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Glad to hear others are out and about exploring Redlands. You're right about how much history there is just sort of out there in the woods. It's a treat to find those old home places and such. Cheers.

Thanks for watching. I feel for you with the travel stuff getting in the way. Sometimes, though, these little three day windows of opportunity just open up and it's nice to be able to jump up and go hiking, even if it's close to home. Cheers.

Good video. Glad you are still hiking

@ Thanks for watching, and yes, I'm still out and about because Redlands is fun to explore. Cheers.

Thanks, perhaps I will. Meanwhile, there's always my older videos to peruse...

They're dehydrated and pack small, like a Mountain House meal. 😁

Thanks. It's not that I haven't been anywhere; I'm just too lazy to make a video every time. Cheers.

You did indeed recognize it. Sadly, there was some amount of trash there, so it's obviously being used by others. On the other hand, I tried to cover as much ground as I could, so I went all over the place from Ogelthorpe County to Greene County. I don't know total mileage, but I think it was not less than 30-something miles. One of the funniest parts was getting stopped by DNR as I was hiking along one of the Forest Service roads. They were looking for someone whose truck was suspiciously parked, so they were jumpy as hell until I proved harmless. But when they first asked me what I was doing, I told them, "Backpacking." Their response was, "BACKPACKING!?" It was like they'd never heard the word before. 🤣 I wish I'd had the foresight to be taping when that happened. It would have made an amusing bit of video.

@@DrewBoswell Well,seeing is believing when you showed em a backpack I bet!

Keep going as long as you can, aches, pains, and old age keeps me close to home, good stuff....

I went that direction more for timing than anything else. In other words, it allowed me to hit water sources and potential campsites at opportune times. I'd also already hiked the Coosa trail in the other direction, so going counter clockwise let me do the Coosa part of the loop opposite to the way I had last seen it.

🤣

Hi Doug. Nope, we camped at a spot on that blue blazed spur that's about a quarter mile north of Preacher's Rock. Be advised if you try it, it's VERY windy. I know better than to camp in places like that but the view was so good we had to try it. On the plus side, it's less than a two minute walk to water and there are plenty of places to hang.

Thanks. I enjoyed making the first video I've done in a while.

Thanks for the comment. I've not put up any gear videos, other than one on cooksets. The pack is the Gossamer Gear Mariposa, which I absolutely love. I recently did the loop again last month, taking five days this time to enjoy it at a slower pace.

Hi Danny, and thanks so much for letting me know that you found the family tree info useful. That is, after all, why I posted it publicly a couple of decades ago. Other folks were helpful to me in compiling it, so I wanted to pay it forward. Mom and Dad both remember you, though I must admit I was too young to have any clear memory of you at McCommons. I think I have a gedcom file of the genealogy stuff. If it'll help you, I can give you a copy. You'll find my contact information on TH-cam or DM me over on Instagram if you want it. I think gedcom is importable by family tree type software. Cheers, Drew

Thanks for the info, see if your dad remembers back in the 50s your grandfather bought a new TV and your dad and I had a great time playing with the empty box, times changed my 2 sons had a phone in one hand and a video game controller in the other. Take care of yourself and tell your mom and dad I said hello!

Not any more. I retired, for reasons you can find here: www.amazon.com/author/drewboswell Cheers.

There's definitely deer in there, and turkeys, and squirrels, and hogs, and...

Hi Dana, not sure I'm all that awesome, but thanks. It's a great loop in the sense that it can be done in either direction. You can start from several different spots, depending on your preferences. And you can really go fast and do it in three days, or take your time and do it in five. Four is about average, I believe. The Duncan Ridge and Benton MacKaye portions have fewer people so more solitude. The AT parts you'll likely have company. Go for it.

I really appreciate your reply. Can I ask you a little bit about your gear. I’m a newbie and really want to do this. Just wondering what type of navigation you used? Also what do you usually carry in your pack. I see you use a hammock. If you don’t mind sharing.

@@danainaclang9732 rather than going back and forth in the comments section, to make it easier to answer, shoot me an email. You can find my email address by going to my TH-cam channel's main page by clicking on my name. Look for the "About" tab and click on it. You'll see a link you can click for my email address. You could also DM me over on Instagram. But to halfway answer maybe one question about what's in my pack, you can see my cookset video here on TH-cam. Otherwise, shoot me an email and I'll do my best to answer it. Cheers.

Hi Richard, In answer to your question, I don't usually do any serious cooking on my trips, especially solo. Boiling water is about as exciting as I get. If and when I ever do any actual cooking, it'll be so unusual that I'll almost certainly highlight it in a video. LOL. Thanks for watching.

Hi Doug, that first night was Lake Oconee, or the backwaters thereof. Duck hunters and fishermen often put into the lake near there and I saw some that morning.

The BMT is a terrific wilderness experience for sure.

@@DrewBoswell awesome! We really enjoy making outdoor videos also

I took more still photos than video and I'm still posting them over on my Instagram page (linked somewhere up above). I doubt I'd have pushed myself without Doug's help; it was really his trip and I just tagged along and tried to keep up.

I'm sure you would have, Jerry! Sometime in future, let's plan to hit part of the BMT in Georgia. I'd really like to see some of it again (just not the uphill parts, LOL).

Thanks, and I'd second that advice. Having seen Guthooks in action, I'd consider it nearly essential for this trail particularly.

