Diverting Ducky's

While in Hot Spring NC, we decided to kayak down the lower French Broad River. So we stopped by Huck Finn Rafting Outfitters (who were great by the way) and rented a couple of ducky's for an unguided trip. We took a quick shuttle to the river, unloaded our boats, marched into the river, plopped on the ducky's, and off we went. Our destination was Murray's Branch Park. It was only 5 miles away, so we figured the trip would be quick and easy. Well.... with the drought this year, the river was pretty low. In fact, it was REAL low in some spots. So low that we got stuck on a lot of rocks and in a few places we actually had to get out of the ducky's and walked it over to a deeper section. Not only was the river low, but the wind was blowing hard and was working against us. In some spots, even though I was paddling my heart out, I didn't even move! Needless to say I got a great upper body work out. So what should of been a nice, easy, 2 1/2 hour trip took us 4 hours to do. But in our defense, we took it real slow, snapped lots of photos, goofed around a bit, and just enjoyed being outdoors. The lower French Broad River is fairly calm and only has a couple of class I and class II rapids, nothing to crazy, but enough to make it a little fun. The last section was probably my favorite. A bit rowdy, with a couple of crazy rapids. All in all, it was a beautiful day. Oh, and in true Boo form, he fell in the river. I swear, I can take that boy rafting down the NEW RIVER or OCOEE with class III and IV rapids and he will barely get wet, but get him on a class I or II river like the Nantahala or French Broad, and he will fall in each time. hahhaah!! Poor thing.... luckily we had a change of clothes and a nice camp fire to keep him warm. Til next time. GET OUTDOORS!!

Sweetpea in a PeaPod

This weekend we attended the 23rd annual SEHHA (South East Hammock Hangers Association) in Hot Springs NC. I've been curious about hammock camping for a while, so when this opportunity came about, I jumped at the chance to go and check it out. It all started with a call to the SEHHA to see if there was still room available for a ground dweller like me to come, pitch a tent, and learn about hammocks. So I called and guess who answered the phone? None other than Ed Speer himself! The author of the "Hammock Camping" book and owner/creator/inventor of Speer Hammocks. I was a bit nervous asking him if there was room for a tent at the group camp site b/c I thought everyone would be hanging. He graciously told me there was plenty of room and even offered to put us up hammocks!!

We loaded up the car and headed up to Hot Springs. As soon as we roledl up to the group campsite, Ed walks uped and greeted us. What a super nice guy. He was way casual and made us feel very comfortable and welcomed. There were lots of other "hammock hangers" there. I met LOST, NO TRAIL NAME, THE CRUMB, SHADOW MOSS, MR. PREZ, Karen, and some other hanger enthusiasts that were more than willing to show me their gear, and even more proud to show me their DYI hammocks, tarps and quilts. Ed Speer showed us our camp spot and helped us put up two hammocks and a tarp so we could get a feel of how the system worked. I was even privileged to get the use of the Speer PeaPod. Its a down under quilt that Velcros up to keep you snugly warm like a pea in a pod. :) It kept me warm and I probably had the best night sleep I've ever had outdoors. The next morning we woke up lazily and "hung" around camp longer than normal. We usually are up, have camp packed, and are on the trail by 7am b/c sleeping on the ground hurts our backs so much. Well, we probably got out of out hammock around 9am. We just lounged around for a couple of hours, relaxing and enjoying just being outdoors. What a weekend, we met some interesting people who told some great stories around the camp fire of their AT thru-hike experiences and we discovered an awesome way to sleep comfortably in the woods. I think I'm a convert. :)

Hammocks

Whoo hoo! Looks like I will be going to the 23rd annual "Hammock Hangers" camp-out this weekend if all goes well. I'm looking forward to seeing it, learning about it, and becoming a convert! I've been talking about trading in my sleep pad ground dwelling days for a the comforts of a hammock for a while now. Don't get me wrong. I love my tent and my sleeping bag, but backpacking or camping on the ground makes for a grouchy Sweetpea the next morning. I get rough nights of sleep and my hips and back hurt from sleeping on the ground. So, when I discovered ultralight hammocks for backpacking, I was totally intrigued. I've read alot about Hennessy Hammocks with their built in mosquito net and tarp. I know that JackRbetter hammocks have great quilts, and that Speer Hammocks makes kits you can sew yourself. But what I want to know, is how COMFORTABLE are each of these hammocks and can a side sleeper like myself get a good night sleep. We will see what I learn. Til then, GET OUTDOORS!

