My 5 Nonessential Essentials in a Winter Hiking Trip

While trudging along the trail this past week, enduring frigid temps with cold winds that can cut through even my heavyweight fleece, I thought about those things that some may not consider essential but you are sure to find in my pack on a winter hiking trip.

1. Cell Phone - an important tool, especially if the trip goes wrong. The camera feature makes many memories of your winter adventure. Another item of value - the Garmin InReach. It can be used in emergency situations that may well save your life.

2. Chapstick – Oh yes, that tiny little tube of wonder that keeps your lips from drying and then cracking when you near the end of your journey, smiling from a great wander. Sore lips are no fun, especially if you plan to stop at the taco joint afterward. Ouch.

3. A Seat Pad – once a luxury item, maybe a HUGE necessity when you plan to stop for a break or lunch and find the rocks covered in snow. Or even sitting in the cold on an ice-cold rock just makes you downright chilly. Thermarest and other brands make nice lightweight options to keep your tushy from freezing on a break.

4. Traction devices like Yak Trax or Microspikes.  I can’t begin to say the number of times I have begun a trail without anything on the ground, only to hike higher in elevation into unexpected snow and ice. Traction devices have saved a hike, turning what would have been a treacherous journey into an enjoyable, confident, and safe excursion.

Unexpected icy trails - Yaktrax or microspikes helps the trek

5. Wind shirt – While pricey at times, this ultralight garment is truly a necessity when the winter winds whip up, cutting right through your Polartec fleece or merino wool top. It provides just what you need to block the wind and keep you warm. I like it too for an extra layer. Be sure a down jacket is part of the packing. Most are packable into a stuff sack with little effort. It comes in handy when stopping for a snack.

Your turn – what are your nonessential essentials?

Be sure to also check out my blog on Day Hiking in Winter

Other related blogs:

Observations of a Two Week Appalachian Trail Hike

Gear List from an Appalachian Trail Thru Hiker

Other hiker gear lists 

You never can have too many to compare! Sharing this post from our files of an alternate gear list for an Appalachian Trail thru hike.

This hiker's start was in February, but keep in mind that winter conditions can persist on the trail all throughout the spring. So far its been wet out there for 2019, so prepare mentally as well.

A couple of people have asked for a gear list from my Thru Hike Feb 1^st.  The first couple of weeks were very pleasant. Then we had several days of snow and ice with temperatures below zero long

Triumphant finish.

about the Smokies.

Here is a summary:

I am using a well worn ULA Catalyst back pack. When I no longer need winter cloths I would switch to the smaller ULA Circuit pack. I bought a new ULA Catalyst when I got to Damascus. The old one served me well for thousands of miles. I never did use it this hike since I switched to my ULA Circuit pack for the rest of the trip to Katahdin

Western Mountaineering 20* ultra light down bag less than two pounds

Xped Neo Air regular sleep pad 16 oz - this pad worked out great. At twice the insulation value of a Z Rest. In the past I have carried a Neo and a Z Rest in winter or a Ridgerest and a z rest. This pad did the job at half the weight. A generous seat pad offers some backup protection.

Ready to go for the 2105 thru hike

Mont Bell bivi 9 oz
Jet Boil titanium SOL stove, I think its’ about 11 oz long handled Sea to Summit aluminum spoon
Flash hoody down jacket
Flash down pants
Mont bell 6 oz down jacket
Fleece jacket 200 weight
Golight tights
Patagonia silk weight top and bottom
EMS zippered v neck top
2 pair Darn Tough socks I will be wearing one pair of these socks and some other items depending on daytime weather
Running shorts, worn over tights or capilene as needed...rain pants are the only pants I carry
2 stocking hats one much thicker than the other
wind bloc pro balaclava
a couple of buff hats
touch screen light gloves, fingerless army wool gloves, thick thinsulate gloves
Rain wear: Marmot Super Mica jacket, REI elements rain pants, Rocky Goretex socks, Mountain Laurel rain mittens
Water: Sawyer filter, a couple of Gatorade bottles and a couple of Smart Water bottles, one pint size Nalgene serves as coffee cup or emergency hot water bottle. I did not use my Sawyer filter until the Smokies at a shelter with mostly ground water and no privy. Next time I plan to use Aquamaira during weather where the Sawyer filter might freeze and ruin. It’s a pain to try and keep the Sawyer from freezing so it just makes since to carry Aquamira until the weather warms up then switch to a Sawyer original not the mini.

