End of trip, back at the Tower Trailhead. Trip total a modest 16 miles with 1,100 ft of elevation. +2
Backpacking 02-11-2023
Gary on the Pole Hollow Trail. Hercules Glades Wilderness – I love this glade on the ridge overlooking Pole Hollow. It’s nice to get out into the open after being surrounded by trees and brush for so long.
February 13, 2023 16:10
Looking down stream. Long Creek, Hercules Glades Wilderness. I decided that this was a good place to stop for lunch, which was noodles, pre-cooked bacon, and a Snickers bar for dessert, all washed down with a cup of coffee. +1
February 13, 2023 14:26
Looking down stream. Long Creek, Hercules Glades Wilderness. I decided that this was a good place to stop for lunch.
February 13, 2023 14:25
Small falls on Long Creek, Hercules Glades Wilderness. We Camped very near here May 2011. Shoot, that’s 12 years ago!
February 13, 2023 14:07
Rock shelf over Long Creek, Hercules Glades Wilderness.
February 13, 2023 13:56
Spot the trail … (Stereo image). +1
February 13, 2023 13:37
Hiking to the Trailhead via Long Creek. Hercules Glades Wilderness, March 2023. I was a little over a mile into my five-and-a-half-mile hike back to the trailhead when I decided to make a rough video of the remainder of my hike for my family in the UK. I’ve never done this before, and may not bother again, but here’s the final three-and-a-half hours of my hike, compressed into 14 minutes.Video: 14 minutes
February 13, 2023 13:30
View from the Cedar Trail, Hercules Glades Wilderness (Stereo image). +1
February 13, 2023 13:15
Filtering water ready for the day’s hike. My revised plan is to take the Cedars Trail down to Long Creek, then the Long Creek Trail and Pole Hollow Trail back to the Pilot Trail and the trailhead. That way I can bag a few more miles from what has been a low-mileage trip so far.
February 13, 2023 12:32
Gary and hammock, ‘Twin Falls Hollow,’ February 2023. Hercules Glades Wilderness.
February 13, 2023 10:29
Morning view from my hammock.
February 13, 2023 10:16
Morning hot chocolate – I folded back my tarp so I could enjoy the view and the morning sun.
February 13, 2023 10:11
Day Three — Morning sunshine, camped at ‘Twin Falls Hollow’
February 13, 2023 9:53
Dinner time, camped at ‘Twin Falls Hollow.’ A change of plans was needed… +2
February 12, 2023 19:24
Trails snacks for the day and some exploring. +1
February 12, 2023 12:10
Day Two – Camped above ‘Deep Hollow,’ in the sunshine this time — everything is pretty much as I left it when I was last here in August last year. I was late to sleep, so I slept in this morning. It’s almost noon already.
February 12, 2023 12:00
Dusk at Hercules Glades Wilderness and some Shenanigans on the trail — On the Pilot (Tower) Trail at Hercules Glades Wilderness. Definitely time to turn on my headlamp. No more pictures, because — darkness — but my night hike was not without incident, and you’ll have to read the full post to find out what happened. 10-minute read.
February 11, 2023 18:23
Sunset Glow — On the Pilot (Tower) Trail at Hercules Glades Wilderness. I’m going to have to turn on my headlamp soon.
February 11, 2023 18:11
Dusk at the Pole (Pete) Hollow Trail cairn — Right on target, 25 minutes from the trailhead.
February 11, 2023 17:57
Sunset on the trail — Five minutes into my hike and the sun has almost dropped below the horizon.
February 11, 2023 17:36
Setting off — Here I am back at the Hercules Glades Tower Trailhead about to set off on my first backpacking trip of 2023. I am planning on spending two nights in the Hercules Glades Wilderness, starting with a six-mile night hike.
February 11, 2023 17:31
Packing for my first backpacking trip of 2023 — The temperature is forecast to vary from the mid-twenties overnight Saturday to the mid-sixties on Monday, so it is a full winter load-out plus some spring additions. The whole lot including food, water, and fuel weighs in at around 26 lbs. +4