Ladies Backpacking Trip

The very first time I went backpacking, I was twelve. It was in Colorado. We actually went to the top of Mt. Elbert, the highest peak in the state. And standing on that mountaintop, I knew I had discovered a hobby that would be with me for life.

There is something about the process of going into the woods and working hard to achieve something difficult, like standing on top of a mountain, that changes you. That first trip (and the following four trips I completed) were with Wilderness Trek. Those trips taught me life lessons like: how encouraging others when you are struggling will make your own experience easier.

One year, we circled up and had to pass our pack to the person on our right. This taught me that we are all carrying heavy loads, and as heavy as my load might be, the one next to me might be heavier. It also taught me that if we are to reach the top, EVERYONE has to reach the top. If one is unable to make it, we are all unable to make it. And sometimes circumstances outside our control, like the weather, will keep us from finishing. And those trips where we didn't meet our goals are still worth the effort because of the personal growth and relationships that are formed regardless of how things play out.

When Daniel and I met it was on a caving trip that I was leading in college. He was invited by a mutual friend and he ended up being a great help to me as that particular trip ended up being the biggest group I had ever taken. Daniel stayed in the back and made sure no one got separated or too far behind. It was one of the things that really stuck out to me about him on that trip. I guess I must have made an impression on him as well because he kept showing up in my circle of friends after that!

 

After we married, we didn't have a lot of money. I had a college degree but we were in a small town and the only job I could find in my industry was at a small family-owned printing company that only paid $7/hour and did not provide insurance. We were scraping by while Daniel finished his degree in engineering. During that time we decided to spend as much time as possible together in the woods. It was a relatively inexpensive hobby and it gave us a lot of time to connect outside of school and work.

 

We did backpacking trips all over east Tennessee. Now that we live back in the state I find that we stumble across old trails I had forgotten about and memories from almost twenty years ago come flooding back.

After Daniel finished his degree, we moved to Charlotte, NC, where we would purchase our first house and complete a five-year renovation. This left little time for our passions in the outdoors (although we did manage a few trips). After the recession of 2010, we ended back in the Tennessee Valley. In early 2011 (the year Jack came along) we did one final backpacking trip in the Sipsey Wilderness area. That was my last time on a trail overnight.

When Jack was little, we attempted a backpacking trip that ended up being a bust, and I decided to put that part of my life on the back burner.

 

So when a friend of mine asked on Facebook if I, along with any other women, would want to do a last-minute backpacking trip with her. I wanted to shout a resounding, "YES!" across the internet.

 

It would be a quick out-and-back two days after I got home from camper-camping in Florida. If I am honest, I was a little worried. My friend wanted to complete 13 miles in the heat of July. I hadn't been working out regularly since the coronavirus took down the world, and I wasn't 100% confident in my ability. However, I did have a lot of experience backpacking and I was more than ready to be on the trail again. I wanted to remind myself of what I was capable of. And I also wanted to go to encourage the two women who would be joining us who had never backpacked before.

We met Saturday morning for a shakedown. Basically my friend Shannon and I partnered up with Billie and Marty and helped them determine what they could leave behind. We ended up cutting both their piles of equipment in half. I'm pretty sure they were both grateful that we didn't let them bring all the things.

 

Then we hit the trail. The temps would reach in the mid to upper 90s with heat indexes well above 100. And part of the trail was on exposed rock faces that radiated that heat back at us even more. It was HOT.

  

As we started, Shannon took the lead and set a good pace for us. I have found that it is best to have one experienced person do that and a second experienced person to stay at the rear to encourage the group and not let anyone fall behind (like Daniel did on my caving trip all those years ago). Both the front and rear person are extremely important. 

 

So as the day wore on, I would remind everyone to drink water, and when necessary stop to eat as a group. Because of my experience on the trail, I know first-hand what it feels like to get unbalanced electrolytes from not eating properly and also what severe dehydration feels like. With that knowledge it makes it easy to remind others what to do to combat that so they don't have a bad experience.
 

