P.O.D. - Picture of the Day

What A View!

My son checks out the Shenandoah Valley from the summit of Stony Man Mountain (4010') in Shenandoah National Park. We visited the park during peak autumn color.

My Review of REI Monarch IV GTX Hiking Boots - Men's

Originally submitted at REI

Amazing performance, fit and durability for wet weather. These waterproof hikers handle mucky trails with ease and are a true value.

REI Monarch IV GTX Hiking Boots - Men's

I Can't Understand These Boots...

By CrazySanMan from Baltimore, MD on 9/8/2008

 

3out of 5

Pros: Waterproof, Comfortable, Breatheable

Cons: Poor Traction

Best Uses: Hiking

Describe Yourself: Avid Adventurer

These boots are very comfortable. They fit true to size and width. I once wore them on an 18 mile, single day hike on a rocky section of the AT along the VA/WV border and didn't have a single problem. My feet stayed comfortable in them during several overnight trips in Shenandoah National Park in 90+ temps this summer. I would estimate that I put 150 miles on them this summer.

What I don't understand is that while the waterproofing is excellent, the wet traction of the soles is abysmal. I was on the AT in a HEAVY downpour on the 4th of July and the boots repelled the rain and mud but my feet slipped almost every time I placed them on a rock or tree trunk. I was the only person slipping on the trail, and one other person was wearing a pair of trail running shoes without slipping.

Dry traction is what you'd expect from Vibram soles - close to approach-shoe level. But when there is even the slightest coating of water I might as well be walking on ice.

I have slipped and fell every time I have worn these boots when it is wet. I've slipped on dew and condensation, in rain, during stream crossings, in the splash area of waterfalls, you name it.

These boots are like a double-edged sword because they keep my feet bone dry when it is wet but they are so slick I cannot wear them when it's wet.

(legalese)

P.O.D. - Picture of the Day

Bear Country

They sure aren't kidding!

This was taken at the Big Meadows picnic area in Shenandoah National Park. I went backpacking there this weekend and I'll have a blog entry about it in a day or two. I had 11 separate bear encounters on my trip.

Appalachain Trail (Keys Gap) - Loudoun Heights Loop Hike

I'm finally starting to get over my pleurisy and I have been dying to "get out there" so yesterday morning I did a little research on line and found the AT-Loudoun Heights Loop hike in WV-VA-MD. This 12.1 mile hike starts at the Appalachian Trail at the Keys Gap trailhead, goes north and loops around Harpers Ferry, WV, then joins the AT again and retraces south back to the Keys Gap trailhead.

"Perfect day hike" I thought. It was a little long for my first exercise in over a month but I would walk slowly, take breaks, and enjoy being out. I planned on the hike taking 6 hours - 2 miles per hour.

I brought a daypack with an internal frame that also holds a big Nalgene reservoir. I had a lot of snacks and some jerky for protein. I brought my Columbia sandals with me as well. These sandals have a super-grippy Vibram sole and they are great for hiking. They give good traction. You don't get blisters of hot spots because your feet get plenty of air. You can cross creeks and rivers by just walking through them.

I started out on the trail along an old wire fence.

On the AT at Keys Gap WV 7-5-08

and then the trail left the fence and headed deeper into some forest. The trail was very rocky and at some points the trail looked like someone came by and dumped large 1-2 foot wide rocks all over the trail. I believe that for the first four miles I stepped on rock more than I stepped on dirt.

At one point the trail entered a meadow that was a clearing for large high-tension power lines. I've never been under power lines like this before and I could hear the electricity humming and crackling very loudly. It was kind of eerie. I passed the power lines again when I was returning to Keys Gap. Here is a shot of the power lines each time:


A long Day


After four miles the AT joins the Loudoun Heights Loop Trail.

Which Way?


I turned left and continued to follow the AT on a series of switchbacks down a very steep hill. I crossed a road and continued the steep descent. Here and there stone steps were placed on the trail to aid the descent.

