Pics from this trip can be found here. Now, picking up where I left off... Day One: Simmons Gap to Pinefield Hut. 2.1 mi Once Loonie arrived at Bear Garden, we grabbed dinner and spent some time catching up on events back home. She had a long drive out to meet me so we hit … Continue reading May 2019 Shenandoah – AT Trip
Here's a rundown of each day of the hike from Damascus to VA 42......all in one LONG post! You can find the complete photo album from the trip here. I'll cover mine and Loonie's trip in the Shenandoah's in the next post. Day One: Damascus, VA to Campsite near Luther Hassinger Memorial Bridge, Virginia Creeper … Continue reading May 2019 AT Section Hike – Damascus to VA 42
Deep Woods and I finished our AT section hike from Damascus, VA to Bear Garden Hiker Hostel on VA 42 a couple of weeks ago and once again it was a fantastic hike. It got a bit hot during the final couple of days and we did have to weather out a storm one evening … Continue reading Spring 2019 AT Section Hike and Shenandoah Trip
Deep Woods and I have a tentative plan now for this Spring's AT section hike from Damascus, VA to Bear Garden Hostel on VA 42 (not quite 90 mi). Our schedules for the latter part of April and all of May are booked with family obligations so its either sometime early to mid-April or early … Continue reading Plans Are Underway…
It's a new year and here's hoping that we'll be able to spend more time on the trail. 2018 was not so good in that respect. Loonie has completed her physical therapy and is doing much better but neither of us is ready to shoulder a pack and hit the trail. We decided to kick … Continue reading A Fresh Start…
It's taken me forever (like 6 weeks or so) to get around to the postscript of this Spring's trip. Crazy! I finally made it through the pics of the AT section hike and have updated the link on the Appalachian Trail page under "Old Droppings" accordingly. That will get you to the Google Photos album. … Continue reading Spring 2018 AT Section Hike – Some Final Thoughts
Katadyn's BeFree Filter: Great...but... Deep Woods and I each used a Katadyn BeFree this time around, filtering nearly 40 liters apiece over the course of the trip. Not enough to give a fair evaluation, especially considering that nearly all sources filtered from were clear and gunk-free. No issues whatsoever though. Flow rate was great. Certainly better … Continue reading A Bunch Of Thoughts On Gear After the Spring 2018 Hike
Day Nine: Boots Off Hostel to Campsite near Turkeypen Gap. 13.1 mi We were up early again to try and knock out as much of the day's hike before the temps got the better of us. Downed some coffee and donuts while listening to a thru hiker who just arrived tell of how he had … Continue reading Spring 2018 AT Section Hike: Days 9-11
Day 6: Mountain Harbour Hostel to campsite at Slide Hollow. 9.6 mi After over-indulging ourselves (well, okay, I was the only one to over-indulge) in the AYCE (All You Can Eat) breakfast at Mountain Harbour, we resumed our walk north. Mountain Harbour is an awesome place to stay and I highly recommend it to anyone … Continue reading Spring 2018 AT Section Hike – Days 6-8
Day Four: Ash Gap Campsite to Overmountain Shelter. 9.0 mi There was a lot of anticipation leading up to this part of the trip and it didn't disappoint. The forecast was in our favor as we started up the trail. First stop was the site of the former Cloudland Hotel near Toll House Gap. The … Continue reading Spring 2018 AT Section Hike: Days 4 & 5
Bulldog's Droppings 