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The best laid plans?
Quote from nathanu on August 29, 2022, 1:59 pmThe best laid plans? This weekend was supposed to be hike 29 and 30, hiking from Woody Gap to Neels Gap. The plan was to hike from Woody to Woods Hole Shelter Saturday and then Woods Hole to Neels Gap Sunday. Would have been about a 7 / 4 mile split between the two. The reality ended up being a single 12 mile day and a few lessons learned. So, this weekend was #hike29 of my #52hikechallenge2022 .
What went right
- Met some really cool people. First was a guy named Harmesh (I probably misspelled that) at Jarrod Gap. We didn't spend a lot of time there and he didn't speak much English but he was lost and seemed genuinely impressed that I offered him food. We talked for a few minutes and his friend (with the map) showed up and they took off but it was a cool experience. Second was Jack at the summit of Blood Mountain. He is a missionary from Nashville and was taking a break. He didn't have a light and it was getting late, so he went down with me. Very cool guy with a very cool story.
- Spectacular views. So far, the views at Blood Mountain have been the most spectacular, breathtaking views I've seen so far. It made me work for it but it was worth it. I'll be back and, next time, will catch it in the morning and spend some time at the summit.
- I made it out. Even now, typing this seems weird but I had a couple of moments on this trip when this seemed like it may not be the case. Not dramatic but a reminder that you have to respect nature and the trail. The 10 Essentials are important. Knowing what you CAN do and accepting that can do and should do may be different is important. I kindof relearned that this weekend. Again.What didn't go right, lessons learned
- I didn't have a good understanding of the water situation and packed too much water. I *knew* there was a 5+/- stretch after Hightower Gap and some tough climbs and took 2 liters of water and was good. I had no real idea of what was available here and I carried 4 liters, 8lbs of water alone. Next time, I'll carry 2L and will be good AND will save 2lbs.
- My pack was too heavy. I didn't weight it but my typical load is between 29lbs and 35lbs WITH water and food. Not "ultralite" but very comfortable. I have no idea how far over that I was but I was over. Noticeably over.
- I didn't check / adjust my pack for fit before taking off, even knowing it was heavy. It didn't hit me that my son had used it last and has a MUCH different setup. I was miserable for the first 2 or 3 miles and beat myself up before stopping to adjust the pack. Due to the weight and bad setup, my hips and shoulders were toast very early on.
- I didn't check expiration dates on my food. I had stocked up a while back (apparently, a long while) so I could just "grab and go". As luck would have it, almost everything I grabbed was expired. Long expired. So, I ran out of calories before I ran out of trail.
- I didn't go with my gut on the weather. I knew it was going to rain, which didn't really bother me. It's like air conditioning. But, there was a 30% to 50% chance of thunderstorms and that made me nervous. I rolled the dice and it didn't land in my favor. My gut said to hold off, I ignored it. That wasn't the best plan.
- I didn't have a plan b for where to camp. There was a lot of bear activity in the area and potentially bad weather overnight. The one shelter that I had planned to stay at was .4 off trail. I saw one blue blaze but that was it. The area was completely overgrown and I couldn't find the trail to the shelter. I could have used Guthooks to get me there but it was clear it hadn't been used in a while. Had there been an aggressive bear or really bad weather, I was almost a half mile off trail under heavy tree cover. If I had a plan b, I definitely would have opted for that.
- I didn't have a good understanding of the trail at Blood Mountain. It was just 3+/- miles from the campsite and seemed like a no brainer to just push on. My typical pace is around 2 to 2.5 miles per hour, so it should have been 2 hours to the car tops. The last push up Blood Mountain from the south, to me, was tough. I was exhausted, hungry and starting to get nauseous but, when I got to the top, I figured I had just under 2 miles down, no problem. Some research would have told me that going down Blood on the north side was a circus ride. It was wet and quickly getting dark. Ultimately, it took me just over 2 hours.
- According to my GaiaGPS app, I logged 12 miles in just over 8 hours, including the time lollygaging at Preacher's Rock and Blood Mountain and my time trying to find the trail to Woods Hole. I got off trail around 8:15pm or so and the trail was starting to get dark. A long day but my first double digit day and definitely a learning experience.
