This past weekend, we backpacked from Carvers Gap to US 19E. We tracked our hiking miles and it ended up being a total of 17 miles. We did hike to a few water sources. Most guide books say the hike is around 15 miles. Our 17 miles did not include any walking around campsites or anything off trail.
We got to the trailhead at Carvers Gap after work on Friday and hiked 3.5 miles to a campsite. We stayed a few miles from the first shelter on the trail. We got to camp around 7pm. I boiled water for our meat while Marty set up the tent. Ghost enjoyed his freeze-dried raw lamb that we brought along. Shout out to Next Mile Meals! These keto freeze-dried meals are high protein and excellent. We ate one Friday night and Saturday night. I had the chicken and broccoli and the Cajun Jambalaya while Mary had the sausage and egg scramble and the buffalo ranch chicken. Having eaten a lot of MREs in the late 80s and early 90s, I can say that these are a million times better. <smile> It was great to be able to keep the same diet on the trail. As anyone who has read by previous entries knows, Marty cured his type 2 diabetes with a keto lifestyle. For those who don’t know, two years ago we went to the emergency room because his blood sugar was in the 460s. His A1C was high, as well. I say he is “cured”, but we know if he goes back to his old way of eating, his glucose numbers will rise. He HAS type 2 diabetes.
The first night it was quite windy, so we made sure to place the BearVault and Grizzly Bear Bag downwind from our site. We placed all food and toiletries in the containers. Even my lip balm went inside! We used Canary fluoride free toothpaste tablets to save on weight. This was our first time using toothpaste tablets and I have to say that they worked out really well the entire trip. This will definitely be part of our essential gear set up from now on. In the morning, we used Blackout Coffee’s freeze-dried instant coffee with Bulletproof’s keto creamer. We weren’t too sure about the keto creamer going into the weekend, but we were surprised that it was delicious! It was better than any of the natural freeze-dried creamers we have ever tasted.
On Saturday, we hiked just over 8.5 miles. The terrain was rocky and the climbs were fairly difficult. We had to embrace the suck climbing to the summit of [big] Hump Mountain. I had opted to wear my Altra TIMP 5 trail runners and sadly they don’t have much ankle support. I would have faired better wearing my Merrell Moabs or my Hoka One Ones. Lesson learned. Overall, the shoes are good, I just prefer a little more ankle support on rocky terrain. I have tried to embrace many trail runners on my hikes, but this weekend showed me that I’m just a hiking boot kinda girl. The views were gorgeous. As always, pictures never do the views justice. You’ve got to get out and hike your own hike to see the beauty for yourself.
I also decided to get a silicone wedding band for this trip. Hiking and camping can be rough on ring settings. It worked out well. Marty has one he’s been wearing for work. It came off when he washed his hands one day. Surprisingly, he found it. It’s a black band that blended in with the ground. I washed my Kula Cloth to hang dry on a nearby tree and we washed a few other items. Which leads me to my Kula Cloth review– it works great! What is a Kula Cloth? It’s a pee rag. One side has antimicrobial silver on it and is used to wipe when you are out in the woods. It saves you having to pack out used toilet paper! I have it hanging from my backpack for easy access. This is one item I would have loved to have way back in my Army days. This way we just had to pack enough TP for #2.
On the second day, we camped in the tree line just past the summit of Hump Mountain. Maybe a mile or so from the summit. It was a mostly flat area. We opted to stay here because the next campsites were 2 miles further on the trail. It rained a little overnight, so we opted to get our bear containers from where we store them overnight and boil water in the vestibule of the tent. We also rehydrated Ghost’s food and let him eat in the tent, as well. He’s a spoiled husky. He wasn’t so sure about the rehydrated food, so I fed him with my camp spoon to get him started. Yes, our dog eats from a spoon. We sometimes have to do this when other dogs are around because he is a slow eater. He likes to savor his food. <laughter>
We got a late start on Sunday morning due to the rain. We waited until about 8am when the sun came out to pack up so things would be less wet. We hiked 5 miles on the trail to 19E and then .3 miles to Mountain Harbor Inn where we got a shuttle back to Carvers Gap. The B&B is still standing, but the hostel was washed away during Hurricane Helene. It was good to see that they are in the process of rebuilding the hostel. Ghost did really well on the shuttle back, even being nervous about the curvy roads. His new Saker Lander harness is perfect for hiking and we also like the Saker leash. We opted to get it because the leash is just a little bit longer than others and this makes it easier to hike with him. He can be just ahead on the trail and not get in the way of our trekking poles. He also has more room to clear down tress or big rocks before we do. The shorter leashes make it complicated to clear obstacles with him. He’s got 4 paw drive and just hops over, the longer leash allows him to do this before Marty, for the most part.
I give this section hike a 10 out of 10. It wasn’t the hardest hike, but it was somewhat difficult in spots. We started with heavier packs because water resupply is limited on balds and ridges. We wanted to make sure we had enough water for Ghost and the two of us. I carried 3 liters in my hydration bladder and 24 ounces in my Grayl Geopress. Marty carried the same, but also carried 40 ounces in Ghost’s pup flask. We did find water sources and filter water for Ghost and ourselves twice, as well. We both used all of the water in our hydration bladders for drinking and cooking. We also added some to Ghost’s bottle. This hike would have been a bit more challenging if we had to filter all of the water on trail. It would certainly be doable — but remember on the balds, there’s not much water.
While we were hiking, we discussed shortening our October trip from 70 miles to maybe 50 or 60. It seems like every hike we take is actually longer than what All Trails or other apps actually show. This 14.9 turned into 17 made us think about adjusting our October route. On the ride home, we also decided that we want to section hike the entire Appalachian Trail. Now to find a map that we can use to highlight the portions we’ve hiked.
Last night, we were discussing taking two weeks off next July to hike the 100 mile wilderness in Maine. That part of the AT is GORGEOUS! We would complete the trip by summiting Katahdin. You only live once and we work hard so that we can play harder. Right now, the Maine section could just be a pipe dream. We will see how the next year plays out.
My Little Red Bike 