Shenandoah Life
Hello all!
So I've completed my SECOND solo backpacking trip, and I have to say, the second one went much, much smoother than the first. If nothing else, I have a much better handle on how to efficiently pack my pack this time around. Also I got better at water crossings, which helped. Also I wasn't shaking-out-of-my-boots terrified at every single noise the forest could produce. Here are the details:
Trails: I parked at Bootens Gap, took the AT to Laurel Prong, then to Fork Mountain, then to Staunton River Trail, then on to Jones Mountain Trail.
Campsite: I camped right past Bear Church Rock (which produced the best views of the whole trip), in an obviously previously utilized area.
Mileage: Strava says I did 11.7 the first day, and 5.8 the second. I did take an optional walk down the the Jones Mountain Cabin on day 1, which added .6 to my total.
Pros: Beautiful scenery. The woods were full of sweeping valleys of ferns, the trees were gorgeous, and much of the hike was through wild rhododendron fields.
Cons: Ohmygosh bugs. Bugs everywhere. Bugs in my eyes, my nose, my eyelashes. At one point one flew straight into my throat and I spent a minute or two dry-heaving onto the trail purely out of reflex. After awhile I ended up spraying Deet on my Also, if you're scared of bears, I saw a LOT of them out here. The good news is they were way more scared of me.
Notes: The Park Service website recommends you park at the Boundary and hike Jones Mountain around to Staunton River, most of the websites I saw had you parking at Bootens Gap. The way I did it was nice because it put my heavy mileage on day one, and most of the steep terrain that first day too. The camping wasn't great though, and it was a dry camp, requiring me to haul water in from a spring (A spring located by a NPS cabin, which had a family renting it. I'm pretty sure I scared the crap out of them when I popped out of the woods shaking my water bottles at them). Also, I would skip the Staunton River area if there was a lot of rain recently, the trail was already muddy in some places and seemed like it could have become a flood zone pretty easily.
If I had to do it again, I'd park at the Boundary, hike around the Jones Mountain Trail, camp on the Laurel Prong or Fork Mountain trails, and then hike out on Staunton River. Or park at Graves Mills maybe. There were a couple of really neat pre-established camping sites out on those trails that would have been neat, although probably bear-filled.
Overall I had a wonderful time. I finally got over my fear of bears (Remember that? Remember that blogpost? Oh, silly little Wanderer). Mostly because I just kept running into them, and only one gave me anything more than a passing glance before loping off through the underbrush. I didn't even have to sing Journey to him.
I also learned an important lesson about eating and drinking regularly. On my last trip, I stopped for water, but not for snacks, and tumbled into camp that night shaky and malnourished. This time I forced myself to eat little amounts even if I wasn't hungry, and I generally felt much better throughout the day.
Finally, I got to experience my first night camping in a crazy windstorm. I now understand the phrase "the wind sounded like a freight train". The Big Agnes tent held up just fine thankfully, and while I woke up multiple times, I felt pretty safe and snug in my sleeping bag.
So if you're looking for a fun little hike with a single night of camping, I really recommend this one, especially if you're looking for solitude. I saw a few hikers my first day (all going from Graves Mill to Bear Church Rock), and none my second. It seems like this area isn't as popular, even on the weekends.
Gear:
Most of my stuff I reviewed in a previous post. Here's the new stuff.
Nemo Jam 30 Sleeping Bag: Oh sleeping bag, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. 1) Vents/Gills for when it gets toasty. The night started out how and cooled down quickly with that wind, these vents stopped me from getting overheated. 2) No snag zipper. I somehow manage to do that thing where you get the edge of the sleeping bag caught in the teeth on literally every bag I've had, except this one. 3) Built in pillow. I stuffed my extra clothes and jackets into the pillow and it was great. No sliding around like my stuff sack pillow does, and I could adjust the clothes to really support my neck (important since I have a prior neck injury).
Xero ZTrail Sandals: I was a little weary of these. When you purchase them, some parts of the website are a little intimidating with fit and how to properly tighten the straps. Turns out they're super easy to figure out, and the velcro straps on the back make it easy to get them on and off once you've adjusted them. I wore them in water crossings, for a little bit of hiking, and as camp shoes. They really shone as camp shoes and in the water crossings, although I'll advise you to make sure you have the straps tight enough because the material can get slick and your foot will slide. Once I tightened everything down I had no further issues. They were nice to hike in; I could feel the rocks and ground without it being painful, but I had to change out of them when I needed a little more toe protection (I've stubbed and broken ore toes than I care to count at this point, and I'm weary of breaking another).
Happy Trails Everyone!
