Less Than Three Weeks Away From The Trail.

Tennessee Bound

 

 

Well it is time to really look at my gear for the little trip I have planned for the middle of March.  Yes, the first "big hike" of the year is fast approaching and I am looking forward to being able to take a quick break from the day to day issues and only worry about the weather, food, hypothermia, bears, mountains, blishers, sore joints while enjoying the vista present before spring arrives and the forest hides those beautiful views with a curtain of green foliage. 

 

I will be hiking with one of my closets friends, nay my best friend and it shall be an adventure.  He is attempting his first backpacking trip on the AT and I, well let's just say I am neediing to get out and and roam some trails.  So, it should be interesting.  The plan is to head into Damascus and catch a shuttle down into Tennessee and take 4 days and hike back to Damascus.  40 miles should be a great first hike of the year.  That is if the weather cooperates!!!  March in the mountains could have some interesting weather patterns.

 

 

Not much else is going on at the moment, I just wanted to let everyone know what I was up to recently. 

 

 

Hiking my own hike today..

 

CW.

Spice Up Your Trail Food.

......Spice up your trail food.



Ramen Noodles. A hiker staple.

So I have been looking at foods and recipes to replace or add additional flavor and calories to the old staples of Ramen and Korrs side dishes for my dinners when hiking. I don't mind these as I generally just want a quick hot dinner and head off to bed after a tiring day of tramping over hill and dale.  However, on a long hike, eating the same foods day after day can become very boring.  Yes, you can spice up your boiling bag of noodles with plants such as ramps when in season, but it is nice to be able to really vary the flavor factor from time to time, not to mention while resupplying in town totally being able to change the food you are carrying just for variety.

So, this is the first of hopefully several different recipes that may lead you to thinking about what you carry in your food bag on that long hike.  If anyone has a great recipe that is light and packs calories, feel free to email me and I will add it to a future post.



Here is a breakfast that beats pop tarts and breakfast bars:

Instant Cream of Wheat or Oatmeal in your favorite flavor, add slivered almonds and whatever dried fruit you have available.
A hard boiled egg.  Yes I know that is difficult, Just grab a dozed eggs while in town and boil them the night before you leave the hostel you are enjoying.  Take a couple with you for the next mornings breakfast and give the rest away to other hikers.  I guarantee you you will be loved!
If no hard boiled eggs, freezer bag cook some powered eggs and add some red pepper flakes and a bit of jerky.  Or try adding a few dried veggies and onion flakes to have a scrambled egg "hikers omelet".
Your favorite hot beverage of choice.

Here is a dinner that is supposed to be amazing on the trail.  I haven't tried it but it will be in my food bag on my next hike.  This comes from hiking guru Bob Gabrielsen and is very easy to prepare.

Backcounty Thanksgiving:

Chicken in a foil packet with stove top stuffing.  Don't forget to mix in some craisens in with it.  Sounds delicious and hearty!

Another suggestion using stove top stuffing is to add dehydrated potatoes and spam.  Yes I know, spam. You are not a hiker if you do not add spam to your food bag.  Easy to carry and packs a fair amount of protein and calories for its weight.  Heat or fry the  the span on your stove first.

Another one that I found on a FaceBook page is this.  At lunch, put dehydrated peas in water and carry till supper time.  At supper, measure water needed for Near East Brand Cous cous with roasted garlic and olive oil, add additional olive oil, the peas and a pouch of chicken.
Bring to a boil.
Add the spice packet and cous cous.
Stir and remove from heat.
Let it sit in a cozy for 10 minutes,
Fluff with fork, sprinkle with grated Parmesan and enjoy.


Another thing I carry is Bear Creek Veggie Beef dry soup mix.  First, the soup made from this mix is delicious, second, this brand can be found at most grocery stores and even at some of the dollar type places.  Secondly, the mix can be added to your other dishes to give your dinner flavor as well as some needed vitamins from the dehydrated veggies.  Remember the powdered eggs!  Throw some of this in with them when rehydrating the eggs.  Tastes great.

Also remember that hard salami and hard cheeses will last without refrigeration.  So add a bit of salami, summer sausage, cheese into your dinner pot. Your taste buds and body will thank you.

Now, I want to hit the trail and let some of the hikers drool over my "gourmet" meals while they are eating Ramen and Snickers Bars.  Ok, I may pack a bit of extra and share with a thru hiker or two....

