Leave No Trace Hiking

When you are out and about in the wilderness, whether backpacking, camping, rock climbing, or just hiking, it is important to remember the seven principles of Leave No Trace and to follow them as best as you can. Here are some different tips to be sure you follow the Leave No Trace principles when you are taking a hike!

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Limit Group Size - Large groups have adverse impact on both the land and on other wilderness users. One person hiking along sees more wildlife than two people. Two people see more than tree people. A group of more than three people is unlikely to see anything at all.

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– Most especially, don’t cut switchbacks. Obviously, this is more of a temptation going downhill than going uphill, especially on those western pack trails that swing back and forth as evenly as a pendulum. Switchbacks make for easier climbing, and they also help control erosion on steep slopes. That straight route down the fall line can’t handle years of foot traffic and soon turns into an eroded mess.

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Tips For On The Trail River Crossings

River crossings can be a dangerous idea if you do not know what you are doing or are not properly prepared for them. Before you get out on the trail, be sure to check to see if there will be any crossings on your path and find out any information about them that you can – width of the river, river depth, how fast the river flows, difficulty of the crossing, etc.

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– Just because the trail enters the river here and exits it there doesn’t mean that the straight line through the middle is the safest place to cross. Make sure that you feel comfortable with the challenges of the crossing. Sometimes this means walking quite a distance along the shore to find a route that looks and feels right. Some people find a slippery log more intimidating than a fast current.

Wide Equals Shallow – The current is slower and the water shallower in wide places. Also look for spots where the stream splits in two with an island in the middle.

Keeping Gear Dry – For a truly wet crossing, when you have to swim across or go through deep water, repack your gear for the crossing. The more waterproof stuff sacks, garbage bags, and resealable bags you have, the drier your gear will stay. An inflated air mattress wrapped around your pack and help in place with elastic cords or paracord can help make your pack more buoyant.

Unbuckle Your Waist Belt - You need to be able to get out of your pack quickly. If you fall in, you pack could hold you under water. This is a serious safety measure to stress to anyone else in your group as well!


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Resupplying While On The Trail

On long trips you may need to resupply while on the trail, en route to your final destination. You can look on a map to find towns near the trail and play to buy food as you go. This strategy requires the least preparation and it gives you more flexibility to change your plans. The downside is that you will be stuck with the offerings of a small town grocery store; if some other hiker just bought the last jar of peanut butter, you could be out of luck. Also, you’re limited to buying whatever package sizes are available: a four pack of soup when you only need two; a whole family sized box of instant potatoes when maybe you are not quite that hungry. If you are picky about your food, you might not appreciate the white bread, processed cheese, sugared cereals, and preservative-filled lunch meats that are staples of small town stores. The smaller the town, the more difficult you will find resupplying on the fly.

Food Drops
One popular option, used by most long distance hikers, is to send yourself a “food drop” (or if you are traveling for an extended period of time, coerce a loving friend into sending your boxes for you). Pack a box of supplies you’ll need and address it as follows, including your expected arrival date:

Your Name
c/o General Delivery
Town, State, Zip Code
Please hold for hiker arriving on or about (date)

General delivery holds packages for 10 days. Make sure you put a return address on the box in case your plans change. Check with your local postmaster to find out which is the cheapest way to send your package; over long distances, priority mail often costs about the same as parcel post, and it gets your package where it is going much faster. Remember private delivery services such as UPS cannot deliver to a general delivery address or a post office box.


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Kelly's Knob Trail outside of Blacksburg, VA Trail Information

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Difficulty: Medium/Intermediate
Length:

~2 miles
Features:
Outstanding views of Salt Pond Mt. and the New River Valley

Description


This medium difficulty hike is a great hike if you only have a few hours. It is a steady uphill in the beginning, but then flattens to a ridge approach of the Knob. The Knob provides a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains along with Blacksburg VA, and Virginia Tech’s campus. It is the closest AT access point from Blacksburg, and is well worth the effort. There is also places to camp as well along the way up.

The beginning section of the trail is the hardest and steepest. After you reach the top of the steady incline, things start to level out and then you will follow the ridge until you reach a side trail on the right for Kelly’s Knob. The trail leads less than 120 yards off to the knob. Pay attention as you are hiking because it is easy to miss the sign! Total hiking time is about 2-3 hours depending on your speed and the amount of time you spend at the Knob.

