Appalachian Trail Backpacking - Grayson Highlands (Virginia) - April 2017
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 พ.ค. 2017
- I returned to the Appalachian Trail in April 2017 for what is fast becoming an annual Spring trek. This year I hiked the famous Grayson Highlands section of southern Virginia with my friend Bob (from the 2015 Colorado Four Pass Loop video).
The Grayson Highlands section is just north of the Roan Highlands section that I hiked in April 2016. It is an area famous for it's wild ponies, incredible views, and rapidly changing weather. We not only experienced all that, but also found ourselves right in the middle of the 2017 AT thruhiker 'bubble'.
I also wanted to experience Damascus, Virginia, 'The Friendliest Town on the AT', which sits at the southern end of the Grayson Highlands, so logistically a southbound hike made more sense. We ended up doing a 50-mile, 4-day hike starting at Dickey Gap and going south back to Damascus.
The Grayson Highlands aren't packed with the concentration of famous AT landmarks like the Roan Highlands, but the views are just as spectacular, the climbs are just as steep and long (longer actually!), the weather is even more dynamic, and it has those ponies! I feel that we were able to capture a sense of the Grayson Highland's unique 'character' in this video.
For those who have watched my other videos this one is done in the same style - a little over an hour in length total, intended to bring the audience along for the ride, and with a 10 minute still picture slide show with music at the end. If you just have a few minutes just skip to the end and enjoy the pictures.
Equipment / Gear List:
Still Camera: Nikon D810 with Nikkor 20mm f1.8 lens
Video Camera: Canon Vixia G30 with Rode Stereo Videomic Pro
Video Editing Software: Sony Vegas Pro 13
HDR Software: Aurora HDR 2017
Pack: ZPacks Arc Blast 52l
Shelter: ZPacks Hexamid Solo Plus
Music:
"Learn to Fly" by Josh Woodward. Free download: joshwoodward.com/
"These Moments" by Nicolai Heidlas
David,
Thanks for this. Former AT thru hiker here but I wanted to tell you that I frequently do this exact section when entertaining friends (cutting on to the creeper trail included) and your video is a big part of that. Whenever I send out an itinerary to friends, I include this video to give them some idea of what to expect. Headed back out there again in about a month. Thanks!
I have to say , I very much enjoy your videos . It's great to see videos from a very nice guy having a good time on a hike. Not like some that are more interested in bragging about what gear they have. Thank you for the great videos and allowing me to come along and just have a wonderful time.
Dwayne Stewart
This was wayyyy better than Saturday morning cartoons! Another great video.
As always, you have made another great video. Thanks for bringing us along for the adventure!
Thank-you for sharing this! Just re-watched after our vacation to the Smokies! I had never heard of Grayson Highlands before this video and thanks to you we got to spend one glorious day hiking in Grayson on our way down to them Smokies! My husband and I fully intend to return to hike and photograph more in the highlands and want to bike the Creeper Trail Some day. The views there are phenomenal if you ever return in better weather. My three old who didn't believe me about ponies had a blast!
Wish I could get away as often as you do, but since I can't, thanks for take me along.
I lost track after privy number 4. 😂 Between the pizza and the coffee you might have an issue with hot foods. Looks another great trip in the bag.
Thanks David. Your vids are always an up trip. I miss those mountains of the south and seeing these images brings me back immediately.
So nice to see you back at it! Looked like another great trip.
Thanks for the posts! I have been watching your videos for a couple of years. Appreciate all of them greatly. Thank you.
Thank god you guys are back !! awesome Video with you and Bob!! Thank you for sharing another great adventure /backpacking trip with us ..thanks David !!
Gosh David...your pics were absolutely beautiful. Your video was great...thanks so much for taking us along.
Great hike, man! It's always a pleasure to see you've published a new video!
Another great one. Already looking forward to the next one.
great job yet again david. enjoyed it and as always.....you did a perfect video
Absolutely loved the journey!
yay! Just today my husband and I wondered if you'd uploaded anything new! Thanks!
Really enjoy the video David and I just love my man Bob. It was so nice to have you two together again. Really very entertaining . You guys do more.
