We've been on quite a few hikes since last time. Of course we've been to the Eno River, done more of the Mountain to Sea Trail (MST) and Umstead.
Late winter we thought we would do an "easy" backpacking trip at Croatan National Forest. We set out for a 20 mile adventure on the Neusiok Trail. They call it a trail, but quite a bit ended up being a swamp!
We made the 21 miles (extra mile because I got us off the trail...oops) in 2 days but it was definitely harder than we expected!
The beginning was absolutely beautiful!!!! It was a little slow going with all the sand but we figured it would change over to dirt soon enough.
And it did....and then mud....and boardwalks....and eventually....
The mud turned into water. We tried to dodge it as long as we could. That worked for several miles until we could dodge no more. We finally had to bite the bullet and just go right thru it. Had we known what was ahead we could have saved ourselves a lot of time and trouble and not tried so hard to avoid it.
All in all it was still an awesome time! Thank goodness it was winter and the snakes weren't out yet!
Our next adventure took us back to Max Patch and Hot Springs. This time we brought Cindy and Kyle. Neither have backpacked before and both were up for the challenge.
We got a late start due to travel and getting a shuttle. We started at Max Patch Rd and headed up to the bald. Kyle was already enjoying trail magic at the top consisting of pizza, soda and beer. What a nice surprise!
We kept it a short day since we didn't start until 3 pm and I had just come off a 24 hour shift that morning. We stayed at Roaring Fork Shelter and met so many nice people! Kyle and I had fun setting up hammocks while dad and Cindy tented below. Kyle and I were doing a shakedown trip to check out our equipment. We both froze that night (at least our feet did) and decided underquilts were definitely in our future!
The next day was gorgeous! We took our time getting out of camp knowing that it would be another short mile day. We used different water filtration systems and learned more about how our equipment worked on the trail. We ended our day a little short of where we had planned but after a 750' ascent up Walnut Mountain we decided we were ok with not going the last 1.4 miles and 400'. Kyle said he even had to use his walking stick up that 750'. That made us ol' folks feel a little better about it. Kyle met a couple of thru hikers, Snoopy and Casper. They invited him to hike the last 13 miles into Hot Springs the next day. Since this trip was all about learning, I told him to go on and have fun. Our plan next year is to "hike together but separate" so this gave him a better understanding of what I meant.
The next morning we headed out to tackle 1000' foot climb up Bluff Mountain. We broke it down into sections and this made it much easier to climb. There were so many beautiful flowers in bloom in this section. The smell while walking made it all worth it. We found a site to camp at this night so it was our first night not at a shelter and having to hang our bear bag without a cable. I did a little better sleeping in my hammock that night and actually slept great!
The next day we set out for Hot Springs. After about 2 miles I took Cindys half of the tent and traded dad my hammock for his half of the tent. I told them I would head to town ahead of them and get a campsite and set up our tents. I was scheduled to meet Kyle in town and didn't want to be late. I had such a great time hiking in. I wanted to see how my pace was and also how I enjoyed hiking alone. I wouldn't want to be alone every day for 6 months but I can definitely see myself enjoying my alone time. The descent into Hot Springs was rough but I had no knee pain so I was happy. I was carrying about 5 extra pounds and was having difficulty keeping the tent strapped on the pack. When I came out of the woods into the parking lot, I threw my pack into the bushes and walked to town to get Cindys van and go back for my pack. I got us a campsite at Hot Springs Resort, set up the tents, got a shower, found Kyle and headed back to the parking lot to pick up dad and Cindy. Lucky for Cindy that we had arranged that because near the end of her hike she rolled her ankle and it looked sprained.
Kyle made it to Hot Springs the day before us. He said he had a great time. He stayed at a hostel that night and met a lot of people. The next day he headed north on the trail, set up his hammock and enjoyed a nap while waiting for us to get to town.
All in all it was a fantastic trip. Kyle and I also have decided on our trail names. The Dude and Buttercup
Next....we are off to Asheville to thank mom for putting up with our adventures
Happy trails
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