VA Creeper Trail

We made it to the Virginia Creeper Trail this past weekend and it was a gorgeous day to bike 34.... er.... 17 miles. Yes, we were only able to do 17 miles. NOT b/c we couldn't do the entire 34, but it seemed as if Ike had different plans for us. No, we didn't get hit by hurricane Ike per say. We got hit by what hurricane Ike caused.... gas shortages. Our 34 mile bike ride was short changed b/c the shuttle service didn't have fuel. Seems as if the gas stations in the area were closed b/c they were out of gas. All in all, it worked out for the best. I was a bit nervous about doing the entire 34 miles anyways. Not b/c I couldn't do it, but b/c of how long it would of taken me to do it. See.... we went with a group of VERY fit people. Infact, some of the people in our group biked 68 miles that day! So when we heard that the shuttle couldn't pick us up at the end of the trail in Abbington VA, I was a bit (no, ALOT) relieved. It was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders and I was able to relax and enjoy the day knowing we had 3 1/2 hours to do 17 miles. I was seriously worried that I would have had to pedal my ass off and not taken in the scenery or get any good photos b/c I had to make sure I kept up with the fast crew in order to catch the shuttle on time. Anyways.... enough about hurricane Ike, stress, and the fit bikers. About my trip. So we get meet up location for the group and all follow each other to the bike outfitters (Creeper Trail Bike Rentals.) We pick out our bikes and are ready to go around 12pm. The rental shop is about a mile away from the bike trail head, so we pedal on over. It was a nice 1-mile ride, mostly down hill and passing through farm land. We get to the Whitetop Station trail head (which is an old train station thats now converted into a little store/museum for hikers and bikers), snap some photos and Boo begins the trail. The Virginia CreeperTrail by the way, is a former railroad bed that passes through the beautiful, rugged, backcountry of southwest Virginia. The entire trail is 34 miles in length one way and can be biked, or hiked going in either direction. There is even a section of the Appalachian Trail that merges with the Creeper trail for a few miles. (I wonder if we would be able to cross that section of the AT trail off since we technically were ON the AT? hahaha!). So we rode the 17 miles from Whitetop to Damascus going down almost the entire way. What a gorgeous trail. It passed through the woods of Mt. Rogers National Park, it passed through open meadows, Christmas tree farms, and at times even wooded private property. The trail rides along a meandering river that likes to snake from right to left, sprinkling the entire trail with about 100 tressles and bridges. About mid way, we stopped for lunch. We hiked down about 15 feet to the river, sat on some large rock croppings that had some good views of a few small waterfalls, and ate PB&J sammies, bananas, and chocolate chip cookies. After a nice 30 min. break, we hopped on the bikes, pass Green Cove Station, and continue on our way. At mile 11 there was a busy cafe aptly called the Creeper Trail Cafe. I've read some good things about it, but we weren't hungry and continued on to Damascus. The trail gets a bit more flatter, but it was nice to actually pedal for a bit. Soon we enter the town of Damascus VA, and see the ice cream shop that I've read has the best ice cream. We still weren't too hungry, so we continue through the tiny town and head to the shuttle area. We ride back up to Whitetop and to our car. Both of us agreed that we would definately come back and do the entire 34 miles someday. Boo wants to do it going warp speed to see how fast he can complete it. Me... I just want to enjoy being outdoors, letting the breeze flow through my hair, watching the river float on by, and working up an appetite for that reward ice cream cone! Can't wait to go back. Til then.... Get outdoors and PLAY!!!

