AT from Big Meadows to Hawksbill MTN, VA Backpacking Trip

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I had just purchased a Hennsey Ultralight Hammock and I was itching to field test it before it got too cold. So I thought I would take a short trip in SNP from Big Meadows to the Hawksbill Mountain Summit via the AT and the Salamander Trail. I had previously visited the summit by way of the Upper Hawksbill Moutain trail and had walked past it on the AT. This trip would explore the Salamander tail and visit Rocksprings Hut on the return trip for an overnight visit. Day One - Big Meadows to Hawksbill Summit and Rocksprings Hut --- October 5, 2002 Never believe the weathermen. I think I could stick my head outside and do just as good as a job at predicting the weather. It was supposed to dump rain because of Hurricane Lilly coming up from the Gulf. Wrong. Lilly had no punch and I ended up with Sunny weather during the day and surprisingly brisk weather at night. I left my car at the Big Meadows Picnic area and started North around 9:30. My plan was to first reach the blue blaze trail to Rocksprings Hut and if I was feeling good take the Salamander Trail up to Hawksbill Mountain Summit. It was already warm by the time I left and quite Sunny. My pack felt light because of carrying the hammock and an Alcohol Stove versus my trusty Multi-fuel stove. My legs felt well, but, my feet were surprisingly tender. After warming up though I felt good and was hitting 2.5 miles per hour. The trail was a gently sloping wide woods trail with few travelers. I came upon the turnoff to Rock Spring Hut and feeling good I shortly proceeded up the Salamander Trail. I was surprised how wide and evenly graded the trail was, certainly not your typical blue blaze trail. During the Spring hatching season this trail is often closed because of the nesting of Falcons along the trail overlooks. Contrary to the name, Hawksbill, the birds are actually Falcons that call this mountain their home. Upon reaching the Hawksbill Summit I emerged into brilliant daylight. Many weekend visitors were taking advantage of the weather to visit the summit. I saw a group of Amish kids and a cameraman taking film shots at the summit. The Falcons put on a real aerial display for us. One bird in particular would swoop down over us some close you could hear the swoosh. He also did barrel rolls (birds do that?) and would also do a cannon ball drop and then spread his wings to catch a thermal. Quite a display. After a lunch atop the summit I headed back down to Rock Spring Hut. There was a film crew there filming a piece on thru hiking for ESPN 2. It is suppose to air 6 or 8 weekends from the 5th. Most of the production was staged, but, they did film two lady thru-hikers who just happened to spend the night at the hut. The lady thru-hikers were good dinner companions for me. A couple of other weekend backpackers set up nearby and a another group was at the Rock Spring cabin. The hammock set up easily between two trees about 15 feet apart. I must say it is very comfortable and provides you better protection than a bivy or tarp. I dozed off during the late afternoon it was so comfy. The down side of the hammock was that it got cold Saturday night and the wind picked up. My bottom got really cold even inside of my sleeping bag. I definitely would rate the hammock as a May to September sleeping arrangement. Day TWO - Rock Spring Hut to Big Meadows--- October 6, 2002 Another downside was that the party in the cabin really started to party on Saturday night, letting out war hoops until 3 AM Sunday morning. Sunday morning started cold. When I went down to cook breakfast the thru-hikers were already ready to go. They were pretty pissed off about the noise from the cabin party. After a quick breakfast to ward off the cold I was on my way back to Big Meadows. Sunday was also sunny, but, not quite as warm. Once I got going though I felt pretty comfortable. It only took me about 1 1/2 hours to cover the 3.5 miles back to Big Meadows. A plus at Big Meadows was that I was able to take a shower so that I did not stink all the way home. Pretty cool. More Pictures Expresso Tom

Amish kids on Hawksbill Summit. By Tom Stevenson Byrd's Nest 2 Shelter, SNP, VA. By Tom Stevenson View from Byrd's Nest 2 Shelter. By Tom Stevenson Deer at Rock Spring Shelter, VA. By Tom Stevenson View of Fisher's Gap, VA. By Tom Stevenson View from Fisher's Gap, VA. By By Tom Stevenson View from Hawksbill Mountain, VA By Tom Stevenson Another view from Hawksbill Mountain, VA. By Tom Stevenson