Bob is great fun on these hikes, and believe me, it's not easy hiking with me! Constant stops to set up the tripod, capture video, takes stills, doing the 'walk through' shots, etc.. that's all in addition to the normal discomforts of backpacking. Bob takes it all in stride and also isn't shy in front of the camera, which adds to the entertainment value. On this trip he also got into helping with ideas on the whole production, which was really kind of fun - that whole little 'skit' with splitting up at the AT / Creeper trail split-off was his idea, and I still get a chuckle out of it every time I watch it. I'm getting ready to do a loop in Smoky Mt. NP in late June (with Travis from the Dolly Sods video) - I invited Bob to go along, and he really wanted to, but he will be in China for work during that time. We're comparing schedules to see if we can get together later in the season, but we'll certainly be getting together again in the not too distant future.
Great video David...looking forward to going along with you on your 2017 travels. You do a fantastic job taping. It`s feels like being with you. Keep on`...keeping on my friend!!
Excellent adventure my friend, I look forward to your other trips this year!
I recently just did this area as my 1st ever backpacking adventure. It was an absolute amazing experience. I also love your content
Happy to see all of your hikes this year have gone well and you've enjoyed them. I did the Mt. Rogers-Grayson Highlands loop this past June with a few buddies and loved it. What an awesome area to hike with some brutal climbs and rocks but overall we just loved it. We had amazing views from those spots where you were fogged in. When we stopped at Thomas Knob there were 3 kids playing on those huge boulders and one of them fell about 9 ft. and smacked his head on a rock below. Scary moment.
Great video David! Just hiked through the the Grayson Highlands area in May for a Boy Scout training hike in preparation for our Philmont Trek in August. I am now a subscriber to your channel and look forward to catching up on your other videos. Thank you for making such inspirational videos. I am ready to put the pack on and get back on the trail!!
Being a Hammock , camping , enthusiast I can not believe there weren't a lot more folks using hammocks. All those trees to hang a Hammock from along that section , camping choices would be unlimited.
Thanks for the enjoyment of sharing a AT section ( Video ) trip with you guy's.
I love that part of Virginia. I've been hiking, backpacking, kayaking, camping, and exploring southwestern VA for over a decade and seem to have only scratched the surface.
People used to tell me that hiking parts of Grayson Highlands was like being in some of the Montana high country. Now having hiked both, Grayson actually does seem like some of the places I've backpacked and hiked in Montana.
Typical fun video! You do good work.
Hey Smiles..... The Art Loeb Trail would be a great "short trip" Look it up -- Good 3 or 4 day trip in NC
I'm glad I found your TH-cam channel, I'm going to have to do this hike it has some cool views, thanks and keep up the good work.👍
loved it. one of my favorite areas on the AT.
GLAD YOUR BACK!
Great video as always. Happy camping this year
Great Video! You all were having way too much fun! I'm jealous!
Hi David. I recently did a similar trip, using a shuttle, except I did Fox Creek Trailhead (14:50) to Damascus which made it 40-41 miles. Like you, I did it as a four day trip. It is such a beautiful section. I timed it right as it was peak foliage and there were a lot of SOBO thru hikers in the area. Kudos to you and Bob for doing the full 50 miles. My feet were blistered and battered as I slowly trudged into Damascus on the last day. I also decided to do the Creeper Trail the last 10 or so miles. It was the right decision; much easier and very scenic. On a sad note, I must report the Creeper Trail Cafe is no longer with us!
Love the videos!!! Hope to see more.
Another fantastic adventure Dave! The Sierras out here have gotten a fantastic snow load this year and with a few trips up to Tahoe so far this season, the mountains are looking phenomenal. If possible try to come out west to California this season because it would make a fantastic trip. Looking forward to this seasons content.
Good choice to go with the Creeper! The views are much better.
Awesome video! Thanks for sharing! :)
Looks like a great time!
Excellent video brother!
Cool video. Thanks guys.
I was missing my David Gray videos. Hopefully you have another one right around the corner. Enjoyed it! (Updated comments) I just realized you did have another video around the corner, Dolly Sods. Awesome! Too funny!
Great video David! Her face at 39:03 speaks a great deal of words.
Yes, she was clearly not a 'happy camper' at that moment and, sadly, it got much much worse for her in just minutes after she departed the shelter. But it did give us quite of bit of 'entertainment opportunity' thinking about all of the 'wonder what they're saying to each other...' possibilities! It's those moments that make me wish you could somehow find out 'what happened next'. (But we never did).
Getting ready to go hiking! lol. I can't wait to watch this tonight when I get back. :>)
Great Video !
You might give the Fiery Gizzard Trail in South Cumberland Park a try. One of the top rated in the country .
