sorry man. everyone's life is on hold right now.Today was to be my AT thru hike start day.
AngryMetalsmith's A.T. Thru Hike Thread
- Thread starter AngryMetalsmith
- Start date
Winter Storm Warning in Northern MaineToday was to be my AT thru hike start day.
Active for next 4 hours ·
National Weather Service
This alert has been updated.
Posted 5 hours ago
...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EDT THIS
EVENING...
* WHAT...Heavy wet snow. Additional snow accumulations of 2 to 4
inches for a storm total of 10 to 20 inches.
* WHERE...Portions of Central Highlands, Far Eastern, Far
Northern, North Woods and Penobscot Valley Maine.
* WHEN...Until 6 PM EDT this evening.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Travel could be very difficult. Patchy
blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility and cause
localized hazardous travel. The hazardous conditions will impact
the morning and evening commute. Widespread power outages are
occurring.
we had snow flurries here for about 10 minutes this morning
I am so sorry. Keep at it please.... JimToday was to be my AT thru hike start day.
Thanks y'all. It's been a long 16 months of stress, anxiety, fear (of not starting), hiking, testing gear, working, saving and absolute determination. This has consumed me in a way that I have never experienced. It's really difficult for me to verbalize the magnitude of prepping for a thru hike. While getting shut down by the Corona Virus is obviously out of my control, it's still difficult to accept.
Hopefully there will be a "next year". I am, however not looking forward to a repeat of this year with the same difficulties inherent to thru hike training. Not. Fucking. At. All.
But that won't stop me. I'll just keep moving forward, but cranky as shit !
Hopefully there will be a "next year". I am, however not looking forward to a repeat of this year with the same difficulties inherent to thru hike training. Not. Fucking. At. All.
But that won't stop me. I'll just keep moving forward, but cranky as shit !
Sorry man. I can only imagine the mental gymnastics you're going through. The ripple effect continues...
I can't imagine things changing until there is a vaccine so I am not sure when the woods* will open up out here...
But my ID cabin is close to Lionhead/Centennial segment of the CDT...
Drive out this summer and you could still spend a couple weeks hiking to Butte and I suspect (given the population disparities) that our trails are far more "socially distant" than the AT...
*Nationwide – The CDC recommends that all Americans avoid discretionary travel until May 1. CDTC urges anyone considering a trip of any length on the Continental Divide Trail to follow these recommendations. If the CDT passes through or within a short distance of your community, and local trail conditions, your own skillset, and local land manager restrictions and recommendations allow you to safely access the trail, it can be a great place to get some exercise and fresh air. Otherwise, we urge you to stay home and enjoy your local trails and outdoor spaces while practicing proper physical distancing from others.
via https://continentaldividetrail.org/about-the-trail/cdt-fire-incidents-and-information/
Appalachian Trail: Covid postpones the great American adventure
For those missing the great outdoors, the mythology of the Appalachian Trail looms large.
www.bbc.com
What about everesting in the meantime?
everesting.cc
THE RUN RULES - EVERESTING
everesting.cc
Running ? That's just crazy talk.What about everesting in the meantime?
THE RUN RULES - EVERESTING
Pass the bacon and biscuits please.
their instructions say unlike cycling the participant can get alt transport down. How many feet up can u hike on a day?
Don't let them put chip in your neck, no matter how cute the sales girl is. Total trap kid.
3663' Mount Mitchell trail is about the longest around here. But not the steepest.
a case of stairs will get you further than a case of complaints. get the girl and have her shuttle u down for a day. Mount Mitchell was a place I visited once and the summit was foggy. BRP is a fine place to be stuck now.
Because of being busy with work and then the Pandemic, I hadn't been anywhere except the studio, grocery store and gas station since October. And now that school is back in session the trails are not quite as crowded as they were this summer. So I headed back to Grayson Highlands with the intention of hiking the same 25 mile loop in three days.
