Don't plan on staying at Blood Mountain shelter or the one before it, Woods Hole. They closed those down this year because of bear activity. And trust me, the bear is freaking huge. He visited my wife and I, along with 10 other people, twice in one night at Woods Hole back in May I think it was.
http://atdist.com is a great site for getting route distances before going.
Here's a video I shot of Springer to Neels. Sorry for the shaky-cam, but that's what you get when hauling butt through the woods.
Click photos for more. There are three albums of photos, one for each day.
If you are being dropped off via the Forest Service road, don't make the mistake of taking a 2wd car. Our Mini loves mud, but had some troubles clearing some holes on the road up to the drop off point.
Some gear you should consider: SPOT (checking with family, sms them for a pullout, contact 911 after bear attack), steripen (nothing but amazing reviews of these from Backpacker magazine), hiking poles (I have no idea how people hike AT without them), Garmin Forerunner 305 (get speeds, time traveled, and track your progress on Google Earth when you get home - add a solar charger to your gear to recharge this each night), and go with extremely lightweight gear.
Thanks for all the advice and pictures man. I've spent the last hour looking through them, and then through them again!
I didn't know Blood Mountain shelter was shut down currently. That is great to know!
I'm for sure going light weight! I went and got a new pair of boots tonight I'll be wearing on the hike, and plan to break them in before hand. Taking them to Springer this weekend to start. I got the Asolo Moran GTX. They feel great, and have awesome ankle support. I have weak ankles, therefore that is one of my biggest factors.
I'll be getting dropped off (obviously lol) in March. For this weekend, we are driving my Jeep down there and parking it at the Amicalola Falls State Park. Going to night hike for a bit tomorrow night (not far, maybe a mile or so) and then wake up Saturday morning and hike as much as possible. We have to be back Sunday night so that limits our hiking time this weekend.
The SPOT is for sure in order. My mother and father want me to have one, as well as myself
I'll also have a GPS on me to track distance and timing. I'm not sure about the solar charger or not yet, I would like to have one with me but not sure how much I need/will use it yet. I guess that comes with the learning process!
Hopefully no need to call 911 because of a bear, but anything can happen! I will have bear spray on me (for peace of mind for my mom). I may end up ditching it at some point, but as for this weekend, and the start of my hike, it will be with me.
I bought some line and another bear bag tonight. Definitely going to put them to use. (I can't walk into REI and come out empty handed!)
I agree about the poles, will never hike without them (expect this weekend because I forget them at my apartment before I came back to Asheville), but will for sure have them on the thru hike.
Thanks again for all the info and advice!
X2 on the hiking poles... forgot about those but they were money well spent! It relieves a lot of the weight from your pack and pressure from long downhills... saves your knees big time and helps with balance.
I agree! Worth the money and SAVES knees! I have bad knees and ankles, therefore poles are a must for me.
I practice the ultralight and ultra cheap methods. Haha!!!
Do some testing on the Super Cat stove. I'll be using one for an over nighter in the Linville Gorge area in a few weeks. I don't know how it would be for multiple nights though.
Osprey packs are awesome. I use a Talon 44.
Hi-Tec boots work for me. Cheap and light, but I don't know about long distance use.
Hammock camping is awesome. Cheap, light, comfy.
You don't have to spend a lot of money to have a good time. All of my gear for a weekend of camping is about 20 lbs. and cost me around 200 bucks.
As for bear spray, I scared/ran one off last year at Hunt Fish Falls by throwing/hitting it with rocks. He deserved it though since he tried to steal my pack!
I'm not to sure about the Super Cat. I have one made, but not sure if I will use it or not yet. I like the pocket rocket from REI more and more every time I use it, and of course the T1 spork!
Good to know on the pack, I tried the Osprey and REI Ridgeling on tonight, I like both A LOT! They are letting me put some weight in both next week and put some distance on with them and see which one I like better with weight in them. I'll let you know what I get!
Like I said above, I'm not sure about bear spray, or if I would even think to get it out if I was about to be attacked
but, I'm going to have it on me, and rocks will for sure be used if need be!
Thanks for the advice!
Hang food b/c of mice and chipmunks, not bears. Fawking chipmunks will go straight through the side of your pack looking for something to eat.
Biggest driver for me on switching to a Thermarest -- it's about the size of a quart bottle when rolled up. When I switched to the Osprey, I didn't have anywhere to put a 18" long foam roll anymore. Sleeping better was a surprise.
Good to know about the thermarest. I looked at a bunch of them tonight, and will be going with a thermarest brand, just not sure of which one yet.
Thanks!
Don't forget about the NeoAIR only 14oz and 2.5 inches thick. Best therm-a-rest I've ever had granted it is thinner material so you have to be a little more careful with it.
I looked at the NeoAIR. Not sure I want a air pad or just a regular pad yet. Decision, decisions! Thanks for the input!
Chipmucks and squirrels will also nibble at a platypus hose at night. I had teeth marks on the nozzle of mine one morning and now I just put it where its hard to get to. I have slept with food a few times and it has always turned out fine (so far), but I wouldn't leave it in a pack and I would definitely hang it up if you were in bear country. X100 on the poles. I dont use them for short trips but I use them for any trip longer than a week. They really do save the knees when going downhill
I hope my platypus doesn't get chewed on! After reading this, I'll know to keep it away from those little bastards. Your more brave then I! I don't sleep with food, as when we were camping at Tellico a few years ago, a bear jumped on the tent, popped the air mattress, as well as broke the tent. Woke up everyone, and was shot a few times, then ran back into the woods. Later that night, without anyone hearing it, it came back, scraped the heck out of the side of a truck trying to get in the bed to a cooler (must have been meat or something inside). After that, I keep food FAR away from me!
Thanks for the tips!
