When The Weatherman Blows The Forecast (aka Our Epic Venture To Long Branch Shelter)

February 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment

It is sunny when we leave Atlanta and the forecast is for temperatures in the 50's in nearby Franklin, N.C. But as we drive the 2 1/2 hours north to the Appalachian Trail we spot a line of clouds and a cold front pushing in from the Northwest. Mobile checks at the Weather Channel has the forecast in constant flux - and deteriorating quickly. The light rain projected to hit in the late afternoon arrives as snow and a winter advisory is issued for North Georgia and Western N.C. But we … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Appalachian Trail, Backpacking With Your Dog, Camping With Your Dog, Hiking With Your Dog, National Forest, Storms, Trip Report, Weather, Winter Backpacking, Winter Hiking, With Dogs

50 Degrees & Sunny?

February 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment

  Well ... the weather forecaster blew this one. Here we are on Day 2 and it's still snowing. When we left Atlanta, the forecast was for temps in the 50's in nearby Franklin, N.C. But on the Appalachian Trail (and at 4000+ feet) .... it was a bit cooler!! I wonder if the Boyz will make it out of Standing Indian Campground with two-wheel drive?? … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Appalachian Trail, National Forest, Storms, Videos, Weather, Winter Backpacking, Winter Hiking

Boone Dawg’s First Snow Hike

February 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment

By daybreak we had 8 1/2 inches of snow on the ground and Boone Dawg got to partake in his first snow hike. Here we are on the Long Branch Trail descending from the Appalachian Trail to Standing Indian Campground. That's a happy dog. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Appalachian Trail, Backpacking With Your Dog, Camping With Your Dog, Hiking With Your Dog, National Forest, Storms, Videos, Winter Backpacking, Winter Hiking, With Dogs

Warm-Up With A Cold Beer!!!

February 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Roger "aka" the Camel warms up with a cold beer after we get pelted with a snowstorm all afternoon. It eventually dumps 8 1/2 inches on us.  … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Appalachian Trail, Humor, National Forest, Storms, Videos, Weather, Winter Backpacking, Winter Hiking

Arriving At Long Branch Shelter In A Driving Snowstorm

February 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment

The Crew arrives at the newly constructed Long Branch Shelter as a driving snow storm pelts us with what turns out to be 8 1/2 inches of snow. When we leave Atlanta, the forecast is for temperatures in the 50's in nearby Franklin, N.C. but as we drive the 2 1/2 hours north to the Appalachian Trail we spot a line of clouds and a cold front pushing in from the Northwest. Mobile checks at the Weather Channel has the forecast in constant flux - and deteriorating quickly. The light rain projected … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Appalachian Trail, Backpacking With Your Dog, Camping With Your Dog, Hiking With Your Dog, National Forest, Storms, Videos, Weather, Winter Backpacking, Winter Hiking, With Dogs

Episode 11: Wild Turkey

December 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

In Episode 11, Katie (aka Wild Turkey) talks about her ventures in to the wilderness - hiking and backpacking with both friends and family in the Southeast.  Topics include the weather and its impact on the experience, the gear you need for the Trail, and hiking with infants and young children. Katie is the first female to do a solo interview for N2Backpacking and she delivers with this New Year's Eve conversation recorded in Elljay, Georgia. Katie talks about some pristine destinations in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Backpacking Discussions, Backpacking Trails, Backpacking With Kids, Camping With Kids, Hiking With Kids, How To Hike & Backpack, Humor, Podcasts, Storms, Weather, Winter Backpacking, Winter Hiking, With Kids

Logs From The Sky – Scott’s Near Miss

March 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

… [Read more...]

Filed Under: Appalachian Trail, Videos, Winter Backpacking

Great Smoky Mountain National Park – And The Machoists Got Pelted

January 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Since the early 90's, some old Appalachian Trail thru-hikers that I know have maintained the tradition of an annual winter hike. As I detailed in "40 at 40", the trip is never easy and is typically booked within a few weeks of the MLK holiday. After a four year absence, I made a guest appearance during their three-day ramble of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park this year. It was mid-way through their hike when we met up at the Mt. Collins Shelter after the machoists had gotten pelted by … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Appalachian Trail, Backpacking Articles, Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Winter Backpacking

Appalachian Trail/Bartram Trail – Wayah Bald to Cheoah Bald – Trip Video (January 2002)

January 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

This video recaps a winter hike we did in January 2002 over 34.6 miles with 8766' of elevation gain, and 12,114' of elevation loss. The route follows the Appalachian Trail with climbs over Wayah Bald, Wesser Bald, and Cheoah Bald, then finishes with a descent along the Bartram Trail and back down to U.S. 19.  … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Appalachian Trail, Backpacking Trails, Videos, Winter Backpacking

Great Smoky Mountain National Park – 40 at 40

January 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Five to ten years ago when I was younger and in better shape, I joined a group of former thru-hikers for a multi-day and often strenuous winter backpacking trip. The hike was appropriately dubbed the MLK trip since it usually occurred on or around the three-day Martin Luther King weekend. The "M.O." of the MLK trip was (and continues to be) a 30-38 mile mega-hike, preferrably in snow, and always spanning four days. Typically we left town after work, fought traffic to some Mexican … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Backpacking Articles, Backpacking Trails, Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Winter Backpacking
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