The trail would have us climb from the North Chickamauga Creek, gaining the ridge on the side of Mowbray Mountain and dropping back down to our campsite at the creek on the far side of the mountain. This trail is listed as hard on AllTrails and it was definitely that. I would venture to say it was even strenuous at times.

I actually did a portion of this hike with my kids earlier this year, as part of our weekly homeschool day hikes. We did a small part of the Hogskin's Loop to Strip Mine Falls and back down to the Blue Hole. The extended version of this hike, with overnight packs, was much harder!

For our ladies hike, after hiking all day in the heat, it started to thunder as we came down the back side of the mountain. I could see a rocky overhang at the bottom and suggested we get there and wait out the rain that appeared to be on the way. This ended up being a good decision because it did start raining and this gave us a good 45-minute rest and everyone's gear stayed dry.

 

The other benefit, that we were unaware of at the time, was that we had a mile of hiking left to camp. And that mile would be brutal. We would be picking our way over large rocks all the way down. Our toes would be jammed into the front of our boots, leaving our feet bruised. It was rough.

We reached the Stevenson Branch campsite at 5pm. Shannon's original goal was to squeeze in another three miles. However, we all agreed that due to timing and difficulty of the trail it made more sense to stop and enjoy the evening at camp (this would reduce our overall mileage from 13 miles to 10). We completed five miles that day and were all pretty worn out.

We dropped our packs, changed into sandals and went down to the river to get fresh water and also soak our weary feet. We all ended up getting in the water to cool off as well.

 

After soaking for a bit, we felt refreshed and headed back to camp to set up our hammocks and get supper and a fire going. Spending a day like this is not for the faint of heart. It was hard. But it also takes down barriers and allowed us all to share freely. We talked until after the stars came out. This is one of my favorite things about being on the trail. 

The next morning we ate breakfast, packed up camp, and attacked that first mile that we knew would be challenging. Climbing up the trail on fresh legs was still hard, but much easier than the day before.

 

Our initial goal of the day was to get high enough to have cell service to check in with our families. We had thought Verizon had full coverage of the area, but it turns out that even Verizon doesn't cover hidden hollers in East Tennessee.

Shannon and I kept telling the others that walking out would be easier. It always is. And while it was still hot, and still hard, it was easier. We all left the trail with smiles on our faces. I know I will be back in the future, though I am definitely more of a fall and spring camper that a middle-of-summer camper!

Over vs. Under Prepared

Daniel and I, we possess some similar character traits but we also have some key differences. These are the things that make our relationship work, but can also make it challenging. That is the way it goes with everyone I suppose... if we spent our lives with carbon copies of ourselves we would never improve in areas we are lacking, and we would probably be bored, having no one to challenge us. 

Recently one of the Instagram accounts that I follow (CampmanStore) posted a photo with the caption: "Are you an over-packer or under-packer when backpacking?"

I commented that I was an under-packer married to an over-packer.

They responded with "So what you are saying is either your husband carries a really heavy pack or you sneak stuff out when he's not looking? Either way, sounds like an interesting dynamic."

And they are right, it is an interesting dynamic!

I went on to share a snippet of a time that Daniel and I simultaneously over and under packed: "A bit of both 😜 We have over-carried water when hiking to remote areas in Hawaii, while simultaneously forgetting eating utensils. I'll let you guess who was in charge of which. Let's just say a toothbrush can totally work as a spoon..."

Looking back at an old journal, I realized that on this trip, we had also forgotten our cooking fuel, a water bladder, camera, Daniel's glasses, and our camping permit! One mile into the hike, Daniel actually went back to retrieve everything but the eating utensils and camera (we were at our campsite before we discovered that those items were missing!). I'm going to blame the forgetfulness on jet lag, but looking back, it makes for a funny story!

Another time, we went backpacking in the Grayson Highlands in Virginia. While making plans, I checked the weather for Damascus (the closest town to where were headed), but I failed to account for the drop in temperature we would experience on top of Mt. Rogers. We spent the night in a trail hut and froze as the temperatures dipped. The next day we decided to hike back to our car because we were unprepared for the cold weather and rain that had rolled in over night. After that trip, Daniel joked that my planning privileges were revoked since I had provided bad information.