Rock Stairs Compliments of PATC


The trail finally came to the bridge on Route 340 that crosses the Shenandoah River. I walked on the side of the bridge and made an immediate right toward Harpers Ferry. As soon as I made the right there was a small trail entry blazed white that went up a steep embankment and climbed to the bluffs above Harpers Ferry. At the top of the bluff I took a blue-blazed side trail that led me through the Storer University campus to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy headquarters. This is the organization that owns all of the Appalachian Trail land and maintains the trail.


ATC HQ

Here I got a drink, talked to some SOBO backpackers, and read a little about the history of the Appalachian Trail. Then I followed the blue blazes back to the AT and promptly came to Jefferson Rock.


Jefferson Rock

Jefferson Rock sits high above Harpers Ferry and from here you have an excellent view of the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. Thomas Jefferson was so impressed with the view from this rock that he wrote "this scene is worth a voyage across the Atlantic". See http://www.nps.gov/archive/hafe/jeffrock.htm for more of Thomas Jefferson's dramatic description of this view.

The View From Jefferson Rock

This is the Potomac river as seen from Jefferson Rock.

The trail then goes down into historic Harpers Ferry. There are actually white AT blazes along the street. I've never noticed them before. Once through the town you walk along an old iron railroad bridge to cross the Potomac. On the other side of the bridge is Maryland and the C&O Canal towpath. The AT follows the towpath for about a mile to MD 340. Here you leave the towpath and climb up to 340. The 340 bridge has a very narrow walkway and you use this to cross the Potomac again, into Virginia. The trail has you follow 340 against traffic on the left hand side for about a quarter mile. Then there is a small path with a sign that says "Loudoun Heights Trail".

The Loudon Heights trail is blazed blue and it begins climbing immediately. Through a series of steep switchbacks it climbs 300 feet to a rock outcropping across the rivers from Harpers Ferry and 600 feet above sea-level.


The MD 340 Bridge Across the Potomac



Harpers Ferry seen from Loudoun Heights

After leaving the bluff, the trail continues climbing up to 1200 feet and follows this ridge line back to the Appalachian Trail where I initially turned left. When I got to this point I was completely exhausted. I felt like I couldn't walk anymore. I checked my GPS and the trip computer said I had gone 13.7 miles. It sure felt like it, but the whole loop was only supposed to be 12.1 miles and I had 4 to go.

I took the last four miles very slowly, walking easily. The sun was getting low in the sky and the trail was starting to darken. I passed four tents set up on this leg of the Appalachian Trail- through hikers who were stopping for the night after another hard but rewarding day on the trail.

When I made it back to the car I checked the trip computer on my GPS again. 17.8 miles. I was hoping, (or not actually) that my GPS was inaccurate and measuring mileage shorter than it really was, but the GPS, the sign that said 4 miles, and the guidebook were all right about this distance. It sure felt like I had walked nearly 18 miles. The trip took me 7 and a half hours and the GPS said I averaged 3.1 mph when I was moving. I went farther and faster than I set out to do, and I have been very sick for the past month.

I want to do this loop again sometime soon, but hit the Loudon Heights early in the morning. As it was I was shooting into harsh sunlight and a lot of haze and my pictures toward Harpers Ferry were very bad. In the morning the sun would be to my back shining onto Harpers Ferry instead of above it shining into my lens. I really want to see the view from there at peak color in the fall...

P.O.D. - Picture of the Day

Cunningham Falls

Cunningham Falls, at 78 feet tall, is the tallest waterfall in Maryland. This cascading waterfall is located in the Cunningham Falls State Park on Catoctim Mountain near Thurmont Maryland. There is a large lake with a beach in this park where visitors can swim. There are three hiking trails to get to the falls. The first is a 1/4 mile long boardwalk for handicapped people. The second is a gravel paved double track trail called the lower falls trail. Finally, the yellow blazed Upper Falls Trail follows the ridge line for 8/10ths of a mile over very steep, rugged, rocky terrain. The U.S. Presidential retreat Camp David is also located on Catoctin Mountain, as is the Catoctin Mountain Park, which is run by the U.S. National Park Service.

My Backpacking Trip - Day 5

I was hoping I would get a chance to sleep in this morning since I was staying put for the remainder of my trip but a group of wild turkeys had other plans. I was (rudely) awakened by about a dozen turkeys clucking and gobbling and making this weird popping noise about 50 yards from my tent. I wanted to try to get some pictures of them but by the time I could get dressed in my tiny tent and then crawl outside they were gone.


