The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, and this is mine.

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My dike hike gap

Hiking The Dike – Part 2

It’s still September in my mind as I finish up part two (go here for part 1) of Hiking the Dike!

Day 1: (Monday) The drive to the trailhead is just over an hour from the house. Russellville Boat Landing parking lot is about as convenient to the trail as you could ask for. The parking lot is about a hundred feet from the trail and puts me just a couple of miles from the southern end of my gap in the Lake Moultrie Passage of the Palmetto Trail I’m trying to fill in. Unfortunately, it’s just radar and I so this will be an out-and-back hike.

The parking lot is almost full when we arrive so we find a spot out of the way and gear up for our gap-filling hike. From the parking lot to the trail is only about a hundred yards so access to the trail is easy and we make fairly quick time walking along the Rediversion Canal past a rail trestle to State Road 35 which will cross over the canal. With no one around Radar is off-leash now. He’s really good about staying close to me and seems to know how to follow the trail. In this first few miles, we’re walking along the gravel road along the canal. Going past the rail trestle, the trail reaches State Road 35, jumps over the canal using the road bridge, and then the trail drops off on the other side and follows the canal back to the levy and then continues along the levee north and west. These first couple of miles are all in the open and it’s a bright sunny day. It’s pretty warm being September still so we pause for a water break on the north side of the canal under a rail trestle. I am carrying water and lunch for both of us along with a collapsible bowl for Radar.

Heading to the shade under the rail trestle on the west side of the canal.
Heading to the shade under the rail trestle on the west side of the canal.
A long trail to go
A long trail to go

Once we get past the canal we get back on to the dike. The levee is almost all in the sun without shade. Radar is up and down the levee exploring, never more than 50 feet or so from me as we continue hiking. As he gets a little warm he jumps and splashes in the water to cool off on the lakeside of the levee and it looks like he’s having some fun.

A good place to cool off? Radar getting cool
A good place to cool off? Radar getting cool

As we continue further on along the levee, I feel like hiking here is a little strange now, maybe surreal. Looking off to the north side of the levee, the area is open, mostly maintained, mowed, traveled, etc., even buildings off in the distance. Looking to south, the lakeside of the levee (you can’t see the lake from this part of the levee), it’s more primordial, almost like stepping back in time. A shallow marsh buffer lays between the levee and woods beyond, with cypress and pine trees, birds chirping, and flowering water lilies. Oh and alligators.

There is an Alligator in this swamp.
There is an alligator in this swamp.

I know there are alligators in SC. I’ve known for a long time there were alligators in South Carolina. I know they are a possibility in the lakes and rivers and I’ve seen smaller ones in Lake Moultrie before. But on this day I wasn’t thinking about them when I started. Because of the heat, Radar would go down to the edge of the water, splash around a little to cool off, and then come bounding up the dike all wet and happy. Radar had just come up from a quick dip in the water as I saw the first alligator.

An alligator in the swamp.
An Alligator in the swamp.

Seeing him surprised me a bit. He is out in the open, in the middle of the muddy marsh, maybe 50 feet from the levee, just lying in the sun. He was a good 10-12 feet long, his skin oily black, and he lay motionless in the black thick muck of the marsh, ominously waiting patiently for the next prey to wander near. There was no cuteness about him. Swim-calls for Radar are suspended until we get clear of the marshes on the return portion of the hike. Once you see one the rest are pretty easy to spot. They are pretty much everywhere in the swamp now.

Hiking the shade along the dike.
Hiking the shade along the dike.

It’s warm but we’re almost to the spur trail leading to the campsite. Reaching the spur trail closes this part of the gap for me. We reach the spur trail and follow it to the campsite. It’s nice to sit for a few minutes and take a break in the shade of the pines for lunch and a drink. The last time I was here was in October of 2003. Our group camped here overnight. It was hot and there were plenty of mosquitos for everyone. It’s better today, still warm but very few bugs today.

Spur trail to the campsite.
Spur trail to the campsite.

After eating a light lunch we start retracing our path along the trail, heading back to the parking lot. On these solo out-and-back hikes, you usually have to travel twice the distance needed to cover a given piece of trail. So here we go. It’s afternoon to midafternoon on the return leg and it’s hotter. The sun is higher in the clear sky, and there is less shade now along the trail. I’m constantly watching for alligators and Radar is very obediently staying out of the water. We are burning through the last of the water I brought. Radar is panting pretty good, we steal what shade we can. We are nearing the end of the swamp finally and reach a spot where I think Radar can take a much-needed splash to cool off. I haven’t seen any alligators for a little while.