On a day hike to the top of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire, we got a late start in the day (due to early morning weather). When we reached the top, we were exhausted, the sun was setting and we agreed that I needed to take a shuttle down since I was four months pregnant. It was a difficult decision to make, but we hadn't accounted for our late start and the shuttle went to the opposite side of the mountain from where our car was parked. There was no way around it. Daniel was prepared with extra food and water, his phone, credit card and license. I did not have any of those things. So we split the food, he kept the water and gave me his phone and credit card (since he would have access to mine when he reached our car). It was one of the longest evenings of my life, while I waited for him to hike down the mountain, retrieve the car, and drive around the mountain to get me and our dog. As luck (or lack on planning) would have it, the car was almost out of gas when he got there, cell reception was spotty, and it took longer for him to get to me than we planned. Also, I saw a bear while I waited for him!

Over the years, I have improved in the planning/preparedness department, and Daniel has probably relaxed a teeny bit. It still drives me a little batty that packing for any trip takes forever with Daniel. But truth be told, if we need something, he will most likely have it. This applies to off the trail as well. I am a minimalist and he is a boy scout (always be prepared). Somehow it works.

The Big Outside, Day Dreaming...

One of the blogs I follow is The Big Outside. I like like to day dream about the big adventures we will take in a few years. 

The other day Jack was sitting next to me while I scrolled through my blog list and the post on The Big Outside called 20 Big Adventures in Pictures came up.

Jack immediately asked if we could go hike here: 

{image via The Big Outside}

As in he wanted to go hike there right now.

I can't tell you how pumped I am that at age 3 Jack recognizes the amazing beauty of the Tetons. Some day little guy, some day.

He was also curious about this picture of the blogger's daughter cross country skiing. Can we do that, mommy?

{image via The Big Outside}

One day, buddy.

Throwback Thursday: Virgin Falls 4th of July, 2003

What now seems like a lifetime ago, when we were first married, Daniel and I had this idea that we would go camping or backpacking for all of the major holidays (besides Thanksgiving and Christmas). The first year of our marriage we did pretty good – backpacking on Independence Day and New Years. After that it was a bit of hit or miss, though we did go to Mt. Rogers for Easter one year. 

Anyways, as newlyweds we had no money (Daniel was still in school and I made $7/hr even though I had a college degree) but we had a decent amount of time. Our mutual love of the outdoors led us on some amazing trips that cost us next to nothing. 

Unfortunately as we have gotten older, we have more money but less time. Right now Daniel has a somewhat sporadic work schedule that can have him working 13-hour days for weeks at a time. But when he is on a normal schedule, we try to enjoy his free time by doing fun outdoor activities as a family.

All of this to say, we won't be backpacking this holiday weekend... Instead this post is a look back to one of our first backpacking trips. 

To celebrate our first July 4th weekend as a married couple we decided to go backpacking in the Virgin Falls Pocket Wilderness area outside of Sparta, Tennessee. We had been there before in college and have visited at least one other time since. For this trip, we took Daniel's middle sister Amy with us.

The trail to Virgin Falls is a pretty difficult hike over rugged terrain, though it is only 4 miles to the waterfall. The falls themselves come out of an unmarked cave and cascade down 110-ft before entering another cave below. It is an interesting waterfall because it has no visible bottom.

About a mile in, you come to Big Branch Falls with a rock overhang that we have camped at in years past (on this trip, we arrived as it was getting dark). Further in, you come to Big Laurel Falls, which is a 30-ft waterfall with a cable crossing over the creek. The hike to Virgin Falls is mostly downhill with an elevation drop of 900 feet. Going down means you have to come back up. Coming out is what makes this hike so difficult. It is exhausting and if you are not planning on camping, you should make sure you have 8-9 hours to complete the entire 8-mile hike.

This was my second trip to Virgin Falls and I made the mistake of not eating or drinking enough. Letting myself get low on energy and water while doing an intense hike on a difficult trail was not one of my better judgments. Coming back from the falls I was hot, hungry and miserable. Every step of the 4 mile hike out was brutal. 