Bluffs Backcountry Campsite Mammoth Cave National Park



I cooked breakfast and decided I would hike back to the car to unplug the cell phone charger so I would be able to drive home when my trip was over. I packed up some things I decided I no longer needed and hiked to the car. It was a little over three miles from the Bluffs campsite to the trailhead where I parked, so I had a nice six mile hike ahead of me. At the trailhead I sat at a picnic table, ate beef jerky for lunch, and called my kids. The cell phone signal was very weak at the trailhead and I couldn't get reception in the woods.


Some of the many hiking trails in the Mammoth Cave National Park


I hiked back to the campsite after my lunch, and since it was a warm day I decided to shower in the waterfall at my campsite. The water was absolutely freezing cold, like ice. I couldn't stand under the water for long because it was so cold, but it felt great to get clean. I cleaned my dirty laundry under the waterfall as well, spreading dirty clothes over the rocks that the water was beating onto where it fell.


My Own Private Waterfall


I spent the rest of the afternoon scouting around the campsite and dragging back any wood I could find for my campfire. After about an hour it was starting to get dark and I had an impressive pile of wood so I lit the fire. I sat roasting marshmallows and listening to music until after dark. Just after the sun went down the coyotes in the park became active.


Roasting Marshmallows



Being alone in the dark and hearing coyotes howling all around you is quite an experience for a city boy like me. I researched coyotes before I left for the trip and so I knew they were no threat to me; they eat mice and other small rodents, but it was still a little unnerving to hear so many coyotes all around me. Some were very close, at the top of the bluff above me and on the bluff next to mine, down the hill in front of me and up the next hill. Others were far off so they could barely be heard. At times I could hear a bunch of them snarling and growling and barking together, with the noises starting off quitely and working into a frenzy. I think they were hunting as a pack and would make lots of noise when they were making a kill. It could have been that the males were competing for females since it was early spring. At any rate, I had a good time sitting and listening to all the howling and snarling and being a little scared but knowing I had nothing to worry ab!
out.

The coyotes continued making noise long into the night, longer than I stayed awake. I retreated to my tent around 10pm and fell asleep to the sounds of growling, barking, snarling coyotes all around me.

P.O.D. - Picture of the Day

Sunrise in the Woods - Click to enlarge


This photo isn't from my backpacking trip, it was taken on a camping trip Sunday morning, April 20, in the Calvert Cliffs State Park youth camping area. I woke up early as usual and was at the car getting my backpacking stove out so I could make a cup of coffee when the clouds broke enough for the morning sun to pour through. I grabbed my camera and got this photo. I'm upset the camera chose ISO 200 because there is some noise that you can see in the large version. I should have shot manual mode at ISO 50 and used a slower shutter speed to keep the exposure the same.

My Backpacking Trip - Day 2

I woke up the morning of day 2 and stayed still and listened. I wanted to make sure that I didn't hear anything outside before I moved. Satisfied, I got dressed and crawled out of my tent to inspect the damage. It was a sunny morning. I walked down the hill to the trail and found my food bag still hanging in the tree. That was a good sign. Looking back past my campsite and back down the trail that I had hiked yesterday I noticed a large dead tree. At least it used to be.


Clawed tree


This tree had been torn to Hell last night. There was a fresh pile of woodchips around the base of the tree. It was clawed by a black bear, probably to let me know that I was in his territory and he didn't like it. The sight of the tree, so close to my tent, freaked me out a little. I got down my food bag, then went back to my campsite. I broke camp and left quickly without breakfast.

Other than worrying about bears the night before I was worried that my car was going to be broken into. I couldn't get it out of my mind. I ended up hiking back to the trailhead to check out the car. It took me about 2 hours to get to the car and it was fine when I got there. I dropped off some clothing that i had that I didn't need and removed a few other items to try to lighten my load. I probably trimmed about 10 pounds from the pack and it felt a lot better. Once again I passed the sign at the Yamacraw trailhead and hit the Sheltowee Trace. The sky had turned gray, the temperature had dropped, and there were snow flurries here and there.