A good place to cool off? Except for the gator in the grass.
A good place to cool off? Except for the gator in the grass.

We start down the side of the levee cautiously. Radar is a little ahead of me. And then I see him. Laying in the tall grass is a 6-8 footer, waiting.

Mr. 'Gator in waiting
Mr. ‘Gator in waiting

I hastily call Radar back and we quickly climb back on top of the levee. It looks like no swim time after all. It turns out this inviting wet spot was also the last spot Radar took a cooling splash on our inbound hike. Now on the hike out, Mr. ‘gator was lying in wait. But somehow Radar understands the danger and returns to the top of the levee with me. After another quarter mile or so we finally are past the swamp and at the banks of the canal. Radar is all in for a cooling dip in the cool waters of the canal.

A shortcut across the canal.
A shortcut across the canal.

Once we’ve cooled off a bit we decide to cut a mile or two off the return trek by taking the rail trestle over the canal instead of hiking back to State Road 35. When we finally get back to the parking lot, both Radar and I are hot, tired, and out of water. I call it a day and decide to head home. We’ll pick up the last couple of miles another day. Here is my Relive video of the day 1 hike.

Day 2: (Saturday) I’m finishing the last few miles in my Lake Moultrie Passage gap. Driving back to the Russellville Boat Landing parking lot puts me at the beginning of the end of this passage. Again, it’s just radar and I so this will be another out-and-back hike.

Heading out on the trail.
Heading out on the trail.

This time it should be just a quick few miles out and back. The trail is again along the top of the level with minimal shade. But today it’s a little cooler, with scattered clouds, and not quite as hot as Day 1.

A view of Lake Moultrie from the levee.
A view of Lake Moultrie from the levee.

The hiking today is largely uneventful but seems more enjoyable. Maybe the scenery is better? This part of the trail has a much less swampy median and more water from the lake.

Radar and a turtle.
Radar and a turtle.

While I’m sure they are around, we don’t see any alligators today. The only reptile we saw today was a turtle. She looked like she is nesting on the low side of the levee. We make fairly good time along the trail covering almost three miles in just over an hour. Today is an easier hike. There was even a brief sprinkle of rain to help take a little heat off the day.

Back at the parking lot.

Reaching our turnaround point completes the entire Lake Moultrie Passage of the Palmetto Trail for me. I have a bunch of marked-up trail maps taped to a wall back at the house, now when I get home, there will be one less. Radar and I simply start heading back the few miles to the parking lot and then on to home. Here is my Relive video of the day 2 hike.

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Hiking the Dike – Part 1

As summer is beginning to wane, I felt the urge to get out on the trail again. I also discovered I need to work on filling in some missing gaps in my Palmetto Trail journey. A little bit of the backstory first. I probably started backpacking trails while in Florida and then Texas before moving to South Carolina. Hiking in South Carolina for me started back in the late 1990’s with the Buncombe Trail in the upstate and segments of the Palmetto Trail starting with a large part of the Swamp Fox Passage. Over time it seems I’ve jumped around on the Palmetto Trail a lot. I’ll blame this on the fact the Palmetto Trail is still a work in progress. Early on the Palmetto Trail was more incomplete than complete and today it still remains not fully connected. I did my first portion of the Lake Moultrie Passage back in October 2003 with a small group of new backpackers from our troop. We did most of what is now section 2 then. I had planned a +10 mile, two night weekend backpacking trip for my troop. We started at the Northern end of the section at the Diversion Canal trailhead. This portion of the trail has a short forest section before coming out onto the dike. By the time we got to the trail in the evening, it would be dark, so the first night I plan on just camping a few hundred yards from the trailhead. There is a small flat open grass spot where a group can stealth camp together near the edge of the woods. There was a designated camp on the trail with a well, maybe about a mile in from the trail head but I believe it’s all defunct now and it doesn’t show up on the current map. Once upon a time someone had set water wells along the trail, I think some were artesian wells and some may have been hand pumps. These were a great resource for drinkable water at the time. However, over the years the well heads have been removed and capped off. Probably because they were not “state-approved.” Anyway, the next day we would get up, break camp, and hike to the designated campsite near Sandy Beach. I remember the first time I did this hike it was hot, humid, and the mosquitos were still out. I had started tarp camping back then and instead of any kind of sleeping bag, I had brought a simple bed sheet to sleep under. Even just the sheet was almost too much to sleep with but it helped keep the mosquitoes at bay. It rained the next day and we backtracked to a road access to come off-trail and head home.  I’ve since backpacked this same piece a few times with other folks. Later, in September of 2014, I hiked the lower 10-mile portion of section 1 of this passage with a different troop. One of the youth members had planned a 20-mile day hike along the Lake Moultrie dike from the Southern trailhead as an out & back hike. The weather was great. The trail there mostly runs on the flat top of the dike and is easy hiking. One of the interesting parts of the trail is it takes you through the town of Bonneau. However the open exposed nature of the dike with no shade and the hard surface of the dike and paved roads through town can wear you out fast. The out-and-back concept made the return portion a little boring and a bit of a slog to get finished. We were all very happy to finally get back to camp that night. 

