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Chattooga River Beginner Backpacking and Swimming

Jul 18
Sat 8:00 AM
Location
This location is shown only to members
Estimated attendance
 13  people attended.
5.00 5.007

Who organized?
Bobby,  Chris W.,  and Robin

Robin and I were up in this area last weekend and found several excellent spots no more than 2-3 miles from the trail head with great swimming holes. We thought it would be a good spot for a beginner trip or a more leisurely trip for the experienced members. We already have an ideal spot in mind with a small beach and large swimming area as well as a huge site for shelters. If that site is taken we'll go a little further in but overall it shouldn't be more than 3 miles each day. We should get there around 10 or so by leaving at 8 and be at camp by noon so we'll have plenty of time to swim Saturday. We will also have swim time on Sunday before we break camp.

Photos of this Meetup

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Talk about this Meetup

  • Tracy & Lily
    Posted Jul 25, 2009 12:21 PM
    Tracy & Lily
    The pictures we took on the trip can be seen here: http://public.fotki.com/Run...
  • Bobby
    Posted Jul 21, 2009 11:24 PM
    Bobby
    POLAR BEAR
    Yeah, rub it in will ya! Next time I take my wife's camera.
  • Dmitry
    Posted Jul 21, 2009 6:41 PM
    Dmitry
    Brer Mountain Rabbit
    LOL, Bobby: 491 of my still shots came out from our Shenandoah trip! Now have to short them down to about a hundred.. :)
  • Bobby
    Posted Jul 21, 2009 8:27 AM
    Bobby
    POLAR BEAR
    Only two of my still shots came out. However, I can make some stills from the video I took. I'll try to get those up as soon as I can. Sorry it's taking me so long.
  • Kevin Ball
    Posted Jul 20, 2009 1:46 PM
    Kevin Ball
    Thanks for sharing your pictures Joan
  • Pre-Meetup comments below
  • Kevin Ball
    Posted Jul 17, 2009 11:22 PM
    Kevin Ball
    Thanks for the suggestions. My goal is to not be the butt of jokes for overpacking food
  • Bobby
    Posted Jul 17, 2009 8:20 PM
    Bobby
    POLAR BEAR
    Yeah, what Chris said! I have one of those fabric type lunch coolers you can get at the grocery store for five bucs. It's lightweight and you can pack pretty much any sandwich you want with a little ice. If you can't keep it cold, try something without mayo. Mustard or salsa fair well without being kept cold. Of course, there's the old favorite peanut butter. I'm having split pea soup, bread and pb.
  • Chris W.
    Posted Jul 17, 2009 6:56 PM
    Chris W.
    Assistant Organizer
    Wraps, pb&j, etc. You can take pretty much anything on an overnight trip. We're doing semi-cook pepperoni wraps tonight and they get stored in the fridge overnight and then eaten on day 2. Tomorrow is ham, apple, and cheese bagels.
  • Kevin Ball
    Posted Jul 17, 2009 6:27 PM
    Kevin Ball
    I'd love to get some input on quick and easy, non-cooked lunch food.
  • Kevin Ball
    Posted Jul 16, 2009 7:16 PM
    Kevin Ball
    Thanks Chris
  • Chris W.
    Posted Jul 16, 2009 3:38 PM
    Chris W.
    Assistant Organizer
    It's a strip mall. We've left cars there safely in the past.
  • Kevin Ball
    Posted Jul 16, 2009 3:34 PM
    Kevin Ball
    Bobby, How does this work for carpooling from the meet spot? It's not at someone's home so what happens to any vehicles left behind?
  • Bobby
    Posted Jul 14, 2009 10:44 PM
    Bobby
    POLAR BEAR
    I just uploaded a trail map with directions from Walhalla SC . If I made any mistakes let me know. Weather: Some changes-Partly Cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain. High of 83, low of 60. Still perfect for backpacking!
  • Chris W.
    Posted Jul 13, 2009 9:01 PM
    Chris W.
    Assistant Organizer
    The Nanty is 50ish year round. Not sure about the Ocoee.
  • Kevin Ball
    Posted Jul 13, 2009 6:16 PM
    Kevin Ball
    60 degrees sounds tropical compared to the Ocoee and Nantahala Rivers I've recently dipped into.
  • Chris W.
    Posted Jul 12, 2009 11:09 AM
    Chris W.
    Assistant Organizer
    Just an FYI in case anyone is wondering, I'd put the water around 60 degrees +/- 5 degrees.
  • Bobby
    Posted Jul 12, 2009 11:06 AM
    Bobby
    POLAR BEAR
    So far the weather is looking great. Sunny with a zero percent chance of rain. High getting up to around 90 degrees and the overnight low dropping down to 60. This means it's going to be perfect for swimming and good sleeping. Can't wait!
  • Bobby
    Posted Jul 11, 2009 9:34 AM
    Bobby
    POLAR BEAR
    But, I only pack lite beer:) Seriously, a few backpack trips ago, I decide to pack three tall boys and some ice. Wild Bill weighed it for me with his fancy scale and it was TEN pounds! So needless to say, I don't pack beer anymore. I think Wild told me to leave the ice home, but I said no thank you....I like it cold. Yes, Bill I have tried the dry ice and it works well, you still need to put in some regular ice to keep it from solid freezing everything.
  • Wild Bill
    Posted Jul 11, 2009 9:31 AM
    Wild Bill
    Polar, I'll have my plastic cooler in back of my truck. I keep cold water bottles in it. If you get some dry ice you can keep it in my cooler until we reach the trail head. With only a few miles to hike it should stay cool until you can stash it in the river to keep cool. I also have a net bag you could stash it in. I hope you're 21 - we may ask for some ID. Wild Bill
  • Wild Bill
    Posted Jul 11, 2009 9:26 AM
    Wild Bill
    Hey Polar, David was telling me that the best way to keep things cold would be to add dry ice to the stash. I'm anxious to see your new Pinnacle with all the added pockets. Wild Bill
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Who attended?

