Hercules Glades Wilderness

All my posts about Hercules Glades Wilderness presented in chronological order. Click here to see the pictures of Hercules Glades Wilderness without all the text.

  • Hammock camping in the woods

    A different view of camping in the woods. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    Yup, just my chair, my hammock, and a load of trees.

    (We’ll not mention all the ticks and chiggers).

  • Hammock Camping — August 2022

    Camped by ‘Deep Hollow’ I lent Ginger my summer tarp, leaving me with my winter tarp. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    I lent Ginger my summer tarp. Because of the rain in the forecast, she wanted some shelter to sit outside away from her tent, and still be dry. This meant I was using my bigger (and heavier) winter tarp which has a lot more pieces of string attached to it.

    There are a total of 14 tie-outs on this tarp, and I’ll often use them all. By doubling up the lines running to some of the stakes I can manage with six to eight stakes. 14 would probably create a major trip hazard for me.

    All the tie-out lines are reflective and at night they light up like a proverbial Christmas tree when a light shines on them. Excellent for helping me see them and not fall over them, but not so good if you want to be stealthy — as I found out once when camped near Table Rock Lake. My camp was raked by a searchlight after the reflective line on my food bag hanging in a tree caught some illicit hunters’ spotlight. At least they didn’t mistake me for some wildlife and take a potshot at my camp.

    I suspect that this picture could almost, in the vernacular, be referred to as ‘hammock porn.’

  • A brilliant sunset and I’m in the wrong place to see it

    A brilliant sunset and I could only catch a glimpse of it through the trees. My cell phone camera was not up to the job of capturing it. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • Hammock ridge line holster mount

    My new ridge line holster mount. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
    My new ridge line holster mount. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    When I first saw the Alien Gear ShapeShift holster system, I thought it would be great for backpacking. Unfortunately, Alien Gear does not produce a holster for my Beretta, so I parked that idea.

    When I bought my Sig Sauer P938, I checked the Alien Gear website and was very pleased to find they made a holster for it. In the package, there was a desk/dashboard mount that I adapted for use on my hammock ridge line.

    I made a small wooden block that screws to the Alien Gear mount, and it has a slight groove to grip the ridge line. It works perfectly.

    Hammock ridge line holster mount — It’s an Alien Gear desk/dashboard mount with a wooden block with a groove cut in it to hold the ridge line. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    The above pictures show the ridge line mount in detail on my Hammock Gear Circadian hammock, which has a larger diameter line than the Chameleon hammock featured in the images at the top of the page. I probably should have made the groove bigger to match the line, but it still works well a year later (2025).

    Photograph of an Alien Gear ShapeShift holster with an adapted paddle mount for a backpack's hip belt with a Sig Sauer P938 handgun.
    Alien Gear ShapeShift Holster and adapted paddle mount for my backpack’s hip belt. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    The complete ShapeShift system included another holster mount, which can be fitted on my backpack’s hip belt. I made a minor modification to the paddle, adding an elastic retention cord. The retention cord ensures the holster doesn’t come off the hip belt if my pack gets turned upside down.

    The same holster mount transfers to my pants belt when I’m not wearing my pack.

    Photograph of an Blackhawk Sherpa holster adapted woth an Alien Gear ShapeShift mount and an adapted paddle mount for a backpack's hip belt with a Beretta PX4 Storm handgun.
    Blackhawk Serpa holster with Alien Gear ShapeShift mounting plate and adapted paddle mount for my backpack’s hip belt. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    I also discovered that I could modify my existing Blackhawk Sherpa retention holster for my Beretta to take the Alien Gear mount. So now I’m free to carry whichever gun I want without changing the hardware that’s attached to me or my gear.

    I’ve also realized that with a little bit of engineering I can use the same mount for my camera. Because of the way the mount works, that might work a lot better than my Peak Design Camera clip when I’m carrying bigger lenses. I’m going to have to give it a try.

    Updates

    • August 2025 — I’ve just discovered that the Alien Gear ShapeShift holster system no longer includes a retention holster option. When I contacted them, they stated that it had been withdrawn due to safety concerns. Call me cynical, but I think it’s because they are pushing their Level II Duty holsters and Rapid Force system. 🙁
    • May 2025 — I noticed that this post has been getting a lot of views, so I added some more pictures of the ridge line mounting plate to help anyone wanting to make their own.

  • Day Three – Another lazy selfie

    Ready to head back to the trailhead. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    Using our InReach Mini satellite communicators I let Ginger know I was planning to be back at the trailhead at 2:30, p.m. That gives me three and a half hours to cover the six and a half miles and allows time for me to stop for lunch at ‘Twin Falls Creek.’

    I arrived back at the trailhead at 2:20 p.m. Not bad.

    Oops, I left this here on my last visit – I’ve changed the color of the line I use to suspend my backpack from. It’s much brighter and less likely to be overlooked when I scan my campsite when I leave. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    Before I left I had to grab the ‘trash’ I left the last time I camped here, back in May. I was a mile or so down the trail when I realized I hadn’t grabbed the line I use to hang my backpack up. It stands out fairly well in this picture, but when you are doing a quick visual check of the site it is easy to miss another bit of green. I’ve made a new line out of fluorescent yellow reflective line. That will be much harder to miss and leave behind.

