I'm back and man am I tired!

“11 people, 5 adults (kinda), 6 kids, 2 hiking crews, Ages from 12 to 40, 50 miles of trail, 100 year record rainfall, Full on flood stream crossing attempt, almost drowning doing it, hamburger feet from hiking with wet feet, 5 degree to 75 degree temps, snow on the mountain, hiking through clouds, Crystal clear views from Rocky Top, and a steak feeding frenzy.

It was a good week.

Photos soon.”

“awesome!!.. I didn't realize you were doing the rocky top climb!!..”

“which side did you go up? from the south (west) or the north (east?)”

“Good grief, Charlie Brown (HPM)! What a week to leave Florida and go hiking. Sounds like quite an adventure!”

“It is ALWAYS an adventure no matter what we do. LOL!

We climbed from the south(west).
The snow (very light) cleaned all the crap out of the air and we could see forever. All the big peaks were frosted with snow. It made everything seem complete on this trip.

We always try to hit 50 miles on these trips cause the Scouts have a 50 miler award. We did Rocky top to hit our 50 and end on a high note. It seems that the award only matters to the adults though. The kids are usually suprised when they get the award. My favorite quote so far was one of the boys said "I thought the trip was the award."”

“Wow, another wild experience...sounds difficult and rewarding. Looking forward to the pics.

"I thought the trip was the award."

LOL, that's what the adults are supposed to say to the kids!”

“fantastic HPM.. one of my FAV sections (and maybe one of the most difficult).. even if you did come up the EASY way.. *snicker*”

“Easy way?
You mean up Rocky Top? Yeah, we were disappointed that we didn't have a 90 degree climb. It was only a 45 to 50, Bummer.

I've never done the AT fron Rocky to Silers Bald. Maybe next time.”

“long haul up the face of that meadow ehh?.. but the views are incedible back down to fontana lake..”

“No wonder your exhaused! More kids than adults! How did the kids do?

Sounds like a great trip though!”

“Usually I have much less adults. Last couple of times it is about three adults to seven kids. On typical troop trips I have about four to five adults and 28 kids.
Frankly the adults are more of a liability than the kids and complain more too. The boys have full approval to give whiney adults "the business."

Trips like this I only take the experienced boys that qualify and not the whole troop. My older guys I trust with my life and this time they proved it was trust well founded. I really do mean that part about me almost drowning during a stream crossing. Abrams Creek almost got me.

We had two young ones this time. One was fine from the get-go. One wanted to quit immediately (ain't gonna let THAT happen) but got tuned after two days and was loving it and made it known he was glad he stuck it out.

Bunch of Troopers that bunch.”

“sounds like a GREAT!!! trip. looking forward to the photo's.

Take another shower...you still smell like the woods...LOL :-)”

“HPM - NIce going. I usually sit out the rainy weather. How 'bout some details of your route? I can't quite put it together from the spotty details. Where did you cross Abrams Creek?”

“Wat to go dude!!!!!!

It sounds like you had a blast!

I can't wait to see the pictures!

8)”

“ya post the pics, man those are going to be killer!”

“How about a little taste?

Don't worry NS, details are coming.


Crossing Hesse Creek at full flood.”

“Congrats on another great trip. Sounds like a little bit of everything good about this pursuit.

Did the tyvek tarp make the trip? If so - how did it hold up in the storm of the century? I forgot you were up there - I would have thrown a prayer your way.”

“Hey HPM, a quick question. I ran into a little bit of a sawmill after taking a group of scouts on a 50 miler last year. By some opinions, seems we didn't do the required on-trail maintenance / service project time to qualify for the 50 miler patch.

What do yo guys do for trail maintenance while you're out? Just curious...your identity is unknown to SCOUT LEADERSHIP!!!”

“That's some fast moving water! Glad you had a good time.

Out of the mouths of babes. Very intelligent kid!”

“Ummm.....I guess I shouldn't ahve done that. Sorry Matt.

The Reader's digest condensed trip report. the full report will be posted on my troop site for all to read when I get it done.

www.troop623.com

The Route as it happened.