Keep putting those feet in front of you one step at the time and enjoy the vistas.

IT IS BUTT FREEZING COLD! TRAIL NAME FROM A FRIEND.

OK, So I Have Been Busy!  Give Me A Break. 

 

 

 

Dressing for 5 degree weather.

OK, so what that I have been a bit lazy  and not posting to my blog recently.  Well, actually I have been just plain busy what with the holidays, work, trying to stay warm when it is 5 degrees and snowy.  Yes it is just plain freaking cold here right now.  When it is this cold with ice and snow, motivation to hike is difficult to find.  Couple a lack of motivation and the early sunset times, it is difficult to get much hiking in. 

However, the butt freezing weather does create an opportunity for cold weather gear testing and that is what I did this morning.  I really wanted to test whether the gear I had would keep me warm in some of the more extreme temperatures I may encounter while hiking the AT in the late winter or early spring.  So today I am dressed in my OR 900 fill down jacket, my 900 fill Patagonia down vest, a micro fleece 1/2 zip and off course a snug wool hat and merino wool glove liners. Don't I look like a hiker at least?

So, what are my feelings on this gear.  Well after more than an hour standing and moving around outside, I must say that everything above my waist stayed toasty warm.  Why did I say everything above the waist?  Well, I am wearing jeans and my legs are freezing right now.  HA HA.  I am not sure everyone would appreciate full hiker garb at work so jeans it is today. I hope to get out tomorrow morning for a quick little 4 or 5 mile hike before having to head to the part time job in the afternoon.  Full Hiker Trash regalia will be worn!!!!!  Ha Ha.

My hiking plans are up in the air for this spring and summer right now, work demands and obligations are bearing down and it looks like instead of a good long 3 week training hike, I will be doing many more shorter 3 day hikes with one or two week long hikes this summer.  First decent hike will be in March with a friend who has never been on a long distance hike so I have limited the mileage to 40 miles with him over 3 or 4 days.  So, I will  head down to Damascus VA for 4 or 5 days and do some late winter hiking.  I have been coaching my friend with his gear purchases and we  will see how heavy his backpack is when I arrive.  The line is 3-1 the backpack will weigh in over 50 pounds.  I hope not however for his sake.  No matter,  it will be fun even if we do not make good daily mileage.  Good friends, hiking, and being in the woods is just what I need after a cold snowy winter.

So, I am thinking about changing my trail name.  I have had my trail name for quite awhile but someone made a comment and threw out a new nickname and I think I like it.  I do not think this person realizes what a trail name is or even that they exist.  However the nickname actually kind of works in a way and would definitely make me smile when someone calls it out. So, I am thinking about changing it when I hit the trail for my March hike.  I guess I have time to think about it.  Changing a trail name is something I do not take lightly. 

So, that is all, for those of you that are hiking this time of year, remember to be cautious of hypothermia, especially while in camp or when stopped for any length of time on the trail.  Be proactive, keep snacks on hand to provide fuel for your body between meals, and by all means, keep drinking water.  Keep an extra layer of clothing ready in case you run into colder temperatures than you plan for.  Remember, you will lose fluids when you breath and without the rest of your body sweating, you may dehydrate yourself without realizing it.  And by all means, practice your winter survival skills close to home before undertaking a significant winter hike.  It is easier to learn from your mistakes on a local overnight camp where your car is available to keep you warm if need be than on the trail miles from civilization.

Oh, and on an aside, if you are that friend that may have inspired the new trail name.  Hey There, I hope you found this blog interesting.....MSP.

So, till next time.  Hike your own hike and be safe on the trail.

Gear Review- Brasslite Turbo l-D alcohol stove.

Brasslite Turbo l-D Alcohol Stove Review.

I am always looking for a good, dependable stove for long distance backpacking.  With the choice of liquid fuel, canister, wood burning, alcohol or esbit tablets the choices can be overwhelming to the novice backpacker.  This review will not rehash the advantages and disadvantages of each type of stove but will focus on one of the stoves that I carry most of the time on my hikes.

I love alcohol stoves, I have tried many different designs from soda can stoves, cat food can stoves pressurized versions and everything in between. They all worked as intended, some better, some worse but I think I have found the stove that I will carry for a long time to come.  The Brasslite Turbo l-D


Information taken from the Brasslite website.

