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Guided Backpacking Trips in the Great Smoky Mountains

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
Did you know that REI offers guided backpacking trips in the Great Smoky Mountains? If you’re new to the park, or new to backpacking, this is a great way to explore the Smokies with experienced and professional guides.

REIs challenging Appalachian Trail tour follows the crest of the western Smoky Mountains. Along the way participants visit Clingmans Dome, Derrick Knob, Thunderhead Mountain, Rocky Top and Spence Field. Along the way hikers stay in backcountry shelters, and REI provides breakfast and dinners. The trip is considered challenging for experienced backpackers or very fit beginners. REI runs this guided trip about a dozen times this year, but half are already sold out.

For a backpacking excursion that’s a little less challenging, and a little more family friendly, REI introduced a new three day backpacking loop hike this year, designed for families with children ages 9 and up. The trip starts and ends in the Big Creek area, and includes a visit to the Mt. Sterling fire tower. Along the way hikers pass by old growth Hemlock and Spruce trees, streams, pools and cascading waterfalls. There are still two dates available for this year; however, you do have the option of organizing a privately guided trip.

For those seeking the ultimate in adventure, REI offers an introductory course in rock climbing in North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest. During this two-day course participants spend time at Looking Glass and Cedar Rock, two areas ideal for beginner climbers. The course is run by professional instructors that are certified by the American Mountain Guides Association, and have many years experience in teaching “Rock Climbing 101”. All meals, camping accommodations and required technical equipment are provided. Several dates are still available.

For more information on these guided trips, as well as a variety of other adventures in national parks and outdoor areas across the country - and around the world - please click here.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Posted in Adventure Travel, Great Smoky Mountains, Looking Glass Rock, National Parks, Pisgah National Forest, REI, Smokies, appalachian trail, children, family, guided backpacking trips, rock climbing | Comments Off

Mastering the Basics of Adventure Travel

Thursday, February 17th, 2011
Outside Magazine has an interesting and informative article in the print and online edition their February 2011 issue. The article essentially offers a series of basic tips for adventure travelers. These are skills any outdoor enthusiast, especially those traveling abroad, should possess.

These include packing, how to handle bribes, essential gear, blending in and working with the locals, and a few survival tips.

I particularly liked this piece of advice:

Hand over a decoy wallet instead, filled with expired IDs, credit cards, and some trivial amount of the local currency. Outside contributing editor Patrick Symmes pulled this move two years ago in Venezuela, forking over the wallet, a wad of expired Bolivian bills, and the $70 in his pocket—preserving the $500 he'd zipped into a money belt.

To read all of Outside's adventure travel tips, please click here.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Posted in Adventure Travel, Mastering the Basics | Comments Off

Camp Hosting? Cockle Creek – Tasmania – Volunteer Opportunities for summer 2009/10

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009
Looking for two weeks camp hosting in Southern Tasmania?

Happy to volunteer as a campsite host at Cockle Creek?

Like the idea of free accommodation in return for working with the Parks and Wildlife Service?

The Parks and Wildlife Service in Tasmania are seeking Campground Hosts for two week stints at Cockle Creek in Southern Tasmania.


View Larger Map


Cockle Creek is well known by bushwalkers who are completing (or starting) the South Coast Track. This tiny "village" is 2 hours drive from Hobart and is the furthest point you can drive south in Australia.

This is a great way to have a free "holiday" and to experience some of Tasmania's beautiful wilderness areas. For example, it is a relatively easy walk into the start of the South Coast Track to visit spots such as Coal Bluff or even further on to South Cape Rivulet. It would also be a bit of fun being there to meet hikers who had finished the South Coast Track and check out their condition after this 6- 10 day walk!

Larry Hamilton, in his excellent series on the South Coast Track, shared a couple of pictures with us.

The beach at Cockle Creek

The Cockle Creek bridge

As you can see, it is a very pretty place and quite isolated. Looks like a great spot for a couple of weeks in Tasmania!

This is the link to the full information provided by Parks and Wildlife Service in Tasmania (including contact details of where to apply)

Related Posts
The South Coast Track - Solo Winter Trip report by Larry Hamilton - Part One
South Coast Track - Part Two by Larry Hamilton - Ironbound Ranges and Leeches
South Coast Track - Part Three by Larry Hamilton - Surprise Bay to Cockle Creek
Larry's Port Davey Trip Report- great reading
Gear List for Wilderness Bushwalking Trip - Larry Hamilton's excellent gear list
Stuck between Louisa and Faraway Creeks - Our adventure on the South Coast Track
Hiking the South Coast Track - our first (and last time)

Posted in Adventure Travel, South Coast Track Tasmania, australia, backpacking | Comments Off

Best hiking gear for a multi day trip in Tasmania? A retrospective review

Sunday, October 18th, 2009
What is the best hiking gear for a wilderness adventure?

