Mugu Peak Hike via Chumash Trail – Flag at Top – Point Mugu State Park, CA

Parked in the lot at the base of the Chumash Trail along the Pacific Coast Highway to do this short 2 hour hike. The lot holds 18 cars or so and is heavily used. It is free. Although not long, about a mile or so to the top, the trail is very steep. The views are outstanding and well worth the effort. Great spot to watch the sun set from.

Thanks for watching! Don’t forget to Like and Subscribe!

#americanflag #chumashtrail #nosmallcreator

Boiling Springs Parking – Alex Kennedy Shelter – Rock Maze – Appalachian Trail Pennsylvania

This was a quick but long “in and out” from Boiling Springs Furnace parking lot to the Alex Kennedy Shelter, through the Rock Maze, and then to stay the night at the James Fry Shelter. I parked at the Boiling Springs Iron Furnace lot for this hike. To do this, you must get an overnight pass from the ATC Mid-Atlantic Regional Office around the corner. The farm fields can be a bit muddy…thankfully I was dry by the evening. The Alex Kennedy Shelter is super nice and has one of the nicest privies I’ve seen so far on the trail! 

Happened to meet up with “Sweeps” at the James Fry Shelter for the evening, which was super cool. We’ve been crossing virtual section hike paths with our YouTube videos for a few months now. It’s about time we ran into each other. 
Sweeps at “SectionHiking The AT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCrrdXZ4LU_OD_JPXjG2mDA

@1:29 – ATC Mid-Atlantic Regional Office (AT Mile 1122.7)
@2:01 – Parking at Boiling Springs Furnace (AT Mile 1122.5)
@4:00 – Backpacker Campsite
@6:47 – Center Point knob (AT Mile 1119.7)
@8:35 – Alex Kennedy Shelter (At Mile 1118.8)
@11:34 – Alex Kennedy Spring
@16:41 – More rock Maze (AT Mile 1116.3 – 1115.9)

Thanks for watching! Don’t forget to Like and Subscribe!

#optoutside #AppalachianTrail #nosectionleftbehind

Reeds Gap to Rockfish Gap – Ice Storm Aftermath – Appalachian Trail Virginia

This was a 2 Day planned section hike from Reeds Gap to Rockfish Gap with a stay at the Paul C. Wolfe Shelter. This would have been an easy 19.1 mile hike if it had not been for severe ice damage to the trees from a recent ice storm. I was not aware that the damage had been so bad. The video and pictures do the damage no justice at all. The trail was nearly impassible in many places with downed trees every 100 yards or so on the back (North) side of Humpback Mountain all the way to Rockfish Gap. I had to crawl on my hands and knees a number of times and there was a whole lot of bushwhacking to get around the giant mess. My average trail speed was about 0.7mph. I had many mixed emotions along this hike, from pretty low lows as darkness approached and I was nowhere near the shelter in a tangled pile of trees to some feel good views and the happy greeting of the Gnome Village around AT mile 861.1. Apologies for the shaky video - this was the 1st time I used FILMIC Pro and I left the stabilization off...any tips on best setting for an iPhone 6 would be appreciated.  :)

Light Weight Backpacking Sleep System – Appalachian Trail

I’ve been asked a number of times what my sleep system is for hiking and never really show it in any of my videos. I figured I'd do this video to show where my system has evolved to. I’m very happy with it and it serves me well down to about 30F. There are a few options that can be left out for warmer weather and I’ll indicate those below:

Black Rock Gear Down Hat: 22 grams (0.8 ounces)
https://www.blackrockgear.com/hats

Enlightened Equipment Enigma-H.E. Custom:  436 grams (15.4 ounces)
30 Degree/Regular/Regular/850
https://enlightenedequipment.com/enigma-h-e-custom/

Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm (regular) R-Value 5.7: 422 grams (14.9 ounces)
Therm-a-Rest Pump Sack: 52 grams (2.0 ounces)
https://www.thermarest.com/neoair-xtherm

Sea to Summit Aeros Pillow Premium:  85 grams (3.0 ounces)
https://seatosummitusa.com/collections/inflatable-camping-pillows/products/aeros-pillow-premium

Darn Tough Wool Socks: 72 grams (2.5 ounces)

If it is going to be warm, I drop the down hat and switch to the women’s NeoAir Xlite. It is a little shorter and only weighs 322 grams (100g less than the XTherm)
https://www.thermarest.com/mattresses/fast-light/womens-neoair-xlite

I also leave all the stuff below behind if it is going to be warm and just sleep in a dry set of underwear.

