30 miles on the AT

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the weekend hit to finish the miles we had remaining to the James River bridge. As you will notice we finished here almost a month ago but pulled out a little early.

The first day we drove 4 and 1/2 hours up to Virginia and climbed 3,700 ft in 9 MI. When I say the weather was perfect I cannot emphasize enough how this temperature was right for the climbing. It may have been 60°.

the second day found us doing almost 12 miles. We followed the Blue ridge parkway for most of it.

we were just ahead of the bubble thank goodness.

The temperature dropped down into the 40s our first night and I’m glad I had my warmer bag. Martin and Frank did not.

the infamous guillotine

we were wary of bears in this spot. We hiked 12 miles and it was time to rest in the only place that had water. It was near here that this happened. https://thetrek.co/appalachian-trail/i-survived-a-bear-attack-on-the-appalachian-trail/

A big fire came through here a year ago and it was obvious the damage that occurred. Matts Creek.

an incredible 3-day weekend with 30 mi and lots of elevation. Great company and weather. Look at the size of this monster black snake I encountered. I would also like to make mention of the brand new helinox chair I got for my birthday from AJ. The week before we spent two nights out watching the lightning bugs in the smokies and it was glorious although we had some rain.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTL3yvRSf

the Virginia triple crown

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this section is considered the crown and glory of the Appalachian trail. And this is the iconic McAfee knob shot.

there was some hot hiking to get here. 88° was unexpected.

For the benefit of section hikers like ourselves there’s pretty much cell service from dragon’s tooth to troutville. Frank and I were doing this time by Martin, The Edge, Hunley.

Our miles were not that long due to the absence of water on the trail. That meant we had to carry most of what we drank for the day. So that kept us under the 12 mile per day mark.

the Appalachian trail bubble was a little bit behind us. But there were plenty of thru hikers on this section.

And an abundance of wildflowers.

They love the heat. Us, not so much.

Our second day was not much more mileage than the first.

The views on this section were incomparable.

Among our many wildlife encounters were snakes, deer, owls and ticks. Many, many, tics. We had deer in camp for our first two nights.

Do you know what kind this is?

our third day we drop down into troutville Virginia. Frank suggested that we stay at the bee cHill hostel and that was a good decision. It rained that night.

after a wonderful breakfast they prepared for us we pushed on. Coming up upon full hard knob shelter I was greeted by this site.

we had 10 miles to do this day and it was some of the best walking of the trip. We’re going to be joined by Toni, her plan was to drive from Memphis. But due to family issues at home she was forced to reconsider the decision and considering the long drive I understood. So you can imagine my surprise when she comes stumbling into camp that evening. Having driven all the way from Memphis and hiking 10 miles. She’s a beast on the trail. And I was glad to have her company.

she picked a big day of hiking.

probably the big character of our trip was a man named Homer. Homerun shuttles in this section and he picked us up at the river and took us back to our starting point. At 82 years old he is as spry as a teenager.

Homer ended up shuttling us twice but I ran into him on the trail three times. Once when we pulled into troutville he was mowing several acres of the Appalachian trail. And I do mean acres with a push mower. Then later I ran into him on the Blue ridge parkway when we popped out shuttling someone else

and of course at the end he was there to retrieve us. Such an interesting character he hiked the trail at age 62.

Frank and Martin were way ahead of us. So we enjoyed a leisurely stroll.

Our day’s hike paralleled the Blue ridge parkway for a significant amount of time.

we would have to make a dry camp, retrieving water from the bottom of the parkway and carrying at 7/10 of a mile to a knob.

our 6th days saw us doing less than 6 MI. Giving us an overall total of 55. The amount of elevation completed was11,089 feet climbing. We averaged 9.2 miles per day, and our daily elevation average was 1968.

Despite the heat I really enjoyed the section. It’s very dry though. We’re now officially one third of the way done with the Appalachian trail.

What do you think of Franks shorts?

one final note before concluding this epic journey. I did not get a single blister with all the heat and the 40 lbs we were carrying with extra water

what made the difference you may ask?

SmartWool hiking socks.

have used Darn tough before but these knock the socks off of them. @smartwool.

Chimborazo

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There’s a lot that goes into climbing a mountain as tall as Chimborazo. Here Richard is seen putting in the work on Pasochoa. There’s a lot of acclimatizing that needs to be completed. This was our first volcano.
My previous post discussed our success on Ruccu Pichincha. This photo illustrates our climb to high camp on Chimborazo. It sits at 17,500 ft. We were feeling pretty good.
Enclosed are the peaks that we ascended prior to taking on this, the tallest in Ecuador.