  • 13 attendees
    • “ A great first event for me for this group. Everyone was super friendly and willing to share their wealth of knowledge and experience. The 4 mile in and out hike along the side creek to the fish hatchery was superb and much prettier than the trail along the Chattooga. Many thanks to the seasoned vets for welcoming all of us noobs. I look forward to longer distances. ”
    • “ Beautiful campsites and great company and welcome to our newest members. Learned new techniques and enjoyed the trip. ”
    • “ I had a nice time with Chris and the rest of the group, some of whom (like Bobby and Tom & David) it was really good to see again after a long while, and others I was glad to meet & welcome aboard. We lucked out with warm and clear weather, and found a campsite for our large group that was likely even better and more private than the beachy site Chris and I originally had in mind. It was a real treat to hang my hammock close to the river and rest in such a beautiful place. It was also great swimming in the frigid water & sunning on the hot rocks afterwards. This is not a trip I'll soon forget. ”
    • Tracy & Lily (+1 guest)
      “ We had a great time. The backpack in was fairly easy, allowed us to bring more than we really needed :) We had 2 short day hikes from the base camp, both were well worth it. Both day hikes followed the creeks, providing great views the whole way. Photos we took on this trip can be seen here: http://public.fot... ”
    • “ Wow! Cool Campsite and great swimming hole. I want to search the Chattooga River for more swim spots. Great seeing Chris and Robin again, I always learn new stuff from them. Thanks to Wild Bill for shuttling me and thanks to Tracy and Lily for the shuttle contribution. Got to meet some awesome new members: Kevin the cool-bie newbie, Joan, and Tracy and Lily who show us all how to have a good time with such a short hike. They packed in a backpacker grill and cooked up some huge steaks. David and his friend Julie also cooked up some Kabobs. I can't believe I was so boring and just cooked a Mountain House Lasagna. The weather was unique for the middle of July. We had almost no humidity with blue skies and very mild temperatures, it almost felt like fall! I'm glad I brought my down vest, because it got down right chilly in the over night. I might even say it got close to the very low 50's. Took a few pics, I'll post soon. ”
    • “ I had such a fantastic time! It was delightful meeting everyone, and I really look forward to joining you on more trips in the future. Thanks especially to Bobby, Chris, and Robin for organizing and leading the trip! I've uploaded my photos on this website: http://picasaweb.... ”
    • David (+1 guest)