- Food & Water
- Toilet Paper
- Bug Spray
The first image shows the preloaded path in purple (downloaded from a website) and the yellow with black dots is the actual path we took. Turns out the purple paths that were not taken were either service roads or another trail that branched off. We decided to stay on the red blaze so we wouldn't be out there all morning. It was almost 5 miles and took about 3 hours. We stopped a few times to mess with the Garmins, pay homage to the Gods, and ponder the meaning of the stone walls. We'll eventually have a digital camera that we'll use to take pictures, especially of stuff we can't identify. The second image is the elevation profile of the trek. Nifty feature indeed. Yes I realize it doesn't start and stop at the same elevation. Chalk it up to technical difficulties that were identified and fixed in the field.A new hobby I've taken a liking to is geocaching. It's basically a modern day treasure hunt. I found my first geocache today in Pikeside, a town close to home.
The open treasure chest means it was found. There will undoubtedly be more hiking/geocaching maps to come.
2 comments:
The sad part is, you're right when you say the best part was that we had GPS to toy with. For anybody who has never been; Greenbrier State Park is a great way to turn off a newcomer to hiking. It's just challenging enough to be a "real" hike - I had to stop once - but it lacks any kind of intrinsic reward for your effort. There's not so much as a rocky outcropping for views, at least along the red blaze.
There were a few unmarked trails that might have held some cool surprises, but the area of the park had also been recently inhabited, so it's hard to tell if you'll go out to a nice view of the valley or a view of a run-down shack with a rusty swingset.
One strange thing about this hike is the hunting area within the park. While I've seen various wildlife management efforts underway at parks, a managed hunting area was new to me. The red trail pretty much outlines the area, with a few exceptions. Not sure what weapons are permitted there, but if you attempt a fall or winter hike, it would be a good idea to wear blaze.
regrettably true, this hike was weak tea. it was, however, a good test for the garmins. now that we know the ins and outs of them, we can take them on bigger and better hikes.
ps - dom wasn't kidding about the shack or swingset. no funny stuff.
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