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Lollygagging
Lollygagging — it was quite cold early in the morning, I was glad I bought my big puffy jacket and some base layer pants to wear. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Once again camped at ‘Deep Hollow’
My ‘Deep Hollow’ camp from the south. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. 
Summer tarp time. The bugnet was needed, the moths and insects flocked to my hammock as soon as I turned my light on. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Day Two — Starts with a lazy morning
Day Two — Enjoying a morning cuppa at ‘Deep Hollow.’ 
Enjoying a morning cuppa at ‘Deep Hollow.’ Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Yesterday Evening I arrived at my campsite just before six-thirty. I used my compass to get me in the general vicinity, and then the GPS to save me spending too long playing hunt the trees.
It rained briefly while I was down at the creek getting water and started up again in earnest around half past eight. By then, I was all sorted out and settled in for the evening.
Despite turning in around nine-thirty last night, I didn’t wake up until nine. I must have been tired!
The days are much longer now, sunset isn’t until eight o’clock, so I planned to lollygag in camp and leave between one and two. I had decided to hike the Pees Hollow Trail tomorrow and set up camp at ‘Wahoo Point’ tonight, which is pretty much the start of the trail going clockwise. If I leave on time, I should be at my next campsite by six, six-thirty.
Meanwhile, I’d enjoy sitting and watching the trees shaking off the night’s rain and the vultures soaring on the uplift from the nearby bluffs. There was also breakfast and lunch to be prepared and consumed!
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Here’s where I leave the Pilot Trail
Everything has gone green in the last few weeks. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Everything has gone green in the last few weeks. This is the point where the forest road I take to my ‘Deep Hollow’ campsite joins the Pilot Trail. Neither are that obvious from this viewpoint, looking southeast across the Pilot Trail which is running left to right just beyond the grasses in the foreground.
It started raining just before I arrived at the Devil’s Den Trail junction and stopped around forty minutes later when I took this picture. With all the drips falling from the trees, I left my rain gear on, even though I was getting a bit warm.
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Trailside curiosities
Not allowed — It seems that another ATV has been on the trail. Not the ATV I met, this is a much larger specimin., and in a different section of the trail. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
New Witness Tree, old sign. The original tree blew down a few months ago. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.The last time I hiked this trail, it was night, and I met a lost farmer on an ATV. This trip I noticed that another, much bigger, ATV has been on another part of the trail. From what I could see of the tracks it looked like it came in from the Tower Trailhead and made it about two-and-a-half miles down the trail before turning around and going back. My tracking skills, even of large heavy beasts like this, aren’t well honed so I could be wrong, but it definitely went both ways.
The second thing I saw was that the sign marking a witness tree, bearing tree, or something else had been fixed to another tree. The original tree blew down some time last year. I’m not sure what sort of a mark it is, as it is illegible (to me). I’m not sure why someone went to the effort of setting it up again when the markings have faded so much. Maybe there are plans to come back and replace it. Who knows.
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A change of plans for the weekend
My original plan for the weekend was to drive Jim and Carol home yesterday (Thursday) afternoon after Jim’s eye surgery and stay with them for the weekend. I had beers — okay, steady my miss-beating heart, a beer — some target practice, and some time on the deck in mind. Ginger was scheduled to come and get me Sunday afternoon after time with Katie, who is in town for the weekend.
That plan was scrapped when Jim and Carol showed up at around ten-thirty Thursday morning, declaring that there was no follow up required until Friday morning in Ava. We quickly devised Plan B. Ginger took them home just after lunch (I had meetings scheduled through to five).
I had a quiet Thursday night to myself and drove down to pick up Ginger Friday morning.
We were home by lunch time, leaving the question of what I was going to do with the rest of my Friday off and the weekend?
I decided to head down to Hercules Gades for a couple of nights. That suited Ginger. She was keen to usher me out of the door so that she and Katie could have some mom & daughter time without me cramping their style.
Day One
A change of plans — One thing I didn’t notice, was that my weather app was not working properly. Winds above 20 mph should go from green to yellow to red. I didn’t spot the 40 mph gusts in the forecast until a lot later. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Checking the forecast apart from some rain Friday afternoon, and maybe overnight, it was clearing, and looked to be good hiking weather, not too hot during the day, and not too cold. at night. Standard summer kit with my merino wool shirt and some base layer pants in case it got cold.