Russell dri-power 360 base layer top: 179 grams (6.3 ounces)
Russell dri-power 360 base layer bottom: 158 grams (5.6 ounces)

Blue Balaclava: 114 grams (4.0 ounces)
https://www.amazon.com/XINGZHE-SWEET-506-Heavyweight-Motorcycle-Protection/dp/B0756YRRVX/

Eddie Bauer Down Puffy: 305 grams (10.8 ounces)
https://www.eddiebauer.com/product/down-jackets-for-men/10112119?showProducts=111&color=045

#nosmallcreator #AppalachianTrail #nosectionleftbehind

Sawmill Run Spring - Old Site of Shelter (REMOVED) - Shenandoah National Park

When I was looking at my GPS topo map I noticed a marking on it that suggested there once was a shelter at this location and a spring. I checked the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club AT map of the area (Map 11: https://www.patc.net/PATC/PATC_Trails/Hike/PATC_Maps.aspx) and it has a tiny indication (blue squiggle) of a spring there but no words. USGS has a great resource to look at maps here: https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#15/38.1080/-78.7880 where I was able to verify where the shelter used to be.
https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/img4/ht_icons/Browse/VA/VA_Waynesboro%20East_187152_1997_24000.jpg
So, on my latest hike, I decided to check this site out. Just North of Sawmill Run Overlook on Skyline Drive, at mile 95.3, the AT crosses the road. About 0.2 miles North on the AT the trail makes a sharp bend at the top of the hill. The old access trail is at that junction.
Google coordinates here: https://www.google.com/maps/place/38%C2%B006'49.1%22N+78%C2%B047'13.8%22W/@38.11365,-78.7871667,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d38.11365!4d-78.7871667
After a nice 0.3 mile walk down a somewhat overgrown and obscured trail, the spring can be found along with the site of the old shelter. There is a flat spot carved out of the hill where the shelter used to stand, along with an old fire ring. Fires are NOT allowed in SNP except at designated areas...this is NOT a designated area. The spring was actually pretty nice and flowing well.
Google coordinates here: https://www.google.com/maps/place/38%C2%B006'52.6%22N+78%C2%B047'19.7%22W/@38.1146,-78.7888167,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d38.1146!4d-78.7888167
Sawmill Run Shelter was built in 1941: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjnHg_-hbxOkfXLVv71M9wL5UFp6s3j3lD0XNmjSOhJcbg6LrpVNM1lIZjTveSUeLI7LO0hAx0pgdyDFocxQo973NcAej3UohuPmtqn92FjZ8r4K3u2ySfd2HlELDjgZ-dC6R8AtbDiWg/s1600/Sawmill+Run+shelter.jpg
Sawmill Run shelter was removed from the AT in 1980 because of overuse.
Of interesting note, in 1984, PATC builds Calf Mountain Shelter from the remains of Rip Rap Shelter (not on the AT) and Sawmill Run Shelter.
Some photos from my trip: https://photos.app.goo.gl/W7p5pBAv4e11aLZg6

Here are a few links that mention the site, as well as some other info:
BLOG that mentions some history: http://www.wanderingvirginia.com/2016/01/shenandoah-national-park-former-at.html
cspitler's vid of the area: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XueH6V1U52Y
National Park Service Cultural Landscapes Inventory (interesting read):
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=14&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjwo7n_66neAhUFw1kKHarnAkwQFjANegQICBAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Firmafiles.nps.gov%2Freference%2Fholding%2F450499%3FaccessType%3DDOWNLOAD&usg=AOvVaw3kDkzBwY6mAMZlQ-Ji3YwQ
THE MANUFACTURE OF FIRE-BRICK AT MOUNT SAVAGE, MARYLAND: http://www.mountsavagehistoricalsociety.org/brick%20yard/manufacture%20of%20firebrick%20at%20Mt%20Savage.htm

2008 Ford Explorer Blower Motor Resistor Replacement (easy) – Fan Switch Repair

The climate control fan motor stopped blowing on several of the switch settings – this is usually the blower motor resistor that goes bad. The resistor unit is located behind the glove compartment and is attached with two 5/16” hex screws. 
This job is extremely easy and only requires a few common hand tools to do. 
1/4" drive ratchet, 5/16” Socket, Pry Tool.

Motorcraft YH-27 A/C Blower Motor Resistor
Part #: 7L2Z-19A706-A 4827930
Part from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0080DX902/

Spy Rock – Seely Woodworth Memorial Shelter and Rock Spring – Appalachian Trail Virginia

This was Day 1 of a planned three day hike on the AT South, from The Priest Shelter, where I left off on my southbound trek. On day 1 I hiked from the upper parking at Crabtree Falls on Meadows Lane (4x4 recommended) and hiked the last 0.5 miles up to the junction with the AT. From there I hiked south 3 miles to Spy Rock. Spy Rock has a number of very nice campsites (no water or privy) and a rock scramble up to an outstanding viewpoint. This is well worth the hike and can be done as a day hike. There is closer parking down the hill about 1.1 miles from the junction with Spy Rock Road near the Fish hatchery. From there I continued South 1.6 miles to Porters Gap and Rock Spring. There are great campsites at this very cool spring. It is another easy 1.1 miles to the Seely Woodworth Memorial Shelter. There is a small stream crossing on this part of the trail and it was enveloped by cool mist when I hiked through. The shelter is nice and has a privy and spring at the location. There are a number of good tent sites and places to hand a hammock as well. The next day (2) I hiked from Seeley Woodworth Shelter back to The Priest Shelter, and then hiked back to the upper parking of Crabtree Falls on Meadows Lane (4x4 recommended). From there I drove around to Hog Camp Gap on USFS 48 (another 1 lane dirt road but passable with a normal car) and hiked South to Cow Camp Gap Shelter. The views on Cole Mountain are outstanding and can be seen as a quick day hike and are well worth it. The shelter is quite nice and has a good spring. The link to Day 2 is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szqbIylRuMs. Mileage in and out from Meadows Lane was 7.9 miles, including Spy Rock. Total for the trip was 24.3 miles.     

