- Date:
2023-05-30 - 2023-05-31
During an otherwise busy week I was able to dedicate a couple of days to re-backing on a trail that I originally hiked in 2021. I started on the Tuesday morning after Memorial Day, and I only saw one other hiker the entire time I was on the trail - which suits me fine. Mabel was a great hiking companion.
Weather throughout this hike was good. The only rain was overnight, but it was after I had already turned in for bed, and it was finished by the time I woke up the following morning.
On this trip I brought one of the VHF Motorola XTS5000 portable radios that I bought recently at the Dayton Hamvention. This is a channelized radio that I had programmed the night before the hike using repeaters that were in the closest proximity to my hike. Throughout the hike I primarily used the N4AW 2m repeater, and it covered the entire trip very well. In fact, the repeater is located at my starting point on Sassafras Mountain.
Hitting the Trail at Sassafras Mountain at approximately 10:30AM on Tuesday, May 30, 2023. There was a downpour just as I arrived, but fortunately it cleared up just before I left the vehicle. Amateur Radio
My starting point. Beyond this point no vehicles are allowed.
A sign on the side of the trail near the starting point.
The N4AW repeater tower on Sassafras Mountain - just several hundred feet from the gate pictured above. This repeater site is in the trees, but it is on the tallest mountain in South Carolina.
Mabel and me.
The first part of the hike is straight down. Since it's an out-and-back adventure, this means that the trip will end with a huge ascent. This photo is the bottom of the first mountain. It is very steep.
The trail is along the NC-SC boarder. While the North Carolina side is welcoming, the South Carolina side is less so.
Typical trail section that shows why I prefer to hike in full-sleve shirts and long pants even during warm months.
State line markers throughout the hike.
This trail parallels a closed forest service road, and there are several campsites and road crossings throughout the journey.
Trail markers for assurance that hikers are still on the correct trail.
Though thickly wooded in some areas this trail is very pleasant and there are only very few areas that are objectionably dense.
A tortoise in the middle of the trail.
A view from Dolves Mountain.
A small snake was sunbathing in the middle of the trail.
Water was sparse on this trail, but fortunately I was never at risk of dehydration. I filled my water twice in the same spot - once traveling in, and once traveling out. This location is hidden off to the side of the trail, but the faint trickling noise gave it away. Drinking fresh water while hiking is always a treat.
Bursted Rock Mountain. The next few photos show my view from there. I had several great simplex conversations in 146.520 MHz. I only brought two radios, and both were VHF-only. The two radios are the Motorola XTS-5000R Model II, and the Kenwood TH-K2.
Atop Bursted Rock Mountain I noticed that my Motorola battery had not failed, then I compared batteries from both radios. The battery for the Kenwood TH-K2 portable has a 1,800mAh capacity, while the battery for the Motorola has a 4,600mAh capacity. No wonder the Motorola battery lasted mwe the entire trip with no replacement. I brough four for this radio. It seems like they were effectively just extra weight!
Still at Bursted Rock Mountain
The view from Bursted Rock Mountain
My bag of toys atop Bursted Rock Mountain
Approximately a mile past Bursted Rock Mountain, it was starting to get later in the day (the eight o'clock hour), and I was at a reasonably tall elevation place. As a good ham radio spot, I decided to set up camp. In this photo I am starting to set up the tent.
Progressing on setting up the tent.
Chuck gave me a Coleman ground pad several months prior, and this was the first backpacking trip I used it (since I just plain forget to use it before). This ground pad is considerably heavier than a ground pad specifically intended for backpacking, but the extra weight is absolutely worth the effort. I was more comfortable in the woods than I had been in a long time.
The tent completely set up with the rain fly. Good thing I put it on because it rained that night.
Cooking and eating dinner - aided by headlight. The beef jerky that Haocheng made for me during this trip was greatly appreciated, too. It was delicious, and I normally don't have anything like that when I backpack.
The headlight has a red setting. This helps people retain their night vision.
I set up the foldable dipole and ran the antenna cable into the tent. This setup worked well. I spoke with David (N4TS) and checked into the N4AW nightly repeater net.
I thought that my boots were both covered by the rain fly tent flaps, but apparently one of them was not covered as fully as I thought it was. Fortunately this was not too problematic since I only had one more day of hiking to do.
A view of the tent on Wednesday morning. You can see the trail, and near the time I shot this photo I saw the one and only other person I saw on this trip cross me on the trail.
I didn't start hiking until 10:30 Wednesday morning. It was a slow morning, and I was ok with that. When we started hiking again we turned around and headed for the car.
The survey marker at Dolves mountain.
Mabel and I ate tuna and crackers at this same spot two years ago while we did the same hike.
Passing through he burned area.
This might have been the same snake from the previous day. It was near the same spot. He's just hanging out.
Near the top of Sassafras mountain. At the time I shot this photo I was very close to finishing the hike. I was so sweaty and it was so humid that it was difficult for me to wipe the cell phone lens adequately to take a smear-free photo.
A look at the N4AW repeater tower.
The tower's dog house was unlocked, so I took this photo.
The hike starts on the left and turns around at approximately the 9.5-mile mark.
