BryanDeLay

This is a four night solo backpacking trip in Citico Creek Wilderness commencing at the Pine Ridge Trail Head. The loop climbs up Pine Ridge Trail (#99) to Fodderstack Trail (#95), then north on Fodderstack Trail to Crowder Branch Trail (#84). Next the loop descends Crowder Branch Trail to Doublecamp Road (FS Rd. 2659), then southwest of the forest service road to Rock Flats Trail (#100), which completes the loop. Thanks for watching and hope you enjoy the video. Backpacking With Bryan DeLay webpage: http://bryandelay.com

Placing a 5.8 foot by 9 foot Borah Gear silpoly tarp over a Mountain Laurel Designs Duomid. The tarp plus stuff sack and two stakes is 7.9 oz. #shorts

A one night backpacking trip commencing at the Reliance, TN trailhead and hiking south on the Benton MacKaye Trail along Big Lost Creek. My son joins me on this trip and then continues south on the BMT for another three nights. Thanks for watching and hope you enjoy the video. Backpacking With Bryan DeLay webpage: http://bryandelay.com

A three night backpacking trip starting at Winding Stair Gap and taking the Appalachian Trail up to Wayah Bald then taking the Bartram Trail to Wallace Branch Trail Head. Thanks for watching and hope you enjoy the video. Backpacking With Bryan DeLay webpage: http://bryandelay.com https://youtu.be/FxKogz8jpQ4

A four night, solo backpacking in Wyoming's Wind River Range starting at Elkhart Park and hiking to Elklund Lake on the first day welcomed by a hail storm upon arrival. On day two it's Seneca Lake Trail to the Continental Divide Trail and camp near an unnamed lake after another hail storm. Day three begins with the third hail storm and after checking the weather forecast via InReach, I change my plans and continue on the CDT close to Lower Jean Lake and backtrack to Fremont Crossing, where I take an unofficial trail toward Lost Lake. On the fourth day I continue to Lost Lake and then continue on the unofficial trail back to Seneca Lake Trail and then to Hobbs Lake. The final day I backtrack on Seneca Lake Trail and Pole Creek Trail back to Elkhart. Thanks for watching and hope you enjoy the video. Backpacking With Bryan DeLay webpage: http://bryandelay.com https://youtu.be/IFoGxOpv_ek

A three night backpacking trip in Cherokee National Forest, North District, starting at Camp Creek Bald, then taking an old logging road down to the Appalachian Trail and then south on the AT to a campsite. On day two the hike goes north on the AT, taking the exposed ridge line section, Firescald Knob, to a campsite just north of Jerry Cabin Shelter. Then on the third day the hike backtracks south on the AT, taking the bad weather section of the trail, and east on Jerry Miller Trail to a campsite at Huckleberry Gap. On the final day the hike backtracks up the Jerry Miller Trail to the AT and then south to a spur trail out to Blackstack Cliff. Finally it's back to the AT and south a short distance to a spur trail through Jones Meadow and over Camp Creek Bald back to the car. Thanks for watching and hope you enjoy the video. Backpacking With Bryan DeLay webpage: http://bryandelay.com https://youtu.be/zmi-rxBonTE

A two night backpacking trip in Bald River Gorge Wilderness.

A two night backpacking trip in Citico Creek Wilderness hiking the Benton Mackaye Trail, Trail #95, Trail #54A and Trail #54.

A five day backpacking trip in the Mt. Rogers High Country, starting at the Elk Garden Trail Head and taking the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail (VHHT) to the Cabin Ridge Trail and camping on Cabin Ridge. Day two continues on the Cabin Ridge Trail to the VHHT to the Appalachian Trail to Big Wilson Creek Trail to the Kabel Trail and camping along Little Wilson Creek. My son comes in about 10:00 on the second night and camps at my intended site, which was occupied by another backpacker. On the morning of day three I hear my son yelling Dad, so I find him and we continue on the Kabel Trail and then bushwack up to the First Peak Trail then down to Scales and take the VHHT and camp along Big Wilson Creek. Day four continues on the VHHT to the AT to Rhododendron Gap and take the Crest Trail. My son left me on Wilburn Ridge to get water and did not find me camping between the Crest Trail and the AT, so he hiked five miles back to car and headed home a day early. On day five I take the AT back to Elk Garden. Thanks for watching and hope you enjoy the video. Backpacking With Bryan DeLay webpage: http://bryandelay.com https://youtu.be/BV5iPr4UgTg

