Hike 2 - Neel's Gap to Unicoi Gap

My second section hike of the Appalachian Trail is finished! Tyler and Michael made the trip with me. We also had a special guest on the trail. My dog Paige made her backpacking debut. She has been camping before and on day hikes, but this was her first overnight backpacking trip. For her sake, I planned a shorter hike. I got her a doggy backpack off of the REI website so she could carry her own food (I carried her water). The pack is the Ruffwear Approach pack and cost me about $64 after a 20% off coupon. I chose this pack because it had good reviews and it turns out it was a good pick. It adjusts well to Paige's size and seems to be very durable as well as comfortable. It also has several ventilation points on it so she wont get too hot.

We met up in Tampa on Saturday morning, loaded up, and headed out to Georgia. Sara's dad was kind enough to let us crash at his place on Saturday night. We arrived there in the evening, ate more than we should have and made sure we had a good dose of carbs before our hike (beer of course).

Having some beers on the lake

The next morning we got up early and made the 2 hour drive to Unicoi Gap where we got picked up by a trail shuttle. After a 30 minute shuttle, we were dropped off at the same place we ended our last hike, Neel's Gap. We unloaded our gear, and took a quick look around the store. As we were about to leave, we found someone who was kind enough to snap a picture of us before we headed out.

The group posing at the start of our hike

Because of the locations of the campsite along the trail, the first day wasn't much more than a warm up. We hiked about 3.7 to the campsite. This section of the trail was much different than our first leg. Before Neel's gap, most of the trail was shaded and covered with large trees and brush. This portion was covered in spots, but allowed us ample lookout spots to take in a good view. The Wolf Laurel Top campsite, where we stayed on the first night was one of those viewpoints. We had a little bit of trouble with horseflies during the day time, but as dusk approached, we realized we had picked a great site. The view was phenomenal and we actually got to see some fireworks off in the distance, which was kind of weird because I'm not used to looking down on a fireworks show.

Wolf Laurel Top Campsite

View from our campsite

Enjoying some shade on a sunny day

Monday we got up early, ate a quick breakfast and packed up our campsite. This was definitely our most strenuous day. We ended up hiking about 7.8 miles, and much of it was on a steep incline. We took a lot of breaks, but it still wore most of us out, especially Paige. We were making good progress, so we decided to take a long lunch break. We stopped, set up a tarp for some shade, and got a quick nap in. To help Paige out a little bit, I ended up carrying her backpack for the portion after lunch. We were able to make it to the shelter at a decent time and chose a good spot to set up our tent and tarps. We were glad we got there early, because there ended up close to 20 people camping around this shelter. The shelter was called Low Gap shelter and the campsites were positioned right next to a creek, which was a great source for water.

Filtering some spring water

After a good night sleep, we were off for the final day. We had planned on staying at the Blue Mountain shelter and hiking a few miles to our car the next morning. The terrain made for a much easier hike than the previous day and was much easier for Paige. We ended up hiking the 7.3 miles to the shelter by around lunch time. We made a game time decision to take a quick lunch at the shelter and hike the last few miles to the car. We ended up hiking 9.7 miles that day, but it felt much easier than the day before.

Eating lunch at the Blue Mountain Shelter

We got to the car and headed back to Florida. When planning our drive home, we quickly realized that we would be passing through Atlanta during 5 o'clock traffic. We decided to take the scenic route through some small towns east of Atlanta, which actually made for an enjoyable trip. We survived another hike! I am looking forward to squeezing in a few more hikes during this hiking season.

Trip info:

Neel's Gap to Unicoi Gap

Trip Dates =  May 3 to May 6, 2014

Trip Distance = 21.2 miles

Hikers = Michael, Tyler, and Myself (and Paige!)

Base Pack Weight = 16.5 lbs

Starting Pack Weight = 23.5 lbs

(with food and water)

Hike 1 - Springer Mountain to Neel's Gap

The good news is that I survived my first hike! Brian and Michael even tagged along with me. They both drove up to Gainesville and on Wednesday morning we made some last minute preparations before our drive. At about noon, we grabbed lunch and made the 7 hour drive up to Georgia.



