No, I’m not referring to COVID-19, though that has thrown a monkey wrench into my backpacking and hiking plans. I’m going to briefly talk about what I’ve been doing on the trails, plus some life and gear changes.
Backpacking in 2020
First up, although I’ve not been posting, I have been backpacking. I’ve been out on the trail for 17 nights and hiked 100+ miles so far this year. Before March, I visited:
Frosty morning – On table Rock Lake at Piney Creek Wilderness. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Camped by Table Rock Lake – before dawn, notice the frost on the tarp. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
To get up or not to get up? Now that’s a question when it is cold out. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Day Two: Breakfast and hot chocolate – Camped off of Mary Hollow in the Devil’s Back Bone Wilderness. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Sycamores in Mary Hollow. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Sunset and ripples – Sunset at the North Fork River. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
On the Collins Ridge Trail. Moments after I took this picture four deer came running past. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Big Piney Trail. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
It’s supposed to be warm today – I guess it’s going to take a while to thaw. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Dropping off of the ridge. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Looking down at Little Paddy Creek – Looked like more than 110ft to me… Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Intermittent Falls at Paddy Creek Wilderness – These falls look to be around 60ft, I’d love to see them running. Note the stone table. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Camped near Big Paddy Creek – Morning of Day Two. The area had been scoured by floods. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
First Summit – Paddy Creek Wilderness. It only took me 25 minutes to get here from the bottom. However, there’s still another 100ft. Or so to go. Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.