@0:26 – Crabtree Falls Upper Parking
@1:00 – AT Crossing at Hog Camp Gap
@1:53 – Woods Walk
@2:10 – Spring at Hog Camp Gap
@3:11 – Spy Rock Trail Junction
@3:39 – Spy Rock campsites
@4:20 – Spy Rock Ascent and Views
@6:57 – Porters Gap / Rock Spring
@9:29 – Seely / Woodworth Shelter
@10:44 – Privy at Seely / Woodworth Shelter (exciting B-Roll!)
@11:31 – Spring at Seely / Woodworth Shelter
@12:02 – My CoyotePack Hammock System

Hemlock Mountain Outdoors: https://hemlockmountainoutdoors.com/

Thanks for watching! Don’t forget to Like and Subscribe!

Crabtree Falls Upper Parking on Meadows Lane – Appalachian Trail Virginia

This is the Upper Crabtree Falls Parking Lot in Virginia. It is accessed via Meadows Lane, a pretty skinny 3.8 mile dirt road off of VA 56 that only some cars may be able to navigate. There are two small stream crossings and a very lumpy culvert crossing. I did need 4WD to get over the culvert. This video may help you decide if you really want to attempt the drive in your vehicle. Also note, there was NO Verizon Cell service on the way up.

Google Map: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Crabtree+Falls

Hog Camp Gap to Cow Camp Gap Shelter – Cole Mountain View – Appalachian Trail Virginia

This was Day 2 of a planned three day hike on the AT South, from The Priest Shelter, where I left off on my southbound trek. On day 2 I hiked from Seeley Woodworth Shelter to The Priest Shelter, and then hiked back to the upper parking of Crabtree Falls on Meadows Lane (4x4 recommended). From there I drove around to Hog Camp Gap on USFS 48 (another 1 lane dirt road but passable with a normal car) and hiked South to Cow Camp Gap Shelter. The views on Cole Mountain are outstanding and can be seen as a quick day hike and are well worth it. The shelter is quite nice and has a good spring. I’ll post Day 1 soon and also do a separate video of the road up to the upper parking of Crabtree Falls. Mileage in and out from Cow Camp Gap Shelter and the water at Hog Camp Gap was 7.7 miles. Total for the trip was 24.3 miles.

Wind Gap to Lehigh Gap - Leroy Smith Shelter and Spring - Appalachian Trail Pennsylvania

This was another great collaborative YouTube hike with 4 YouTube channels all taking video during the trip. Please visit the other channels collaborating on this hike and see what they thought! This hike continues South from Wind Gap to Lehigh Gap along the Appalachian Trail in PA. This is approximately 22 miles long with some campsites at the Delph Spring blue blaze trail intersection 10.7 miles in the middle. Leroy Smith shelter was nice, although on the small side. We ate lunch there and continued our hike South. The trail to Stempa Spring was labeled as being long and steep, so we passed it by to stay on schedule. Delph Spring is labeled as intermittent in the guide – it was working fine on this hike but it has been a very wet year. Thr trail South of Little Gap (Blue Mountain Road) is very interesting. It is a recovering Superfund Site and mostly scarred from the Zinc Factory below. There are a few campsites and a very poor spring (contaminated with heavy metal) that should only be used in an emergency. The final climb over the Knife Edge and decent at Lehigh Gap is very difficult and quite epic. Put your poles away, you will want your hands free for CLIMBING! Part 2 of the video is actually Day 1. I'll put a link to that when I finish the video. It will feature some of my day with Michael Feyrer Jr. and our B-Roll video adventure. There is a sneak peek at the end of this video. 😊
Kurt Zitzelman Outdoors:
https://www.youtube.com/user/KurtZitzelman
See his awesome hammocks at Hemlock Mountain Outdoors here:
https://hemlockmountainoutdoors.com/

Dragon Roams:
https://www.youtube.com/user/Don2realign

SkinnyGPanda:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrPTDQckVa4M5ekLU8nL7tg

Monmouth Airlines Crash Memorial / Wreckage:
https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19711024-0

Michael Feyrer Jr. Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE6MSh7T4B3trx3VS_uPBmA

#nosmallcreator #AppalachianTrail #nosectionleftbehind

Thanks for watching! Don’t forget to Like and Subscribe!

