Appalachian Trail Backpacking - "Triple Crown" (Virginia) - May 2018
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- čas přidán 25. 08. 2024
- For my 2nd trip of 2018 I headed back to the Appalachian Trail to hike the section in Virginia known as the "Triple Crown". The Triple Crown is a 30-mile section of the trail that contains three of the better known landmarks on the entire AT - Dragon's Tooth, McAfee Knob, and Tinker Cliffs. Bob and Travis both joined me on this trip, which made it especially enjoyable.
Staying with the 'wet' theme from my first trip of 2018, the Red River Gorge, there was unfortunately a large low pressure system parked offshore in the Atlantic Ocean which brought us multiple inches of rain during our hike. Worse than the rain though were the low clouds that prevented us from experiencing the spectacular views that the Triple Crown is known for.
But even without the views it was a great hike. We were able to experience the unique, magical feeling that you always get when hiking the Appalachian Trail, and, as always, the AT 'social life' was truly special.
For those who have watched my other videos this one is done in the same style - a little under an hour in length, intended to bring the audience along for the ride, and with a still picture slide show with music at the end. If you just have a few minutes just skip to the end and enjoy the pictures.
Equipment / Gear List:
Still Camera: Nikon D810 with Nikkor 20mm f1.8 lens
Video Camera: Canon Vixia G40 with Rode Stereo Videomic Pro
Video Editing Software: Sony Vegas Pro 13
Pack: ZPacks Arc Blast 52l
Shelter: ZPacks Hexamid Solo Plus
Was just watching this video with the wife we live in Roanoke. I’m am an ups driver and went back and had pictures from flooded out roads from that day. Hopefully you get a chance to hike those trails again. They really are amazing views when you get to see them!!! Great channel and videos!!!!!
Found myself leaning to the left of my chair as you guys scrambled up that rock face. I enjoy watching your trips even though I'm averse to long videos. I think I just like being with you on the hike, with you letting us know what's going on, instead of listening to some guy's unintelligent thoughts and musings about life.
Such a sweet old dog. Truly man's best friend.
Thank you for filming this video as we did this hike in the fall and it’s bringing back big smiles on my face to see what I/we hiked and can show family/friends who weren’t there what some of the trail looked like especially the rock scramble up to dragons 🐉 tooth 🦷 but we were blessed with 2 beautiful days, followed by 12 hours rain 🌧 thru the night 😏🤷🏽♀️ which is part of hiking 🥾
Another great video. I never realized how tough the climb to dragons tooth is I will have to keep that in mind. Thanks for sharing.
I enjoy all of your videos - and your sense of humor! You have a good time no matter the weather or conditions. That's what an adventure is all about.
My favorite things about David's videos are he makes me feel like I am on the trip with him and the camera work is excellent.
Hey David good to see you again and really happy to see my hero BIG BOB. Great video you get better every time. Thanks for taking us along.
I Finally found some time to watch this trip. Soggy and wet, but certainly always fun to watch. You always tell it like it is! Well done!
Enjoyed seeing Bob back on the trail.
My husband and I hiked the Triple Crown a couple of days ago and all the trails were completely bone dry. No water crossings on Dragons Tooth trail either (and we were expecting it after watching your video). Funny how quickly the weather can change the trail! Great video as always!
Your videos are great! Shows all the joy and some of the funny unfortunate realities of backpacking.
Was hiking in the Smokies with my husband and kids this past summer doing Mt Sterling loop. It poured the entire time, we were miserable but made some incredible memories. Somehow your suffering had made me feel better! Love your videos, come to the UP in Michigan!
Thank you for watching. I know what you're saying about the bad weather creating memories. It's kind of funny, but when I'm on trips with bad weather I'm aware of the fact that the 'suffering' makes for better videos - everybody likes a little 'drama'! :-) And I really like watching my own 'bad weather' videos while I'm sitting at home in the comfort of my living room - especially during the Indiana winters when the weather is miserable outside. Regarding Michigan UP hiking, I actually had a Pictured Rocks hike planned as my backup plan to this year's Glacier hike (forest fires there looked like another cancellation happening), and I was super excited to do Pictured Rocks, but Glacier ended up being feasible. I've already added Pictured Rocks to my tentative 2019 trip agenda.