Got there around 4:00 pm and had enough time to reach my campsite. Along the way, the first other hikers I encountered immediately moved off trail. I was shocked as no one moves off trail for at the local spot. I thanked them and continued on the Appalachian Spur trail where I passed a pony and her little one grazing trailside. Shortly after that I met an Appalachian Ridge Runner who was wearing a mask. We had a pleasant chat about masks and social distancing on trail. There were several other hikers who would put a mask on as soon as they saw approaching traffic. I did the same. Of course not everyone was this compliant, but far more than back home. A most relieving and pleasant surprise.
At one intersection I got to watch some social Darwinism in action. A family of indigenous rednecks, (mom and two kids) were determined to pet a grazing pony on the hind quarter, you know, right were they can get the best angle to kick the crap out of you. And yes they got kicked. It's not like there aren't warning signs.
Only hiked for 2.5 hours on the first day but that was okay as the second day would be 11-12 miles. Found a comfy spot out on the bald with a nice view to set up the tent. It was of course quite cold and windy at 5400 ft. Spent the whole night drifting in and out and not really sleeping. I'd almost fall asleep only to have the wind ripple the bottom of the rain fly, pulling me back to reality. At 7:00 am or so I got up to get my bear canister from the bear box. Feeling defeated by insomnia I thought I'd just head back to the car. After getting back into my sleeping bag and pulling it over my head to get warm and block out the rising sun, I finally fell asleep. And would have keep snoozing if it wasn't for a female voice yelling across the bald. I can only assume her name was Karen. However, a couple hours of sleep is way better than none.
After packing up camp it was time to hit the water source. Took about ten minutes to find the gated off spring and filled my dirty bag to filter away from the source since I didn't want to get too close to anyone. Went back to the tree-line near the campsite and discovered that my water filter was clogged and only a tiny drop was coming out. Kept working at it until it flowed a little better, but still took at least 1.5 hours to filter one L of water. By this time it was 2:00 pm and the larger route was now out of the question. Took the 2 mile Pine Mountain trail across the ridge to reconnect with the AT. Encountered no one on this section. Ahhh.
Got to Scales at 4:30 pm making for another short day. Set up camp and learned some more about my fancy tent in the process. Slept much better at lower elevation but was still plagued with the inability to sleep at night because of having to work late at night due to Covid circumstances. Right after dusk a group of coyotes started howling. Kind of spooky like that video @canadmos posted sometime back. Just before sunrise it started raining. Stayed in my tent for as long as I could but had to get moving. Sitting on the ground when you're not used to it can be uncomfortable after 12 hours. Fortunately there was a break in the rain just as I had finished loading my pack inside the tent. Popped out, broke down the tent and back on the AT. Four hours of hiking in light rain and I was back at the car.
Overall it was not a long hike, but I learned a couple things and got some valuable trail experience. Being in another area of the country showed me that there are other people out there that are just as concerned about Covid as I am, are courteous and respectful of others. It was a much needed break and I hope to get up there again soon.
Got there around 4:00 pm and had enough time to reach my campsite. Along the way, the first other hikers I encountered immediately moved off trail. I was shocked as no one moves off trail for at the local spot. I thanked them and continued on the Appalachian Spur trail where I passed a pony and her little one grazing trailside. Shortly after that I met an Appalachian Ridge Runner who was wearing a mask. We had a pleasant chat about masks and social distancing on trail. There were several other hikers who would put a mask on as soon as they saw approaching traffic. I did the same. Of course not everyone was this compliant, but far more than back home. A most relieving and pleasant surprise.
At one intersection I got to watch some social Darwinism in action. A family of indigenous rednecks, (mom and two kids) were determined to pet a grazing pony on the hind quarter, you know, right were they can get the best angle to kick the crap out of you. And yes they got kicked. It's not like there aren't warning signs.
Only hiked for 2.5 hours on the first day but that was okay as the second day would be 11-12 miles. Found a comfy spot out on the bald with a nice view to set up the tent. It was of course quite cold and windy at 5400 ft. Spent the whole night drifting in and out and not really sleeping. I'd almost fall asleep only to have the wind ripple the bottom of the rain fly, pulling me back to reality. At 7:00 am or so I got up to get my bear canister from the bear box. Feeling defeated by insomnia I thought I'd just head back to the car. After getting back into my sleeping bag and pulling it over my head to get warm and block out the rising sun, I finally fell asleep. And would have keep snoozing if it wasn't for a female voice yelling across the bald. I can only assume her name was Karen. However, a couple hours of sleep is way better than none.
