May 25-26, 2019 I could have easily driven to Tellico Gap and hiked 1.5 miles up to Wesser Bald. In lieu of the easy route and in search of a weekend adventure, I decided to hike to Wesser from the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) and camp at Cold Springs Gap and hike back the next … More Wesser Bald Fire Tower
May 5, 2019 Albert Mountain is mainly known for being the 100-mile mark on the Appalachian Trail (AT) from the southern terminus. Albert is located in Macon County in the Nantahala National Forest, just outside the Southern Nantahala Wilderness. I lived in Franklin for a year while I was practicing law in Sylva and would … More Albert Mountain Fire Tower
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
November 18-20, 2016 It’s late fall and the temperatures have felt more like mid-summer rather than the cusp of winter. It has been nearly 70 days since any measurable rainfall in Western North Carolina, wildfires are popping up over the region. Most started by deranged pyromaniacs/attention seekers, but the bone dry conditions act like vat of gasoline. … More Mt. Sequoyah, Mt. Chapman
November 11, 2016 Oh, these vast, calm, measureless mountain days, days in whose light everything seems equally divine, opening a thousand windows to show us God. – John Muir I am beginning to understand the mythical allure of the Smoky’s, with its wildlife, epic views and tough, spindly paths. At the end of a tumultuous … More Mount Cammerer Trail, Lower Mount Cammerer Trail
November 5-6, 2016 There are forty peaks over 6000’ as part of the South Beyond 600 Challenge. The most remote and difficult are located in the backcountry of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I’ll be honest; these are hard peaks to grab. They require a lot of research and a lot of compass/orienteering skills. My … More Old Black, Tricorner Knob, Mark’s Knob, Mt. Guyot
October 7, 2016 A perfect fall day to take a half day, duck out of the office and hike two more peaks over 6000′: Mt. Collins and Clingman’s Dome. One has hordes of tourists, the other is desolate. I parked the Jeep at the Fork Ridge Trail junction with the Appalachian Trail. The trail is wonderful, the … More Mt. Collins, Clingman’s Dome
December 5, 2015 “It is one of the blessings of wilderness life that it shows us how few things we need in order to be perfectly happy.” – Horace Kephart Horace Kephart exemplifies why anyone of any walk of life can become an outdoorsman. A librarian by trade, he worked in St. Louis and Yale … More Kephart Prong Trail, Sweat Heifer Creek Trail, Grassy Branch Trail
November 15, 2015 Some places are so special they make your heartstrings twinge with delight. The Roan Mountains have and always will make me swell with happiness. Just outside of Bakersville, N.C., the Roans rise above the valley with a range that is as beautiful as any place on the eastern seaboard. It is a … More Roan High Bluff, Roan High Knob, Grassy Ridge Bald
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