Trail Dames

Crowders Mountain w/the North Carolina Dames

This past Saturday, 5 of us headed up to our local mountain for a nice hike 3 mile hike. This was a first hike for some of the Dames and the second hike that I was leading. I purposely chose the 3.5 mile trail in hopes that everyone would be able to finish.   We met up at the visitors center at 9am and started out in the chilly windy morning. The first mile was a nice gradual climb. I hung back with Chris and Sharon as Linda and Dianna blazed up the trail. We finally caught up to them at a trail intersection. They were sitting on a bench and as we got to the bench, both Chris and Sharon plopped down. I didn’t realize how hard the trail was til the newbie Sharon mentioned she wasn’t sure she could make it to the top. I was just about to give her the “You can do it!” speech, when to my surprise, before I could utter a word, the other ladies showered Sharon with encouragement, compliments, and affirmations that YES!, she could do this! They were going to make sure ALL the Dames made it up! I just stood back, amazed at the camaraderie of this group. The others even went so far as to hlep find a stick for Sharon to use to help her for the rest of the hike. My heart swelled and I had to choke down a tear and thought, “This is what Trail Dames is all about.” Women encouraging one another to accomplish what they didn’t even know they could do!
With renewed determination, Sharon got up with her stick and started up the trail. We all hiked the last .7 miles, (which happened to be the steepest and toughest .7 miles of the hike), together. When we neared the top, I ran up to the sign indicting we reached the summit. When I yelled back to let them know they were yards away, I swear I heard chorus’ of “thank goodness, YAY!, and FINALLY.” Haha! As each Dame reached the sign, I snapped a photo and high fived the hiker while each person cheered for the next. Linda made it point to say, it was a lot tougher than she expected. Someone mentioned that walking 3 miles and hiking 3 miles were two different experiences. I  understood, after all, I was once in their shoes.
With no view in sight, I point up to our very last, strenous piece of the trail. We have to boulder climb (literally climb) up to the summit. They all look at me like I’m crazy. At this point Sharon says that there is no way she can do it. (Crickets…)No one says a word. This time I pipe up and say, “YES you can! You didn’t hike 1.7 miles, all up, for nothing. You all worked so hard for that view, you EARNED that view! Now lets go get that view!” One by one, they caustiously placed their hands and feet in foot holds and climbed thier way up the last .15 mile to that view. I went up last to make sure everyone made it up safely. One by one, I could hear the gasps as they each reached the top. Chris, usually chatty, was silent. She was taking in the view. Linda was the first to say it was all worth the climb, (everyone nodded in agreement). Sharon, told us that she would of never have seen this view or made it up to the top if it wasn’t for all for us being there for her. We stayed up there for a good 20 minutes, just taking in our accomplishment, before we decided to hike back down to the cars. It was a great day, and as many times as I’ve seen that view, today’s view was especially special because it was a “first time” view for many of these new Dames. I’m glad I was able to show and share it with these ladies. Til next time… GET OUTDOORS!!!

Reedy Creek- Guest Post from the North Carolina Dames

Reedy Creek Hike

9 Dames made it out on a beautiful mothers day morning for the 3 mile Reedy Creek hike.  (Nina, Lori, Kimber, Chelsea, Diane, Diana, Dolores, Kathy, and me.)  We all met up at the nature center where we chatted a bit before trail maps were passed around.  After taking the “before” picture, we headed down past the Nature Center and started our hike on the yellow Umbrella Tree trail.  We hiked in around .33 miles before Diana decided to take the short cut trail to meet us at the Robinson Rock house.  We all continued the next mile on the blue Big Oak trail.  Everyone seemed to be chatting away and hiking around the same pace, which was great, because I was able to talk to each Dame 🙂

We finally reach the intersection of yellow Umbrella Tree trail.  We stop and I ask Nina which way we should go.  She checks out her map decides we need to turn right.  Perfect!  She and Dolores keep the lead and pace going for the hike for another .33 miles before we come to the next intersection.  Again the ladies consult the map and keep us going in the right direction.  We take a right, then stop to admire a big tree that Dolores points out  before we continue another .33 miles on the red South Fork trail.  We finally run into the orange Robinson Rockhouse trail, hang a right and continue another .33 miles down to the rock ruins.  Dolores was the first to notice the sweet aroma that a honeysuckle makes and I made sure everyone else caught a whiff of that sweet scent lingering in the air.  A few feet later, we passed by the honeysuckle plant and I was so tempted to pluck a flower and taste the nectar.  But alas… we were in a county park where we are not allowed to pluck, pull, cut, or pick up any flower, fauna, tree, or shrub.  So.. I took a deep breathe and settled for the sweet aroma in the air 🙂