After packing up camp it was time to hit the water source. Took about ten minutes to find the gated off spring and filled my dirty bag to filter away from the source since I didn't want to get too close to anyone. Went back to the tree-line near the campsite and discovered that my water filter was clogged and only a tiny drop was coming out. Kept working at it until it flowed a little better, but still took at least 1.5 hours to filter one L of water. By this time it was 2:00 pm and the larger route was now out of the question. Took the 2 mile Pine Mountain trail across the ridge to reconnect with the AT. Encountered no one on this section. Ahhh.
Got to Scales at 4:30 pm making for another short day. Set up camp and learned some more about my fancy tent in the process. Slept much better at lower elevation but was still plagued with the inability to sleep at night because of having to work late at night due to Covid circumstances. Right after dusk a group of coyotes started howling. Kind of spooky like that video @canadmos posted sometime back. Just before sunrise it started raining. Stayed in my tent for as long as I could but had to get moving. Sitting on the ground when you're not used to it can be uncomfortable after 12 hours. Fortunately there was a break in the rain just as I had finished loading my pack inside the tent. Popped out, broke down the tent and back on the AT. Four hours of hiking in light rain and I was back at the car.
Overall it was not a long hike, but I learned a couple things and got some valuable trail experience. Being in another area of the country showed me that there are other people out there that are just as concerned about Covid as I am, are courteous and respectful of others. It was a much needed break and I hope to get up there again soon.
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Still shooting to hike the AT next year? Or are things kind of in a hold pattern?
Awesome report, @AngryMetalsmith .
too bad no video of them getting kicked...pure gold
and now you know to test your filters and campstove for function before you leave on a trip
and now you know to test your filters and campstove for function before you leave on a trip
field testing stuff like this is a beginner mistake.
Yes, but there are a few key factors like money, Covid and the safety of my parents. A lot of uncertainty but gotta keep pushing forward. If not then I have no business even thinking about attempting a thru hike. Head down and go, as they say.
Lessons learned the hard way are seldom forgotten.
Filter had been stored for 11 months. It’s fairly common for the Sawyer Squeeze to clog like that. Easy fix.
Yeah - I back-flush my Sawyer after each trip, just to minimize the chances of fuckery next time I take it out.
I also carry a full Whisperlite repair kit for my stove, just in case... it actually came in quite handy the last backpacking trip we took.
This. assume if it can fuck up, it will
Speaking of... does anyone have any Sawyer-compatible squeeze bag recommendations? One of the stock bags has already failed, and to be honest, all the stock bags kinda suck.
I have always prefered to just use iodine tablets. When forced to use murky water sources I filter and use iodine.
This is what I use:
2020 VECTO 2L Water Container, 28mm
Filling and carrying water in the backcountry is easier with the VECTO: 2 liters capacity in a lightweight package. The VECTO is a soft, 2 liters (68 oz), collapsible water container. The patent-pending dual opening system allows for easy filling from a wide opening on one side and a narrow...
cnocoutdoors.com
water sources can be fairly suspect around here. livestock and brain dead humans dumping shit. It's a bit bulky but it works well
Amazon.com : General Ecology 322200 First Need XLE Elite Water Filter for Camping (Emergency Water Purification - Removes Viruses, Bacteria and Cysts) : Camping Water Purifiers : Sports & Outdoors
Amazon.com : General Ecology 322200 First Need XLE Elite Water Filter for Camping (Emergency Water Purification - Removes Viruses, Bacteria and Cysts) : Camping Water Purifiers : Sports & Outdoors
www.amazon.com
Yikes, hopefully I will never need anything that heavy duty and at 1.6 lbs, nope. My whole water kit weighs less than 6 oz.
There was a scene in one of the thru hiking videos of either the PCT or the CDT where the only water source for miles was a well that had a dead cat in it. They all drank the water, filtered of course, but still...
I have run water from some nasty ass places through that filter. Aside from being warm it was good and I did not get sick. After Amoebic Dysentery with some added viruses that put me in an Israeli Military Hospital and whose cure wiped out my gut and my immune system for years afterwards I don't take any chances with water.