Cotocachi

Pasochoa

Ruccu Pichincha

Cotopaxi (16,200 feet of it)

San Juan Achontilado.

Base camp.

this distance is wrong, it was over 3 miles to 17,600 feet.

We set off at midnight for the summit of Chimborazo. Once again Strava was wrong here on this one. I turned around at over 19,000 ft.

Strava and garmin failed me bigly here. Along with my body. I have several theories about this. One is that I did not fully get acclimated on pasachoa due to having to descend with a client. The other is that I did not take any altitude medicine. Ordinarily I do not take altitude medicine. And I seemed to be acclimating really well. But as we slept in the high camp I woke up with a terrible headache. It was soon accompanied by nausea. This was classic a cute Mountain sickness. I still suited up and pressed for the summit, along with members of my team Richard Dan Emily and Chris. We all had private guides. My Guide from two years previous, Christian, took me on a sporting route up the via ferrata. The weather was fantastic and windless but that was soon to change. Snow moved in as we crested the peak of those metal ladders. And transitioned to the glacier. Here I caught up with the rest of the team. Richard was having trouble with his crampons. Cris was still struggling with a chest infection that dogged her throughout the journey. Emily and Dan were well ahead of us. As we slogged up in the middle of the night in the cold temperatures, wind increased. And snow peppered our faces. This was proving to be a tough endless slog. As I gained altitude my nausea took over. The dry heaving I had done in the morning after breakfast was now uncontrollable. This isn’t the first time I’ve experienced this. I’m usually able to push on through it. But here on the side of this mighty Mountain my guide gave me that look. The same one I have given other people that I’ve led up mountains. We still had a thousand vertical feet to go. And my body wasn’t having it. I descended and wished Chris and Richard the best of luck. They were in the hands of more than competent guides.

It took a couple of hours to get back to advanced base camp. There, I laid in a sleeping bag very altitude sick. I watched our team trickle back in. Dan Emily and Richard reached the first summit of Chimborazo. Although not the true summit of this peak it is over 20,000 ft. And that is quite an accomplishment. I’m proud of their determination.

Richard battled his way to the top.
I’m very proud of the entire team.
every member of my team reached a new personal altitude record. (Except for Howard and I who had been higher on Aconcagua and elsewhere).

we did so much more down in Ecuador though.

we battled the elements, our bodies but pushed on
we had fun.
Riding horses through the paramo was exceptional.
Base camp was luxurious and comfortable.
Plenty of good food and drink in town.
Waterfall hikes were a bonus.
It was an adventure. And I’m thankful to have had such a good team.

summit, Ruccu Pichincha

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it has been a fun-filled week down here in Ecuador. Yesterday saw most of our team topping out on Pasochoa. Today, we reached the top of this beautiful peak.

I’m so glad our entire team made it. Today we’re up for a rest day and then tomorrow we head over to the high mountains. This will include an acclimatization run on Cotopaxi or at least part of it some horseback riding at tambopaxi lodge, and then we move over to Chimborazo base camp.

Quito has been good and the weather so kind. Everyone is healthy and acclimating appropriately.

I will add some pictures from our venture.

Ouray 2024

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James Murphy is a professional photographer that we were fortunate to have along. He hung off the side of ice walls to get pictures like these of me (above) and Neil (below)
Neil is picking up the Vic, WI5.
Robbie and Caleb screwing around.
I look like a spider.
I knew this was going to be an amazing group. Wet excellent weather and good conditions.
Satisfying is sound of my pic penetrating bullet ice.
Thankful to have all eight guys there. Really missed John Davis and Lee whiten and Dr. Dan.

