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Welcome to HF Marceia! And many thanks for all your help.
I had wondered if the camping fee included the parking fee as well. Glad to hear that it does. That will keep things a little simpler:)

Ranger Marceia Holland sent me this about the port-a-potties.

Tim,
The company that frequently provides port-a-potties for events is Job Site Johnny out of Marion. Their number is 276-783-7774....

Looking forward to meeting you too Poppabear.

I don't know what the mileage is right off, but I'd guess close to 5 miles.
You could make it a little shorter by driving back up to the parking area on the main park road, but you will still gain...

Yep, the Park Rangers have been very gracious in this offer. The few guide lines things they have pointed out are easy enough to understand the reasoning for & are no problem to respect.

If they...

I forgot you said you would cover the cost of a Port-a-jon. I was just doing some back up research anyway. I knew we could take care of that issue.
Note that in the Ranger's email that she said she...

OK, I herd back from Ranger Holland & all looks great if the majority of the group wants to use the campsite at GHSP.

Please look it over & lets hear your feed back. It would be good to make a...

True. Just doing the research in advance:)
There are plenty of options out there & some not very expensive. Some look more sturdy than the ol 5 gallon bucket. I've seen those plastic buckets crack,...

I was thinking about a plastic, 55 gal drum for this group:eek:
But we'd have to build steps:rolleyes:

OK, just kidding:) But I think one of the small, simple chemical & bag systems might work...

Just for information...
I called the first port-a-jon that came up on Google. They sell them for $495.00 but that company only rents in lower MI.
I called that company just because they were the...

Again, very generous offer my friend. You mentioned good accessibility for the third location & that is a positive.
One concern I'm afraid might be common among those wanting to attend is the...

Yeah, quite a ways up there. You got anything suitable in the lower tip of WV? Beautiful country up there.

Just for information on possibilities to think about the next couple days, I sent an email asking about the possibility of using the "group Camping" site which is just be hind the parking area we use...

It took me a few minutes to find just were this is in VA, but it's near Fort Valley, VA.
Further for some, closer for others. May not be a bad consideration.

That's better than I have found in the way of campgrounds Mac. I called Grindstone in Mt Rogers NRA & no answer. I even called the Log House Restaurant in Mouth Of Wilson & Jerrys Kitchen & Goods in...

We have talked about the possibility of GHSP letting us use the camp ground, or at least the Group camping area just behind the Camp Store were we park when going to Wise, but I don't remember if we...

That's kinda of what I'm thinking about. I tried earlier looking for VA campgrounds but didn't find what I was hoping for, but I would think there would be campgrounds in JNF that might take our...

Yeah, video #3 shows the wind I fear we might be stuck in for the weekend if we were not able to find a sheltered area. Often times easier said than done, especially for a group.

I called the FS back to ask more about White Top.
At the very top are communication towers for State Police & FFR(?), so they do plow the road at times, but not consistently. Mainly when they need...

There is the one notable creek crossing we have been crossing before the short cut we had been using to go to Wise Shelter. It requires rock hopping or tall, waterproof boots (waders?).
I wouldn't...

I did a little scouting today but I messed around & caused us to get a late start so we didn't do as much as I had hoped.
We started by entering GHSP & stopping at the Ranger's office just past &...

Thanks PF & BM. Just something for the group to think about.

Just a few thoughts... The offers by Bugman & PuckerFactor are indeed very generous, but one question is about scenic hikes. Would those wanting to hike need to drive to get to maintained trail they...

In the above post I said...
"We will probably ride around by the roads, through Troutdale & check out the parking areas over there just for information."
But I cahanged it. What I meant to say...

A friend & I are planning to ride up tomorrow & hike in from the GHSP camp ground parking area, past Wise, across Wilson Creek, & likely on to scales. We'll be checking the wooded areas & taking a...

Looks like that weather cam is at the ranger station just past the toil booth. Quite a bit of elevation is gained from there as you drive up into the park. You can often see a difference in the snow...

You would be welcome to come if you were able.
BTW, when I talked to ranger Marceia Holland on the phone I did invite her & welcomed & encouraged her to come by our camp if she was able & check out...

And if we go to GHSP tomorrow, we can also drive around through Troutedale to the Old Orchard parking areas & check that out. If so, we will try to talk to locals at the store/restaurant in...

Lets try to make a decision sometime this coming week (Dec 19-25), but I hope we wont jump on a spot so quickly that we miss important details.

Good suggestions have been made, but I honestly do...

I think the main points (IMO) to consider are...
Higher elevation for colder temps, but sheltered from major winds.

Might want to consider the roads leading there... do they get plowed when it...

Thanks Ewker. Good to know.

Yep, but we'll work it out.
In my thoughts, I sure do wish we could we could find a place were we could be either near the vehicles or just a reasonable walk away.
The more we need to depend on...

I was just looking at maps (paper & on line) of the I-85 route that Jack mentioned. Looking at were it passes through the Jefferson National Forest & just north of the Mt Rogers Rec Area, I noticed...

The OverMountain shelter sounds interesting. We would probably need to talk to some of the local folks like MacEntyre said & see about safe parking were we knew we had proper permission.

Thanks...

It's a really good thing to have a large shelter from the wind & snow on a long weekend base camp. Some of the benefits....
Most notably shelter from the near constant wind & even breezes, cooking...

This is just my personal opinion at this point but if a group decides to go to Wise Shelter after being approached nicely by Law Enforcement about finding a more proper location, I don't believe the...

The guide lines for National Forests, Wilderness Areas & State parks are different. The later two in this case lie with in the Jefferson National Forest & the more protective rules for the State Park...

I called GHSP & Marceia Holland answered. She was very nice & helpful.

I began to explain what I was calling about & she knew immediately what I was referring to. She was appreciative that we had...

Yeah, I'll be back w/ you soon, but no need for worry. There are indeed legitimate concerns about using that location, but we will find a great solution, for sure.

Exactly my thoughts. We don't want to be bad representatives for the hammock community, so I would suggest contacting him, telling him that we have already (in other threads) expressed concerns for...

Good! Brats cooked over hot coals when it's cold... nothing better:)
It'll be good to see you again. I guess last time was Jan 09.

Thank you MacEntyre. I'll plan toward that ride.
Carpooling is good.

I can't believe there's not a single Brat listed yet:eek:
I'm a little "hold-off-ish" on committing to bringing something that would be missed if I didn't make it, because of taking care of my Mom....

I believe Hickery is a bit of an entertainer too:)

We probably can't afford him as an entertainer. Better just keep him as a friend . He's pretty good at making friends laugh:)

Wish you could come. You could laugh at the southern boys for getting cold in the teens & single digits:rolleyes::laugh:

I've hiked through some of the Mt Rogers trails when there was snow on the ground, using trails that I've hiked dozens of times. Nothing looked the same. No blazes, no trail rut to be seen.
Unless...

Yeah, what wisenber said. No intention to question your winter hiking skills or judgment, but many a person have found those mountain trails to be far tougher to follow & navigate than they expected....

I often wear my waterproof/breathable rain jacket over my insulation in camp. It makes a huge difference having that extra shell over the other layers when your inactive.
Just remember to vent or...

Yeah, it's a beautiful area but high & exposed for the south east US, and it regularly catches folks off guard.
That's a big part of the reason we use the more protected Wise Shelter area for our...