I love this section of the trail, not only
because it’s beautiful, but because when you near the end, you round a bend in the trail and then all of the sudden, you stumble upon the rock ruins.  We stopped here for 15 minutes, enjoying and exploring the ruins.  Kathy shared her yummy trail mix with me and I told her I would be hiking with her from now on! haha!  We take our Trail Dames group photo and hop back on the trail.  This time, Kimber and Chelsea lead the way with Chelsea using her map skills to get us back to our car. At the trail intersection we run into Diana, seems as if her short cut, ended up being a long cut!  After adding up her mileage, she had hiked around the same miles as we did. haha!  Oh well, at least we all hiked back out together.  When we get to the nature center, everyone walks over to the pond and picnic table, while Lori and I head back down the trail to check on Diana.  She was right on our heels.  When we get to the picnic table, we all say our goodbyes and head back to our cars.

We needed this hike…..

MAryland5
Today the Maryland Trail Dames did a short day hike in Gambrill State Park.  It was previously scheduled for last week but a big rain storm canceled that so I rescheduled it for today.  Not so many could come but nonetheless we had such a wonderful day.  Gambrill State Park is very close to our house. We are very fortunate.  I’m sorry for the blurry spot on the pics. Apparently I need to clean the lens.

The hike was meant to be 7.9 miles but a wrong turn (well…we were chatting and laughing and hiking….and I (yes, I take full responsibility) missed a turn, so we did a 6 mile hike. Truth be told, no one was terribly disappointed.  Before we had set off, while gathered in the parking lot, it seems that we’d all had some very stressful days and sleepless nights for a variety of reasons. We all agreed that we didn’t just want to do this hike, we needed to do this hike.  We were all stretched taut, twisted hard and tight, and like a string on a violin, we needed this hike to loosen the tension before we snapped.  It worked.  It always does.

The weather simply could not have been better. After yesterday’s windy cold spell, today was glorious. It was still, warm, clear.  We’ve lived in 10 states and 2 other countries and in none of those places is the air as clean and clear and sweet as it is here.  In spite of the heavy rains we’ve had, the ground and trail bed were well drained. The air was sweet scented with pine needles, new leaves, watered soil.  We had decided at the start that we were in no hurry….a pace of 1 1/2  – 2 miles per hour was enough.  We passed wild mountain azaleas in full bloom, dogwood still adorned in floating white blossoms, newly sprouted ferns so green they are almost painful to look upon, and mountain laurels exploding with new growth and the promise of showers of pink and white blossoms in another month.  There were tiny exquisite bright purple wild violets.  Our Spring may come a little later than in milder climates, but it lasts longer and is an heavenly joy to behold.  When it turns green here it stays green well into Fall.

We found a spread of flat rocks and sat down for lunch.  It was at least 70 degrees, sunny, still, so beautiful.  We moved on and in 3 1/2 hours we completed the 6 miles.  We had taken short breaks to just catch our breath, drink water, chat.  When we returned to the Middletown Valley Overlook, where we had set out from, we took some time to just soak in the views and take more photos.  Then we all turned to one another and in almost the same breath said “We live in such a beautiful place.”  Yes, we do. We are well and truly blessed to be here.  And ladies, you are the best.

Linda, aka Mrs. Baggins

Kings Moutain Military Park Hike

 

This post is from our North Carolina Trail Dames Blog, thanks to our illustrious Head Dame there, Fabs!!
Today, 8 of us (Katherine, Stephanie, Linda, Marsha, Karen, Kimber, Tammy, and me) headed down to Kings Mt. Military National Park for a 5 mile hike on the Brown Mountain trail. It was a beautiful day and the weather was perfect! We all carpooled to the park, which was only 40 minutes away. Once there, we grabbed maps, agreed on a meeting point, and hit the trail! It started out nice and flat but then gently started to climb for a 1/2 mile. Some of the ladies blazed on, and some of us ambled along. I’m really big on “hike your own hike.” Meaning, you do you, or hike at your own pace and not worry what everyone else is doing. We will all arrive at the same place soon. Enjoy yourself, see the flowers, breathe in the fresh air, or push yourself. It’s up to you, it’s your hike. 