You're a good man Charlie Brown. Thanks for going to all that work to get such great shots.
Go Bob what a fire!! I'm always impressed when people can get a fire going with wet wood. Great video as always David!
Wow! I wondered what it would be like if you got Travis and Bob together for a hike. Can’t wait to view this.
Dragons tooth climb looked adventurous. Great video. Lots of rain, but you guys kept in good spirits. Well done. Thanks for sharing.
Nice hike guys! Sorry to see you didnt get better weather but i guess we cant always choose the weather we hike in. Looks like you guys were prepared for the worst anyways. Some tight sketchy spots up there looked like too. Beautiful dog sherpa i gotta get a dog like that! Hike on!
Another adventure in the books, you all did a great job of making the best of what challenges came up. Always enjoy the videos,,thanks for sharing...Stay safe and God Bless....
That was scary David,I was clinging hold of my bed lol when you were scrambling.
Man, I am always loving your videos. Keep filming and I will keep watching. Enjoy!!!!
Very nice video. Fantastic places to see in any weather. Thanks for all of the high quality vids you consistently upload.
You and bob always have a riot! Love it
Beautiful area, I would love to hike the Triple Crown. You guys always have fun. Thank you for the great videos. Look forward to your next adventure, as always Happy hiking!
pretty wet but you had a nice weather towards the end hooray.. what a great trip, maybe not big views but the forest sure is beautiful... thanks for taking us with you!
Incredible quality, fun video. Thanks very much for sharing.
This was the exact video I needed right now. Thank you for sharing your adventures.
Awesome video as always. Too bad there was so much rain. At least it keeps things cool. No wind is also a plus. Maybe a hike in September for better views. Nothing like that bright green spring forest with all the wild flowers, especially those rhododendrons. Thanks for sharing!!
In hindsight the rain wasn't too bad because, as you mentioned, the temperature was perfect. Right after I got back to Indiana it went into days of 90degF+ and 100% humidity. That would have brutal to hike in, and it is exactly what the thru hikers were having to deal with. I decided I'll take rain over that every time! (Though missing all those great views was painful - but it gives us a reason to go back, and fall would be spectaular). Thank you for watching.
Nice to see you out hiking again! That is a wonderful area.
Ahh man I lost your channel and now I’ve found it again!!!! Yayyyyyy
Awesome video! That rock scramble looked crazy and with the rain I bet that made it slick. I'm going to put this on my list of hikes to do
These types of trips are a lot more memorable than the easy ones :) we did a trip in the Smokies one year and there was not even a thought of snow and we woke up with a sagging tent :) still one of my favorite pictures from 1979 :) a lot of pretty and easy trips have slipped my mind :)
I couldn't agree more. Those trips that seem the most miserable while you're on them also seem to be the trips that create the most memories. The hardships seem to pull everyone together, and 'concentrate' the adventure in some way.
Yet another great movie.
When I hike these mountains around here I see ancient structures someone built and not necessarily natural rock formations. Too many walls, blocks with right angles and slabs. I watched a video with two hikers on the top of Tinker Cliffs/Walls and it was blowing 35 miles an hour and they said the entire mountain was moving and vibrating. Must be hollow from the old ruined rooms they now call caves. The native peoples said these mounds and structures were here way before they were. I found complete barefoot and shoe prints on the big slab at the top of McAfee's Knob. Looks like a giant concrete pour on top of concrete blocks. I watch videos of hikers around the country and I see these similar structures as well. Thank you Dave!
The lack of people is why the Galuiro Mountains in Arizona is wonderful, but plenty of black bears. Bassett Peak is a great hike.The fall colors are spectacular. Javalina and coatimundi are common.
Been following a bunch of AT hikers and not one has showed the difficult ascent to Dragon's Tooth. Maybe it was too hard to film while climbing. Thanks for sharing.