Recently I was looking over some trail maps highlighting portions of various trails I’ve done and looking at the gaps remaining. While some passages like the High Hills of Santee Passage I’ve hiked completely a dozen times, I had done only parts of other passages. I figured it was about time to get out and close up some of those gaps. So this will be my Lake Moultrie make-up hike to fill in about an 8-mile gap in my Lake Moultrie Passage.

(to be continued …)

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Behold the sun - sunrise at Awendaw SC

Behold The Sun, The Trail Is Calling

This morning is a calm morning, I guess it’s the truth behind “the calm before the storm.” As I write this Hurricane Idalia has smashed into the Gulf side of Northern Florida and will make her way across the state to the Atlantic side. The current forecast has the storm running just inland today along the coast of Georgia and South Carolina before sliding off into the sea. The schools and many businesses in our area are closed in preparation for the coming storm. We’re expecting winds, rain, and coastal flooding. There are two pieces of good news. First is, according to the internet, Jim Cantore is in Cedar Key Florida, and NOT in South Carolina. The second is the Colberg Cow is still up and in place, at least as of 6 a.m. this morning.

So today with the college closed, it’s a standby day for me, waiting really for the winds which may bring trees or branches down on the farm. Our ground is fairly high so flooding isn’t our big concern this far inland. By this afternoon the hurricane is expected to be a tropical storm again and by later this evening it will be well past us. The downtime is giving me a chance to catch up on some things (like writing).

The group I volunteer with just did our annual activity plan and we added several campout events with backpacking. I started updating my blog site with a new page for The Palmetto Trail and in doing so I realized, I have a lot of gaps in my Palmetto Trail journey. And I want to get back on the AT. And the more I think about it the more I just want to get out more. I’ve started planning to grab time as I can to fill in some of the gaps in my Palmetto Trail passages. I’ve hiked passages like the High Hills of Santee a dozen or more times, but I really need to start filling some of the gaps now. I know some will be day trips, and some will be overnighters. My big hurdle really is hiking with one vehicle. Every hike becomes twice as long or I can only go half as far. Maybe I can just go, and keep going? Almost, but not yet. Sigh. Anyway tomorrow after the storm, assuming no major homestead issues, I’m planning to take Radar for the day. I’ve a backpacking trip with some new hikers in January. I need to find a suitable overnight trail campsite around the Swampfox and Awendaw Passages. The rains have come now. The trail is calling and I must go.

The trail is calling
The trail is calling

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Sassafras Mountain East View

Peak Bagging in South Carolina

I just “happened” to be in the area and on a whim decided to detour over to Sassafras Mountain and bag this peak. Radar and I are returning from an overnight family camping trip at Devil’s Fork State Park in the North West part of the state. It’s Friday morning and we’re all heading home a day early. Our camping trip was cut a little short due to some rainy weather and the forecast for more of the same.

I realized South Carolina’s highest peak, Sassafras Mountain at 3,553 feet, is on the way home. Sort of. I check my map app and it looks like Sassafras Mtn is sort of almost on the way home. I don’t know when I’ll be able to get back up in this area. So a slight detour to the North and we are on our way.

