Upper Deep Creek Guardian

[Shaggy]

It took me over 3 1/2 hours to hike out from 53 to Newfound Gap Road last weekend. It got to the point that I was taking a break every 200 yards. It really gave me a wake up call as to my physical condition. I too shall return one day in much better shape to climb that mountain again!

[pineman19]

Shaggy,

I work as a forester, keeps me in half decent shape for a nearly 50 yr. old. I don't have the wind I used to have due to two bouts of severe pneumonia several years ago. Actually, it's my knees and ankles that slow me down the most, especially ankles that were pretty sore on Sunday. I will keep going till I can't do it anymore, can't imagine what life would be like if I couldn't fish the mountain streams.

Neal

[ifish4wildtrout]

Cool pics. Maybe one day I'll have a hottie camp neighbor.

That must be a rough hike out. #60 to #59 just about killed me.

[pineman19]

The ridge is a bear part of the way up to 59, and it's up and down so it's gets you on the way back as well. If we keep getting some rain I would like to head up 59, stayed at 60 last year, nice area but I ended up doing a lot of hiking to fish from 59 to 58. There is some very fine water at the top of the ridge at the end of Bumgardners Bend up to 59. Fished to two years in August and water levels were decent even when the drought was happening. Fished from 59 to 58 last June, water was kinda high though, so I had to skip around to the areas that were fishable. You may want to consider heading back in the fall when the browns start to head upstream.


Neal

[PeteCz]

Originally Posted by ifish4wildtrout

That must be a rough hike out. #60 to #59 just about killed me.

The hike from #60 to the top of the ridge is just about as steep as the last 1.1 miles out of Deep Creek. The difference is that the hard part of the hike from #60 to the top of the ridge is only about half a mile where the last part of the hike out from #53 is over a mile.

Plus the entire hike out is much worse than the hike to #59. On average you are gaining about 104' per mile on the way up to #59 (across 5 miles). From #53 to US441 is an average of 440' gained per mile hiked (across 3.9 miles). Its on average, much steeper.

For comparison, I can usually hike out from #53 is about 2 hours (less than 2 miles per hour), and I can make it to #59 in 1.5 hrs (about 3.3 miles per hour)...

YMMV!

[pineman19]

Pete, I think I was doing at least 2.1 mph on Saturday