Looked like fun!
really enjoy the vids, ty
Excellent video! =)
Thanks for the great video! A good friend who is from Damascus sent it to me.
Headed to the Smokies in October and decided to add a few days ! Just rented a cabin for 2 nights next to Grayson Highlands to attempt some the shorter hikes and see the ponies! Thanks for the idea(s)!
Another great trip! Thanks Bill from Ohio
Stellar stills.
Cool views in that Grayson highlands area. I grew up in northeast Tennessee near kingsport and bristol,rn but I never went hiking as a young guy. Now I am highly motivated to lose a good 75 to 80 lbs so I can go hike in that area and from Damascus on tte AT down into erwin,hot springs,nc then in into cosby,tn and then clingmons dome then hike on down into fontana lake.
Maybe in 8 more years when my son retires from the navy I can talk the old eagle scout into going on a long hike on the AT with his old dad.
I was just there a few weeks ago! beautiful place.
15:35 in- "Is that the shelter? That would be too much to ask for..." inside the Grey Mind and mine...such a familiar feeling. Had me laughing.
Thanks for this. I'm heading out there in a month if they still don't have it closed due to bears, needed some targets to go for, like those falls.
may I say David my wife and I just love your films we feel like we are there every step with you , we live in the UK and now want to walk all over Sates , please keep doing what your doing and keep filming every step all the very best for 2017/2018kind regards Tim & Sarah
Thank you very much for watching and for the kind feedback. It's comments like your's that put a big smile on my face - I realize there are many people that simply can't make it to the trails or physically aren't able to hike them, and one of the big reasons I do these videos is to let everyone share the experience with me.
Great Video loved the part when the pony was on your heels, Thanks
awesome , thanks for sharing:)
Wow! According to the dates in the opening sequence, it took you a year and 4 days? No matter how much time you spend making sure videos are ready to post, something always gets by. I know the feeling. LOL.
Oh, that is funny! I probably looked at that opening title 50 times while editing and never noticed that. Sometimes through all the time editing it DOES feel like it was a year+ in the making.
You resemble a more handsome version of Dennis Quaid. Awesome videos, and inspirational!
Thank you! The Dennis Quaid comparison has been made before - I'm not sure about being the handsome version, but I'm certain his net worth vastly exceeds my own. :-) Thank you for watching and the kind feedback.
I just hiked from Massie Gap to Grayson Highlands last weekend. This is one of my favorite places to hike. Great video. I also used Mt. Rogers outfitters and had the same shuttle guy.
Very nice video. Too bad you had such limited views at Grayson Highlands. It is a beautiful place.
Yes, I know. Having looked forward to those views since the initial planning for the trip, I was pretty bummed when we couldn't see anything. But the perfectly clear skies the next day certainly made up for some of it. And besides, it gives me a great reason to go back!
My oldest son and I did Grayson Highlands to Mount Rogers and back in 2015. I LOVE that part of Virginia. Tried it again in 2017 with the whole family and my youngest twisted his ankle in fat man's squeeze. Looking at our time, we turned around shortly after that. A lot of fun, though.
I can see how that can happen in the Fat Man Squeeze. Even in my video you'll see Bob almost taking a tumble in the Squeeze, and though you don't see it you can hear when I almost went down myself, and my still camera was only 'saved' by my safety technique of tethering the camera shoulder strap to the sternum strap on my backpack. It is a beautiful section of Virginia and the AT - even with the fog we had for much of one of our days. I plan to get back there soon.
Well look who's back on the trail :) Great video, and as always, loving the commentary and chuckles. I'll be doing the High Sierra Trail from Sequoia to Langley and then off-trail south to Olancha Peak in July--can't wait! Will you be returning to the High Sierra after having explored the Ansel Adams Wilderness? If you do, definitely check out the Mt Langley area (Easter Sierra) or the Muir Pass, Evolution Valley area. Happy Trails!
I'll definitely be getting back to the High Sierra as soon as possible, but probably not this year. I was hoping to do the Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier in Washington this year as my 'big' trip but didn't get a permit, but my 'backup' permit to Glacier did come through so I'll be heading there in mid-September. I'm trying to figure out an August trip out west but I'm so short on vacation I'll probably have to do something short in Colorado. I'm familiar with the Evolution Valley area but not Mt. Langley - I'll check it out, probably for next year or the year after. (Wish I had about 2X-3X the vacation I have!).