 Brasslite manufactures high quality, ultralight alcohol-fueled cooking stoves for backpacking and camping. Brasslite stoves are light as a feather and are small enough to fit inside any cook pot but in spite of their size and weight they are surprisingly stable, durable, and hot! Unlike other alcohol stoves currently on the market, Brasslite stoves have an adjustable sleeve that allows them to simmer perfectly. Brasslite stoves are easy to use and maintain. Unlike most commercial backpacking stoves Brasslite stoves have no valves or other moving parts, no plastic parts, and no pumps or seals to wear out. Alcohol stoves have been popular in Europe for years. They're a simple and environmentally-friendly alternative to wasteful gas canister stoves or heavy white gas stoves, but many hikers have avoided them because of their reputation for being slow to boil. Not Brasslite stoves! They will bring 16 oz. (500 ml) of water to a rolling boil in about 5 minutes.* If you're a gram-counting hiker in search of a truly lightweight stove that is both durable and 100% dependable, your search has ended! Whether you're an occasional backpacker or someone planning to walk for months, Brasslite stoves have what it takes to lighten your load and go the distance.

I had seen this stove in use on the trail several times and really liked what I saw.  The hikers using the stove seemed to like it, it was small, it was light and it looked well built.  The stove IS light weight weighing in at approximately 1.9 ounces and is made of brass.  It holds cookware with a diamater of up to 5 inches and 1 liter of volume.  This is perfect for the solo hiker (Brasslite does offer a larger version of this stove if you are not a solo hiker).  The stove stoves width is 2 inches...including the primer pan it will be 2.5 inches and about 2.5 inches tall and will hold 1 ounce of alcohol in its chamber.  This stove included a unique simmer ring which allows you to do a bit of simmering if you do not cook out of freezer bags and need to simmer something like soup or pasta for a while.

I have put this stove thru heavy use for the last six months and have nothing but praise for this little stove.  I can burn about 1/2 ounce of fuel and have 16 ounces of water boiling in about 5 minutes at an ambient temperature of 50 degrees.  I have experimented with the simmer ring and with an ounce of fuel, it appears to allow me to simmer a meal for about 15 minutes.

This stove gets a thumbs up from me.  It has found a home inside my mug and is my go to stove on the trail.
Check it out, buy it and see for yourself.

Appalachian Trail Hike: Daleville, Tinker Cliffs and McAfee Knob.

A December Hike On The Appalachian Trail

McAfee Knob

I found myself about 2 weeks ago looking at my schedule and to my good fortune, noticed that I had the following weekend free of all responsibility.  Sitting at work and realizing that I had no plans for the weekend, it did not take long to begin thinking about a hiking weekend.  The weather reports appeared favorable with warmer temperatures and no snow forecast for the mountains so the choice was easy.  So, I ruled out local hikes and decided to hike the Appalachian Trail.

So, the general area to hike was selected, now to figure out where to actually hike.  I posted to an Internet board that specializes in the Appalachian Trail (www.whiteblaze.net) seeking a hiking partner for the weekend. Generally I hike alone but thought if there was a hiker that wanted company it might be fun.  I very quickly received a response from one hiker who was hiking the VA  portion of the trail on the weekends who was hiking around Daleville and he was willing to help shuttle me back to my truck on Sunday.  I also was contacted by a Trail Angel who lives in Daleville, who was willing to shuttle me to the trail Saturday and actually ended up going above and beyond transportation for me.  Thank you!  After several phone calls and emails, plans were made and the weekend was around the corner.

Trail Angels are special people.  A Trail Angel is someone who takes it upon themselves to make themselves, their time, their cars and sometimes their homes available for hikers hiking the Appalachian Trail.  These people are special people and deserve the respect and admiration of every hiker on the trail.  There is a special Trail Angel in Daleville and I was not only privileged to meet her and her husband, but they invited me into their home Friday night so I did not have to hit the trail after dark and hike until I found somewhere to camp. They were already allowing two thru hikers, Eagle Eye and ? to stay several days at their home and this Trail Angel was shuttling these two hikers so they could slack pack portions of the trail. On a side note, these two hikers were about 100 miles from completing the Appalachian trail.  They had been on the trail for about 8 months, started in Georgia, walked to Bland VA, jumped up to Maine and walked back down to Bland.  Over 2000 miles.  Good Job and Congrats.

