Appalachian Trail--all about ounces, steps, and overcoming challenges!

Our first steps on the Appalachian Trail at Summit Cut in Virginia

Well, we actually DID it!  On Friday morning, June 24, 2011, we set out on a three day adventure hiking and fishing along the Appalachian Trail, Section 45 in Virginia.  We got plenty of "stuff" stuffed into those backpacks, probably too much "stuff".  By the time we added our water in Damascus, they probably tipped the scale at about 30 lbs. each.  I must say, I was worried about being able to carry that much weight on my back for a considerable distance.

We began our hike at Summit Cut, approximately 17 miles north of Damascus, VA where we had left our truck parked at Sun Dog Outfitters.  We rode the shuttle which carries folks and their bikes up to begin riding the Virginia Creeper.  The driver let us off at Summit Cut where Hwy. 58 crosses the AT.  We were fortunate enough that another hiker was standing there when we got there, and he took this picture for us.  He was only dayhiking, so he took out ahead of us and we never saw him again.  We began this trek a little timidly, taking our time to adjust to the weight and the challenge of balancing those 30 lb. packs on our backs as we traversed the rocky, somewhat muddy path that would lead us, hopefully to Saunder's Shelter by nightfall.  We had plenty of time.

Our first waypoint of interest was Lost Mountain Shelter which was approximately 1.1 miles into the hike.  I was pretty excited about how quickly we got there and how good I was feeling even considering the burden on my back.  I was also encouraged at the condition of the facilities at the shelter.  There was a picnic table and a beautiful area where tents could be pitched.  The privy was clean and well-maintained, so I figured Saunder's Shelter would be very much the same.  We stopped there briefly, but didn't disturb the thru-hikers staying in the shelter and ventured on our way.

The rhododendron were blooming along the trail, especially in these lower elevations, making our path encouragingly beautiful as we continued.  Other than the rhododendron, we saw very few wildflowers on this first day, but there were many different types of fungi proliferating in the dampness along the trail.  We did see Indian pipe and an interesting plant/fungus that looked like ears of corn growing up out of the ground in bunches.  Not sure what that was.  There was also some deep orange "fingerlike" projections growing up from the ground too.  Not sure what that was either. :)  Oh well, neither are in my fungus book which I didn't take with me because of the weight.  Maybe I'll get them identified eventually.  Anyway, on Day 1, the fungi were the stars of the show.  Many shapes and colors were prevalent all along the trail.

The White Blaze!

By about 11:30, we made our way to the first point in the trail where the AT comes in contact with the Virginia Creeper and Whitetop Laurel Creek.  There is an awesome campsite here complete with a fire pit and nice logs laid out to sit on.  The creek provides ample water, however, we did not pump any here.  We still had plenty to have to carry up to Saunder's Shelter.  This campsite is below the trestle which is the Creeper Trail crossing high above, so you are somewhat sheltered from the busyness above.

It was still quite early in the day, so we decided to fish!  I put on one of the flies Dad tied for me, learning to actually tie that knot for the first time with fishing line, switched into my Keen sandals which would serve as waders on this trip, and put my line in the water.  I got a strike on that first cast, and before Bunk could even get his line in the water, I had landed my first fish--a rainbow trout, on just the second cast!  He was small, only about 5-6 inches, and he went back in the water, but what a rush!  We continued to fish up and down this short section near where we had left our packs and caught a couple more small fish--enough to keep it fun!  I LOVE dry fly-fishing!  I love to watch the fish come up and snatch that fly off the top of the water!  However, about 1:30 we decided to pack it up and continue our hike.  Before we left that spot, though, we had our first meal on the trail.  I made tuna salad sandwiches on wraps and they were good!  Bunk says he's not overly crazy about the wraps, but I think they make a great alternative to bread on the trail.  We had some nuts to go along with our "sandwiches" and then decided not to filter any water before we left--probably a blessing as it turned out.  We shouldered our packs and headed out on the final leg of our journey for this day.  I thought we only had about 3.5 miles left to go, but I didn't realize the challenges those 3.5 miles would present for us.

