View Full Version : Heading toward Springer tomorrow!
I'm leaving NY tomorrow to begin my Springer to Harpers Ferry hike....plan on finishing to Katahdin next year. Will start on the first or second. The plan is to take my time and really enjoy all that the trail, towns and people have to offer. Definitely plan on hitting Trail Days and hook up with some HF members.
Some of my basic gear is a Dangerbird hammock built by PapaSmurf, a Hammock Gear Incubator and Wilderness Logics Big Daddy tarp. I'll also be using an Emberlit wood stove, a Sawyer Squeeze filter system and an Aarn Natural Balance pack. My weight including food to reach Neels Gap and one liter of water is 24 lbs. plus or minus an ounce or three. As it gets warmer I'll be switching out the UQ for one of Mac's IX UQs and shipping home some cooler weather gear. I'm pretty happy with the weight.
Sadly, my wife had intended to start with me and hike 100 miles or so but due to a family medical emergency she will not be able to make it. We're hoping she can meet me near Erwin for the push to Damascus.
I have a trail journal started at www.postholer.com under the hiker name of Miguel which I'll be updating via my Droid. Hope to see some of you on the trail or at Trail days.
"May the forest be with you", Miguel
GrizzlyAdams
03-28-2012, 22:27
Bon Voyage Miguel! Thanks for the trail journal link. I do like vicarious long distance hiking.
Good luck, be safe, have fun, and most importantly know that we're all jealous:lol:
Seriously though, I hope you have a great time on the trail, and I'm going to be following your journal!
noontime
03-28-2012, 22:42
Sure is beautiful right now down here in Georgia! Have fun my friend
Taozenqi
03-28-2012, 22:50
Again Miguel, buen AT and enjoy the journey.
SoundWitness
03-28-2012, 23:00
Happy AT trails!! Good luck, enjoy the sights and just put one foot in front of the other.
Cannibal
03-28-2012, 23:24
Enjoy your time! You won't want to stop at Harpers...I promise. The tug north is a hard thing to shake.
Remember, take pictures of the people. All the scenery shots start to look the same and it's the people you'll want to remember. :cool:
Best of luck to you Miguel! Enjoy your hike.
raiffnuke
03-29-2012, 05:56
Best of luck. Enjoy your time in the wilderness.
bluejeans
03-29-2012, 07:49
Best of luck and great weather on your adventure. I will follow you on Postholer. Good luck and great Hanging!
Have a great hike. I ran across you journal on postholer the other day. I agree with Cannibal. You won't want to stop.
Look forward to keeping up with your journal, thanks for taking the time to do it
Thanks for the positive thoughts...actually leaving today...starting the hike on April 2nd. I'll be hiking extra fast so I can catch up to Hooch. :) I like to hike with party animals. :)
Hasta la vista and buenos tacos!, Miguel
hanging pirate
03-30-2012, 07:15
best of luck, stay safe ,and most of all enjoy yourself for all of us shackled to jobs they can't break away from.
coldstealie
03-30-2012, 07:16
Happy trails!
Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy, and I am so jealous. I'm sitting here between four walls right now wishing I was on the trail also. You are getting ready to embark on an adventure you will remember and talk about for the rest of your days. Make it as memorable as possible, and do as Cannibal says, take pctures of the folks you meet. :)
Meriadoc
03-30-2012, 08:08
Good luck!
Happy Trails!
Cranky Bear
03-30-2012, 08:30
Have a wonderful hike and be safe!!
Hi all....sitting here at the hikers hostel ready to leave in the morning. Sitting here with a bunch of other at newbs is once in a lifetime experience. I am loving it. The differences in experience is shocking. One guy is leaving with an eno but but no uq or pad. I found him a pad in the hikers box. I guess you could say this is where the rubber hits the road!
Miguel
Good luck man,,,may you enjoy all your endevours and have fun. We will keep up with you in your travels as you post your wayward journey.
Hey there HFs family...Miguel here checking in from the famous Ron haven's Budget Inn in Hiawasse GA. This place rocks! I had a cold one in my hand from the second my feet hit the ground in the parking lot!
The trip has been going well albeit a bit slower than I would have lied. I hooked up with a couple and the wife has been having knee problems. They both left the trail the other day and I have been hiking solo for the past couple of days. My distance doubled immediately.
