Got to hike on the Appalachian Trail again today! This hike was from Hogpen Gap to Neels Gap, approximately 6 or 7 miles with an elevation difference of 3,125 to 3,942 feet. We also did the Freeman Trail at the end bringing our hiking miles to about 8 today.
It was an overcast day, especially on the mountain - we actually saw fog rolling in on the peeks. It did not matter. However, it did inspire me to do this section again at some point just so I can see the vistas.
One of the things that fascinates me about the AT is how flora and the terrain changes every couple of hundred yards.
Finally at about 3900' we had a small break in the weather. Yes, I do have to do this section again on a clear day!
Throughout the trail we picked up on a few little things, not of nature. There were various methods to communicate with others on the trail:
We ran into ~40 people on the trail, some day hikers and some through (Georgia to Maine) hikers. Everyone was courteous and willing to engage in conversation, mostly about the type of hiking they are doing. However, the most interesting through hiker we crossed paths with today had solar panels on his back pack for recharging his batteries for various items...
I loved the high tech and the low tech tech (drying of the socks) next to each other.
I did this hike with my buddy Stan - we've known each other for about 20 years, our boys went through little league and high school baseball together. He's done a lot of hiking and pointed out many things on the trail.
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| Stan after a long climb on the AT |
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| Me, in between Hogpen & Neels on the AT |
It was good day for a hike!
Looks like a beautifully atmospheric hike, Scott! I think the fog is lovely, but it DOES hamper the views, LOL!
ReplyDeleteHigh-tech and low-tech - cool!
You are so very lucky to be near the AT!
Great pics...I like the solar panel guy.
ReplyDeleteThe solar panel guy was great - he recharges a bunch of different size batteries and said he can charge his cell phone up to 97%. What a great idea!
ReplyDeletewow... what a beautiful place! thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the insider views, Scott! Beautiful! I was talking about your AT walking goal to a friend - we're impressed by the plan of breaking it into doable sections.
ReplyDeletewww.Montana1aday.com
I envy you - it both sounds and looks great.
ReplyDeleteBeen thinking about getting a solar panel thingy myself for hiking/kayaking trips; otherwise I'll have to keep it switched off most of the time.