I passed my campsite from the night before and as I was walking I noticed all sorts of signs of bear activity. Bear footprints. Clawed trees. Clawed fallen trees. How could I have not noticed all of this yesterday? I would have to be more careful.

The trace followed the river and after going around another turn I came to a beautiful stretch of the river. The Big South Fork here was flanked on each side by massive, 30- to 50-feet-wide charcoal gray boulders. There were a lot of whitewater rapids along this stretch. I stopped and cooked a can of Hormel Chili for lunch. I actually had a cell phone signal here so I called my kids and wished them a happy Easter. My feet at this point were absolutely killing me from the boots I bought that were too big so I took off the boots and my socks and washed my feet. It was very cold but felt good. I didn't see any blisters and that was a good sign.


The Big South Fork river



After my break I continued on and about a mile further I came to a spot where a large creek named Negro Creek met the Big South Fork. The guidebook said there were good campsites to be found in this area and it was around 5pm so I decided to find a good site and stop.

Crossing Negro Creek was difficult. There was a small wooden bridge, more like a ladder, that led up to a large boulder. On the other side of the boulder was a small wooden bridge. The creel flowed on either side of the boulder, about 15 feet down. On the far side of the boulder the creek flowed into a large pool that looked to be about 6-8 feet deep, like the deep end in a swimming pool. I would have loved to be there in the summer and jump into that water, but now it was bitterly cold and there were snow flurries so I wanted no part of it.

After crossing the creek the trail went through a series of switchbacks up a steep embankment and then went around a sharp turn. I looked down before me and there was a perfect camp site. It was an area, about 40 feet wide and 120 feet long, that was the floodplane of the river. It was flat, compressed sand. There were some trees scattered about. There was a large fire pit made of stacked stones. The best part was the tarp. Someone had set up a tarp using a long branch as a center support and a combination of rope and vines from the corners of the tarp to four nearby trees. Behind the tarp was a steep drop off, about 20 feet tall. Below that was another floodplane that was still about 8-10 feet above the river. The view of the river from under the tarp was incredible. I looked around and didn't see any trees with bark missing. There were a lot of horseshoe prints around. This looked like a very popular and well-used campsite so I'm sure all the wildlife avoided this area.


This was my campsite for night 2


My campsite for night 2, with my camp fire burning.


I set up my tent under the tarp, got water from the creek, and gathered wood for a fire. The sky began to clear and the sun came out. I kicked back and ate Backpackers Pantry Freeze Dried Pad Thaifor dinner. I made some hot chocolate and enjoyed the campfire until after dark. The sky remained clear and the sky was filled with stars. I should have recognized this as a bad sign but I was too caught up in the peacefulness of this place.

The only sounds I heard in my tent were from the river flowing down below me. I fell asleep quickly. A little after 2am I woke up abruptly. I was shivering violently. I could not feel my feet or move my legs. I could barely open or close my hands. I felt drunk. I realized almost immediately this was hypothermia and I would die if I didn't act right away. However, I could not get myself to do anything. It was amusing to me, funny, that I was laying here shivering like this. I knew I had to move but I didn't want to and I wouldn't. It took what seemed like an eternity for me to try to move and when I tried I couldn't. I managed to get an arm out of the sleeping bag and it fumbled around on the floor of the tent as I tried to find some clothing to put on. I found a fleece hat and after a struggle I got it on my head. I felt instantly warmer with the hat on. The next thing I found was a bag full of Heatmax Hand Warmers that I had picked up on clearance at Wal Mart on day -1. I bit into one of the packages because my hands still weren't working good and I tore it open. I held the handwarmer in my mouth and shook it to mix the powders inside and start the chemical exothermic chemical reactions in the pouch.

I managed to get four hand warmers open and warming and I put one on my chest over my heart, one on each thigh near the femoral artery, and I slipped one under my back. The heat from the hand warmers not only warmed my body, it warmed the air inside my sleeping bag and I was becoming nice and toasty, but I was still shivering. It took what seemed like forever for me to stop shivering. Once I could feel my feet and could move my hands well enough I sat up and put on a wicking base layer shirt, a fleece shirt, thermal long underwear, and polartech socks. I noticed the condensation on the inside of the tent had frozen so the whole inside of the tent was covered in white frost like gound beef in the freezer. I kept the handwarmers held against my skin by the Under Armor shirt I slipped on and fell asleep with them there even though the directions said not to sleep with them.