It's beginning to seem real!!!

The preparations for our Appalachian Trail Hike

Ok, so it is finally seeming real to me that we might actually hike a section of the AT this summer.  We finally bought our backpacks!  Bunk's is a Deuter ACT Lite 65+10 and mine is a Deuter ACT Lite 60+10.  We got them on sale at Blue Ridge Mountain Sports this morning for 20% off!  So we saved nearly $40 per pack.  So, now it's a matter of gathering all our stuff and making it fit into the packs!  We'll see how that goes.  :)

The Virginia Creeper Brings Back AT Plans

Yesterday, Bunk and I got up at 6:00 a.m., loaded the bikes, and headed to Virginia to ride the Creeper. We had reservations for the noon shuttle from Adventure Bikes in Damascus, but after looking at the weather forecast the night before, decided we'd try to get there in time to take an earlier shuttle to Whitetop. Even though we stopped for breakfast and then later for coffee, we still made it to Adventure Bikes in time to catch the 10:00 shuttle. We hoped this would put us off the trail before the afternoon thunderstorms that were predicted moved into the region.

The weather was perfect for a bike ride in the mountains--just cool enough to be comfortable even in the shade. And, the mountain laurel were blooming along the way which made it even more beautiful than my previous ride. The trail seemed rockier than before, so we had to be careful to not let a rock or loose gravel throw us. The top of the ride was fairly uneventful, but as we made our way down, we began to notice the creek that that trail crosses numerous times. This creek, it turns out, is Whitetop Laurel Creek and is apparently one of Virginia's best trout streams. We didn't know that at the time, but we kept commenting that it sure looked like there should be lots of fish in that creek! We also noticed several places where the Appalachian Trail crossed over the Creeper trail and even ran together with the trail at one point. All of this together got us to thinking about our desires to hike a section or two of the AT this summer. We had decided back in January when the AT planning began that we wanted to try to hike where there might be an opportunity to fish. I've already purchased a collapsible rod for Bunk's birthday, so now I'll just have to go get one for me! This part of the trail definitely meets that part of our criteria!

As we rode along and after talking to the people at the bike shop when we were done, we began to pull together ideas about how we could hike this part of the AT, including a shuttle to Whitetop Summit which would allow us to park our truck safely in Damascus at the bike shop. It looks like it can easily be done with just one night spent on the trail, which will break us in slowly. According to the 2011 Data Book we purchased in Damascus, we would be hiking Virginia Section 45 beginning at Summit Cut, VA where US 58 crosses the AT. There's a campsite about 5 miles in and Saunders Shelter at 7 miles in. Fishing would be done on Day 2, south of Saunders Shelter during the four miles where the AT and the Creeper Trail run together along the creek. We should probably be prepared to spend a second night on the trail in case we have a really good day fishing and don't make much time. We could fish and camp close to the river and then finish the hike where the AT goes back up and runs along the ridge leaving about 5 miles for Day 3.

Mt. LeConte!!!

Out on the precipice at Cliff Tops, Mount LeConte

One week ago today, I hiked my way to the summit of Mt. Leconte with Laura Watson and Jennifer Miller, two teachers from HVA. We left the school parking lot at 6:30 a.m., arrived at the parking lot of Alum Cave Bluffs at 8:30 and began the hike by about 8:45. What a hike this was!!! We made pretty good time, expecting it to take about 5 hours to reach the top, but we actually made it in four. The hike via Alum Cave Bluffs has many interesting features to view along the way including Arch Rock and the Bluffs themselves. We stopped many times along the way just to take in the breathtaking views from many different vantage points, catching our breath and taking in a little nourishment at the same time. I packed some of the Clif Bars to eat along the way and was quite pleased both at the taste and at the surge of energy they provided. There were also several places where we stopped along the way to look at the wildflowers. Painted trillium were the stars of the show on that day. We also came to one beautiful place where the rocks were covered with several different types of mosses and water was cascading gently down the rock face. It was quite beautiful, but the pictures we took just didn't do it justice.