Deer Lick Shelter - Antietam Shelter - Appalachian Trail Pennsylvania

This was a nice 15 mile in and out to complete this small section of trail between Pen Mar and Tumbling Run Shelter. I parked on the small, but very nice, parking on PA 16 just a couple miles North of Pen Mar and started North on the AT from there. There is a nice stream, picnic bench, and a nature trail located at that parking area. Goal for the day was to hike North up to Tumbling Run Shelter and stay overnight at one of the other shelters on the way back. I did manage to meet up with through hiker “Grumpy” at Old Forge Park. He got an early start and had made significant progress by early morning. I continued North to my goal while he went South. We met up again later at Deer Lick Shelter After seeing how wet Deer Lick shelter area was and weedy/buggy Antietam Shelter was, it was agreed to continue South of PA 16 to a primitive campsite at Falls Creek Footbridge. This was an outstanding camping area with plenty of nice flat tent sites. There is no privy here. Also, I’d say to beware of the water. The local trail angel we met at Pen Mar mentioned the Winebrenner Treatment Plant is just upstream of the campsite and there is likelihood of waste overflow in rainy conditions like we’ve had lately. He mentioned the “issues” were supposedly fixed a couple years ago. Treat your water well! The next morning I hiked the short distance to Pen Mar and called it a day.

Check out Grumpy's channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRWla11rH_76ok7dkO52rFQ

#nosmallcreator #AppalachianTrail #nosectionleftbehind

Three Ridges Wilderness - Appalachian Trail – Maupin Field Shelter Harpers Creek Shelter and Spring

This is an outstanding 14.5 mile loop hike that takes you from the parking at Reeds Gap South along the Appalachian Trail through the Three Ridges Wilderness and then back via the blue blazed Mau-Har Trail along Campbell Creek. The return via the Mau-Har Trail is very difficult at the top (North) end as you work your way back to the Maupin Field Shelter. Both the Maupin Field Shelter and the Harpers Creek Shelter have outstanding water and tent sites. The privies are only soso concrete vault type and stink a bit. They were still moderately clean given the heavy use this time of year. There are a number of nice views along the Three Ridges and the Mau-Har Trail is beautiful with lots of small waterfalls.

3:21 Three Ridges Wilderness
4:00 Bee Mountain
5:16 Unmarked Spring
6:07 Hanging Rock Overlook
8:14 Rocks!
9:14 Harpers Creek Shelter
11:45 Mau-Har Trail
12:51 Campbell Creek Campsite
15:13 Maupin Field Shelter
17:05 “Rocket Man” and “Mountain Goat”

I also went back and slack packed the portion of trail skipped last week from VA56 at the Tye River North up to the intersection with the Mau-Har Trail. This is a 1.7 mile out and back that is uphill with about 1100’ elevation gain. There are plenty of switchbacks and it is not hard. There is nothing of significance (other than the bridge at the Tye River) to view.     

A great description of this hike is here:
https://www.hikingupward.com/GWNF/ThreeRidges/

This was a 19.2 mile hike in total for me, covering another 10.7 miles of the AT. 😊

This was filmed entirely on my iPhone 6 and edited with Wondershare Filmora.

#nosmallcreator
#nosectionleftbehind

The Priest Wilderness - Appalachian Trail - Priest Mountain Shelter and Spring

This was one of those hikes where I spent no time preparing and just got out and hiked. I had another commitment fall through and had a weekend to spare, so what better to do than get a few more miles on the Appalachian Trail. As I get farther from my home in Maryland, these section hike trips get a little more difficult (more driving, less hiking). This one was no exception. After just completing a section on the PA/NJ border, I figured I’d go south again and try to set a southern point to connect up with where I left off outside Shenandoah National Park. I was looking for good parking, water, and the potential to cross paths with other hikers. I was getting a late start on Saturday and knew I would not be hiking until after 5:30PM. The parking at VA56 below “The Priest” met my needs. I did a quick scan of google maps and saw that the walking directions were only 2.8 miles (way off from reality as I found later).

The parking at VA56 is excellent, with plenty of room for a dozen cars or so and easy access to the trail. The parking is at AT mile 833.2. I took a quick walk North to grab some photos of the cool suspension bridge and then began hiking South. I quickly noticed there were a lot of switchbacks and that the mountain in the distance was pretty tall…very tall in fact.
At 0.9 Miles there are two pretty nice stream crossings with small waterfalls.
At About 1.2 miles South of the parking is an outstanding waterfall that parallels the trail for a while and then crosses. This is Cripple Creek. Get your cameras ready.
From this point, there is about 2200’ more elevation gain and 36 switchbacks before you get to The Priest shelter.
At about 4.3 miles into the hike, you reach the ridge with a number of outstanding views and tons of places to “Cowboy Camp”.
The Priest Shelter is 4.7 miles from the parking.
It is all uphill and is moderately difficult. It’s a long way up.
The shelter is just soso but the tent sites are good. The water source was flowing heavily after all the rain we had been getting. There is no bear box or pole (hang your own). The privy was buzzing with flies, so I stayed away.. ☹  

This was a 10.3 mile hike in total for me, covering a wee 4.8 miles of the AT, leaving me a roughly 30 mile section to fill in. 😊

This was filmed entirely on my iPhone 6 and edited with Wondershare Filmora.

