Appalachian Trail Rest Stop

Yesterday I had the opportunity to hike 14 more miles of the AT. In this picture, I am standing on Cheoah Bald in the Nantahala National Forest. This would've been a good turnaround point, but last year I had hiked from the other direction and stopped 1-1/2 miles short of here. So, to complete this stretch of the AT, I hiked DOWN to Sasafras Gap and then back UP again! That made two treks up to this point, but it was really worth it! I am still focused with reaching my goal of 600 miles, so the additional 3 miles brings me closer. Despite it being a warm day, this was nothing compared to what I will see out in Texas for 9 days starting on the 2nd of June. My "hikes" out there will have zero elevation change, but the heat will be unbearable. Maybe if I start my walks at 4AM I can keep the temperature below 90! I know that my many hikes in WNC will be on my mind as I walk through the desert of Dallas! And I'll have a weekend of hiking over the Father's Day weekend  in the Great Smokey Mountains to look forward to. But, for now, I am thankful for every hike I get to walk.

Friday - Miami Beach, FL

Tomorrow - Bangor Maine

Today - On top of the world!

Mt. Cammerer, the Smokies!

Working for a Global Company, I get to travel to some fabulous places. This year alone, I have covered a good part of North America and have seen some great areas. But, as a resident of Western North Carolina, I have seen views that you can only see in one way - to hike to them! For me, there is so much more value in the view that I have hiked to compared to the ones that I have flown or driven to. Yesterday's hike covered over 15 miles & a very challenging climb. I started out by I-40 in the gorge @ 1400 feet and climbed for the next 7+ miles until reaching the tower @ over 5000 feet. But, the view was so worth it! While climbing this mountain, I came accross many of the AT hikers who all are planning on completing the full 2165 miles. Sadly, only about 25% will complete the trek. Will these be the ones who I met with a smile on their faces, the ones who felt that this was a 2000 mile party, or the ones with their heads down and with just one goal in mind? As an eternal optimist, I'm rooting for the ones who had a smile and a kind word as we passed. So my question to you, reader, is if the people you meet in life will also be rooting for you???

 AT Water Fountain #1

AT Water Fountain #2

19 Hikes - 205 Miles

This goal has really motivated me! Today, I took a day off work to enjoy the great outdoors and share the Appalachian Trail with those who also share my passion. The thru hikers who started in early April @ Springer Mountain are now hitting the NC/Tennessee border. I hiked from Sam's Gap to Big Bald and back. With an early start (trail-head @ 8AM) I didn't see anyone on my way north. When I got to Big Bald, I saw a couple who were packing up their gear and preparing to move on. I decided to try to enjoy the day and actually spent 1/2 hour at the mountaintop. I had my Blackberry & noticed that I had service. Well, why not take a picture & share it with the coworkers @ the office! I couldn't resist! On the way back down, I passed 15 hikers heading north. I met a young couple who had left Springer Mountain on April 9th and were hiking to Damascus. That sounds like a very "doable" goal - might be something to consider in the future. Not a full thru hike, but still............ I also met about 5 hikers traveling as a group - maybe Sierra Club. 2 from western NY & 3 from Columbia SC. I felt really lucky to be hiking within 50 miles of home! I also came across about 1/2 dozen hikers that looked like they were attempting an AT thru hike. At this point, they are still enthusiastic and consider the hike "fun." Within another 500 miles they will move from fun to working to "fulfill a major life goal!" One hiker in camo hiking at a real brisk pace looked like a marine - maybe back from overseas and ready to transition from a military life to civilian life. If you look at the first "AT Water Fountain" you may see that it is an Orange Crush soda bottle wedged into the rock to bring out the "fresh water." Question - do you filer or just roll the dice and take a drink??? Or as Clint Eastwood said, "do you feel lucky today?"

SNAKE!!!

Yesterday, I hiked in the Gorges State Park area of WNC. The trail is just west of Rosman & takes you down to Lake Jocasee. As you can see, I came across a beautiful snake along the trail! Many ask if the snakes scare me when I hike. Well, believe it or not, just beyond this snake was a much more dangerous obstacle - a fast moving water crossing! Hikers are more likely to slip, fall and drown in low water if they don't respect these crossings. This snake was just sunning himself and minding his own business! The hike started out as an "easy" 11 miler. When I reached Lake Jocassee, there was a sign showing a different trail back to the car. The only thing missing was the distance from where I was to the other trail intersection. My estimate was 3.5 -4 miles. It turned out to be 5+ miles so I ended up with my second 18 mile hike of the month! If you think that's not far, look down on your odometer in your can the next time you drive and see how far 18 miles is! With the hikes this month, I have reached 174 miles - right on track for my 600 mile year.



Upper Creek Falls

Saturday's hike was part of the Carolina Mountain Clubs Mountain Treasures Camporee. We camped in the Mortimer Campground - a National Forest Campground. This campground sits deep in the mountains above Morganton. To get there you drive along Wilson Creek on dirt roads with extreme drop offs down to the river. You DO NOT want to day dream along here or you are liable to run off the road. The hike was scenic with plenty of wild flowers out in bloom and various waterfalls. A good part of the trail followed old railroad grades that were used to remove timber from this area. Overall, we covered about 12 miles and that was enough for me for the day. Needless to say, it was nice to be in a National Forest Campground - showers were available and there were no rules against having a beer!!! 