So, this Trail Angel and her family put me up for the evening, fed me a wonderful dinner, and I was entertained with great conversations of hiking and the Appalachian trail. Once again, you know who you are and thank you.  If you are ever up this way, let me know and I will return the favor.

The Appalachian Trail extends through the towns of "merged" towns of Daleville and Troutdale Virgina and makes access to the trail easy.  There is an outfitter in town for gear, good grocery stores for supplies and one awesome Trail Angel, but we will get to her later. For those traveling to the trail for a weekend hike, the trail head is right off Interstate 81 with a Super 8 Motel and a Howard Johnsons right next to the trail head.  Note: I was able to park in the Super 8 parking lot overnight with their permission.  Props to them for allowing me to park in a safe place.

Early Morning at the Trail head.

I woke up early Saturday morning, grabbed a quick breakfast, loaded up the two thru hikers as they were headed to the same trail head as I was and prepared to begin my walk in the woods.  The hike was a 20 mile hike over two days and I had planned an easy 10 mile hike today ending up at a shelter for the evening.
Morning had not broke when I entered the woods. It was a bit chilly and I had on a base layer, shell and a light fleece to keep warm.  My headlight illuminated the way as the first light of dawn was still 20 minutes away.  It was good to be back in the woods.  I smiled to myself as I knew that this was where I needed to be this weekend.  The woods are a sanctuary, a place where the stresses of life sluff off your shoulders at the trail head and would not be thought of again until your hike is finished.  The smells and sounds of the woods are enticing and made me feel more alive than I had been for awhile.

I walked slowly, warming up my muscles for the days long hike.  I mentally prepared for a great day.  Ten miles is a short day of hiking and with such low miles, I had hours to meander the trail, to stop and listen to the forest, to watch the wildlife, to admire the views and maybe even read a book and nap along the trail.  Sweet.

Daleville VA now far below me.

Twenty minutes later, I had to stop to remove layers of clothing as I was getting very warm.  My muscles warmed up about the time I started up the first hills and I was enjoying the hike.  After a mile or two I come across a view of the town of Daleville now far below me. I take a moment to think about the people down there starting their Saturday morning, some getting ready for work, some feeding their children, some probably hung over after spending their paycheck at the the local watering hole and I realize that I would not trade places with any of them that day.  I was exactly where I needed to be.

Self Portrait at Hay Rock.

Hiker enjoying the views

The rest of the day was beautiful.  I spent time off the trail looking at the geology of the mountains.  I spent time sitting looking at the views, I read a book and yes, I took a nap.  I was in no hurry to get anywhere and I didn't get anywhere fast today.

I was able to watch the wildlife, deer, squirrels, turkey, cows, birds, and other assorted wildlife were seen.  Views were spectacular and the trail at times decided to be forgiving with soft dirt trails.  Other times, the trail decided it was time for me to work and would throw boulders, rocks, roots and other assorted obstacles in my way.  No matter, it was all good.  It was what I had come to seek out.

I arrived at the shelter about 3 pm.  No one was here and I set about my camp chores.  Blow up my mattress, get out my sleeping bag, stove and food. Change out of my stinky clothes and into a fresh shirt for camp.  I needed water so I headed towards the back of the shelter where there was supposed to be water.  Well, there was water, however it was from a dried up creek and the few pools of water available were stagnant looking.  So, I head back down the trail the way I came for about .3 miles where I was able to find a small stream with a trickle of running clear water.  I fill up my hydration bladder as well as my Gatorade bottle full of water and head back towards the shelter. I chemically sterilize my water with Aqua  Mira and collect firewood for a fire.  It was supposed to be chilly tonight and I had decided that while I cooked my gourmet dinner (right if instant noodles qualify) I was going to be warm.

As I was finishing gathering firewood a family walks down the trail and heads for the shelter.  I am a little disappointed as I was hoping to be the only one at the shelter.  However, they seem to be nice enough albeit noisy and as I cook dinner we talk about the trail and hiking. A fire was lit and we talked as the kids played Crazy Eights by the fire.  After an hour or so, I head off to the shelter and settle in for the night.  I fall asleep quickly listening to the fire crackling and popping and the quiet murmuring of the kids talking about bears.  Oh, lest I forget, the father decided to hang his bear bag next to the shelter instead of finding a tree several hundred yards away.  If I had of know that before I fell asleep, I would have made him move it away from the shelter.  Did he know I attract bears sometimes like flies to honey?