Day one.
Awoke to a massive downpour that lasted until mid morning. Due to permit problems we were forced to split in to two groups. GroupA was me,my hiking buddy Madman and the two most experienced scouts doing our route couter-clockwise. Group B was three adults and four Scouts. Cades Cove Loop road to Rich Mt. Loop trail to Indian grave Gap trail to Campsite 5 It dried up by the time we reached camp and began raining at 9pm.

Day Two
Woke up to rain that quit by the time we hit the trail. Rich Mountain Trail to Ace Gap Trail to Beard Cane Trail to Campsite 3. Hesse Creek was in full flood so we roped off and crossed. I found a Smith & Weson SWAT fist run knife in the mud by the stream. Nice dry night.

Day Three
Beautiful warm day. Flushed several Ruffled Grose on the trail today. Beard Cane Trail to Hatcher Mtn Trail to Abram Creek Trail. Stopped by Abrams Creek in flood mode. I'm 6' 6" and I was shoulder deep in it at one point. I tried four different routes across the water and gave it up. I was in too long and the cold was weakening me. At the last channel 20 ft from the group I lost my footing and was being dragged downstream. My pack filled with water and my poles got crossed in front of me afainst a rock trapping my arms against my chest so I couldn't shrug out of the pack. Madman and one of the boys started reeling me in. I got sideways and lost all control. The other Scout ran out to a dead tree trunk in the water and tied himself off. He got my poles and helped me crawl back to the shore. My left leg was bleeding pretty bad from being dragged over the rocks. This was NOT going to crossed anytime soon. The next big dilemma is that Group B would be here the next day and we need to be sure that we routed them around the water as they had the two least experienced and physically smallest scouts. We
decided to hike around via Little Bottoms Trail to Rabbit Creek Trail. Arrived at Rabbit Creek trailhead only to discover that the 900 pound bridge across Abrams Creek was swinging from one mooring. No Dice. Luckily a Ranger on Patrol stopped and she shuttled me back to the car and group A ended up Back at Cades Cove campground.

Day 3
Ranger McNutt took Madman and one of the boys up Parsons branch road in a 4x4 at 6:30am cause the road was washed out and impassible to non 4x4s to intercept Group B at our meeting point. I and the other Scout from group A hiked up Parson Branch Road to the Gregory Bald trailhead. Group B was directed to hike down to the van and shuttle around Abrams Creek. They ended up pulling out completely due to Adults who made very crappy footwear choices and could barely walk. Very dissappointing. They ended the trip by doing several day hikes and the boys still loved the trip. A successful salvage.
Group A continued the hike up Gregory Bald trail. A sudden rainstorm hit us before we could get into rain gear and we were drenched to the skin. I and my young charge reached Campsite 13 in near hypothermic condition where Madman and the other Scout were setting up a tent under the tarp as to have a dry spot ready for us. We combined the two tyvek tarps into one shelter and crawled under and got into dry clothes. We ate a very large hot lunch and went to bed at 3pm.

Any Tyvek doubters out there? This stuff is the real deal. Get some!

Day 4
Awoke to the sun peeking throuh the cloud bank we were in. We hoped to pack up and have breakfast on top of the bald but the clouds rolled back in right before we set out. Crossed Gregory bald in the clouds. No views and very cold. Continued up Gregory Bald trail to the AT at Doe knob and had a hot lunch at Derrick Knob shelter. Continued on to Russel Field shelter and the weather warmed and cleared. Had a kicking fire in the shelter fireplace that night. We hung our tyvek tarps over the front of the shelter to keep in the heat.

Day 5
Awoke to 10 degree temps and snow. My 15 degree bag was not impressive that night. We continued on down the AT and had lunch at Spence Field Shelter. We dropped our packs and climbed Rocky Top and enjoyed stunning crystal clear views in all directions with the mountains coverd in a mantle of white.
We felt complete.
We hiked down Bote Mtn Trail to Anthony Creek Trail to campsite 9. At the campsite we felt as if the trip were over, we were satisfied and decided to just continue on out to Cades Cove Campground and rejoin Group B.

We all got showers in Townsend and cooked the biggst steaks we could find that night and went home one day early.

Oh, Treebait was NOT pleased at my hearing of my stream crossing attempt. It's a mistake I'll never make again. I've got too much to live for. Think twice y'all and then think again about crossing streams in bad conditions. You might not get another chance.”

