Channel: sintax77

Category: People & Blogs

Tags: campingultralight backpackingsection hike appalachian trailsolo campingbackpacking tripmcafee knobappalachian trail 2020virginia triple crown looptrailhammock campingappalachian trailvirginia hikingvirginia triple crown loop guidevirginia triple crownmountain viewstinker cliffssintax77hikingdragon's tooth hike virginiasolo hikingbackpackingsolo backpackingdragon's tooth appalachian trailappalachian trail section hikesection hike

Description: 3 Days of Backpacking, Hiking & Hammock Camping on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. For this late summer backpacking trip I’ll be hiking the Virginia Triple Crown, which consists of three iconic Virginia hiking destinations – McAfee Knob, Tinker Cliffs, and Dragon’s Tooth. To create the loop, I essentially took an Appalachian Trail section hike and combined it with the North Mountain trail to close it off into a 35 mile backpacking loop. This gave me a healthy southern mix of mountain hiking, open pastures, & sweeping summit views. I went with my most basic warm weather ultralight backpacking gear list for this trip, just to keep things simple & light. Due to the threat of rain, I also included a full set of rain gear, but I was still able to keep my base weight down to 7.5 lbs. This was mostly achieved by simply leaving non critical items at home. Notable items are below or you can see my full gear list with weights & gear links on lighterpack.com/r/9778w6 For an easier read, more info & GPS data, check out my blog post wp.me/p2ReUQ-G8 No permit is required to camp in this area, but there are camping restrictions along the Appalachian Trail portion of the hike as well as some private land traversals. While on the AT in this area, you may only camp at one of four designated shelters. Since I was exclusively on the AT for the first day, this gave me the following camping options: Jonh's Spring Shelter Catawba Shelter (reliable water) Campbell Shelter Lambert's Meadow Shelter (reliable water) I chose to camp near Lambert's Meadow Shelter, as it was the farthest one into the loop and offered reliable water. Trailhead: McAfee Knob Trailhead Parking, 37°22’48.4″N 80°05’22.8″W Trails Used, Day 1 Appalachian Trail North Check out McAfee Knob Walk along Tinker Cliffs for amazing views Camp near Lambert’s Meadow Shelter There are multiple camping options here. I camped by the brook near the shelter, but there is more camping 1/4 mile down the AT. I managed to get decent water right where I camped by the shelter, but I’ve read that it can be unreliable during drier periods. The next campsites are said to have more reliable water. Day 1 Mileage: 10.3 miles Day 1 Gross Elevation Gain: 3,197’ Trails Used, Day 2 Backtrack ½ mile on the AT Andy Layne Trail North Mountain Trail This trail is on a ridge without water for 10 miles. Make sure to stock up before leaving the Andy Layne trail. Dragon’s Tooth Trail There is a confluence of streams & camping opportunities 1/4 mile in from the DT parking lot. Some spots are more obvious than others so don’t be afraid to poke around when you get there. Day 2 Mileage: 14.6 miles Day 2 Gross Elevation Gain: 3,911’ Trails Used, Day 3 Continue on the DT Trail Check out Dragon’s Tooth, an interesting rock formation with views of the valley Backtrack 1 mile AT North Return to parking Day 3 Mileage: 9.7 miles Day 3 Gross Elevation Gain: 3,241’ Total Mileage: 34.6 Miles Total Gross Elevation Gain: 10,349’ Notable Backpacking Gear: ULA Ohm 2.0 Backpack ula-equipment.com/product/ohm-2-0 Dutchware Pack Cover dutchwaregear.com/product/waterproof-pack-cover Dutchware Gear Half-Wit Hammock dutchwaregear.com/product/half-wit-hammock Dutchware Whoopie Hook hammock suspension w/ kevlar tree straps. dutchwaregear.com/product/whoopie-hook-complete-suspension/#tree-huggers Hammock Gear Burrow 40 Top Quilt hammockgear.com/premium-burrow HG Phoenix 40 Underquilt hammockgear.com/premium-phoenix-custom Dutchware Sit Pad dutchwaregear.com/product/folding-sit-pad Hammock Gear Dyneema Hex Tarp hammockgear.com/dyneema-fiber-hex-tarp DIY Cat Can Alcohol Stove Light My Fire Mini Fire Steel Striker amzn.to/30S3rxm Vargo Windscreen amzn.to/2M3uRuG Toaks 750ml Titanium Pot amzn.to/2GR7AJX Sea to Summit Long Handled Spork go.magik.ly/ml/v9xv Potable Aqua Water Purification Tablets amzn.to/2EMQDSA Outdoor Research Helium III Rain Jacket amzn.to/2BiSnB1 OR Helium III Rain Pants amzn.to/2MkuI5F Outdoor Vitals Satu Adventure Pants satu-adventure-pants-comfort.kckb.st/sintax77 La Sportiva Wildcat Trail Running Shoes amzn.to/3hyKrMi Nitecore NU25 Headlamp amzn.to/2YVsp0A Casio ProTrek FR-30 Smartwatch amzn.to/3dtY7Xj Knorr Sides amzn.to/338t3sT Camera & Nav: GoPro Hero 8 Black amzn.to/2D8n6lL Tripod Grip amzn.to/2MPhGOM Spot Gen3 Locator amzn.to/2EJLQhC FTC Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through some of my links. Want to help support the channel? Shop through sintax77.com/Amazon (or bookmark it) & a portion of your session will help support the next trip ...at no cost to you! sintax77.com/free-stickers teespring.com/stores/sintax77-official-merch-store