Leki hiking poles, three folds of a Zrest pad for a generous sit pad. 
Suunto altimeter watch, whistle.

ELECTRONICS

Galaxy S5 phone amazing battery life in black and white mode, Anker 16000 mah E5 brick battery at 10 oz its as heavy as a brick but this is a luxury cruise, 5.5 volt 2 amp charger, headlight. I sent the Anker battery brick home with its fast charger. Instead I just carried 3 extra batteries for my phone @ about 1 ounce each. I found that I didn't care to play with my phone as much as I expected as it distracted from my immersion in nature. The spare batteries were more than enough for pictures, Guthook trail maps and an occasional movie the day before town.

Guthooks AT Hiker apps, I love electronic gadgets, 2015 Data Book this is what I hike with when I take a break I jot the time down next to my position in the Data Book this makes it easy to judge location, travel time/miles. For town planning and additional water spots I use both AWOL and ALDHA Companion and I have both in pdf format also. 

FOOD

I have packed 6.5 ‪#‎s food for 4 days the last day being mostly Ramen. Mostly I am eating Mountain House freeze dried food and Lipton sides that has been repackaged into ziplock freezer bags. I do not care for the Liptons by themselves without doctoring them up. Last year I got to liking 1/2 a freeze dried meal and 1/2 a lipton noodle and rice side mixed together. Boiling water is poured into the ziplock bag with the food after about 15 min I eat from the bag, no cleanup and little trash and no food smell in my stove. No stirring while cooking KISS keep it simple stupid makes for a happy Thru hiker.

This year I did not care much for the Liptons mixed with Mountain House. They are so so if you have a can of meat to add and maybe a handful of raisins. I gradually moved to not having a hot breakfast, just coffee and a honey bun or something similar. Just in the last month I finally started liking oatmeal, well Quaker super grains blend with at least a quarter cup of nuts and berries. So I expect I’ll eat that some for breakfast next trip.

I do not like Starbucks very much but I often use the Via's on trail for a good dose of caffeine. Lunch is about a pound of candy bars, peanut butter crackers, nuts, beef sticks, cheese, cookies that sort of stuff. Mostly I eat one of those items every hour and sit down for a few minutes. This trip I abandoned my Jardean method of eating every hour with a 5 min break. Instead we did a more conventional longer break every couple of hours.

WEATHER CONSIDERATIONS

While in town I evaluate expected weather etc for the next section hike to the next town. At NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center)  with -10* below zero weather approaching, I purchased a second pint Nalgene and an extra 7 oz can of fuel beyond what I expected to use. The extra Nalgene and fuel where great luxury items and I enjoyed many hot beverages and hot water bottles.

My brother and I held up at Fontana Resort a few days for the worst of the below zero weather and precipitation. The Smokies was officially closed, all trails and roads. Luckily they lifted the ban on hiking trails and we were able to cautiously continue our hike. Sure its only 35 miles to Newfound Gap and I have made that in two days of good weather. But if Newfound Gap road is still closed then its another 15 miles to Gatlinburg for resupply. On my 2012 SOBO I narrowly missed 6 foot of snow around Newfound/ Cingmans Dome from a predicted major storm, sometimes referred to as the Sandy Hook storm. There were lots of unprepared sobo hikers with no gloves, warm clothes or rain gear braving windy temperatures in the teens. They foolishly listened to Thru hikers from 2011 a very warm dry year. Luckily I have never had one of those years where there is a cold rain for six weeks straight but it happens. So we headed into the Smokies with a few days extra supplies and about twice the fuel that we expected to need. Moving shelter to shelter with additional snow each day. Yea Newfound Gap road was open.

Weather can be expected to be anywhere form 65* to - 10* day or night, rain, snow, ice, packed snow can all happen. Oh yea I have a pair of Yaktrax Pro for additional traction if needed. The Yaktrak Pro's have served me ok in the past and are definitely better than nothing. With hard ice (daytime highs in single digits) and off camber trail they offered only a little grip. We switched to Hillsounds brand light crampon and wore them for 90 miles including the Smokies. They worked great. You can pretty much count on the Smoky mountains to be a sheet of ice until spring. April before last it warmed up to 4* before I reached Newfound gap it was awesomely beautiful. I walked the road down from Clingmans Dome because the road was closed and I knew the views were much better than from the trail.