Fire by the Foot! Using Fruit by the Foot as a Fire Starter - Partial Fail

Filmed on my iPhone 6 @ 240fps 1080P - good stuff!
I thought that Fruit y the Foot would make a cool fire starter...so I tried it...why not?  It's something I eat on the trail and figured it would be fun to do with the long wax paper it comes bonded to. LoL...the paper burns great. The "Fruit" - not so much!

Tried my hand at some B-Roll in the style of Peter McKinnon and R Cody Wanner that Michael Feyrer Jr. featured on his channel. I went a little overboard on this vid, but did have some fun. I need to figure out how to work in the technique to my normal editing style/format and content. 

Michael Feyrer Jr.: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE6MSh7T4B3trx3VS_uPBmA
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqnXTBjhqik

R Cody Wanner: https://www.youtube.com/user/rcwninja
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF3SJWgmvuA

Peter McKinnon: https://www.youtube.com/user/petermckinnon24
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xra1qIQHscI

Appalachian Trail Hike: Wind Gap to Delaware Water Gap – Kirkridge Shelter and Water

This was an unusual hike because we had 5 YouTube channels all taking video during the trip.
Please visit the other channels collaborating on this hike and see what they thought! I’ll fill in the details of the hike in this section in more detail toward the end of the week!

Kurt Zitzelman Outdoors:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq_OK0UTlmE
https://www.youtube.com/user/KurtZitzelman

Adam Z Adventures:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3IJaJbrPlBDtdhPeTlIOfg

Dragon Roams
https://www.youtube.com/user/Don2realign

SkinnyGPanda:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrPTDQckVa4M5ekLU8nL7tg

Joe Harton:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVSKF50U4_qOQAUb8IT_M_A

Also be sure to check out Micah Pexa's channel. We ran across him during the hike and he is an AT Thru Hiker who is raising awareness for the fight against human trafficking:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUe5DnPuJ_yekZaw3CHbOMw

Thanks for watching! Don’t forget to Like and Subscribe!

Appalachian Trail Hike: Turk Gap – McCormick Gap – Rockfish Gap – Shenandoah National Park

This ended up being an 18 mile hike to finally finish hiking all the segments of the AT in the Shenandoah National Park that I had missed. I did this in three phases:
1) I parked at McCormick Gap (poor parking) and hiked 6.5 miles round trip down to the South Kiosk and back. There were a couple interesting rock formations, a wimpy spring, and no real views along this section of trail. Once I completed this section, I drove up to Turk Gap and parked there to continue my hike.
2) 3:58 - Turk Gap to Calf Mountain Shelter and back is about 10.2 miles. There are a couple nice views and a ton of tent sites along this section of trail. There is very little water on this section and only one of the tent sites had a stream nearby. The power lines you walk under were very noisy, probably the noisiest ones I’ve ever heard. Saw some bears at 7:31 that were very close to the trail. I did not notice them until I was right on top of them. The tent sites are actually quite nice and there were a lot of through hikers using this as their stop. I was here in the winter and I moved on because things were a bit shabby and I was alone. This time was much better. That being said, the privy gets a D+. It is so over used it leaks a river of excrement juice out the bottom…kinda gross.
3) 11:07 - After hiking back to Turk the next day, I swung around to the dead Howard Johnson's parking lot at Rockfish Gap and hiked the short 0.5 miles to the Kiosk and back. 
Overall it was a good weekend!!

The intro to this video was done by:
Michael Feyrer Jr.: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE6MSh7T4B3trx3VS_uPBmA
and
Yankees Outdoor Adventures: https://www.youtube.com/user/yankeeradio

Please stop by their channels and check them out!

Shenandoah National Park: https://www.nps.gov/shen/index.htm

Zimmerbuilt water bottle holder: https://www.zimmerbuilt.com/

J-105 Rakali Sailboat Racing on the Chesapeake Bay - SMSA - Patuxent River

This was one of the Summer Distance races that Southern Maryland Sailing Association organizes on the middle Chesapeake Bay. This race was the Smith Point Race, a 42 mile out and back from the mouth of the Patuxent River to a channel marker South of the Potomac River, and back. The wind was light and variable much of the day with a number of nearby storm cells depleting the wind. Later in the day, the wind finally filled in from the South and we were able to make good time back to the finish. A storm cell came through right at the finish and we got very wet! All in all, it was a nice day of sailing!
Results here: http://www.smsa.com/Race/2018/Results/SmithPoint2018.htm
SMSA Website: http://www.smsa.com/

