Pinhoti Trail - Lessons Learned

I have learned a some lessons from my trip so far.
     1.  The daily 5 mile walks I had done in preparation for this trip, did not seem to help.  I now think the only way to condition for backpacking is to just do it.  I wonder how many hikes I need to do to become an expert hiker?  My legs are still sore today so I plan to start again next week continuing from where I left off.  This may be delayed due to the next lesson learned.
     2.   My sleeping bag is the wrong size for me.  The mummy bag seemed to work just like it was supposed to.  Once it was zipped up, I could not move.  It was so tight that I could see it move when I breathed.  I guess this works for someone who can sleep on their back, but I sleep on my side and there was just no roll around room.  The 20 inch air core pad was a little bit too small for me.  I will be able to return both of these to REI in exchange for a larger bag and pad.  I should really do this before I begin again.
     3.  My tent was fantastic.  I had plenty of room so I did not feel closed in.  My choice to go with a 2-man tent was just right.  I had plenty of head room when I was sitting up and room to store other stuff besides me in the tent.  I am wanting to know how it will perform in the rain, but the dew was so  heavy that the rain fly was dripping wet on the outside.  The footprint was totally wet on the ground side, but there was no moisture in the tent.  I discovered that the rainfly has a vent that I had failed to open.
     4.  My choice of stove was great.  Two cups of water was boiling in under 2 minutes.  Water never boils that quick on the stove at home.  One cup boiled so quick that I was drinking coffee within a minute.  I am wondering how many days I can operate on one canister of fuel.  I do carry an extra one until I know the answer to that question.
     5.  I had carried enough food to feed an army for a couple of days.  I need to pack a lot less since there was really no time to stop and dig out food.  This will be a good way to drop a few pounds both in food weight and my weight.
     6.  Do not forget extra batteries.  I had been using my headlight for all kinds of things at home and it was due for new batteries anyway.  I had the batteries but failed to change them before the trip.  I will not make this mistake again.  I guess that old saying "Experience is the best teacher" is correct.
     7.  I need to find a way to keep up with the distance I traveled.  Around town I was using the app Map my Walk, but in areas where there was no cell service it was useless.  Also I had set my iPhone to airplane mode to preserve the battery life.  I could still use it for pictures if I needed to.  I will check on a gps watch that does not depend on a cell tower to work.
     8.  I had packed extra clothing that was totally unneeded.  I could shave off a couple of pack pounds by going without both the rain jacket and an extra cotton jacket I carried.  Even though I hiked in 40 degree weather I was not cold in my teeshirt and shorts.  I had also carried a long sleeve shirt and long pants, but decided that I did not need to change into them.
     9.  Finally, I realize that I am not as young as I use to be when I hiked 40 years ago.  It will be okay to go slow and not try to set records for speed.  I can push my body, but I need to be aware of my limitations.  Everything about backpacking has changed over the years.  I still have my old canvas  pack that I had when I was a boy scout.  Later I used it when I was a scoutmaster for a boy scout troop in the 70's.  The health issues that I have, arthritis in my back and the numbness in my thigh that I had experienced walking around town, gave me no problems over the two days.  I am ready to continue my journey as soon as I can swap my sleeping bag.

Pinhoti - day 2

This is how I started out.  Day one - I began on Oct.23, 2013.  My wife dropped me off at the trailhead on Highway 77.  I was not aware that she had taken this picture at the time, that is why it is posted now.  It did not take long for me to get rid of the cap as sweat was dropping on my glasses, I opted for a sweat band instead.  Total pack weight 37 lbs added to my 245 meant that my legs were questionable from the start.  I began around 12:30 PM.

The trail is very well marked, with crows feet and blue blazes.  The pictures below are just a few from the trails beginning to where it crosses Talladega Creek.  