Gary at the Pole Hollow trail Junction
Day One — Gary at the Pole Hollow trail Junction. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. So here I am at my obligatory photo op of the Pole Hollow Cairn. I decided I’d head down to my usual haunt at ‘Deep Hollow.’ That would give me a weekend hike of 12 miles. I was secretly harboring a plan on upping that to around 18 miles by adding in the Pees Hollow Trail on my way back. We’ll see how that goes, as that was my plan the last time I hiked The Glades back in February. Then I was late leaving ‘Deep Hollow,’ tired, and I stopped at ‘Twin Falls Hollow’ instead. The next day I hiked straight back to the trailhead, leaving out the extra five-and-a-half miles of the Pees Hollow Trail.
Note. The phone camera software completely screwed up the background. If I want to blur the background, I’ll do it myself using a proper lens and camera. Thank you very much.
Orange hat because it is still turkey hunting season.
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Nightstand. Lighter, knife, and wallet
Nightstand. Lighter, knife, and wallet. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Little quirks that may be missed when I’m no longer around. And yes, I do lay them out like this every night.
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At what point does being sensible drop over the edge into being obsessional?
At what point does being sensible drop over the edge into being obsessional? Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Asking for a friend — who likes to squeeze the life out of a toothpaste tube. Sensible or an obsession?
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Three days hiking the Ridge Runner Trail and Devil’s Backbone Wilderness, March 2023
Lounging in my hammock. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. This is the last of my ‘Must do’ winter hikes before spring takes off. I have had two failed attempts at finding where the Ridge Runner Trail joins the North Fork loop. I’ve decided if I can’t find the trail this time, I’ll bushwhack my way, and that needs to be done before the trees and underbrush start leafing out.
For details of my trip
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Hike over, obligatory end of hike selfie
Hike over, obligatory end of hike selfie — Trip total, a very modest 10.5 miles and 1,000 ft. of elevation gain. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Icicles on the Mary Hollow Trail
Icicles on the Mary Hollow Trail — not huge, but I’ll take it as a sign of how cold it has been. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
McGarr Spring — looking a lot nicer in the sunshine
McGarr Spring — looking a lot nicer in the sunshine. I filled up my water bottle before starting my hike out. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
I’m in no rush …
Lounging in my hammock. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I don’t need to be home until this evening, and it’ll only take around two hours to hike back to the trailhead. I might as well relax for a while.
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Food bag hang
Impressive food bag hang — even if I say so myself. at least 20 ft. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Camped overlooking McGarr Spring
Camped overlooking McGarr Spring — It’s embarrassing to admit how long it took me to find the two trees I used when I camped here back in December. So I’ll just say It was far too long. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Day Three: It got a little chilly overnight
Frosty Morning — My coldest night out on the trail last night at 15°F, and ironically, I was too hot! Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. My target minimum temperature is 20°F. The great news was I slept through a night that dropped to 15°F (-9.4°C) and I was too hot, and I had to shed a couple of layers. The implication is that I should stay nice and warm even if the temperature drops down to my quilts’ rated low of 10°F.
There’s frost *inside* my hammock too. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. 
There’s frost on my chair! Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Scenic view of the North Fork River
North Fork River Scenic Overlook — Any excuse to stop climbing up the darn hill for a couple of minutes! Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Once my (leisurely) lunch was over there was nothing else but to tackle the three-hundred-foot climb to the McGarr Ridge Trail. This scenic overlook gave me an excellent excuse to catch my breath.
When I got to the McGarr Ridge Trail, I walked up and down the trail, looking for any signs of where an unofficial trail down to McGarr Spring might be. I didn’t find any, so I got out my compass and worked out a rough bearing that ought to get me to the spring and set off bushwhacking. It didn’t take long to get to the spring. What did take a long time was finding the two trees I used on my last visit to hang my hammock from.
Then it was time to make camp, settle down, and prepare for a cold night. The forecast was in the low twenties…
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Blue Spring
Blue Spring. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. This is popular area, I met seven people — two families — out for an afternoon walk while I was heating and eating my lunch here. I was last here with Ginger on a wedding anniversary backpacking trip, February 20, 2011.
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North Fork River from the Blue Spring Trail
North Fork River from the Blue Spring Trail — 1:30 p.m., time to make lunch and replenish my water. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Blue Spring Trailhead
Blue Spring Trailhead — You have to walk through the North Fork Recreation Area Campground to get to the trail that leads to Blue Spring and on into the Devil’s Backbone Wilderness and the McGarr Ridge Trail. Copyright © 2023 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I know it says “Blue Springs” on the sign, but I’m guessing that’s an error, or maybe someone missed off the possessive apostrophe — Blue Spring’s — certainly the maps and other references I have found call it ‘Blue Spring.’
