Trail Hiked: Saturday:Trail Head to White
Candle Trail to Old Sawmill Campsite ( RED ) 5 miles
Sunday: Wolf Den Loop from Old
Sawmill Campsite to Trail Head (GREEN) 2.5 miles
Weather: Saturday: Mostly
Cloudy/ Light rain in the morning to cool windy conditions in the evening
H 70º/L 46º
Sunday:
Clear and breezy H 67º / L 40º
Pack
Weight: Fully
loaded with food and water 25lbs
The
Hike
The
White Candle trail stated nice a smooth to Odie Overlook, after the overlook
the trail becomes rocky and a bit uneven in spots, as you approach Rock Point
you can see the damage caused by the tornado that came through last year.
It is quite a sight to behold as you can see the path the tornado took through
the area. The trail has been cleared of most fallen trees. There are a few
locations where the tree's couldn't be completely cut and they have been
notched appropriately for easy passage. There are a few uphills along the way,
but nothing to strenuous. The trail at this point starts to become a bit
more rocky. Once you reach the Hogback Mountain the trail dips back down to the
stream which you follow around to the campsite.
The Old
Sawmill Campsite is just uphill from the stream, which runs clear and cold
through this part of the park and makes for a very suitable water source. The
campsite it self if filled with old growth hardwood tree's and very few
pines. The campsite was very clean as the only trash I found as an errant
cigarette butt that had been left by the fire ring. There are several main
camping area's with nice fire rings constructed from the natural stone.
I'm glad I wasn't in a tent at this sight though, as the sites follow the
contour of the mountain and there is not a flat spot to be found. As well as
most of the camping area is rocky as well.
The
Wolf Den Loop from the campsite starts you back at the stream where you find
the first of 5 crossings. Even after the rains and the stream was a bit
high, there are plenty of rocks to help with the crossings. Even though
this section is shorter, the terrain is a bit more challenging.
After following the creek and a few crossings, the path begins to ascend and
fall several times. There are a few tight squeezes through some rocks and
tree's growing by the trail. Half way through down the trail you approach an
actual wolf den and then back down to pass by three small but beautiful
waterfalls. Through this section you will find a few more stream crossings and
after the recent rains the trail was a bit muddy in places making the natural
rock steps in the trail a bit slick. From there it's back up and into the
deadfall from the path of the tornado and still just as stirring as the damage
on the White Candle Trail. From there the trail begins to smooth and
widen out, which makes a nice easy stroll back to the trail head.
Gear
On this
trip I took my newest gear designs out for a test. The Hammock i used on
this trip was made of 1.5oz/yard ripstop nylon with side stretch cords on the
foot end. The hammock is 64" wide and 10' in length, and hangs at 8' in
length with ridge line set at 95" for adequate sag. Suspension for
my hammock was provided by 2 six foot lengths of webbing with a toggle on each
end. 6' whoopee slings attach at the hammock and and are set around the
toggle to create great adjustability. I really enjoyed the sleep in this
hammock, and will base all future designs off of it.
The
tarp I took is my recently completed " OXSHED" it measures in
with a 13' ridge line and 10' overall width. The built in doors worked well to
close up the tarp to prevent wind and rain from getting in. The two side pull
outs work very well to keep the center of the tarp pulled away from the hammock
itself. The tarp itself is quite spacious on the inside, with enough room to
stand to change clothes of get some privacy. The next time I use this
tarp in windy conditions I will make sure to pitch it lower to the ground to
help prevent wind from blowing under and across the hammock bottom. Overall I
am happy with the performance of the tarp out in the field.
To keep
warm I took a Sierra Designs 20º down sleeping bag. The mummy design of
the bag wasn't too tight and the hood worked very well to keep my head warm as
the temperature started to drop. For insulation from the cold air on the
bottom of the hammock a used a blue closed cell foam pad inside the sleeping
bag. It worked well until I got a bit too warm and began to sweat a bit.
The CCF pad is not breathable and as the wind kept blowing I did get a bit cool
as the temperatures keep dropping in the early mooring hours. It was
comfortable enough, but having to get it stuffed in the sleeping bag, and the
condensation issue is enough to make me get serious about making an underquilt
to go under the hammock to insulate from the cold air underneath. It
should help with weight that is carried, warmth, breathability, and
comfort.
The
pack I used on this trip was an external frame Jansport pack that I have had
since I was about 15. It is still in good shape and has plenty of room
for storage. It would seem as though even though I adjusted the pack to
fit the best I could. In the end i was still unable to get the pack to
fit properly. After the first 2 miles it was already becoming
uncomfortable as the pack is to narrow for me now. A new pack will be arriving
at my house in the very near future.
For
cooking purposes the alcohol stove and wind screen worked great for boiling
water to rehydrate meals in a reflective pouch to get the most out of the hot
water. I enjoyed the dehydrated meals I had prepared, chill lime shrimp and
noodles for lunch and crustless turkey pot pie for dinner. Breakfast and
Coffee the next morning was instant grits with pepper jack cheese and sausage
for a little added flavor. The pre made dehydrated meal in freezer bags, also
have the benefit of no dishes to do when your done eating and very little trash
to pack out.
I had
recently purchased some new rain gear and this was the perfect weekend to test
it. The Dri Ducks Ultralight rain suit worked great. It is very light as
the name implies, kept me and my fleece pull over nice and dry, and was still
breathable. I was a bit amazed that a $15 rain suit could perform this
well. The durability may or may not be an issue in the long run, the
stitching is of decent quality and the zipper only has one stitch line holding
on. I wouldn't want to bushwhack in it as thorns or errant branches would
likely tear the material but on groomed trail and around camp it was
great.
Conclusions
and Thoughts
This was
a great hike that a shared with a good friend that is preparing to hike the
Appalachian Trail in 2013. Even though this was a relatively short hike with
only moderate terrain it was a good place to start. This was the first of many
more shakedown hikes to come this season. We learned a lot about the new
gear we were testing and what it's limitations are and the best way to set up
and tear down camp as efficiently as possible. Though I have been
in the gym and have lost 45lbs in the past 3 months my cardio is not quite
where it needs to be. The long uphills took their toll on me more than I would
have liked. My heart rate settled within 25-30 seconds of rest, but I
will have to change up my card routine to include higher heart rate cardio
sessions to help with that. I learned that I don't ever really want to
use a CCF pad again if I don't have to. Also when packing out trash
next time, I will make sure I double bag it so it doesn't leak down the back of
my pack next time..
click for trip gallery
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