Video: Carvers Gap to Erwin TN

**TallPaul** · 08-24-2016, 19:46

After 4 months of not doing much to keep in shape, I decided to join Firebird on a 3 day adventure on the AT.
This took us from Carvers Gap (Roan Mountain) southbound to Uncle Johnny's, roughly 36 miles in 3 days.

Firebird is in great shape & was a good sport as I huffed & puffed my way over the hills.
The video pretty ends a bit abruptly, as all I could think about was getting into an air conditioned car (it was 88* out) and getting some Gatorade.
But I'm glad we did it, and the pain has a way of fading as you look back on the trip.

At the end of the video, I do a quick review of the Guthook AT Guide app for your phone.
I was lazy & didn't want to look up the water sources, so I paid some $ and I was happy with how it worked. It even had updated trail routing compared to the ATC GPX data.

https://youtu.be/xQzie19iPjs

**groupertrpr** · 08-24-2016, 20:23

Thanks for posting and sharing.

**JSH** · 08-24-2016, 20:58

Thanks for sharing Paul. Looks like a nice outing despite the mention of rain during your 2nd day hike. Did you have water protection with you?

**Canoefor2** · 08-24-2016, 21:38

Looks like a long hard trip but some great views. I was out the same weekend hiking Cumberland Gap National Park and the heat was our problem too, and even at night. The whole Unicoi County is a beautiful area. Thanks for posting.

**TrailSlug** · 08-24-2016, 21:41

That first hike after not being out for a while is always a tough one. Kudos on doing so many miles on your first hike back. I couldn't have done that many miles. Thanks for sharing.

**cjayflo** · 08-24-2016, 22:27

Nice hike. The weather sure has been a kick in the pants, I hope this fall and winter are less humid.

**johnspenn** · 08-25-2016, 06:45

Thanks for sharing. We had mixed success with the GutHook App on a recent trip, but I'm pretty sure it was the phone and not the app that was glitchy.

I hear ya about the conditioning, we haven't been doing too well either the last month or so. Gonna hurt when we pick back up and hopefully that will be soon!

**TallPaul** · 08-25-2016, 16:56

Originally Posted by groupertrpr

Thanks for posting and sharing.

Thanks groupertrpr

Originally Posted by JSH

Thanks for sharing Paul. Looks like a nice outing despite the mention of rain during your 2nd day hike. Did you have water protection with you?

I was carrying my Frogg Toggs jacket & rain shorts but the rain never got so bad we had to put the gear on. It was more of a relief to be cooled down on a hot day.

Originally Posted by Canoefor2

Looks like a long hard trip but some great views. I was out the same weekend hiking Cumberland Gap National Park and the heat was our problem too, and even at night. The whole Unicoi County is a beautiful area. Thanks for posting.

II'll admit the heat got to me. It wasn't horrible at those elevations, but it was just one more thing in addition to not being in shape. Fortunately the nights were cool enough to sleep. Unicoi is a beautiful area.

Originally Posted by TrailSlug

That first hike after not being out for a while is always a tough one. Kudos on doing so many miles on your first hike back. I couldn't have done that many miles. Thanks for sharing.

It was a tough one. I probably bit of more than I should have - I tend to focus on the "mountain views' & 'wildflower" part of the write-ups, and skim over the miles & elevation gains

Originally Posted by cjayflo

Nice hike. The weather sure has been a kick in the pants, I hope this fall and winter are less humid.

I'm pretty sick of the hot weather - it's been relentless.

Originally Posted by johnspenn

Thanks for sharing. We had mixed success with the GutHook App on a recent trip, but I'm pretty sure it was the phone and not the app that was glitchy.
I hear ya about the conditioning, we haven't been doing too well either the last month or so. Gonna hurt when we pick back up and hopefully that will be soon!

What was your challenge with the Guthook app? The one thing I noticed, which wasn't an issue but I could see it being one potentially, is it doesn't keep your GPS on & locked on. That is good cause it saves battery, but can be bad if you can't get a GPS signal.
On the conditioning.... at least I've got a start on getting ready for fall trips