Twentymile Cascade

Twentymile Cascade

On Friday I managed to complete my longest hike yet - 18 miles. To make it even better, I was able to finish in just seven hours - one hour longer than my previous high of 15 miles. I was hiking in the Twentymile area of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. As usual, the views were exceptional and the trails were tranquil. The highlight of the hike was getting to pass some of this years AT thru hikers. I passed 16 of them and have to wonder which ones will make it to Katahdin. According to the statistics, 1/2 of them will make it to Harpers Ferry at the midway point, and only 25% will complete all 2181 miles. So, maybe I saw 4 who will complete the full AT. It really makes you think because every one of them has every intention of completing the trail - what makes the difference? So, now my mileage stands at 135 with just 465 more to go!

Wildflowers & Waterfalls

Today was a great day to experience the awakening of the trails. At every turn I saw new wildflowers opening up or else getting ready to bloom. The trail of the day was Buck Spring which takes you from Hwy. 276 to the Pisgah Inn. Although the trail felt almost level, you still gain some elevation in the 6 mile hike. (each way) In addition to the wildflowers, you get to cross 13 streams on this hike - thus the waterfalls. If you'd like to experience a trail that seems almost flat, then this is the one for you! Overall, a great hike with beautiful weather, making up for the cold and rainy hike of last weekend. Also, if you get into the Davidson River area, check out the 2-1/2 miles of charred woods along 276 above the turnoff to the Horse Stables. Maybe caused by a careless smoker? Looking forward to hiking in GSMNP near Lake Fontana next weekend.

When ahead of schedule.....take a break!

It's great to be on track so that when the opportunity happens you can take a weekend to enjoy something else! Barbara & I enjoyed spending the St. Patty's Day weekend in Savannah. What a great parade! This weekend, we had cooler days with plenty of showers. I put off the hike on Saturday due rain and thunder in the morning - bad decision! I did get out on Sunday morning - it rained all the way to the start of the hike. Due to being in a hurry to start, I left my gloves home and could have really used them. I did manage to hike in 2 miles and decided to call it a short day. All told, I did manage 4.1 miles with over 1700 feet of climbing. I also got to see several wildflowers out there and look forward to getting a longer hike in this coming weekend. So, until then, I'll be thinking of where to go next! I really can't wait to get back into the Smokies - I'd like to take every trail to Mt. LeConte & back this season.

Hike to Yellowstone Falls

10 Hikes, 101 Miles Forward, 7.3 Miles UP!

Today, I completed my 10th hike of the year. With the hike in mid March , I was reminded of WNC on this weekend in 1993 - the storm of the century. 34" snow, high winds caused the weather man to call this a hurricane with snow! I enjoyed 11 miles of Mountains to Sea trail with outstanding views and temps in the 60's. I found myself studying "scat" along the trail and trying to figure if this was from a fox or a bobcat. The turnaround spot was @ Yellowstone Falls - the view, the sounds - what a spot! Next week will be a little time off the trail with a trip to enjoy the Savannah St. Patty's Day parade.







1st Wildflower of the Season!

Today, I continued to log my miles, despite a very high likelihood of rain. Since I was up to 78 miles in 8 hikes, I was aiming to add 12 miles so that my average would go up to 10 miles per hike. The woods were extremely quiet due to a heavy fog and low cloud cover. With expectations of rain, I left the camera home, so figured I'd see some wildlife. With all the hiking that I've done over the last few years, I've only seen bears on trails when I've been very close to campgrounds. I did see one rattle snake last fall, but he was off the trail sunning himself and minding his own business.  But today, my one sighting was 1 lonely violet flower that had bloomed in a large patch. I can't wait til next time when the whole patch of flowers will be in bloom - I will try to capture them with my camera. So today, I am into my 3rd month and have 90 miles in with only 510 to go!

Coves, Gaps and Knobs

Today I completed hike #8 in 8 weeks for a total of 78 miles this year. Not only am I on track for my 600 mile goal, but am now 30% ahead of my goal of hiking 30 miles in Jan & Feb. This is good as the 60 mile months will be a challenge. I started off hiking a steep & cold uphill in Perry Cove. Thank goodness for my Zippo Hand Warmers & mittens that kept my hands warm. Today took me to Saddle Gap, Bennett Gap, Buckwheat Knob & then Club Gap. Check out the "major trail intersection picture from Club Gap! I detoured down Club Gap trail to add to my mileage and to say I've hiked from the Horse Stables to the Cradle of Forestry. Finished the day on the Avery Creek trail for a total on 10 miles. Looking forward to some more hikes to explore around the Horse Stable area - lots of waterfalls & miles to go. Maybe next week I'll get to see my first wild flowers of the season.

On track, week 7, hike 7 - mileage to date - 68

Yesterday, 2/18/2012 had a forecast of 50's with 60% chance of rain. Knowing WNC, I felt that an early start would allow me to get out and hike before the rain. I arrived at the trail head (Turkey Pen) @ 9:00 and set off on the Turkey Pen Gap trail heading up to the point where it meets the Black Mountain Trail in 5.5 miles. The sky was blue and the climbs had me peeling off layers of clothing. After turning around at the top and heading back down, I met another hiker that I had encountered two weeks ago on the Black Mountain Trail, also 5 miles from the trail head! Rather than going straight back to the car, I decided to detour off on the Wagon Road Gap trail. I hadn't been on this trail for about 20 years at which time I was doing trail maintenance here. This trail took me back to the South Mills River trail and back to the parking lot. Needless to say, I was tired after hiking 13.5 miles, but was quite happy to have hiked in short sleeves for the 2nd time in February!

So, the question is - where to next week?