Morning Hike

We woke up this morning, had a breakfast wrap, and were in the car by 7:30am to go on a 5 mile hike with the dogs. I had bought these new harnesses for the dogs and was pretty eager to try them out. By 8:50 am we were on the trail and it was getting pretty warm out. The first 1/2 mile was small rolling hills. THEN we get to the 1.5 mile steep 1000 foot ascent. Lots of boulder scrambling, lots of calf burning, and lots of sweating! The dogs did amazing as usual. I've got some tough pampered pets. :) I took a couple of great photos of the dogs scrambling up the rocks. We stop mid-way to take in the view and for a water break. We trudge up and up and finally reach the top to a great view. I love the rewarding view especially after exerting so much and knowing YOUR legs were the ones that propelled you up that mountain. After a liter of water and a 20 min. break, we decided to climb down the mountain. 3 miles to go, but it was mostly down hill with a few soft rolling hills. I always power thru this section. Its like its testing me to see how strong I can hike thru this 2 mile. Once we get back to the 1/2 mile section to that takes us back to the car, we cool down and take it slow. All the streams were bone dry so the dogs had to wait til we got to the trail head so I could pump water out of the spring for them. As soon as we got there, they lapped and lapped up water for over 10 mins. We load back up in to the car and head back home. The dogs were asleep in 2 mins. and didn't make a peep til we got home. The rest of the day was spent doing household chores and relaxing. I love getting outdoors, even if its just for a bit. Til next time. GET OUTDOORS!

Mt. Bike Ride

Today we decided to go for a bike ride. Well ,really we needed to train for our upcoming 34 mile bike adventure! So we started with a 10 mile trail that was in town, hoping to get our leg muscles used to some pedaling action. It was a beautiful day and perfect for a ride in the woods. Not many people out there so, it made for a nice trail ride. I've been hiking so much that I thought my legs would be in shape for the bike ride, but I quickly realized (and felt) that bike riding uses some different leg muscles than I was used to working out. Namely, my quads and hamstrings. WOW were they burning on some of the uphill parts. But a good burn :) I feel like I need some more time on this trail to feel comfortable on our upcoming trip. So I'm going to try to make it out at least 2 more times this week. The first 5 miles started out pretty slow and easy, then on the way back, I don't know if I was feeling fatigued or if I was just riding faster and harder. It's probably a combo of both, but it seemed tougher coming back. Either way, it was a great ride to assess where my bike skills were.

3 Day Backpack Trip (day 3)

After a decent nights sleep, we wake up, pack up camp, and eat breakfast (2 cliff bars that I shared with the dogs). We walk by the spring one last time to let the dogs camel up and then we start our last days hike. As we hop back on the AT from the shelter trail, we meet another backpacker that asks us about the water situation. We tell me the spring by the shelter is ok, but nothing really decent until Bluff Mt. , which was 7 miles away. Then we started our small ascent up Deer Park Mountain for 1 mile. After we got to the top we knew it was all down hill to our car and into the town of Hot Springs. I was in a pretty good hiking zone and felt strong. We were able to get some nice views of the mountains. I also took a picture of this log that has moss growing all over it. It was such a brilliant green color. In fact, all the colors in the woods were so vivid that it made the the trail seem alive. It just reminded me how beautiful and peaceful being out on the trail is. Well, we had hiked the 3.2 miles in less than 1.5 hours and were excited at what we had accomplished. After changing into dry, clean clothes, we headed to Bluff Moutain Outfitters to buy an AT pin and some snacks for the road. I still can't believe we did it. I was so proud of my Boo and especially my dogs. When we started, I didn't even think they could do the 20 miles without getting their paws injured or hurting themselves. It was their first ever long hiking weekend and thing 1 never wore his pack before this hike. I was afraid he would hate wearing it and try to bite it off, but he surprised me the most. Thing 1 was the perfect backpacking dog. He loved his pack. He was amazing and full of energy on the trail. We were let him hike without being on a leash because he was such a good dog. He listened to all our voice commands and he learned, very quickly, to hike BEHIND us, which was great b/c he wasn't in our way and if we saw another hiker, we were able to control him immediately. He was just amazing on the trail and I could not of asked for a better hiking dog. Thing 2 was just as surprising. I wasn't sure if her little legs could handle the mileage or the terrain, but she was such a trooper. She never gave up or even barked and she is know to be a barker! My dogs made me love them even more than I thought possible on this trip. My heart was swelling with pride for them. My boo was amazing as well. He did awesome and didn't complain at all. I am so glad he didn't let us skip out on this trip. This was trully a memorable experience that I will always remember and one that each time I look at my dogs, I will remeber how hard their little legs carried them, just to be out in the woods with me. Til the next adventure!

