night’s sleep changed my attitude for the better.

Friday, July 19

We awoke around 9am and slowly got the car packed while discussing our options for the day. We had already planned to stop at the Patagonia in Atlanta to exchange a pair of defective boots Chase had purchased on Steep and Cheap for me, so we decided to also stop at one of the REI’s in the Atlanta area, figuring that they would be more knowledgeable of my situation and needs than our local Jacksonville store. With a delicious smoothie for breakfast, we set off on the 6+ hour drive to Atlanta.

The Patagonia ended up being located in a little sketchy strip-mall area, but we were happy to make it there! Their customer service was phenomenal! The girl who helped us exchange my boots was extraordinarily helpful. She let us exchange the size after I tried the boots on again in the store and decided they were not the proper fit, but they didn’t have the next size up in stock, so she called Patagonia Boston and had them ship the correct size to our apartment at no charge! It was really incredible considering the boots are not even being made anymore and we did not even order them directly from Patagonia. What an awesome company!


Next we ventured to the closest REI and proceeded to spend two and half hours or more trying on multiple brands of packs and different combinations of sizes after it was determined that my Osprey Ariel was just a tad too small. I was between sizes, not quite small and not quite medium, and it was endlessly frustrating. I tried every brand with a pack that fit my specifications multiple times, debating over each one. The only bag that seemed to fit better than the Osprey that I had already was the Gregory Deva 60. It took a little bit of getting used to the intense lumbar support, but the pack fit my frame very nicely when adjusted properly. Chase and I wanted to test out one more combination of a medium harness on the small Osprey bag, but the REI we were in mistakenly only had a large harness for the medium Ariel pack. We decided to go ahead and see if the other REI had the correct medium harness for me to try out. We also decided to buy the Gregory pack in case they didn’t have it at the other REI (which was clear across town and it was rush hour) and if the medium harness did not help my situation. I’m glad we did because the other REI had the medium harness but not the medium bag to go with it, and the combination of medium harness/small bag was not working. So I spent $330 on a new pack and got a store credit for my Osprey since it was a gift. It was hard swallowing the cost of this gear change, but I’m sure we will spend that money on something else… like a Palisades Dog Pack!

It was now after 9pm and Chase had spent the last 30 minutes trying to find a cheap hotel for us to stay in, since we were obviously not going to be hitting the trail that day. We ended up booking at America’s Best Value Inn in Clayton, GA, and had a lovely night sleep. It was easy to sleep well knowing that my pack issues had been solved and that we would be finally setting foot on the trail the very next day!

Hey y'all!

We just finished up our vacation in North Carolina! Our shakedown hike went well, but I am too tired to post about it now. Maybe tomorrow or the next day. :)

Wore my hiking boots at work all day

And now I’m rushing home to pack my bag.


The mountains are calling, and I must go.

Shakedown Hike #1

… is approaching quickly! Too quickly almost!

Chase and I will be hiking the popular Nantahala Basin Loop trail, which encompasses about 18 miles of the AT from Deep Gap to Glassmine Gap. I found this hike on Everytrail and it seemed to be the perfect hike for what we needed: a multi-day loop with a variety of terrain. We have a few options regarding the actual route of the hike, and I’d like to present those options here:

Option 1:
Long Branch Trail from Standing Indian Campground to meet the AT at Glassmine Gap (2.0 miles). Take the AT south to Albert Mountain, with the option to camp on the summit (3.5 miles), or continue to either Betty Creek Gap (5.7 miles) or Carter Gap (9.4 miles) depending on how we feel. I’m expecting a short day and the 5.5 miles to Albert might be enough to exhaust us completely. The next day, we could hike from the summit of Albert to Carter Gap (6.2 miles) , Betty Creek Gap to Beech Gap (6.9 miles), or from Carter Gap to Standing Indian (6.1 miles). Day 3 would encompass either Carter Gap to Standing Indian (6.1 miles) , Beech Gap to Standing Indian (2.9 miles), or taking the Lower Ridge Trail from the summit of Standing Indian back to the campground (4.2 miles). The 4.2 miles from the summit of Standing Indian would make for a short half-day hike on the last day. This would be 22 miles total over possibly 3-4 days!

Option 2:
Kimsey Creek Trail from Standing Indian Campground to Deep Gap (3.7 miles). Take the AT north to Standing Indian Mountain (2.4 miles) with the option to camp on Standing Indian. We could also push on to Carter Gap another 6.1 miles from the summit of Standing Indian, but I doubt we will. From there, Day 2 would be Standing Indian to Carter Gap (6.1 miles), or Carter Gap to Albert Mountain (6.2 miles). Albert Mountain to Glassmine Gap is only 3.2 miles, and the exit trail along Long Branch is only 2.0 miles, making for a short Day 3/4. This trail route is 23.6 miles!