All that and 20 oz of water leaves me with a 30# pack.

Remember take all advice with a grain of salt or maybe a shot of whiskey 

Chase Davidson is a long time distance hiker starting in 1982 with over 19,000 lifetime miles including: IMT-87, AT-99, GG-99, ALT-00, HATT-00, LT-01, TT-01, ART-02, BMT-04, AT-06, JMT-11,
AT-12, FHT-13, Big-O-13. FT-14, AT-2015.

Related Blogs:

Top 5 Worries About Thru Hiking

Thru Hiking the AT on a Budget

Letter of a $1000 Thru Hiker

A Blissful Hiking Adventure in Review

As 2015 closes and a new year of hiking adventures begins, I like to take the time to review the past year of hiking and lessons learned.

Finish of the Massanutten Trail

Mid-winter saw me on a few days jaunt along the Appalachian Trail as I endeavor to complete yet another trek of this famed footpath over the course of many sections. The winter travel proved a bit dicey at times as I had regretfully left my traction devices at home. A good lesson learned – be prepared for winter conditions with the right gear. See my blog on Lessons Learned Winter Backpacking.  On my return home I also finished the Massanutten Trail in Virginia.

April saw me heading back to my ridgerunning job, first in Maryland where I had the opportunity to set up the caretaker site at Annapolis Rocks (my first real job at rigging tarps) as well as help the trail and hikers. In early May I celebrated with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy its first Flip Flop Hiker send-off as a panel guest and helping hikers reduce weight in several shake-downs.

The remainder of the summer I spent as a ridgerunner in Shenandoah National Park. While I’ve had many encounters with bears over my work the last three years, this past summer saw my first close up encounter as a bear decided to take a snack break on my unoccupied tent at Pass Mt Hut. Thankfully I had no gear in it but the tent needed replacing.

The fall saw my thru hike of West Virginia’s long trail – the Allegheny Trail, which I hiked from mid Sept and completed in early October (have any other women done a thru of this trail? I don’t really know). There were some casualties and tough times, with my leg suffering a major injury from a branch (the scar remains) and then afterwards when I developed an SI joint separation from the tough terrain (requiring a several week hiatus from hiking). But I learned much on the journey on how to cope with difficulties (like poor blazing, unmaintained trails, long road walks, solitary wandering) and also how much maintainers do to help the trails when you hike in areas that are unmaintained (like a quarter mile of thick thorns).

The finish at the AT / Allegheny Junction

I hope 2016 is a great year of adventures in hiking. And don’t forget our upcoming one day backpacker’s workshop in March – for new as well as old – where I bring all my many years of hiking to one dull day of learning and activities. Registration is now open!

Staying Warm at Night While Backpacking

Winter is upon us. But you can still get a good night's sleep with a little planning. 

Here are some tips to staying warm at  night while out in the wild.

1. Sleep in a tent rather than an open shelter, lean-to, or “cowboy” camping. A tent can increase the temperature and provide more warmth.
2. Choose your tent site wisely. Avoid camping near bodies of water and open spaces such as grass that invite condensation (which can turn to frost inside your tent on a cold night), dampness and a chillier night's sleep.  Seek out areas out of wind and under what foliage there is (like pines or rhododendron for example). 
3. Make sure you have a good sleeping bag. Not all bags and their ratings are equal. Check the fill of the bag and the bag’s reviews with regards to how well it’s insulating properties matches the temperature rating it gives. Choose a brand name sleeping bag with a good track record. Don’t skimp on a good quality bag. Take along  a sleeping liner also to better the sleeping bag’s rating, such a silk liner (which weighs little but can extend upwards of nine degrees to the sleeping bag rating – thus a 20 degree bag can work better in temps in the high teens)
4. I have used a hand warmer in the past inside a sleeping bag to help, but they must be used with care as they can get quite hot and could cause discomfort and sometimes even burns if used improperly. Others suggest a platypus bottle filled with hot water to warm a sleeping bag, but I hesitate having liquid in a bag on the chance something could leak - then you'd be in trouble. 
5. Use a good sleeping pad. The R-value of the pad is important.  Taken from the REI web site – “Insulation is measured according to its capacity to resist (that's the "R") heat flow. The higher a pad's R-value, the better you can expect it to insulate you from cold surfaces.”  
6. Be sure you eat a warm snack before bed and keep up your fluid intake. This adds more fuel to the fire in your body, so to speak, and will keep you warmer. 
7. Wear a good insulating layer to bed such as a merino wool baselayer (but don’t overdress!) and wear a hat to bed. 
8. Also, if you carry electronics and battery-operated devices, be sure the batteries and electronics “go to bed” with you. They will stay charged a lot longer if kept warm. I have been known also to sleep with my headlamp.  