For the northbound thru hikers, pretty much everyone in that area in 2018, they actually only got that descent from Dragon's Tooth. Their ascent was up the south side of that ridge, and isn't nearly as treacherous from that direction. We started our hike at the Dragon's Tooth parking lot (on the north side of the ridge) so we approached from the north, and then retraced our steps to continue on with our Triple Crown (thus we were able to do Dragon's Tooth without packs, which we were all thankful for!).
Oh. Thanks for the info.
The climb up from the AT NOBO isn't a walk in the park either though, LOL. This is a pretty strenuous section. I hiked from VA621 to Daleville the same weekend David was here and it wasn't an easy hike.
Wow, that is the EXACT hike I was originally planning to do. It's prime time for Travis with his NFL job so we were pressed for time, so I ended up looking for alternatives to shorten the distance a bit - ending up with starting at Dragon's Tooth trailhead and bailing down the Andy Layne trail rather than heading to Daleville. I have no doubt that climb up to Dragon's Tooth from the south is a beast as well - the vertical is about the same as what we did (1300 foot climb). It's just that all the thru hikers we were passing as we headed south all commented on the rock scramble section that we went through, so I'm thinking they found that the most 'fun', like we did. That last chunk of the climb coming from the south looks to go straight up, without switchbacks - whoa!
Great work man. Always look forward to your vids!
Difficult trail but you did it ! Another good video David ! Thank you !
Great video! Thanks for sharing! :)
Amazing experience David. Thnx for sharing
Woohoo new video! Can’t wait to watch!
Its been raining off and on everyday up here in Virginia, our wet Spring weather. Glad to see another Video though!! And got the guys together! only one missing is Christian and the Dogs.
Very enjoyable.
Thank you very much.
Doing this one again this year (2023). First time doing this it poured rain the whole time. Went to scope it out again, just to determine the water situation. It's very dry.
Cracks me up every time you say Tapatio. Here in Southern California we call it Top-ah-TEA-o. Enjoy your videos!
After numerous other comments correcting my 'hoosier' mispronunciation, believe it or not I actually made quite an effort to pronounce it just as you spell it out. (And I did practice!). It's difficult to hear at the 24:52 mark, but I thought I had it pretty well nailed this trip... guess I need to practice some more!
It's a regional thing! LOL It makes things more interesting hearing how people in different areas pronounce things. Do your thing, David Gray! Just keep on hiking and letting us non-hikers (but nature lovers) go along for the ride. It's appreciated! :-)
Will do. I'm a big believer in 'hike your own hike' (which for me is a general life principal, and not at all hiking-specific), but I do try to respect and 'blend in' with the local culture and dialect when possible. Tapatio is one example, as is my pronunciation of 'Appalachian Trail'. South of the Mason-Dixon line (a.k.a. 'The South) 'Appalachian Trail' is pronounced one way, and north of that line its pronounced entirely differently. Having grown up exclusively in 'The North' I've always pronounced Appalachian Trail 'incorrectly', to Southerners! And having hiked on the AT exclusively in the south, that was sort of a big deal to me, so in this video I made an effort to pronounce AT 'correctly', with mixed results. You may notice I pronounced it different ways on multiple occasions. Tapatio fits into the same category! Thank you for the feedback - I'll keep on hiking as long as I'm able to... and making videos. The Wind River Range in Wyoming is coming up in two weeks from tomorrow - can't wait!
I've heard Appalachian pronounced differently, but didn't realize it was a north or south thing. Thanks for that education! I think I've always pronounced it with a hard A. Looking forward to the video of the Wind River Range. Have a great trip!
Great stuff as always, David! I'm looking forward to doing this one someday, as well!
Looking forward to more videos!! Hopefully your 2018 backpacking season is going well!
So far the 2018 season is going according to my original plan, though every trip so far has had it's 'challenges' - rain and flooding on the Red River Gorge trip, constant rain and lack of great views on the AT trip, and snow, high water, and clouds of mosquitos on the recently completed Wind River Range trip (by the way, that video is almost finished and will be published this weekend). But I still have two more to go! I'll be heading to Colorado in mid-August with the dogs to do some sort of a hike with my son, Christian. I'd originally planned to head to the Weminuche Wilderness near Durango but that area is on fire currently (guess that plan is already 'challenged' before the hike even starts... sigh!). And then I'll be heading to Glacier for a solo trip in mid-September - I'm REALLY looking forward to that one, but as a solo trip later in the season that one could have some challenges as well. Thank you for watching!
