Hi, my daughter and I will be hiking the AT starting at Hampton Tennessee to Sugar Grove Virginia in May 2011, this will be our first hike, we plan 9 days to go that far. Can anyone tell me a good place to get on at Hampton and off at Sugar grove? Also any places to get off of the trail inbetween there? I know she would like to shower. Oh, I made a soda pop can stove …boils 2 1/2 cups water in 20 min? Is that too long or can we just figure on that? Thanks for any help. -Miriam
Miriam
Miriam, the section you’ve planned is roughly 105 miles so 9 days should be plenty of time for you. There are several places to stay in Hampton and the blue-blazed trail that leads back to the AT just south of the climb up Pond Flats is a nice one-mile walk. There isn’t much between there and Damascus but I’ve heard that several of the motels in Hampton will pick you up at the Low Gap, U.S. 421 crossing if you call them up. But from there you are only 15 miles from Damascus and perhaps you can wait on that shower for another day. North of Damascus, and about 15 miles shy of Sugar Grove you can get off trail and hitch into Troutdale for a motel or a hot meal at Jerry’s. Of course Partnershp Shelter has showers but you are nearly to Sugar Grove by then. No comment on the homemade stove. I used an alcohol stove I purchased from Etowah for several seasons and loved it. I got tired of the wait time and switched to a pocket rocket. Fast! Anyway, Good hiking!
Woody
20 min to boil 2 1/2 cups is way to long. Shouldn’t take more than 7-10 min max. Hopefully your using denatured alcohol or a product called heet(can get from automotive shop or walmart). Never use just rubbing alcohol, doesn’t burn as hot and you get a lot of back soot on pot. Since you made your own try looking up different stoves, some work better than others. I made one messing around and it will boil water in a little over 5 min, of course this is in the house with no wind so count on it taking longer outside. Link to the one I made is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv_G6xf5xVE. But to be honest my girlfriend and I use MSR pocket rocket backpacking stove it’s really light and the canister fuel last pretty long (I use snopeak, others don’t seem to last as long). It boils water much faster also. Hope this helps.
Tony
For 50 cents (each way) you can take the bus from Partnership Shelter and be dropped off at the hotel in Marion, Va. The next day just take the bus back to the trailhead. The telephone number and a telephone is located at Partnership Shelter.
Wingin It
Thanks for the help. I was using the wrong kind of alcohol. I will try the kind that you say. I showed my daughter a pic of the pocket rocket and she seemed to really like that so I’m thinking of going with both.
So damn exciting. I think that damn trail is calling to me.
Miriam
You don’t have to cuss!
Enjoy the trail, I know what you mean about it calling you. There is not a day that goes by with thinking about hiking.
just hikin’
I’m just saying that life was easier when I didn’t have the “darn” trail calling to me. Now I have to do all of this planning and thinking about it. I am excited about it.
Miriam