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. As far as lemonade goes, Glacier and Colorado ain't too bad! :)
I completely agree. I kind of chuckled thinking about Glacier's Lake Ellen Wilson, Gunsight Pass, and Gunsight Lake being the 'consolation prize'! And no matter what I figure out for Colorado I'm certain it won't be 'bad' either.
glad to see your new video! i hope this is the first of many for the season. heading out west i hope?
I'll definitely be heading out west later this year. I'll be going back to Glacier in mid-September to do a hike in the Two Medicine area (Lake Ellen Wilson, Gunsight Lake, Gunsight Pass), but that is my only 'firm' trip at this point. I'm planning to squeeze one more western trip in, probably in mid-August. I'd like to get to the Wind River Range in Wyoming but that might be a bit 'ambitious' given my rather severe shortage of vacation days this year. A more realistic option is a new location in Colorado, but I'm just now starting to figure out where that location might be! I have already completed a hike to the Dolly Sods Wilderness in West Virginia, and am working on the video now, so there will be another video coming very soon - not out west, but the Dolly Sods were really nice.
I hope you will come out west again!
there are some nice trails to hike in north Carolina , and michigan
Coffee!....Dave I mentioned you on Gavadrip episode...
Awesome vid...
I just watched your video. Very cool! I'm going to check out the Javadrip.
I had you, Robby from A.A., Darwin and myself on my mind when I did it. Plus REI has a sale going on right now!! I may go up there later and my package from Warbonnet arrives! : )
Mark...
ranger they did it for vets who have one leg and others i no alot guys who climb that hill proud with no legs va
G rating is over rated anyway. The line expecting to see them licking Bob didn't help either. LOL Great video as usual Mr. Gray. Keep them coming. Thanks Jeff
Oh, that is funny! I didn't think about those two lines together, but that sure puts it in a different context, especially after the one horse started to get really interested in my camera bag hanging a bit low...!
Great video! What is your preferred 'adult beverage' that you carry? How do you plan your meals? Do you use any tools to keep track of your calories that you are packing, etc? Thank you for the great videos! Keep it up!
Ahhh... the adult beverage. It had historically been Costco brand anejo tequila, but on this trip I branched out and tried some 'Breckenridge' (Colorado) whiskey, which was very, very good but expensive (about $40 per bottle at Costco, but a really cool bottle!). I recently finished a trip in the Dolly Sods Wilderness (WV) - video coming soon - and on that trip I tried some relatively cheap Costco brand blended scotch which I actually enjoyed quite a bit. In terms of calories, I don't use any sort of tool to keep track of it but after last years RMNP trip, where I had issues with not getting enough calories, I've added a bag of mini snickers to my snack mix which has been working very well - on the two trips so far in 2017 I've 'rationed' 10 mini snickers plus two mini peanut butter snickers per day, which has been about perfect. That is in addition to snack bags of Walmart brand cajun trail mix (has toffee peanuts in it, perfect blend of salt, sweet, spicy, crunchy, etc - yum!), Smokehouse wasabi almonds, 1 GU gel shot per day, and extra maltodextrin powder that I've started adding to my water along with EFS. Oh, that's all in addition to breakfast (typically cereal with Nido instant milk, or oatmeal) and dinners (Mountain House lately for convenience, though I often mix up my own stuff), and lately I've been really enjoying a tortilla at lunch with a 'Bold' flavor tuna foil packets with mayo on top (Thai chili flavor was awesome on the Dolly Sods trip). Whew... long answer to a short question!
David Gray
Looked like another nice section of trail. Sorry you missed some of your views, but it looked like you still had plenty of nice ones! Having done this section and the Roan Highlands which did you like better? I'm looking for another 30-50ish mile section for this Fall. Thanks again for the documentary. You did a nice job of showing a lot of footage that I hadn't seen in other videos. Much appreciated.
I actually liked the Roan Highlands more, but I'm really glad I was able to hike the Grayson Highlands section too. I'm sure my preference for the Roan area is partly because of our fogged-in Grayson experience on the 2nd day, but the Roan section is just concentrated with more good 'stuff' over nearly the entire 50 miles of it - Beauty Spot, Unaka Mountain, Ash Gap, Roan Mountain, Little Hump Mountain, Hump Mountain, Overmountain Shelter, Mountain Harbour Hostel, Best Breakfast on the AT, etc. Another factor was certainly that I did the Roan section northbound and was able to 'bond' with a group of AT thru-hikers more so than we were able to with the southbound hike (though, surprisingly, we did actually find ourselves in a small group of southbounders this year as well).
