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)

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#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