First / Previous / Next / Last

July 04 2001

Distance Traveled: 9.3 (+.1 in side trails)     Total Miles: 129.1 (135.1)

Location: Long Creek Falls.

Entry:

No rain this morning, so camp was easy to take down. Helen found some 7.62mm brass near the AT, so I'm sure the Rangers train around Blackwell Creek Bridge.

We moved on to an area named "Hell's Kitchen" on the map and found some more grenade simulator safety caps. We also found a tent with ground cloth under it that had been abandoned. The tent was a cheap 2 person dome tent with a broke fiberglass pole, and a ground cloth made of heavy green nylon. Inside was a bag of food, mostly ramen, oatmeal, and power bar like stuff; a bag of trash, a green rain jacket, and a few other odds and ends. Outside was a cotton T shirt. All the stuff looked like it had been there a little while. Best we could figure was a hiker with little or no experience got caught in a storm, tent broke, and they abandoned their tent, food, and trash.

We moved on and later found a neat rock outcropping with a small cave like area under it, just above a gap. We stayed there a while and had some water while listening to cars moving around in the gap. Pushing on, the terrain was much steeper than the terrain profile indicated (go figure) but made good time.

We found more 7.62mm brass near Hightower Gap. I wonder how far over the Rangers train, and what exactly they do on the trail. Eventually we made it to Long Creek Falls which are GREAT! Very worth the trip. There was a couple here, but they left soon after we arrived, so we had this beautiful site all to ourselves  - and on a holiday! We climbed, waded, and took pictures.

Soon after our dinner, the rain god woke up and we got a downpour while we tried to get our hammocks up. After waiting about an hour hoping it would stop, we gave up and went to bed. Hopefully tomorrow the weather will be nice. It would be a good change to not have to sit under our hammocks to get out of rain. At least they are nicer than being stuck in a tent.

First / Previous / Next / Last