    I had also left a used teabag sitting on a rock. They are supposed to be biodegradable, but I don’t like leaving any trash behind. I put it in my trash bag.

    I really must stop taking these lazy selfies. I have a tripod, I could take pictures of myself doing things. It seems I’ve not been bothered of late.

  • Hercules Glades Wilderness, Pilot Trail around a quarter mile east of Lower Pilot Knob

    Pilot (Tower) Trail, Hercules Glades Wilderness. Around a quarter mile east of Lower Pilot Knob. Copyright © 2022 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    Nearly noon and here I am heading east on the Pilot (Tower) Trail. In two-and-a-half hours I need to be back at the trailhead to meet up with Ginger.

    Fortunately, unlike on my last hike here, my heart wasn’t in AFIB. I’d been taking extra care to avoid that; drinking lots and trying to keep cool. I even packed out an additional liter of water so I’d have extra on the trail. I’ve hiked these trails a lot of times now. That meant I had a pretty good idea of how much time I needed, though I’d left a little later than I’d planned (surprise!). I keep a trail journal, so I can tell you the following.

    About five minutes after taking this picture I was at the Devil’s Den West trail Junction. by 12:22 p.m. I was at ‘Twin Falls Creek, where I stopped for lunch for 25 minutes. At 1:12 p.m. I was at the Cedars (Middle) Trail Junction, and at 1:55 p.m. I’d made it back to the (in)famous Pole (Pete) Hollow Trail junction. Which had me nicely lined up for a 2:30 finish.

    The last section of the trail going east is comprised of four climbs, and in the heat, I felt it. I regularly stopped to give my heart a chance to slow down (that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it), and still surprised myself by arriving at 2:20 p.m. beating Ginger to the car. Knowing that she had a tougher climb, I got the car and more importantly, the AC going ready for her arrival. She arrived just after 2:30 p.m., hike over.

    Final Thoughts

    According to the GPS, this trip was slightly shorter at 6.2 miles each way. My average moving speed is 2.4 miles per hour. And average speed overall varied between 1.6 and 1.8 mph. Not bad considering I stopped for lunch on both hikes.

    • Once again I chose not to take Deet or a bug repellent, and I deeply regretted it. The ticks and chiggers were fearsome and plentiful. I counted 30 bites (and then gave up) on part of one of my legs alone. I really ought to have learned this lesson by now.
    • I had good (work) reasons for wanting to be where I had Internet access and cell coverage. But, I need to learn to keep my phone in airplane mode when I am out. Watching YouTube in the wilderness does not give me the break I want (or need) away from digital life
    • I need to revisit my reasons for not taking my camera on these trips. Or I need to use my cellphone camera more deliberately. However, its failure to capture the sunset was most annoying.
    • All the gear worked well, I’ve no complaints there.
    • Foodwise, M&Ms provide trail chocolate, and don’t melt in the heat. Result! I liked my new trail mix, and that will be replacing my almonds and raisins.
    • Three days is not enough. I need more time in the woods to just sit, think, and journal.

  • Day One – Setting off

    Setting off — I am back at the Hercules Glades Tower Trailhead about to set off on my first backpacking trip of 2023. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    I am back at the Hercules Glades Tower Trailhead, about to set off on my first backpacking trip of the year. It was around fifty degrees when I arrived, but it was dropping rapidly as the sun went down. I decided to wrap up warm and not start my trip by getting chilled. I have been there and done that.

    My plan for the trip was simple:

    • Day One – Hike the six miles to my ‘Deep Hollow’ campsite. I could stop and review my progress when I arrived at ‘Twin Falls Hollow,’ around the halfway point. If I was running late, I could stop there for the night, but that would put a major dent in my plans.
    • Day Two – Hike the six miles back to the Pees Hollow Trail and camp at ‘Wahoo Point’ or even ‘Cab Creek.’
    • Day Three – hike the Pees Hollow trail

    The weather was predicted to be mid-twenties on the first night and low thirties on the second night. Daytime temperatures were slated to be in the mid-fifties to mid-sixties. It should be fine, clear weather with no rain.

    That should rack up 18 miles of hiking, which will do for my first trip in two months.

    There are no major gear changes this trip. However, I have finally got around to replacing my twenty-year-old Thinsulate beanie with a new, hopefully, less itchy, fleece beanie.

  • Sunset on the trail

    Sunset on the trail — Five minutes into my hike and the sun has almost dropped below the horizon. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • Dusk at the Pole (Pete) Hollow Trail cairn

    Dusk at the Pole (Pete) Hollow Trail cairn — Right on target, 25 minutes from the trailhead. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • Sunset Glow

    Sunset Glow — On the Pilot (Tower) Trail at Hercules Glades Wilderness. I’m going to have to turn on my headlamp soon. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

Start typing and press enter to search

Scroll to Top