December 30, 2018 For years I have spied a fire tower just off of I-26 outside of Unicoi and Erwin, Tennessee. Sunday, I resolved to finally hike to the top of it. Pinnacle Mountain Fire Tower sits atop Buffalo Mountain along a nice and very new trail. From the easily accessed parking area, it’s 4.8 … More Pinnacle Mountain Fire Tower Trail
December 2, 2018 It’s been several months since my last blog entry. While I have not been idle, I decided to take a break from writing. In November, my brother-in-law and I hiked the Bartram Trail. It was nice to not write every day, to take pictures for fun and generally just enjoy a hike. … More Pond Mountain Wilderness – Laurel Falls Trail
September 9, 2018 Nestled on the border of McDowell and Yancey County just off the Blue Ridge Parkway (milepost #339) are the wonderful Crabtree Falls. The 70 ft. falls are known as being one of the most popular and eye-catching in the High Country. It’s a simple .9 mile hike from the parking area, with … More Crabtree Falls
August 26, 2018 The second hike of the day was to another fire tower in Western North Carolina. This one located near the border of Henderson and Buncombe Counties in what is called the Hickory Nut Gorge area. I have not done any hiking in this area, so I knew little of what to expect … More Bearwallow Mountain Fire Tower
August 26, 2018 Nestled in the middle Wilkes County, Rendezvous Mountain State Educational Forest is a place of solitude and historical significance. I was in the area to hike a fire tower as part of the NC Lookout Tower Challenge, but found an area teeming with intrigue. The Hike According to the parameters of the … More Rendezvous Mountain Fire Tower
August 23, 2018 It was too nice of a Thursday not to be outside: sunny, no clouds, no rain and a high of 71. In lieu of work, I headed once again to the Moses Cone Memorial Park off the Blue Ridge Parkway to hike the Rich Mountain Trail. Considered another carriage trail, it snakes … More Moses Cone Memorial Park: Rich Mountain
August 19, 2018 Let me preface this entry by stating that I did not much care for these trails. Firstly, they are not hiking trails, but carriage trails. The Cone Family at one time had their home away from home in the mountains near Blowing Rock, NC. Obviously rich, they carved wide paths to tour … More Moses Cone Memorial Park: The Maze
August 12, 2018 When you think of Blowing Rock, NC, at least for me, the image that is conjured up most often is that of rich, white people on vacation. It’s not a secret that this faux mountain town is a destination for northerners and second-home leaf peepers. Henceforth, it is somewhat surprising that the … More China Creek Trail
August 11, 2018 Most fire towers in the Lookout Tower Challenge are located in the western most portion of North Carolina. The one outlier is Moore’s Knob Tower, just outside Winston Salem, Mt. Airy and Greensboro in Hanging Rock State Park. What was once a fire tower that was destroyed by a fire years ago … More Moore’s Knob Tower
July 21, 2018 The Qualla Boundary is the designated land for the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians (ECBI). The land is nestled on Jackson and Swain Counties and abuts the Great Smoky Mountain National Park (GSMNP). Before starting the Lookout Tower Challenge, I had never been hiking on the Qualla, hell, I didn’t even … More Mount Noble, Barnett Knob