“Wanderer, we carry a folding saw and clear deadfalls as we hike. We also clear clogged water bars, clean out fire rings of garbage and break up illegal campsites and illegal fire rings we find.

A little bit each day and you hit the required hours easy. If we come up short we talk to a ranger and they will gladly give you a project. Call in advance though about that.”

“Great trip HPM.

I have a question though. I was following your trek on my PDF copy of the GSMNP's trails, and I wonder if I've found an error on the map. You said after getting on the AT at Doe Knob, you hiked to the Derrick Knob Shelter and had lunch. According to this map, the shelter between Doe Knob and Russell Field shelter is Mollies Ridge Shelter. Also according to this map, Derrick Knob Shelter is another 10 miles or so east on the AT, after Thunderhead Mtn. You were there, so I believe you, I just want to make sure the map is wrong.”

“HPM - A great trip and you did a fine write-up. Sure wish my legs could cover distances like your group did.

Was the shelter gone, now, at CS #5 (Rich Mtn.)

You were lucky. People have drowned at that Abrams Creek crossing. The main problem has been that they did not loosen their pack straps before attempting to cross. The packs get wedged and hold them under. Loose straps permit slipping out of the pack and escaping, when in trouble.

CS #3 is one of my favorites, with Hesse and Beard creeks meeting there. Did you experience any trouble on Beard Cane Trail? The trail cross the creek numerous times and even follows the creek bed in some locations.

Where were you able to get showers in Townsend?

A very good job, scoutleader, and an excellent report. Thanks for sharing.

As soon as my daughter hooks up her scanner, I'll send you a picture of you and me at Olustee.
-----------------------------
bitpusher - Good observation of an obvious error on the shelter's name.”

“Sounds like a fun trip! Looking forward to pictures! Thanks for the writeup”

“Fabulous trip and report HPM!! Grand time, altho I do feel sorry for the lil adventurers not fortunate enough to be in your group. The Gregory Bald loop of campsite 13 and 12 was my daughter's first backpack trip, this past July. 6 weeks before her 3rd b-day.

From that pic, ya put on a super Scout Adventure, great show!”

“Bitpusher the map is correct it was Mollies Ridge shelter NOT Derrick Knob. I guess I'm more tired than I thought! LOL!

The only thing left of Rich mountain shelter was some foundation stones.

We loosen and unbuckle everything. My error was in not quitting sooner. My hard headedness almost got me.

Beared Cane was not hard but it was a mud pit the whole way. Numerous? Yeah we joked that the stream had numerous trail crossings. Darn, my boots might get dry!

In Townsend we just went down the row of RV campgrounds and asked. The first three refused us but the next one I sent in a Scout and he made sure to pitch the "We are a bunch of Boy Scouts who would really appreciate a shower and everyone else told us no" routine. It always works at places with "God bless America" or "United we Stand" on the sign. Makes them feel like hypocrites to refuse a bunch of Scout kids.
$3 a head and I can't remember the name but If I was there I could point it out to you.

Me too Naked, me too. I'm just glad they ALL had a great time. Not a complaint out of any of them, they learned bunches and they are all looking forward to next year.”

“HPM, I have been waiting on your field testing of the Tyvek. I think I will rig a tarp up for use this spring and summer.”

“It poured like a mutha and it didn't leak or "wet through" one bit. The doubled edges held the grommets in high wind just fine. If I were to do it again I'd put a thin leather patch at all the grommet holes for a little extra strength.

One on the boys made one too and just stuck the grommets in a single thickness of tyvek and they all pulled out on him before the winds got up.”

“Thanks, humanpackmule. I apreciate your information. See ya later, gotta work.”

“Work?!?!?

Dang, I AM back. :(”

“OK HPM, thanks. I wanted to make sure whether or not the map was wrong, because I'm going to use it to plan trips in the future.

Glad you survived!”

“One thing BP. Birch Spring Gap shelter is no more. It is now a tent camp site (#113 I think)

I think that it sounds worse than it really was but no one agrees with me.”

“HUMANPACKMULE?? HOW DO i ENROLE MY SON IN CUB SCOUTS! also is it possible to become a scout leader??”