After my backpacking trip in Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Creek on Sunday 5/14/23, a tree was across FS Road 62 about 2 miles from Big Fat Gap Trailhead. It was 5 miles to paved US Rt. 129 and another 14 miles to Robbinsville, NC. There was no cell phone service at the downed tree and no service at Big Fat Gap Trailhead. It's doubtful there would be any cell service until Robbinsville. I used InReach to text my son and after more than an hour he had not replied (he was doing yard work at his mom's and did not have his phone on him). So about 4:45 I pressed the InReach SOS button. In about a minute or less a text from InReach asking about my emergency was received. I texted back to InReach that I was ok and a downed tree was blocking FS Road 62. About 5:00 InReach sent a text stating that Graham County 911 had been contacted and a sheriff deputy was dispatched to my location. At 5:19 I received a text from Graham Co. 911 asking if anyone was hurt. I responded that no one was hurt, but a tree had fallen across FS Rd 62 and blocking the road. At 5:29 Graham Co. 911 sent a text stating a team was being assembled to remove the tree. The sheriff deputy arrived about 5:50 and two men arrived about 6:00. In about 20 minutes the two men had the tree removed from the road. Including waiting on my son's reply for a hour the total time stuck was just under 3 hours. From the time I pressed the InReach SOS until the tree removed was about 1 hour and 35 minutes. I was very impressed with the speed in which InReach and Graham County reacted. Thanks to everyone involved with removing the tree. Thanks for watching and hope you enjoyed the video. Backpacking With Bryan DeLay webpage: http://bryandelay.com https://youtube.com/shorts/xtdi71shvfk

A three night backpacking trip in Big Frog Wilderness commencing at the Big Creek Trail Head. On day two the trip continues up Big Creek Trail and then taking Big Frog Trail and camping just off Hemp Top Trail near Big Frog Mountain. After a storm on night two, I'm briefly on the Hemp Top Trail and then take Lick Log Trail to Rough Creek Trail and camp along West Fork of Rough Creek. Day four, the final day, takes Rough Creek Trail to Big Frog Trail and then Yellow Stand Lead Trail back to the Big Creek Trail Head. Thanks for watching and hope you enjoyed the video. Backpacking With Bryan DeLay webpage: http://bryandelay.com https://youtu.be/dpdpg5xOhDQ

A one night solo trip in Citico Creek Wilderness in Cherokee National Forest, starting at the Crowder Branch Trail Head (#84) and climbing up to Crowder Place to camp. Day two continues up Crowder Branch Trail about 0.1 mile to Fodderstack Trail (#95), then south to Big Stack Gap and take Mill Creek Trail (#96) to FS Road 59. And finally a short road walk back to the Crowder Branch TH.

A two night solo backpacking trip up South Fork Citico Creek, Trail #105, in Citico Creek Wilderness, located in Cherokee National Forest, South District. Day one started at #105 Trail Head and hiked upstream to a campsite just before the third creek crossing. The first two crossings were avoided by taking a well used bypass trail. On the second day I continued up the creek an camped near the junction with Jeffrey Hell Trail. The final day I backtracked down stream to the #105 Trail Head. Thanks for watching and hope you enjoyed the video. Backpacking With Bryan DeLay webpage: http://bryandelay.com/ https://youtu.be/BGOSFmcMKRw

A one night backpacking trip starting in Citico Wilderness and then on day two climbing up to Bob Bald. Thanks for watching and hope you enjoyed the video. Backpacking With Bryan DeLay webpage: http://bryandelay.com/ https://youtu.be/jjM2tKkXOZY

A one night solo backpacking trip on Coker Creek Falls Trail in Cherokee National Forest, South District. The trip started at the Coker Creek Falls Trail Head and I hiked downstream to the Benton MacKaye Trail and then backtracked to the Coker Creek Falls Trail Head.

