Well I am back from my trip out to the black mountains, and I had a fantastic experience. There were some bumps along the way, things didn’t go exactly as planned, there are some lingering aches and pains, but the joys of the mountains were worth all that.

Since I only get to do a few backpacking trips a year I am going to go all out talking about this one. Not all in one post though. For this post I am just going to describe what I did, and then I will have one talking about my gear, one talking about my thoughts, and one with pictures and descriptions of the trail and the views. So here goes with what I did.

Wednesday night I camped in a camping area off the Blue Ridge Parkway, and had an uneventful night of sleep. Thursday morning I drove to the top of Mount Mitchell, parked my car, and as I had planned, left my gear in the car and hiked south to climb Mount Hallback and Mount Gibbes. Thanks to my waypoints I found both peaks and singed my name in the logbook at the top of Mount Hallback, dedicating my trip to Jillian who has left me for a foreign country. I then headed back up to the top of Mitchell where I saddled up, topped off my water, and headed out on the crest trail.

The description of the crest trail on my map describes it as “the most rugged and most scenic trail in the area.” I have done lots of hikes described as difficult that turned out to be not so much, and many described as scenic that were only scenic if you liked looking at trees (I do enjoy looking at trees by the way.) In this case however the description on the map was a very good one. I found it to be challanging both to climb and to navigate, and I found it to be a test of endurence as well. However I was given much grace and I never got lost, hurt, or too terribly exhausted.

The second half of the maps description proved true as well. The trail was by far the most satisfyingly scenic I have ever been on. I say satisfyingly scenic because the Grand Canyon was an incredibly amazing thing to see. However the fact that we drove up to the rim took away some of the satisfaction of being able to see it. In this case I felt like not only was I seeing amazing things, but I felt an exclusivisity (word?) about seeing them, because it took a lot of blood sweat and toil to earn the vistas.

So anyway, Thursday, a little before noon, I started up the crest trail, and Thursday afternoon I reached the peaks of Mount Craig, Balsam Cone, Potato Hill, and Winter Star Mountain. I then made a camp about half a mile north of Winter Star, around 5 in the evening.

Camping alone is nice because it gives you lots of time to think, and when you set up camp at 5 then you get even more time because it was three and a half hours before the sun set. I had many thoughts, but one thought in particular that kept recuring was how thirsty I was. Now I was not about to die of thirst or anything. I brought three liters of water on the trail, and by that time I had finished two of them. The problem was that I knew I couldn’t get any more water since I was on a crest, and I had to save my third liter for the next day. All this is to say that when it started to rain Thursday night I was overjoyed. A plastic bag set in a dip in the ground collected lots of water. I also consolidated a lot of stuff in my pack and collected water in zip lock bags as it came off the fly of my tent. I slept in peace, knowing there would be plenty of water for the next day.

Friday morning I got up around nine and ate breakfast. I then headed out to conquer Gibbs Mountain (not to be confused with Mount Gibbes) and Celo Knob, both of which were a little more difficult then the others on the crest trail because the trail did not go right to the peak. At the top of Celo Knob I found out that it was originally named Young’s Knob for the man who originally climbed it. I then headed down the long ascent to Blowlens Creek and the town of Burnsville. By 3 in the afternoon I was back in the civilized world, a mess of a man with a pack and no friends. The friends weren’t scheduled to meet me till 6.

So for 3 hours I bummed around town, walked probably another 4 miles with my pack, and eventially met up with Kevin and Paul. Kevin and Paul and I intended to camp out Friday night and then climb Mount Mitchell by way of the Mount Mitchell trail, a very challanging 3000 foot ascent. Our first challenge however was to find a campsite at 6:00 on a Friday evening. After looping through two campgrounds we eventially decided to hike up to Roaring Fork Falls and see if we could camp out. This we did and we enjoyed a fabulous evening of Burritos, tobacco pipes, waterfalls, and fellowship.

Once we hit the sacks for the night, then the real fun began. My rainfall on the crest trail was a thundershower that lasted probably an hour. However what we experienced Friday night was a steady rain that lasted all night long, and into the morning. As you can imagine we got up Saturday morning with our spirits dampened, and since the rain was still steady we decided on a plan B for the day. Rather then ascending 3000 feet to the top of Mount Mitchell we would ascend the steps of the nearest diner for a good homecooked country breakfast. We then headed home, thankful for the enjoyable time Friday night, and looking forward to when we can attempt the Mount Mitchell Trail another time.