I have since found out that on that night it got down to 19 degrees. The forecast I had printed two days earlier said it would be in the lower 40's that night. My sleeping bag is rated to 35 degrees. I absolutely believe that if I did not take those hand warmers out of my pack and place them near me in the tent I would have died from hypothermia that night.

My Backpacking Trip - Day 1 Part 2

I had ate lunch, gathered all the extra stuff to carry with me, and set off with about 75 pounds on my back. My son is right around 75 pounds and him on my back is lighter than the pack was with all the added stuff.

I started up the gravel trail that I drove in on to a sign that I remembered seeing as I drove to the parking lot.


Sign at the Yamacraw trailhead


The Sheltowee Trace is a 263 mile long trail through the Daniel Boone National Forest. It goes through numerous Kentucky State Parks and the Big South Fork as well. Sheltowee is the name that was given to Daniel Boone by an Indian chief who had captured Boone and was impressed by Boone's skills in the forest.

I started along the Sheltowee Trace and immediately wished I didn't have the extra weight on my back. The Sheltowee Trace is very narrow in places, very steep in places, and very treacherous in places. Since it was March, there were no leaves on the trees, save for magnolias, rhododendrons, and fir needles. There was green moss and green ferns everywhere, and this made the landscape kind of surreal in the mix of dead brown and vibrant, living green.


Moss growing next to the Sheltowee Trace


The Sheltowee Trace


Scenery along the Sheltowee Trace



The area I was hiking through was the Big South Fork floodplane. There was a steep hill on either side of the river, carved by the river through millions of years of flow. Freshwater springs flowed down from the tops of the hills or out of the ground everywhere and drained into the river. Every 200 yards or so there was a spring to cross.


A small spring cascading to the Big South Fork river


Some of the springs and creeks formed waterfalls. I have never seen so many waterfalls before. This was the first large one I came to:


Unnamed waterfall


This waterfall was 20-25 feet tall and about 3/4 of a mile from the trailhead.

Continuing on, at 1.2 miles I came to a wooden bridge. There was a wide doubletrack path that went to the right and a smaller path that went to the left and over the bridge. There was a large creek rushing under the bridge and before the bridge the creek formed a large, loud, cascading waterfall. I stopped to check the guidebook and determine which path to take because there were no clear markings. The Sheltowee Trace is blazed with white turtle on a blue background or a blue turtle on a white background. I couldn't see either here.

The guidebook told me that I had to take the small path to the left and cross the bridge. It also mentioned a small trail that lead .2 miles to the Princess Falls waterfall and said it was well worth the trip. I decide to take the trail to the Princess Falls waterfall. Am I ever glad that I did...


Princess Falls Waterfall


At 45 feet wide and 17 feet high the waterfall was absolutely gorgeous. It is named for Princess Cornblossom, a famous Native American princess from the area. I had learned of Princess Cornblossom earlier from a Kentucky Historical Marker that I saw in Stearns:


Kentucky Historical Marker about Princess Cornblossom


Princess Falls waterfall


Princess Falls waterfall


I spent a lot of time photographing this waterfall and some of the others I passed and since I had a late start it was now after 4pm and would be getting dark in the next few hours. I needed to start looking for a camp site. I considered a large flat area at the bottom of the falls but the thought of all the mist from the falls and the fact that many wild animals would go there to get water changed my mind.

I continued on the trail back to the bridge over the Lick Creek. Coming from the falls, it looked like this:


Sheltowee Trace Bridge over Lick Creek


The trail was rough on the other side of the bridge for about half a mile and then finally leveled out after going around a bend of the river. I continued on for about 3/4 of a mile and saw a fairly flat area on the hill above me. There was a large rock outcropping and below it a huge boulder had fallen. The prospect of a campsite with rock on two sides appealed to me so I climbed up there to take a look. The area was not level but I found a flat spot large enough for my tent to fit in. As a bonus it was right next to a fallen tree so the tree would provide a wind break on that side.

