6 day Big South Fork trip, tips and help needed

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Originally Posted by jbryan

Yahoo Falls is in KY

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Ok, The John Muir Overlook is the farthest North I'll be. I was planning on seeing Maude's Crack though(that sounds so bad). We'll be going past Angel Falls and Station Camp on the way in. I'll be sure to look for Slave Falls while in the Arches area too. If I have to go to ground for whatever reason, I don't think I'll have a problem. It wouldn't be as comfortable of course, but livable.

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Originally Posted by Dave41079

Speaking to this, how is the terrain there? I'm thinking about doing it in trail runners instead of boots. I don't plan on being in a rush to get through the trail, I'm guessing about 12ish miles a day.

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I haven't worn boots in a long time. Found that hiking shoes work great and are much lighter. I have only done a small part of the BSF, but the footpath has been good everywhere, with one exception. That's in the low spots where it can be pretty wet and mucky.

Rain Man

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Originally Posted by Rain Man

I haven't worn boots in a long time. Found that hiking shoes work great and are much lighter. I have only done a small part of the BSF, but the footpath has been good everywhere, with one exception. That's in the low spots where it can be pretty wet and mucky.

Rain Man

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Yeah I'm stuck in boots for a while still. I had a pretty bad ankle/foot injury last month, then like an idiot reinjured it on Mossy Ridge Trail at Percy Warner by hiking in trail runners. Luckily my boots aren't SUPER heavy, and this time of year the gore-tex and extra warmth is welcomed also. I just have to make sure I don't injure it AGAIN before BSF.

lots of good trails in BSF. Make sure you pay attention to your map since a lot of trails criss cross each other.

The JMT trail is a 50 mile trail by itself but you can create any length trip you want.

I would recommend another book about the BSF. IMO it is the best book out there on the BSF
It is called Hiking the Big South Fork. This book has hiking loops of various lenghts in it

http://www.amazon.com/Hiking-South-F.../dp/1572330317

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Originally Posted by Dave41079

I'm working on planning a trip to Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in the latter part of March. It will be 6 days, 5 nights. I've never done a trip of this length, and was looking for some tips. I picked up the Trails Illustrated map from REI, and I've ordered this book from Amazon, which should be here this week. http://www.amazon.com/100-Trails-Big.../dp/0898866383 My plan is to head North from the park headquarters on the John Muir Trail, all the way up to the John Muir Overlook, then head South to Gobblers Knob, Twin Arches, Charit Creek Lodge, Bandy Creek, and then back to the HQ. The trip may end up taking less than 6 days, but there are a lot of side trails and sights to see. Also anyone familiar with the area, please feel free to give me your input as well. This is my gear list for now:

Golite Jam
Platypus Big Zip SL 3.0
2 - 1L Smart Water bottles
Alps Mountaineering 20* Synthetic bag
Stoic LTWT full length inflatable pad R-2.9
3/4 length CCF pad(used as frame for pack, and sit pad, and additional bottom insulation
Golite poncho/tarp
First Aid Kit that I've added some things to
Headlamp with extra battery
Compass/Map/Trailbook
HH Hammock and Hex Tarp with all lines and stakes needed
Extra cordage and an extra set of tree huggers
Firesteel, lighter, matches, dryer lint
Camp Soap, TP, toothpaste, toothbrush
Grease Pot, Heine stove, spoon, pot lifter, pot stand, windscreen, 16oz fuel
Katadyn Hiker filter
REI Peak UL Trekking Poles
Clothing is TBD closer to the date of the hike
Food will probably consist of prepackaged freeze dried/dehydrated foods

My thoughts are to open and repackage the meals into halves in freezer bags, and make a reflectix cozy for them to save on some bulk and weight. I am going to shoot for having a UQ/TQ by the time I go to replace the inflatable pad and sleeping bag. They'll be smaller and lighter than the bag/pad combo. Any ideas on gear changes, tips, or especially ideas about food are all VERY welcome. Oh, I forgot to mention, I'll have 1-2 other people with me as well.

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If it's late March, bring DEET and treat your hammock with permethrin. The ticks are CRAZY bad there! My last trip without DEET... I stopped counting after the first 50 ticks.

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Originally Posted by wisenber

If it's late March, bring DEET and treat your hammock with permethrin. The ticks are CRAZY bad there! My last trip without DEET... I stopped counting after the first 50 ticks.

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sometimes DEET doesn't even stop the ticks :scared:

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Originally Posted by Dave41079

That was great thanks. Did you run into any other nasty water, or just that first night? What did you use to filter it? I've used my Katadyn on some pretty funky stuff and it has never looked like that from what I recall. I did notice you said you twisted your ankle a couple of times. Any idea why, and is that a common thing for you?

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All the water in the stream and Laurell Creek looked that way. I believe the water was just a less than clear due to soil type. I also used a katadyn filter. It tasted ok and I assume that it was clean.

As far as the twisting of the ankle. That is very uncommon for me but I was messing with my camera to much is my guess.

I believe for the drive time comparison I would go over to the Smokies rather than BSF. I stick to the lesser crowded parts of the park and avoid people best I can.

BEAS

Depending on the filter type and how often it has been used between cleanings, you may want to bring along a chemical treatment for the water, especially if it looks suspect to you.

I use the Pristine Water Treatment tablets, when we go to algonquin these are able to not only clean the water but get rid of most of the unpleasant tannins. They also come in a 2 part liquid form but I find that one leaves a slight chlorine taste.

Have a great trip :D


Ryvr

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Originally Posted by Ewker

lots of good trails in BSF. Make sure you pay attention to your map since a lot of trails criss cross each other.

The JMT trail is a 50 mile trail by itself but you can create any length trip you want.

I would recommend another book about the BSF. IMO it is the best book out there on the BSF
It is called Hiking the Big South Fork. This book has hiking loops of various lenghts in it

http://www.amazon.com/Hiking-South-F.../dp/1572330317

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Just ordered this book also. Thanks for the tip. Like I said I'm not 100% sure what route I'll take or what all we'll be able to see until I get some more info. I just know I have 6 days to spend doing it.

Well as with all great plans, most of this has changed. I sprained my knee a week and a half ago, and one of my hiking partners also had to back out. As it stands now we'll be doing 3 days in the park. Right now I'm planning on leaving Leatherwood Ford, and heading up the JMT to Station Camp crossing, crossing the river and heading back down the opposite bank back to Leatherwood. Looking at the map, and through my books, this looks to be about 25 miles round trip, and the only major elevation gain will be hiking up to Angel Falls when we're fresh. We'll lose that same elevation on day two as we approach Station Camp crossing. The rest looks like ridge running for the most part. That should be good for my knee. If things go really smooth we might tack on a few more miles to go see a sight or two. We'll just play that part by ear.