🧵 1/7
October 1, 1983: After crossing Pollywog Stream on a logging road bridge, the AT proceeded to Rainbow Stream, which it followed for a good distance upstream, passing a long series of cascades and small waterfalls in the boulder-strewn shallow waters.
🧵 1/11
September 28, 1983: At the bottom of the long descent from the Chairback range was the second-biggest water ford on the Appalachian Trail: the West Branch of the Pleasant River.
Starting to write the R values on our sleeping pads now that we have apples-to-apples ASTM numbers available. Some of the revised ASTM values are a significant drop from original claimed R values. #camping#backpacking
🧵 1/6
July 13, 1983: On the other side of I-70, the stiff climb up Pine Knob was a harbinger of things to come. I had been told that the AT becomes much more rugged in the northern half of Maryland.
🧵 1/3
August 31, 1983: The Appalachian Trail followed some dirt roads through a pleasant farm valley encircled by mountains and reentered the forest to begin a rather taxing climb up to Holts Ledge, the first real mountain it had thus far traversed in New Hampshire. It kept turning onto one woods road after another, and each was a bit steeper than the preceding one.
Someone recently asked how I carry water on my tours with the #Brompton.
Sometimes I only use a pouch attached to the handlebars for a bottle of water (0.6 lt).
On longer tours I use the big Borroughs bag in the front. This provides two rather large bags which are easily accessible. Each of them can hold up to two bottles (2 times 0.6 + 0.5 lt)
In the back, I can carry another large bottle (1.5 liters).
Having a hard time getting started today. I'd rather be back out on top of a mountain.
A short backpacking trip this weekend was what I needed. Perfect weather, basically no one else on the trail, and the spring closest to the ridge we camped on was actually flowing!
And the sunrise over the Shenandoah River valley and Shenandoah National Park was beautiful.
We are here in Harper's Ferry, WV! We stopped at the AT headquarters and picked up my hiker tag. I will get my official number and photo taken when I head out tomorrow.
As light dawned on a very cold and windy morning we hurriedly packed up our tent and waited in the lieu of some rocks for the sun to arrive. The cold wait was worthwhile as the morning sun started to touch the summits and quickly spread to the ridges. A magical time of day to be in the mountains.
As the sun went slowly down to the west of Granada we were left with a brief but beautiful sunset over the peaks of the Sierra Nevada. We watched the sun dip below the horizon and then the clouds illuminated with color, before the cold had us hurrying towards our tent.
I was telling my wife that I need to stay on the trail at least long enough to get a trail name. Then I thought; if I don't get a trail name, I can't leave the trail. She suggested the trail name: Nameless.
I kind of like it! What does Mastodon think? I'm sure it's been used before.
Of course, there's always the option of getting the name on the trail. I love that idea too. :)
🧵 1/6
September 1, 1983: The trail down the far side of Smarts Mountain was in worse shape than the ascent had been, but what did that matter to a man surrounded by that kind of magnificence? The AT lunged downward across more of those dripping, mossy rocks.
Wow, what a wild night. Total calm until 2am and then the strong winds hit our exposed perch on the mountainside. Not much sleep after that. Winds were more suited to Patagonia than southern Spain.
Good job we had a good tent. If we had a festival tent we would have woken up in Morocco 😀 😂
I packed up 5 days worth of food for the start of my thru-hike. I have my first few days planned out and it will take me 4 to 5 days (depending on mileage) before I stop at my first hostel.
Food bag includes: Cook kit with fuel, 4 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 5 dinners, 3 snacks per day, and electrolyte drink mixes. 9.76 lbs in all.
Puts my total pack weight with 2 l of water at 30.5 pounds. Ugh.
I had an amazing weekend, I’m so happy spring is finally here. It’s so freeing to carry everything you need on your back and be completely surrounded by nature. I feel so much safer alone in the middle of the forest than camping along forest roads. I’m considering this spring training while the Cascades are still covered in snow. This trail is ideal for that.
Jumped back on the trail last night and camped along it. Not a soul came by my camp. Up on Kings Mountain now. Most likely going to check out some stealth campsites around Elk Mountain next. Feels amazing to be out in nature.
On Saturday I did over 6,200 feet of elevation in under 18 miles. I was very tired at the end but I was rewarded by staying for the first time at a secret campsite I found a year or two ago. It’s above the official end of the Elk Creek trail on the right. No marked path but once you make it through the brush there is a forest road that leads to it. Pretty nice and private.