Morristown Chamber Keynote

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I was so honored to be asked to present the keynote speech to the annual Morristown Chamber meeting. John McClellan, Natasha Morrison and my brother, Todd were integral to making this happen. I was honored to share this with my family and all the Morristown people that braved the elements to support my hometown. The message was bouncing back after failure. I’ve had plenty of those, as have we all. But we push on. Where does this motivation derive? It is different for everyone, mine is but one perspective. Mountains are great levelers of men and women. As they say in N.A. and A.A., you must live “life on life’s terms”. We can’t change reality, instead, we must adapt to it. The universe is always teaching us, and that is how God makes us better in hopes we can inherit eternity. I know the good people of my hometown are ambassadors for this sentiment. I appreciate their indulgence and support. I wouldn’t have wished to grow up anywhere else. I know my home people are good stewards and reminded them of the importance of keeping public lands in public hands. This is something we at the Southern Forest Watch have fought for and continue to fight. There are battles ongoing behind the scenes. Land grabs on the Smokies borders. Myers and I are digging in and challenging the NPS on their political fealty. We did it before with a “private resort”. We now are faced with having to do it with encroachers who have not abided the park boundaries and a superintendent who turns a blind eye.

Stay tuned.

Ecuador is Calling, are you going to answer?

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Looks like a lively crew is going to go back down to Quito with us this year. If you are interested, I would be glad to answer any questions. Below is the link to details about the trip. It is a great experience hiking and trekking with the option of climbing Chimborazo, the tallest point in Ecuador. This trip includes all boutique hotel lodging, guides and gear. Airfare is not included. There is a reason we have two return hikers on this one, Quito is magnificent. Hot springs, great restaurants and breathtaking scenery. I’m rather partial to Ecuador.

www.johnquillenadventures.com

Sithenge @Eagle Creek

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It’s one of the most ancient Highlander traditions. And this year was no exception. If you have not read about the epic exploits at eagle Creek then here is a link. This story was one for the books.

Many years ago we constructed what came to be known as the most famous rock circle in the Smokies. And it was so dubbed, Sithenge. Here is a link to that trip from way back in the archives.

This year I was delighted to have Martin hunley at the helm, guiding the USS Steinhatchee to Port.

we were loaded for bear but only saw eagles.
It’s always a good omen when you’re met by eagles coming into Eagle Creek. I captured a video of an eagle dipping down pulling a fish out of the water.
Sit henge is in a little bit of disrepair. So we had to do a little rehabilitation.
The reservation website was showing eight people had booked campsite 90. Of course that was BS. Martin and I had the place to ourselves for two nights and 3 days. And perfect weather. If you are wondering why there is such a discrepancy in the NPS site and actual numbers in the backcountry, then let me help educate you via the fine work done by the Southern Forest Watch and member Mark Cooke, outlined in this article.

NPS Fudging Number again.

An eagle landed on the tree behind Martin. That makes about four we saw.
crisp and cool makes for good climbs on a steep trail.
Per custom we made the Saturday ascent via Lost Cove to the Shuck stack. For those of you keeping a score at home that’s seven miles and 2400 ft of elevation. And five or six pretty good creek crossings.
the views rarely disappoint up here.
I’ve climbed this thing a million times but for some reason this one wore me out. Did not see any feral hogs which was unusual. As a matter of fact other than the eagles we saw almost zero wildlife. Which led to some speculation on our part. For instance why no bear or deer. Or turkeys for that matter. I see more wildlife across the street from my house than I do in here. Strange given the remote ness. Years ago I used to see stuff in there all the time. Hmmm.
Shuckstack
As far as weekends go there are none better except perhaps the one we had the weekend before. It’s good to be back in North Carolina in the wilderness with Martin.
Happy Thanksgiving to you.

Slickrock/Yellowhammer

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Ike Branch and Nichols cove were like a bushwhacking experience. No one had obviously been through there in quite some time. It was good to be back on the trail with scooter.
It took us almost 3 and 1/2 hours to get four and a half miles into this campsite. That’s how remote and rugged it is in there. Of course we didn’t see a soul which is why we went.
on one of the better stretches of Nichols cove.
the weather was ideal. First night was star filled and glorious.
The second morning we got up and climbed to The hangover big fat Gap parking lot. It was a steep two and a half miles. I think we gained about 1,800 ft.
Do you know what that is in the distance?
you simply can’t ask for a better late November weather.
You find some odd sights in the backcountry.
We were pretty tired and hit the bed early because we were going to exit via slick Rock Creek. That proved to be a great adventure as well.
it is so beautiful in this wilderness. Still did not see a soul. We missed our turn at the bottom to exit slick Rock Creek and come back out by the river. We inadvertently we’re climbing back up like branch. But it may have saved a little bit of mileage. And that’s a trail I needed. All in all we did about 15 miles that weekend.
and we relished every second. This is the good good. Wilderness. Praise God.