18 Days with Jimmy, Johnny and Billy

[illabelle]

...On a last trip to the Brush Mt trailhead I saw some idiots removed the trailpost and I couldn't find it so I marked it with beaucoup red ribbon. My next plan is to trailwork the Brush from the bottom up and leave copious ribbon. It seems the FS wants to remove olde Brush from the maps as they haven't worked it since 2009. Won't happen as long as I'm upright and alive.

Tipi, the GSMNP needs you. We did a 20-mile loop on the Forney Ridge and Forney Creek trails recently, and there are blowdowns that look like they've been there quite a while. Yeah, I know the park has a bunch of rules you don't like, but maybe you could talk them into giving you a special permit so you could camp where and when it suits you. Your labor on the less-hiked trails would be of great benefit. I imagine the entire active population of WB would vouch for you.

[PatmanTN]

Patman---are you back to using your MR Trance pack??

Only for wife trips. I still need to settle on a new load hauler. Right now that pack is my best option for bigger loads despite the fact that it's almost disintegrated. MR said they would rebuild it for a max charge of $350 but I'm afraid it would be a Pet Cemetery type reincarnation. I want to let it die and rest in peace.

[martinb]

She has been having trouble getting good sleep on the Thermarest All Season so I bought her the Exped Megamat Lite 12 (it's a monster):

It's probably nothing for a watermelon hauler.

[PatmanTN]

hey illabelle, I talked to Mark about that Forney trip the other day and I think I saw you briefly driving the RidgeLine. You were moving too fast to flag down but I was going to introduce myself and say hi.

[illabelle]

hey illabelle, I talked to Mark about that Forney trip the other day and I think I saw you briefly driving the RidgeLine. You were moving too fast to flag down but I was going to introduce myself and say hi.

Oh my, I wish you had! Guess I need to slow down, huh? Was this on Sat morning, or Sun afternoon that you saw us? And where were you hiking?

That Forney trip was good for us. We don't get out often enough to have trail legs, but at least it prevents us from becoming marshmallows.

[PatmanTN]

illabelle,

No it was at the shop one morning a couple weeks ago, I think you were dropping off and leaving

[TNhiker]

TNHiker, that is a Sierra Designs Meteor 2. I tested it for Trailspace last year. That one is actually a prototype and I'm not sure if SD made any changes pre-production. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. Susan loves it for summer with that all-mesh body.

i really dig the design with the side doors and a front door...

but the weight seems really high.....

[Venchka]

Excellent! I went wild with the Demo pack because I used it for 4 major trips with about 80 days of tough backpacking.

Of course I knew I had to eventually send it back so I did last week as he builds a finished pack for me. The Demo is just a temporary see-if-it'll-fit kind of thing.

This is sort of what my finished pack will look like---except in red cordura with the same yellow spectra back pocket and top spectra lid---
Attachment 43133

Yikes! You’re getting the big one. Just what you need!
Try to wear it out! Have fun!
Wayne

[Tipi Walter]

Yikes! You’re getting the big one. Just what you need!
Try to wear it out! Have fun!
Wayne

There's no way to tell when it'll be finished---it could take a couple months---but it's in the pipeline.

[Quik]

Tipi- that was a nice report, I need to check the Citico area out this fall.

[Tipi Walter]

Tipi, the GSMNP needs you. We did a 20-mile loop on the Forney Ridge and Forney Creek trails recently, and there are blowdowns that look like they've been there quite a while. Yeah, I know the park has a bunch of rules you don't like, but maybe you could talk them into giving you a special permit so you could camp where and when it suits you. Your labor on the less-hiked trails would be of great benefit. I imagine the entire active population of WB would vouch for you.

Thanks for the positive input. I have a few favorite trails in my neck of the woods---like the North Fork Citico and Brush Mt and of course the Upper Slickrock Nutbuster---and even with regular effort I can't keep these open.

What's amazing to me is to follow a day or two behind some backpackers on a trail and they do nothing to clear the trail in any way---like taking 5 seconds to pick up and throw a branch off the path.

