So, we recovered from the DUI hit and run that put my truck in the shop for a week and still made our backpacking trip.  We did a few miles after the accident and decided to delay and take another start.

Previous terminus hike:



Barefoot boy with the fedora hat:


Our second go-round was only three days.  Total distance was about 26 miles finishing up Springer Mountain to Neel’s Gap (we already did about four miles).

Wednesday morning was a pretty cold start, but the terrain helps warm you up quickly.  We were sucking wind the first few miles; I think that’s from the three hour car ride…at least that’s my excuse!

We crossed Hightower Gap and pushed on over Sassafras Mt. to Cooper Gap.  Justus Mt. kicked my butt for some reason, but we were still making excellent time that afternoon finishing up the 10 miles to Gooch Mountain Shelter.  There were only a few people there so we quickly grabbed a spot for all three hammocks but by dark, the area swelled to over two dozen…it was pretty crowded.  

My son exploring a little overhang on Justus Mountain:





It was cold that night, another hiker’s thermometer said 31 degrees, but I was guessing more like 35-38 degrees; still pretty cold.  









My wife and I both had War Bonnet Blackbird (WBBB) hammocks and we were both using JRB under quilts.  My only complaint was we should have spread out a little more that first night, but we made it work in a pretty small “tent” area.  Additionally, for those that ever use under-quilts, the best way to adjust them is with help from another.  You really need to lay down in it and then adjust and snug up the quilt; I didn’t.  I previously helped my wife, but mine was properly adjusted and my hindquarters and back felt the colder wind that ripped up the little valley.  I got it fixed the next night….just something to pass along.

My son was using the ENO double-layered hammock with his sleeping pad stuck between the two layers.  His tarp was just a smaller square Sil-Nylon tarp I’ve had for some time.  He did struggle with the sleeping pad (inflatable) until he deflated it a little.  I also pile in all his spare clothes and snuggled up.

Dinner was a mix of freeze-dried meals and some home-dehydrated meals.  My wife made some incredible “bean” burritos with salsa, crumbed cheese and sliced avocado wrapped in a flour tortilla…wow, it was awesome!





The next morning, we didn’t rush, but were probably about in the first third of the pack hitting the trail.  This day’s goal was a little over eight miles; a newer spot past Miller Gap on Lance Creek.  The terrain wasn’t too severe and we sailed into Woody Gap which is also crosses Highway GA 60.





This is where I was a little disappointed.  Several of the younger male hikers bailed to get a hostile at Woody Gap (it was only day two for them!).  Anyways, we crossed and hit the trail.  Not sure of the name, but the hill after Woody Gap was as severe ass-kicker!  It smoked me pretty good, but the view at the top was phenomenal with the weather:



We made it into the Lance Creek area pretty early; set up camp and chilled.  We still had about six hours of light, so our pace was pretty good for future planning to stretch out distances to 10-14 miles (terrain dependent).  

Lance Creek was a decent little area and nice creek.  It was pretty hot, so hiked down the creek a ways and did a little laundry and washed up…felt great.  It was pasta night, so some quick boil noodles and rehydrated marinara sauce hit the spot.

I didn’t get a good picture, but my wife hung the perfect bear bag; so good that several of the other hikers wanted to check out our hanging method (slightly modified PCT).  

Last day was the trek over Blood Mountain; just over 7.5 miles but a few hills in-between, so the next morning we wanted to get an early start as once we reached Neel’s Gap, we had to find a shuttle back to our start point.  I was up about 0530 and started breaking down.  We hit the trail at about 0745.  







We allowed our barefoot son to “run” ahead since he said we were slowing him down (more on that later).

It was a gradual approach to Blood Mountain.  A few tougher small ridges, but the West to East approach really wasn’t that bad.  We made the top at about 1100, not a smoking pace, but steady and comfortable.






The backside (or Northeastern side) was a lot of fun.  The train was mostly just bald granite or large rocks.  We smoked down it pretty quick for two old farts and passed up all but one younger couple.