Went back up to Grayson Highlands for five days of wandering around the Mount Rogers area of Virginia last week. This was my fifth backpacking trip and my longest to date. It was a much needed break from the daily grind of AngryLand.
Had to leave home Sunday without my morning constitutional which is never a good way to start any trip. Got to Backpacker's overnight parking lot in the late afternoon and headed up to Rhododendron Gap, a little under 4 miles away. Passed the usual piles of pony poop with a faint sense of envy.
Found a really good campsite about two hours before dark and set up for the night. Usually it gets very windy and cold up there after sun down. However this was the first time the wind wasn't howling all night. Unfortunately there was a couple camped a whopping 200 ft from me with the loudest air mattress available to humans that woke my hearing impaired self up several times. But did manage to get some sleep.
Had a cup of coffee and a couple of snacks before packing up. Still no urge to poop. Something about getting up in elevation that messes with my internal pressure. I was camped at 5000 ft.
Found a very cool spot to take a brunch break and stuff my face with some trailside goodness.
My goal was to hike out to Lost Mountain shelter on the AT, 13.3 miles away, which would take me over Elk Garden and Buzzard Rock, camp then head back. Unfortunately I was moving way to slow which was partially attributed to my brand new shoes causing problems. Kept rolling my foot off the footbed no matter how tight I cranked down on the LockLaces. This was the Altra Lone Peak 4.5, Three pairs of the 4.0s served me well. The 4.0s went back to REI.
After talking to an older local couple at Elk Garden who confirmed that there where indeed campsites with appropriate bear bag hanging trees at Whitetop Mountain. They mentioned something about bears and i told them that I had never even seen bear scat up there. About 10 minutes after talking to them I found this on the trail.
So this discovery was a bit alarming as I have always camped near bear boxes and had yet to hang a bear bag. And I was also a bit jealous, because it was Monday and I still hadn't pooped. Damnit.
When I got to Whitetop Mountain I scoped out the potential campsites before trying to find the spring nearby. Chatted with a couple of section hikers who were in a similar boat for finding a campsite. I realized that this was my only option as it was getting late. The campsites were located near a dirt road which is never a good idea unless you like partying with toothless, methhead, Hillbillies. And the sites themselves were less than ideal but I made one work.
The next order of business was to hang my bear bag in an appropriate tree far enough from my tent. I thought I did pretty good but was understandably a little apprehensive so I took an extra precaution and put all the food in oder proof bags before hanging.
As the sun went down the temperature dropped and the wind kicked up. As I lay in my sleeping bag, drifting off into dreamland I kept hearing all these clicking sounds and snorting. At one point I heard a loud thump and immediately set up and grabbed my headlamp, fearing the worst that a bear had just gotten my food. But all I saw was a deer. Okay, I'm bedded down with deer for the night. And they are known to snort. No big deal I thought and went back to sleep.
The next morning I woke just before sunrise to a densely fogged in woods. Now unable to see my bag from the tent i got dressed to go check. The sound from last night were still present but no deer in sight. As I got closer to the tree it became clear that the snorting and clicking were coming from inside the rotted tree that I had hung my bag on. At the time I didn't think it was big enough to house a bear. Decided not to make breakfast there and to just pack up as quickly as I could.
After getting back to NC I called the MT Rogers office and spoke to a woman who informed me that it could have been a young bear that had been recently kicked out by it's mother or a raccoon. Either way the fact that my food was untouched speaks volumes for the effectiveness of OPsaks if I brought delivery to a bear or other critter and it went unnoticed.
More foggy woods in the morning.
Came across group of local trail maintainers:
Some steeps with rawks:
Had to leave home Sunday without my morning constitutional which is never a good way to start any trip. Got to Backpacker's overnight parking lot in the late afternoon and headed up to Rhododendron Gap, a little under 4 miles away. Passed the usual piles of pony poop with a faint sense of envy.