Thank you David. I did enjoy the Roan section as well. We missed the views from Over mountain shelter up Hump MTns etc as it was socked in with clouds the morning we departed from the shelter Northbound. We may hit it again this Fall and hike the section South bound from 19 to Erwin for a bit of variety on the same section..
Adam, in a good year the fall color at Grayson Highlands is spectacular. It is very early, I think the beginning of October should be around peak most years. To me, the best time of year to catch the Roan Highlands is in the June 10-20 time frame. I've done day hikes from Carver's Gap to Grassy Bald and over Hump Mountain in the last 10 days. The catawba rhododendron and flame azaleas were in bloom on the Grassy Bald hike (June 9), and I saw at least 30-40 Gray's lilies just off the AT on the Hump Mountain hike (June 17). The whole area is really beautiful in mid June with the tall grasses and wildflowers everywhere.
Great video. Bob is a classic side kick. Love that guy. Any issue with ticks?
Yes, Bob is not only a great hiking partner, but perfect for making videos with. He loves being in front of the camera. No issues with ticks at all, on this hike or any of my other AT hikes. I know ticks can certainly get bad on the AT, especially as you get into the northeast, but it was probably the early season timing that made them not a problem for the hikes I've done.
Thank you for another great experience David! Very well edited and the captures at the end was a nice touch. I just have a couple of questions. What is the brand of shirt you're wearing? Is it comfortable and breathable? Lastly, do you have fitness plan during the winter to get you ready for the season? Thanks again and look forward to the next one.
The shirt I wore was a 100% merino wool Smartwool micro-weight (150 weight) t-shirt. It is very comfortable and breathable in all conditions, and it NEVER stinks (at least body-odor smell - it can smell a bit like a wet sheep when it gets wet!). I've worn the same shirt for 5 days straight and it doesn't smell - I've worn synthetic shirts for less than a day backpacking and can't stand my own stink. Unfortunately Smartwool, and pretty much all other merino wool clothing suppliers, have now started to include 13-15% polyester instead of going with 100% merino, no doubt to improve durability, but even that tiny fraction of synthetic material drastically reduces the odor-proof qualities of the merino. You can still find the 100% merino versions but it is getting MUCH harder. Regarding a winter fitness program, I don't really do anything special. In general I 'workout' 2-3 times per day - at lunchtime at a local gym (stationary bike, treadmill, and weights), after work walking the dogs 3-5 miles per day, and either a spin bike class at night or riding my normal road bike. As backpacking season approaches I start wearing a fully loaded+ pack on my daily dog walks. On weekends I typically get in a 10 mile walk with the dogs in the hills of southern Indiana, and started in late March I usually carry my fully loaded pack on those walks.
I agree with David, smartwool removes almost all the funk compared to poly. But at 100% - not very durable, I got several small holes after a 2 night trip.
I second the merino. I own about 30+ pieces, IBEX, Icebreaker, Smartwool Woolly, and have worn it daily for the last 4+ years. You will not want to go back to synthetic or cotton ever! ;) There are some tencel/merino blends if you find you are tough on your shirts, but the weave has a lot to do with durability and not all merino weaves are the same. Icebreaker makes a tech-t and used to make a version called Hopper which were light and very sturdy.
`cool video.
Another wonderful and entertaining video. Do you think you'll ever thru hike the AT? I've watched a few videos of people who have and it makes me want to give it a go one of these days. Thanks for sharing your adventures! :)
Thru hiking the AT has been high on my 'bucket list' for a long time, and I hope to be able to tackle it some day - unfortunately probably not until I retire which isn't going to be for a while yet (it would take probably 5+ months for me to do the whole thing and that darn day job is getting in the way right now. But I do plan to keep doing little chunks with my now annual spring trip to the AT - not sure where I'll go in 2018 but I'm thinking about actually starting at Springer at peak thru-hiker launch time and doing the first 50 miles or so with next year's thru hiker 'class'.
I had to pause this video at the beginning so I could make some Duncan Donuts coffee!
Great video David from one Hoosier to another :-). What trail map did you use for this trip?