After I got the tent up I set my thoughts on dinner. I decided on Mountain House Freeze Dried Lasagna with Meat Sauce. There was a long flat rock about 40 feet from my tent site and I decided to cook there, on top the rock. In my How to Avoid Encounters with Wild Bears article I described how important it was to do all your cooking far from the tent site. After the meal was cooked I sat on the large rock with my back to the river and ate. While eating I happened to look at the rock outcropping in front of me and noticed that at the top of it there were three trees that had large areas of bark removed.


Black bear territorial marking on a tree. notice the grooves made by his claws and the fresh, pale yellow wood of the tree indicating this was done very recently.

"Oh fuck" I thought. I looked around and saw other trees with bark scratched off them. I had managed to pick a campsite that a bear also claimed as his. It was getting dark and there was no time for me to try to move and find another site, so I decided to hunker down here and hope for the best.

I finished my meal and then looked around for a suitable place to hang my food for the night. It was harder than I thought to find a suitable branch but I finally found one and got the bag hung about 15 feet off the ground and 6 feet from the tree trunk on a small branch. The bag was about 200 feet from my tent.

Next I went back to my cooking area and built a small campfire on top of the rock. I burned the lasagna package and put out the fire. Then I found my way to the tent in the dark and got inside.

I was comfortable and about to fall asleep when the woods around me seemed to explode with wildlife. I knew from photographing wildlife that if you go out and sit perfectly still for about 10 minutes or so the animals will get used to you and come around again. That must be what happened here. It started with a very loud screech owl that must have been in a tree right near me. He was answered by another on the other side of the river. This continued on all night. I could hear coyotes howling in the distance. Every now and then I heard a sound like a cat screaming out. I don't know if it was a bobcat or an eastern cougar, both live in the Big South Fork. Then I heard what sounded like several dogs snarling and growling and barking at something that was growling and snorting back. It was coming from above me, probably over the hill and on the other side or maybe even a hill away. I knew I was still close to the Yamacraw trailhead and close to some houses so I am assuming I was hearing someone's dogs barking at a bear and the bear growling back.

The dogs and bear died down and at some point I started to fall asleep again when I could hear a deep snorting, sniffing, huffing, and occasional growl outside the tent, very close by. I could hear leaves rustling around and I think I was being visited by the bear. I lay perfectly still, not breathing, and listened. The noise seemed to get softer and aofter as if the bear was moving away, then it stopped altogether. Several minutes later I heard a loud thud and thought "There goes my food bag". Around 11pm or so all the noises seemed to stop and I finally fell asleep.

My Backpacking Trip - Day 1 Part 1

When last we left my trip, I was waking up in a parking lot somewhere along I-75 in southeast Kentucky. I went to a Huddle Hut, which is like a Waffle House, and had a western omelet and coffee. Then I continued toward the Big South Fork.

Stearns was about an hour's drive from I-75, maybe a little longer. I passed some Kentucky Historical Markers on the way and stopped to get pictures of them. I thought this one was cool:




When I got to Stearns, I had to find the Big South Fork National Forest visitor's center. This was difficult. Stearns is a small town. There was a sign on the highway for the visitor center but then when you turned there were no more signs. I saw the Stearns Scenic Railroad and a series of small tourist-looking shops so I turned there and found the visitor center way in the back, in between and behind two other buildings, almost down an alley.

I went into the visitor center and talked to the Park Ranger there. She was very nice and helpful and described some of the trails to me. At the Big South Fork you have to pick a trail that you will be hiking and then purchase a backcountry camping permit for that trail in order to camp there. The permit is only $5 for the entire stay (up to 2 weeks). The purpose of it is to register with the Park Rangers so they know who is in the woods and where in case of emergencies. They knew my car and where it would be parked and they knew when I was leaving, so presumably if my car remained longer than it should have they would go looking for me.