By 4:00 pm I decided my legs needed a rest and began looking for a suitable place to camp.  I found a place on top of a ridge, but there was a cold wind blowing about 10 to 15 mph. so I walked on to get out of the wind.  I am glad I did because down in a valley I came up on an established campsite and decided that is where I would stay.  I pitched my tent and ate Beef Stew for supper.  There was a fire pit, but I did not need to build a fire.  If I had it might have provided some light.  Once the sun set, it was very dark.  I had my headlight, but had failed to put new batteries in it and left the extra batteries at home.  I could see that it was going dim so I decided to call it a night.  For a night owl like me sacking out at 6:30 is almost impossible.  Having my walkman radio I was able to listen to music, gospel music from a station in Ashland, Al. 

After a restless night where the temperature dropped to into the 30's, I awoke to daylight but decided to let it warm up before getting up.  So about 7:00 am I decided to emerge from my tent.  Breakfast consisted of a cup of instant coffee and 2 granola bars that were hard as bricks.  By 10:00 I was packed up and on the trail again.  The fall colors made for a really nice beginning.  Footing became an issue when walking up hill on pine straw and leaves.  Little did I know what was coming next.  The terrain changed to loose rocks that shifted when I stepped on them.  The footing was so tentative that I tripped several times and could have sprained an ankle easily.  I decided to give myself a trail name, Slo-go, since it was taking me a long time on this section.  Once you thought you were out of the rocks they started up again.  

Once I reached a clearing under power lines, I could see I was close to a road.  When I reached Clairmont Gap, I thought this was a good place to have my wife pick me up.  Time now is about 3:00 pm.  I was not sure where she would be able to meet me if I continued on or how far I would get.  A prior commitment meant that I would have to be off the trail by noon on day three, but I did not know if there would be a place for her to pick me up if I had continued on.  This was the best time to drop off the trail.  Not to mention that my shoulders were killing me and my upper thighs were about to quit on me anyway.  I will continue my hike from Clairmont Gap when I start again, maybe next week.  Approximate distance covered in 2 days, around 10 - 11 miles.

Pinhoti day 1

Decided to camp here for the night   My legs are just about to give out  I'll get started again in the morning. 

Equipment for Pinhoti hike

     Pictured below is the equipment for my initial Pinhoti Trail hike.  This will be a short 2 night trip.   I am not sure how many miles I will cover.  Since I travel slowly, I plan to take lots of pictures.  My goal is to hike from Porter's Gap to the top of Cheaha, ending at Cheaha State Park.  This should be approximately 20 miles.  The equipment below from left to right is:  blue compression sack for clothes, yellow stuff sack will be used for food, headlamp on dry sack, slightly hidden from view is 50' nylon cord, first aid kit, mesh bag with blue bottom is a 3.25 inflatable pad, sleeping bag, smaller blue bag above the sleeping bag is a liner (temp. expected to be in the 30's for the next two nights), the orange bag contains my tent, and completing this row is my trekking poles.  Front row from left to right is as follows:  light blue bag contains an inflatable sitting pad, next mesh bag contains a cloth for drying, the ziplock bag and camera case contains electronics (small radio is not shown), small pot and pan with extra fuel inside, jetboil sol stove kit, in front of it is a rain cover for my pack, the MSR bag contains my water filter, and finally my fake crocs.  For clothing, I will pack 2 pair of socks, one to hike in and one to sleep in, 2 shirts, one long sleeve and one short sleeve, and a light sweater/jacket.  Next question is how am I going to cram all this and food and water in my pack?  There are also some items not shown, toiletries, daily doses of pills, and a small portable foldout 3 legged stool.  I realize the stool is probably un-needed extra weight, but it may help save my knees when I stop for rest breaks.  That's all for now.  My next post will be from the trail.

Pinhoti Trail Hike

I am now ready to hike the Pinhoti Trail.  I have not decided how far I will hike yet or any details but it will definitely be this coming week.  I will try to post pictures daily and maybe even a video or two.  Hopefully I will be able to post updates each day of this adventure.  This will be a good test of all my equipment that I have accumulated for the Appalachian Trail trip.  I will load my backpack just like for the AT and once loaded I will post approximate weight.  I hope once everything is loaded that it is around 35 lbs.  I have not totaled up the weights of anything that will go into the pack, so I may be surprised if the total is more than that.