Found a really good campsite about two hours before dark and set up for the night. Usually it gets very windy and cold up there after sun down. However this was the first time the wind wasn't howling all night. Unfortunately there was a couple camped a whopping 200 ft from me with the loudest air mattress available to humans that woke my hearing impaired self up several times. But did manage to get some sleep.
Had a cup of coffee and a couple of snacks before packing up. Still no urge to poop. Something about getting up in elevation that messes with my internal pressure. I was camped at 5000 ft.
Found a very cool spot to take a brunch break and stuff my face with some trailside goodness.
My goal was to hike out to Lost Mountain shelter on the AT, 13.3 miles away, which would take me over Elk Garden and Buzzard Rock, camp then head back. Unfortunately I was moving way to slow which was partially attributed to my brand new shoes causing problems. Kept rolling my foot off the footbed no matter how tight I cranked down on the LockLaces. This was the Altra Lone Peak 4.5, Three pairs of the 4.0s served me well. The 4.0s went back to REI.
After talking to an older local couple at Elk Garden who confirmed that there where indeed campsites with appropriate bear bag hanging trees at Whitetop Mountain. They mentioned something about bears and i told them that I had never even seen bear scat up there. About 10 minutes after talking to them I found this on the trail.
So this discovery was a bit alarming as I have always camped near bear boxes and had yet to hang a bear bag. And I was also a bit jealous, because it was Monday and I still hadn't pooped. Damnit.
When I got to Whitetop Mountain I scoped out the potential campsites before trying to find the spring nearby. Chatted with a couple of section hikers who were in a similar boat for finding a campsite. I realized that this was my only option as it was getting late. The campsites were located near a dirt road which is never a good idea unless you like partying with toothless, methhead, Hillbillies. And the sites themselves were less than ideal but I made one work.
The next order of business was to hang my bear bag in an appropriate tree far enough from my tent. I thought I did pretty good but was understandably a little apprehensive so I took an extra precaution and put all the food in oder proof bags before hanging.
As the sun went down the temperature dropped and the wind kicked up. As I lay in my sleeping bag, drifting off into dreamland I kept hearing all these clicking sounds and snorting. At one point I heard a loud thump and immediately set up and grabbed my headlamp, fearing the worst that a bear had just gotten my food. But all I saw was a deer. Okay, I'm bedded down with deer for the night. And they are known to snort. No big deal I thought and went back to sleep.
The next morning I woke just before sunrise to a densely fogged in woods. Now unable to see my bag from the tent i got dressed to go check. The sound from last night were still present but no deer in sight. As I got closer to the tree it became clear that the snorting and clicking were coming from inside the rotted tree that I had hung my bag on. At the time I didn't think it was big enough to house a bear. Decided not to make breakfast there and to just pack up as quickly as I could.
After getting back to NC I called the MT Rogers office and spoke to a woman who informed me that it could have been a young bear that had been recently kicked out by it's mother or a raccoon. Either way the fact that my food was untouched speaks volumes for the effectiveness of OPsaks if I brought delivery to a bear or other critter and it went unnoticed.
More foggy woods in the morning.
Came across group of local trail maintainers:
Some steeps with rawks:
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On the third morning I decided to make brunch at the Elk Garden trailhead that has a vaulted toilet in the hopes that I could finally take a dump. It had been three days and pooping was pretty much all I could think about. Especially frustrating since the ponies, cows and bears seemed to have no problems pinching off a loaf. But brunch didn't really do the trick so I headed back up the hill. Then I got just the tiniest bit of pressure so I turned around to hit the privy I had just came from. Success, sort of.
Back to Rhododendron Gap.
This is the view looking up at Rhodo Gap on the way back.
Paused here as I reflected for a moment on how worn in the AT is on my way out in morning. Wonder if my dad stepped here.
Tempting, but not the trip I was looking for.
Spent another night at Rhodo Gap. This time it was windy, but I slept quite well. The next morning I decided upon an alternate route that was comprised of several other trails than the AT that would take me to Old Orchard shelter for the night. There I met a group of Thru Hikers who spent a great deal of time discussing pooping on trail. Apparently I am not alone in my quest to poop. There are logistical concerns as well as appropriate trail etiquette to adhere to. Something I was a bit relieved to learn about.
