Knives are a big concern among many hikers planning to hike the Appalachian Trail. Concerns range from what kind of knife to carry to the legality of carrying knives along the Appalachian Trail.
What knives are being carried?
In 2010, hikers along the Appalachian Trail were carrying everything knife-like -- from large, heavy machetes to small, ultralight, single-edge razor blades. During our recent section hike, we noted a significant number of swiss army style knives and folding buck style knives.
In our own preparation, we bought a cheap $1 folding buck style pocket knife and a small, fisherman's multi-tool for $5 at Walmart. Post-hike, it's clear that we should have left the folding knife at home. The blade on our multi-tool was more than sufficient for nearly everything we had to cut. The only exception was cutting some original moleskin. Neither the scissors nor the blade on our multi-tool was able to trim off a piece of moleskin. The folding knife allowed us to hack off a piece. God bless "Scissors" for having her dad's old swiss army knife at Quarry Gap shelter. Her scissors cut the moleskin just fine.
Our recommendation is to go with the smallest, sharpest knife that you can get by with. Your pack is going to weigh more than you would like, so cut some weight here. Many ultralight backpackers carry only a single edge razor blade. We may downsize to a razor blade for future hikes ourselves, provided we can get our hands on a set of lightweight keychain screwdrivers for tightening our hiking pole clamps.
TIP: Test your knife or substitute many times before departing for the trail.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Greyhound Bus: Lynchburg VA
We arrived at the Greyhound bus station in Lynchburg VA around 8 a.m. on a Monday morning. The northbound bus from Knoxville, TN stops in Roanoke before continuing on to Lynchburg. The bus follows a very scenic route through a pass in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Coming in to Lynchburg from the south, the bus passes Liberty University and then the modern commercial area of Lynchburg with all the chain stores. The bus continues north and then exits the expressway, circles right and over, and continues up a large hill into the older historic Lynchburg. The bus then pulls onto a cobbled street and up to the train station.
The Lynchburg-Kemper Street Station is a multi-storied building set on the side of the hill with the parking and bus area above and the tracks below. Our bus took about a 20 minute break, just enough time to get fresh water, dump some water, and check out the station.
Entering the door finds ones self in a small, but nice lobby. The ticket counter is to your left and the restrooms are towards the right. There is no restaurant and we don't recall there being much food or drink available. We noted no stores or food services along either the immediate arrival or departure routes. Recommend you bring some food or snacks with you if Lynchburg is your final destination.
There seems to be a local bus that circulates near the station that also serves the Liberty University area and the big box stores area.
The Lynchburg-Kemper Street Station is a multi-storied building set on the side of the hill with the parking and bus area above and the tracks below. Our bus took about a 20 minute break, just enough time to get fresh water, dump some water, and check out the station.
Entering the door finds ones self in a small, but nice lobby. The ticket counter is to your left and the restrooms are towards the right. There is no restaurant and we don't recall there being much food or drink available. We noted no stores or food services along either the immediate arrival or departure routes. Recommend you bring some food or snacks with you if Lynchburg is your final destination.
There seems to be a local bus that circulates near the station that also serves the Liberty University area and the big box stores area.
Backpack Cover for Flying
Several past visitors arrived looking for information on backpack covers for flying. While I haven't flown with my backpack, I have ridden several buses with a backpack.
On an earlier shakedown hike in California's Big Sur, I used a large lightweight nylon duffel to over-pack my 5500 cu.in. backpack. I bought my nylon duffel at Academy Sports for about $15. The dark green Timber Creek duffel we bought has a large piece of webbing sewn around the duffel to create two large hand straps. Actually, the straps are so large one could almost wear the duffel as a pack itself. We used a small carabiner to clip the two straps together to make picking up much quicker and easier.
Once at our destination, we folded the duffel into a packet and placed it on top of the closed main compartment, flipped the top pocket back over, and fastened the retaining straps. When we returned to the Greyhound station at Salinas, we opened our pack, expanded the duffel, dropped our pack inside, and attached the new baggage tag.
While we've not done this on the trail, we did experiment at home and discover that we could turn the duffel inside out, which positions the handles inside and prevents them from snagging on branches along the trail. The duffel doesn't quite unzip the entire length, so there's a small "hood" that one can place over the top of one's backpack and the duffel will naturally hang over the pack. Its an easy task to take a spare nylon strap, like the ones used for attaching sleeping bags and pads to exteriors, and wrap it around the pack and duffel. As our duffel is longer then our pack, we found we could under-fold the excess material so the top of the duffel material overlaps the bottom and secure the entire fold with the nylon strap.
Hope this is helpful to those of you flying to the Appalachian Trail.
On an earlier shakedown hike in California's Big Sur, I used a large lightweight nylon duffel to over-pack my 5500 cu.in. backpack. I bought my nylon duffel at Academy Sports for about $15. The dark green Timber Creek duffel we bought has a large piece of webbing sewn around the duffel to create two large hand straps. Actually, the straps are so large one could almost wear the duffel as a pack itself. We used a small carabiner to clip the two straps together to make picking up much quicker and easier.
Once at our destination, we folded the duffel into a packet and placed it on top of the closed main compartment, flipped the top pocket back over, and fastened the retaining straps. When we returned to the Greyhound station at Salinas, we opened our pack, expanded the duffel, dropped our pack inside, and attached the new baggage tag.
