The plan: Hike the lower half of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in May 2022, Fontana Dam to Newfound Gap / 441, a total of 42 miles, in 3 overnights (spoiler, I stopped a bit short at 34 miles). I had an awesome trail shuttle (via Zach of Traveling Lite Shuttle and Resupply) from…
Category: Camping
Madera Original Hammock
*Full disclosure*. I recently became a brand ambassador for Madera, which means I get a decent discount, and a small percentage of sales when people purchase thru my affiliate link. I receive NO product or compensation in return for reviews / promotion so this is completely unbiased. If I thought their products were inferior…
Summer overnighter: Looking Glass Rock, Pisgah NF
The plan: A late June evening hike up Looking Glass Rock with my 15 year old son, take in the sunset up top, then camp overnight and hike back down in the morning. It was a typical June day: warm, fairly humid and wet, and a storm had gone thru earlier in the day. …
Sea to Summit Alpha Set 1.1 and the evolution of my cooking setup
Can a hiker get excited about new gear even if its just cooking related? I picked up a Sea To Summit Alpha Set 1.1 cooking set and feel pretty good about it. Some others were considered but this set looks like it will work well for me, which I will talk about in addition to what…
Appalachian Trail – NOC / Nantahala Outdoor Center, NC to Fontana Dam (28 miles)
I returned to the Appalachian Trail from what feels like a long absence. From 2013 through 2015, I went out at least once a year and would do 30-40 miles at a time of the AT with a hiking buddy (trail name Wooly Hammock). We managed to complete about 135 miles of the AT this…
Appalachian Trail Progress
I happened to check stats on this blog and have noticed that my Appalachian Trail posts get meager but consistent views daily, sometimes via specific Google searches on sections. So, I thought I would organize them here for easier browsing. Georgia Neel’s Gap (south) to Springer Mountain, GA: Mile 30.7 to 0. Read Here Neel’s…
Cat Gap Loop / John Rock / Art Loeb / Cedar Rock Mountain / Butter Gap – Pisgah National Forest
This hike was about linking multiple trails in Pisgah National Forest (near Brevard) to get to and back from less traveled Cedar Rock Summit while stopping atop the John Rock as well, and ended up just being an extended day hike for me. I found very little about the actual 1.5 mile Cedar Rock Mountain…
Winter Camping – Pisgah Forest, NC
December 2018. I’m always tempted to get away for my birthday, and I will be 36 years old this December. The forecast called for some rain, to be followed by snow all weekend from a large storm system coming across much of the Southeast. Now, I certainly didn’t PLAN a trip because there was a storm coming –…
Overnight trip: Julian Price Memorial Park – Blowing Rock, NC
Camping in the mountains at the peak of summer; it is always a good time to be at higher elevation! Julian Price Memorial Park is one of my favorite places along the Blue Ridge Parkway (milepost 297, just south of Blowing Rock). It is scenic enough to stop at the lake while passing through, but…
Out on the Trail . . . 