Daniel and Amy ended up going ahead of me to the car – Daniel (and I) knew that he couldn't push me any further and I would have to complete the hike myself. The best he could to do was get to the car, drop his backpack and come back and get my pack if necessary. 

I forced myself to finish the hike but I was in bad shape. Amy was worried and mentioned her concerns to Daniel when we stopped at a gas station after leaving the trail. Daniel (loving husband that he is) told Amy that I would feel better if I threw up. While they had this conversation, I was in the bathroom puking. He was right. I felt better after that. In all seriousness, my body was over exerted and under fueled. I think that getting sick helped my body to reset. After this I was able to sit in the cool car and drink water and eat and feel somewhat normal again.

It wasn't our best backpacking experience (especially since I got sick) but being that we were still newly married, I think it taught us that we could only encourage and push each other so far. Sometimes being a cheerleader isn't enough and you have to let your spouse go through hard experiences. Thankfully this hasn't stopped us from backpacking. 

If you are in the middle Tennessee area and looking for a good, tough hike with a waterfall at the end, I would recommend this trip. Just don't go if there has been a drought, you won't want to make the effort to go and see a drip of water. We have done this as a day trip and overnight.

Summer Kickoff: Snooper's Rock and Our Almost Backpacking Trip

When Daniel and I were first married, one of the very first things we invested in was our backpacking gear. We spent many weekends hiking and sleeping under the stars those first years of marriage. When we moved to Charlotte, our backpacking trips became much less frequent – maybe a couple of times of year, if we were lucky. When we moved to Alabama, I think we made one backpacking trip. Then Jack came along and the whole idea of backpacking seemed like a lot of work. So we have had a 3 year hiatus. 

To kickoff summer this year, we had this wild idea that Jack was big enough for a (really short) backpacking trip. We took him car camping a year ago and he did great, so we figured it was time. 

Daniel requested two things: 1) a short hike and 2) a trail that was close to our house. He didn't want to drive a long way and have to ditch the trip because of a fussy toddler.

I did a little research and found that there was a backcountry camp site on the Cumberland Trail that could be accessed from a remote parking lot in Prentice Cooper. As an added bonus, the trail to the campsite also went to Snooper's Rock.

The plan was to do a very short section of the Mullins Cove Loop – we would take a picnic up to Snooper's Rock and then hike to the Hemlock Branch campsite to spend the night.

Not surprisingly, our plans did not mesh with our toddler. We should have known to call off our trip the minute Jack fell asleep on the couch before lunch. He didn't sleep that long and then refused to take an afternoon nap. We pushed through anyways.

We asked Jack if he wanted to go camping and he was very excited about this. We all went downstairs to pack our stuff. Jack even found a backpack he could carry. Since this was a short hike, we figured Daniel could carry most of the gear and I would carry the Deuter Kid Comfort Carrier. That way I could carry Jack if he didn't want to hike. I was also able to fill the extra compartments with a few things.

As we were getting ready to leave the house, Jack had an absolute meltdown. I convinced him to calm down or there would be no camping. He calmed down and we naively loaded our gear.

We drove to McAlisters to grab sandwiches for our picnic at Snooper's Rock before heading to our campsite. Of course on the drive to the trailhead Jack fell asleep. Not to be deterred, we drove down an ATV road to a parking lot that was practically at Snooper's Rock. Sleepy toddler equaled no pre-dinner hike for us.

Jack was not very excited to be woken up, but perked up a bit after we got out to the view and ate our sandwiches. It happened to be almost dusk, so while we ate we were all nibbled by mosquitoes. Jack was still in a bit of a mood and Daniel and I decided, maybe this wasn't the best night to backpack... so we ditched our plans, walked back to the car and drove home. 

Snooper's Rock had an amazing view and we had it all to ourselves. Not a bad way to kick off our summer, even if we didn't get to go backpacking. 

The rest of the weekend, thunderstorms kept popping up in the evening, so we still didn't get to go backpacking. Our bags are still packed and we hope to make a backpacking trip soon.