5th Annual Mt Rogers Winter Hang report

[slowhike]

Anyone lose any gear at the hang? I found gear that I'd be happy to return if you can tell me what [they are/it is] and what [they/it] looked like.

Send me a PM with info.

I lost a $100 dollar bill, but I didn't write down the serial #

[NCPatrick]

Errrrrnnnnnnt! Nope, it wasn't a $100 bill.

[Doctari]

My take / report. As stated yesterday when I got home, BEST WINTER HANG EVER!!!

Thursday:
Bonsaihiker (Scott), Firewalker (Rob) & I (Gary) got to Massy Gap’s hiker parking lot around 12:30 on Thursday, made a 300’ Post holing push up the trail, then we got smart & went back to the car & drove to the Campground parking lot & hiked to the Wise shelter. This turned out to be a very good idea. The hike in was rather easier, & to Rob & I it was like going home. Sadly, once we were home, someone had pretty heavily vandalized it by nearly destroying many of the live trees & bushes around the shelter & by tearing off part of the metal roofing for use in the fire pit. I suppose they thought it would burn. Yep, the rangers have been advised. ANYWAY, by my thermometer, it got to below 20 F with about 1” to 2” of snow. Scott got to fully test his winter gear & new pulk without incident, & I slept like a rock,,,,, if rocks slept that is. Hetairoi & Angry Sparrow arrived at the shelter during my after hike nap, & we had some nice conversation. We are now “The five Wise men” LOL.

Friday:
Scott & I took a leisurely stroll back to the campground on Friday, leaving around 11:30 – noon, Sweet!! After crossing the last creek, Scott took off (He has longer legs) & I decided to slow down for my first hike alone along here. Total quiet except for nearby Big Wilson Creek, & absolutely beautiful scenery!! I think I took an hour to go the last ½ mile to the gathering.
I wandered over to the fire ring benches & fixed breakfast, Yep, I didn’t fix breakfast till around 2 PM, Hey, I’m on vacation. After breakfast I headed down hill to set up camp in a nice little cove of trees with little wind. My thermometer read around 28 F & it felt much warmer than that. Using 12 tent stakes (MSR Groundhogs), I had ONE actually in dirt, the rest were secured in snow & held for the 2 nights I was there. Saturday night I think we had gusts up to about 25ish. At one end (windward) I have a homemade “Door” & it was well worth the 5 OZ I think it weighs.
2 brought truck loads of firewood & we got a line going to get it to the fire, which was going pretty well by around 4. With the sun all were staying pretty warm & few were gathered around the fire, then the sun went down & the temp dropped precipitously, burr!
I have no memory to what I had for dinner, but I think it was good. By then there was a really nice fire going, “don’t spare the firewood!”
I really hated to leave such good company, but as I got up Wednesday AM at 0500 & didn’t get to bed till about 4 PM (4 hr nap) Thursday, I really didn’t have a choice so hit the nylon around 8:00 PM. I’m told that the crowd was up & loud till at least midnight, I didn’t hear a thing from “Up the hill”.

Saturday: Got a little chilled due to being too warm when I went to bed, left the TQ off to the waist. Yep, that was operator error! Covered up & opened a heat pack, slept the rest of the night. I was up a little after sunrise (maybe an hour) & ready to go. My thermometer read 9 degrees, but it was in direct sun & no wind for at least an hour. I think the semi-official temp of –2 entirely plausible. Snug in my hammock my 2 water bottles were not just liquid, but actually warm, woo hoo! Up the hill I went, not a long or hard trek, but as is becoming a yearly event, I got VERY overheated & had to go down to tee shirt for a bit. Not a pretty sight I know, but better than me passing out. I imagine the local EMS asking again “OK, it’s below 20 out & you say he passed out from getting TOO HOT???? You people just ain’t right!”
Around 2 I was thinking of organizing a Hammock tour, when I got offered to go on a hike wearing snowshoes, sorry guys, hiking overrides all!! So off we went for a 1.5 hr hike! Returning just as the potluck dinner was getting under way, FOOOOOD! As dinner was winding down the raffle got underway. Not everyone won something, but all had a good time with Pan winning one of his own quilts & Zach (one of our newest members) got a No Sniveler, of which he was very happy to get.
One of the rangers took us up on our offer for food & had a good time the short time he was there. I’m sorry Ranger, I did not catch your name. A little after the raffle Ranger Holland showed up to visit, & was given a quick tour of a few hammocks (JRBs set ups) & all thanked her enthusiastically! What a great hostess she was!
After “Marcy” left, we took a vote of those gathered, about 75% of those in attendance. In addition to saying we loved being at the group campground, it was Formally decided that from now on the Mt Roger’s winter hangout will be the 3rd weekend of January. So start planning for the 2012 hangout to be held at the Group campground in Grayson Highlands state park in Virginia on January 20, 21, 22, 2012. The vote was 100% for.
As we had nearly unlimited firewood, as the temp dropped, the fire got bigger. We had a fantastically HUGE backcountry TV. I managed to stay up till around 10 PM this time.