Nuttin' like hikin' in the rain, like Oregon & Washington. That's cold rain. I noticed the Motel TV had MSNBS on. :)
Went to Clingmans Dome a few weeks ago on 22 day road trip and hiked parts of the AT. Loved the lush green of the area, BUT I'll take my dry heat back in CO :)
Looking forward to the new video david!
I'm doing the editing on the Wind River Range video right now, and I'm hoping to have the video published within the next couple weeks (it would be sooner but I have a family vacation starting tomorrow through this weekend). I hope you don't mind mosquitoes! (if the video was an Alfred Hitchcock suspense movie it would have probably been titled 'The Mosquitoes'!).
David Gray awesome! I look forward to it:) have you ever considered thru hiking any trails? Hardest part for me is finding the time
Hiking in the rain is fun
I think I agree with you. It certainly is a different type of hiking. That night in the shelter, all warm and dry, listening to the thunder, watching the lightning, with rain pouring down just a couple feet from our heads will always be a fond memory for me. The rain does present some unique challenges when you're trying to create a video though - I learned I need to improve my strategy for keeping the cameras dry.
That Dragon's Tooth is so cool!. Too bad it was so overcast. Would like to have seen the view from up there.
Yes, me too. I was really looking forward to taking a picture from high up on the Tooth looking down on someone climbing up, with the entire valley opening up underneath. Not only would it have been pointless to try that with the weather we had, but also pretty dangerous (those rocks were slippery in the rain and wind).
Hello new supporter here showing support for ya and I hit the like button. Awesome video!! I love the trails!! Nice scenery!! 😁😁❤😎😎
It was awesome meeting you on the Low Gap trail! This was an awesome video! I am working with my scouts on planning a trip to the Triple Crown for next summer...but I'm not sure I can wait that long...lol. In regards to the rain, I purchased an Altura Professional Rain Cover to help protect my camera in the rain. The top is clear so you can still see the flip out screen (if you have one). It works pretty well, but still doesn't help out if the lens is fogging.
It was great meeting you too, and thank you for watching and the kind feedback. Great tip on the rain cover - I just purchased the pro rain cover and also their 'standard' rain cover (plus flash). I'm going to check them out to see what will work best. This trip certainly taught me that I need something better than the aloksak bag I've been using (that helps when the camera is parked on my shoulder strap out of use, but doesn't do anything when actually using the camera in rain). For the fogging I can take care of the outside lens fogging with some kleenex I'll keep in my pocket but the problem on this trip was that I got so much water inside my camera that it was fogging on the inside lens element - that just took some time, and no rain, to dry out. Regarding the Triple Crown, it really is a nice stretch of trail - even with no views - and I can just imagine how great it would be in better weather.
OK , let's say it together......... App - Ah - Latchen ........ you got it!
Great video as always! Have you ever thought of making a video on planning, research and gear choices? Everything pre-hike, maybe post hike also? I find you to be easy to relate to, entertaining, and informative. Thank you and keep the videos coming!
I actually have thought about, and plan to do some videos on pre-trip preparation as well as a 'making of' sort of video that shows all the post-trip work putting the videos together. Just haven't pulled the trigger yet, but I will soon. All the work that goes into creating the videos after the trip is pretty daunting, and every time I think of adding to it by filming the process... so far I've always said 'next time!'.
In case no one told you about it, make sure to stop by the Homeplace restaurant if you ever do this hike again.
And as always, great video recap!
I'm sure we'll be back - have to see all those views - and when we do I'll make sure to look up the Homeplace restaurant. What city is it in?