The climb out of Old Orchard is a beast. Two mile long and 1000 ft of elevation gain. Gets your heart pumping for sure.
Not far from this area I got a massive urge to poop. So exciting. Dashed off trail to look for the right spot to dig a cat hole only to get foiled by sunbaked, hard earth. No digging here, and I can make it to the shelter which has a privy I thought. Five minutes later and I was going to poop and fucking, goddamn now. Ran 30 feet or so off trail down into some woods. There I again discovered ground too hard to break with my trowel. Fortunately there were a ton of rocks embedded in the ground. I quickly pried one out of the ground and made my deposit in the resulting hole. Not the best case scenario as far as Leave No Trace principles are concerned.
As I was cleaning up I heard a very loud MOOOOO behind me and whipped my head around to see that a massive Long Horn Steer had crossed the AT, walked down the embankment to check on me. No real reason for her to be there other than to say "Moooooo, whaaaat aaaare youuuu doooing ? The other hikers didn't go that way."
Later I felt the need to wipe. Which is no big deal if your are home or at work with all the modern amenities. But how do you do this on a busy trail on the side of a mountain ? Tactfully and as quickly as possible. Unfortunately as I was getting down to it I startled a deer which darted off then I ran out of toilet paper mid session, fuck. Next time I will bring moar tp and wet wipes.
Stopped near Wise shelter to prolong the inevitable, the end of the hike. Mmm coffee.
Back to Rhododendron Gap.
This is the view looking up at Rhodo Gap on the way back.
Paused here as I reflected for a moment on how worn in the AT is on my way out in morning. Wonder if my dad stepped here.
Tempting, but not the trip I was looking for.
Spent another night at Rhodo Gap. This time it was windy, but I slept quite well. The next morning I decided upon an alternate route that was comprised of several other trails than the AT that would take me to Old Orchard shelter for the night. There I met a group of Thru Hikers who spent a great deal of time discussing pooping on trail. Apparently I am not alone in my quest to poop. There are logistical concerns as well as appropriate trail etiquette to adhere to. Something I was a bit relieved to learn about.
The climb out of Old Orchard is a beast. Two mile long and 1000 ft of elevation gain. Gets your heart pumping for sure.
Not far from this area I got a massive urge to poop. So exciting. Dashed off trail to look for the right spot to dig a cat hole only to get foiled by sunbaked, hard earth. No digging here, and I can make it to the shelter which has a privy I thought. Five minutes later and I was going to poop and fucking, goddamn now. Ran 30 feet or so off trail down into some woods. There I again discovered ground too hard to break with my trowel. Fortunately there were a ton of rocks embedded in the ground. I quickly pried one out of the ground and made my deposit in the resulting hole. Not the best case scenario as far as Leave No Trace principles are concerned.
As I was cleaning up I heard a very loud MOOOOO behind me and whipped my head around to see that a massive Long Horn Steer had crossed the AT, walked down the embankment to check on me. No real reason for her to be there other than to say "Moooooo, whaaaat aaaare youuuu doooing ? The other hikers didn't go that way."
Later I felt the need to wipe. Which is no big deal if your are home or at work with all the modern amenities. But how do you do this on a busy trail on the side of a mountain ? Tactfully and as quickly as possible. Unfortunately as I was getting down to it I startled a deer which darted off then I ran out of toilet paper mid session, fuck. Next time I will bring moar tp and wet wipes.
Stopped near Wise shelter to prolong the inevitable, the end of the hike. Mmm coffee.
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bikepacking crap question's answer is water bottle bidet. Hasn't been tried by me yet. I'll carry a pack of wet wipes and zip lock to drop them at the next responsible place if going catholio style. Rugged folks speak about dehydrating wet wipes also. TP isn't worth the weight for its use. If riding in a wetter place bidet would be my #1 for #2. Also carry pepto for the times it shitn't come out.
I always used rv tp as it rapidly breaks down I would also burn the unbrowned tails (fire conditions allowing) before covering the cat hole
so........
no poop pics?
no poop pics?
I have one of these for emergencies but haven't used it myself either. Will definitely break this thing out before trying to hike with monkey butt.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MH48WHX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1