Right before we crossed US 19/129 to Neel’s Gap:



Time was right at 1315, so over all, it wasn’t a smoking pace, but we did spend a little time on Blood Mountain.  Now, my son ran (literally) most of Blood Mountain; barefoot with a 30 pound pack. We let him go about a half-mile into the hike so he did about 7 miles and completed it at 1045, just less than three hours.  The kid is in phenomenal shape and doing it barefoot was crazy (yeah, moronic too).  He’s been hiking barefoot for the most part the last few years and probably has over 150 miles racked up barefoot.  He enjoys it and it hasn’t slowed us down (my biggest concern).  He still carries Vibram Five Fingers for populated areas as every issue has come from glass in parking lots or when crossing roads.

There were plenty of small springs and little creeks along the route.  I never even came close to running low on water and I was hydrating often.  The Sawyer Mini filters were our primary means and one spring was coming directly out of the ground via a PVC pipe and was clear enough that I just blasted it with the Aqua Mira purification solution.





Overall, for our maiden 2014 trek to get the year started, it went quite well.  Our next leg will be from Neel’s Gap to the crossing at US19 and Nantahala River, NC.  It’s right around 100 miles…

A few AAR comments:

Hammocks are good!  Several late arrivals had a hard time to find tent sites or a place flat enough for a tent; we never had that problem.  Lounging in a hammock on a hot afternoon is much better than napping in a hot tent!

Sawyer Mini water filters rock!  I’ve been using the older Squeeze filters for a while, but a few cool new features on the Mini increase the versatility.  The straw-method was great to get a quick drink without much hassle at the numerous springs.  

My wife’s dehydrated meals are not only cheaper, but damn, they’re delicious!  We had more time on our hands so meal prep wasn’t an issue, but the reward was great for morale!  Chocolate peanut butter on tortillas and added to bland Clif/Pro bars is also excellent.

Eat breakfast!  My wife skipped breakfast the second day and she felt it after a few miles.  We had to stop and dig out some substantial food than snacks and even after that, it took a while to get her energy levels back up.  She’s admitted that she needs to force herself to eat in the morning even if you’re not a morning eater.

Hiking poles are a must for serious up/down grades and rocky terrain.  The extra set of contact points was crucial; and they also helped support my fly awning!

Under quilts work, but you do need to get them properly adjusted with your weight in the hammock.  My JRB quilt is “dri-down”.  Humidity wasn’t really an issue, so no problems.  Even in the last rain storm we did prior to this, everything remained tight and dry.  Time will tell, but these are good investments for cooler weather…

If you ever plan or need to use a bear bag to secure your food out of reach; practice before you need to use it!  We had ours up early and watched several struggle into the dark trying to find the right tree or fail at getting their weighted end over the tree limbs.  It was really entertaining and good reminder to practice even such simple tasks.  

Most with a little military/infantry background understand the importance for load plans and knowing where your gear is when you need it.  I hate stopping on the trail and having to dig through my pack.  I only need a few items handy and the HPG Kit Bag is often my first choice for most, but having that rain jacket/pack cover handy; having your water filter and FAK handy is paramount to keep your momentum and reduce frustration.  

My HPG Kit Bag rocked as usual.  I downgraded to a G26 and 12 round mag.  It’s also the perfect platform for snacks, maps and water filter.  

My wife was using a new Flashbang holsters that carried under her arm and attached to her sports-bra.  She was only packing her little Kel-Tech .380, but she loved it.  She actually slept every night with it on and it never bothered her at all.  She was quite happy with how it carried and with a little practice, it’s pretty fast to draw even with her pack.

Unlike my son, I don’t like to do anything barefoot except prop them up and air them out in my hammock.  I did bring a pair of “minimus” sandals that were handy when around camp, doing my bathing/washing or filtering water.  Not an essential, but handy if you’re not spending more time on the trail.

I kept my sleeping clothes dedicated for sleeping.  It was only three days, but I used the same pair of socks and underwear; both were washed on the second day along with my long-sleeve shirt.  With so much daylight that second afternoon, everything dried before I crashed.  Dr. Bronner’s in a small drop-vial is more than enough to last me more than a few weeks.  

Even on well marked trails, a topographical map is essential to keeping your location and distance known; especially water points and knowing when the next serious elevation is going to kick you butt!

