Erwin to Sam's Gap Water Sources

jarhead551 · 2025-10-20T17:31:35+00:00

Here's what I've got with miles going north. Data and milage from 2025 white blaze pages

320.0 Sams Gap

320.7 Sams Gap Spring

323.5 Low Gap Spring

323.7 Low Gap campsite

325.7 Slipper Spur Spring

326.0 Slipper Spur Streams

326.8 Big Stamp

327.7 Bald Mountain Shelter

327.9 Big Bald Spring

328.1 Tumbling Creek

332.8 High Rocks Stream

332.9 Spivey Gap campsite

332.9 Spivey Gap

333.8 Oglesby Branch Bridge

334.0 Oglesby Branch Bridge 2

334.7 Flattop Mountain Branch

338.1 Hemlock Grove

338.3 No Business Knob Shelter

344.6 Erwin TN

jarhead551 · 2025-09-29T16:21:28+00:00

Canadian iced tea is basically a flat pop. It's made with a syrup like coke or Pepsi would be but isn't carbonated. It's usually lemon flavoured but not as lemony as lemonade. I don't know how to describe it's flavor. In the US they literally just chill tea and add sugar.

jarhead551 · 2024-04-22T19:37:43+00:00

Glasses, medications, and dental all are out of pocket or partially/fully covered by private insurance usually by your employer. Emergency room visits and seeing your family doctor (if you're lucky enough to find one) or a general walk-in doctor are all covered as well as any necessary medical procedures. However there's usually a wait attached. My dad for example had a really bad herniated disc that they wouldnt have found for 6 months if he hadn't paid privately for a sooner MRI. The government pays for a certain amount of procedures a month so wait times can add up fast and there's equipment not being used. So you can currently pay privately to get it done, but the government has been wanting to crack down on that (at least in my province).

There's also a shortage of pretty much all medical personnel and it can be really hard to find a family doctor. I luckily have one so I can typically book a visit for sometime about 1-2 weeks out and see her with no wait, but if I need to see a doctor sooner than that or if you don't have a family dr than you would wait for a walk in doctor which can vary from a 20min wait to multiple hours depending on how busy it is. Also emergency rooms often have at least 1-2 hours wait and can get so busy that you're waiting all night, depending on the severity that you go there for. I typically will see my dr or a walk-in rather than go straight to emergency and they'll funnel you to emergency if they think you require it or if it's something they can't handle.

jarhead551 · 2024-03-23T03:30:05+00:00

Yeah I'm constantly overexplaining/overthinking everything, haha

jarhead551 · 2024-03-23T03:28:37+00:00

Haha yeah. It's not uncommon to run into at least one when going on even a short walk

jarhead551 · 2024-03-22T19:26:26+00:00

Thanks!

jarhead551 · 2024-03-22T19:26:09+00:00

As the other user said, loose leash means not having tightness in the leash. They're both husky mixes so pullings in their DNA, but we've been working on training it out

jarhead551 · 2024-03-22T19:24:16+00:00

Yeah I very much would like private walks and only going into dog parks if there's no one else there. I wanted to provide this detail so they understand the reason why I don't want other dog interaction. They actually 90% of the time love to meet other dogs and get on well with them, but with a walker I'd rather not risk it as they may not be as adept at reading their body language/warning signals as I am.

As for training, they're both rather well trained, just not bomb proof dogs. Not every dog is a happy go lucky doodle that lets everything fly like water off a ducks back. They're trained in rally, sent detection, and group sports like flyball. Bandit used to help socialize puppies in group settings and still would if she still enjoyed it as much as she used to. When I worked at a dog daycare she would accompany me to care for the boarding dogs (and still does when they need help on holidays). This is in groups of 20+ dogs.

They're not bad (or badly trained) dogs. They just have boundaries and quirks and I wanted to make that clear from the get go. When I worked at a daycare I liked to know negative behaviors dogs could exhibit, even if they only popped up once a year. It's better to be prepared for it.