A one night backpacking trip on the Burnt Mill Bridge Loop Trail in Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.

A solo, three night backpacking trip up Pine Ridge Trail in Citico Creek Wilderness.

My son, who was doing a 12 day loop in Cherokee National Forest, South District, sent me a text on 2/16/23 to meet him at a campsite along Citico Creek on 2/17/23. When I arrived at the campsite and saw how high the water was from 1.5 inches of rain the night before I was certain he would not be able to make the second crossing of South Fork Citico Creek as he hiked down Trail #105 from Cold Springs Gap, and as thought he did not arrive at camp. On the second day I hiked up Trail #105 to another campsite before the crossing thinking he might try again as the water levels had dropped about 1.5 to 2 feet during the night, but he didn't show up on the second day either. The video clip of the second crossing was from my son's phone taken on 2/17/23, when he realized he would not be able to cross the creek. As an alternative that I also considered, he hiked back up to Trail #196, crossed SF Citico Creek there and then hiked up to Cherohala Skyway. Then he took Trail #94 down to North River Road, which he walked to Sycamore Creek Trail (AKA Benton MacKaye Trail) and hiked it down to the fish hatchery on Tellico River Road where his car was parked. https://youtube.com/shorts/E5H5HzDFulE

A two night backpacking trip with my son beginning at the top of Waucheesi Mountain in Cherokee National Forest, South District and descending to the Benton Mackaye Trail at Six Mile Gap. On day two we take the Benton MacKaye Trail south to Kirkland Creek Trail and drop into Bald River Wilderness. Then on the third and final trail we backtrack to Waucheesi Mountain. Thanks for watching and hope you enjoyed the video. Backpacking With Bryan DeLay webpage: http://bryandelay.com/ https://youtu.be/GFVw4quQQbY

A solo two night backpacking trip in Citico Creek Wilderness, Cherokee National Forest, South District. Thanks for watching and hope you enjoyed the video. Backpacking With Bryan DeLay webpage: http://bryandelay.com/ https://youtube.com/shorts/79ofqOu5gpE

A two night, solo backpacking trip in Bald River Gorge in Cherokee National Forest, South District, from January 20 to 22, 2023.

A one night backpacking trip up Sycamore Creek in Cherokee National Forest, South District, with about four inches of snow, on January 14 & 15, 2023.

A three night backpacking trip with my son beginning on 12.27.22 at Davenport Gap along the northeast boundary of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and taking the Appalachian Trail south up to Davenport Gap Shelter. On day two we continued south on the AT to Cosby Knob Shelter. The next day my son continues south on the AT and then takes Snake Den Ridge Trail down to Cosby, while I backtrack north on the AT to Low Gap and take the Low Gap Trail down to Cosby. Then we both take Lower Mt. Cammerer Trail, separately, to backcountry campsite #35. On our final day we continue on the Lower Mt. Cammerer Trail to the AT and hike north back to Davenport Gap.

A two night backpacking trip up Big East Fork in Shining Rock Wilderness with my son over Thanksgiving weekend 2022. Our initial plan was to take Big East Fork Trail, then Greasy Cove Trail to Art Leob Trail and down Shining Creek Trail back to the Big East Fork Trail Head. However, on Saturday morning I turned by ankle at camp, so we camped our second night at the junction of Big East Fork Trail and Greasy Cove Trail. On Sunday my son completed the initial loop and I backtracked back to the Big East Fork Trail Head. Thanks for watching and hope you enjoyed the video. Backpacking With Bryan DeLay webpage: http://bryandelay.com/ https://youtu.be/KPmd5h-BNP4

A six day backpacking trip in Mt. Zirkel Wilderness with David Knaus (Coach). This trip started at the Seedhouse Trail Head and takes the CDT north, then Trail Creek Trail to the West Fork Trail. We then follow the West Fork Trail to the Main Fork Trail and go south along the Encampment River, with a short bushwack up to Lake Diana. Next we go back to the Main Fork Trail and continue south and drop down to North Fork Elk River and then west back to the CDT. Finally we take the CDT south back to the Seedhouse Trail Head. Thanks for watching and hope you enjoyed the video. Backpacking With Bryan DeLay webpage: http://bryandelay.com/