Matt and Nathan called me, stoked about their new camping gear, and they wanted to go test it on the trail. So the following e-mail message went out yesterday morning:
DATES: January 02-03, 2004
DEPART: Friday 1:30 PM (from Dan's house)
RETURN: Saturday 2:00 PM
HIKERS: Dan, Matt, & Nathan
TRANSPORTATION: Dan's car to Unicoi Gap on HWY-17/75 north of Helen.
TRAIL ROUTE: Appalachian Trail west from Unicoi Gap over Blue Mountain. Probably hike about 3 miles and camp somewhere between Henson Gap (39º 49.111' N, 83º 46,639' W) and Red Clay Gap (34º 49.322' N, 83º 47,227' W).
FORECAST: Helen, GA - Mostly Cloudy low 48º High 69º
It is a tough climb out of Unicoi Gap up to the top of Blue mountain and it took us almost an hour with fully loaded backpacks. several miles back along the AT we passed a simple but relatively modern shelter for campers, there are shelters about every 20-25 miles along the AT but I've never stayed at one. On this trip we were looking for a clearing in the woods that I knew about, it had been the site of an old shelter that had been removed probably 20 or 30 years ago.
After a couple hours of hiking we found the spot we were looking for and setup camp for the night. Nathan had a new camp saw and dry wood was plentiful, so we had a really warm campfire to enjoy. Matt had a new camp stove we cooked the dinners on.
Shortly after we turned in for the night a tremendous fog rolled in. It was probably raining everywhere below us, but we spent the night sleeping in the clouds, literally.
Jan 2-3, 2003 AT photo gallery
I want to go up and down the street and show this album to everybody - I feel like our world is gonna be a better place with guys like this in it, and I'm so proud of them!
Posted by: Aunt Max at January 3, 2004 03:43 PMThe trip looked WONDERFUL!! Don't know why you guys didn't want Brooke and me and our 147 dogs to go along - think of the fun they would've had on the trail! We feel like dairy farmers during holidays, but seeing these pics reminds me how important it is to "take off" and enjoy God's gifts - keep us on the list!
Posted by: Lynn at January 4, 2004 10:17 AMEnjoyed the pictures of the AT. Particularly liked the one of the fog and the three of you in front of fire area. B
Posted by: bev at January 5, 2004 09:34 AMI think 147 dogs might be a bit too much to handle. I see hikers with dogs on the AT frequently but all the dogs are very well behaved and they wear little packs carrying their own food and water.
One time, long ago, I took Tootsie for a hike in the mountains and we caught wind of a bear. Her natural instincts got the best of her and she chased that bear for hours. I didn't think I was ever going to see my dog again. She eventually came back but that really pointed out the need for disciplined obedience.
Posted by: Dan at January 5, 2004 11:26 AM