While we've not done this on the trail, we did experiment at home and discover that we could turn the duffel inside out, which positions the handles inside and prevents them from snagging on branches along the trail. The duffel doesn't quite unzip the entire length, so there's a small "hood" that one can place over the top of one's backpack and the duffel will naturally hang over the pack. Its an easy task to take a spare nylon strap, like the ones used for attaching sleeping bags and pads to exteriors, and wrap it around the pack and duffel. As our duffel is longer then our pack, we found we could under-fold the excess material so the top of the duffel material overlaps the bottom and secure the entire fold with the nylon strap.
Hope this is helpful to those of you flying to the Appalachian Trail.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Greyhound Bus: Charlottesville VA
We arrived at the Greyhound bus station in Charlottesville, VA on a Greyhound bus arriving from Lynchburg and Roanoke, two towns further south and near the Appalachian Trail. The bus crosses north beneath I-64 and continues straight into town. Our bus arrived about mid-morning.
The Greyhound station in Charlottesville VA is an older building. There is no restaurant, but there are vending machines for soft drinks, salty snacks, and cold sandwiches. The restrooms were fair, which puts them at the upper end for Greyhound. The ticket counter is at the right-hand end when entering from buses.
Stepping out the main entrance we spotted an international food store just across the street and down to our left. As our bus had arrived late and we expected our interconnecting bus to arrive at any moment, we did not explore the store.
We did inquire of the ticket counter about shuttles to Rockfish Gap. They informed us that no such services exist. It seems these Greyhound employees are unaware of the underground transportation system that exists among Appalachian Trail hikers. As its about twenty miles to Rockfish Gap, recommend arranging a shuttle from one of the many people recommended by ATC or on Whiteblaze.com
The Greyhound station in Charlottesville VA is an older building. There is no restaurant, but there are vending machines for soft drinks, salty snacks, and cold sandwiches. The restrooms were fair, which puts them at the upper end for Greyhound. The ticket counter is at the right-hand end when entering from buses.
Stepping out the main entrance we spotted an international food store just across the street and down to our left. As our bus had arrived late and we expected our interconnecting bus to arrive at any moment, we did not explore the store.
We did inquire of the ticket counter about shuttles to Rockfish Gap. They informed us that no such services exist. It seems these Greyhound employees are unaware of the underground transportation system that exists among Appalachian Trail hikers. As its about twenty miles to Rockfish Gap, recommend arranging a shuttle from one of the many people recommended by ATC or on Whiteblaze.com
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Appalachian Trail Pennsylvania: Henicles Market
During our 2010 section hike along the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania, we resupplied at Hennicle's Market in Fayetteville, PA. Henicle's is located less than a mile off the Appalachian Trail, just down the street from Caledonia State Park. We first showered and cleaned up a bit at Caledionia S.P so as to not render undue suffering on customers. Showers are just $3 at Caledonia State Park.
Arriving at Hennicle's Market, we dropped our packs outside by the two grocery carts. The door in the middle is the entrance and the door to the left, which I first entered, is actually the exit. Locals will be entering through the middle and circulating counter-clockwise. Best you go with the flow also.
Henicle's is a small compact store with a bit of everything. After entering and turning right, the first area has disposable cameras and some limited hardware.
Moving up the same aisle you'll find fresh fruit and vegetables to your right. Henicle's had small tubs of sliced melon for just sixty cents the day we were there. We also found oranges priced at three for a dollar. Bananas were available and reasonably priced.
At the back of the aisles and store, you'll find the deli and meat case. Henicle's offers a number of sandwiches and sides. The day of our visit found a quarter roasted chicken (leg and thigh) priced for less than two dollars. We also found some hard salami in the meat case and bought a half pound for our trek. We kept the salami cool in our Bubblelope freezer bag cozy.
The middle two aisles contain most of the groceries. Propel is available in three flavors; we bought lemon. Tuna is also available, but most was in cans. There were also packets of tuna, but those available were family sized and priced at about three dollars. We bought a can of tuna to be consumed within the first 24 hours. Ramen is available in flavors of beef, chicken, and shrimp. We dearly love pork, but bought several packs of beef ramen. We found instant potatoes in the middle of the aisle and only two packets were still available. We bought one packet and left the other for hopefully another hiker.
We looked for beef sticks, as in the larger, meatier ones that can be sliced and added to potatoes and soups. The best we found were some small cans with small and very dry bits of beef. Some jerky was available nearby. We recall the dried meats being on the end of an aisle.
The last aisle which aligns with the exit door has frozen foods and dairy products. We found several local brands of orange juice and tea very reasonably priced and bought a pint of each.
Checkout was very friendly and fast. We spent about $22 to resupply for five more days on the trail plus a very nice Memorial Day feast to share with a thru-hiker.
Outside Henicle's Market you'll find a pay phone, just in case you wish to reach out and touch somebody while waiting for a lift. We didn't wait very long before a local with a pick-up truck offered us a ride back to Caledonia S.P.. Kudos to trail angel Paul.
If you're planning thru-hike or a longer section hike, consider adding Henicle's Market as a resupply point. If anything, stop by Henicle's and grab something luxurious to add to make your time at the famed Quarry Gap shelter more special. You'll be glad you did!
Henicles Caledonia
7798 Lincoln Way East
Fayetteville, PA 17222
717-352-2487
http://heniclesonline.com
Henicle's Market accepts Visa, Mastercard, EBT/SNAP, Discover and American Express Cards
Store Hours:
Monday through Thursday 8 am - 8 pm
Friday & Saturday 8 am - 9 pm
Sundays 9 am - 8 pm
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