| Date | Distance | Time | Elevation Gain | Average Moving Time | Year to Date Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/24/2021 - 9/25/2021 | 12.5 miles | 910' + 1,593' | 335.7 |
Parking: Carvers Gap
Directions: Day 1: Cross street from parking area. Hike on AT to turn off for Grassy Ridge Bald. Turn onto side trail to Grassy Ridge Bald and hike to summit. Return back to AT. Turn right onto AT and continue to side trail to Overmountain shelter. Turn right on side trail (towards spring) and continue to shelter. Day 2: Hike from Overmountain shelter to Carver's Gap.
Glen was away, so I was looking for a hike to do without him. I've never backpacked solo, so this past weekend I decided to do so. I chose a well traveled route, with fabulous views, which I've been wanting to go on. I was nervous ahead of time, but once I stepped on the trail, I was fine. Well almost. I brought Krummholz along, and this was his first backpacking trip.
I had checked the weather forecast for multiple mountains in the area ahead of time, but when I got to Carvers Gap I was surprised at how chilly it was. A cold wind was blowing, and many people were bundled up. Hmm. We started hiking and I warmed up. The views in the first 2-3 miles are spectacular as I was expecting. What a treat! I knew this area was exceedingly popular, so I took a day off and hiked in on Friday, and hiked out on Saturday. So, there were people on the trail, but it wasn't crowded on Friday. I took the side trail to Grassy Ridge Bald and stopped and cooked lunch there. I talked a couple of times to a couple of men also out for a backpack. They warned me that they heard there was a sketchy man planning to stay at the next shelter. This wasn't what I wanted to hear on my first backpack alone. Well, turns out the man was staying at the shelter before mine. I saw the guy I assumed they were talking about - he looked a bit like a survivalist type. I continued on to Overmountain shelter. I was feeling good - the elevation gain wasn't too bad for a backpack. I arrived at the shelter very early - maybe 3pm. There were 2 other men there when I arrived and a truck. Turns out some trail maintainers were doing some weed whacking in the area, and had driven up. Later on, we were joined by 2 young men, a couple new to backpacking, a thru hiker, and after sunset a group of college students from the University of Georgia on a college trip. A large group, so I no longer was concerned about the sketchy man. I helped 4 of the men collect downed wood, and they got a fire started. We had a great night sky - we looked for constellations, saw several sattelites, and saw the Milky Way. I enjoyed talking with them.
The shelter is a barn, which you are no longer allowed to sleep in, due to risk of collapse. But there is a large field next to the shelter with plenty of room for tenting. There is a privy beyong the barn, and the privy has a view. The privy is quite open - it's got half height walls on 3 sides, and is open in the front. I got up early and used it before the large crew of college students woke up.
In my tent, I froze. I've had problems sleeping in the 40's before, and I wasn't really prepared for how to handle it. I have a 20 degree down bag. I hadn't brought my sleeping bag liner. I had bought a NeoAir Xtherm, because I knew I sleep cold, and this was my first time trying it at cold temperatures. Well, I was still freezing. I started out with a long sleeve shirt and puffy and long underwear, wool hat and dry sleep socks. Throughout the night I added layers as I was shivering. I added my wool jacket. Then my short sleeve hiking shirt. My hiking pants on top of my long underwear. A second pair of socks. My gloves. I stuck my rain jacket at the bottom of my sleeping pad to keep my feet warmer. Krummholz was fine and wasn't sleeping on the sleeping pad I brought for him. So I stuck my 1/2 length closed cell foam pad under my sleeping pad. Then on top of my sleeping pad. My backpack comes with a tiny sit pad in the frame, so I took that out and put it on top of my sleeping pad under my feet. I tried moving around a bit to warm up. I was pretty miserable, but did stop shivering at least. I also remembered some people boil water and put it in a nalgene bottle and put it in their sleeping bag. I hadn't brought a nalgene bottle. I completely forgot that I could have used the ones that Krummholz carries in his pack - he has a 1/2 liter bottle on each side. I also had hand warmers/foot warmers in my first aid kit. I didn't think about pulling them out and sticking them in my sleeping bag. I do have a single wall tent (very light!), but condensation is much more challenging with it. I know site selection is more important for single wall tents, and meadows are known for having condensation. I slept at the edge of the meadow, but a breeze was coming through, under my vestibule doors. So my sleeping bag was somewhat damp. I woke up at 7am, pretty exhausted from lack of sleep.
After warming up with breakfast I headed back to my car. It was harder going back (more elevation gain), but I took breaks whenever I needed (the benefit of hiking alone). As I got closer to Carver's Gap there were more and more people. Soooo many people. Many backpackers, many day hikers, many dogs. I'm so glad I hiked in on Friday, as the area would have been packed on Saturday night. So, some lessons learned - I have more things to try next time I sleep in cold weather.
Day 1
Day 2
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