Having arrived home, I sit here now, not just as one who has stood atop the east coast, but also as one who has spent all afternoon cleaning, drying, and putting away sopping wet gear and clothes. I feel bad for Kevin and Paul since they didn’t get to do much hiking besides the jaunt out to the falls, but at the same time I feel very satisfied with the trip, having for the most part done what I set out to do, the Black Mountain Crest Trail. Oh and no, I dont think it will be the last time I do that trail, as long as the Lord blesses me with the ability. Something as enjoyable as that not only needs to be done again, but needs to be shared. I can’t wait till next time!

Well I began prepping for my treck on the black mountain crest trail this evening. I got everything I will take to eat, and packed it all up in zip locks, and I sorted through all my gear. I am trying to keep my pack as light as possible, but I will be doing part of my trip solo, so I also need to be prepaired.

Basically the plan for this trip is that I will drive out to Mount Mitchell Wednesday evening. I will camp out or sleep in my car Wednesday night, and Thursday morning get an early start. There are two sixers just south of Mitchell called Mount Hallback and Mount Gibbes. Thursday morning I intend to hike Hallback and Gibbes, and end up back at the top of Mitchell.

I will then saddle up and start up the Crest Trail, going at least as far as deep gap where I will set up camp and stay overnight. Friday morning I will then finish out the crest trail and meet Kevin and maybe Paul at Bowlens Creek. We will then drive around to the black mountain camp grounds or therabouts, and camp over Friday night. Then Saturday morning we will climb Mount Mitchell via the Mount Mitchell Trail. My car will be waiting at the top of Mitchell to take us back to their car, and we will all head out to some restaurant for dinner before we head home. Thats the plan anyway, and I will be sure to tell how everything works out.

So packing my gear I need to be prepaired for two days and nights solo backpacking. If I dont pay attention to weight then I could easily have a pack that is well over 40 pounds. However in packing I have been very picky, and I have been leaving things like half of my dishes, half of my utensils (I just have a spoon now), and as few extra things as possible. My end result is that my bag, without food and water, only weighs 21 pounds. With food for two days it weighs 26 pounds. With food and 3 liters of water it comes in at around 35 pounds. This was better then I expected and it was exciting to see my efforts to cut weight pay off.

For my future reference here is my gear list:

Top pocket: Headlamp and handheld LED flashlights, map, compass, gps (w/ two extra batteries), knife, spoon, duck tape, matches, NT, camera, first aid stuff, pipe, TP and spade, and deet.

Front pocket: water filter, stove and gas, pot and pan.

Side pockets: one liter water bottle on each side.

Main compartment: sleeping bag, pad, tent, poncho and pack cover, camp saw, clothes, food, bear bag and rope, and one liter of water.

And thats about it. If anyone sees anything that I should have but dont have listed above maybe you can post a comment and let me know. I also can always use advice on how to make my pack lighter and more useful. Finally, if anyone has any experience in the Mount Mitchell area and has any advice please let me know, and any stories are welcome.

I read this really interesting article that is looking back over the past ten years considering the “discovery” of Martian life that occured back in 1996.  At the time everyone was excited because a lot of people believe that the discovery of life on other planets proves that evolution is happening everywhere in the universe.

Now personally I believe that God could create animals anywhere, and so even if they did discover life on other planets it wouldn’t disprove the creation (though inteligent life on other planets would seriously rock Christianity since we believe the inteligence of man is due to our being made in God’s image).

I also believe that we as Christians should not get all tied up over things like eleged discoveries of life on other planets because over time it will be proven that the Bible in fact has the story right.  Thats why I found this article interesting, because it talks about how ten years later, looking back, the evidence is very strong that life in fact was not discovered.

A last thing that I think Christians should keep in mind is that the Devil is a deceiver, and he doesn’t just deceive Christians but non Christians too.  I think that someday something dramatic will happen like alians will land in New York City or something of that nature.  This will seriously rock the faith of Christians because of the reason I noted above.  However this will be the devil deceiving and drawing people away from God.

We as Christians need to have a balance in our thinking.  On one hand our faith must have a basis.  There must be a reason for what we believe and it must make sense.  Christianity is not a fairy tail that we believe just because we are asked to, there is evidence for it as there is evidence for no other religion in the world.   However we must not be so caught up in proof and basis that we are rocked every time sciece comes up with some discovery that would prove Christianity wrong.  Satan will constantly be trying to deceive, and we must stand fast in our faith even when science seems to prove it wrong.

