Homestead Fresh....Wood Booger Approved!

This is a blog I should have done a while ago....one about Homestead Fresh.
More like a sister to me, my cousin Shawna Rust has a website and blog on homesteading which includes a goat soap business. I will say from experience (& not because she gave me some free samples) that here soaps are Wood Booger approved. She and husband Jeff just bought a new piece of property in South Carolina to build a more permanent homestead. It is cool because it has an old school bus on site nice. So, they will be moving, with goats, to their new place. I have added a link above to her site here and there is one also in My Blogs on the right-hand column. So, visit Shawna's site and check out her blog and maybe some soap...

Photo by Shawna Rust

Watauga Lake Was The Backdrop For Finishing Another AT Section

As Pete has already posted, he and I went on a hike to finish an Appalachian Trail (AT) Section with a hike from Laurel Fork Trailhead to Shook Branch Recreation Area near Hampton.

I will do a blog about this entire section, but it runs from Dennis Cove to Wilbur Dam Road. I had done the Laurel Falls part from Dennis Cove and the Laurel Fork Trailhead. I had also hiked over Watauga Dam from Shook Branch Trailhead. The six miles in between is what I needed. I was supposed to do this hike on Monday with the Old Timers Hikers Club. But with the high 30s and rain, I decided to stay home, but since the weather was supposed to be better on Tuesday I decided to go out then on my own. Because of this, I decided to hike AT South to North instead of the opposite way that the hike Monday was supposed to go.

While the hike is six miles it is actually just 1.5 miles between Laurel Fork Trailhead and Shook Branch. I thought, for a very short time, I could road walk it, but these two trailheads are on the very busy US-321...so no. So, what to do? In my AWOL's The AT Guide for 2020, I decided to check out shuttles in Hampton and found one right near the AT at Shook Branch, Boots Off Hostel and Campground. When I contact owner Jim Gregory, he told me because of the short shuttle he would just charge me parking prices at the hostel of $5. Boots Off is located just across where the AT comes out of the woods on Shook Branch Road. To get there you go up the road. There are some cool signs which encourage hikers who come off the trail. Very nice people and a cool place. 

After parking, I was shuttled to the Laurel Fork Trailhead. I have hiked from here a number of times, but most recently in May 2017. I noticed that blue diamond blazes, like the ones at Margarette Falls. I guess the US Forest Service got a deal on them. So, when I got to the junction I went left instead of right. 

It was obvious from the start that this hike up Pond Mountain would be different from the one to Laurel Falls. It is uphill a lot of uphill at times you won't think it will in. Maybe that is why the Old Timers were going South to North. You get to a point where you can see the Southbound AT below you. Also an excellent view of the Laurel Fork Gorge. Like Pete said just before Pond Flats we found snow, not a lot, but it was the white stuff.

While it was cooler and some peaks were in the clouds it got warm on the trail back, but there was a great view of Watauga Lake. Most of this hike takes place in the Pond Mountain Wilderness. That means any trail work is done in the old fashion way by hand. Because of this I cut out some small deadfalls and cleared trail where I could.

Once back I crossed the road to Shook Branch which is closed (and a portion of the AT rerouted) because of flooding, which is evident.

Conquest Of Another AT Section...Just Another Day Down The Rabbit Hole

Alright BITCHES, Pete here, it has been a few days but I am back with a new edition of Down the Rabbit Hole. 

Today I dragged the Lummox out for the conquest of another AT (Appalachian Trail) section with hike our hike from the Laurel Falls Trailhead to Shook Branch. I know the Lummox will make up a bunch of stuff about him hiking 7.2 miles up and over Pond Flats down to Watuaga Lake. It was me doing the heavy lifting even though the snow. 

Oh, we met some cool guys at the hostel we parked the car... Boots Off. When they saw who I was, the Hiking Machine ( my trail name by the way)  they were going to shuttle us for free, but I said no. I know I am an AT legend, but I can't Lummox take advantage of that. Well, that is for now Pete out... BITCHES!

Snow, Snow...Oh I Was Disappointed with No Snow!

I hoped for snow this weekend at the Cabin I didn't get any, but it was cold, but relaxing for the most part.

The reason I hoped for snow as I saw plenty on Bays Mountain on the drive-up 11W (and still there Sunday). So I thought there should be some at the Cabin. I got even more excited that I would get to do some snow hiking. But the closer to Fort Blackmore I got the more I realized it didn't snow over this way. My concerns were confirmed when I started down towards the Clinch River and there was no snow on High Knob and zero at the Cabin.

However, I did have my old hiking partner Bax as Dad and I took him and Lester over. 

For our first outing on Friday we did the loop over Wood Booger Ridge. On Saturday, we did an exploratory hike up to the knobs I call the Three Sisters. Last weekend I mentioned that I explored an old logging road to see if I could get to a saddle between the first two knobs. Well, Bax and I went up and it is an easier route. So, we ended up summiting all Three Sisters.

Hiking was all I did as my main reason to go over was to collect my Maple sap, so I can cook this week. Boy, the tree closest to the big Spring tank produced a bunch. All my other trees not so much.

I also did more road work which was tough on the back and elbow. But, I did have Bax to supervised while Lester stayed at the Cabin.