Cool, thank you!

Thanks for the sub. I just finished a thru-hike of the Benton Mackaye Trail and may put out a short highlights video on that later. Meanwhile, you can see still photos over on my Instagram page at Drew_Boswell_writes. Cheers.

Dunno where he got the hat, but I'll ask him and see if he'll reply in the comments here.

Walmart. About 10 bucks. They're over in the camping stuff

@@jesseboswell8239 Thanks Jesse.Is there any sort of brand or anything associated with it? I wonder if they are available online? Thanks.Definitely a cool hat....

Mossy oak is the brand for the ine I have. And i saw some other really similar ones that were made by real tree

@@jesseboswell8239 Thanks,Jesse.I been looking on line as my Walmart is always picked over when I get there.

No bugs. We had the nets but didn't use them. It was quite windy so I figured that would help keep bugs away and it did.

Thanks for watching. The snake is probably the star of the video. 😃

@@DrewBoswell hey Sidney, not sure if you get notifications for my channel any more, but just released a short film on my Idaho Wilderness Adventures. No trees above 10,000 feet, no problem, I still hammocked on a ridge top any way, lol

2Tiedup, it was actually 15 feet plus or minus a snake length.

Pretty sure that was a gray rat snake. Definitely wasn't venemous whatever it was.

Thanks. I'd love to see that in snowy conditions. I got a taste of it back in March of 2019 when it dropped to 18 one night (a few photos are on my Instagram page but no video). You're right about those filters easily getting clogged. I'll follow your example and pre-soak in the future. I'd hoped to get in some more trips and maybe a video or two by now, but the current trail closures have hobbled my plans for now. Looking forward to trails being opened up. Cheers.

Sidney Hornblower agreed. I was supposed to hike from Bly gap to Fontana Dam a few weeks back. Let’s hope we can all return to trails soon. Cheers

That spot was what we realized later is actually a group camp, usually used by Boy Scouts and such, not available on a walk-in basis. It's (I think) within the boundaries of Vogel itself and charges a fee and must be reserved. We had no idea and had come upon it from the other, counterclockwise, direction and so didn't know all that, as there are no signs or other information at the campsite itself. Luckily it hadn't been reserved and no one was there, but I think we probably were not really supposed to use it just for two solo hikers. Better options are available on that end of the trail. There are some spots near where the Duncan Ridge hits the AT, roughly a half mile prior to that and probably half a mile or so from the group campsite.

@@DrewBoswell awesome....thanks! I'll check those out at and before the Duncan ridge trl.....I do remember a cool camp spot off the bear hair gap trl....if you go to the overlook, directly behind it is a small beaten path that leads to a perfect place for you guys....if I remember correctly....its a fire ring surrounded by a circle of about 6 or 7 trees, that would be a killer set up for your hammocks!

@@charleseden5246 thanks! I've since walked the Bear Hair back in March of 2019 but I skipped the overlook because the weather was nasty. I'll check that out next time I'm wandering around up there.

Thank you muchly!

Maybe Jerry has a spare he could loan you, LOL. Thanks.

Thanks. If you've never been there, you definitely ought to go, even if just for a day. Sipsey remains one of my favorite spots to hike and explore.

Thanks for watching and commenting. I'm not sure what the regulations for dogs in Sipsey Wilderness Area are, but I would definitely keep one leashed because of the hogs. A cornered hog can seriously hurt a dog. On the other hand, a dog in camp would discourage hogs from coming around. Given the opportunity the hogs will run away from you.

Sidney Hornblower yeah, it’s a tough decision I think she would alert to me before taking off after a hog but there’s no guarantee. I’ll have a better idea after we have more animal encounters 😊😂 She stirred up and escorted a rabid racoon back to me on the trail one day. The racoon proceeded to aggressively attack me and I had to beat it off. Olive just stood by and watched hahaha

Lots of fun, mostly Type 2 fun, but fun nonetheless. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers.

@@DrewBoswell for sure

That's a great trail, well marked, plenty of water sources. It has an active group of trail maintainers who look after it and are proud of it, with good reason. There's a link to the FT Conservancy above in the show notes.

@@DrewBoswell Thanks!

Takes me more than one day to forget the aches and pains, but as you'd probably agree, it's always worth it. Thanks for watching. Cheers.

Thanks for watching. If you have time, see my Georgia Loop video where I covered the rest of the Duncan Ridge Trail. Cheers.

@@DrewBoswell I shall do that! Thanks.

Thanks for watching. You can find my email under the bio info here on the channel. I'm not home but will check mail later.

Hi Jon, I've never met nor hiked with Evan, though I've been on trips with people who have hiked with him. Thanks for your kind words on this video. If you haven't seen it, there's another Sipsey solo trip video I did about a year after this one. And my latest video was also posted last week, a 4-day hike of the Georgia Loop which you might find of interest. I appreciate you watching. Cheers.

Thanks for letting me steal 20 minutes of your time. Glad you liked it. Cheers.

There's a small window of opportunity for me to get out right now, so I'm taking it. After December it'll probably be April before I'm free to get out again. Thanks for watching.

It's been on my radar for a while and I'm glad I took the plunge and walked it, especially in November when the views through the trees are so good.

That loop will definitely teach anybody a little humility. Thanks for watching.

Thanks. I'm heading back to the area soon. Hope I won't need the machete this time.

@@DrewBoswell probably not with the colder weather