The Park Ranger gave me a sheet of paper describing the trails and recommended a guidebook sold there called "Hiking the Big South Fork". After reading the sheet and browsing the guidebook I decided on the Yamacraw-Yahoo loop. The Yamacraw-Yahoo loop is a 15.6 mile loop that begins and ends at the Yamacraw trailhead, which is a parking lot under a bridge in Yamacraw, Kentucky. The Yahoo part is for the Yahoo Falls, which is a massive waterfall found at the north end of the loop. The Yahoo Falls waterfall is 113 feet tall and the tallest waterfall in Kentucky.

I noticed two other short trails that shared the same trailhead and looked interesting. One was the Bear Creek Overlook trail and the other was the Split Bow Arch trail. Both are accessed from the Bear Creek Trailhead. I decided to go do these two hikes and take some pictures and then go on to Yamacraw and start my backpacking trip.

I drove on several miles of steep dirt roads to get to the Bear Creek trailhead. When I got there I first hiked the .76 mile Split Bow Arch trail. This trail was pretty difficult and had me gasping for air at a few places. The trail wound it's way down a steep hill, crossed a river, then went back up a hill and passed under the Split Bow Arch, which is a massive naturally formed rock arch.


This is part of the Split Bow Arch Trail



The Split Bow Arch



Another shot of the Split Bow Arch



The Split Bow Arch as seen from the road leading to the Bear Creek trailhead


I had never seen a natural rock arch before and it was pretty impressive to walk under this one.

The next trail was a .3 mile walk through a field and then a short stint through a wooded area to the Bear Creek Overlook. Wow. That is all I can say. Wow. The Big South Fork river was 500 feet below me. I could see hills for miles around. There was a group of people canoing the rapids of the river far below.


This panorama is 9 photos covering 180 degrees that were stitched together. Click on it to see it large.



View from the Bear Creek Overlook



Canoes on the Big South Fork



This sign at the overlook describes the Big South Fork


Once I had finished these two hikes I went back to the car and drove to the Yamacraw trailhead. I found the Yamacraw bridge over the Big South Fork and by making an immediate right just before the bridge I followed a gravel road under the bridge and to a parking area. I got out of the car and walked down to the river. I wanted to prime my Katadyn Hiker Pro Water Filter and Katadyn Exstream Water Bottle Filter and give them one final check. These two filters would be providing my drinking water for the next three days so I made good and sure they were working properly. While I was down by the river I broke out my MSR Pocket Rocket Stove and I cooked a can of Bushes BBQ beans for lunch. I sat on a large rock by the river, eating the baked beans and drinking filtered river water and wondering what the Hell I had gotten myself into.

After my meal I went back to the car and began checking to ensure that I had everything I needed. As I was going through my pack a Park Ranger pulled up in an SUV. We talked for a few minutes and he told me that vehicles left at this trailhead get broken into a lot and told me not to leave anything valuable in the car. He said don't bother hiding stuff in the car, they would find it anyway. The ranger at the visitor center had hinted about trouble at this trailhead but wasn't as blunt as this guy.

This was just great. I had all kinds of stuff in my car. I had brought extra clothing, food, and first aid items so I could go back to the car and get them in an emergency. My kids had their Nintendo DS's in the car because they forgot to grab them when they went with their mother yesterday. I had two cameras I didn't plan on taking with me, including a Digital Rebel XTi with a bunch of filters, a tripod, and a 75-300mm zoom lens. There was my iPod that I brought to listen to in the car. There was the faceplate to the car stereo. All kinds of crap that I didn't want to lose.

I stuffed my pack with as much as I could. I had a normal backpack in the car that I brought for day hikes. I filled that with stuff and tied it onto my pack with some rope. I doubled up two Wal Mart bags and put some stuff in there and then tied that to my pack. I took the rest of the stuff and threw it in the trunk. While I was loading everything up an old jeep with two young kids in it came down the gravel road. When they saw me they stopped, backed up the jeep, and drove away. That just reinforced the idea that my car was going to be broken into. I felt stuck, but I had no choice but to continue on. If my car was broken into, so be it. Everything I left behind was replaceable.

When all was said and done, my ultralight 42 pound pack had to have been over 75 pounds. It was miserable carrying all the extra stuff. The pack was so heavy now that I kept losing my balance and had to use my hiking poles to catch myself and keep from falling. I wasn't off to a good start.

Continued in My Backpacking Trip - Day 1, Part 2.