What gear do I need for a multi-day hike?

What is the best equipment (stove, coat, poncho, overpants, sleeping mat) for several days hiking?

In this guest post , Larry Hamilton (self confessed gear junkie) analyses his gear selection for a recent 10 day hike on Tasmania's South Coast Track. It is a follow up of a previous report about his gear for the Port Davey Track and is Part one of a two part "gear fest"

Introduction (and apology)
These gear notes have been included against the advice of my wife who believes it just indicates a tendency towards nerdishness about equipment, extremely embarrassing materialism and makes me look like an overgrown boy scout.

So if you aren't into gear choices stop reading now and if you are, don't let your partner read it.

Their chortles and guffaws are likely to be quite off putting!

I admit to being a bit of a gear freak and I enjoy the preparation for walks because it means a planning phase which holds its own pleasures and which provides an opportunity to think anew about what I like and what I need. This year for the South Coast Track I planned to take food for fourteen days and at just under a kilo of food per day that meant a fair proportion of my pack weight would be of food. As a result I planned to pare the rest of my gear down as much as I could.

Jacket
From my experiences on the Port Davey Track last year in some appalling weather I ditched my goretex jacket and pants and a pair of goretex overmits. I replaced the jacket with a Montane Featherlite H2O jacket with substantially less bulk and weight.


I used this jacket and liked it but the DRW properties were quickly eroded in areas where my pack rubbed on the jacket such as over my shoulders where the straps rubbed and across my shoulders and across the small of my back. Because I predominantly had the jacket as a windproof barrier I wasn't too worried but I'll experiment in proofing the jacket again with a slightly different DRW treatment.

I believe that you inevitably end up getting pretty wet anyway from the bush, from wading through creeks and from wicking up sleeves, and down through neck openings so I expect to get wet on walks and am not concerned primarily about the level of waterproofness. So the only goretex items I took on this trip were my gaiters.

Overpants
I replaced my goretex overpants with some Golite Whim pants again with a substantial reduction in both weight and bulk.

I didn't end up using the overpants which I took mainly as a windproof barrier for my legs rather than for their waterproofness but if the weather had been like it was last year they would have had substantial use.

I live in regional Western Australia and don't have an opportunity to see and try out exotic gear so I ordered a large pair over the phone and they were enormous on me so my sartorial elegance was really suspect with them on but with the advantage that I could get them on over my boots. I will probably purchase a smaller pair before my next walk. Despite the fact that they stayed in my pack for the trip I'd take them with me again.

Overmits
I gave up on overmits and simply carried two sets of gloves; a fairly light pair of windstopper gloves to walk with and an pair of fleece gloves to use with a fleece beanie and my set of dry gear in camp.

It turned out not to be sufficiently cold enough to wear either pair and so these remained unused but I was pleased to carry them.

In Addition:
I took a pair of thermals for everyday use and used them only in camp. My recorded temperatures inside the tent on waking (at around 5.30am most mornings) varied from a brisk 4 degrees Celsius to a balmy 13 degrees Celsius.

Poncho
On a whim I took also a tarp/poncho as I'd read positive reports about the use of these. I actually tried to use this as a poncho on the beach trek to New River and it took me half an hour of dancing around in drizzle along the beach trying to put it on. Stupidly I'd only tried this out at home with my wife to help me get it on.

I defy anyone on their own to successfully and quickly get into a poncho with a full pack in a reasonable breeze.

I must have looked a sight trying various ways to get it over my full (and fairly high) pack in a balanced way. I tried to put it over my head and then manouver it over my pack, fighting the wind's efforts to blow it back. I used one of my walking poles to try to get it in place and only managed to look stupid. I put it over my pack and then tried to get under everything, and put my pack on with the poncho already in place but only succeeded in getting tangled up. I eventually got it mostly sorted out albeit getting pretty wet in the process and it worked for the next couple of kilometres until I got to the boat crossing where I needed to take it off anyway.

I think that ponchos are only useful when walking with another person who can assist in arranging the poncho across the pack so that it drapes as intended.