I actually didn't carry a map for this trip. I did carry and use AWOL's (David Miller) 2017 AT guidebook, which is all you really need for the AT, but about halfway through the trip I downloaded Guthook's AT Guide app onto my iPhone. A few thruhikers told us about the Guthook app and I decided to try it - it is great! A moving topo map display showing your position in real-time along with trail mileages to features (e.g. campsites, roads, streams, shelters, etc.) in both directions, more listed features - like informal campsites - than AWOL's guide, plus reviews, comments, hints, notes, etc. that get added by other's using the app. The informal campsite that we stayed in on night #3 was found on the Guthook app, but it was not shown in AWOL's guide. When I do more sections of the AT I'll certainly be using the Guthook app (I'll also carry AWOL's guide because I never rely solely on electronic gizmos). If I had carried a map I'm not really sure which one it would have been - I didn't research maps because I knew I wouldn't be using one.
Another great installment. Any changes to your pack or hiking style after this one?
Actually, yes, but just really some minor stuff. I've been bothered by pain in my shoulder area (typically right side only) that builds after a few days so I added a couple extra add-on Zpacks shoulder pads which you'll see in my soon-to-be-published Dolly Sods Wilderness (WV) video - they worked well. I've also added a mix of 'Electrolyte Fuel System' powder combined with maltodextrin for use in my water while I hike, to address the issues I had on my Rocky Mountain National Park hike, plus bringing along mini Snickers bars as snacks for additional energy - all of that worked very well on the AT hike.
Glad to hear you decided to go to Dolly Sods. Looking forward to seeing that video.
I've been a huge fan of your videos for a while now. With hiking so many miles do you do any kind of stretching on the trail to prevent injury?
Yes, I do, but never as much as I really should do. Really three basic stretches - (1) I'll put my leg up on a rock or tree and stretch my hamstring and lower back, (2) I'll lean into a tree and stretch my achilles tendon and calf, and (3) I'll grab my ankle/foot from behind my back and pull it up to stretch my quadriceps a knee area. I do this a couple times per day but should really do it much more often. In addition to these I'll also stretch my arms above my head to stretch my shoulders and upper arm area, plus when we take breaks where we get the pack off I'll simply bend over at the waist to (sort of) touch my toes.
Okay, thanks was looking for ways to stretch Achilles tendon on trail. I have fairly severe tendonitis but don't want to quit hiking even though our treks are short. Loved the ponies may have to put Grayson Highland State Park on our list!
Fine job once again. So which trip was best , this one or roan?
Both were great in their own ways but I personally enjoyed the Roan Highlands a bit more than the Grayson Highlands. The Roan section is just packed with great spots - Beauty Spot, Unaka Mt., Ash Gap, Roan Mt., Overmountain Shelter, Little Hump Mt., Hump Mt., and finally Mountain Harbour Hostel (and that breakfast!). I'm sure if we'd had some better views on that second day in the Grayson Highlands it might have changed my perspective a bit, but I still think the Roan Highlands would take top prize.
Thanks. Heading for this section next. What’s your pack weight? Great trek. Happy trails.
I'm sure you'll enjoy the Grayson Highlands - have a great hike! My pack weight is typically about 25 pounds or less, but on top of that I carry about 10+ pounds in camera gear. So even though I'd probably be an 'ultra-light' backpacker by normal standards, I'm far from ultra-light in total weight carried.
What’s on the agenda for this season David?
Bring a backpacking trowel, and use gods privy. Nice video!!.
Is there a reason you use Nalgene bottles over a reservoir? Any benefits?
Bucket list: Backpack with David and Bob.
That is a truly 'bucket-list' worthy item! Not so much for me, but hiking with Bob is truly an epic adventure - the dude is the best hiking partner ever! Zero maintenance, non-stop interesting conversation on any topic you could ever imagine, and just an al-around great guy. I would love to do so many more hikes with him, but his 'real' life tends to interfere with our backpacking 'adventures'
Now that you have had the chance to work with your photos from your new Nikon D810 what is your final verdict? Are you happy with the D810? The still shots look great in your video.
