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Post by arfcomhkr on Nov 13, 2014 19:49:26 GMT -5
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Post by jnk556 on Nov 14, 2014 23:30:07 GMT -5
I like it!
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hikeer
Senior Member
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Post by hikeer on Nov 15, 2014 7:31:09 GMT -5
OK, I admit I had to look up what a Glamper was, but that's pretty funny. Everybody knows thru hikers are tougher than Bear Grylls though.  |
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Post by aseege1 on Nov 17, 2014 12:07:21 GMT -5
After backpackers, put "break-your-back-packers" I've seen them in Seneca Creek. They take a group of sixty into Judy Springs and haul in coolers and crockpots, and cast iron skillets. Oh wait, maybe those were just boyscout troops.  |
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Post by arfcomhkr on Nov 17, 2014 15:19:21 GMT -5
After backpackers, put "break-your-back-packers" I've seen them in Seneca Creek. They take a group of sixty into Judy Springs and haul in coolers and crockpots, and cast iron skillets. Oh wait, maybe those were just boyscout troops. It's not my little doodle. Yeah, you see some things at Judy Springs, that's for sure. Spruce Knob too. Was up there at the parking lot a few years back getting ready to head out Huckleberry Trail and watched this couple parked next to us try to put 10 gallons of stuff into a 5 gallon bucket (so to speak) Giant WalMart sleeping bags, big tent, ect. all trying to go into small packs. I think I saw a whole loaf of bread sitting in their pile waiting to get packed. |
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Post by Hours Per Mile on Nov 18, 2014 0:25:59 GMT -5
I've heard stories of hardcore UL backpackers trimming their hang-nails moments before setting off... heh heh
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Post by panhandler on Dec 7, 2014 9:27:37 GMT -5
Nov 17, 2014 at 12:07pm aseege1 said: After backpackers, put "break-your-back-packers" I've seen them in Seneca Creek. They take a group of sixty into Judy Springs and haul in coolers and crockpots, and cast iron skillets. Oh wait, maybe those were just boyscout troops. It's not my little doodle. Yeah, you see some things at Judy Springs, that's for sure. Spruce Knob too. Was up there at the parking lot a few years back getting ready to head out Huckleberry Trail and watched this couple parked next to us try to put 10 gallons of stuff into a 5 gallon bucket (so to speak) Giant WalMart sleeping bags, big tent, ect. all trying to go into small packs. I think I saw a whole loaf of bread sitting in their pile waiting to get packed. I was heading in Seneca Creek 2 years ago when I saw a half dollar sized mark on a soft spot on the trail. my first impression was that it was a bicycle tire mark. That put the thought of mountain bikers barrelling thru the wilderness ahead of me in my brain. As I continued ahead, I would see more of this. Then I saw a much wider imprint and thought, no, someone surely didn't bring a motorcycle down here. When I finally got close to the first creek crossing, I saw an older guy sitting on the big rock in the middle of the creek. As I rounded the bend there were two younger guys (one bore a strong resemblance to Kid Rock) were on the other bank. And behind them was the maker of the tracks I saw. It was one of those 1,000 lb capacity garden carts loaded down with gear including a large marine type coolers. They had broken an axle and repaired it with a tree branch. I stopped and had a short conversation with these guys from Boone County. The older guy (probably Dad) said, "OK boys, let's get moving", and they proceeded to start pushing this load the 3 miles uphill to the trailhead. This was more surprising than finding the 1950 Mercury in Dolly Sods. Suddenly, my pack seemed much lighter. I chuckled to myself the next couple miles. |
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Post by aseege1 on Dec 8, 2014 9:12:28 GMT -5
If you make it up to the lost meadow, you see more stuff like that. I saw pots and pans, 4x4 tracks, rolling trash cans...you name it. I remember MrHykr told me that he thought I found an old "meth camp." Wouldn't surprise me. We need a wilderness designation for that part of the Mon, but then again...would that help?
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Post by arfcomhkr on Dec 8, 2014 18:09:19 GMT -5
If you make it up to the lost meadow, you see more stuff like that. I saw pots and pans, 4x4 tracks, rolling trash cans...you name it. I remember MrHykr told me that he thought I found an old "meth camp." Wouldn't surprise me. We need a wilderness designation for that part of the Mon, but then again...would that help? Well, it's designated a National Recreation Area right now, so I don't know how they'd go about it, although I do think Seneca Creek was proposed for wilderness at one time in the past. It's just too popular and accessible for it's own good. I hate going in there unless it's late fall and mid week. |
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Post by countryroads on Dec 18, 2014 18:35:27 GMT -5
I once saw about 10 people carrying various pieces of their camping gear on Bear Rocks Trail at Dolly Sods. They were heading out to the road. Now this is not unusual until you see three of them carrying a Kayak full of gear. I think they had been creek boating on the Right fork, maybe earlier in the week after some hard rain. I guess they road a ways down then carried the kayak back up. Or maybe they just thought a kayak was a good way to carry a lot of gear. Either way, I did a double take and had a chuckle.
