Hi! We're David and Sally Ann. Our homeschooling family lives in western North Carolina, and we take the time to hike every chance we get. We've done over 1,000 miles of hiking as a family over the past 5 years, but our ultimate goal is to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. Join us as we begin to document our hiking adventures and as we prepare for our 2025 AT hike!
@@im_agine852 thank you! She’s using Black Diamond poles from REI. They’re not the cork handled ones-retailed around $95 when she got them. Hope that helps!
It has gotten expensive to enter the park but Profile trail is an option coming from the opposite direction. In winter conditions GF is likely closed but Profile is amazing in the snow !
@@RedC63AMG yes! We interacted with a few groups at the top who hiked in on that trail. Definitely a great alternative to the $26/person (I think) that it cost 😅
@@tonyvango759 You’re in for a treat! It’s an absolutely beautiful trail. Make sure you’ve got ample water, though. I live locally and am on different sections of the trail fairly often. It can be quite dry if we haven’t had much rain prior to your hike.
@@danielahirschmann4811 Thanks! We parked in the Black Rock parking lot on the right as you’re driving up toward the visitor’s center/swinging bridge. We took the Black Rock Trail to Grandfather Trail Extension to the true Grandfather Trail. The parking lot coordinates are: 36.09522, -81.82917 Does that help?
@@danielahirschmann4811 it’s all very well marked, thankfully! And I use Gaia (GPS trail map app) on my phone to make sure I’m on the right trail. Keep in mind that going the way we did, you’ll have to pay an entry fee into the state park. It opens at 8am 👍🏻
Trail magic is loosely defined as any act of kindness given to a thru-hiker on trail. This could be as simple as a passing hiker offering treats like we did or could be more planned out like folks who set up a grill at a road crossing and cook a meal for passing thru hikers. Trail magic also includes rides to town or offering a bed for the night and more! It’s an incredible joy to provide it, and I’m sure as thru hikers, it can make the difference in a day that isn’t going quite great ☺️
We told our puppy to the peak that is now closed due to Fire that destroyed the overlook Fellow hikers helped oour puppy to climb the steep part ,Benji is the only puppy ever to be on the top peak overlook
Thanks for the sub and the encouraging words! Yeah, rain hiking isn’t the worst at all. It did get a little tricky going downhill on leaf covered rocky trail 😅
Well I am 68 and I did a 27.5 mile day hike about ten days ago after which I was completely knackered and a 23 mile day hike last weekend which wasn't too bad. Haven't made it to 30 miles in a day yet!
It was intense for sure! I thru-hiked it twice NOBO (once over 3 days and once over 2 days) with my family. We're really familiar with the trail which I think helped significantly in this particular challenge.
Yes! I kept snacks in the waist pack I was wearing and would refill when I went through everything. I ended up eating a lot: Cliff bar, cheese stick, meat stick, ham and cheese tortilla wrap, trail taco (tortilla + peanut butter + honey), apple, ramen with chicken, peanut M&Ms, trail mix, pretzels, mints...I think that's it. According to my fitness tracker, I burned 6,000 calories!
@@sixpackhikersthank you - that gives me a good idea of what I'll need. I was planning on at least 3 energy chew packs, 2 LMNT drink mixes, about 6 bars, and a cold soak salad. just re-watched your video! You had a fantastic attitude throughout - really enjoyed it! Just makes me excited to attempt it myself! The most miles I've done so far was about 22 or so - when I had a failed backpacking trip and decided to hike out instead of camping. So, I'm hoping since I could do 22 with a 32lb pack - that maybe 30 is achievable with a day pack! Happy trails. 😃
@@roselee_explores you’ve got this! And remember to bring plenty of H2O. Something I didn’t chat much about is the water sources. If it’s been dry for a while before your hike, the sources by the shelter tend to be in a much poorer state than when it’s rained. If you’re hiking NOBO, once you leave Deep Gap shelter, there’s no more water til an off trail pipe spring near the Black Balsam Knob trail parking lot. After that, not til you’re descending the final 2-3 miles 👍🏻👍🏻
@@sixpackhikers thank you so much! I'm pretty familiar with the trail and it's lack of water sources. I typically carry 3L at all times with a filter in my bag just in case I need to top off :). Definitely not doing nobo - but looking forward to attempting it! :)
Hi Mertens, it's the Cannings. Great video, great trail, and we are wishing you a good luck on your Appalachian trail hike. P.S. We hope you guys can stay in contact with us. It would be horrible to not be seeing you guys for a long period of time.
I love to see families out doing things together. I wish I had been able to do some distance hiking with my kids when they were younger, but life got in the way. I am giving yall a sub so that I can see how yall come together to make dreams come true. The kids will make memories to carry with them for a lifetime.
Building great memories and healthy young people with a love for God's beauty! My wife and I homeschooled our three sons here in Alabama. They all received scholarships to college and are graduates now. Press on!
What an incredible homeschool success story! Thank you for that encouragement. This is our ninth year of homeschooling, and I cannot imagine doing school any other way. It's helped our family grow close together and keep priorities where they need to be. Thanks for the comment!
@@sixpackhikers to encourage you and your family.....my oldest son is a leader in his job at the chamber of commerce, my middle son is a quality engineer in the auto industry, and my youngest son just graduated college in finance and is working for a bank. Y'all are on the right path! Family is so important and your children are receiving an education customized to each of them individually. That is very powerful! Prayer is the key!
What we do not see here is the tough climbing. It's good to remember though a wonderful place I've been many years ago, when I was 40!!!! I descended by the Rainbow Fall, and yes, there was a rainbow there. In those days some people were doing the Alum Cove at least three times a day, and had on their active climbing to the top 800, 900 times. They used to have a book at the lodge where you registered so you could prove to posterity you were there. Posterity doesn't always care about such things.
Thanks for watching and for your feedback. There were definitely some tough climbs. I would need a GoPro mounted to my chest or something similar to capture the big climbs. I just hold my iPhone out, so when filming, I can’t use my trekking poles very well-if at all-and I can’t easily watch the trail for foot placement. It’s a tricky element to navigate, but I hope to get better at it (and get better equipment) as I gain more experience. Hope you continue to watch our adventures 😊
@@sixpackhikers Absolutely. You must watch where put your foot. The video is wonderful. I only mentioned the difficulty of the trail so potential hikers are aware. Thank you, again.
omg - love this so much! you all are an amazing crew and family! great job. I can't wait to do this trail. (ps - are the old A-frame shelters gone? replaced with new AT-style shelters?)
Thanks so much! Yes, the a-frames had rotted to a point of disrepair and were demolished. The Butter Gap shelter was rebuilt this past spring. Not sure if the Deep Gap one is back in place yet or not. Hopefully soon!
