talus
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Post by talus on Oct 7, 2015 9:49:00 GMT -8
Hey everybody, here's a report from my solo trip in the Allegheny National Forest this week. This was my first solo hike, and my first time with much of my new, lighter gear. Here's my start slackpacking the 1.1 mile trip from the trailhead to the NY border.  |
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talus
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Post by talus on Oct 7, 2015 9:53:58 GMT -8
The trail travels near or right by the Allegheny reservoir for quite a while. The water was drawn down for the winter, so views weren't so pretty sometimes.  The humid conditions in the small glens made by the runs make for fungus and moss growth galore.   |
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talus
Trail Wise!
Posts: 560
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Post by talus on Oct 7, 2015 9:58:37 GMT -8
After 18ish miles with a pack I found my first night's camp above Hemlock Run.  Hemlock Run:   There was some lakeside hiking then a meadow with a nice pool.  Fall colors were just starting:  |
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talus
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Post by talus on Oct 7, 2015 10:02:00 GMT -8
Lunch table for a chippie:  I left the lake and did some ridge walking:  Tree taking back an old blaze:  Heading down to Tionesta Creek East Branch:   |
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talus
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Post by talus on Oct 7, 2015 10:05:59 GMT -8
Second night's camp on Tionesta Creek.  View from my tarp:  Tionesta Scenic Area, site of massive tornado in 1985:  Heading down to Cherry Run:   Tionesta Creek at Henry's Mills and my ending point.  |
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talus
Trail Wise!
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Post by talus on Oct 7, 2015 10:18:47 GMT -8
I had a great time on my first solo hike. I met up with one other hiker and I saw some people in cars at road crossings, but had the forest to myself the rest of the 3 days. I'd call my tarp setup a partial success-it worked out fine in good weather, but I think I need more practice with different pitching heights to be dry in wet weather. My new cooking setup was perfect. I used a BRS 3000T micro canister stove with a Snowpeak 600 Ml titanium cup for a pot. A 24 oz Ziplock screw top container with a refectix cozy was perfect for re-hydrating food. It was also the perfect size to put my coffee cup in-I used a 16 oz disposable cup from a local convenience store. My Enlightened Equipment quilt has served me well on a few trips now. My pack was 25 pounds to start including 2 liters of water, and it was 18 at the end. I covered 50 miles in 3 days in pretty good comfort.
I know some of you will think I move to fast to enjoy myself, but it's not like I'm hiking in the mountains here. There's plenty of pretty stuff around here, but nothing that really sweeps you off of your feet. The "Green Tunnel" just doesn't vary that much. Besides, I wanted to see if I could handle 20 mile days for a future through hike. Hope you enjoyed my report.
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Post by Coolkat on Oct 7, 2015 10:50:46 GMT -8
Hey Talus, thanks for the nice trip report. Sigh... I like the idea of using just a tarp but it's the thought of creepy crawly things crawling in bed with me at night that keeps me in a tent. Well, that and a few years back having to hole up in my tent for one of the worst 8 hour thunderstorms I've been through in the backcountry. You say you're not hiking in mountains but to me as a flatlander even the alleghenies are mountains thus the need for legs of a billy goat.
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Post by jmitch on Oct 8, 2015 14:40:14 GMT -8
Very nice. I love the huge moss covered boulders, streams, and hemlock forests of the ANF.
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Post by trinity on Oct 8, 2015 14:47:26 GMT -8
Outstanding! What kind of tarp?
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Oct 8, 2015 20:05:18 GMT -8
Pretty! And them's some impressive miles.
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talus
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Post by talus on Oct 9, 2015 15:47:58 GMT -8
Outstanding! What kind of tarp? Rab Silwing. I need more work with it. I think I have one problem solved: I kept sliding down the slight slope on my groundcloth, so I put some seam sealer stripes on both sides of my sleeping pad. |
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Post by trinity on Oct 10, 2015 11:22:30 GMT -8
Rab Silwing. I need more work with it. I think I have one problem solved: I kept sliding down the slight slope on my groundcloth, so I put some seam sealer stripes on both sides of my sleeping pad. Cool, looks like a nice setup. I've been toying with the idea of getting a tarp for a year or two now, just haven't taken the plunge yet. Have you tried using Tyvek as a ground cloth? I think it would be a lot less slippery. |
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talus
Trail Wise!
Posts: 560
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Post by talus on Oct 11, 2015 12:05:44 GMT -8
No. I understand it is noisier and less waterproof than polycro. It is more durable...
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Post by trinity on Oct 11, 2015 15:37:46 GMT -8
Hmm. I should think it would be plenty waterproof, but I've never slept directly on it, just used it under a tent. It is actually not very noisy if you run it through a washer a few times, it loses it's crinkle and has a pretty nice soft feel to it.
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Post by Coolkat on Oct 11, 2015 17:11:24 GMT -8
Interesting. Apparently I wasn't patient enough putting my through the wash. It was still awfully noisy. I gave up on it.
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