We reached the summit a mere four hours after we left the parking lot. We were tired, but we were also pretty pumped at the shape we were still in after making that trek! The awesomeness of the views might have had something to do with how great we felt though. The views were spectacular! There was a large river snaking back and forth below us in the valley. I'm assuming it was the Tennessee River, but I'm not sure. We were able to see peak after peak stretching out before us. The weather was perfect and views were unobstructed. While we were up there, the clouds did begin to move in, but by then we were ready to head back down.

I had read that many people stop their journey at Mt. Leconte Lodge, which was a neat little collection of buildings, but I had also read that one should really continue on a little further to one of the observation points. We decided we would hike on up to Cliff Tops and I am SOOOOO glad we did! After only another .2 miles from the main camp, we cleared through a little brush and beheld some of the most spectacular views I've ever seen. It was almost as exhilirating a feeling as when I cleared the very top rock at Chimney Tops. I think I would have felt that way if I hadn't already done the Chimney Tops climb a few months ago.

One thing I love about hiking is the people you meet along the way. We ate lunch at a picnic table we shared with a couple who now lives in Knoxville, but is from Montreal. They were preparing to hike through the Pyrenees Mountains beginning in the south of France. They were very nice and shared a little about their travel plans. When we were at Cliff Tops, we share the summit with three nice ladies from Chattanooga. Two of them were also school teachers and they hike LeConte every year. They showed us a great place to take a picture, the one I uploaded to accompany this post. After they got their shots, Jennifer and I each made our way out to that perch and got our pictures taken too. Laura has a fear of heights and didn't go out there, but next time, we'll help her get out there because she's already wishing she had.

After spending a couple hours on the summit, we began the gruelling hike down. This part is much worse than the trek up, partly because the adrenaline rush begins to fade. By the time we reached the parking lot we were three exhausted women! In fact the funniest part of the whole day was when we went to the "comfort station" at the Chimneys picnic area only a few minutes from where we climbed back into the truck. This time, when we tried to get out of the truck, we could barely walk! We were already stove up and sore and laughing so hard we could barely make it to our intended destination! What a great way to spend a day with a couple of friends. Laura, I'm so very glad this was on your "before I turn 60 bucket list" and that we put it on the calendar all those months ago and made it stick!

To view all of my pictures from this incredible trip, click on this link: Mt. LeConte May 7, 2011

John Litton Farm at Bandy Creek

I had an interesting hike today near the Bandy Creek Campground in Big South Fork Park. Went with the Great Smoky Mountain Hiking and Adventure Group for the first time. Turned out to be a group of really nice people who just love being in the outdoors and feel that there's safety in numbers when hiking. This trail was a 5.9 mile loop through the forest with only a slight elevation change. It was rated moderate but I think only because of the two ladders you have to use to climb down two separate areas where the descent is just too steep to do otherwise.

The most interesting part of this hike today was these massive outcroppings of rock! Wish I knew more about geology--I'm sure there is quite a history behind these formations. There were many of these on the first half of the hike. It wasn't raining today, but water from last night's rainfall was making a bit of a waterfall over the rock in this picture as the trail passed under the outcroppings.

About 3 miles in we came across a small but pretty waterfall in the creek that ran alongside much of the trail. It was very pretty, but I must say, the scenery today wasn't as beautiful as the vistas you find in the Smokies.

We took a short break at the farm, ate a quick snack and snapped a few pictures. There was a pretty reflecting pond near the farm buildings and we were looking at that when a young hunting dog came out of the woods--lost and hungry. We fed her much of our food and then decided to lead her out. One of the ladies on the hike decided to take her home and leave her contact information with the ranger station in case someone was looking for her.