What are the odds? I've been following your videos for years, and have replicated some of your hikes 9Roan highlands and soon Grayson highlands) . I was on the same section the same weekend and missed you, LOL We didn't want to be too close to Damascus that weekend, so we hiked this section instead of a few other options. Thanks for the videos. I always enjoy them. That climb up to Tinker cliffs was no joke! We enjoyed the same views from Dragon's tooth , LOL
nice videos wish you could do more backpacking in California
I wish I could hike more in California too. My one experience backpacking in California, the Ansel Adams Wilderness, was just fantastic. It's just so hard logisically and expense-wise for me to get there on a regular basis. But I am seriously trying to figure out how to get enough continuous time off work to thru hike the John Muir Trail (probably near the #1 spot on my bucket list). I probably won't be able to do it in 2019, but maybe in 2020.
Very nice trail! Subscribed :)
Jan Klaeui I fully recommend the great Smokey mountain national park hike of David’s. It’s a great trip with Travis and they get to hike up to Le conte lodge at the top of Mt. Le conte. Awesome videos here. One of my most favorite youtubers. Sintax77 is a close second.
excellent video.
Bob needs to upgrade to a V3-Pocket Bellow!! Great video
David: So good to meet you today. I had watched several of your videos, namely the Smokies and the Red River Gorge ones. I am only 1.5 hours from the Gorge, and it's my home away from home for sure. And as it turns out, I'm likely to do the Virginia triple crown on one of my next 2 vacations -- the other being my second Whitney attempt, this time coming in from the North (Onion Valley/Kearsarge Pass.) I'm now full subscribed. Look forward to more great videos. I'm a newby, but you might be interested in the Charlies Bunion and a few of the Gorge videos. And look for my SIerra video(s) in October. My best regards to you.
It was great meeting you at REI today - what a small world it is sometimes. I'm just a few hours away from starting my Wind River Range trip - finally completed packing (after my last minute REI run) and I can't wait to get hiking. I'll certainly take a look at your videos - you're hitting the same sort of places I love. I'll look forward to your Sierra video(s).
Fantastic journey please make mention of the music we here its perfect with this video, as always SAW BONES
David, you should thru-hike the AT. Thanks for sharing your vid.
I've always wanted to, and still plan to some time soon, but getting the 5 months or so off work isn't really an option right now. But soon!
As Tropical storm Alberto was pouring water on us here in Florida. I was thinking of the folks on the AT and how wet they might get. The weather folks had predicted ( forecasted ) for it to go in that direction. It appears you guys got to meet Alberto or at lease a small portion of the storm.
Thanks for sharing! Two words: Weather Forecasts! lol
I’ll give it to you..your dedicated to the trip! In last couple years, I’ve started planning a Plan A and a Plan B trip to avoid rain if possible. I ended up on Michigan shoreline backpacking as a Plan B because of rain at Linville Gorge. You should try heading north, it’s a completely different backpack experience in Michigan. I’m a “mountain person” but loved my experience on Lake Superior in Michigan! It’ll WOW you...
I’m a mountain person too, but the Chapel Loop at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is one of the most underrated hikes anywhere. I’ve done the Kalalau trail on Kauai and part of the Milford Track in New Zealand, and that place in Da UP wows me just as much! Or maybe I’m biased being a Michigander, lol. Need to convince Dave to do a video there.
I think backpacking shores of Michigan is one of America’s best kept secrets. Especially for backpackers in Midwest. I’ve been on Lake Michigan and Superior. Both of them were great experiences...and different from one another. Really cool.
Great video. Sure enjoyed it! You guys look like a fun group to hike with! Would like to join you sometime.
Hey David--GREAT video for a number of reasons!!! Excellent work. Curious if you have an itinerary of your trip? I know many have done the VA Triple Crown in various ways...just trying to get an idea of what's going to be best for our group. If you could share your itinerary, I'd appreciate it!!
