Yonha Mountain Trip Report for 7/20/12 - 7/22/12

Trail Hiked 

Friday Night: First Half of the Yonha Mountain Trail ( Blue Track)

Saturday: Second Half of the Yonha Mountain Trail ( Green Track)

Sunday: Back down the mountain to the car

Weather

Friday Night: Very humid with light rain H 92º/L 68º

Saturday: Foggy early, clear until midday, severe thunderstorms, clear night H 90º/L 64º

Sunday: Clear and breezy H 93º/L 71º

Pack Weight 

 Fully loaded with 3 days of food and six liters of water 29 pounds

The Hike

My hiking buddy Maddog has been talking about this hike for several months now, but we just haven't been able to make it work.  It turned out this weekend worked out for us so off we went.  I met him after I got off work and we hit the road around 6 p.m.  We managed to make good time to the mountain and pulled into the parking area about 10 p.m.  It was dark, very dark, and the air was heavy with humidity and the sound of cicadas ringing out was deafening.  Though probably ill-advised, we were dead set on not sleeping in the car when there was a mountain to conquer.  After getting our gear out and GPS fired up, we headed off into the humid darkness up a trail we had never before set foot on.  The trail, as expected, started out well maintained and gained elevation quickly.  We were soon met by the summer growth of vines attempting to eat the well-worn path.  About one quarter of the way in, we came to a nice little bridge where the adventure really began.  After the bridge, the trail narrowed significantly and became very rocky with a large drop down the right side of mountain. We headed toward the top.  Both Maddog and I are pretty experienced hikers and have spent a lot of time in the woods, but what happened next caught us off guard.  As the trail had become narrow and overgrown, we soon found ourselves standing in ankle high Poison Ivy and no discernible  trail.  We stopped to get our bearings and check our position.  We knew the trail had to keep going.  It couldn't have just ended, since there have been way too many people who have traversed this mountain for there to be no trail.  We decided to back track to where we lost the trail. In the darkness, we missed a switch back that continued up the mountain.  It was not marked like the rest of the trail and was quite obscured by vegetation.  Once back on the trail we passed through, over, and around several large boulders before finally reaching a place to set up camp at around 12:30 a.m. We got camp set up and both fell promptly asleep for the night. 

We awoke to the morning sun peeking through the trees.  We cooked up a quick breakfast and broke camp.  After breaking camp we wandered around and found a large grassy area that would be great for tent camping, though it was a bit exposed.  There was an awesome vista there of the mountain and even the town below.  It was a bit obscured by a large tree this time of year, but it was only the beginning of the beauty the mountain held.  There were several trails that led from this camp site to several different areas. A small sign pointed toward "The Lowers" and "Main Face", but none to the Summit.  We picked the middle trail as it was well-worn and the steeper of the two.  The hike to the second campsite, known as the Ranger Camp, was not a long hike, but it was straight up all the way.  We gained most of the elevation of the hike going up this trail.  We reached the top of the trail and it emptied out onto Forest Service road.  This road is used by the Army Rangers to access this camp during their climbing and rappelling exercises on Mount Yonha.  Luckily for us, the Rangers weren't here this weekend and we had the place to ourselves.  

Before setting up camp at the Ranger Camp, we decided to summit the mountain to see if there was a spot to set up on top of the mountain.  We traversed a dirt and gravel trail used by hikers but accessible by jeep or ATV up to the summit.  The summit of Mount Yohna is a grassy field with several fire rings. The grassy field was like a bald spot on the very top of the mountain ringed by trees to protect it from the wind.  We had already summited the mountain, but we weren't satisfied with that.  We came for the view and were dead set to find it.  After finding a few little goat paths that led off to the southwestern side of the mountain, we were treated to a spectacular view of Pink Mountain and the town of Cleveland, Georgia now over 3,500 feet below us.  Standing by the edge of this sheer face looking at the world below,  I could only think about how small we really are on this amazing place we all call home.  To drive that point home in my mind, I was treated to an amazing aerial display of two hawks floating effortlessly on the breeze.  After taking some pictures and soaking it all in, we decided it would be best to set up camp down at the Ranger Camp for the night.  We made our way back down and got camp set up. We enjoyed some lunch as a small but steady stream of day hikers reached the camp.  As they headed for the summit, the sky began to grow dark and angry.  As the wind picked up and the rain began to fall, the thunder cracked so loud and close I could feel the pressure of the atmosphere change.  As I enjoyed this storm from the safety of my hammock and tarp, the day hikers came scurrying down the mountain.  None of them seemed prepared with rain gear of any sort, so they headed into the latrine that had been built by the Army.  As soon as they reached it, they realized they would rather be wet than to be dry and smell the smell that only an Army Latrine can produce! As the rain and wind picked up, the temperature dropped very quickly. I was forced to break out my under quilt to keep me warm, and soon I found the sweet spot in my hammock and enjoyed the best nap I had had in a very, very long time.

