I'm bringing my 21" Sven saw. I would bring my Gerber camp axe as well, but axes and hatchets are prohibited in the natural area.
Type: Posts; User: Bearpaw
I'm bringing my 21" Sven saw. I would bring my Gerber camp axe as well, but axes and hatchets are prohibited in the natural area.
I've had problems with both FedEx and UPS in the last week. Basically, unless you work in a business office, good luck getting a package that requires a signature. I HATE dealing with them.
I'll...
Actually, it only adds .1 or .2 miles. And the route is much easier. Your climb up to the rim at Dog Hole only brings you maybe 25-300 feet up. If you stay on the main Fiery Gizzard trail, besides...
At a casual pace, I covered the RS to Hobbs Cabin in about 4 hours. If you're used to hiking in the mountains, this first day will be very easy, since there is maybe 300 feet of climbing over a...
Have fun. Enjoy the spring house. It is excellent. And I always love the view down to Cordell Hull Dam from the west trailhead.
Pictures!
Shan Dynasty in Monteagle consistently ranks in the top 100 Chinese restaurants in America. It's not a huge mega-buffet, but the food is excellent.
By Saturday it should clear again. Definitely by Sunday. I'm considering going back to hike Carter Forest, Grundy Lake, and the Climbers' Loop at Foster.
It's not hard in this region, especially in the gorge country of Tennessee's Cumberland Trail. The country is elevated, about 2000-3000 feet (600-900 meters) up, with deep gorges (or gulfs or...
Yeah, I got in a good hike on the Duncan Ridge Trail just after New Years, and now this trip. I have three or four more planned by the end of March.
Start out enjoying the Grundy Day Loop at Grundy Forest or the Climbers Loop at Foster Falls. Shorter, but a good place to get used to carrying your gear. And very high reward views and sights for...
Coal. It was coal that brought industry to Tracy City. The coal was brought out and immediately used to smelt iron at a forge in Tracy City called the Fiery Gizzard, hence the name of the creek and...
That's an incredible hang. Did any one keep tabs on who had the heaviest/bulkiest rig, versus who had the lightest/most compact rig to deal with that kind of cold?
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Once again, I was up before dawn, heating cocoa water. I packed up breakfast and Dewey, and we headed the half-mile to Raven Point to enjoy breakfast with the sunrise....
Saturday, January 19, 2013
This was going to be a busy day. I started off by getting up before daylight and heating water for cocoa and a fried pie breakfast. Then, with only the ambient light...
I had often heard that Fiery Gizzard Trail, near Monteagle and Tracy City, Tennessee, was one of the more popular trails on the Cumberland Plateau. I had also heard it was very rocky. And some even...
I just did that section today, and minus a lunch break and did it in about 3:45. When I hiked the 8 miles from Savage Gulf RS to Hobbs Cabin back in October, I covered it in about 3:50, including a...
I have never had a problem with USPS. I always request USPS if I can get it. Usually if the shipper uses UPS, I have to wait MUCH longer because my wife and I both work when UPS delivers. Thus we...
It's definitely doable in a day. The first time I walked this loop, I did it backwards of the way we're planning and did your second day on day one. A bit shy of 12 miles. You'll take a lot less...
I love that section of trail up on the Neuse River. Well, I love the whole NT, but finishing with that beach walk was special.
I have several trips planned, weather dependent, over the next three months. The last three months were bad on many many levels.
A person in good shape could tackle it in two. I had to walk about 2.4 miles to get to it on the east side from the AT. And 1.6 miles on the west side on the BMT. Plus, you'll venture upwards of...
No, I was talking about the last half mile up to Signal Point. You cross Middle Creek and the suspension bridge and have a pretty gradual ascent at first, then you get more serious with that last...
This one WAS interesting. Not bad hiking by any means, but between the cold and ice and many little, steep climbs, it was memorable.
Friday, January 4, 2013
The night was well below freezing as frost on my tarp indicated. Despite burying my water bottles in clothing in my pack and turning them upside down, I awoke with a good...