Beyond all this, it must be remembered we've had a massive hemlock tree dieoff opening up the woods---plus heavy rains in May/June---the combo resulting in a huge proliferation of undergrowth like brush and sawbriars and trails choked with brambles. And trailworkers can't keep up with the mess. Here's a typical bramble mess on the BMT between Bob Bald and Naked Ground Gap---

Tipi- that was a nice report, I need to check the Citico area out this fall.

Olde Citico is nice, especially in late Fall---as December is the new October. Global warming? Citico is best when the motorcyclists get off the Cherohala Skyway---as their noise pollution is TERRIBLE on many trails in the Citico/Slickrock. Cold weather seems to thin them out.

[PatmanTN]

Tipi,

I did a Slickrock loop last weekend and I gotta say, the work that Conservation Corp did on Hangover Lead South is unreal. That trail is in the best shape I've ever seen it. They even clipped out the heath tunnel before and after the secret overlook! They also clipped it out all the way to the main overlook. I could not believe I was able to hike in shorts all the way from Big Fat to the overlook in late July without even getting my legs itchy. Fantastic work.

Also ran into a huge SAWS crew that had overtaken all Naked Ground camps to install waterbars and address fire damaged areas on the Naked Ground trail. They had about ten tents in every place you could fit one. I think it was a 9 day effort for the whole crew.

[kestral]

Always enjoy the posts!

thank you for asking the time. 😊

[Tipi Walter]

Tipi,

I did a Slickrock loop last weekend and I gotta say, the work that Conservation Corp did on Hangover Lead South is unreal. That trail is in the best shape I've ever seen it. They even clipped out the heath tunnel before and after the secret overlook! They also clipped it out all the way to the main overlook. I could not believe I was able to hike in shorts all the way from Big Fat to the overlook in late July without even getting my legs itchy. Fantastic work.

Also ran into a huge SAWS crew that had overtaken all Naked Ground camps to install waterbars and address fire damaged areas on the Naked Ground trail. They had about ten tents in every place you could fit one. I think it was a 9 day effort for the whole crew.

Yes, the SCC crew did great work on the Hangover trail. The trail crew told me getting the side trail to the secret overlook was a top priority "for the tourists".

Doing work on the NG trail is also good as it's probably the most popular trail on the Slickrock/Kilmer side. BUT how I wish a crew could spend 10 days camping on the Nutbuster and clear it finally once and for all.

I think my next trip will be to take advantage of the SCC's work and come over the Bob and stay on the BMT all the way to Yellowhammer Gap as I think they worked this entire route. And then pull a stint on Brush Mt for laughs. With ribbon and tools.

[PatmanTN]

Yeah I went down the nutbuster and that cove section is still terrible. I saw your work on the lower parts though. Thanks for that.

I also went up 42A to it's end. Previously I had thought I had found that trail and that it petered out very soon into Slickrock creek. I was mistaken. It's cut much higher up on the hillside than I thought and stays well away from the creek for most of it's short length. It ends at the first major confluence of an unnamed creek. I explored a bit further but beyond that old grade you pretty much have to hike in the creek. Was a beautiful diversion for sure. I found old cut marks where someone as taken it even further..maybe your friend that does that route up to Cherry Log gap?

[Tipi Walter]

Yeah I went down the nutbuster and that cove section is still terrible. I saw your work on the lower parts though. Thanks for that.

I also went up 42A to it's end. Previously I had thought I had found that trail and that it petered out very soon into Slickrock creek. I was mistaken. It's cut much higher up on the hillside than I thought and stays well away from the creek for most of it's short length. It ends at the first major confluence of an unnamed creek. I explored a bit further but beyond that old grade you pretty much have to hike in the creek. Was a beautiful diversion for sure. I found old cut marks where someone as taken it even further..maybe your friend that does that route up to Cherry Log gap?

Many years ago I followed 42A (the other nutbuster) up into an old hobo camp with some obvious trash and bedding etc.

42A was supposed to be an attempt by the FS I guess to connect Slickrock Creek trail to Cherry Log Gap but it never got finished.

A couple buddies of mind regularly backpacked/bushwacked up 42A and told me a story of hammock camping somewhere high up and placing their hammocks strung over the creek when a flood came and they lost some gear. The next day they finished their bushwack from hell to Cherry Log Gap and this is what they looked like popping out on Fodderstack Ridge---Rob and Scott.