Overall we've had good weather but very high winds at night. Papa Smurfs dangerbird with the weathershield has been a blessing. The wind was howling the other night but I was snug as a bug inside. The hammock was literally bouncing up and down. I didn't think the Big Daddy tarp was was going to make it but it did. I pulled a reall dumb rookie move that night and didn't thread one of my straps properly through the Dutch clip and the bottom of the clip ripped a hole in the strap. Luckily it didn't set me on my butt and I was in Hiawasse the next day. Not much in the way of gear here so a ratchet strap from the hardware store will have to do until I can get a bonafide replacement....that bright yellow strap just doesn't look right on that dangerbird.
Anyway I'm off tomorrow headed to Franklin NC...finally leaving the great state of GA. Experiencing the thru-hiker community has been awesome...it's one of the best parts of the trip. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my fellow hiker/hammocker Hugh who left springer the same day. True story...after a day or so we discovered Hugh left on his hike with an Eno hammock....much to our dismay that's about all he had. We discovered he brought a mylar blanket in place of a sleeping bag...no pad....no underquilt...four ft straps with no biners or way of adjusting....no stove and all cotton clothing. I schooled him as much as I could and the good folks at Neels Gap hooked him up with some free or greatly reduced gear. Rumor is he's still on the trail.
Happy trails, Miguel
Great job Miguel, keep up the walk. :) Hopefully Hugh is squared away and can do the thru hike. We are with you in spirit... :) Ih ope your wife is doing better.
stay at Ron Haven's motels once you hit Franklin. He will take good care of you
Cannibal
04-09-2012, 14:29
Be hungry when you hit Franklin; lots of restaurants in that town!!!
Enjoy your ride on the Short Bus with Ron and be sure he tells you about his days as a professional wrestler; there be pictures too! :lol:
Just a quick update from my hammock. I'm ten miles outside of Franklin tonight...temps will be in the twenties....same as last night but no wind tonight. I'll be at the Budget Inn tomorrow night, then on to NOC. Before i know it ill be at fontana. Did a 14 miler today....17 yesterday...feet are talking to me and not with a friendly tone!
Miguel from the trail. Updated some pics to my trail journal.
Another quick update...everyone has been holing up in Gatlinburg due to snow and ice on the mountain....including me. Have been staying the past two days at the lovely Grand Prix, soaking up all that GBurg has to offer. (: Most all are heading back to the trail today even though the forecast is pretty rotten. It's supposed to start warming again tomorrow....sure hope so! I\ll stop at Standing Bear for supplies and then on to Hot Springs. A hiker was arrested the other day at the Fontana Hilton for threatening other hikers with a knife. I was at the Hike Inn so missed all the excitement...trail was abuzz for a couple of days. Seems he was 17 and got drunk on a bottle of wine.
The forest leading to Clingman's Dome was awesome...my favorite hiking day of the trip. Lots of old growth mossy trees and the ever present fog.
Have a good one, Miguel
Redoleary
04-24-2012, 07:08
Good luck and safe travels.
Thanks for the update Miguel, sounds like great fun. I hope you get back on the trail soon. Watch out for those crazy teens with alcohol. :) It is nice to follow along with you on this thread, as I sit here at work behind a desk. :(
Enjoy the trail and the great outdoors. :)
Well...I've had a little delay with my adventure. I hiked into Hot Springs on April 27th completing my first day over 20 miles (21.5 actually...but who's bragging). Due to medical complications with a family member I have had to leave the trail for about a week or so. Problem is....that put me off my schedule to arrive at Trail Days in time. Solution is....I'm driving to Damascus Sunday and will have someone shuttle me down the trail about 100 miles which will put me right back on schedule. After Trail Days I'll make up the section below that starting at Hot Springs...about 95 miles.
The hike has been a lot of fun so far...loved staying at Standing Bear and Elmer's in Hot Springs.:) Papa Smurfs Dangerbird has treated me well. The weathershield was a blessing during the spell of really bad weather we experienced. I picked up a new Osprey Atmos 65 in Hot Springs and am loving it.
I do have one question....do you think I would be safe switching out my 20 degree Incubator now for Mac's IX underquilt? I'm looking to save a bit of weight and the concern over keeping the down UQ dry.
See you at Trail Days.
Miguel
Just a quick update to say I've arrived in Damascus and look forward to seeing all you fellow hammockers at Trail Days. On a side note...when I was just short of Kincora the tree my hammock was suspended from broke two feet from the base and fell directly on my hammock, missing me by inches. Frankly it was a miracle it missed me. I was trapped in the hammock for about twenty minutes, nearly having to cut my way out. I have pics which I will post later. It happened after a long day and I was very tired. Choose your trees well my friends!
I also was given the trail name of Cat in the Hat because of my stingy brim Pork Pie hat I've been sporting lately.
Later, The Cat in the Hat (Miguel) check out the journal at www.postholer.com hiker name Miguel