Option 3:
Lower Ridge Trail straight up to Standing Indian Mountain (4.2 miles), where we could camp or press on another 2.9 miles to Beech Gap. On Day 2, from Standing Indian to Carter Gap is 6.1 miles, and our hike would be much of the same as Option 2 for the final miles. If we make it to Beech Gap, Betty Creek Gap is 6.9 miles away, and our third day would encompass the steep climb up Albert Mountain (2.5 miles) and camping at Long Branch Shelter (4.9 miles total from Betty Creek), and a short day from Long Branch Shelter back to Standing Indian Campground (2.8 miles). This would add up to a total mileage of 21.7 miles!

I’m personally leaning toward Option #2! This option will show us the trail as we will see it when we set off next year, with the opportunity to summit two mountains and camp on each. The mileage is also uniform, which I think I will benefit from as this will be my first backpacking trip.

AWOL’s A.T. Guide (2013 edition) shows the terrain for this section hike on page 16, which will be very convenient for us. I highly recommend this book to anyone hiking the Appalachian Trail, thru- or not.

Overall I’m really stoked to finally get out on the trail and test out my gear. I really wish we could bring the dog, but the logistics didn’t work out this time since we will be spending time after our hike with friends and family.

I will be posting lots of pictures and probably initial gear reviews after the hike!

Favorite hikes in NC?

Chase and I are heading up that way in mid-July and would like to use this opportunity to test out gear on a couple of overnight hikes in the western North Carolina area. We would prefer a loop hike or a hike where we can get back to the car without having to just hike out a certain distance and then turn around.

Any suggestions?

Budget Budget Budget

I’m trying my damndest to save up as much money as possible while paying off my student debts and credit card, but the money I’m making working full-time is only about 70% of what I thought I would be bringing home. I also found out about furlough today, and I’ll be loosing 11 days of pay starting mid-July. And who knows about that raise…

I still have a lot of gear to buy, and I’m starting to panic a little. Does anyone have any advice for how much to save?

Rain Jacket

Bought my own first piece of (potential) gear today; a rain jacket! This was the Deal of the Day on REI, and I couldn’t resist. This Sierra Designs Wicked jacket weighs only 10oz, and is apparently wind proof! There isn’t any insulation, so I’m hoping the size will be big enough to layer underneath. And if I decide it won’t work for the long haul, at least I’ll have a bright purple rain coat to wear around town (okay it's pink).

REI Grand Opening Gear Haul

Of course, the first gear we buy is for the dog. :)

With all of the goodies we earned from REI for going to the grand opening events, we were able to buy the REI Ultra Dog Pack that is normally $75 for around $50, and even then I was able to use promotional and gift cards to cover the rest of the cost. I ended up only paying $6 out of pocket for it. We're having a hard time deciding which size to go with. Sheila is a standard Australian Shepherd weighing around 50lbs. The pack says to measure around the deepest part of the chest, and she is just at 27in. This puts her in a “small” pack, which holds 8.5L. The pack fits very well in all areas except for the strap around her belly. It’s just a little too tight, and I’m worried about how it is going to affect her. There is a much more expensive Ruffwear pack online, which we might order just to see if it fits better. 

The other items we picked up with our promotional gift cards include these sweet REI dog food and water bowls. They pack down slim and fit well even in the small dog pack. My only concern is that the rim around the water bowl does not dry quickly, but I’m sure it is not that big of a deal. We also purchased two 0.5L Platypus bottles that fit nicely in the dog pack, that way she can carry her own water.

Also, I bought a nalgene (my first!) just because. We received something like 5 Camelbak Eddy water bottles for free, but I have an addiction and I’m not ashamed.

REI Grand Opening

My dearly sweet trail partner and partner-in-crime is currently braving the 48 degree weather (brrr!) to stand outside for a chance at a free Camelpak bag with a REI gift card inside! I’ll be joining him tomorrow morning, and perhaps even Sunday morning for the free loot. Every little bit helps!

We will also be signing up for the REI membership and even a credit card or two. So stoked that REI decided to put in a store just as we were deciding to thru-hike the AT!

Gear Trip #1

We’re on our way to the local Black Creek Outfitters to test out some packs and shoes and things. Probably won’t pick up anything today, but it will be nice to finally put my hands on the things I’ve been looking at on the Internet for weeks now. When you're not very familiar with all of this outdoorsy stuff, it really makes a difference being able to walk into a store and handle something.

Also, the local REI is opening this having it's grand opening this weekend, which means there will be lots of opportunities to get free REI money and sign up for credit cards and memberships. Oh, and did I mention there will be free breakfast?! So stoked!

I’ll update later with what I tried on, liked and didn’t like. Either way, it’s a step in the right direction!

Update:


Well that was unproductive! Black Creek Outfitters had very little selection and absolutely no customer service. We were the only customers they had and still no one came by to assist us. I'm pretty disappointed. Thankfully Chase knows his way around packs and boots and things, but they didn’t have any display size small packs to try on. I tried on two pairs of boots though, and determined I probably need a 7.5, which makes sense since I normally wear a 6.5. It's all about how the shoe fits though, so there are many more brands and styles to try on.

The search continues!