Getting there requires a short drive into North Carolina. It’s strange but you can’t drive to South Carolinas highest peak from South Carolina. You must drive out of the state and into North Carolina in order to get to the peak. Sassafras mounting actually straddles the border of North and South Carolines.

Sassafras Mountain Tower approach
Sassafras Mountain Tower approach

I was here a few years ago (maybe in 2018) when the tower was still under construction. We were dropping some grateful hikers off at their car in the parking lot, It was late a night. I ran up to the peak but could see anything (being nighttime and all). So I’ve always wanted to come back.

Sassafras Mountain Plaque
Sassafras Mountain Plaque

We’re taking SC highway-11 home anyway so I detoured and take the winding roads to the mountain peak. It’s about 1:40 pm as we get to the Sassafrass Mountain parking lot. The weather has been off and on rain all day but it’s just a short walk up the trail to the observation tower. The rain lets up as we start up the trail. As we get to the top of the tower the sky is overcast but the rain has stopped, at least for now.

Sassafras Mountain East View
Sassafras Mountain East View

The view is good for the day I think. they say you can see for 50 miles on a good clear day. I imagine the view will be amazing. Maybe on my next visit.

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group of people in red jacket standing on brown rock formation

What happens when your plans end up Foxtrot Uniform?

You’ve planned a weekend camping and hiking trip with friends. Overall, there is a 12-14 mile hike over two days with at least a gain of 2000 feet in elevation. Your group’s has mixed hiking experience, but you’ve done this trail at least a dozen times over the years. You travel hours to get to the trailhead. The first night’s campsite is a little bit of a tough hike but it’s only four miles in. One of the new hikers starts to struggle on this first leg, however, you make it to the first wilderness camp safely.

Maybe they are just getting used to their pack. Maybe they are just getting used to the strenuousness of the trail. Maybe they will be good to go in the morning after a hot meal and a good night’s sleep. Maybe. What if they are not? The next morning, you are looking at a steep uphill climb to regain the main trail. Now it’s clear one of your hikers just can not go on. For whatever reason, they can’t go any further. Now what?

What is your backup plan if someone falls, or is injured in the middle of your next adventure? What’s the exit plan in the event of an emergency? Is there one? I don’t think most people plan for the exits as they should. After all, who wants to plan for a disaster? We go outdoors for a good time, not to get hurt, end up in the hospital, or worse. It often seems accidents happen in remote locations where it’s hard to get help or get the injured out.

In recent news, a nineteen-year-old experienced hiker died doing a solo hike in a state park when something went completely bad. Another person fell to their death from a popular hiking trail in Zion National Park. Search the internet and you’ll find tons of hiker misadventures. While hiking accidents happen all the time, it’s the worst which makes the news.

I think there is a general misperception where people generally feel safer in state or national parks. Myself included, tend to consider organized parks as safe places with help always nearby. I can just call the rangers and they will come to get me. Right? Most likely, no. The idea “parks are safer” is a dangerous assumption. Most parks have minimal staffing levels at best. Large parks can have very isolated areas which are difficult to get in and out of. Even with popular destinations, help can be hours or days away.

Trip contingency planning simply means planning for problems, understanding what are your exit options, and how to get aid if something goes wrong. Planning for contingency events helps everyone enjoy a safe trip. Add these contingency topics to the planning for your next outing: training (both yours and the group’s), the forecasted weather, the essential items, a trip plan (for use by others), and an emergency plan (for use by you). Let’s take a quick look at these topics.

Training

First-Aid is one type of training I will always highly recommend. You should understand, most first-aid courses assume secondary aid, such as Emergency Medical Services (EMS), is less than 30 minutes away. If you are hiking in a remote section of the backcountry, secondary aid may be hours or days away. Take a simple, basic first-aid and CPR (CardioPulmonary Resuscitation) course to start with. As you find an interest you can take more advanced courses like a Wilderness First-Aid class. The American Red Cross has some good courses. You can even do some of the courses online to get started.

Rock outcrop
Rock outcrop

Weather

Based on most of the news articles I’ve read, many hikers lost or injured die of exposure to the elements. Regardless if injured or simply lost, they did not have adequate protection from the weather to survive until found. It’s important to both plan for the typical seasonal weather condition and to closely watch the area’s local forecasts for weather changes in the days leading up to the outing. I often find borderline weather conditions can shift significantly in a day or two, sometimes for the good, sometimes for the bad. It’s good to be prepared for the bad.