“Prowler-
Look in your phone book for Boy Scouts of America. This will give you your local council office #.
Call them up and tell them where you live and you want names and #s of several packs near you. Call the Cubmasters find out about them and visit EVERY ONE OF THEM WITH YOUR SON. Not all packs are created equal and some folks are all talk and no action. Find one that does a lot of stuff and has leaders you like. Ain't nothing better than a well run active Scout unit and nothing worse than a crappy one.

In Cubs one parent is REQUIRED to attend functions with the boy at all times and both are very welcome. It's great family time.

As far as being a card carrying leader all you need to do is sign up. If you do please get yourself trained as such ASAP and go the extra mile and get Red Cross First Aid training. There is a lot to know and the Pack leaders will need all the help they can get.

Please note you will NOT be going on trips like my Troop does. That stuff only happens in Boy Scouting. Cub usually only camp a couple of times a year and it's family car camping. Find a unit that camps a lot and you will be happier.

BSAs Cub Scout fact sheet

There is also a Council locator here

My best memories are of my Dad as my Scoutmaster and all things he did with my brother and I.”

“When crossing the streams, carry an extra large heavy duty trash bag. Take your pack off and put it in the trash bag. Tie the bag in a knot at the top, then tie a line below the knot. The pack will float high in the water. If you have a line across the creek, clip the bag to the line and ferry the bags/packs across, then the people. This always assumes that one person has to set the ferry line. That's the most dangerous part. If it is not far across you my just use a throw line to pull the bags across.”

“Noyce work, HPM. I enjoyed the trip report and the tyvek tarp info. Good show, mate!”

“Thanks for the tip BS.
We always line the main compartments of our packs with compactor bags but they don't float very well.

I'll have to give that one a go next time.”

“I haven't had the time to put together a trip report completely but Madman has his photos online now.
Smokies 2002

He's also put it together as a powerpoint slide show we are going to project at this Thursdays Scout meeting.

Enjoy.”

“Oh yeah, for those who don't know, I'm the Scoutmaster.”

“great pics HPM, looks like a whole lotta wetness! I love those surprise creek crossings after a rain.”

“We expected Abrams to be big but not that big. Hesse just reared up and slapped us. We knew we had to cross it but it was shocking just how big and fast it was.

The next morning I checked Hesse creek and it was a full foot and a half lower.”

“HPM
Sounds like a fun trip. The ones that don't go just right are always the most memorable.
After hiking with you I know how much you are dedicated to helping the youth. This world needs more people like you, Mike. Scouting works best when you have a great leader as you said above. I hope those parents and scouts know how lucky they are.

For anyone interested in his tarp, I saw it in action. It looked like it would be a great shelter. The only potential disadvantage would be if you ever needed to stealth camp. When I went looking for the group at Ocala, I could see that tarp from very,very far away. I crawled out of my Kelty Dart the next morning that tarp looked like a 2 bedroom house with all the room. That looked great to have enough room to cook, sleep, get dressed and move around if it was raining.”

“Great Pictures!”

“I'm not sure I would have had the cahones to try to get those scouts across that creek. Those must be some tough kids!”

“Thanks Flatlander, I apreciate it.

I don't stealth camp. Teaches the boys the wrong lesson. We could have kept our group together too if we had just dropped the permit in the box instead of checking in with the Ranger. Once again, I'm not teaching kids how to skirt the rules. However I would like it if the tarp were at least green or brown.

Well I try everything out first. Better for me to get banged up than someone elses kid.

I'm diggin' the tarp. Talk about useful. Now I just need to rig up a bug net.

More info about the tarp”

“Wow. Where do you put the root cellar? <grins>

Cool website, too... nice clean design.”

“You didn't see the titainium trap door?”

“"Here, (48 of 156) Mike takes a shot at Campsite 11. He like the scale of the packs in solitude… I think he's weird."

LMAO.. I take those same kind of pictures Mike!!”

“The page cannot be displayed
There are too many people accessing the Web site at this time.

Well, I tried to look at the photos. Maybe later!”

“http://66.177.147.139:8080/pictures/bsa302.asp?curpage=53

page 53 is not working, mike.”