Lessons from a Winter Weekend Section Hike

Lots of views and lots of mountains too in this section

I am in the process of completing my third trek of the Appalachian Trail via section hiking. So far I have walked from Springer Mtn (the southern terminus) to outside of Erwin and from Crabtree Falls Rd in VA to Pen Mar Park, PA. For this trip I decided to piece together a bit more of VA, taking it from the Tye River (or about five miles north of Crabtree Falls Rd) to the James River. I elected to do the trail southbound because of shuttle availability, and as I would discover through the course of my wander, it was the correct choice. 

What is the saying about how a man plans his way but God directs the steps? It proved quite true. We’d had some good melting of any previous snowy precip, so I had to make a decision whether to bring traction devices for my shoes or not (like my Yaktrax). Seeing the bare

An icy trail and no traction devices!

woods up at 2500 foot elevation in Shenandoah, I elected not to carry them. But one doesn’t realize that snow and ice are slow to leave the north facing slopes of the mountains. So it was on this section hike as I faced icy trails and no traction devices. But when one goes southbound, you go UP the north side of the mountain, and that was the lifesaver of the hike. It’s much easier with momentum to go slipping up an icy slope rater than trying to sneak down. So I was able to do it, even though I was kicking myself for not carrying the traction devices in early February.

I also discovered that while guidebooks are a must to have on any hike, long or short, there can be some discrepancies. A campsite I thought would be there as outlined in the pages had a NO CAMPING sign posted in it. Ok, so onward I went. Except the trail takes a meandering approach around the Lynchburg Reservoir with hills on either side for several miles. There was NO place to camp, and daylight’s burning (it gets dark early in winter nights). I finally found one small sag in the trail by some boundary markers and threw up my tent there. Better safe than sorry. But with night falling, I now attempt to locate a rock to toss up my bear rope – none were found anywhere. Then a thought occurred to me—use my water bottle. So I did, and it worked fine. After 4,000 plus miles of trial it was the only time I ever used my water bottle to help hang the rope for bear bagging!

On day three of my wander, I was to be picked up at the James River. It wasn’t until I finished the section and dealing with very sore  muscles that I realized how much elevation I had accomplished AND the mileage I had put in a simple Friday to Sunday wander (47.6). It was a bit extreme to say the least. I guess I’d rather be hiking, even if I’m sore, then get to camp early and sit there shivering (at least the final day of the hike warmed up to the sixties!). Now I pay the price as I recuperate from an arduous adventure that saw me again dealing with new situations every time I go out.

On the lighter side of things, I am glad for several gear choices for the trip:

My new LUCI solar charged lantern when those nights sneak up on you quick

The lantern glows as darkness falls

Terramar silk baselayer as a secondary baselayer for very cold nights (and also very ultralight)

Woolx midweight merino wool socks that performed beautifully for two solid days of 30 plus miles with a great cushy feet and zero blister issues afterwards (I highly recommend them and will likely follow-up with a SOCK blog soon on my favorite brands for hiking). 

Related blogs:

Observations of a Two Week Appalachian Trail Hike

Observations in Winter Backpacking

Day Hiking in Winter

Observations of a Two Week Appalachian Trail Hike – Stecoah Gap to Spivey Gap

I did the first of the series last spring where I covered Amicalola Falls State Park to Stecoah Gap, and my observations had to do with other hikers.

The start at Stecoah Gap. Harmless hiking...for now.

This time around, the observations really had to do with me. You see, I had to endure weather conditions I’ve never faced or faced in limited quantities during my spring hike this year from March 23 - April 5th . I am no winter hiker. I have never been out in anything less than 15 degrees, nor am I much on snow hiking. I did a 17 mile snow hike in Shenandoah National Park this past winter, and I must say, that hike really got me ready for what was in store during this time.

