21 Days at Neanderthal University

[Tipi Walter]

Okay boys and girls---I return from a Nov/Dec backpacking trip to the mountains of TN/NC---and pull these main trails in Citico Creek and Kilmer/Slickrock wilderness---



**Flats Mt from top trailhead down to Citico Creek.

**Pine Ridge up to Fodderstack Ridge trail and Crowders.

**Big Stack down to Slickrock Creek.


**Upper Slickrock aka Nutbuster trail to Naked Ground Gap.


**Naked Ground trail down and up (do this trail twice).

**Seven Mile Ridge to Bob Bald down to South Fork.

**Last days on Flats Mt.

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My trip begins on November 19 at the top trailhead to Flats Mt in TN---a perimeter trail in Citico wilderness. My McHale pack is extra heavy because I have to carry full water on Day 1 to a dry camp on top of the 4,000 foot mountain. Pack weight around 105+ lbs.

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ACCOUTREMENTS OF IDIOCY---left blue sack is my winter warmth layers---down vest and beefy Feathered Friends down parka. Bottom red is my Hilleberg tent. Green sack is 3 rice cake packages. Right red is ccf pad (behind is Thermarest Trail Pro pad).

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I see my first backpacker on Day 3 as he traverses the 6.3 mile Flats Mt trail---he's heading up while I'm heading down. Davy Haynes from Alabama.

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I finish Flats Mt trail down to Citico Creek and burn one of my books on Day 3. This CS positions me right next to Pine Ridge trail which climbs 2,600 feet to Fodderstack Ridge.

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On Day 4 I leave Citico Creek on Pine Ridge trail and my pack is extra heavy cuz I'm carrying full water for another dry camp.

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Near the top of Pine Ridge trail I stop to pump water for a dry CS. This is where a pump filter comes in real handy---to suck up water from a tiny source vs dipping out cupfuls into a gravity filter container. Pumping greatly reduces the amount of silt you gather the other way.

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I have a revelation on this trip---use my Kahtoola microspikes on bare ground (dead dry leaves) to keep from slipping with my enormous pack weight. THEY WORK GREAT. Golfers wear cleats, football players wear cleats, track and field wears cleats---so why not backpackers???

[Tipi Walter]

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Fodderstack Ridge trail is a roller coaster of ups and downs---while I rest by a big blowdown.

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I head north from Pine Ridge on Fodderstack trail and reach old reliable and fave CS called Crowder Camp---has water close by. Tent of choice is Hilleberg Keron at 8 lbs 10 ozs.

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I leave Crowder Camp and TN and enter NC on Big Stack trail which drops 1,500 feet in 2 miles---wear my microspikes of course. I set up upstream from Wildcat Falls on Slickrock Creek.

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Upper Slickrock Creek trail is known as the Nutbuster trail---"the hardest trail in the southeast"---and I've backpacked it 49 times and have divided it into 10 legs. This pic shows upper Hangover Creek with a CS on the other side at the end of leg 3.

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I start up leg 4 of the nutbuster and stop at my favorite rock.

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Leg 5 of the nutbuster is a terrible section full of sawbriars and brambles so I cover my Thermarest sleeping pad in my white 10mil ground cloth for protection.

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Another big boulder I call Gateway Rock at the end of leg 5.

[Tipi Walter]

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Near the top of the nutbuster trail on leg 9 you pass thru a heath tunnel like this. Past leg 4 the trail gets rugged and steep and hellish.

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Nutbuster trail pops me out in Naked Ground Gap and I enter NC on Naked Ground trail and drop almost 3,000 feet to Littlle Santeetlah Creek where I set up camp by this giant oak tree.

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Getting water from Little Santee Creek.

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I decide to pull my first trip zero day on Little Santee Creek for a needed R&R so I can wash my hair and scalp with bronners rose soap.

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I backtrack the hard nut up Naked Ground trail back to Naked Ground Gap and run into two BMT section hikers pulling the trail from Mud Gap north to Tapoco Lodge---on left is Angela Morgan with friend.

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I leave Naked Ground Gap and place these sticks to point out my route for some friends who may be looking for me.

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From Naked Ground it's about a 600 foot gain to Bob Bald and along the way I pass this Beauty Rock.

[Tipi Walter]

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I reach Bob Bald and run into Jessica pulling a one night solo trip. She's related to the family and we know each other from facebook.

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I reach the open meadow of Bob Bald at 5,300 feet and set up the best backpacking chair ever.

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On Day 17 I leave Bob Bald and drop 2,000 feet to South Fork Citico Creek back in TN. My pack is actually much lighter now.

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The top trailhead to South Fork trail so on goes the microspikes as it's very steep.

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I drop down South Fork trail and climb up Jeffrey Hell trail and do a long roadwalk from JHell trailhead to Flats Mt where I was on Day 1. A rainstorm keeps me pinned here in Camp Hope on Flats Mt for a zero day.

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A view of Indian Boundary Lake 2,000 feet below my CS on Flats Mt.

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Day 21 and it's time to end the trip as I leave Flats Mt to meet my evac ride home.