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vdeal
Forum Elder
Posts: 616
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Post by vdeal on Dec 19, 2014 10:13:14 GMT -5
arf,
Seneca Creek was indeed on the Wilderness short list just a few years ago but it was traded out for one of the other areas that was designated. Don't have my notes here right now but I could look up the details. I have contacts in the Wilderness movement. As for people carrying ridiculous stuff the best (or worst) that I saw was at Dolly Sods North. Started from Red Creek campground on the Blackbird Knob trail. Kept seeing two sets of what appeared to be bicycle tracks evenly spaced and was getting perturbed about bikers heading to a Wilderness area (I don't think DSN was wilderness then). Finally a mile or so in came upon a guy and girl maybe in their early twenties with one of those garden wagons from Lowe's packed down with all sorts of crap including a boom box. We stopped and talked to them briefly and the guy seemed like a dope head and the girl wasn't much better. Much later in the day we came back wondering about them and how they were going to cross the steep banks on the Right Fork of Red Creek and discovered that they had turned around right where we talked to them and high tailed it out of there. This was a weird day though with at least two other strange encounters on the trail that trip.
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Post by arfcomhkr on Dec 19, 2014 18:52:23 GMT -5
arf, Seneca Creek was indeed on the Wilderness short list just a few years ago but it was traded out for one of the other areas that was designated. Don't have my notes here right now but I could look up the details. I have contacts in the Wilderness movement. As for people carrying ridiculous stuff the best (or worst) that I saw was at Dolly Sods North. Started from Red Creek campground on the Blackbird Knob trail. Kept seeing two sets of what appeared to be bicycle tracks evenly spaced and was getting perturbed about bikers heading to a Wilderness area (I don't think DSN was wilderness then). Finally a mile or so in came upon a guy and girl maybe in their early twenties with one of those garden wagons from Lowe's packed down with all sorts of crap including a boom box. We stopped and talked to them briefly and the guy seemed like a dope head and the girl wasn't much better. Much later in the day we came back wondering about them and how they were going to cross the steep banks on the Right Fork of Red Creek and discovered that they had turned around right where we talked to them and high tailed it out of there. This was a weird day though with at least two other strange encounters on the trail that trip. Yeah, I don't remember which "Forest Plan" draft it was, but I remember reading it at one time. To be honest, I don't see how the damage can be undone without some heavy handed enforcement , and who really wants to see that anyway. |
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vdeal
Forum Elder
Posts: 616
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Post by vdeal on Dec 20, 2014 10:38:24 GMT -5
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Post by arfcomhkr on Dec 20, 2014 11:21:24 GMT -5
I guess by damage, I mean it's overused, especially by large groups. Wilderness designation calls for smaller group sizes, but I don't think that genie can be put back in the bottle without a bunch of policing. |
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vdeal
Forum Elder
Posts: 616
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Post by vdeal on Dec 20, 2014 14:14:15 GMT -5
Honestly, I think there is more damage evident in Dolly Sods North from the previous use of bulldozers than in all of Seneca Creek. I know group size is an issue at Seneca but not one that is insurmountable especially with education. Boy Scout and church groups would be easy to persuade, others might be a bit more difficult.
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Post by countryroads on Dec 20, 2014 14:54:51 GMT -5
It is amazing what crazy stuff people carry into the woods to "get away from it all". I want to leave as much behind as I can and still be safe and comfy. It is amazing how little you actually need to be happy.
I have been seeing a lot of School buses in the Sods. Only one was actually dropping some teens off to hike around bear rock area. The other was at the bird banding station across from the campground.
Since I am able to hike mid-week, I have seen more bears. I expect they know the days of the week as well as we do. I really like seeing bears, deer, etc. I hear the beavers at night at the pond on the left fork, but I have not gotten to see one yet. I hear the common night hawks in that area too. I heard a whippoorwill in the Sods for the first time, back in early June. I had not heard those up there before. I wonder where they are in the hierarchy?
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