1.       Winter Camping – I broke my all-time camping temps at nine degrees at Derrick Knob shelter in the Great Smoky Mountains. When I arrived at 4 PM, the shelter was packed. Fresh snow lay on the ground with more falling. I had not ever been camping when snow was falling. Nevertheless I dug out a spot and erected my tent in a blustery wind that dropped the wind chill to below zero.

My tent set up at Derrick Knob Shelter

I put on every stitch of clothing I had and used a silk liner inside my humble 15 degree bag along with a hand warmer. I managed to stay mostly warm. What I didn’t count on was the water bottles freezing solid, including ice plugs on the top. My trail shoes froze solid (and they can take forever to get back on!). And my stove was inoperable. I learned to warm up the bottles to get a bit of water and warm up the canister, but only on the advice of other hikers. Which leads to #2

2.       Hikers helping Hikers – I was given good advice on winter camping from hikers who knew what to do. One hiker told me to carry my canister in my pocket as I got ready for camp so it would light. When I arrived at a shelter later that day, another hiker had water there from a spring so I could fill up (I’d had nothing to drink for six miles because the bottles were still frozen solid). He also went and got me fresh water as well. When I found out my lighter would not work, a fellow hiker offered me her spare pack of matches (I should have thought to bring matches as a backup).

Rescued at Newfound Gap by a fellow hiker

Another hiker picked me up at Newfound Gap and took me to Cherokee to warm up, resupply etc., all on her dime. And a fellow hiker offered the idea of getting to town to dry out after a very wet two day slog through the final days in the Smokies, and only after he helped give me advice on how to negotiate the solid ice on the trail that came from melting and refreezing of the snow that had fallen. It was also my longest hiking day at over 18 miles.

3.       Winter Trail Conditions in Springtime – There were winter conditions I have never really experienced backpacking. Like rhododendron full of snow, and when you pass through, they dump snow over you.

Going under the rhodo on the trail made for tough travel

Snow from high above in trees falling like snow bombs on top of you. Then the trail turning to a slushy mess when it began to melt. My feet were soaked and slipped and slid much more even than ice. It made for a very slow, cumbersome travel. What should have been easy hiking turned into a major ordeal.

Now it's all slush, and 2-3 inches worth of it. 

And so too my “schedule” had to change. I did not camp where planned but camped where I needed to. I still was able to make certain rendezvous with family, but had to constantly rearrange plans. So it is with the trail and weather where best laid plans are but aside, and you work out each day as it comes.

But it all passes and great views abound. On Big Bald.

Yes, this was a time for personal observations of what I endured. You never know what a section hike on the AT will bring, and this was certainly a two week adventure I will never forget.


Related Blog:

Observation of a Two Week Appalachian Trail Start

Day Hiking in Winter

Review - Woolx Merino Wool Garments

I'm a huge fan of merino wool for hiking activities. Merino is actually a type of sheep found in the Alps of New Zealand. Merino wool is a wool based fabric that boasts non itching softness and lightweight properties with the ability to insulate despite the weather. It also does not stink like other high activity garments.  I've used extensively Smartwool brands tops and socks (lightweight and midweight) and just recently was introduced to the WoolX brand of merino wool base layer midweight top and neck gaiter to test.

Midweight Top

The moment I saw Woolx's unique packaging I had a feeling this would be a different type of product. And I was right. The feel of the garment was different. The process by which they are able to produce the wool into the garment is unlike any of the Smartwool tops I own. The weave is tight, smooth and thick (see here how it is made). It has good stretch for freedom of movement. The weight at just over 8 oz is the same as the midweight Smartwool top I own. UPDATE: I wore it as my principle baselayer while backpacking through snow and single temps in the Smokies and beyond during the last part of March, first part of April. The fabric held up under the strain of a backpack. There was no stink even after many days of hiking. The unique stretchiness of the fabric gives when hiking and was probably the best feature of the shirt. And it washed up great at the town stop.

I also wore the top on a very windy (20 mph wind) and cold (20 degree air temp) 4 mile walk and run in upstate New York. Under a fleece layer, the insulating capability was excellent. My neck became cold also, so I put on the WoolX  neck gaiter. With the tight weave of the garment, it cut the wind and protected my neck. I really thought my neck would still feel cold but it did not. The garment is excellent in wind and may well be the feature that puts this garment above the other merino wool garment brands. More testing is needed.