3 Day Backpack Trip (day 2)

Woke up to a beautiful morning. Let the dogs out of the tent and had to take a picture of thing 2 enjoying the sunshine. We packed up our campsite, had breakfast (cliff bars and our last liter of water) and started our up hill ascent of Bluff Mountain (4686). Luckily, we were already half way up ;) so we only had 1 mile to climb. The water situation was getting a bit scary. All the brooks and streams we passed were dried up. I knew there was a spring about half way down Bluff Mt., but we still had to get up over it. We took a break on some rock croppings at the very top and met a family hiking from Lemon Gap to Hot Springs (14 miles) today. Got back on the trail and started the descent and hopefully towards water. We got to the blue blaze trail for water and were pleasantly surprised with the spring. Boo pulled out the filter and pumped clean water in both of our 3 liter bladders and into our two 1 liter nalgenes, twice b/c we each drank a liter right then and there. The dogs got their fill too. We strapped on our newly hydrated packs and continued the 3.7 mile down Bluff Mt. There was a downed tree on a section of the trail that we had to crawl under. After a couple of miles, I'm in a good groove when suddenly, I step on a loose rock and SLAM, I eat it, right there on the trail. I thought I had sprung my ankle and just sat there, feet hanging over the deep gorge that I avoided falling into and just prayed that the pain in my ankle would go away. I'm so absorbed in my left ankle that Boo points out the bleeding gash on my right knee. I clean up my knee with some wipes and antibacterial gel, finally get up on my feet, and would you believe it, my ankle felt 10 times better! Anyways, we made it to Garenflo Gap (2500) and stopped for lunch. (Instant loaded mash potatos) After a 45 min break, we knew we still had two climbs ahead of us, Long Mt. (3120) and Lamb Knob (3204). We were pretty beat, so we decided to split a GU Energy gel packet and some lime flavored energy jelly beans to sustain us. Boo also filled his 3 liter bladder with red gatorade powder. We make it up the two mountains and took a small break. All that is left til our campsite is Canebrake ridge. We huff it for 2 more miles and finally make it to Gragg Gap and Deer Park Shelter. I ask Boo how he's doing on water and he tells me he drank ALL of his 3 liters in the last 4 miles. We decided to head down the blue blaze trail towards the spring to camel up. Well, the spring was a disappointed. There was hardly any water to pump out and its been a while since the dogs were able to drink anything, so after we filtered 3 liters of water, we let the dogs at it and they drank and drank and drank. We walked back up the hill and hopped on the 75 yard trail to Deer Park shelter. We noticed a second, better spring on the way and decided after camp chores we would walk back to the spring to load up on water. As soon as we got to the shelter, we dropped the packs and rested for a good 30 mins b/f doing setting up camp. We were all tired from the 8 miles we logged. We set up camp behind the shelter and made dinner (Mountain house, Jamaican BBQ Chicken which was not that good, the dogs had nice treat that night) After dinner, we got water, let the dogs fill up once again, and then boiled the water til it was pitch black outside. Finally we take our tired bones to bed. We didn't have the amazing star gazing view we did last night, but I did have a better nights sleep.

