Following our trip to Asheville in May (see last post), I knew I wanted to explore North Carolina further.  What better way, I thought, than to hike the Appalachian Trail.  So, the plan was hatched to hike the 15 mile stretch from Carver’s Gap to Highway 19E later in July.

However, since I had not backpacked in over 20 years, I thought a dry run was appropriate.  So, my son Jeremy and I planned a 10 mile excursion on Florida’s Nature Coast Trail.  The hike originated in Trenton, Florida and ended at Fanning Springs, Florida.

We arrived at the trail head around 9:30 AM on June 9^th.  It was already hot with temperatures rapidly rising through the mid 90’s.  At least the humidity was high, so we had that going for us; and there was only a 30% chance of rain.

My pack is an F-Stop Satori. It’s made exclusively to carry camera gear and has a volume capacity of 62 liters.  Jeremy’s pack is an Osprey Atmos with a 65 liter capacity. I was carrying all the camera gear with the remaining room filled with camping necessities.  Jeremy’s pack contained the rest of the gear.  Fortunately, there was water available at the campsite, so we only had to carry enough water for the hike, about 3 liters each. All in all, the packs were pretty evenly distributed at approximately 45 lbs. each.

So, we loaded up and off we went.  Did I mention it was hot?

Did I mention I haven’t backpacked in over 20 years?  Did I mention how out of shape I am?  Did I mention it was hot?

The first portion of the hike was relatively painless however, after about 5 miles I was ready to sell my pack and by mile 7 I was trying to give it away.  Unfortunately, the only other living creatures on the trail that day were a bicyclist, who snickered as he went by, and a dehydrated turtle.  It was too hot to stand around (or in my case to sit) and complain, so we continued to the campsite.

Fanning Springs  was very congested as you can imagine on a hot (there’s that word again) summer day.  Surprisingly, we were the only ones in the primitive campground.  Apparently, no one else is foolish enough to strap 45 lbs. on their back, walk 10 miles in the hot Florida sun to sleep on the ground and eat dehydrated food.

Overall, it was a successful dry run.  The equipment performed flawlessly and valuable lessons were learned as we prepared for our Appalachian Trail hike in July.

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