View of Table Rock from Bald
View of Table Rock from Bald

Essential Items

These are the items every hiker should always carry in some form or fashion. These items could include things like matches, compasses, food, water, and even extra clothing. Based on the planned activity, you may need to modify what you carry. Follow my link for a deeper discussion on the essential items.

10 Essential Items
10 Essential Items

Hiking or Trip Plan

Like a boating float plan, you leave this plan behind with a responsible person in the event the hikers don’t return on time. The information in this plan will aid searchers and rescuers in locating and extracting those in need. A good hiking plan should include the following information:

  • The name, description, and information about the lead hiker/person in charge.
  • Any vehicle information, usually left at a trailhead, like the make/model of cars, color, tag numbers, etc.
  • Equipment the hikers have with them. Do they have first-aid kits, a way to make a fire or signal, cell phone numbers, etc?
  • Hiking trip details: departure date, return date, destination, proposed route, stops along the way, etc.
  • Name, and description of hikers in the group. This should include any important medical information.

Emergency Plan

This is the plan the hikers take with them for use in the event of an emergency. Sometimes your emergency plan is just a mental note of the nearest road crossing. But what happens when the one with the “mental notes” gets separated from the group, or is unconscious? This plan should include written emergency contact numbers for logistical support like shuttles or pick-ups at a trail crossing, local rescue phone numbers, the nearest hospitals along the way, and maybe even a route map. Do a short “safety briefing” at the beginning of the outing or the trailhead, just to review the route, and highlight any important safety information with the group.

So be sure to ramp up your next adventure planning with these contingency items. You’ll be better able to turn a possible disaster into a simple change of plans.

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What does Foxtrot Uniform mean? You may have guessed by now. Let’s just say it’s sort of related to FUBAR and SNAFU. This is when all your planning gets turned upside down and now you have to create a plan “C” on the fly ’cause your plan “B” isn’t going to work out anymore. Remember, in nature, there are no safeties.

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10 Essential Items

Heading Out? Don’t Forget to Pack These 10 Essentials

Whether you are heading down the trail for a quick hike or gearing up for a long trek, you don’t want to forget these essential items. You’ll need to start somewhere and this list is a place to start the discussion. There are many versions of these essential things and infinite options for each item. Of course you will want to scale down or up these items based on your specific outing needs. For example, the first-aid kit I take with me on a week long backing trip is vey different from the first-aid kit I take with me for a local day hike. So lets walk through the 10 essential items.

Flash light
For me, a simple headlamp works well for almost all situations here. Light weight and easy to pack even for a day hike when you maybe coming in around or after dark. Seldom have I ever needed a handheld style flashlight when hiking. As a trek pole user I prefer the headlamps as it keeps your hands free for other purposes. I would not recommend overly fancy lights or headlamps needing special or button batteries. I’ve seen hikers left in the dark because they couldn’t find replacement batteries in town. Keep it simple, AAA or AA batteries are every where. For short hikes, just make sure you have fresh batteries. For longer treks maybe pack an extra set of batteries.

10 Essential Item Headlamp Knife
10 Essential Item Headlamp Knife

Pocket Knife
Useful for light cutting and trimming. My primary hiking knife is a small simple folding two blade pocket knife. It’s useful for cutting moleskin, opening meal pouches, chopping beef jerk, even getting out the occasional splinter.

10 Essential Item Extra Clothes
Extra Clothing and Socks

Extra Clothing
This can be a simple change of socks, or a change of underwear, or several days of layered clothing. For a local day hike, I might take an extra pair of socks if I thing the trail will be wet. It’s nice to change in to dry socks for the drive home. For backpacking, a hiker travels on their feet so socks are important. For clothing, I usually only pack a change of base layer/underwear, but will always take at least 3 pairs of socks. One pair for today, one pair for tomorrow, and one pair only for sleeping. I try to keep my sleeping socks clean, dry, and reserved only for sleeping. I’ll hike in a pair, then swap them out the next day. My yesterday pair will hang and dry/air on my pack and become my “tomorrow” pair.