Directions to the Hike

From Blacksburg, head west on 460. Turn right onto Route 42 at the gas station and mini mart. Drive for about 1.5 miles and take a left on 601 or Clover Hill Rd. Drive for about 6 miles and a Road will T into 601, go straight on 601 and it will turn to gravel – it will look like you are on someones driveway, just keep going past the houses and it will start to climb the mountain and as soon as you see the “Welcome to Giles County” sign, park. There should be a small spot for maybe 2 or 3 cars on the left side of the road, the AT intersects at the Giles County sign.

Hiking up to Kelly’s Knob will allow you the opportunity to get some great pictures of the valleys below and the surrounding mountains. Here are a few from my most recent trip up there.

Besides being just a day hike, Kelly’s Knob is a great spot to camp out at if you have the time. You can either camp at the Knob (there is a campsite and fire pit) or you could continue hiking along the Appalachian Trail to find another spot. If you take the side trail from the Knob back to the AT, you can continue to the right and will be heading towards Sinking Creek Mountain. Continue hiking in this direction and you will find some other areas to camp. After your night in the woods continue hiking along the AT and you will reach Route 42 again in the town of Huffman. The AT crosses Route 42 and can be reached via 460 West like the directions above; just follow Rt. 42 instead of turning onto VA 601, continue 6-7 miles and when you pass the Level Green Church, you will be about a 1/2 mile away from the trail crossing. Keep your eyes open for the signs. To the left the trail takes you towards Kelly’s Knob and to the right takes you up Sinking Creek Mountain.

For clearer directions and visualization, get the AT map for the area and you will be able to easily follow the driving directions!

Get gear one killer deal at a time all day long at SteepAndCheap.com

Looking to pick up some great gear at a ridiculous price? Then you need to start checking out SteepAndCheap.com daily. SteepAndCheap (SAC) is a site that is run by the great folks at Backcountry.com and provides great deals on gear all day everyday.

Basically, SAC offers an item at more than 40% off the retail price until they sell out of the quantity that is listed. Then, another item is displayed and that one stays up until it sells out. SAC is an ever evolving site and one that you really do need to be constantly watching to find the best deals. Sometimes there are items where there are only 5 or so of an item and then there are some times that there will be 100+ of an item; so the time it takes for something to sell can vary but it happens quickly.

To help you get the best deals, SAC has even developed a couple alerts to make you aware of gear changes The Cell 2 movie Man on Wire video .

You can get an add-on for Internet Explorer or FireFox that pops a box up everytime the gear changes, this popup box shows the item, a picture of it, the price, and the discount.

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Breakfast when camping is crucial – here are some ideas to keep you from starving!

At home, breakfast is important, but when camping, it is essential. You’ll be burning extra calories on a camping or backpacking trip, so the first meal of the day has to give your body plenty of fuel.

To help you keep yourself in line when camping, here are some suggestions for breakfasts: online relafen Colour Me Kubrick: A True…ish Story dvdrip The Four Feathers full movie

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  • Oatmeal (instant in a variety of flavors)
  • Cold cereal with powdered milk
  • Toaster Pastries (cold)
  • Instant grits
  • Creamed Wheat
  • Eggs (will keep for several days)
  • Bagels with cream cheese (cheese will keep for several days)
  • Snickers or other candy bars
  • Breakfast bars
  • Granola bars
  • Gorp in powdered milk
  • Pancakes (bring the dry mix, add powdered milk and water)
  • Granola in powdered milk
  • Instant hash browns
  • Bacon bars
  • Canned bacon
  • Bread with peanut butter
  • English muffins
  • Raisin bread
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What is your favorite camping breakfast? I prefer some good eggs and sausage if I am car camping, however, if backpacking, a bagel or English muffin is an excellent choice!

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Got Some New Gear On The Way!

Just a quick update that I have some new gear on the way. I ordered some VaporWick shirts from The North Face off of Moosejaw as well as got a GSI Outdoor Haulite Boiler. On top of these, I picked up a couple books over the weekend: Whitewater Rafting: An Introductory Guide and The Wildflowers of the Appalachian Trail. Both are currently on Amazon and eBay, and look for them to be added into the gear area of TheGearHouse soon.

Have you picked up any new gear? With the summer quickly approaching, you should be finding your local retailers and outfitters putting winter gear and clothing on sale. One big clearance that is currently running is with Hudson Trail Outfitters

. If you are in the MD, VA, or PA area, you probably have heard of them. They have an outlet store in Gaithersburg, MD but also have all their outlet items online

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