Yes, though I'm still learning about it the D810 is a great camera. It's actually a bit lighter than the D700, has a bit faster 'continuous' frame-per-second (which I use for auto-bracketing for HDR shots), MUCH higher resolution than the D700, it's much quieter, and has more flexible bracketing options. As you'll see in the upcoming Dolly Sods Wilderness video, I also had an opportunity to briefly use the video capture capabilities of the D810 on that trip (when my beloved Vixia G30 crapped out!) and I am much less impressed with the video on the D810 - no big deal since I didn't really plan to use it, but thought it was worth mentioning. The video is 'functional' but that is about it! There were two other big changes in 2017 regarding the still photos - in addition to the D810 - I am now using a Nikkor 20mm f1.8 lens (rather than the f2.8, older design I had been using), and I used Aurora HDR 2017 to process the HDR images (rather than SNS-HDR Pro). There is no doubt the Nikkor 20mm f1.8 was a major upgrade in terms of image clarity and additional short depth-of-field options - it's an awesome lens!. The jury is still out on the Aurora HDR 2017, but I think some/much of that is my own familiarity with the program. I never could get the 'automatic' batch processing to work (neither could the Aurora folks! - flaw in the program that they said would be remedied in an 'upcoming release'!) so it took me about 10 additional hours of manual processing to do all the stills, and in the end I had to do a lot of manual image correction due to under-exposure and over-saturation. Again, I think some of that was just me learning the program and settings, and the final results in the video came out relatively well (though I think if I was to start from scratch and do them again - ouch!, without batch processing - I would have made them better). Whew... went off on a tangent from your original question, but to sum up my opinion of the D810 for still photos it is an excellent camera with few (any?) flaws that I could identify.
Thanks for the information. I am still in the market for a new camera that does both excellent stills and video (preferably 4K video). Really torn between getting something now such as the D810, or waiting for Sony's next A7R II (mirrorless) replacement that should be released within the next 6 months.
I've been looking at the Sony a7RII, and it's upcoming replacement, as well. I've been wanting to make the move up to 4K, and consolidate my cameras at the same time, and the a7RII seems to be the closest thing to an ideal solution at this time. I'm a bit concerned about the 'mixed' reviews the a7RII gets in terms of it's color quality, but perhaps Sony will address that with the replacement. The D810 is an excellent still photo camera, but it is not a solution for video.
I haven't looked real close at the a7RII since I knew it's replacement was coming when I first started looking at cameras about two months ago. I didn't realize it had issues with color quality so thanks for sharing that bit of information. My main concern with the a7RII is the low battery life (i.e., may need a 10L stuff sack just to carry extra batteries) and video overheating issues that seems to be common in the earlier Sony mirrorless cameras. I am pretty sure the overheating issue is being addressed in more recent Sony releases. Batter life is also being addressed based on the recently released a9 camera. The other new issue that I am faced with is the rumor that the a7RII replacement, which was originally expected to be released in June, has been delayed until a November release date to give the recently released a9 more market space. I was really hoping to have my new camera for this summer's hiking season.
What is your pack weight minus water? Thanks
What's that exactly that Bob wears on his knees etc, and how is it helpful?
I'm not sure. I think he has some tendinitis, maybe, but I never asked him about it.
Does the Endurox R4 work? What flavor do you prefer and are there any to stay away from?
The Endurox R4 works great for me, and it makes all the difference in how I feel at the end of a long hiking day (and more importantly, the next day when hiking begins again). I've never talked to anyone else who's tried it so I can't say whether the positive results I experience are unique to me, but based on the reviews I've read I think their claim to be 'the gold standard of recovery drinks' isn't far from the mark. The only flavor I've ever used is lemon-lime, which is fine. You actually use a pretty staggeringly large quantity of the stuff (two large scoops per serving), but even with that much Endurox R4 the taste (and 'texture'/thickness) is actually quite mild. I can usually down an entire liter of the mix + water in just a couple big gulps. I only use one serving at the end of each day, minus the last day when I get to the car, and I measure out each serving into a ziplock snack-size bag.
David, thanks for the prompt feedback!!
David Gray thanks for the prompt response. I just got back from a mission trip in Honduras and really could have used this. I will definitely be taking it next year!!
What was the rehab drink that you have in the video ?
The recovery drink I use after the hike is Endurox R4. It's expensive but I only use it for backpacking trips so one container (~$50!) will last me more than one hiking season. The difference it makes in how my legs feel the next day is remarkable.
Where did u park your van
Hey David, where did you get that Trail Guide in this video?