I don't know if it was the excitement over the dog or what, but coming up from the farm, we must have taken a wrong turn. We turned a 5.9 mile hike into a 7 mile hike by following a GPS into a dead end trail. We were "temporarily unsure of our exact location on the planet" became the joke of the day. We weren't "unsure" for long, but it gave us something to laugh and talk about.

Gear-gathering continues! Gotta love a bargain!

We hit the bonanza today! Bunk and I went to Gander Mountain as a chance for him to get out of the house after surgery. Two days and he's already climbing the walls being cooped up! While wheeling him around in a wheelchair through the hiking section (wishful thinking, I guess), we discovered a display of Jetboil Cooking Systems on sale. The camo-colored ones were $79, but the solid black ones were tagged $59.97. We decided to purchase one since we had decided that IS what we want to use when we backpack. When I got to the checkout line it rang up $44.97!!! A JETBOIL for $45!!! I couldn't believe it! After we got such a great deal on that we went back and purchased two insulated mugs, the only long-handled spoon like we wanted that they had and our ONE luxury item: a coffee press! We are very excited now about our accumulating gear, especially since we are finding at least some of it on sale.

Rainbow Falls Trailhead to Grotto Falls in the Snow!

Last Sunday, my husband and I were determined to enjoy the gorgeous nearly 60 degree weather on that late January day. This winter has been brutal, so a rare day of beautiful weather just couldn't be ignored. We headed to the Great Smoky Mountains unsure of where we would end up, except that we knew we wanted to go in Great Outpost after our hike to continue our quest for gear for out AT trip. There is so much we still don't know about what exactly we need to purchase.

Anyway, we were going up to do Abrams Falls, but decided to try to hike closer to Gatlinburg so we could shop at the end of the day. We hadn't hiked in awhile, so we thought we'd just do the little 2.9 mile Grotto Falls trail that we could extend on past the falls for a bit if we were up to it. However, after stopping at the Sugarlands Nature Center, we discovered that the Roaring Forks Nature Trail (which is the access road to the hike) was closed for the winter. A ranger told me we could still do the falls, but it would be a 6 mile hike leaving from the Rainbow Falls Trailhead parking lot. We decided we could do 6 miles in the time we had before Great Outpost would close, so off we went.

Upon arriving at the trailhead and getting our packs on, we headed up the trail about .1 mile until we came to the sign for the Trillium Gap Trail which takes you to Grotto Falls. However, our ranger had misled us slightly: the signpost read 3.7 miles to Grotto Falls which would mean a 7.5 mile hike round trip. We deliberated but finally decided to hike for a time period whether we made the falls or not, allowing us enough time to spend at least an hour at the Outpost. So, off we went, but we hiked at a pretty quick clip! We started off in layers of long sleeves, but quickly shed down to just a single lightweight layer of short sleeves, the weather was so nice. I really liked this trail. It was a nice mixture of ups and downs, creek crossings, and beautiful wooded views. We kept thinking we would see some deer, the landscape was perfect for it, but I guess they heard us coming long before we got to them. As we ascended, the weather began to change slightly with the air cooling considerably. Within a couple miles of the falls, the ground became snow-covered and closer to the falls, there were some treacherous spots where fairly deep snow covered the trail. One creek crossing was more like ice skating, and I was somewhat concerned that the thick ice covering the creek would break under our weight, but it held and we crossed ok. Our hiking sticks were a blessing on this trip due to the unsure footing in the snow and ice.

The falls was absolutely beautiful surrounded with snow drifts and hanging icicles! It was well worth the quick pace and straining of winter-rusty muscles. Bunk and I were pretty proud of pushing ourselves through a 7.5 mile hike in 3 hours and 15 minutes in all kinds of terrain and obstacles. I feel really good about our ability to hike 10 miles or so a day this summer on the AT. Granted, we weren't carrying packs with much weight today, so that will increase the challenge, but with training between now and June/July, I think we will be ready.