Thursday, January 3, 2013
I rose to a cold morning and spent a good twenty minutes convincing myself to crawl out from my quilts. Once I finally got moving, I managed a breakfast of oatmeal and...
If you grew up a fan of the country group Alabama, you’ll remember the line from “Mountain Music” that goes “Swim across the river, just to prove that I’m a man.” After finishing this little 19 mile...
There is some decent open sky in front of the ranger station Thursday night and Hobbs Cabin Friday night.
If you get to Alum Gap early, walk out to Greeter Falls. It's about 3 miles round trip, but well worth the hike. And you're only walking 4 miles in. Or do it Saturday morning. Or, on your ay in...
Shouldn't be a problem. Each of the campgrounds we are staying at has 4 or more campsites within them. And most of the people who stay at Hobbs want to stay in the cabin, not the camping area.
At this point, I am committing to an early Friday arrival (prior to 8 AM) and hiking the full route.
Friday is an easy 8 miles along the rim to Hobbs Cabin. There is maybe 300 total feet of elevation gain in bits and bumps along the way.
Saturday is a shade over 5 tough miles. The descent into...
Unless something wierd happens with work, I plan to be.
I've hiked all of Savage Gulf a few times. I actually posted a trip report from there a couple of months ago.
For a few thoughts: Chinese buffet: Shan Dynasty, exit 135 in Monteagle is quite...
From my Bartram Trail thru-hike (March 2011):
Winter Incubator w/ 3-season snap/drawstring Burrow hung to loft up. Attached to ENO Doublenest....
I wish I could make it, but this is the same weekend as Southern Ruck at Nantahala Outdoor Center. I'll be giving a hammock workshop there.
Awesome trail. Love that I'm only a couple of hours away.
Think I may get back there this winter.
Keep tweaking your hammock.
And keep drinking your whiskey so your tolerance doesn't...
Yep. She's hiking a quarter-mile at a time on her own. She'll be carrying her own pack in a couple more years.
The IMT is farthest north. The AT parallells just south. The Creeper is a bit further south still.
Last July I hiked the IMT south to Damascus, but decided to dovetail south on the FeatherCamp...
I have a Gossamer Gear Nightlite pad. I cut it in half and now have two 20" x 24" pads. They make great sit pads and landing pads as well as footpads.
The triangle is a great idea. I hope to have a place with real trees, but I have a backup plan no matter what.
Savage Gulf is a real treasure for the sheer number of great sights and features in a fairly small area. The hiking is quite easy so long as you stay up on the rims. With over 55 miles of trail,...
That would drive me a little crazy. Once I buy a home, I digging holes 15 feet apart, dropping a small telephone pole in each, shoring them up, then pouring concrete around them. The hanging will...
There are numerous places to stealth camp along the Creeper.
The restaurants are mostly little stands set up near road crossings. There is an actual building at the old train station 3 miles...
Next time you're heading out, tell her you're looking forward to hiking with your girlfriend, who doesn't harass you about hiking and hanging.
Once your wounds heal, your wife will think simply...
If you look back through the archives, I believe I have trip reports for the entire AL and GA Pinhoti.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Day came a bit later than usual. I knew I was only doing a couple of short dayhikes with my family, so I slept in as much as I could manage. With my daughter for an...
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
This would be my toughest day. I knew this ahead of time. 12 miles, entirely down in the rocks of the gulfs. But I also knew I would enjoy many great rewards,...
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
I arose to a chilly morning. Even so, I was ready for a longer, considerably tougher day of walking than I had made the previous day. I knew from much experience that...
It has been three years since my wife and I finished hiking all the trails at Tennessee’s Savage Gulf State Natural Area. I have told many people that it is my favorite hiking area in the southeast...
I'm glad to say my body is feeling much better now than back during this first trip of the summer. I cranked through a much tougher climb out of the Slickrock hang this past weekend than any point...