First-aid Kit
You can pick up a simple first-aid kit just about any where not much bigger than a deck of cards or even make your own. However you really do need to know how to use what you pack. If you’ve never had any first-aid training, look up an organization like the Red Cross for training in your area, you can even do some of the training on-line. For a day hike a small zip-lock bag with a bit of moleskin and a few bandages is probably enough to get started. For longer hikes I carry a small group kit (I often hike with small groups) containing things like bandages, gauze pads, tape, extra mole skin, antibiotic ointment, ace wrap, KT-tape, some simple over-the-counter meds like aspirin, Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Benadryl, Imodium, small scissors, small tweezers, and the such.

10 Essential Item 1st Aid & Matches
First Aid & Matches

Matches or Fire Starter
What’s really needed here is a way to start a fire incase you get lost. This is a survival type situation item here. A butane lighter with some sort of fire starting aid like dry lint or tinder, in a small container works too. My stove has a piezo lighter/igniter, but I also carry a small butane lighter or a small box of water proof matches, just in case the igniter breaks (it has).

Map and Compass
Even when starting out on a well marked trail you need to know where you’re headed and be able to navigate basic directions. I did a day hike from Newfound Gap with my dad a few years ago in the Great Smokie Mountains. We came across a hiker heading our same direction. Long story short, he was lost on a well marked trail and had to backtrack to his start. If you’re using your cell phone or an app as many people (including myself), a compass is a great battery free, water proof, quick and easy to use tool to aid you in finding your way and help keep you from getting lost. This is the compass always take with me backpacking. It’s a older Silva Starter compass I’ve had for years. It’s simple and works well enough to navigate with.

10 Essential Item Map & Compass
Map & Compass

Water Storage
For a simple day hike I typically use a standard 1-liter Nalgene style bottle or something of equal capacity. When backpacking, my number 1 recommendation and go-to is the Platypus hydration bottles. I always carry two Platy 2-liter flexible bottles as part of my hydration system. They are very light, tough, fold flat when empty and form to the pack contents. Having two of these bottle gives me flexibility in my water carry based on weather and trail conditions for only ounces. For long treks where potable water may not be available, you also need to consider water treatment options.

10 Essential Item Water
Water Storage

Trail Food
This is snacks to maintain hiking energy between meals. Any kind of favorite trail mix or granola is a nice treat to nibble on as your walking. This can be a simple homemade trail mix or can also be something like trail snack bars such as Cliff, RxBar, Nature Valley, & PowerBar. These generally pack and keep well. Watch out for some of the snack bars with chocolate drizzle or coatings, when the weather is warm they can be a mess. Pack an extra bar for those “just in case” times.

Rain Gear
This can be as simple as a disposable poncho or as complicated as a full rain suit. From my experience, if it rains, you will get wet. Regardless of the rain gear. My preferred rain gear is the light wind rain jacket with a hood shown. It breaths well and keeps most of the rain off me. It’s great for short or long hikes, it packs down nicely, and it works well when used as an outer shell over layer or alone as a light rain jacket. An umbrella is also a good option I’ve used on some trails. If I know I’ll be out in a monsoon, I may pack a full rain suit with jacket and pants. A lot of rain can be chilling, carrying away a lot of body heat, and lead to hypothermia.

Sun Protection
Here again, an umbrella pulls double duty and works well. Hats, long sleaves shirts, and sunscreen lotions are also great picks. Consider where you will be hiking and the forecasted weather. Look for a small sport stick sunscreen. At just a couple ounces it can help cover the high burn areas like the tops of ears, nose, cheeks, and shoulders without adding lots of weight to your pack.

It’s a good habit to pack some version of these “Ten Essentials” whenever you head out into the backcountry. Even for day hikes, consider carrying with you water, a snack, maybe a pocket knife, and small first-aid kit. You may use only a couple items or even none at all. But when something goes astray, you will appreciate being prepared.

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Hiking cairn by Jennifer Bourn

A Quick Aside for My July Update

Just a quick aside. It’s been a busy first half of the year and the time has just gone by way too fast. I’m working on a several projects right now, a couple with work and at home. So the year has whizzed by. I’ve also recently had a woman’s group reach out to me, wanting a guided hiking or backpacking trip some time this fall. This sounds like a great opportunity to get out and explore. We’re still way early in planning, I’ve provided a list of possible weekend trips. I’m just waiting to hear back on the kinds of trip they are interested it. This would be a really awesome event if it all comes together. I haven’t had a really good escape to the woods this year yet so I’m looking forward to hiking this fall. I need a trip Radar can come camping with me. My next scheduled outing with my volunteer group will be to Lake Moultrie next month. Small boat sailing is on the agenda and a little lake time in August might just hit the spot.