[Tipi Walter]

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I reach my evac point in a high wind and Little Mitten arrives with Zoe Dog. So ends my 2021 backpacking adventures.

[chknfngrs]

¡Nicely done!

Eat your hearts out ULers!

[PatmanTN]

Great report Walt! Not sure if you got my voicemail, when I got your message I was midway through the Foothills Trail for a 4 night, 5 day trip.

[Hosh]

¡Nicely done!

Eat your hearts out ULers!

Why in the world would an ULer want to eat their hearts out, I don’t get it!

[Tipi Walter]

Great report Walt! Not sure if you got my voicemail, when I got your message I was midway through the Foothills Trail for a 4 night, 5 day trip.

Yes, I got your message on my old Tracfone. Jessica mentioned something about wanting to do the Foothills trail and I mentioned you being on it as we spoke. Odd. Are you going to post a trip report anywhere???

[Tipi Walter]

Btw---all trip pics here

https://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backp...al-University/

[jgillam]

Awesome trip report. I love yor storytelling but, my back and shoulders hurt just looking at that pack.

[chknfngrs]

Because tipi carries the weight of 10 UL hikers.

[Hosh]

Because tipi carries the weight of 10 UL hikers.

Most UL hikers carry minimal weight on purpose. They thoughtfully eliminate non-essential items, find items that serve multiple functions and carefully plan trips to maximize their enjoyment.
Walter prides himself on carrying as much weight as possible, must be 5000 pictures of his packs, jams in redundant, over scoped, just in case, seasonally inappropriate items. It’s really more like homeless squatting without the shopping cart rather than backpacking.

So you’re thinking UL’ers should be jealous! I wondering if most UL’ers think it just stupid!

[JNI64]

Very cool you're still coming up with revelations to making hiking safer and a bit easier. Great idea with the microspikes. Not only slipping on leaves but you can't see the rocks. I would call this a "success " . Thanks tipi.

[ldsailor]

As always, love the trip report. You take some really good pictures, too. What kind of camera are you using?

[chknfngrs]

UL hikers would be more likely to eat their own hearts than carry someone else’s, am I right?

[Tipi Walter]

Most UL hikers carry minimal weight on purpose. They thoughtfully eliminate non-essential items, find items that serve multiple functions and carefully plan trips to maximize their enjoyment.
Walter prides himself on carrying as much weight as possible, must be 5000 pictures of his packs, jams in redundant, over scoped, just in case, seasonally inappropriate items. It’s really more like homeless squatting without the shopping cart rather than backpacking.

So you’re thinking UL’ers should be jealous! I wondering if most UL’ers think it just stupid!

Most UL hikers carry minimal weight because they resupply often and don't want to carry 20+ days of food at one time. Your quote "It's really more like homeless squatting . . . rather than backpacking" is just untrue and shows your disdain for heavyweight "Ultra Loading". With a 90-100 pack I still hike 5 or 6 hours a day but only go 4-5 miles---and those 5-6 hours are pure backpacking---not squatting or basecamping.

You need to study Tully Henke's 40 day backpacking trip in Russia carrying a 95 lb pack---

https://backpackinglight.com/packing...y-tully-henke/

One of his quotes---

"Instead of the desire to carry less and go further, (I) desire to carry more and go longer. Instead of shaving weight to have the lightest pack possible, you choose the heaviest pack you're willing to carry and go backwards from there to see how many days you can spend in the wilds."

As always, love the trip report. You take some really good pictures, too. What kind of camera are you using?

Camera of choice is an old Panasonic Lumix LX 5---now discontinued of course.

[Hosh]

UL hikers would be more likely to eat their own hearts than carry someone else’s, am I right?

Nope, it’s must be complicated for you

[Hosh]

[QUOTE=Tipi Walter;2291775]Most UL hikers carry minimal weight because they resupply often and don't want to carry 20+ days of food at one time. Your quote "It's really more like homeless squatting . . . rather than backpacking" is just untrue and shows your disdain for heavyweight "Ultra Loading". With a 90-100 pack I still hike 5 or 6 hours a day but only go 4-5 miles---and those 5-6 hours are pure backpacking---not squatting or basecamping.

How bout this, 20 days of food at 1.5#’s per day equals 30#’s. Add a 15# base weight viola, 45-50# pack weight

So this trip you logged 80-110 miles?

[OwenM]

He's not after miles. To each their own, who cares?
Besides, for some of us, Tipi's trips bring a touch of nostalgia with them. Steep climbs with that pack always reminds me of our HS wrestling coach having us "run" bleachers carrying someone else from our weight class piggyback


Tipi, can you tell me what the creek crossings are like on the Slickrock Creek Trail?
It's possible I might drop by and do the Slickrock/Citico Loop from Strawberry Knob, or something else in the area, early next week. Got a friend who lives ~20 miles SW of Boone, and depending on what kind of plan we come up with, I could be looking for something new-to-me to kill a couple of days on the way.
Been wanting to check out Hangover and that Upper Slickrock Trail for a while now.
Should I bring my saw?

Could I just roll up my pants and hike in sandals(maybe with wetsocks) for a few miles to get through all of the crossings?
Thanks!