Back Home Again

Well, after 20 miles I'm back home again. I found it terribly difficult carrying Arthur up and down hill after hill and finally said enough is enough. My son trudges on without me.

I have a lot of respect for you older guys that hike the north Georgia area. Frankly, I don't know how you do it. The whole trail up to the Knobstone Escarpment is uphill. That's about 12 miles of up 300 feet, down 150 feet, up 200, down 100, up 300....until you finally hit the Escarpment.

Saturday was great hiking weather. About 78 in the daytime with water at least available when we needed it. Up and down all the way, though. At one point I heard a tiny "beep, beep" and looked down to find a snail trying to a pass me. Why they think they have to just speed along the trails like that is beyond me.

My son would just go and I'd catch up when he stopped for a rest. I think I averaged about an 8 to 1 rest ratio. Who am I kidding? Maybe 12 to 1.

We camped on top of Round Knob Saturday night. That's at the 1000 foot mark. Great view and nice night. Chilly at 59 but really nice to lay down after hiking hill and dale.

Sunday was another nice day. Temp about the same and water was available when we really needed it until Sunday evening. We did a diversion off the trail and hiked a mile of so to a fire tower and scenic overlook. The view was really nice from both! Interesting aside to the fire tower. There was a tree at the base of the fire tire and the top of the tree was littered with panties. I mean, think that one through. Who starts that trend?

Sunday night was pretty da**ed cold. 50F with a breeze all night. We camped on a plateau that had about a 300 foot drop beyond us so the cold air was well below us. You don't expect 50F weather in August. Not here anyway. I did take my fleece jacket but could have used a parka!

Sunday morning was pretty yucky. After I rolled around on the ground like a cold turtle trying to get up I finally said enough is enough. We hiked out to a road and found a ditch with some water. I hate getting water there but it was all that was available. So I gave my son my camera and the water filter and took all the garbage. He headed back to the trail and I hiked six miles to a pickup spot where my wife's SAR mission gathered me up.

Every experience is a learning experience for me and, of course, the time out with my son was good. But my back and knees are a bit beyond climbing up and down hills.

Pictures when he returns with the camera!

Sincerely,

Wimpy, where are my twinkies?

Rick

Congrats Rick, I bet, with all your whining aside, you really had a great time. now stop whining. :D

Rick stop complaining you know you had a great time:D and I'm glad you did.
And I got some of those banana flavored twinkies and gotta say I'm hooked on them.

Rick, when you're 70, you'll be entitled to join the Halt and Lame Club here. Bunch of old farts who get together hiking and mountain biking, but you have to be at least 70. A couple of them are doing the Chilkoot Trail this summer. Those guys are my heros!

Glad you had fun while it lasted. Florida hiking in the fall and winter - nice temps and flaaaaaaaaat. My knees appreciate it, but I still have to get into the mountains every now and again.

Excellent adventure Rick, I wish I could of been there, sounds like you had a great time. I bet you already are starting to feel pretty good about the trip now that you have had some time to recuperate. I can sympathise about those hills, if it's not your legs rebelling, it's your lungs just plain giving up. But that's why we go out there, if it was easy it just wouldn't have the same meaning. Great job friend!

P.S. Ditch Water, Yum, Yum....

Yeah. I spent a couple of hours this morning upgrading my ALICE pack with Molle II straps. The whole time I'm thinking what a ditz. You bring it on yourself.

(writing note to self: Halt and Lame Club. Another set of folks to admire!)

Awwww,Rick,next time you'll make it a little farther.

Congratulations on your trip, it does sound like you had fun. Now crank the stair steeper up to 20 degrees angle, but on your pack, and go for the gold, Twinkie are a light gold color.

Rick I'm picturing you staring at a very frosty brown bottle right now thinking ditch water? we doan need no stinkin' ditch water!

I told my wife, if you picture Tim Conway shuffling along as the little old man that was sort of what I was like going up those hills.:D

That's actually pretty darn close to what I :D picturing, brother.

Was kinda thinking of William H. Macy in that movie with Travolta, pushing his motorcycle up that hill while the vulture walks along beside him....waiting...

Close your eyes, free your mind, feel the force. Your aches and pains are the dark side trying to control you.

http://kimdy.gri.re.kr/others/entert...lls/Yoda-1.jpg

Oh, man. So funny you should mention that. I plopped down at lunch on Sunday and pulled my boots off so my dogs could rest. A fly landed on my foot and I said, "Sorry, not dead yet."

Too funny!

Did the fly choose to wait?

Remember the good ole days hill climbing with 60+ lbs of tools, climb a high pole and discover you forgot to check and make sure you had wasp stopper when you opened the boot, well I have and it ain't fun. Glad I had walked to school all those years, 10miles each way and both uphill. You had fun and I wish I could spend time with my son like that. Just go around once.

I just got off the phone with my oldest and he said enough is enough. I'm going to pick him up tomorrow. He will have about 34 miles in when he makes the trail head.

Yea, Coot. I remember when I was 20 a loooooooong time ago. Setting cross arms by hand. Not any more. Setting a beer down is about as strenuous as it gets these days.:D

Which trail head will he be at Rick?

I'm going to pick him up at Elk Lake Trail Head.

By the way, Trax. The fly just said, "My bad" and flew on.