On the one day that I holed up from some heavy rain I used the poncho as an additional tarp which gave me some added scope for movement outside of my tent in the rain but I wouldn't take it again. If I wanted additional tarp space (a luxury), I'd take a spinnaker tarp instead. So the poncho will be consigned to the growing pile of gear that I've tried and discarded.

Sleeping Mat
I ditched my self inflating mat (three quarter length) for a Thermarest Z Lite closed cell foam mat for a substantial savings in weight but an increase in bulk. My experimentation with this before starting the walk had revealed that my hips (I'm a side sleeper) compressed the foam enough to mean the insulation was insufficient and I got cold.

I always previously carried a small piece of closed cell foam as a seat in camp and as a foot pad for my three quarter length self inflating mat and I found that this was usefully employed under the Z lite in my hip region to provide the necessary insulation.

I disliked the added bulk of the Z lite inside my pack and found the lack of comfort when sleeping a frustration.

Sleeping mats are always a compromise but I've resolved to shell out for an Exped Downmat for winter trips in the future. I'll endure the additional weight in return for greater insulation and comfort.

Stove
I opted to change my stove system from my Triad titanium burner used last year and go for more convenience but extra weight by purchasing a Clickstand and using a standard Trangia burner.


I went for the heavier Trangia burner for two reasons. Firstly it enabled me to carry unused fuel in the burner as the cap has an o-ring. The second reason is because it has a simmer ring. I'm not sure why I think that this is an advantage because I never simmer and didn't on this trip but it came with me and was used only as a snuffer for the burner.

I like the Clickstand but was careful about packing it because I didn't want to bend the frame and render it useless. So I had to take a bit more care with packing than I'm used to. I normally get pretty violent in ramming gear into small spaces in my pack, particularly at the beginning of a trip when space is at a premium.

Pots
My MSR titanium pot came again with its home made pot cosy. I also took my favourite double-wall titanium mug rather than a lighter single wall one I sometimes use. Some luxury is worth it.

Fuel
I took 1600ml of metho for my stove in a 1 litre MSR fuel bottle and a 600ml coke bottle. I always get too nervous about fuel use and ended up using just on a litre for the eleven days.

Additional Gear
This year I took a small pair of binoculars which I thought would be useful and provide me with another dimension of interest along the coast. I ended up using these very little and mostly only because they were there and because I didn't want to take them back unused. I wouldn't bother with the weight again on a walk.

Leeches
I have a thing about leeches and some interesting experiences with them. During the year I engaged in some research and wanted to experiment on this trip with Pyrethrin (or Permethrin its synthetic equivalent) as it was reported to be very effective against leeches.

I'd considered DEET but had rejected that as being noxious to me and not as effective as Pyrethrin.

As I normally do I took salt but this time before starting I rinsed my walking pants, socks and gaiters in Permethrin shampoo intended for pets. I also took some Pyrethrin horse insecticide in a small spray bottle. I doubt that the shampoo wash made much of a difference as the constant soaking of my clothes would probably have rendered the wash useless after a short time.

This trip I didn't have much of a problem with leeches but the few I had a chance of having a go at shrivelled up with a touch of the Pyrethrin spray and unlike DEET, Pyrethrin doesn't affect fabric or plastics. So I'd take that again and leave the salt behind. Salt is always a problem because of its need for waterproof storage.

Many thanks to Larry for his excellent write up and review of his gear. We will post part two in the next few days where the rest of this self confessed "gear junkies" equipment for the trip is reviewed.

Related Posts
The South Coast Track - Solo Winter Trip report by Larry Hamilton - Part One
South Coast Track - Part Two by Larry Hamilton - Ironbound Ranges and Leeches
South Coast Track - Part Three by Larry Hamilton - Surprise Bay to Cockle Creek
Larry's Port Davey Trip Report- great reading
Gear List for Wilderness Bushwalking Trip - Larry Hamilton's excellent gear list
Stuck between Louisa and Faraway Creeks - Our adventure on the South Coast Track
Hiking the South Coast Track - our first (and last time)

Posted in Adventure Travel, South Coast Track Tasmania, advice, backpacking, gear | Comments Off

The Overland Track – Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair – a nice slow trip

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
Spring hiking in Tasmania? Will there be snow or just rain?

Hiking the Overland Track from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair?

A leisurely bushwalk on a World Heritage "Top 10 Hikes in the World"

We have just returned from a seven day, six night trip on the Overland Track in Tasmania. There were four of us in the party with the plan to take our time and enjoy any good spring weather we might get along the way. With typical Tasmanian weather variability we were blessed with some great sunny days and also snow, sleet and rain in various forms. All this was expected and we were well prepared for any conditions.