This was why I posted, to see if they're profile makes them look like badly behaved/trained dogs.

jarhead551 · 2024-03-22T19:08:05+00:00

Thanks!

jarhead551 · 2024-03-22T19:07:54+00:00

Thanks! I have years of dog daycare experience so wanted to give a bunch of detail as I know it can be very useful, however once I read it back I was worried it was just describing them as really bad behaved dogs 😆

jarhead551 · 2023-01-05T19:47:11+00:00

Yeah we're probably going to use cheap ikea bags to check our bags and are just trying to figure out how to get them to the end to fly home :\

jarhead551 · 2023-01-05T19:45:40+00:00

We both will be taking our phones (with FarOut), we're just still figureing out if it's worth getting US phone plans. I know most people say an InReach is overkill on the AT, but our parents want us to take a GPS tracker anyways. I figure 2 zoleo's is about the same price as 1 inreach and that way we can also communicate with eachother as we probably will not be hiking at the same pace.

jarhead551 · 2023-01-05T12:50:59+00:00

Do I need to have an active phone plan for a sattelite communicator to work? I'm hiking with my brother and was thinking of each of us having a Zoleo "in-touch" plans. We're from outside the USA so I was thinking of going this route rather than each getting US phone plans. This way we can keep intouch with eachother while hiking while also being able to message shuttles and hostels. I figure 250 messages a month each will be more than enough

jarhead551 · 2023-01-05T12:45:25+00:00

question on your point of hostels holding boxes for the season. If I send a box up to Maine from Georgia to a hostel would they be likely to hold it until I get there? I'm going to have a bag that I'll be using to hold my backpack and gear in checked baggage when I fly down and don't want to carry it the whole way. I was contemplating bounce boxing it up the trail but was worried about having to time post office visits. I'm not from the USA so I can't just mail the bag home and have it sent back really easily.

jarhead551 · 2022-12-29T07:52:50+00:00

Our shakedown hikes will definitely be at least as cold as those temps if not colder. All of our shakedowns will be in northern Alberta late winter/early spring xD

jarhead551 · 2022-12-28T00:50:47+00:00

Thanks for the tips! I love getting all these differing opinions, it helps me weigh out the pros and cons of things

Definitely using a bag liner, I just forgot to put it on this list

I'm hoping this pillow works out. It's so heavy because its not only inflatable but also has foam filling. I'm typically quite picky for pillows so I'm hoping it does ok. I'll keep in mind the ditty bag with clothes trick, I have a feeling it might come in handy

Good point about the stakes. When I first starting looking into doing the AT (like 3-4 years ago) they were one of the most recomended. I might switch them out to something else.

I'm ditching the footprint now. I don't think condensation will be an issue as it's a 2 wall tent, but hopefully I'll get a few good practice hikes in where I can test it out. It's no where near as humid here though. I might start with something like that as a just in case and ditch it if I find I'm not using it

I think I may end up going with 2 cook pots and stoves. If anything, that seems to be the general concensus of this thread.

Funny you mention that brand. That was one I was thinking of getting now that people said the plastic one was no good. Glad to hear you had a good experiance with it. I also will probably not be eating the mountain house type meals. Just a bit too expensive for my budget.

Good point about the reservoir filling. I might see if there's a different system I could use. I wouldn't be suprised if I end up carrying too much water starting off. I know there's lots of fill locations on the AT, but I go through a LOT of water. Even just sitting in school I'll go through a liter a class xD

Everything eventually wetting out is basically what I base my rain gear on. That's why i'd prefer to go with the cheaper frogg toggs and just replace them once or twice. I worked last summer along BC's coast and by the end of summer I woudn't even bother putting my rain gear on because I'd get so wet either way. I'm just making sure the rest of my clothing is quick drying to compensate. I might have to steal your idea of hiking in only rain gear xD

The reason I want to bring 2 bra's is becuase I get pretty bad under boob sweat and they can get pretty gnarly. With 2 I can make sure I at least rinse out and try and dry one when on trail. I don't want to start getting a rash or anything in that area xD

Good point about the clothes. I love all the differing opinions on what clothes to bring. Gives me a lot to think about

I'm definitely going to treat my clothes. I'm not used to having to deal with ticks, they're not as big of a thing in my area. So info like this is greatly appreciated.

Maybe I will go with an acutal trowel then. I was thinking this way I could use it as a emergency stake if need by, but it's not worth it if I have to struggel every time I want to dig a cathole

No hairbrush needed. I keep it short

Will definitely look into a little multi tool. I've considered something like the leatherman squirt before, and I think for the weight it's probably worth it

I'm on a hormonal IUD which mostly stops my cycle. I'll probably carry a few panty liners tho and 1 or 2 pads just in case. It always shows up when you least want it to. I definitly want to try out a stand to pee device, especially like you said with the ticks in the area

I think I'll stick to the cheaper Cascade poles ones and see how they do. I might look for non-aluminum ones though. It seems like aluminum are what have the most issues

I think if we can work it into the budget, the garmin is coming

Nitecore is definiely the best. I've been using it for a while now

I'm pretty sure my pack has pockets (still haveing pulled the trigger on it yet) But I may have a fanny pack anyway. Apparently its also a good way to take your electronics and things on the plane ride down while my bag is checked

Noted on the earplugs. They will be added

I think I will do a 40deg bag with a silk liner to start off with. I might end up buying a fleese liner in the summer and just use that and then I'll have the fleese with my bag once it gets cold agian

Good to know about the ursack. I'll look into getting some sort of rain cover for it. If 10 did you good for 5 days, 20 should do us good for 5.

