greggammon

JANUARY HIKE
Friday January 23 - Sunday January 25 on the LSHT. Ladies, Gentleman, Kids, Dogs, Cats and other exotic pets welcome!

Currently Planning to leave College Station about 4 pm on Friday and meet at the trailhead (somewhere on the west end Richards Loop) by about 5 pm. This will give us about an hour or so of daylight to hike (probably keep going in the dark for a little while too, just for fun...bring a headlamp!)....hike for the day on Saturday, then get off the trail and back sometime Sunday morning.

If you are interested in going, please let me know ASAP and I'll get the details together and out to everyone. My son (13) will be going for sure so other kids will be surely welcome. This will be a warm-up for some more hard-core training hikes later on!

Greg

Texasgirl

Hey Greg, and all other kids, dogs, cats, and exotic pets (what the heck is that?);
This sounds like it's moving right along! I would love to meet for the lunch and swap stories. I just finished a 40 mile hike on the AT during Christmas Break. It was AWESOME and can't wait to go again!

Would love to do the 1/23 weekend gig, but am already committed on racing that weekend in Austin. Keep the posts up though. It's great to know the hiking community.

D

joglekbsi

Count me in for the 1/23/09 hike. A couple of nights in the woods sounds fantastic. There are ponds about 1 mile and 2.5 miles in on the Richards Trail (depending on whether you take the left of right fork just after the trailhead). Either one would be a great place for the Friday night camp, but I suggest the pond 2.5 miles in after taking the left fork. It has a little bit more open area around it to set up tents and build a fire (if desired) for a larger group.

As for the rest of the weekend, there are several options for keeping the hike short, depending on whether we have kids that can tolerate 4 more miles (the rest of the Richards Loop - 6.5 miles total) or 10 more miles (the Richards + Sand Branch Loop 12.5 miles total).

Should be a blast no matter what.

greggammon

Looks like 2 of us plus my son will be doing this 2 nighter. If anyone else is interested or planning on going, please let me know. Plan is to hit the trail on the west end of the LSHT by 5 pm Friday and hike 2-3 miles to camping site by a pond. Then 8-12 miles on Saturday followed up by a short hike in on Sunday. So far looks like good weather and cool at night. Lets go!

joglekbsi

I can't wait to get out there. I have my pack... packed.

I am bringing along my Scooby Doo fishing pole for this trip. We may be able to catch a few fish in the pond where we are staying the first night. After that, the other "puddles" we pass need a little more water for decent fishing. I have never had much luck with fishing on the West LSHT Loops. Just not enough water for fishies, but this could be the time my luck turns.

greggammon

UPDATE....two adults and one youth on this trip so we are changing plans and hitting some different territory on the 4C trail. We'll do the LHST trip sometime early February...watch for updates!

joglekbsi

Correction folks! Camping on the LSHT trails (non-designated areas) is prohibited until 2/1/09, so we are heading out on the 4C Trail instead. We hope to be out at the Neches Bluff Trailhead on the North end of the trail around dark on Friday evening. We will hike in a little ways and camp. We plan to hike 7 to 10 miles on Satuday and bring it back into our starting spot on Sunday. Anyone and everyone is welcome, including kiddos. We set our pace for the slowest hiker and playing in sreams is mandatory.

ploddinTod

I'm just curious, Jason. Why won't the FS let you camp on the LST until Februrary? Hunting season is over. I can see imposing no campfires, as it's been very dry lately.

__________________
PloddinTod

ploddinTod

BTW, if anyone is interested in thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT) at some point in the future or not, here's a link to an interesting journal. It'll give you an idea of what it's like.
Exile's Home

FYI

__________________
PloddinTod

joglekbsi

I am not sure if it is a rainy season issue or a hunting issue, but the Ranger did confirm it yesterday and the web site also mentions it.

"Camping is permitted anywhere along the trail except September 15 through February 1. Overnight camping is allowed in designated camping areas only during that time period."

Sam Houston National Forest - Lone Star Hiking Trail

I had never noticed that until now.

Jason

TexasAggieHiker

Howdy. I saw the email through the LSTHC and thought I'd drop in and say hi!

joglekbsi

Welcome aboard. Everyone is free to stop by, drop a message or go for a hike.

We had a great hike this weekend on the 4C Trail. The weather was perfect and we ate better than usual. We hiked a little over 18 miles total; from the North end to the Walnut Creek shelter and back again. The trail was in great shape, but the forest was devastated from the last hurricane. There were many, many hundreds of downed trees.

We are planning to get out on the LSHT very soon. Likely it will be a 2+ day hike around the Little Lake Creek Trail (plus part of the Sand Branch Trail) from LSHT Parking Lot #2. Everyone is welcome. Dates and times TBA.

greggammon

Next hike is scheduled for Friday February 20 - Sunday February 22 on the LHST...the hike we intended to do before we changed to the 4C trail. Planning on getting in 20+ miles on this one and everyone is invited. Contact me if you would like to participate and we'll get the details ironed out. Happy Hiking!

joglekbsi

Count me in! It is time to break out the hammock and do some experimenting for the "Big Hike" in April. Gotta' get the weight down to a managable amount and finish breaking in the new boots.

greggammon

LUNCH - Friday, February 13 at Luby's in Bryan.
Anyone interested in joining the group is welcome to come. We just meet and share stories of previous hikes, plans for upcoming hikes, general info etc. If you are interested in the least in hiking and backpacking, please feel free to join us. You can contact me or just show up!