The gaiter. Great when a cold wind hits your neck

I was also pleased to see the simple care instructions of washing and drying rather than needing hand washing and air drying, taking lots of extra time. A bonus feature.

I was pleased with Woolx and believe it an excellent performer for hiking activities in cool / cold weather. You can tell a well made product by people that care, and Woolx fits this to the tee with a good product that strives for performance and customer satisfaction. Run don't walk to get this excellent product that is well worth the money.


About WoolX from their website -

Woolx was created, very simply, to fill in the gaps where other 100% merino wool products fell short. We wanted to raise the bar and make a 100% Merino wool garment that would always be the first one out of your drawer.

We tested and wore many companies garments. Researched and read feedback from customers who wore 100% Merino wool garments. Took our 100 years plus of combined employees outdoor experience. We then added this all together, and backed by a company with a solid 64 years in business, Woolx was born.

When you pull on a Woolx garment you will notice the difference at once. Smooth, soft, absolutely no itch or scratchiness in our garments.

When you wear a Woolx garment and you'll feel the performance...not the garment. It's there and does what it is supposed to do with unsurpassed comfort that makes it almost invisible. With our special gusseting,  premium neck bands, and the utmost care in the cut you may forget you have it on.

When you wash a Woolx Garment. Then dry your Woolx Garment. All worry free from shrinking. This gives you more time to to get outdoors and enjoy the activities you bought your Woolx garment for...not inside hand washing, hanging to dry, and shaping back.

We've only begun here at Woolx. Many new and exciting products are on the table from jackets to garments for your dog. It's going to be a great adventure! We are honored to have you along with us for the hike.

Some Observations in Winter Backpacking

Ice hangs over the Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah NP

So I did a few days "winter" backpacking last weekend and made some observations. Normally I never go out this time of year but decided with the weather a bit milder that I'd give it a whirl. My intent was to do the central and northern sections of Shenandoah National Park and hopefully complete for the third time my hike of the entire park that began last summer.


Day One - It's raining. I mean, not just raining. It's pouring. I am sitting at the Swift Run Gap ranger station, filling out my backcountry camping permit and wondering why on earth I would leave the car with dry gear to head out into a deluge. But I shoulder my pack anyway and begin.

Rain rapidly collects inside my pack cover and soaks the bottom of my pack.

Observation 1 - If rain does collect inside your pack cover and the bottom of the pack becomes saturated, no garbage compactor bag inside the pack will keep things dry. So double bag your gear or be prepared to dry it all out.

The sun peeks out on the way to South River

After an hour of this, the rain lets up and the sun makes an appearance. The worst is over. When I stop for lunch at an empty Lewis Mtn, I begin the drying process.

Observation 2 - the ULA Catalyst backpack dries very quickly!

I head for my night's destination, Franklin Cliffs north of the Big Meadows and after Fisher's Gap.                                                                                                                                                                         
                    

View from cliffs near Big Meadows

My campsite at Franklin Cliffs

The day clears beautifully and magnificent views are at every overlook. Shenandoah is great in the winter and early spring. There are views you can't see any other time of year, and the tourists are nowhere to be found. I did not see a single person all day.



I found a good campsite by Franklin Cliffs, but high winds made it very cold.

Observation 3 - Do not let yourself get chilled through. Change to your heavy camp clothes ASAP. I didn't and found it impossible to keep warm at night, even with my 15 degree bag in the 20's. I had to wear my down jacket inside my bag and barely kept warm. Also I did not bring a good enough pad to go under my Thermarest neoair. The neoair must have a secondary pad for insulation in temps below 30 degrees.

Observation 4 - Water does not freeze when I kept it under the vestibule. But condensation on the tent fly did and nicely flew off like snow.

Observation 5 - If you choose to eat bars for breakfast, be sure you let them warm up in your pocket. Trying to eat a Cliff bar half frozen is a recipe for breaking teeth.

Observation 6 - Do not wear crocs on slippery rocks where ice has formed to retrieve a bear bag. I did and promptly pulled a ligament in my foot. The injury bothered me for a bit on Day 2, but I hiked on. That is until mile 13 when the pain became too great. I decided not to push it and bailed out just shy of Mary's Rock.

Observation 7 - A more extensive injury is not worth continuing on with your hike. If you are having pain, get off and rest it. The trail will always be there, waiting for your triumphant return.

The sun sets at Franklin Cliffs

Looking toward Mary's Rock northbound