3 Day Backpack Trip (day 1)

Labor Day weekend fun!! We got up bright and early and drove to Hot Springs NC, where I had scheduled shuttle service with Bluff Mountain Outfitters, from Hot Springs to Max Patch. We (my boo, and my two dogs) were going on a 3 day, 2 night backpack trip and covering 20 miles in the Pisgah National Forest. We got there an hour early and decided to shop around a bit. Bought a hankerchief and a thermarest chair converters (which was a great buy). The outfitters called in our driver to come pick us up and our driver Ruth was an interesting character. She drove us to the trail head at Max Patch(4629). It was awe inspiring from the parking lot. Just this huge grassy bald mountain. The dogs were getting ansy from being in the car for over 3 hours so we put on Thing 1's pack and to my surprise, he didn't try to wiggle out of it. We slipped on our packs and I put thing 2 on a 15 foot leash that I had strapped around my waist. And off we went!! After a short .8 mile climb, we stopped for a bit to take in the views. Amazing... Then we got to the Appalachian Trail and started following the white blazes down the bald and into the forest. It was a nice gradual descent but I was really glad I had my trek poles. After about 2 miles we stopped for lunch at Roaring Fork Shelter. It was neat to see and read the registery book all the AT thru hikers use and I even signed it! After feasting on focaccia bread, turkey pepperoni, and string cheese, we packed up and headed 3.4 miles to Lemon Gap(3550) and then push the 1.8 mile ascent up Walnut Mountain(4260). It was a pretty tough climb filled with lots of little stream crossings, which were great for the dogs to stop and camel up. We were holding out to fill up our water at Walnut Mt. Shelter spring. So up we went. The top of Walnut Mt. just a tall grassy bald with what looked like blueberry bushes (with no berries). We descended back into the forest and in about 200 yards we see Walnut shelter. There are several bear siting warnings so we knew we didnt' want to camp there, even after hiking 7 miles. We decided to load up on water and head 1 mile to Kales Gap to stealth camp. The water situation was rather funny. We head down the blue blaze, off trail, down a prickly, tall grassy trail to a "fenced in spring." Poor Boo about broke his shoulder trying to break a tree branch, instead of just crawling under it. then, when he sees the water situation, (a tiny puddle of non moving water) he goes " NO WAY". It took some coxing to get him to pull out the Katadyn hiker water filter and fill up one of our 3 liter water bags. He was afraid he was sucking up larve and mosquito eggs from this little puddle, but we honestly had no other choice. We were out of water. He decided to wait til camp to boil the water b/f he drinks it. We loaded our packs onto our backs and continued, even though we were both spent. We knew we only had 1 mile of down hill to get to camp, so on we trudged. After a while we started going up again and it was nearing 5pm, so I knew we had to get to camp. I just assumed it was some PUD and kept going. We ran into a family who told us about a bald we could camp at in about a mile. Argghhh.... another MILE UP! that would put us at a 9 mile day and we were exhausted already. We finally get to the grassy ridge campsite and I read a sign that said "Catpen Gap". WHAT!! we had climbed 1/2 way up Bluff Mt.!! We had agreed to camp at Kales Gap so we could tackle the 2 mile ascent of Bluff Mt. (4686), (the tallest mountain on our hike), in the morning with fresh legs. We rushed thru camp chores and I broke down and lost it from exhaustion, pain in my feet, and hunger. After dinner (dehydrated Mountain House meat Lasagna, and a dark chocolate bar) we decided to call it a night. Around 11pm, we woke up, pulled out the star chart and were just in awe with the amazing star show happening just for us. It was probably the 2nd best star gazing night I've ever experienced. (Jamaica was the best). We finally climb back in the tent with the dogs and attempt to sleep. (I'm seriously considering becoming a hammock hanger. All this ground dwelling hurts my back and causes fitful nights of sleep.)