Soon we come to a road crossing, then descend down a rocky, rooty trail, to a nice flat walk with gentle rolling hills for the next 2 miles. I hiked with Marsha for a while and learned that she’s a pretty bad ass Dame! She has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and used to ride bikes for 40-60 mile stretches. I was really impressed. I decided to run up ahead to catch the group and let them know to go ahead and make that final 1 mile round trip push up to Browns Mountain. When I got to the trail intersection, Catherine told me they only arrived 5 minutes ago. I told them I would hang out here and wait for the others and that the group could go up to the top of Brown Mountain. Six Dames (and Dixie the Boxer) climbed up Browns Mountain. Tammy, Marsha, and I sat on a comfy log and traded snacks and stories 🙂

Soon, Marsh and Tammy decided to get an early start on the return trip and off they went! I waited a few minutes for the others to return and soon we were bolting down the trail. We all made it back to the visitors center and said our good byes as we hopped back into our cars and headed home. All in all it was a great hike, on a beautiful day, with a great group of Dames. I liked the fact that I got a chance to hike and talk with everyone on this hike and I loved how all the ladies seemed to find a hiking partner they could hike and talk with. That’s what it’s all about, enjoy the outdoors with friends.

Posted by Trail Dames of NC

Backpacking 101-Lesson 1

Life on the AT
This is a guest post from the Delaware Valley Trail Dames new blog!  Link to them here so you can follow their adventures!!

 

After 2 years enjoying fabulous day hikes, our DelVal Dames have decided to take our hiking to the next level. We’re planning for a backpacking trip later this year. We have a small but enthusiastic group of ladies who want to give this a try. They have little to no experience, but that’s not stopping anyone. I’m so proud of them! And I’m amazed that they have fath in me to teach them how to do this.

Our little core of committed hikers assembled recently to hear me talk about backpacking. I had to come clean to them, though. I told them that I have an ulterior motive. I’m building a cult. Yes, that’s right. I love to hike for days at a time. I really do. But I’m no longer the foolish 18-year-old who heads out alone. Now, I’m nearly 50, wiser, and more mature. For me, the best part of hiking is sharing the experience with friends. So, these clinics are just part of my campaign to get people to go backpacking with me.

Consider yourselves warned. But also be warned, that we will have fun. Above all, though, I want us to be safe which means, just like all good scouts, we must be prepared. What follows are our first preparations for what I hope will be a wonderful backpacking adventure in the near future.

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Gear! Gear! Gear!

Backpacking sure is a lot of fun. It seems to be quite simple fun, too. We have romantic visions of sleeping under the stars on a soft bed of pine needles, watching shooting stars darting overhead, listening to loons calling across still lakes. It’s true that sometimes those moments of zen can be found in the wilderness. But, it’s not necessarily as simple as that. Just as likely, you may find yourself huddled at the bottom of a tree, soaked to the skin by a penetrating rain, cold and shivering as temperatures drop. And the loons? You couldn’t hear them over the thunder anyway! So what is the difference between these two scenarios? Simple. Preparation. And Preparation means Gear to our first-time Trail Dames backpackers.

Gear includes all that stuff that makes your life comfortable and safe in the outdoors. In some cases, your gear may be what keeps you alive. What do you need? A pack, tent, sleeping bag, compass, map, flashlight, a really cool multi-tool, the ice axe the guy at the outfitter said you’d need at elevation (has he ever been to the Poconos in winter?). And what about the solar-powered microwave, wicking wrist warmers, heart rate monitor, and climbing ropes? Whoa! How did this get so out of control? I can’t carry all that stuff, and neither can you. We could take some really cute sherpas along, or perhaps rent some pack mules, but that’s probably too much work, too.

Think about how our lives become simplified by living on the trail. We have three tasks every day that we are on the trail. We walk, we eat, we sleep. That’s it. Life is simple. So, as we consider gear, we need to think about what we need to walk, eat and sleep. This clinic was a basic orientation. So, we didn’t go into painful detail about each piece of gear we’ll need. But we did cover the walk, eat, sleep tasks. So, let’s start there.