Sunday AM I was up at sunrise, but didn’t want to get up as that meant that I would soon have to leave. Still, Up I got once it was light enough out. After a quick visit to the Blue room, down came camp & the clean up began of the gathering area, with a lot of hands making the work light. Our plan was to leave at noon, we pulled out of the parking lot at 1207, which for me is like having left at 1000.
Scott, Rob & I joined a few of the others at the Log House restaurant a bit down the road for a tasty breakfast & more socializing, then on to home.

Pics to follow.

[MacEntyre]

Pan didn't win a JRB quilt... he won a Speer Polar Pod from Tree to Tree Trail Gear!

[Doctari]

Pan didn't win a JRB quilt... he won a Speer Polar Pod from Tree to Tree Trail Gear!

OH!!! OK, I misheard!

Aging past a certain point causes a vacuum*

Either way, congratulations Jack!!!!






*Old age sucks!

[Doctari]

My pics:

I even included 2 shots of the "Blue Room" pics #1 & #2
The camera on the ranger station that some family were watching for us from is pic #3
& the view from the trash can seen from that camera is #4
#5 is (L to R) Firewalker, Bonsai Hiker & Doctari preparing to take a walk in the snow Thursday PM.
##7 are of the amphitheater on Thursday
#8 is Scott leaving me behind on Friday's walk from the Wise shelter.

I have a few more to be put on next post.

[Shane]

I lost a Polar Pod. Blue, 900 down. Brand new. I think I saw some vagrant pawing at it after the raffle.



S

[BLUEFIN 774]

Looks like a great group hang, thanks for taking us along via video.

[Doctari]

Pics v2

#1 - #4 is why I lagged behind after we crossed the stream (Scott didn't actually leave me, I stopped ) Pretty aren't they

#5 & #6 views of my tarp, #7 is my "Door" & #8 inside my tarp @ the head end of the hammock.

#9 is the front of the Log House Restaurant.

#10 is a distance shot of Bonsai Hiker's tarp.

My set up from outside to all the way below me:

!3.5' sil nylon tarp on a Para cord ridgeline, the westerly end is covered by a untreated piece of nylon found on a hike. All staked in place w MSR Groundhogs.
Over the hammock (on the ridgeline) is a Bear Burrito Oven.
Hammock: Warbonnet Blackbird suspended by Whoopie slings to poly webbing & Dutch clips.
Over me: No sniveler Down UQ.
ON me (toes to head): wool socks & hand knit - heavy duty "sleeping socks", nylon tights, nylon shorts, nylon rain pants, poly pro; short sleeve tee, 2 long sleeve tees. Wool sweater, fleece vest, nylon vest, insulated gloves & a poly fleece hat. Saturday PM I added a neoprene hat mostly to help moisten the very dry air (I was getting a very sore airway, this helped). All 3 nights I had "Toasty toes" (chemical warmers) between the wool socks & the knit ones. Around 2 AM all 3 nights I added a large Chemical warmer under my TQ "just in case". A few times I had to take them out, but it was still a nice addition.
Under me:
Hammock
Ray Jardene quilt (w alpine upgrade) modified to a 3/4 length underquilt.
KAQ "New River" underquilt, snugged to barely touch the Ray J.
A !X from Molly Mac gear

Friday & Saturday nights I had a truckers wind screen as a floor mat, & this allowed me to get up for natures call without having to put my boots on or take my nice warm sleeping socks off. I will do this again as it made getting up less of a chore. I don't think camp shoes would have helped with 7" of snow on the ground under my hammock.

Another "trick" I learned [from Bonsai Hiker & a few others]: I dug out some of the snow under my tarp (Saturday PM) leveling my standing area & building a low wall at the edges of my tarp for just a bit of wind protection. I'll do That again too.

Only 360 more days till the next MRHO, start saving for a set of snow shoes!

[Peter_pan]

Smee and I got home fine... Was gone again today to D.C.

First i believe the -2* friday nite number...entirely reasonable from the 5* at 830 PM number several folk had...

Second it was a pleasure meeting the new folk and catching up with the veterans

Third, was Dutch really supposed to bring some treats form others...... they were tastey.

Fourth, I really want to thank Tree to Tree, 2QZQ, Molly Mac, Dutch and all the individuals as well that contributed to the Raffle...It raised $590 and after the group site fee and the Job site johnny rental a net $275 will go to HF/WB and the ATC.

Fifth, It was nice to finally buy a raffle ticket after 13 JRB raffles... With all the other vendor support It was now possible to win some one elses gear...SOOOOO... I did... Thank you Tree to Tree...I'm looking forward to checking out this fine Polar Pod I won in the next week or so...

Sixth... This MRWH has a great New Home...It will easily hold many more hangers.... Ya'll come next year.... We had a blast this year.... 23 new member of the negative temperatures club friday nite... Great food and tons of it... Fine hiking areas... And great folk to share it all with.

Pan