imarchant
Active member
I completed my first Solo Bushwack peaks on 7/4/05. I started at the western terminus of the Devil's Path on Spruceton Rd about 7:30 AM with a temperature of about 58 Degrees. I followed the Devils Path for 1.5 mile to the swamp. The bugs did not bother me untl this point. as soon as I stopped I was swarmed by mosquitoses. I applied 35% deet repellant which immediately kept the pests at bay. From there I took a 300 degree bearing, hoping to skirt any cliffs to the east of the peak and planning to intersect the ridge at 3,000' elevation. I intended to keep to the left of my intendended bearing if possible. Shortly after leaving the trail the nettles began, Though not the worst I have seen, they were thick and tall. The worst part about the nettles was not this itching, but the fact they obscured the ground and made it a little difficult to find good footing. The last thing I wanted to do was take a head first dive into stinging green sea. At about 2,800' the nettles began to thin. I took a quick break and ate an energy bar. From there I started trying to bear a little more to the left. There were lots if interesting rock formations which made for some fun scrambles. I finally came to the ridge at about 3,300'. At this point the trees started to thin and there were several open patchins with long grass and light brush. I followed the ridge hoping to find I a lookout shown on the map. I did not find the lookout, but soon found a herd path that lead me directly to the summit. I took another break to catch my breath and take a couple pictures. The sun was filtering through the trees and it was beginning to feel a little warm. From there I took bearing to Sherrill. The route started by following a herd path, it passed through a swampy area and the a thick fern patch. I saw a snake disapear into the ferns, The I saw a place were deer had slept, evident by the area of crushed ferns. After that the herd path started to fade. I reached a moderate drop off just before the rise to Sherrill. This forced me to the right for about 100 yds. This brought me directly to the col. I had ben on the trail for just over three hours and came to the realization I would not complete the trek in the time I had envisioned of 5 hours, but decided to continue on. From there it was a steady steep ascent, once the terrain started to moderate I knew I was approaching the summit. I found a small viewpoint and took in the vistas for a short moment and then continued soon I picked up another herd path which again lead me directly to the summit. I took off my pack, took a couple pictures, relaxed a few more minutes. I was about 1 hr. behind my planned time of 3 hrs. I hoped to make up some of this time on the reurn. I considered my options for a return to the car. It may have been slightly quicker to find a route towards the north back to the road and follow the road back to the car, but since this was my first solo bushwack and the planned route I had left at home had me returning the same way I had come, I decided on the latter. I had navigated to this point using mainly on my map and compass, using my GPS mainly as a reference. I planned to return using my GPS's trackback feature. I started back, following the herd path. I had an easier time staying on the herd path on the return trip. My gps showed I had been very near the herdpath the entire time. I was beginning to run a little bit low on water, but didn't worry because I had seen a small stream on the west side of ND. Once I came across the stream the herd path followed the stream to a small spring. I filtered some water into my empty bottles and continued. Shortly after I lost the herd path, I continued in a straight line, knowing the herd path was somewhere to my right. Eventually I found I faint herdpath that brought me back to the ND summit from the NW. I continued tracing my path back. The descent was uneventfull and I closely matched my approach route. I started getting some leg cramps, but knew they would subside if I pushed on. There was a long section that the GPS had lost signal, I estimated my direction and continued. I intersected the Devils Path within 50' of my starting point. From there I was an easy return to the car. The temperature was 75 degrees upon my return. It had taken my 6:30 minutes to complet this 7.25 mile trip. Success! 10 more new peaks and one return to Balsam to complete my 3500!
A few pictures
A few pictures