Thank you for the kind words. For the Triple Crown hike we had two cars so setting up a 'shuttle' was easy for us. The morning of the first day we drove to the Andy Layne Trail trailhead parking lot on VA-779, and left one vehicle there. Then we all piled in the other vehicle and drove to the Dragon's Tooth trailhead parking lot on VA-311, which is where we started the hike from. We decided to leave all the packs in that vehicle, and hiked up to Dragon's Tooth without packs (which turned out to be a good call - the steep terrain and rain made for some treacherous hiking even without packs!). After doing Dragon's Tooth we backpacked to the trailhead parking lot and started our AT hike with a bit of a road walk until we hit the intersection with the AT on VA-624, which is where we started the AT hike in earnest. The first night we stayed in the John's Spring Shelter, which turned out to be awesome given the heavy, steady rain all night (something really special about sleeping in the shelter, warm and dry, while listening to the sounds of heavy rain and occasional thunder/lightning only a few feet from your head). The 2nd day we hiked up to McAfee Knob, continued over to Tinker Cliffs, and then downhill to the Lambert Meadows Shelter for night #2. On day #3 we backtracked uphill towards Tinker Cliffs, and then turned right on the Andy Layne Trail (about 3/4 mile uphill from the shelter). We then proceeded downhill (steep!) on the Andy Layne Trail to the car we had left at the Andy Layne Trail trailhead parking lot. I hope that helps, and I hope you have a great Triple Crown hike (and that you get better weather and views than we did!).
David Gray SO, SO kind of you to take the time to reply and to share. Appreciate the insight and wisdom!! I’ll be sure to share our trip!! Maybe back in touch...lol
Was leaving your packs at the car a better option than dropping at the AT junction? I know there maybe some backtracking but was curious to how much time it would add to the trip.
I don't think any of us felt comfortable leaving the packs at the AT junction - it sits right on a fairly busy road and I didn't want to get there only to find all our gear had been stolen. We probably could have found a fairly secure, hidden place to stash them, but the road walk was not that long (less than a mile). Even though it's not shown in the video, in the end Bob 'took one for the team' and dropped Travis and I off at the AT junction with the packs, drove back to the Trailhead, and then did the road walk solo. We didn't have to wait for long at all for Bob to return so it isn't all that far.
Can you insert subtitles in english for the next videos? I'm watching you from Italy and and it's not always easy for me to understand. Thanks
Another great video! Thanks for all the helpful hints and backpacking ideas. Where do you get your "famous" cheese spread? I want to try it on the trail!
The cheese spread is from Packit Gourmet (www.packitgourmet.com). I just bought a large batch (15 of them) from their 'Trail Meals - Extras' section, but I was just checking there now and the cheese spread didn't appear to be a product of their's any more. Really?! I hope it ain't so!
I was just looking at Packit Gourmet's website and the cheddar cheese spread is certainly still available. I'm not sure how I missed it when I wrote my earlier comment. It's expensive, but I've never found anything similar.
I will check it out because it sounds great!! My friend and I just tried Red River Gorge this past weekend and what an amazing trip. Enjoy watching your videos for helpful hints and places to go! I live in Centerville, Ohio and if you have any suggestions...please let me know. Thanks!
That section from the dragons tooth parking lot to the McAffee parking lot takes a longer than it seems like it should. It’s gotten me on two different trips.
Thanks for another great video David - good to see the camaraderie enduring in spite of the weather :-) Which Garmin GPS were you using please, and how well do you rate it?
The GPS I have is the Garmin GPS60csx, and it's (still) a great GPS. It's now a bit dated but mine still performs very well. I've actually looked at buying a new one but the 60csx still does what I need so I haven't pulled the trigger. If I was to buy a new one it would likely be the Garmin eTrex 30x - newest technology, a bit lighter than the 60csx, more waypoints, etc. - but not enough of an improvement to spend the money at this point.
Thanks David, that's very useful. I have been looking at the 30x myself, and it does seem to be one of the best products around at present. Best wishes for the rest of the hiking season - you've got some awesome hikes planned :-)
Where do you get the cheese spread?
Hi David...What is the AT App? Thanks. Great videos
The AT app we used is the 'Guthook' app. The app is free but you have to pay a little for the maps/data for the various sections. In my opinion, well worth it though - great app!
