BP D-1: Lead Cove 1.8pd, Bote Mtn 1.2pd, Anthony Creek 1.7pd, AT, Jenkins Ridge 8.9n, Hazel Creek 0.8pd

This is the start of a 4-day backpacing (BP) adventure.

Met Marti Smith, Kirby and Fran Dupre at 7:00 at the Lead Cove Trailhead. We took it easy on this 1.8 mi. trail and finished it in 58 min. I went a little ahead on Bote Mtn. and finished this 1.2 mi. section in 31 min. My cohorts arrived simultaneously as a father and his teen son arrived from Anthony Creek; the latter two got between us as we chugged up 1.7 mi. of Anthony Creek. I turned around once and noted that they were gaining on me so I pushed it and the space increased (HR went to 156). It was not until I hit the AT in 43 min. that I realized that the father-son duo were only wearing day packs; I talked with them a few minutes and then waited for my cohorts. At least three groups of AT backpackers arrived while I was waiting. I should mention that (1) Fran recently had surgery for spondylolisthesis (for this condition it is usually L5 slipping anteriorly over the sacrum—in her case both L4 & L5 had to be fused with sacrum) and (2) Kirby’s backpack weighed ~10 lbs. more than mine; both of those factors are obviously a detriment to speed.

The pic is in the 1st mile between Spence Field and Derrick Knob (if you look closely you’ll see a through hiker on the 2nd bald; although not visible, Jenkins Ridge Trail begins into NC off the AT near the center of the picture. Marti asked me to go ahead to ensure that we could get at least one bear hook at Campsite 83. Jenkins Ridge (8.9 mi.) is far from being a jolly trail; fortunately our campsite was only 0.8 up Hazel Creek at the end of JR and I arrived there at 4:23. (At one time another hiker and I were planning on following this same trek, then going over to do an in-and-out on Bone Valley, and then rushing to catch a boat at Campsite 86 at 3:30; this may not be physically possible.)

A crew of ~8men (ranging in age from the 20’s to 60’s were at Campsite 83); they came by boat and pulled a big wagon for provisions. They were a nice crew; I had peach cobbler and coffee with them. One was from my home state of Iowa; he also went to a Lutheran college and is also Norwegian.