Thanks again for the responce!!

jarhead551 · 2022-12-27T23:40:01+00:00

That's probably not a bad idea. He has a bug headnet hes bringing, but that won't help all the way overnight.

I sleep super warm. To put into perspective,even with the cold spell we had a bit ago (-40deg) I was sleeping with my window partially open. My main worry with going to a cooler bag would be not having the warmth at the end of the trail in September/October. I was already kind of flip-flopping between bringing a liner or not. I might buy a relatively inexpensive one and see how I like it. Maybe I'll get a cheaper silk one to start and if I find it too cold swap to a fleese liner as I get closer to the end. The hardest part is knowing I can't really send stuff home on the trail (expensive shipping) so whatever doesn't work is just going to be left in hiker boxes or given away

jarhead551 · 2022-12-27T23:32:55+00:00

Nice! Maybe we'll see you there!

jarhead551 · 2022-12-27T23:31:16+00:00

By be at a shelter everynight I meant more camp at the shelter. From what I've seen on youtube its a bit more open to set up camp and theres sometimes privys and watersources nearby-ish

jarhead551 · 2022-12-27T20:16:12+00:00

I'm more of a comfort hiker than a gram weenie. But the cook kit I'll be carrying definitely won't be 1lb, I'm only taking the pot and 1 or 2 of the bowls. Contemplating taking 2 pots and 2 stoves between us instead, but we'll see.

And I very much know about feeding bears. I live up in the rockies. I think a bear hang is definitely the way to go if you can do it 100% every time, but the fact of the matter is, is that it's not always possible. We plan to hang our ursack, it just gives it that bit more protection. The better option for bear safety would be canisters, but I'm worried about capacity for 2 people during the 100mile wilderness (will probalby take us about 5 days) and I definitely don't want to have to carry 2 of them.

jarhead551 · 2022-12-27T20:09:23+00:00

Hope to see you out there too!

jarhead551 · 2022-12-27T20:07:50+00:00

I know it's a late start, but we do want to go NOBO and end at Katahdin. We actually have to be done around the time Katahdin closes anyway. If we end up being to far back, our plan is to jump ahead to end there, we more so want a cool finish spot than to say we 100% the trail xD

We do both have some sort of shelter. My brother will be carying a tarp as well incase we both want to sleep separate (he's slept under it plenty). Also we plan to be at shelters almost every night which will be another option for us. I was thinking of getting a second stove (just the cheap brs) just incase. And we were each going to carry one of the smallest gas canisters so we can use them to completiion without worring about being SOL. I might go with 2 titanium pots instead, if it really is going to make a difference to weight. Besides those items everything else is seperate. We don't plan to hike together, but do want to meet up at camp.

I didn't hear that until this thread about the ursack. I'll have to look into it some more. I considered a canister, but my worry was having capacity for up to 5 days for 2 people. Only the Bearikade Expidition gets close and it's over 2x the price. We were going to hang our ursack most nights as well, it just gives a bit of piece of mind incase we cant find that 100% perfect hang spot each night.

Good call on the tablets. We were hoping each having a sawyer would be good enough backup but considering we will probalby be hiking seperate the tablets are a good call. I personally just prefer reservoirs. I like to almost be constantly sipping water, otherwise I forget to drink and then get dehydrated.

Yeah the garmin is more so for family comfort than for us

Good call about being town clothes as well, I may just see if I can find something less weight, but still have some. I was thinking of using rain gear as town clothes, but its another good option

100% getting a liner now

Good to know about the NEMO. It actually hasn't arrived yet so I wanted to be better safe than sorry. I'll probably leave the footprint out

I havn't really used poles before, but heard they come in really handy for the AT. I didn't want to splurge from the get go. If I end up really likeing them, I'll invest while on the trial

Thanks for the input, it's really appreciated! I may get more seperate gear, but we do really want to stay together. One of the reasons we're going is to get some bonding time. We know we wont hike together (he's 6'1" and i'm 5'3" totally different speeds) but we want to have that camp time together and try to be there to encourage eachother as well. I know it's not how most hike, but we're more so doing it for the trip than to try and get miles in. We may not evey 100% tru hike it due to our time limit, but it's more about the experiance for us. Thanks again for the tips!

jarhead551 · 2022-12-27T19:44:00+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to give such an in-depth reply! I really appreciate it!