The best laid plans? This weekend was supposed to be hike 29 and 30, hiking from Woody Gap to Neels Gap. The plan was to hike from Woody to Woods Hole Shelter Saturday and then Woods Hole to Neels Gap Sunday. Would have been about a 7 / 4 mile split between the two. The reality ended up being a single 12 mile day and a few lessons learned. So, this weekend was #hike29 of my #52hikechallenge2022 .
What went right
- Met some really cool people. First was a guy named Harmesh (I probably misspelled that) at Jarrod Gap. We didn't spend a lot of time there and he didn't speak much English but he was lost and seemed genuinely impressed that I offered him food. We talked for a few minutes and his friend (with the map) showed up and they took off but it was a cool experience. Second was Jack at the summit of Blood Mountain. He is a missionary from Nashville and was taking a break. He didn't have a light and it was getting late, so he went down with me. Very cool guy with a very cool story.
- Spectacular views. So far, the views at Blood Mountain have been the most spectacular, breathtaking views I've seen so far. It made me work for it but it was worth it. I'll be back and, next time, will catch it in the morning and spend some time at the summit.
- I made it out. Even now, typing this seems weird but I had a couple of moments on this trip when this seemed like it may not be the case. Not dramatic but a reminder that you have to respect nature and the trail. The 10 Essentials are important. Knowing what you CAN do and accepting that can do and should do may be different is important. I kindof relearned that this weekend. Again.
What didn't go right, lessons learned
- I didn't have a good understanding of the water situation and packed too much water. I *knew* there was a 5+/- stretch after Hightower Gap and some tough climbs and took 2 liters of water and was good. I had no real idea of what was available here and I carried 4 liters, 8lbs of water alone. Next time, I'll carry 2L and will be good AND will save 2lbs.
- My pack was too heavy. I didn't weight it but my typical load is between 29lbs and 35lbs WITH water and food. Not "ultralite" but very comfortable. I have no idea how far over that I was but I was over. Noticeably over.
- I didn't check / adjust my pack for fit before taking off, even knowing it was heavy. It didn't hit me that my son had used it last and has a MUCH different setup. I was miserable for the first 2 or 3 miles and beat myself up before stopping to adjust the pack. Due to the weight and bad setup, my hips and shoulders were toast very early on.
- I didn't check expiration dates on my food. I had stocked up a while back (apparently, a long while) so I could just "grab and go". As luck would have it, almost everything I grabbed was expired. Long expired. So, I ran out of calories before I ran out of trail.
- I didn't go with my gut on the weather. I knew it was going to rain, which didn't really bother me. It's like air conditioning. But, there was a 30% to 50% chance of thunderstorms and that made me nervous. I rolled the dice and it didn't land in my favor. My gut said to hold off, I ignored it. That wasn't the best plan.
- I didn't have a plan b for where to camp. There was a lot of bear activity in the area and potentially bad weather overnight. The one shelter that I had planned to stay at was .4 off trail. I saw one blue blaze but that was it. The area was completely overgrown and I couldn't find the trail to the shelter. I could have used Guthooks to get me there but it was clear it hadn't been used in a while. Had there been an aggressive bear or really bad weather, I was almost a half mile off trail under heavy tree cover. If I had a plan b, I definitely would have opted for that.
- I didn't have a good understanding of the trail at Blood Mountain. It was just 3+/- miles from the campsite and seemed like a no brainer to just push on. My typical pace is around 2 to 2.5 miles per hour, so it should have been 2 hours to the car tops. The last push up Blood Mountain from the south, to me, was tough. I was exhausted, hungry and starting to get nauseous but, when I got to the top, I figured I had just under 2 miles down, no problem. Some research would have told me that going down Blood on the north side was a circus ride. It was wet and quickly getting dark. Ultimately, it took me just over 2 hours.
- According to my GaiaGPS app, I logged 12 miles in just over 8 hours, including the time lollygaging at Preacher's Rock and Blood Mountain and my time trying to find the trail to Woods Hole. I got off trail around 8:15pm or so and the trail was starting to get dark. A long day but my first double digit day and definitely a learning experience.
Quote from Justin on August 30, 2022, 1:11 pmWow, some of those things I would have never thought to even think of.
How do you know how much water you will need?
What do you put in your pack and how does it go from 29 pounds to 35 pounds?
How do you plan where youre going to camp?
