Welcome to my hiking journal. I’m going to use this page as a collection point for my posts concerning one of my favorite leasure activities – hiking and camping. It’s something I’ve been involved with off and on for most of my life and as I get older, hope to pass on to my daughter. I’m lucky because not only does my wife also enjoy it, she’s been a huge motivator in keeping me involved even as our lives continue to get more and more complicated.
Sunday 7/27/08
Trip: ~2 miles
Elevation: 960ft (max) 870ft (min) <150ft (total accent)
Time: 1h 30m
Temperature: 90 F
Wind: Light breeze
Conditions: Clear, no precipitation
Pack Weight: <10lbs (day hike)
Summary:
We finally had a chance to get the whole family out for a short hike this weekend. Our Golden Retriever hasn’t had a chance to go swimming in months so we thought it would be nice to take her out to one of her favorite swimmin’ holes: [Stone Mountain State Park].
I came across [The Pulse] while browsing [the Backpacker Magazine web site]. It’s a good read and I highly recommend it for people who spend time outdoors on a regular basis.
Steve Howe is their Rocky Mountain Editor and has a life-time of experience with alpine climbing and hiking. He reports and comments on Search and Rescue (SAR) efforts that occur each year across the full spectrum of out-door recreation. It gives you a hard look at what can happen (this is life or death) when you step into the wild unprepared or under-geared for the environment you’re in. It also sends a sobering message that no matter how skilled or prepared you are for a specific activity, Mother Nature can turn your adventure upside down and sideways in an instant.
His number one lesson? Be smart, be prepared, and don’t let your ego make the decisions for you.
Sound advice.
Wednesday 6/4/08
Trip: 10.1 miles
Elevation: 4485ft (max) 3175ft (min) 2051ft (total accent)
Time: 6h 16m (moving) 4h 46m (stopped)
Moving Avg: 1.6 mph
Temperature: 80 F
Wind: Light breeze
Conditions: Clear, no precipitation
Pack Weight: ~33lbs (2L water, 4 days food)
Summary:
Blood Mountain was definitely one of the coolest parts of the whole hike. The entire peak is nothing but bare rock, fantastic views of the N. Georgia country side and large stands of flowering trees. I’m glad we were headed Northbound though, coming up from the other side would’ve been absolutely brutal. Almost 1.5 miles of nut-kicker ascent across bare rock-face and carved out step-ups. It was bad enough headed downhill. There’s a bypass trail (Freeman Trail) that links Slaughter Creek to the other side of Blood Mountain without having to cross over the hardest parts of the top though.
Tuesday 6/3/08
Trip: 12.4 miles
Elevation: 3906ft (max) 2850ft (min) 2356ft (total accent)
Time: 6h 16m (moving) 4h 35m (stopped)
Moving Avg: 2.1 mph
Temperature: 80 F
Wind: Light breeze
Conditions: Clear, no precipitation but very humid
Pack Weight: ~35lbs (2L water, 5 days food)
Summary:
The run out of Gooch Gap towards Woody Gap was nice. Rolling trail with some neat rock formations on the left side and vertical drops off the right. Woody Gap has bathroom facilities and a trash drop and looks to be a popular stopping point for cyclists and day hikers coming up from Suches.
Monday 6/2/08
Trip: 13 miles
Elevation: 3350ft (max) 2450ft (min) 2788ft (total accent)
Time: 6h 08m (moving) 4h 41m (stopped)
Moving Avg: 2.1 mph
Temperature: 70 F
Wind: Light breeze
Conditions: Clear, no precipitation
Pack Weight: ~38lbs (2L water, 6 days food)
Summary:
First full day with decent mileage. Georgia is famous for it’s constant series of PUDS (pointless ups & downs) – today was just a taste. At this point, it’s evident I need more cardio conditioning but it’s easily managed with interval rest. It’s also quickly apparent you spend pretty much the entire day sweating – which means you spend the entire day drinking water until you’re ready to puke – and then you drink some more. Dehydration is a serious issue at this point if you aren’t careful.
Sunay 6/1/08
Trip: 5.77 miles
Elevation: 3750ft (max) 2650ft (min) 631ft (total accent)
Time: 2h 21m (moving) 1h 53m (stopped)
Moving Avg: 2.5 mph
Temperature: 70 F
Wind: Light breeze
Conditions: Partly Cloudy, no precipitation
Pack Weight: ~40lbs (2L water, 7 days food)
Summary:
Our first day was a relatively short hike. Mel dropped us off at the FSR 42 parking lot on the back side of Springer Mountain, we got our gear on, said our good-byes and started our ascent to the top of Springer (and the AT Southern Terminus). Having missed all the rain earlier that day, the trail was slightly muddy but in good shape. Water apparently wasn’t going to be a problem. Doubling back, we headed downhill for the rest of the afternoon towards 3 Forks.