Twig Adventures

Tag: thru-hiking

FHT Days 3: This Trail Has Some Teeth…That End in a Cliffhanger

Foothills Trail

Thursday, May 23rd, 2024, 0630-1700Hilliard Falls to Chimney Top Campsite, mm 63 27 miles, Gain: 5680′, Loss: 4920′, elevation 2300′ Something in all the waterfalls must have supercharged me, because I woke with a feeling of wanting to crush miles. My goal was to leave only half a day’s distance for the last day, and boy did I and then some! This day was actually just typical of ones on the BMT, and it was quite a bit easier…though the stairs really reared their ugly head in a few spots. Since I managed to get a pretty early start, I figured I’d shoot for my 10 by 10 standard. I passed the halfway mark of the FHT just after 7[…]

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FHT Day 2: Waterfalls!

Foothills Trail

Wednesday, May 22nd, 2024, 0650-1800Chattooga Rive camp to Hilliard Falls, NC, mm 36.322 miles, Gain: 3830′, Loss: 4300′, elevation 1520′ This day went down in the books as the best Waterfalls Day, ever. I enjoyed a waterfall for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a few smaller bites in between. I slept amazingly alongside the river and woke feeling so refreshed and excited for the day. I walked less than half a mile before coming to Burrells Ford Campground. I was so glad I stopped short the day before because there were many house-sized tents, barking dogs, and people about (probably some habituated bears, as well). I wanted none of that drama, but I sure appreciated being able to use the[…]

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FHT Day 1: Why Not?

Foothills Trail

Tuesday, May 21st, 2024, 1010-1800Oconee State Park Tamassee Knob trailhead to Chattooga Rive camp, mm15.2 miles, Gain: 2560′, Loss: 2280′, elevation 2030′ After AT Trail Days came to an end, it was time to head home. On the way, I planned a stop to visit my friends Esther and Wayne in Tyron, NC. It was only a few hours drive from Damascus, breaking up what would have been a ridiculously long drive to Miami. Once there, I couldn’t help but notice that I was only 50 minutes from the eastern terminus of the Foothills Trail and that it was going to be sunny for several days. After the BMT, I was sick of the rain and feeling pretty tired, so[…]

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AT Trail Days 2024

Appalachian Trail, Benton MacKaye Trail

Wednesday- Sunday, May 15-19th It was a wild week at AT Trail Days in Damascus VA. I embraced it all, from camping in the woods in Tent City, to the commercial hype from all the vendors, to joining in the AT class parade through town, to dancing in the rain and mud around the bonfire to the beat of drums. I’ve never been to a rave and this may be as close to one as I get. I wanted to complete my Triple Crown of Trail Days, coordinating the timing of my Benton MacKaye Trail hike to end just beforehand, and a Foothills Trail hike directly after. In this way, I killed a whole bunch of bears with one stone.[…]

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BMT Day 14: An Early Finish

Appalachian Trail, Benton MacKaye Trail

Tuesday, May 14th, 2024, 0730-1230Laurel Gap Shelter to Baxter Creek Trailhead, Northern BMT Terminus, mm 289.712 miles (plus another 4 mile road walk to get back to my car at Standing Bear Hostel), Gain: 1100′, Loss: 4840′, elevation 1710′ BMT Done! (save for the 16 mile section I have to go back to finish someday). Unfortunately it was a not-so-rewarding final 12 miles view-wise, but I did have a fabulous morning waking to the bird song surrounding the shelter. I slept so good that the songs were the one and only thing that woke me. Well, I did have a little mouse visitor sometime in the night, but my food was hung on the bear cable and there was nothing[…]

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BMT Day 13: Finally a Quiet and Dry Shelter!

Benton MacKaye Trail

Monday, May 13th, 2024, 0700-1730Newton Bald 52 to Laurel Gap Shelter, mm 277.725 miles, Gain: 6980′, Loss: 6490′, elevation 5440′ It was cloudy when I woke and I could tell the rain was coming early. But at least my tent was bone dry and would hopefully stay that way, if I could just make it to the shelter. The morning got off to a surprising and unsettling start. In the pre-dawn darkness, I went to retrieve my food bag from the bear cables. I had to go past the hammockers, so I was trying to be extra quiet. Just as I came abreast of them, out of the corner of my eye, I caught the motion of a large animal[…]

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BMT Day 12: Making Use of Good Weather

Benton MacKaye Trail

Sunday, May 12th, 2024, 0620-1920Chambers creek to Newton Bald 52, mm 253.132.5 miles, Gain: 7550′, Loss: 4250′, elevation 4950′ I woke to a clear morning for once in a long while. It was actually one of the driest and clearest days the whole trip, but still my tent was soaked with condensation, not surprisingly. About 5 miles into the beginning of this long day, I walked through the quarter mile ‘tunnel to nowhere’. It was was pretty creepy, with lots of dystopian-looking graffiti. This struck me as odd, being so far away from a city. In the middle of the tunnel, I couldn’t see my feet or the tread, so I was worried about stepping on a snake (or giant[…]

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BMT Day 11: Smoky Beaches

Appalachian Trail, Benton MacKaye Trail

Saturday, May 11th, 2024, 0650-1810Fontana Hilton to Chambers Creek 98, mm 222.626.7 miles, Gain: 4340′, Loss: 4420′, elevation 1745′ It was a big mistake pitching my tent so near the bathroom. Between the noise of people coming and going and the horrendous stench much of the night, I didn’t sleep very well. Yet I also heard the dogs barking intermittently down at the shelter, so I was glad I didn’t stay there either. I guess all options were bad. I should have just kept hiking a ways into the Smokies, permits be damned. Not surprisingly, I got packed quickly and was the first hiker out of there. So long AT comrades…in 2 days I’d gotten my fill of them (yet I[…]

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BMT Days 9 & 10: Bust & Bail, Then Back on Trail

Benton MacKaye Trail

Thursday, May 9th, 2024, 0700-1830Hitch to Robinsville 6 mile road walk on the Cherohala Skyway The weather forecasters weren’t kidding when they posted multiple warnings for the night: severe thunderstorms, flooding and a tornado watch. Check, check and check. The thunderstorms hit just before midnight and lasted through dawn. There were multiple confirmed tornadoes that touched down in Tennessee, west of where I was. Rainfall was reported to be 5 to 9 inches throughout the area. The good news was that my miraculous site next to the skyway bridge proved to be a winner. Only a few of the strongest gusts of wind reached me, as opposed to if I’d camped on the bald, where I probably would have gotten[…]

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BMT Day 8: Past Halfway

Benton MacKaye Trail

Wednesday, May 8th, 2024, 0700-1950Sandy Gap to North River rd, mm 16627 miles, Gain: 6850′, Loss: 5130′, elevation 4275′ This was another day I went the whole day without seeing any people. Who knew there were still such isolated parts on the east coast? Travel a day on the BMT and you will experience some remoteness and isolation, I can almost guarantee it. It sprinkled just a little overnight but my tent was dry in the morning. After hiking just a mile further to another campsite, I was glad I didn’t push on the day before. The site was immersed in fog and dripping wet. The fog persisted through the morning and the trail became somewhat of a car wash.[…]

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