Turk Gap to Blackrock Hut - Appalachian Trail - Shenandoah National Park

This is a pretty boring section of the Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah National Park in my opinion, offering few views, no water features, and no water other than at the hut. Starting at the Turk Gap parking at Skyline Drive mile post 94.1, I followed the AT North for approximately 8.8 miles, stayed at Blackrock hut and returned. Blackrock hut is nondescript and has an unreliable water source. Distance hiked this weekend was 17.8 miles. Approximately 4.1 miles North of Turk Gap, there are several nice tent sites (legal). There is no water at the tent sites.

https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/upload/Riprap_RoadTrail.pdf
https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/index.htm
https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/campbc.htm
https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/maps.htm

I already had a video of the BlackRock Hut here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD3v8KAzRxg

Trail Days 2018 – Appalachian Trail Days Festival – Damascus VA

I drove 6.5 hours down to the Appalachian Trail Days Festival in Damascus, VA again this year: http://www.traildays.us/

If you see yourself in the parade, drop a comment and time! Parade starts at 5:35
Odie’s speech is at 14:25

It was pretty rainy on Friday and the mood seemed on the somber side compared to other years. That being said, Saturday turned out to be a pretty good day weather wise and I was able to visit all the vendors and get to the parade without getting too wet. Finally ran into “Florida Girl Adventures” in the parade: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqL91M57UCsY1xHv_AFmXvw

Was nice hanging with Chuck “Crookshanks” and “costco” for the morning, breakfast, and vendor viewing: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3YPHT7hLAWfBiDaftLbiOw

Saw a whole bunch of through hikers I’m following on YouTube and talked to a few. I’ll fill in this section with the list as I have time:
IBTAT: https://www.youtube.com/user/htfu54
Evan’s Backpacking Videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/TES56
Not by Sight: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY2fJvmTME1QgEBRevnEthQ
Brant & Garvey: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYX2u59E9uxUD92oFVKdZeg

Hiker Yearbook: https://hikeryearbook.com/
WhiteBlaze: https://whiteblaze.net/forum/content.php

Watch my other hiking videos:
https://www.youtube.com/user/KrizAkoni

Shot on an iPhone6 and stabilized with the Zhiyun Smooth Q Gimbal. The parade was filmed with the Smooth Q.

Storm Clouds Rolling by in Southern Maryland

My 1st attempt at filing storm clouds as they roll in. I was not expecting the storm and, in my haste setting up, I did a poor job framing the shot.

St. Mary's Lake Fishing with RhinoFishing TV and RockEastwood Outdoors

Went fishing this morning at St. Mary's Lake in Southern Maryland and met up with RhinoFishing TV and RockEastwood Outdoors @5:45 in video. They were out on kayaks and I fished from shore. Rocky is moving out of the area soon and figured it would be fun to meet up and do some fishing before he left. If you have not checked out either of their great channels, please do so, leave a like, and subscribe! We'll miss you here Rocky and will continue to follow your adventures online. 

RockEastwood Outdoors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LwT9VqDDHk
https://www.youtube.com/user/rockeastwood14

RhinoFishing TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwvFn021S0A
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsCD1fR9h7kLF1NsU0pETdA

Beagle Gap – Bear Den Mountain Tractor Seats – Shenandoah National Park – Benchmark DEN HW3342

Short AT section hike - parked at Beagle Gap and hiked to McCormick Gap and back. Goal was to connect some stranded AT miles on my section hike and to see the tractor seats. While I was up there, I decided to find the benchmark for the peak. It was a little tricky, actually 0.3 miles south on the AT on the way to the second tower, not at the peak. The peak benchmark seems to be missing but I found the drill hole. I found one offset and also some of the references in the datasheet. https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_mark.prl?PidBox=HW3342

Captain Black Beard: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0Z-l560goy8qSQ32yeLIGA
Peakbagger: http://www.peakbagger.com/climber/climblistc.aspx?cid=12235
National Geodetic Survey Data Explorer: https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/NGSDataExplorer/
https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/datasheets/
GeoCache Benchmarks: https://www.geocaching.com/mark/

Fenix ARB-L14-1600U USB Rechargeable AA Li-ion Review - ZebraLight Headlamp

Picked up one of these to try and lighten my pack weight a little. I’ve been using a ZebraLight H52W as my headlamp and it uses AA batteries. Rather than carry additional AA batteries, I now carry a single Fenix ARB-L14-1600U Li-ion rechargeable. What I like about this unit is the integrated USB port and charger. I already carry an Anker PowerCore 13000, so charging this tiny battery for my headlamp is easy. This battery weighs 19 grams. For comparison, a standard Duracell AA weighs 25 grams and an Energizer Ultimate Lithium weighs 15 grams. Although not the lightest battery, I only need to carry one.

**One issue to note so far is that the battery is current limited and self protection circuit trips when using the ZebraLight on its highest settings.  

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072BVGVH4

I’ll be updating this periodically with my experiences as I use it more.