Several “thru-hikers” discovered the South can actually get cold enough to freeze your ass.  Several were shocked the first two nights and that first full day of hiking we did.  Wind chill must have dropped Wednesday temps into the low 40’s and that second night it was close to freezing.  I’m good with my clothing selections, but I can comfortably range from about 20 degrees on up and able to layer or shed to keep heat buildup/perspiration to a minimum yet still add enough to insulate and protect from a cold morning or cold winds following a storm.  

A few changes: I don’t need the extra LED flashlight.  My Zebra headlamp and Photon cover all bases.  I need a smaller/lighter compass (just used to orient my map).  I have a little more to trim as I go through my journal and hopping to shed about 3-4 pounds.  I really need to use the smaller HPG Snubby with a compact 9mm or J-Frame…

I’m still on the fence with my hydration system.  I could probably cut about 12-14 ounces if I ditched my Osprey 2-liter hydration bladder; however, I really like it.  I really keep well hydrated by having that hose handy.  I still pack a SmartWater plastic bottle, but the hydration bladder is 100 times easier for me to hydrate on the move.  I used a 2-liter Platypus in camp and I pack two 2-liter squeeze pouches (primary and backup).  More than enough water if I had to stock up, but I average 2-3 liters when on the trail and have never felt the need for more water/weight (given our environment and water access).

Overall, excellent trip…we’re looking forward to the next one.

ROCK6

Nice report. Good to see more hammock fans. I'm trying to decide where to go this year. I skipped last year so I'm overdue for some AT time.

Thanks! Yeah, my wife has about 220-230 miles planned out.  This was around 30 total and the next two legs will be 105 and 75 miles; completing our AT sections up through the Smokies.

ROCK6

good AAR. I've done some day hikes in the Blue Ridge ... could be great country, but I hated crossing roads all the time.

Still, any day camping is better than a day working!

I skipped the Smokies because I hate to be pigeon-holed. Unless you're a thru-hiker you have to stay at whichever shelter your reservation is for. So if you get there and feel like continuing on you can't. You're just SOL. Make sure you can use your hammock, also. I think you have to stay in the shelter. Another reason for me to avoid it.

I really enjoyed the areas around the NOC and Hot Springs. I'm thinking of maybe jumping ahead and doing the Mt. Rogers area next.

Yeah, this is my concern.  I have a lightweight two+person tent we are planning on brining.  I really want to avoid the shelters if we can but may be forced into them.  This was the reason for my earlier post as my wife was really wanting to minimize our carry weight so we can move faster/further and avoid as many shelters as we can.  We'll play it by ear, but this is our July trip plan.  I'll have to grin and bear it as my wife really wants to complete our sections up through the Smokies.

ROCK6

As a city slicker, who hasn't done much outdoors camping/hiking, that was an excellent article with great pictures.

I'm a bare fooot guy, but I don't know if I'd want to go hiking that trail bare footed.

Thanks, Chris

Nice write up and pics.

Do you/your wife make your own dehydrated meals?  You mentioned "My wife’s dehydrated meals..."  Just wondering what that all entailed; guessing not Mountain House.

Thanks; yeah, my wife dehydrates most of our own meals, but we do add in a freeze-dried meal or two.  I often just go backpacking for her menu choices...

She's dehydrated refried beans, chili, vegetables (mixed with instant mash potatoes), applesauce (turns out like fruit leather), dehydrated humus, marinara sauce for boil-in-bag noodles, etc.

We also use instant stuff like instant oatmeal, grits, instant pudding w/ instant powdered milk, etc.  Depending on the meal, we will bring tortillas, bagels and she even packed an avocado for her bean burritos this last trip.

ROCK6

I used to start my hikes this way. I'd pack an avocado and a pack of chicken breast that I'd use to make tacos with at lunch. Then I realized I don't usually stop for lunch. I just munch on trail mix along the way.

Dehydrating your own food is the best way to go. I need to see what I have ready for next weekend's trip. I also like to pack small packages of olive oil. Great carb boost and no risk of a bunch of oil dumping in your food pack. Not that it's ever happened.