October 16, 2022 Gunter Fork Trail has alluded me for years. I’ve never tried to hike it; it’s just sort of in the middle of nowhere. The trail itself is not insurmountable, at only 4.1 miles and 2,328 ft. of ascent. The problem with Gunter is getting there and getting back. One terminus starts after … More Gunter Fork Trail
September 22, 2022 Old Sugardlands is not a difficult trail; it may gain 1,000 ft. over 3.9 miles. It’s a historic hike full of side treks to a former CCC camp, rock walls, a rock house and sketchings of a bygone era. On this day, an easy trail turned into a hassle. I started from … More Old Sugarlands Trail
September 17, 2022 The first 2.7 miles of the Rainbow Falls Trail are very popular. Throngs of tourists traipse up what is a very well-maintained trail to the famous 80 ft. falls. Large, hand-hewn stones make stairs upon trails large enough fit 4-5 people side-by-side. On this day, the falls were but a trickle as … More Rainbow Falls Trail, Bullhead Trail (last 1/3)
September 4, 2022 I continued my exploration and hiking of the Smoky trails surrounding Mt. LeConte and Greenbrier, but this time hiked with my good friend Perry. Initially, we planned to hike Old Settlers Trail, but instead opted for Baskins and Grapeyard. In July of this year, flooding closed some trails and campsites at Greenbrier, … More Baskins Creek Trail, Grapeyard Ridge Trail
August 7, 2022 Over the past month I have been reading a lot about fast-packing and thru-hiking. I stumbled upon a lot of information, but the best article was by Andrew Skurka. He presents a wonderful cost/benefit analysis of how to hike a fast thru hike. With my own time constraints and while hiking the … More Boulevard Trail
July 11, 2022 It is fascinating to let your mind wonder when hiking in the Smoky’s, because certain paths have feelings and sensations that are unexplainable. Almost as if one can sense the timeliness of the trail. Perhaps the Cherokee or some precursors cut this path to reach water or to hunt. Did settlers bring … More Mt. Sterling Trail, Long Bunk 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
September 15, 2019 After camping at Spruce Mountain, I decided to grab another trail before heading back to Boone. One place I had not been to was the Tow String Trail. Sometimes referred to as the Tow String Horse Trail, it runs from Tow String Road to the Bradley Fork Trail near Smokemont Campground. The … More Tow String Trail
June 13-15, 2019 Blog writing has always appealed to the chronicling portion of my mind (mileage and events). Part of it is a way to remember the trail in a logical manner. The purpose of this space was two-fold: write down a map for my kids to see what I accomplished and encourage others to … More Bradley Fork Trail, Hyatt Ridge Trail, Dry Sluice Gap Trail