After waiting almost a year for a custom Pack (and doing 4 trips---80 days---with his temporary Demo pack), Dan McHale sends the finished product and it's a beauty! He calls it a Critical Mass II pack---with mine made in red cordura with yellow spectra top lid and back pocket.
The goal of this trip was to take the BMT from Beech Gap to Yellowhammer Gap, a distance of around 13 miles. The route was recently cleared and opened by Student Conservation Corp out of Chattanooga---and what better trail to backpack than a trail recently cleared?
The other goals of the trip were to pull both Nutbuster trails in the Citico/Slickrock wilderness---the tough Upper Slickrock #42 (Nutbuster) and Citico's most rugged trek on Brush Mt Trail.
To see all trip pics go here---
https://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backp...w-McHale-Pack/
20 DAYS
WITH A
NEW
MCHALE
PACK
TRIP 192
August 26--September 14 2018
HIGHLIGHTS
** "SCOOTER" JIM ON BOB MOUNTAIN
** AMY FROM STARR MT OUTFITTERS
** ON THE BMT FROM BEECH GAP TO YELLOWHAMMER GAP
** 5 DAYS ON SLICKROCK CREEK
** 19 BACKPACKERS SEEN
** 46 CREEK CROSSINGS
** MOHAWK BOY ON SLICKROCK CREEK
** ASHEVILLE CLAY ON SLICKROCK CREEK
** 4 MORE BACKPACKERS ON SLICKROCK CREEK
** 3 WOMEN WANT MY SPOT
** GATLINBURG DISTILLER AND DOG FRODO AT WILDCAT FALLS
** 4 BACKPACKERS FROM OHIO AT WILDCAT FALLS
** 4 BACKPACKERS AT FISHERMAN CAMP FROM ASHEVILLE
** 45TH NUTBUSTER CLIMB WITH COMPLETE TRAILWORK
** LOWER JENKINS CONNECTOR HELL SLOG
** UPPER JENKINS CONNECTOR TRAIL
** DOWN AND UP NAKED GROUND TRAIL
** 23RD BRUSH MT BACKPACK WITH TRAILWORK
TRAILS
Entrance Beech Gap
Fodderstack Ridge Trail
54A South to Bob Mt
**Fir Tree Grove**
7 Mile Ridge to Naked Ground Gap
**Watauga Camp**
7 Mile Ridge to Hangover Mt
Hangover Lead South
**Elysium Fields**
South Lead Down to Big Fat Gap
Windy Gap Trail
**Windy Gap Spring Camp**
Windy Gap Down
Nichols Cove Down to Dotson Grave
**Dog Hat Camp**
Yellowhammer Trail to YH Gap
Ike Branch Down
Slickrock Creek
**Slisgah Camp**
Slickrock Creek 2 Crossings Upstream
**Buffalo Rock Camp**
Slickrock Creek 7 Crossings Upstream
**Big Stack Crossing Camp(Wildcat Crossing Camp)**
Slickrock Creek Upstream
Nutbuster Leg 1
**Burnthouse Camp**
Nutbuster Up
**Open Cove**
45th Nutbuster Climb
**Landon Camp Naked Ground Gap**
Naked Ground Trail Down
**Low Dog Creekside Camp**
Naked Ground Trail Down
Kilmer Memorial Roadwalk
Lower Jenkins Connector Trail Up
Jenkins Meadow Trail Up
**Kurt's Log Camp**
Jenkins Backtrack Down
Upper Jenkins Connector Trail
Naked Ground Trail Up
**Mid Dog Camp**
Naked Ground Trail Up to Naked Ground Gap
7 Mile Ridge West
**South Col Camp on Bob Mt**
54A South Down to Cold Gap
Trail 149
**Barrel Gap**
Trail 149
North Fork Citico
**NF Crossing 1 Camp**
North Fork Trail to South Fork Up
**Brush Mt Up**
**Brush Ridge Gap Camp**
23rd Brush Mt Trail Backpack
Trail 149
**Cold Gap Camp**
Fodderstack Ridge South to Beech Gap and OUT.
My trip starts on the BMT at Beech Gap and here is the new McHale pack loaded with about 95 lbs of crap. Both the top lid and large back pocket are made in Spectra fabric. The green bag is my Hilleberg tent and the two vertical side sacks are my sleeping pads---one a Trail Pro inflatable and the other a Solar ccf.
My first day is a tough 3.5 miles with a gain of a thousand feet---tough with a 95 lb pack---but I make it to the fir tree grove on Bob Mt at 5,300 feet.
Once on Bob Mt I stay on the ridge (I call it 7 Mile Ridge)---and stay on the BMT and climb here to Haoe Peak for a reststop before reaching Hangover Mt and the trail dropping off the mountain to Big Fat Gap.
Once I drop off 5,000 foot Hangover Mt on the South Lead trail I was hoping to find water on the way down but no such luck so I had to pull 3 bushwacking water runs to a little creek I knew about below a place called Grassy Gap where I camped. (I call it Elysium Fields). My first two water runs had to be aborted due to the terrible brush on the bushwack. My third attempt from a different direction was a success. I am using McHale's top lid as an over-the-shoulder bag to haul my 8 lbs of water back to camp.
I leave Elysium Fields and reach Big Fat Gap and then take the Windy Gap/BMT trail to this spot---Windy Gap. It's always a favorite place to take a break. Here the Windy Gap trail Tees the Nichols Cove trail---the BMT route on Nichols turns right.
I descend the Nichols Cove section to the gravesite and take a bunch of gear pics of crap that is in my ditty bag. This is my headlamp purchased about 10 years ago---liked it so much I bought two before Petzl dicontinued the model.
I leave my Nichols Cove campsite and start my Quest of the Yellowhammer trail---and as shown recently worked by a SCC crew. The old Yellowhammer trail is visible on the far right descending sharply to a creek---they greatly improved it with these steps.