I used two different AT guides on this trip. Historically, I've always used AWOLs (David Miller) AT guidebook ('The A.T. Guide', available on Amazon). It is an excellent 'hard copy' guidebook, available in both northbound and southbound editions, and you receive frequent email updates with any trail changes from David Miller himself. On this trip I also started using the Guthook app for my iPhone (at the recommendation of a number of thruhikers we hiked with). The Guthook app was/is awesome! It gave you a real-time picture of where you were on the trail, and had much more information on trail features (water sources, campsites, etc.) than did AWOL's AT Guide book. In addition, it's also sort of like a social media app too with people being able to enter up-to-date comments/information/suggestions on the various shelters, campsites, water sources, etc. along the way. I don't like to rely exclusively on electronic 'gizmos' while on the trail so I will always plan to carry both AWOL's guide and the Guthook app on any future AT trips I do, with my primary source of information being the Guthook app. By the way, the Guthook app can be used for many other trails besides the AT (but you do have to purchase the maps at a one-time charge).
David Gray thanks for the reply, just discovering your videos (even though apparently you’ve been here longer than others!). Yeah, I love Guthook, but have never bought AWOLs - might have to pick up a copy to tear apart to give to the folks I take with me.
I am at an absolute loss for words because my comments keep getting deleted. I'm pretty sure I'm being a decent guy and not saying anything out of line. I really admire the videos and like how you put them all together to feel like a person is actually on the trip. If you don't want me to comment that's OK but deleting my comments over and over is kind of not cool. But it's your channel
No, it's not me. I never delete any comments, good or bad. Sometimes the youtube 'spam filter' moves some comments over to a different area where I have to approve them before showing up, but I just checked there and nothing is in the approval queue. Not sure what's going on with the deleted comments. Anyway.... this one came through! Thank you for watching and the kind feedback - feeling like you're coming along with me/us is the 'feel' that I'm hoping to capture so I'm glad you felt that way. I'm sorry for the difficulties with the comments disappearing - not sure what's going on.
Dan in MN
Wow. What. A. Gorgeous. Video. 👍🏼👍🏼 👊🏼 👏🏼👏🏼 😎
Been watching the original star trek have you? ;)
🖖🏼
Great video as always, headed to the Smokies in a week. Curious who makes the cheddar cheese 🧀 spread? I might enjoy that.
Have fun in the Smokies - I'm planning to get there myself in late June. The cheddar cheese spread is made by Packit Gourmet (www.packitgourmet.com). You can find it in the 'spreads' section. I'd recommend letting it rehydrate at least 30 minutes (an hour isn't too long) - the directions call for 10 minutes which is way too short (it will be 'chunky' still).
David Gray thanks will check it out
David Gray the azeleas on Gregory bald might be in full bloom in late june.
How would you get to that privy in your wheelchair?
Thanks for sharing this hike, how much time did it take you to edit this vid?
Tip: bring a little sheep's wool next time, it's great to stuff in sensitive areas of the feet! They sell it at CVS.
Longer than you might think actually! This one took about three weeks a pretty hard core editing to finish/ I started with about 5 hours of raw video and cut it down to a little under an hour for the final video. I generally figure that it will take me at least one hour of editing (and sometimes up to two) for every hour I'm actually hiking on a trip. On this trip Bob and I hiked for about 30 hours totally (including all the stops) and I think I spent about 40 hours editing.
Well, you couldn't with that one unless a helicopter basically dropped you onto the access ramp, but that was really the point I was trying to make. I consider myself a solid supporter of the American's with Disabilities Act, but there are some times when exceptions should probably be allowed, and that privy was one of them. That scene was actually much longer than what I put in the final video, and I cut out a big chunk that provided more background on why I felt the need to create the scene. There is a bridge on the AT near Damascus that was taken out by a storm a couple years ago, causing a painful re-route onto that highway that you see at the end. All of the local Boy Scout troops would be more than willing to build a new bridge but they were informed it must be ADA compliant. That multiplies the cost, work, and headaches substantially putting it out of reach of the Boy Scouts - the bridge is still out!
Thank you for the tip. I have a CVS very close to where I live and I'll check out sheep's wool - sounds very useful.
Please, it's Ap-uh-latch-un around here. :-) Just pokin fun, love the vids.
Yes, I know - south of the Mason-Dixon line. Actually, I had a section in the video where Bob and I were discussing that very subject (proper geographic pronunciation of 'Appalachian') but the scene didn't survive the final cut - maybe I should have kept it!
It's actually very easy.... Appa - latchin
BTW, did you try the Famous Virgina Creeper Trail Chocolate Cake?
No, actually we didn't. We were so stuffed on the bacon cheeseburgers and fries we couldn't handle dessert. Well... at least until I found the church charity hot dog 100 yards down the trail! We'll save the cake for the next time we're there!
I am binge-watching your other videos tonight! Thank you for sharing!