North Fork Mountain Trail Trip

“Fridge, do you like apples?”

“How do ya like them apples?”

“I do and as a matter of fact...I am eating Hot Apple pie and Vanilla Ice creme at this time buster.”

“It`s going to melt your ice cream!”

“ummmmmgood too”

“so the plan is to hike N to S 8 miles and camp at our usual spot along the trail near the cliffs. Next day hike 4 miles to the vehicles parked mid point at our usual car camping spot. Okay if this is true I will bring a chain saw to help with last nights council fire.
last edited: 12/06/09 5:18:44 PM”

“Vrrrrrooommm!!

Dat`s duh plan.”

“I may bring some steaks ...first 8 people get a big FAT T BONE.”

“Dat would be a big T-bone to feed eight people!”

“I got the steaks marko if you bring some veggies.....and some of that funny name BEER.”

“Urkle?”

“STELL-UH!!!!!!!”

“Bip!”

“Yu'all better lock up that beer, that parking area ain't safe”

“Fridge -
'You serious about the chainsaw?!”

“My first non-solo hike was when Belle and I joined a group of TTers at RRG. Frankly, I was quite embarrased by all the noise we generated.”

“Yup, if ya don't lock up your beer at the mid point parking area some hillbilly is likely to steal it.”

“I know some hillbilly's that would likely drink it!”

“Him and his little dog!!

Hoo hoo ha ha ha ha ha!!”

“This trip rocks. Many scenic views all throughout this trail.
Sign up”

“i'm in!”

“Rocks?

Yup, lots of rocks.”

“I think ole Fridgy is turning into a spammer! I hope you checked that name. I would hate to see you have to defend yourself against those blood thirsty trademark lawyers!”

“Ok, I can only do one trip in March because of work so I am thinking about this trip. Those pics you posted fridge look awesome. So now its between this trip and the Kimberely trip. Hmmmmmmmmmm”

“Yotaman I would take the North Fork trail iffin I wuz you. More vistas and that's all I gots to say bout that.”

“FRIDGE I LOVE YOU MAN!”

“get yur dang hand off my arse crash.”

“i love your arse!”

“I always wondered why you hiked behind me blowing that whistle in Alaska for hours.”

“Are you sure that wasn't the marmots whistling at you, Fridge?”

“dat wuz you buster.”

“I heard some marmots whistling The Fridge Over The River Kwai as we marched along a meadow on Rainier.”

“my wife and I heaskittles have signed up as maybe. This will be our first ever overnight backpacking experience, but looking forward to learning from all of you more experienced backpackers..We have recently done a few dayhikes but really just started doing those as well, so we truly are "noobs". Everyone seems helpful and well respected that is on the roster so looking forward to meeting you all. Recommendations on what to bring that we may not think about?”

“daneshane, thats great to hear. You may want to tell us what you have so we could tell you what to leave behind and what to add.”

“Alright!

The weather will probably be pretty chilly dipping below freezing but not too far below.

One must be prepared for precipitation and we will hike about twelve miles without a water source along the way.

If we have enough time we can stash water near Friday night's camp.”

“We have of course our packs, clothes, emergency blankets, whistel, breakdown shovel, first aid kit, compass, hiking pole, basic tent that sleeps 3, sleeping bags, knife, camera, bought a stove never used dont even know how to but its one you just screw to a propane bottle. cleaning wipes, toilet paper, few flashlights, but nothing major. mmmm, what kind of food should we take? Think thats all we have, so anything we dont need or need that isnt listed may be a few things i left out but cant really think right now...thanks”

“I'm hoping to attend this year....”

“MarkO I plan on going in and bringing a couple gallons of water extra. Stash at our usual camp spot.”

“In terms of food, you can bring whatever your heart desires...and your back can carry :) I hating messing with food on the trail and find I am more likely to feed myself if all I have to do is add water. You can always opt for the freezed dried meals. Kroger also sells little pouches of already cook meats like chicken, tuna, salmon etc. You could bring one of those and put that into some easy craft mac and cheese or some other pasta side which requires minimial cooking (you can also find this at Kroger and other grocery stores). I once had crab alfredo. Was good on the trail, but too much food for me. I tried it once at home and decided it was definitly better after walking x number of miles and being really HUNGRY.

Over one whiteblaze.net you can find all sorts of old threads about cooking on the trail (particuarly freezer bag cooking -- Sabar is a master at this, from what I can tell).

Hope that is helpful.”

“Hmm just a thought but my old favorite is stove stop stuffing (repackage it before leaving home). I never add the butter it calls for, but it is tasty on the trail. You can cook that and add some precooked chicken to it, a gravy package, some instant mashed potatoes and a few craisens and have yourself Thanksgiving dinner on the trail :)

Or just eat stuffing and meat. Whichever.”

“Sandwiches, either home made or not, are good or the first day's hike.

I usually bring cheese and ciabata bread or solid pumpernickel or some other "durable" bread.”

“daneshane as for your flashlights, are they headlamps or regular lights? If regular, get yourself some headlamps?”

“Wowee. Another ultra-vague description on the trips pages. I have no idea where this place is within WV - let alone where the trailhead can be found. Nor does it give me any idea of what to prepare for, ie, insects, creek crossings, water availability, pet restrictions, last minute shopping locations, nearby towns, best driving route from the south, distance from anywhere, or anything and nothing at all. Nada, nary, nope. It might as well be a private hike. Not everyone here at TT has been there, nor has the time or desire to sift through a hundred posts to piece the information together.

I googled the place, and found this from a website called thebackpacker.com :

Directions to Hike
Use map to get to Seneca Rocks and Smoke Hole Caverns. The South trailhead is off of US 33 at the ridge crest of North Fork Mountain (9 miles west of Franklin, 5 miles east of Judy Gap). There is a small parking lot on the side of the road at either end of the curve. The North trailhead is .3 miles south on CO28/11 from WV28 (east of Smoke Hole Caverns). Parking is available for 5-8 cars at this trailhead, which is marked by a hiker sign. Up the trail 50 yards is a larger sign and space for a few tents.

This is from post-hike report. Maybe it will provide ideas for future trip page entrys. Maybe not.”

“http://www.thebackpacker.com/trails/wv/trail_552.php

Its in West Virginia.
What more do ya need to know?

Pet Restrictions:
Fridge is the only one allowed to bring dogs.

Creek Crossings:
If you cross a creek while hiking this trail.............you ain't on the trail.

Insects:
In March?
No insects.

Best Driving Route From The South:
Head north.

Last Minute Shopping:
Shop early and often.”

“I'm in!”

“Alright!
I look forward to meeting the pooches...........and you too.

I-81 north to Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Route 33 west to Franklin.
Route 220 north about 10 miles through Upper Tract, WV and left on Smoke Hole Road which is just about a mile past the "almost a village" of Upper Tract.
Follow the river about 2+ miles and turn left on Pretty Ridge Road.
After about two miles turn left on Public Road 79 and its about 2-3 miles up the switchbacks to the top.
That is where we will leave cars and spend Saturday night car camping.
That is roughly the mid-point of the 23.8 mile North Fork Mountain Trail.”

“ok good deal, we will invest in some headlamps, i have some somewhere from where we use to go caving, just finding them after the move will be the fun part...The wife and I are about 90percent sure we will be able to attend this trip as long as nothing crazy happens from now till then.”

“Alritey. Next time I'm at the liberry I will pull-up post #47, copy/paste, then xerox copy.

BTW - Where is I-81?
j/k”

“I-81 runs through Virginia and right past Fridge's house.
He has been known to throw snow balls at passing cop cars.”