In the last day we are told that there will be a great deception, and that many will fall away from Christianity.  However we must remember that that is in the last day, hence not to soon after the great deception the Lord will return and the deception will be exposed as such.  In the end all scientific evidence “disproving” Christianity will be proven to be a farce.

Ok want to see something totally crazy? How about frat boys jumping out of fifth story windows into a pile of snow that doesnt look nearly big enough. Interesting commentary on the power of peer pressure, and perhaps mountain dew as well. Also for those who like jets, here is a way cool video of a Russian Sukhoi SU-27 doing things that pilots dont typically do on purpose.

I just thought it was interesting to learn a little bit from this article about Castro’s daughter. I have actually heard a liberal say that they would rather live in Cuba then the US and that they would go there strightway to live if they were allowed to fly there. From the article however it seems that even Fidel Castro’s daughter fled Cuba for the freedom and security of the United States. Now if Fidel Castro’s own daughter fled the country because it was a mess, how can anyone in their right mind say that they think the communistic society is really not as bad as is made out? I am sure that Castro’s daughter was raised in the best conditions that Cuba can provide, and yet she still felt the need for her and her daughter to flee the country.

Any liberal out there who thinks that communism isnt all that bad and who wouldn’t mind giving Cuba a shot, do you really think that it will provide you with more comfort and support then it provided for Castro’s own daughter?

Hey guys, all five video clips are on google now, if you want to check them out. Here is the links to them. When you are putting videos on google then it takes google 3 or 4 days to watch them and approve them, and they do not display until that is done, soo, they are finally all up there.  Enjoy!

Well Jillian and Liz have departed for Costa Rica, and they will be there for 10 days. What will I do without my most beloved! She is my everything and I will miss her dearly. Here is some background for their trip: We know some missionaries in Costa Rica, the Hennings, and they have an active ministry there. Jillian and Liz are going to stay with them for most of the time and with some families in the church there for a few days as well. They have been practicing up on their spanish for the past 9 months and this is their chance to put it to very good use.

They will be working for a day on a vacation Bible School for the kids there, they will be working with the printing work there, they will be giving their testimonies and singing a “special” for the church there, and most importantly they will be getting to know the Hennings better and Lord willing they will be an encouragement to them. They are very excited for this opportunity, and I am very excited for them. Jillian took our digital camera, so hopefully she will come home with tons of pictures of monkeys and flowers and all sorts of things that we dont get to see very often. The hennings live in the mountains by a volcano, and from what I hear they will be taking the girls to see the sights of Costa Rica. What an awesome opportunity.

Please remember them in their prayers, and when I hear from them I will keep you updated. Also if Jillian sends me pictures during the trip I’ll post them here, and there will definately be pictures posted here once they return home. Also you can remember me in your prayers too. The plan is to go on a ten day long starvation diet. Just kidding! Jillian made me a beautiful caserole which ranks in my top three favorites, and there is enough to last for at least 4 or 5 nights if I dont pig out and eat it all tonight. For the rest of the time I will be reverting back to my bachelor days in college of pop tarts and pasta.

Thanks for your prayers!

Here is something cool for you. If you like M&Ms, how about customizing their message. Instead of a plain old boring M, you can have whatever you want written on individual M&Ms that will be delivered to your door. M&Ms, they melt in your mouth, not your mailbox. Check it out here!

I got my backpack in the mail and as you can imagine I am very excited.  To see how it feels I loaded it up with all my gear.

As a side note, all my gear without paying too attention to cutting weight, comes in at around 20 pounds including the weight of the pack.  When I go out backpacking I’ll have that plus about 8 pounds of food and clothes.  My goal is to have total weight of my pack at the start to be under 30 pounds.  Thumbs up so far for lightweight backpacking.

So anyway I took some pictures of it loaded up and I dont think it looks that much different from the ones I already posted off their website, but here they are for good measure.

One cool thing about it is that the back has a fingered hard foam pad that lets the air go between your back and the pack.  This both cushions your back and keeps you cool.  This is just one of the things that makes the suspension for this pack superb.

Ok so I was reading this article and I thought it was kind of Ironic that next to an article about EMC there is an advertisement for HP’s latest storage system. By the way in case you were wondering the new CX3s are an incredible product.