Back on the AT, made it to Clingmons Dome in the Great Smokey Mountains.

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  • Labeeman

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    Oct 11, 2010
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    Well we were fortunate and with the Grace of God we were able to make another section on the AT a few months ago. We got on the trail on April 23rd and got off on the 28th. We started where we left off last time (Natahala Outdoor Center and end the trip at the lookout tower at Clingmons Dome in the Smokey zmoutain National Park. We did a total of 76 miles on this leg and reached the 200 mile mark at Clingmons Dome. The first two or three days were very nice, but the last 34 miles we hiked were in the rain and cold. We wanted to hike in the rain some as we have not had those conditions on the trail before but like they say be careful what you wish for. It was 3 days of misery but we actually learned a lot and will make adjustments with our gear for the next leg. As usual, we met great people and and saw beautiful sights. We hiked a few day with a 77 year old who was a beast, and even ran into a 80 plus year old cat hiking the trail. He was not fast, but hey he was doing ok which was incredible. Got a lot of inspiration from them. In all honesty I want to be done with the whole trail before I’m 65 ( I’ll be 60 this year) so over the next few years we will be picking up the pace and mileage. I hope everyone has a great summer and get in out their and challenge yourselves. We only have this one shot in life so get with it.
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    AustinBR

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    Looks like a great trip! Sounds like y'all had an awesome time!!

    What are you using for tent/pad/sleeping bag nowadays?
     

    john17427

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    Wow, I hiked that section like 35 years ago. Actually looks prettier than I remember. How do you guys handle the logistics of getting back to vehicles? We used to stage a vehicle at each end of a segment, but that's not really practical unless it's a big group.
     

    AustinBR

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    Wow, I hiked that section like 35 years ago. Actually looks prettier than I remember. How do you guys handle the logistics of getting back to vehicles? We used to stage a vehicle at each end of a segment, but that's not really practical unless it's a big group.
    Nowadays they have "shuttle services" (a guy with a pickup truck) and even Uber/Lyft, depending on location.

    We hiked ~90 miles of the Ozark Highland Trail last fall and just paid a guy $200 bucks to pick us up at the trailhead and drive us about 3 hours east.
     

    Labeeman

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    Looks like a great trip! Sounds like y'all had an awesome time!!

    What are you using for tent/pad/sleeping bag nowadays?

    6 moon design, 2 person ultra light tent, Big Agnes’s bag and pad. I’ll prolly have a different bag next time. As you know though, the gear possibilities are endless. It’s expensive though no matter what gear you get especially in the ultralight category.
     

    Labeeman

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    Wow, I hiked that section like 35 years ago. Actually looks prettier than I remember. How do you guys handle the logistics of getting back to vehicles? We used to stage a vehicle at each end of a segment, but that's not really practical unless it's a big group.

    Like Austin said shuttle services are readily available along the complete trail. You have to do your homework to find reliable services and also book them early enough to pick you up when needed. All of the people we have used have been very nice and reasonable. We try to leave our car at the place we are going to get off the trail then shuttle back to our starting point. We also use them to resupply if we need a ride into a small town.
     

    Blackhawk

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    For the education of those of us who have not yet taken up the hiking challenge, could you, in some future post, describe the gear you've found to work best, with possibly some photos?

    There was a thread some time ago about "What's in your shooting kit" that was most interesting, gave me some ideas for the future.
     

    Labeeman

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    For the education of those of us who have not yet taken up the hiking challenge, could you, in some future post, describe the gear you've found to work best, with possibly some photos?

    There was a thread some time ago about "What's in your shooting kit" that was most interesting, gave me some ideas for the future.

    I’ll do it my friend. Look for it in a different post. It will take a little while though.
     

    Labeeman

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    You mean you don't have a lighterpack link ready to copy and paste?!?! :biglaugh:

    You guys hit the NOBO bubble? That area was pretty congested last time I did an April trip out there.

    We did get caught up in a small bubble. People were pretty nice and was only really crowded at the shelters. Once we got on the trail it calmed down and we were mainly to ourselves.
     

    AustinBR

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    For the education of those of us who have not yet taken up the hiking challenge, could you, in some future post, describe the gear you've found to work best, with possibly some photos?

    There was a thread some time ago about "What's in your shooting kit" that was most interesting, gave me some ideas for the future.
    Oh man... I could write a book on this. I have all of my gear weighed out to the gram haha
     
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