Sorry if these sounds like silly questions.
Wow, some of those things I would have never thought to even think of.
How do you know how much water you will need?
What do you put in your pack and how does it go from 29 pounds to 35 pounds?
How do you plan where youre going to camp?
Sorry if these sounds like silly questions.
Quote from nathanu on August 30, 2022, 3:06 pm@justin46 definitely not silly questions at all.
- How much water? I don't really have a scientific method for determining how much water I'll need but I generally try to keep at least one full liter on me as a reserve and one liter as my main water (English translation, I typically carry a 1L SmartWater bottle and a 1L Nalgene). I have just got a water bladder and used it on my recent trip but I'm not sure how it'll factor into my normal load yet. Anytime I pass by a water source that looks good, I try to stop and camel up and replace any water that I've used. I also have a 2 gallon water bag that I try to fill up before I get to or at camp. I use this to cook and clean and then top off my water bottles the following morning. It's often been the community water if there are other hikers there running low.
- What's in your pack and why does it vary so wildly? My standard load is typically a tarp, camp clothes, camp shoes, extra socks, extra underwear, underquilt, sleeping bag, hammock, food, first aid and hygiene, snacks, fire kit, poop kit, rain gear and water gathering and filtration. In the summer, my camp clothes are lighter, I generally don't take an underquilt and I carry a super small sleeping bag. I also tend to carry less food in the summer.
- How do I know where I'm going to camp? I use the FarOut app (used to be Guthooks) if I'm on a trail that has it and GaiaGPS. FarOut notes the specific locations for camping areas, shelters and most water sources and lets users post comments. GaiaGPS has tons of layers (including weather, cell coverage, satellite and topo) and I can typically find a campsite between the two. GaiaGPS also has an AT layer that has some good detail.
Hope this helps!
@justin46 definitely not silly questions at all.
- How much water? I don't really have a scientific method for determining how much water I'll need but I generally try to keep at least one full liter on me as a reserve and one liter as my main water (English translation, I typically carry a 1L SmartWater bottle and a 1L Nalgene). I have just got a water bladder and used it on my recent trip but I'm not sure how it'll factor into my normal load yet. Anytime I pass by a water source that looks good, I try to stop and camel up and replace any water that I've used. I also have a 2 gallon water bag that I try to fill up before I get to or at camp. I use this to cook and clean and then top off my water bottles the following morning. It's often been the community water if there are other hikers there running low.
- What's in your pack and why does it vary so wildly? My standard load is typically a tarp, camp clothes, camp shoes, extra socks, extra underwear, underquilt, sleeping bag, hammock, food, first aid and hygiene, snacks, fire kit, poop kit, rain gear and water gathering and filtration. In the summer, my camp clothes are lighter, I generally don't take an underquilt and I carry a super small sleeping bag. I also tend to carry less food in the summer.
- How do I know where I'm going to camp? I use the FarOut app (used to be Guthooks) if I'm on a trail that has it and GaiaGPS. FarOut notes the specific locations for camping areas, shelters and most water sources and lets users post comments. GaiaGPS has tons of layers (including weather, cell coverage, satellite and topo) and I can typically find a campsite between the two. GaiaGPS also has an AT layer that has some good detail.
Hope this helps!
Quote from flipflop on August 31, 2022, 2:46 pmVery cool story and Im happy to hear that it turned out ok. Still trying to get my head around everything that you posted @nathanu and most of the questions that I think I would have had @justin46 asked and you answered. One thing that I do see though is that you dont have a tent listed as something in your pack. You do have a tarp and a hammock though. Is that what you sleep in? Is that better or worse than a tent?
Very cool story and Im happy to hear that it turned out ok. Still trying to get my head around everything that you posted @nathanu and most of the questions that I think I would have had @justin46 asked and you answered. One thing that I do see though is that you dont have a tent listed as something in your pack. You do have a tarp and a hammock though. Is that what you sleep in? Is that better or worse than a tent?
Quote from nathanu on August 31, 2022, 5:19 pm@flipflop I use a hammock and tarp instead of a tent for shelter. I have a tent also but just tend to prefer the hammock over the tent.
@flipflop I use a hammock and tarp instead of a tent for shelter. I have a tent also but just tend to prefer the hammock over the tent.
by nathanu