Great vid as always...how do u like the BeFree water filter? I love that thing!! Running out of water can zap ur energy on the trail...enjoyed the video thanks for sharing...by the way love the elk call bit hahaha!!!!! 😂😂
That BeFree filter is actually Travis's, but I love it. With it's low capacity I'm not sure that it could ever be a primary purification device, but for what we used it for in this video (quick filtering while hiking) it is outstanding - quick and convenient. I do carry a Sawyer mini in the back pouch of my pack for filtering while hiking, but I find the flow rate of the Sawyer mini to be much lower than the BeFree, and the Sawyer mini bag I use is harder to fill because of the smaller opening - just overall a lot easier to use the BeFree.
If you look on my channel I have a video on the Be free vs mini...i also show an alternative storage bag that is much larger....katadyn make larger ones for it now also. Good stuff!!
Hey David, long time subscriber here, thanks again for yet another great video! I liked the look of that weather app you were using on your phone - what was it? I'll have to get it for my next trip.
That weather app is called 'MyRadar Weather Radar', the free version. There is also a 'pro' version for $2.99 (I'm not sure what the Pro version gets you, probably no ads, but the free version has been fone). For the actual radar I prefer the 'NOAA Hi-Def Radar' app but the MyRadar has a pull down forecast capability (that has the chart with rain probability over time) that can be really handy when you're on the trail - or downright depressing depending on what you see! There are a ton of those types of apps out there, and I haven't tried most of them so maybe there are better ones than I use, but those two have met my needs - and they're free!
Awesome, thanks! I'll definitely check it out for my next trip! And thanks for putting together what I think are the most authentic backpacking videos on youtube - you really feel like you are along for the ride. Good luck in the Wind Rivers, looking forward to seeing how it goes!
Hey, David! Great vid again! Capped it with a great picture there at the end too. Have you planned your Colorado trip yet? Keep an eye on the fire near Durango. It might not mess with your actual hike but it could cause some travel concerns depending on your itinerary. Take care, my friend. Can't wait to see your CO trip! www.colorado.gov/pacific/dfpc/current-wildfires
Thank you for the heads up, Steve. I haven't made firm plans yet for my Colorado trip in August but those fires are really close to one of the areas I'm considering (Weminuche Wilderness). Seems like I can't go a year without running into some sort of fire problems! Maybe all the bad luck I've been having with rain this year will follow me to Colorado and help with the fire containment! Again, many thanks for the information on the fires - I'll keep an eye on them as my plans firm up.
David Gray You will need to change your plans if you have any for the Chicago Basin area in the Weminuche. The San Juan NF is closing for some time to help prevent fires. Unfortunate but necessary. www.google.com/amp/s/kdvr.com/2018/06/11/san-juan-national-forest-to-close-tuesday-due-to-wildfire-concerns/amp/
Sad! I've been following the news on the fires there and it is really terrible, especially for the people in that area. I hadn't yet finalized my plans for my August trip to Colorado, but that is the exact area I'd been planning to visit. I haven't had much luck with fires the last couple of years, but that is nothing compared to the impact it has on the people that live there. Sad. Thank you for keeping me updated on the situation in that area - not sure what I'm going to do now, but your information has been very helpful in coming up with some sort of alternate plan.
David Gray good news! The San Juans are reopening this Thursday so you should have no issues planning a trip through there. Of course there will be fire restrictions but most of CO is under a restriction anyway. Hope that helps. Cheers.
another classic david, have you decided on GNP or not yet
Yes, I'll be heading to Glacier in mid-September. I didn't get a Wonderland Trail permit (again!) but I was lucky to get a really good Glacier permit - Kintla Lake, Boulder Pass, Hole-in-the-Wall, over Brown Pass and out through Bowman Lake. That's the exact trip I wanted to do in 2014 but we ended up having to move our trip up to mid-July and the area around Boulder Pass and Hole-in-the-Wall was still impassable. So we ended up getting the walk-up permit we did - out and back too Kootenai Lake. I'm really looking forward to getting back to GNP!
David Gray I'm looking forward to it to
You guys on the east coast are so cute. Dragon's Tooth and all that. Come out to Colorado and summit Capitol Peak. czcams.com/video/-lVLn_hAdfw/video.html
nope def a 0/3 for views hahah