Packing with a little help from Paige

Having some fun along the way!

Wednesday night we arrived in Helen, GA where we checked into a hotel for the night. If you haven't been to Helen, this place is really cool. The whole town has a German theme and is centered around tourism. All the buildings look alike and I kind of felt like I was in a theme park. We grabbed dinner, walked around a little bit, and then went back to the room for a good night sleep before we hit the trail.

Checking out the local fire station

Thursday morning, we got up early and drove to the end of our hike. We dropped off our car and had a trail shuttle drive us to the start of our hike next to Springer Mountain. After a short hike, we were at the official start of the Appalachian Trail. For those of you that don't know much about it, the Appalachian Trail is about 2200 miles and passes through 14 states. It starts in Georgia at Springer Mountain and ends in Maine at Mount Katahdin. My plan is to hike from south to north.

Official start of the A.T.

 

The first day we had a bit of a late start and only hiked about 9.1 miles. We got to take our time and enjoy some of the scenery. We stopped at a waterfall as well as a cemetery that were both right off of the trail. The cemetery was a little difficult to find, but when we found it we were happy we hadn't just skipped it. Tucked way up in the mountains was a little contraption that was a whole lot of fun!

We arrived at the Hawk Mountain Shelter where we stayed the night, just before it started to rain. We were glad we made it to the shelter before the rain because it made cooking dinner that much easier.

 Dinner in the rain

The next day we had a long hike planned. After a few miles, my brother wasn't feeling well. He didn't think it would be a good idea to commit to the long hike, so we called a shuttle and he headed to a hotel for the night. Michael and I pushed on for a 20 mile day (by far the most I have hiked in a day). The long day meant more hiking and less breaks. Luckily this was the Summer Solstice so we had the daylight working with us. This day we didn't get lucky with the rain. The last hour and a half of the day was spent hiking through a downpour. We were glad when we made it to the Woods Hole shelter. The next morning we hiked Blood Mountain, which is the highest point on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia. Michael and I enjoyed some time at the top and then headed down to meet my brother at Neel's Gap, where we finished our hike.

At Neel's Gap, there is an awesome backpacking store called Mountain Crossings. The Trail actually passes through the store. I think it is the only point on the trail that passes through a man-made structure. The building has been there since 1937 which is when the trail was completed. The store has all sorts of backpacking gear and is known for evaluating people's gear and pointing them in the right direction. They have a cool tradition where you sling your old boots onto a tree outside the store once you buy new ones there.

Only covered part of the A.T.

Shoes hanging from the tree

 After a shower and some real food, we were ready for the drive back to Florida. We learned a lot and the trip was definitely a success!

 Trip info:

Springer Mountain to Neel's Gap

Trip Dates =  June 19 to June 22, 2013

Trip Distance = 32.7 miles

Hikers = Michael, Brian, and Myself

Base Pack Weight = 17.4 lbs

Starting Pack Weight = 28.2 lbs

(with food and water)













Bucket List

I have always enjoyed the outdoors and backpacking is one of my favorite ways to do so. It's been a few years since I have hit the trails for an overnight hike, and I am starting to realize how much I miss it. I have always thought that it would be awesome to be able to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. Since I have settled into my career and recently married, I figured that this is a perfect time to begin to check this off of my bucket list! Since I don't really want to dedicate a solid 6 months of my life on a thru-hike, and because of the flexible schedule of my career as a firefighter, I've decided to section hike the trail. Section hiking is taking multiple trips to hike the trail in smaller parts.



Day hike from Summer 2012

Many people might be wondering why I titled my blog "The Halligan Hiker." I have a great passion for my career as a firefighter and a halligan is a tool specifically designed for the fire service. I thought this title was a great fit!

                                                         
                                                                  The Halligan Bar


I thought a blog would be a great way to share my experiences with my friends and family, as well as one day being able to share it with my kids. My goal is to be able to share pictures and experiences as well as talk about some of the gear I use. I hope that everyone enjoys it. Stay tuned for a post about my first section hike!