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On top of Blood Mountain 2011

My 2021 Backpacking List

What the heck to pack?

I’m heading out this weekend for a backpacking hike in the foothills of upstate South Carolina. I’m leading a small mixed experience group of hikers on this trip. One common question of new hikers is “What do I need to pack?” My answer is usually far from black and white. Specific gear recommendations can be very personal and individualized. I’ve seen people walk in to an outfitter and buy “everything” (from pack to socks everything) new all at once and I’ve seen people stuff what they have in a duffle they and hike the weekend. The bottom line is everyone is a little different and the same gear doesn’t work for everyone. I tell people to look around, shop around, find the things you like and try it out. Hiking or backpacking gear doesn’t need to be the latest top of the line. You need to be comfortable with your gear and it needs to perform for you when you need it to work.

I’ve been working on my gear list for years now. A little here and there. I’ll try something for a while, change it out, try something new. Generally I look for more efficient or lighter as I go. The most recent change up is with my pack. I’ve moved off my external frame to try out an internal frame. The plus of my new pack is it’s half the weight of my old, The con so far is I’ve had to take a whole new approach with organizing my gear in a top loading pack. I’ll probably come back to this later in the year. But for now, this is my basic packing list for 2021. Feel free to take a look and leave a comment.

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A rainy day on the farm, July 4th 2019.

Just tryin’ to keep up

It was raining when I started writing this post and it fits the mood. It’s been a bit busy in a lot of ways this past month for me and I’ve fallen behind my goal of more frequent postings.

I’ve had a few setbacks recently, which really do nothing to help in the writing category. Most notably, was the cancellation of our annual backpacking trip. Again. This is the second year in a row it’s been cancelled. I was really hoping to get some time in hiking a section of the Appalachian Trail, however there was some “dangerous” weather conditions forecast for our planned hike period. It would have made for a big fubar to bring new hikers into a week of really crappy, and potentially dangerous, weather, so discretion won out. But I feel like I should have gone anyway, even solo. My hindsight is way better than my foresight.

I had an idea and had applied for a federal grant to research a “save the world,” but I never heard back. I don’t think it was taken seriously by the big government givers away of money because I’m not affiliated with any major institutions of “higher” learning. Oh well. On an unrelated side note, if anyone is interested in crowd-sourcing atmospheric carbon capture using existing commercial building infrastructure, just let me know.

I also started teaching night classes again for the summer, which I do enjoy. Coupled with trying to set some sort of weekly gym-fitness routine, I was keeping busy. This was going well for the most part, but somehow still felt more like a place holder than anything else. Nice, but not hitting on all cylinders. So I went poking a stick in the bushes looking for some kind of a new job to explore. Besides, I felt a bit of positive cash flow would be nice for a change. Anyway, long story-short, I have just started working a new job. I’m grateful for the opportunity, yet I have a sense of being somewhat constrained by draft now. Unfortunately this may mean I loose out on an epic Utah trip this fall with my brother. We’ll see how everything shakes out.

Just because I seem to like trying new things, I’ve been bouncing around the idea of starting up a podcast too, but have held off. I have started listening to some really great sets, and they piqued my interest from the story telling perspective. I need to spend some time focusing on the direction(s) I want to take this. For now I think I’ll move this idea into the “future projects” file, maybe for when the rain stops.

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Outdoor Tips – Stay Hydrated

As we’re now in to full blown summer, remember to stay hydrated!

If you don’t get enough water, your body simply can’t perform as well and you could end up with heat related illness such as heat stress or heat stroke. Using a hydration bladder is way better than just bottled water. When people relying on just bottled water, they tend to wait until they are thirsty to get their water out and drink, then they gulp water. If you feel thirsty, your body is already becoming dehydrated. When using a hydration bladder you can sip continuously, greatly leveling out your water in-take and making staying hydrated easier. If you are sweating while hiking or working in the summer heat, remember you are dumping electrolytes too. You need to replenish them. Munching on salty snack as you hike helps keep both your energy levels up and replaces electrolytes you may be sweating out.

Carry plenty of water and a few snacks. Remember your pack will get lighter as the day wears on.

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