[at-l] Trip Report - Brrrr

[dennis@bcontech.com (Dennis Gass)]

>Dennis Gass wrote:
>> My son and I were at Standing Indian Campground just this morning. 
>> We came down the Kimsey Creek Trail from Deep Gap.  We used the
>> Rainbow Springs Campground (Jensine and Buddy) for our shuttle, both
>> in and out...

>Orange Bug wrote:
>Trip Report!!!!!!!
>
>Bill....
><come on! Out with it!>

My 13 year old son and I have previously section hiked to Unicoi Gap GA
and had planned a very easy (Spring Break) week doing the Kimsey Creek
Trail up from Standing Indian Gap to Deep Gap and North on the AT to
Wallace Gap.  We're not thru hikers and go at this with a totally
different mentality.  We're not interested in how many miles we can get
in a day, we are interested in how fun the days can be and to him that
means getting to a campsite hopefully by noon and sitting around
talking, napping and munching.

We set up a shuttle with Jensine and Buddy at Rainbow Springs, got there
and got to the trailhead no problems.  It was in the 20's after noon at
the foot of the mountain.  We thoroughly enjoyed Kimsey Creek, very well
marked, lots of rhododendron and hemlock.  Late afternoon with about 45
minutes of sunlight left we found a nice flat area just before Deep Gap,
fairly hidden from the wind and good views.  As soon as we stopped
walking we realized the temperature was dropping fast.  We set up the
tents quickly and even with gloves and liners the fingers were getting
numb.  We both had -15 bags and since we had a late lunch we decided the
sleeping bags looked a lot more appetizing than dinner so we snuggled
down...for 15 hours... waiting on it to warm up.  We were warm in the
bags but did not have clothing to stay warm outside of them.  I'm not
sure how cold it got where we were.  My little thermometer showed
something around 6 or 7 degrees when I slipped out for my short walk
around 3am.  The digital thermometer on my watch showed 85 degrees
inside my bag so I quickly returned.  

The next morning I didn't even have to ask.  As soon as we started
packing up, my son was wondering if he "would ruin my week if we came
home?"  We reviewed why we backpack, why it is fun for us, and headed
back down Kimsey Creek Trail with heads held high knowing that we will
do this section on our terms when it is fun for us.  We agreed that we
had the gear and knowledge to do the section safely, but it just wasn't
the fun experience we seek for our trips.  I'm thankful the pay phone at
the closed Standing Indian Gap Campground was working and that Buddy
from Rainbow Springs was available for a quick pickup.  We saw three or
four thru hikers each of the two days we were at Rainbow Springs doing
the shuttle.

We're doing Unicoi Gap to Deep Gap in early April on his second spring
break week with a couple of other dads and their sons from his scout
troop.

On the way home we took the scenic route staying as close to the AT as
reasonable.  At Hogpen Gap we saw a couple of thru hikers that I had
shuttled to Amicalola last week.  We dropped in at Walasi-Yi for a
couple of minutes looking for a fleece jacket for the growing son and
bumped into Matthew Goss in the parking lot.  Matthew is a thru hiker I
dropped off at Springer last Thursday morning at 9am when the temp was
14 degrees.  I knew it had been a cold and wet start but the spirits
were very high.  He said there had been 10 thru hikers at Woods Hole
Shelter the night before and it looked like there were quite a few more
than that at the Walasi-Yi while we were there.  I didn't get any other
names but there were a bunch of folks on the picnic tables outside,
around the shower area and several inside getting advice and gear.
Rough guess...maybe 15 or 20 total.

We made it home to a Mom coming down with the flu and happy to see us, a
little sister happy to have Dad and big Brother at home and a 5 month
old Golden Retriever pup happy to have HIS boy home.  My son has already
arranged for a few days in East TN with grandparents and I know that
means either 18 or 36 holes of golf a day for him.