Thanks Paul ! Love your choice of hikes and where you live. You are living the life bro, Great video as usual. My good friend (Just A Farmer) is hiking the AT . 58 years old, 2 Artifical knees and is leading the pack in the front bubble.He is a Wonderful friend and great person. I hiked with him from Damascus through Mount Rogers and Grayson a few weeks back. He is Army airborne , no quit in him. He will be in Harper's ferry in 10 days. I will pick him up and bring him home to plant his crops. He will then flip flop to Maine and finish SoBo in Harpers ferry. I hope to be walking some this summer again with him. We live here in the cornfields of Ohio. We hike in Ky, The Red River gorge a lot and at the other end at The big South Fork in Tenn. My goals are doing a lot of the hikes that you do throughout Tenn. and N. Carolina which brought me to your channel way back. Love the chemistry between you and Blair and the way you ask him , Where are we Blair ? Where are we headed today ? You do a great job over all and you deserve Way more viewers. Follow my friend if you like, He will finish his hike for sure. He has tons of Subs from being in that first bubble, A great way to begin a bring attention to a channel. All the love there is
Thank you for your kind words. Hiked many a time in the Mt Rogers area in my youth, love that area and plan to go back some day. Definitely will check out Just A Farmer. Thanks for continuing to watch the videos!
Just did the same loop based on your video. Really enjoyed it! Some of the trails after the east fork were very overgrown but not too bad to get through. We had to be really careful on that steep Old Butt decent...rain and wet leaves made it very slippery! Thanks for posting this Paul.
Great trip, thanks for sharing, might go in 2 weeks and try the same. Also could use advice, I've got a week off to knock out a section of AT and want to get in some high elevations. Any recommendations . Thinking Roan highlands or similar. I'll have pick and drop off available so I can end to end a section. Smokies is an option too but trying to get in so good balds with elevation since leaves will not be completely blocking views and little bugs. Thanks for ideas since you have hiked some much of NC and TN. Thanks again for advice on packs, I'm still between the Exos and REI Flash 55. Take care,
Hello Greg. Thanks, yes this was a great trip. Have not made it to the Roan Mountains yet, but looking forward to it. AT sections I recall having great views: Standing Indian to Albert Mountain, Winding Stair Gap to NOC is really nice, and Newfound Gap to Davenport Gap in the Smokies is spectacular. Lots of through hikers this time of year so may be crowded.
@@goldenblazehikes Paul, if I did Winding Star Gap to NOC how did you break it up. I'm thinking I could back track a little to Rock Spring Shelter first night after work, then up early going north to Wayah Shelter second night.... Did you use a shuttle and park at Noc and get shuttled south? Thanks again for the tips.
Guess it would depend on how many days, but there are plenty of shelters and campsites. We be broke this section into two trips, 1 night each. Could be done in 2 days or 3 days easy depending on your mileage. Less elevation gain starting at Winding Stair.
LOL - I'm turning into a gear junkie. It is a Gossamer Gear G4-20. Very light, but frameless. Rides a lot different that packs I have carried in the past. Do like it and will be putting out a review soon.
Beautiful area. Looked fun.
Yes it was and had a blast! Thanks for watching.
Thanks for hike my friend
Thanks for tagging along!
Thanks Paul ! Love your choice of hikes and where you live. You are living the life bro, Great video as usual. My good friend (Just A Farmer) is hiking the AT . 58 years old, 2 Artifical knees and is leading the pack in the front bubble.He is a Wonderful friend and great person. I hiked with him from Damascus through Mount Rogers and Grayson a few weeks back. He is Army airborne , no quit in him. He will be in Harper's ferry in 10 days. I will pick him up and bring him home to plant his crops. He will then flip flop to Maine and finish SoBo in Harpers ferry. I hope to be walking some this summer again with him. We live here in the cornfields of Ohio. We hike in Ky, The Red River gorge a lot and at the other end at The big South Fork in Tenn. My goals are doing a lot of the hikes that you do throughout Tenn. and N. Carolina which brought me to your channel way back. Love the chemistry between you and Blair and the way you ask him , Where are we Blair ? Where are we headed today ? You do a great job over all and you deserve Way more viewers. Follow my friend if you like, He will finish his hike for sure. He has tons of Subs from being in that first bubble, A great way to begin a bring attention to a channel. All the love there is
Thank you for your kind words. Hiked many a time in the Mt Rogers area in my youth, love that area and plan to go back some day. Definitely will check out Just A Farmer. Thanks for continuing to watch the videos!
I did the Black Balsam Knob loop a few years back and that's some beautiful country.
Yes it is Jim, one of my favorite areas. Thanks for watching!
Just did the same loop based on your video. Really enjoyed it! Some of the trails after the east fork were very overgrown but not too bad to get through. We had to be really careful on that steep Old Butt decent...rain and wet leaves made it very slippery! Thanks for posting this Paul.
Awesome - glad you liked it Bryan. That is the hardest descent I can recall on Old Butt - LOL.
A absolutely beautiful loop trail!
Happy backpacking.
Thanks Jerry, happy trails to you too
@@goldenblazehikes Thank you Sir!
Great episode Paul...been there, great place....where the hell is Blair. ?..damn slack ass
Thanks! Maybe next time, LOL.
Great trip, thanks for sharing, might go in 2 weeks and try the same. Also could use advice, I've got a week off to knock out a section of AT and want to get in some high elevations. Any recommendations . Thinking Roan highlands or similar. I'll have pick and drop off available so I can end to end a section. Smokies is an option too but trying to get in so good balds with elevation since leaves will not be completely blocking views and little bugs. Thanks for ideas since you have hiked some much of NC and TN. Thanks again for advice on packs, I'm still between the Exos and REI Flash 55. Take care,
Hello Greg. Thanks, yes this was a great trip. Have not made it to the Roan Mountains yet, but looking forward to it. AT sections I recall having great views: Standing Indian to Albert Mountain, Winding Stair Gap to NOC is really nice, and Newfound Gap to Davenport Gap in the Smokies is spectacular. Lots of through hikers this time of year so may be crowded.
@@goldenblazehikes Paul, if I did Winding Star Gap to NOC how did you break it up. I'm thinking I could back track a little to Rock Spring Shelter first night after work, then up early going north to Wayah Shelter second night.... Did you use a shuttle and park at Noc and get shuttled south? Thanks again for the tips.
Guess it would depend on how many days, but there are plenty of shelters and campsites. We be broke this section into two trips, 1 night each. Could be done in 2 days or 3 days easy depending on your mileage. Less elevation gain starting at Winding Stair.
What's the blue pack?
LOL - I'm turning into a gear junkie. It is a Gossamer Gear G4-20. Very light, but frameless. Rides a lot different that packs I have carried in the past. Do like it and will be putting out a review soon.