June 22-24, 2018 Big Cataloochee and Luftee Knob are the last two (2) peaks I had to climb for the South Beyond 6000 Challenge, a series of forty (40) peaks over 6,000 ft. in North Carolina and Tennessee. Over the past several years, I have made several attempts to climb these last summits. One time … More Big Cataloochee, Luftee Knob
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 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
October 2, 2016 My friend Andy and I ventured out on the Sunday afternoon to summit two peaks on the South Beyond 6000 challenge: Celo Knob and Gibbs Mountain. Both are on the northern end of what is considered the Black Mountain Crest. The trailhead to Bowlens Creek is difficult to find. The most simplistic … More Celo Knob, Gibbs Mountain
September 24-25, 2016 My favorite hiking challenge has been the South Beyond 6000. Sponsored by the CMC, one must hike 40 peaks over 6000 feet in North Carolina and Tennessee. I’ve hiked all the peaks in the Great Balsam area of North Carolina, except Mt. Hardy. Mt. Hardy is located in the Middle Prong Wilderness. … More Mt. Hardy
July 24, 2016 The Black Mountain Crest Trail rises from North Carolina as one of the best hiking destinations on the eastern seaboard. It’s rough, it’s unforgiving, it’s strenuous, and it’s one my favorite trails. From Mt. Mitchell to Celo Knob there are 7 peaks over 6000 feet, forming a spine across the surrounding landscape. … More Cattail Peak, Balsam Cone
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
November 6, 2015 “There are trees here that stood before our forefathers ever came to this continent; there are brooks that still run as clear as on the day the first pioneer cupped his hand and drank from them. In this Park, we shall conserve these trees, the pine, the red-bud, the dogwood, the azalea, … More Alum Cave Trail
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