Pine Grove Furnace State Park to James Fry Shelter – Appalachian Trail Pennsylvania

This was a great hike ~7.5 miles one way from Pine Grove Furnace State Park to James Fry Shelter. Parking is plentiful at Pine Grove Furnace. To park overnight, you need to fill out a pass which is available in the plastic box next to the front door of the office. The pass goes in the mail slot after you fill it out. Parking is just down the hill and there is a restroom right there where the Appalachian Trail crosses the parking lot. Very nice! There was far more snow up on the ridge than at the parking lot and much more than the zero snow in southern MD. Some of the drifts over the rocks in one short section were knee deep. Most of the trail had already been broken by a couple other hikers and some cross country skiers. On average, the snow was around 10-12” deep. This would be an easy section in clear weather, there is not much elevation change and the trail is not very rough. Water at the shelter must be unreliable based on my personal observations and some graffiti on the shelter blue blaze right at the AT. The shelter was nice and the surrounding campsites also looked nice. The privy is super awesome. There is a bear box for food behind the shelter. I did hike in wet socks the next day to save my dry ones. It was not that bad. What I did not like was frozen shoes. I need to learn better technique for dealing with this. Oh, and wool socks burn – don’t ask me how I know.  ☹   

2011 Ford Taurus SEL Brake Light Replacement – Tail Light Enclosure Removal

This video shows how to change the tail lamp in a 2011 Ford Taurus SEL. The car provides no alert if the brake lights are not working, so check them periodically.
To get to the lamp requires removal of the tail light module / enclosure. This is done by removing the trunk liner behind the tail lamp and removing four (4) 11mm nuts. 
An 11mm deep socket, ¼ ratchet, and a #3057 tail light for each side is all that is needed to do this job. 
The lamp holder twists out of the enclosure and is a little tricky to get it to let free. It rotates counter clockwise for removal.  Nothing needs to be forced.

Watch my other Taurus 2011 Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdxYynz7DmRoqZwbkym_vC4KTEUebbpRP
Watch my other hiking videos and gear reviews:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdxYynz7DmRoLfGNWYRI5wsvPi-WJ_OIa

Birch Run Shelter to Quarry Gap Shelter – Appalachian Trail Pennsylvania

This was a great hike ~20 miles one way from Pine Grove Furnace State Park to Caledonia State Park. We stopped half way at Birch Run Shelter. This is the second half of the hike from Birch Run to Caledonia. We rested at Quarry Gap Shelter – the most beautiful shelter in the universe! Parking is plentiful at Pine Grove Furnace. To park overnight, you need to fill out a pass which is available in the plastic box next to the front door of the office. The pass goes in the mail slot after you fill it out. Parking is just down the hill and there is a restroom right there where the Appalachian Trail crosses the parking lot. Very nice! For this hike, I teamed up with Backwardshatforwardthinking who is doing a through hike this year. He is in the process of tweaking his gear and wanted to get out a few more times prior to departure. He is also blogging for The Trek. His blog can be found here:
https://thetrek.co/author/lance-ness/
https://www.facebook.com/backwardshatforwardthinking/
https://www.instagonline.com/@backwardshatforwardthinking

This was supposed to be an easy hike – split the cars, hike one way, and drive back. What neither of us realized was that were was recent snowfall in the area that has partially melted and then refroze with freezing rain on top. The icy, slippery, crusty mess was very difficult to hike on. Fortunately, I had left my pair of Hillsound Crampons in the back of the car from another trip. They were a lifesaver. The hike would have been near impossible for me without them. I also learned that hiking through snow is much slower and wears out a different set of muscles than what I was used to using! I also learned that when you have two pairs of socks, keep one set dry at all costs – hike in the wet ones the next day. After day 2, all my socks were wet. If this were a longer hike I would have been sad the next night with no dry socks.

From a hike perspective, there were no good views along this section of trail. There was ample water, and the shelters were extra nice! The trail also passes by the Pine Grove Furnace Store, famous for the half gallon ice cream challenge and the cool Appalachian Trail Half Way sign. This is the 2nd part of the hike and shows Birch Run Shelter to Quarry Gap Shelter.

Pine Grove Furnace State Park to Toms Run and Birch Run Shelter – Appalachian Trail Pennsylvania

This was a great hike ~20 miles one way from Pine Grove Furnace State Park to Caledonia State Park. We stopped half way at Birch Run Shelter. Parking is plentiful at Pine Grove Furnace. To park overnight, you need to fill out a pass which is available in the plastic box next to the front door of the office. The pass goes in the mail slot after you fill it out. Parking is just down the hill and there is a restroom right there where the Appalachian Trail crosses the parking lot. Very nice! For this hike, I teamed up with Backwardshatforwardthinking who is doing a through hike this year. He is in the process of tweaking his gear and wanted to get out a few more times prior to departure. He is also blogging for The Trek. His blog can be found here:
https://thetrek.co/author/lance-ness/
https://www.facebook.com/backwardshatforwardthinking/
https://www.instagonline.com/@backwardshatforwardthinking

This was supposed to be an easy hike – split the cars, hike one way, and drive back. What neither of us realized was that were was recent snowfall in the area that has partially melted and then refroze with freezing rain on top. The icy, slippery, crusty mess was very difficult to hike on. Fortunately, I had left my pair of Hillsound Crampons in the back of the car from another trip. They were a lifesaver. The hike would have been near impossible for me without them. I also learned that hiking through snow is much slower and wears out a different set of muscles than what I was used to using! I also learned that when you have two pairs of socks, keep one set dry at all costs – hike in the wet ones the next day. After day 2, all my socks were wet. If this were a longer hike I would have been sad the next night with no dry socks.