I woke to the sun shining down through the trees and a rumbling in my stomach.  That could only mean one thing: dinner time!  After rousing Maddog, we cooked and enjoyed a few laughs about the day hikers scurrying about.  After thinking about it, I decided I would head back up to the summit to make sure anyone that had stayed up there was okay.  The one group that was there was wet and a bit cold but okay.  I walked back down to camp with them, and they headed on down the mountain.  Maddog and I enjoyed talking about the trip so far and planning our next trip until the sun began to set.  We once again climbed in our hammocks for another blissful night of sleep. I laid in my hammock as the sound of the cicadas that had been deafening the night before turned into a beautiful symphony of the night that lulled me to sleep. 

The final morning of a hike to me is always bittersweet. I look forward to a cold drink and the dry cool air conditioning.  At the same time, I find it hard to peel myself away from the serenity and beauty that surrounds me. Like every morning before, we made breakfast and broke camp.  I find it takes just a bit longer on the last morning, but when we finally made it back to the parking lot, the adventure was over. We headed down the mountain and made it back to the car in much less time than it took to get up there.  I'm not sure if it was because it was all downhill or because it was in the daylight.  Nonetheless, our trek back to the car was uneventful and as smooth as could be, except for that tug of nature to head back up the mountain and set up camp for just one more night. 

The hike overall is one that I would really like to do again.  The trail wasn't that long at only at around 2 miles, but the terrain was challenging and unforgiving at points.  Carrying an almost 30 pound pack up doesn't help, but with no water sources present, that is the price that must be paid. I would caution the casual hiker that the first section of the trail isn't too bad with the elevation change being handled very well by a few switchbacks following a few ridges along the mountain. However, the second half is not for the faint of heart or weak of will.  With a full pack it is quite demanding, as it is up, up, and then up some more.  The trail here is red clay and rock, and very slippery after the rain.  I would like to explore a bit more of the mountain next time. I think that being at the bottom of the granite face looking up would be an awesome site! 

Gear

For this trip I carried most of my standard gear in a ULA Catalyst pack.  My tried and true hammock served me well once again and my under quilt keep me nice and toasty when the temp dropped.  I didn't carry my regular sleeping bag to help drop some weight to accommodate for the extra water.  I instead chose my lighter weight fleece bag.  It worked as well as I could have hoped, keeping just enough of the chill off.  For this trip, I carried my first production OXGEAR tarp with me.  I was very pleased that it withstood the high winds and rains, with no leaks, tears, or pulled stitches.  It performed as a good quality tarp should.  As far as food, dinners were my normal dehydrated chicken with veggie and rice. Breakfast was instant grits topped off with some bacon jerky which really made it great! My lunches were of the no-cook variety, consisting of some beef jerky and cliff bars.  The water, as I mentioned, was the killer here. Six liters of water is heavy, especially when I'm used to carrying only 2 liters at any given time. 

After coming down the mountain, I took the opportunity to go to Mountain Crossing at Neel's Gap.  Mountain Crossing is a well-known stop along the Appalachian Trail that has served AT thru hikers since 1937.  Besides the fact that it is an awesome place with great gear, it also has great people that are there to help the hiking community at large.  I was fortunate enough to find a new ULA Circuit pack that fits my needs perfectly, and I was able to sell an OXGEAR hammock tarp to the guy helping me!  I look forward to using my new pack and to his feedback/recommendations about my OXGEAR Equipment to others.

Happy Hiking,  

OX

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