I woke up at 4:30, fixed a breakfast of oatmeal and pop tarts, packed my gear and was on the trail before 6 AM.  I love the early morning darkness and again hiked by headlamp until daybreak filtered down to the forest floor.  It was so peaceful.  That is until the forest decided I was enjoying the hike way to much and decided to put a slick rock under slick leaves that created a situation where I placed my foot on this hidden danger.  The foot slipped one way, my body and other leg went another and I felt the muscles in my right thigh scream "CCCCCCRRRRRRAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPP, that hurts"!  I now had a serious pulled muscle in my thigh and it hurt.  I tried to walk it off hoping it would loosen up.  Of course it didn't it only became more painful as I walked.  So I took a couple of Advil and continued on. What could I do?  I had to move on as I had a schedule to keep and I was hiking alone.

White Trail blaze and view from Tinker Cliff.

Well, I hiked slowly dreading the approach to Tinker Cliffs that was less than a mile away, It took me an hour to climb up to Tinker Cliffs limping along and nursing my sore leg.  However the views atop Tinker did make me forget the pain for a while.  Beautiful views were along every bit of the half mile cliff walk. I enjoyed the view but I was worried about my leg, the time it would take me to hike to the trail head and more importantly, I was wanted to enjoy some time at McAfee Knob, one of the best views on the Appalachian Trail.

As I continued hiking my thigh began to hurt even worse. Heck I could barely lift my leg and climbing uphill was very painful.  I dreaded having to lift my foot up where there was a need to "step up" and it seemed like I had to step up or over something every 10 feet. Ouch.  I was averaging less than one mile an hour on the trail.  It was going to be a long day.

Approach trail to McAfee
Knob.

I limped along still enjoying the day until I got to within about 3/4 of a mile of McAfee Knob. There is about a .8 mile steep ascent to the top of the knob that took me over an hour to climb.  My leg hurt so much that I was having to stop every 100 feet and rest or the pain was overpowering.  Eventually, the end of the ascent came close.  The trail changed from dirt and roots to rocks and boulders. Within .2 miles I made it to the top of McAfee Knob.  The Knob is one of those special places on the trail.  In fact most of you readers that are not familiar with the trail will recognize the picture of me on the knob.  This is on of the most photographed places on the trail and most people will recognize the scene even if they have not put a foot on the trail.  The knob has an elevation of over 3000 feet and the views are out of the world.

As I limped the last few feet of trail to the knob, the wind was gusty and strong and after the exertion and sweat of walking the approach trail, the wind was quite cold....however as I walked out onto the knob and took in the view, the cold and soreness no longer mattered.  I stood there in awe, the blue sky, the white clouds, the miles and miles of views has a way of making one forget about the hardship.  I was lucky, there were only 2 couples on the knob when I arrived.  I spent an hour up there, taking photographs and silently enjoying the afternoon.  This is what hiking is all about.  The struggle to reach a special place a place to commune with nature in your own way...almost a religious experience.  This is the payoff that one never forgets.

My Special Time On McAfee Knob

The afternoon was quickly fading into evening and I had 4 miles of strenuous downhill miles to get to the trail head before dark.  I bid my goodbyes to McAfee and was able to average 2 miles an hour downhill even though I was in pain. I actually made it out before nightfall, found the parking area and waited about 45 minutes for the hiker that I was meeting to come off the trail.  We quickly introduced ourselves, packed our gear into his car and headed off to the local watering hole where we each celebrated out individual hikes together as only hikers can do.

What a great weekend hike for the beginning of December.  The weather was perfect and I actually enjoyed the mental battle I had with myself to keep going even though I was in constant pain.  Thanks to my Trail Angle and the other hiker who gave of themselves allowing me this wonderful weekend.  It is true, AT hikers are friends even if they have never met before.

So, I now need to plan my next hike....I am thinking an out an back over Christmas since I do not have any particular plans.  I wonder if there is someone else who is single away from their family who would  like to celebrate Christmas on the trail.

Till next time keep hiking your own hike.