From a hike perspective, there were no good views along this section of trail. There was ample water, and the shelters were extra nice! The trail also passes by the Pine Grove Furnace Store, famous for the half gallon ice cream challenge and the cool Appalachian Trail Half Way sign. This video shows both Toms Run Shelter and Birch Run Shelter. I’ve split the trip into two videos. The second half of the journey will be posted soon and includes the Quarry Gap Shelters.

Old School Hiking Gear - 5 favorites - Kelty White Cloud

I want to thank Flying Squirrel Outdoors for tagging me to show my 5 favorite pieces of gear. A number of them are ‘old school’ and considered ‘Vintage’ when listed on eBay. It makes me feel old to see my favorite gear listed as vintage.

Favorite 5 Pieces of Gear:
Kelty White Cloud 3400
Garmin eTrex 20
Copper “Moulder” Strip Canister Stove Hack
Coleman Peak 1 Model 400 Stove
Coleman Peak 1 Model 222 Lantern
BONUS GEAR – Black Rock Gear Down Beanie

Tagged by:
Flying Squirrel Outdoors: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_58_-7aY9cKGTnOlLGKwlg

Tagged:
RhinoFishing TV: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsCD1fR9h7kLF1NsU0pETdA

OTT MOUNTAIN: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8TWjjAuu7mDspwnxOlXxFA

Couch2Trail YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaOF7aYzazpMOfbRGH65aLA

Scott Taylor: https://www.youtube.com/user/scttdltn

MD Outdoors: https://www.youtube.com/user/Militarydad18

Other great channels:
Smell N Roses: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmP-VRHOb6jtRkfA3Dx4zmg

RockEastwood Outdoors: https://www.youtube.com/user/rockeastwood14

Caledonia State Park to Rocky Mountain and Tumbling Run Shelters – Appalachian Trail Pennsylvania

This was a great hike ~22 miles in and out from Caledonia State Park to Tumbling Run Shelters. There is not really any good water source between these two points on the AT. The guide says there is water 0.5 miles downhill at Rocky Mountain shelters but it was too far for me to investigate. The tent sites are a hundred yards or so downhill from the Rocky Mountain shelters. About a mile north of Tumbling Run Shelters is Chimney Rock. This formation has the only great view on this section of trail and well worth exploring. There also appears to be a lot of tenting in the Chimney Rock area. Tumbling Run Shelters are the most beautiful shelters I’ve seen between Shenandoah at I64 and here. The spring, located on the other side of the river, is awesome at Tumbling Run Shelters.
Rocky Mountain Shelters - 7:07
Chimney Rock - 11:48
Tumbling Run Shelters - 15:50 

Kelly Kettle - Using Pine Cones as Fuel

This is my Kelly Kettle chimney type water boiler. It's a little heavy to take on the trail for any distance but is fun on quick overnights or messing around in the back yard. It boils water very very quickly and burns pretty much anything that is lying around. I wanted one really bad so my wife got me one for Christmas a couple years ago. It's one of those things you absolutely must have until you have one. In this video I'm burning pine cones as fuel - and almost part of my back yard by accident. This is the small aluminum version and it holds about 20oz of water.

https://www.kellykettleusa.com/aluminum-trekker-small-kelly-kettler

Beagle Gap – Calf Mountain – Shenandoah National Park – Zhiyun Smooth-Q

The view at Little Calf Mountain is outstanding, as is the easy 1 mile hike to it. There is ample parking at the Beagle Gap parking area in-between mile posts 99 and 100. There is no view at the Calf Mountain Summit but there is a disc inset marker just south of a large rock pile marking the summit. The distance from the parking to the rock pile is 1.8 miles. I thought the shelter was a lot closer (it is as the crow flies and how my GPS indicated) but the trail circles far North before the side trail cuts back to the shelter. It is a full 2.7 miles to the shelter from Beagle Gap. The spring appeared to be working well. The approach to the shelter and the trail North of the Calf Mountain Summit skirts private property and some interesting hunting dwellings / structures. There were cars present at some of them. At one point on the trail there was a large sign indicating the property was up for sale. The shelter was only a couple tenths of a mile from the park boundary and the shelter showed signs of poor maintenance and maybe homeless activity. Given it was the cold of winter and I was hiking alone, I chose to hike back to the parking and end my journey for the day. 

Hike starts at 2:13