So I've completed my SECOND solo backpacking trip, and I have to say, the second one went much, much smoother than the first. If nothing else, I have a much better handle on how to efficiently pack my pack this time around. Also I got better at water crossings, which helped. Also I wasn't shaking-out-of-my-boots terrified at every single noise the forest could produce. Here are the details:
Trails: I parked at Bootens Gap, took the AT to Laurel Prong, then to Fork Mountain, then to Staunton River Trail, then on to Jones Mountain Trail.
Campsite: I camped right past Bear Church Rock (which produced the best views of the whole trip), in an obviously previously utilized area.
Mileage: Strava says I did 11.7 the first day, and 5.8 the second. I did take an optional walk down the the Jones Mountain Cabin on day 1, which added .6 to my total.
Pros: Beautiful scenery. The woods were full of sweeping valleys of ferns, the trees were gorgeous, and much of the hike was through wild rhododendron fields.
Cons: Ohmygosh bugs. Bugs everywhere. Bugs in my eyes, my nose, my eyelashes. At one point one flew straight into my throat and I spent a minute or two dry-heaving onto the trail purely out of reflex. After awhile I ended up spraying Deet on my Also, if you're scared of bears, I saw a LOT of them out here. The good news is they were way more scared of me.
Notes: The Park Service website recommends you park at the Boundary and hike Jones Mountain around to Staunton River, most of the websites I saw had you parking at Bootens Gap. The way I did it was nice because it put my heavy mileage on day one, and most of the steep terrain that first day too. The camping wasn't great though, and it was a dry camp, requiring me to haul water in from a spring (A spring located by a NPS cabin, which had a family renting it. I'm pretty sure I scared the crap out of them when I popped out of the woods shaking my water bottles at them). Also, I would skip the Staunton River area if there was a lot of rain recently, the trail was already muddy in some places and seemed like it could have become a flood zone pretty easily.
If I had to do it again, I'd park at the Boundary, hike around the Jones Mountain Trail, camp on the Laurel Prong or Fork Mountain trails, and then hike out on Staunton River. Or park at Graves Mills maybe. There were a couple of really neat pre-established camping sites out on those trails that would have been neat, although probably bear-filled.
Overall I had a wonderful time. I finally got over my fear of bears (Remember that? Remember that blogpost? Oh, silly little Wanderer). Mostly because I just kept running into them, and only one gave me anything more than a passing glance before loping off through the underbrush. I didn't even have to sing Journey to him.
I also learned an important lesson about eating and drinking regularly. On my last trip, I stopped for water, but not for snacks, and tumbled into camp that night shaky and malnourished. This time I forced myself to eat little amounts even if I wasn't hungry, and I generally felt much better throughout the day.
Finally, I got to experience my first night camping in a crazy windstorm. I now understand the phrase "the wind sounded like a freight train". The Big Agnes tent held up just fine thankfully, and while I woke up multiple times, I felt pretty safe and snug in my sleeping bag.
So if you're looking for a fun little hike with a single night of camping, I really recommend this one, especially if you're looking for solitude. I saw a few hikers my first day (all going from Graves Mill to Bear Church Rock), and none my second. It seems like this area isn't as popular, even on the weekends.
Gear:
Most of my stuff I reviewed in a previous post. Here's the new stuff.
Nemo Jam 30 Sleeping Bag: Oh sleeping bag, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. 1) Vents/Gills for when it gets toasty. The night started out how and cooled down quickly with that wind, these vents stopped me from getting overheated. 2) No snag zipper. I somehow manage to do that thing where you get the edge of the sleeping bag caught in the teeth on literally every bag I've had, except this one. 3) Built in pillow. I stuffed my extra clothes and jackets into the pillow and it was great. No sliding around like my stuff sack pillow does, and I could adjust the clothes to really support my neck (important since I have a prior neck injury).
Xero ZTrail Sandals: I was a little weary of these. When you purchase them, some parts of the website are a little intimidating with fit and how to properly tighten the straps. Turns out they're super easy to figure out, and the velcro straps on the back make it easy to get them on and off once you've adjusted them. I wore them in water crossings, for a little bit of hiking, and as camp shoes. They really shone as camp shoes and in the water crossings, although I'll advise you to make sure you have the straps tight enough because the material can get slick and your foot will slide. Once I tightened everything down I had no further issues. They were nice to hike in; I could feel the rocks and ground without it being painful, but I had to change out of them when I needed a little more toe protection (I've stubbed and broken ore toes than I care to count at this point, and I'm weary of breaking another).
Happy Trails Everyone!
Comments
Post a Comment