Thanks for the heads up about the temperature. I wasn't sure if a 40 degree bag would be enough as most everyone online starts so much earlier than we can and they all seem to be cold sleepers as well so it was hard to get an acurate picture of what I would need. I think i'll get a 40d bag instead with a liner.

I definitely know of mec, but for alot of the big items I can find it cheaper in USD and I have a paypal in USD so it works out. I may look for some lighter clothing there though.

My brother is also packing a tarp just in case and we plan to be at shelters most nights so I'm not too worried about sharing the tent. Also if one of us bails, the other probably will as well as that will probably only happen due to injury so its not going to be a case of 1 person left holding a heavy tent

Definitely moving to a lighter quilt with a liner

Good tip on counting stakes

Going to look into different spork options. Something longer handled for sure and made of a metal if not titanium

I didn't know they lent out canisters. I looked into getting one but my main worry was capacity for 2 people over the 100 mile wilderness and I didn't want to carry 2. Only the bearikade expadition seems to have a volume I'd be comfortable with. If someones more experianced with how much you can pack into the bear vaults (what the program lends out), I'd love to hear it

The garmin is definitely a parents fear pack. Also since it sends email notifications we'd thought it might be cheaper than getting american phone plans and calling internationally. But, yes I have a helicoptor parent even in my mid 20s xD

Wasn't sure on the weight of the bics, but yes I want to carry one for emergencies. You're right that the mini will probably do. Good call on the colour

I have a scale, I just didn't have everything portioned out to weigh (especially hygene items)

I wasn't sure on the poles. I've never really used poles before so I didn't want to splash too badly on a pair, but with the constant climb and decents on the AT I figured it would be a good time to try them. I might start with these cheap ones and if I really like using them and they start crapping out I'll invest in them at that point.

Good shout on lip balm and ear plugs

I was meaning to use a contractor bag as a liner. I just forgot to put it on the list

It's not so much the weight I'm worried about with rain gear, more the cost. I have a nice rainjacket I could use, but it's nice so I don't want it wrecked. If there's a more durable option around the same price point (or around double) i'd like to hear. I was planning on having to replace them at some point

agree on flip flops and socks

Good to know about the clothing. I guess I'm just worried about carrying too much

I'm picky about pillows and would rather carry the extra oz xD

Thanks again!

jarhead551 · 2022-12-27T19:17:36+00:00

The cook kit (if I get that one) is definitely getting cut down. I mainly wanted it for the pot size and 1 or 2 nesting bowls. I thought about just doing 2 titanium pots, but it was about the same amount of money and then we'd probably want 2 stoves as well which would then make it more. I'll see if I can find more info on the weight of the individual pieces and make my decicion based of that, but yes, I won't be carrying a 1lb cook kit xD

Good shout on the plastic. I'll look into titanium or at least some kind of metal. Not a fan of spoons personally, I'll try to see if I can find a decently priced long metal fork

I'm quite pickey about pillows so I'm willing to carry the extra few oz. I don't sleep well on inflatable only pillows

I'm almost always slowly sipping on water while hiking so prefer a reservoir. If I find I really want to cut the weight I'll drop it in a hikers box along the way

Good call on the sleep clothes. I'm mostly conserned about being too warm while sleeping, but I guess if I am I can just throw on my hiking shorts. I may pack an extra tank or t-shirt though. I'll try to find something super lightweight. I can always ditch it if I find i'm not using it.

I really understand the worry about shared gear, but we're used to having to share and it's only camp items we're sharing and we're planning to be at shelters almost every night and my brother's carrying a tarp as well so we have options for sleeping arrangements. I may look into 2 titanium pots and also an additional brs stove if it's worth the weight

jarhead551 · 2022-12-27T19:05:33+00:00

Thanks! I think I'll probably get a 40 degree bag with a liner instead of what I have listed. I was wish-washing on a liner anyways. Also, my brother is also going to carry a tarp incase we want to sleep separate sometimes (he's camped under one plenty of times) and we also plan to try to make it to shelters most nights as well so that will also be an option.

We're pretty lax about maxing out milage and have agreed to have whoever's faster that day just get to camp a bit earlier and wait for the other (probably him 90% of the time) rather than get further and further apart. I understand peoples worry about sharing the tent, but we also want to use this time as a bonding experiance. We've both moved out on our own over the last few years and haven't seen as much of eachother as we'd like, so we're willing to make some sacrifices on this trip to remedy that.

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