This was my 2nd segment as a sectional through hiker. I now have almost 60 miles out of 2100+ done — still a very long way to go, and at the current rate, I’ll never finish it. I’ll have to step up to go more than once a year, and do more than 2 nights out, so I can knock out a couple 50-100 mile sections! Other than Jeremy’s bloody nose on day 2, and blood sugar/dehydration/heat exhaustion(?) on the way out on day 3, it was an uneventful trip.
The scenary the 1st day or so was not that great — there just weren’t any great views. Part of that was due to cloud cover on top of Springer, and the other part was due to all the trees being full of leaves this time of year. However, Blood Mountain did offer some nice views, and we got to watch the sunset and sunrise from there.
I have already made a list of items I will not carry in the future in order to cut down on weight. At the start, with all of my food and full of water supplies of 130 oz, my load, including my new 3.3 lbs Osprey Atmos 65 pack, was at 36 lbs. I think I can easily cut out 4-5 lbs. And I could have gone with less water, and just filled up more often. One item I will change out is my ancient Petzl duo headlight, and upgrade to a smaller/lighter Petzl tikka. I also want to get my own stove so I can do some solo backpacking, and I really like the jetboil, which weighs just under 1 lbs. I tend to carry too much food, so I will work on that next time. No 13 oz. bag of Combos! (Maybe just 2 small combos bags instead. 🙂 )
People: Sean, Jeremy, Gary, Mike, Ethan
Dates: June 8 -10 2007
Distance: 30.5 (Parking is .9 from Springer, so we hiked up and back down, so we hiked a little further)
Day 1: Springer Mountain – Gooch Mountain Shelter, about 15 miles.
Day 2: Gooch Mountain Shelter – Blood Mountain Shelter, 13 miles
Day 3: Blood Mountain Shelter – Neels Gap, 2.5 miles
Photos: Sharpcast Album
Map: Both Springer Mountain and Neels Gap are on this map:
2sparrows 
Sounds like you’ll have it down to a science pretty soon. Regarding the Ptezl headlamps, let me recommend the Tikka XP or the Myo XP. I’ve used the Tikka Plus for almost 2 years now and it’s ok, but doesn’t really do much good for anyone but for me and up close. The Tikka XP and Myo XP both have a spotlight and diffuser lens for different lighting options and a stronger LED. Battery life and comfort on all mentioned above is excellent.
i use the black diamond spot. its pretty neat, has alot of cool features like the red light and strobe not expensive like 40 bucks at REI. its super bright too. The jetboil is amazing, thats what i carry and i love it. made omelets with it at work a few weeks ago. =]
You can spend a lot of money on the Ptezl or Black Diamond, but I’ve found that the Rayovac headlamps($10) are just as functional. The Jet Boil is great and I use it for multiple people, but when I’m alone, I use a MSR Pocket Rocket. Another weight conserver is the platypus gravity fed water filter. It combines as a water filter and hydration bag.($99). Just avoid heavy sediment water.