July 31 – August 1, 2021 Shining Rock Wilderness is quite breathtaking, chockfull of sweeping vistas, balds, and several peaks over 6,000′. It is also jammed with people hiking the trails and driving to the trailheads. Right next to Shining Rock, separated by Hwy. 215, is a gem. Middle Prong Wilderness has beautiful vistas, gorgeous … More Middle Prong Wilderness
June 18-19, 2021 Cabin Flats is a very short trail at .8 miles. For some reason, I had never hiked it before, even though I’ve hiked Dry Sluice Gap Trail and Bradley Fork. Aside from hiking the Smoky 900 challenge, why would one hike this trail? Well, it has one of the best campsites in … More Cabin Flats Trail
May 21-23, 2021 My plan was to spend 3 days in the Smoky’s and hike in via Mingus Creek Trail, spend the night at campsite #52 (Newton Bald), hike down to campsite #60 (Bumgarner Branch) via Sunkota Ridge Trail and then back to the car on Sunday via the Deeplow Gap Trail. In total, I … More Mingus Creek Trail, Sunkota Ridge Trail, Deeplow Gap Trail
May 9, 2021 I am catching up on blog posts. So much has changed, but I am so happy to be back writing and back blogging. In May of this year, I continued the Smoky 900 challenge with a delightful trail in the Cataloochee area of the park. To get to the Little Cataloochee trailhead, … More Little Cataloochee Trail
May 7, 2021 The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. – Burns The original idea was to finish a huge chunk of the Cataloochee portion of the Smoky 900 challenge; hike up Pretty Hollow Gap to Mt. Sterling, spend the night then descend Long Bunk and Little Cataloochee. The hike up … More Pretty Hollow Gap Trail
April 17-18, 2021 I woke up around 6:30 am at campsite 39. There was a faint glow of light showing through my tarp. I climbed out of my sleeping bag into the cold morning and made some coffee. Soon the sunlight shone upon the Shanty Mountain Ridge, and the day began. Johnny and I had … More Palmer Creek Trail
July 12, 2020 In undergrad one of my favorite subjects was phonetics, the study of speech and sounds. So many of the names in the mountains are simplistic in their genesis; deep gap, because the gap is deep; blue mountains, because in low light they are blue, etc. Once in a while, you will happen … More Boogerman Trail
July 8, 2020 Pandemic or not; I am jumping back on the Smoky 900 trail challenge. My family and I have dutifully stayed at home since March 12, 2020. We have cancelled all vacations, trips, extracurricular activities, outings, not eaten out or gotten take-out in an effort to flatten the proverbial curve. Alas, most Americans … More Cataloochee Divide Trail
December 26, 2019 The Wilderness Act of 1964 is perhaps the most important and poetic laws in the United States. It was and remains revolutionary. In a capitalistic model, we have set aside land to be untouched, undeveloped. Unlike the stringent legal language of most regulations the law defines its purposes as:”[a] wilderness, in contrast … More Big Lost Cove Cliffs Trail
November 17, 2019 If you are looking for a challenging hike near Boone, NC, look no further than the Thunderhole and China Creek Trails. Located near the Blue Ridge Parkway and Blowing Rock, NC. This lollipop hike runs down Thunderhole Trail to Thunderhole Falls and then back up the ridge via the China Creek Trail … More Thunderhole Loop Trail