Walking: This is the meat and potatoes of your hiking experience. Well, you could also have meat and potatoes for dinner, but let’s save that for another clinic. When walking, we need to think most about our feet and our backs. We need good fitting shoes or boots, good socks dedicated to hiking (not cotton athletic socks), and we need a VERY well fitted backpack. An ill-fitting pack, one that is not adjusted and strapped on properly, will suck the energy out of you and recruit your spine to the dark side so that it becomes a construct of pain rather than support. We’ll save the footwear discussion for another clinic and go straight to the backpack.

FITTING A BACKPACK: Backpacks come in sizes. Features such as capacity, access points, water bottle holders, etc., are great, but if the size does not match your torso length, you will struggle. And torso length has nothing to do with your dress size or height. Short people may have long torsos and tall people can have short torsos. The only way to know your torso length is to measure your torso length. Armed with this measurement, you can make a good pack choice.

It helps to have a second person assist you when measuring your torso. Use a tape measure and stand up straight, feet together and shoulders back. Now, drop your chin to your chest. At the base of your neck on your back you should easily feel a bump. This is your C7 vertebra. This is the start of the measurement. Now, find your iliac crest by putting your hands on your hips, thumbs pointing towards each other across your back. The imaginary line connecting your thumbs marks your iliac crest. The length measured from the C7 vertebra to the iliac crest is your torso length. Backpack manufacturers have different guidelines, but generally, 15″ to 17″ is a small pack, 17″ to 19″ is a medium, and 19″ to 21″ is a large pack. Some manufacturers also make XS and XL packs, and many are adjustable for an inch or two. If you get this measurement right, you will be well on your way to a comfortable carry on the trail.

When considering a pack, volume is also important. For our Trail Dames purposes, we will be doing mostly weekend trips. Buying a very expensive lightweight or ultralightweight pack may not be so important for short trips. And, the high end fabrics that go into making such packs makes them more expensive. Considering that we will be sharing some gear and carrying less food on weekend trips, a less expensive, heavier, more basic pack should be just fine for our basic beginning trips. Go to an outfitter or sporting good store and try on packs that suit your torso length. Get some weight into the packs when you try them. Outfitters usually have sandbags available. But if nothing is available, put some merchandise in the pack and weight it down with 20 or so pounds. An outfitter will be pleased to show you how to adjust the straps, but if you are on your own, remember to fasten your straps from the bottom up.

Here are the steps to putting on a backpack properly:

1. Loosen all straps. Slip your arms through the straps and lean forward, bending from the waist. Center the pack and balance the weight. Now tighten the hip straps. Many guides say that the hip belt should fall just at your belly button, but I’ve found that most women like it slightly lower than this. Each person is different, though. Start out by tightening the hip belt at the level where the waist of your favorite jeans falls.

2. Now stand up straight. Pull down on the shoulder strap adjustments until they are snug.

3. Reach up above the shoulders and pull the load lifter straps forward. This should form an approximately 45 degree angle from the pack to the top of your shoulders.

4. Adjust the sternum strap across your chest.

These are the basic steps. Depending on the pack, there may be other adjustment options. And, no adjustment is permanent. No one ever puts on a pack after breakfast and doesn’t make adjustments several times throughout the day. Strap placement and features, and your particular body shape will impact the comfort level of your backpack. The only way to know if the pack is right for you is to try it on.

Now that you have an idea of what to look for when purchasing a pack, I’m sure you are wondering where to buy a pack. REI and Eastern Mountain Sports are major outfitters in the Delaware Valley. You can also find backpacks at places like Dick’s Sporting Goods and Cabelas, too. Salespeople may or may not have expertise to help you at any of these stores. I think REI is usually pretty good when it comes to knowledgeable staff, but there is no substitute for your own knowledge. If you go in there with a basic understanding, you will be able to make a better purchase.

You can also check for deals on eBay, but of course, you will not be able to try on a pack before purchasing. If you go this route, be very careful, do your research, and know the seller’s return policy. This is not my recommended route for obtaining a first-time backpack, but I know that it’s possible (if not necessarily probable) to get an amazing deal on a wonderful pack through an online auction.

I hope you found this summary of our first clinic helpful. If you missed our first meeting, no problem! Come on out and join us at another clinic soon. Members of the Delaware Valley Trail Dames can visit our Meetup site to see a full schedule of events. I look forward to seeing you on the trail!