Why hike the Overland Track again you may ask? Because we LOVE it!

In this post we will just make a few comments and observations about the trip, as there are many other posts on Our Hiking Blog about hiking the Overland Track. Check out the links to them at the bottom of the page.

Heading up the Horse Track as an alternative to the big grunt up Marions. Perfect for someone with barthmophobia. It is still a bit of a "climb" but over a longer distance. Every time we do it it seems to get harder....

We were hoping for snow, in fact a lot of snow! It had snowed heavily a couple of weeks before and while there was some on the Cradle Plateau it was very slushy and soft. Above is Sue heading across the Horse "Track" towards the intersection with the Overland Track proper (where it intersects just before Kitchen Hut)


We had planned to take snow shoes (Yowies) but Frank ended up the only person carrying them as the snow was patchy and not forecast for the duration of the trip. They were OK in this section but because the snow was so soft and slushy they broke through to ground several times and it was quite difficult to get them out of the snow.

Heading across to Kitchen Hut (with Cradle Mountain in the background). The snow was particularly soft here as there was a lot of water running across the ground (under the snow)


The Overland Track was easy to find in the snow. We had fantastic weather on day one.

We left the Ronney Creek car park (the official start of the Overland Track) at 1pm. Slow as ever, and hindered by the snow, we reached Waterfall valley Hut at 7pm. Sunset (above from just before the Barn Bluff turnoff) was at 6:07 so we had quite a bit of walking with headlights in the dark.

Cooking dinner at Windemere Hut we were surprised to be the only party in the hut that night. We were lucky enough to get ABC radio reception here and were able to listen to the AFL football and hear our team win the game and make the Grand Final. We also had Pelion and Kia Ora huts to ourselves which was surprising (but nice for a change, we have been at Pelion Hut when it was at it's capacity of 60 people)

Of seven days hiking, we had two totally fine days. The rest was a variety of "weather". Pictured above is John heading down the track. Tasmania has had a significant amount of winter and spring rain and the track was quite wet in places.

At Pelion Gap and the Mt Ossa turnoff. That evening we discovered we had red faces from sunburn! Colin had left Pelion Hut early hoping to climb Mt Ossa. When he arrived it was covered in cloud and after waiting an hour decided to head on to Kia Ora. As he says, no use climbing a mountain if you can't see the view. We arrive in sunshine and a cloud free Ossa!

Sue heading down Pelion Gap towards Kia Ora Hut. Nice bit of snow here but not enough for snow shoes.

It was a "bit chilly" on a couple of days. Pictured above is Frank feeling the cold.

We had never been into Ferguson Falls (which are between Kia Ora and Bert Nichols Hut) and were lucky to have chosen a great time of the year as it was PUMPING! We could not believe the roar of the water nor the sheer volume coming over the waterfall. It was a great side trip.

Above is a great view of the Acropolis from Bert Nichols Hut. The new hut is an interesting addition to the Overland Track. There is a very long, funny and interesting post on Bushwalk Tasmania about the Hut development. (some people love it, others hate it- we can see both sides)

We completed the walk at Echo Point Hut as the jetty at Narcissus was under a metre of water due to the high level of Lake St Clair.

In conclusion, a few reflections on this walk may be useful for anyone planning a spring bushwalk on the Overland Track.
- the snow was wet and really soft. Travel time was slow and snow shoes unhelpful
- temperatures were never below freezing so the tracks were slushy and wet rather than icy as we had in our Winter Overland Track
- We took it easy and just went from hut to hut. It made for a very relaxing trip, leaving late (between 9 and 10 am) each day and arriving into the Hut most days between 2 and 4 pm. It was a great way to "do" the track.
- We saw 22 people in total for the whole seven days (and saw no one for 3 of the days). If you are experienced, well prepared and not too ambitious it may be a good time of the year to hike the Overland Track without the seasonal "crowds"
- we allowed 7 nights and 8 days in case the weather held us up (or if we wanted a side trip). Snow is very common in September and there had been a large dump two weeks before our trip.
- we ended coming out "early" and had a night at the Derwent Bridge Hotel. It was great and we really enjoyed the food and hospitality.

Related Posts
How to hike the Overland Track - our eBook on getting the trip done - 2009/10 update
Backpacking the Overland Track - a view from the States
Planning food for a multiday hike
Various Overland Track posts

Posted in Adventure Travel, Bushwalking, Cradle Mountain, Overland Track, Tasmania, australia, backpacking, eBook | Comments Off

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