Old Dan Walking

What's a hiking addict to do?! It's the last weekend of February and the forecast for this weekend here in my home state of South Carolina and in the Great Smokies calls for anything from total annihilation to a sprinkle or two. It is one of those situations that we get around here a few times a year where a local weatherman can either make his/her career or wind up selling cars at Frank's Used Car Emporium. Those that predict snow in SC and guess right are revered forever like Johnny Cash, and those that don't can't show their face in public again. Do I skip a Sunday walk in the Smokies for this?? Due to life conflicts this could be my last opportunity to walk for several weeks. Decisions, decisions, decisions....All I know is that if I do skip and the weatherman was wrong, he/she better not show their face on my TV again! [caption id="attachment_170" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="I probably took 1000 Smokies pictures in 2008, but this one was my favorite."] [/caption] Update: Sunday 3/1/09 9:00 PM EST: Well, I did decide to skip my Smokies walk this weekend due to the weather reports. We got several inches of rain here at home but no severe stuff. Tonight it's apparently snowing just about everywhere in South Carolina except within in a 500 yard radius of our house. We had a total of about two flakes of sleet. Tomorrow's school day was cancelled by 4 PM before the first flake even fell. Such is life in central South Carolina. If it does snow tonight, I'll post a picture...if not, I'll stomp my feet like a 3rd grader and storm off to work at regular time. Update II: Monday 3/2/09 6:00 AM EST: It looks like it will be Frank's Used Car Emporium for the local weather hacks. Snowfall forecast for my area.... 3 to 5 inches. Actual.....LESS than 3 to 5 snowflakes! So my son will be home from school today, the tally being roughly 1/18" of snow TOTAL for his two school "snow" days. On rare occassions it actually can snow in this area...but we've had nothing significant since 2003. My boys can barely remember it. Some proof of past "real" snow days.... [caption id="attachment_178" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Snowfall of January 2002"] [/caption] [caption id="attachment_177" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Snowfall of January 2003"] [/caption]

[caption id="attachment_130" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="The USGS marker on Silers Bald - elevation 5607 ft."]

[/caption] To skip the chatter and go right to the pics of this walk, click the link below: Appalachian Trail to Silers Bald (Opens in new window) 10 mile out-and-back along the Appalachian Trail - Clingmans Dome to Silers Bald - August 31, 2008 I won't be walking the Smokies this weekend, so I thought I would look back at some of my favorite 2008 walks from before the website was live. Sounds easy, right? But picking favorite Smokies walks turns out to be harder than it would seem. Every trail has its unique qualities. From the high-country forests that make it seem like you are walking in Maine instead of Dixie, to the thick towering old-growth, abdundant and diverse wildflowers, wide streams and numerous cascades and waterfalls of the mid and lowland trails, each Smoky trail is special in its own right. I had covered 171 total miles of that Smoky Mountain ground in 2008 on 23 seperate walks, with almost 80 of those miles being unique to me. So picking a favorite would be tough. But...if I had to make a choice to start with.... and I do, because I can't write about all of them in one post, I choose the 10 mile Labor Day weekend hike along the Appalachian Trail from Clingmans Dome to Silers Bald as #1 of 2008. I would not at all be surprised if the beautiful trail between Clingmans Dome and Silers Bald is the second-most traveled section of the AT in the Smokies (second to the Newfound Gap to Charlies Bunion section). I don't know for sure that it is, but because of access, cool high-elevations, the famed and oft-visited Clingmans Dome, and the fact that you can make a nice day-hike out of this trip, I would put a few bucks in it. But if you've read my previous posts you probably know that doesn't matter to me. The more the merrier, as long as you carry out up your Reeses wrappers. In fact, so far my Smokies walks have been mostly solo, so I enjoy seeing other folks out there on the trails. The majority welcome a quick conversation and are interested in where you're going or where you came from. From what I remember August 31, 2008 was a clear day and the humidity prevalent these last two hot and drought-stricken summers was starting to lose its grip. The air had a cool crisp early Fall feel to it, which energizes a walker even more. So I arrived at the Clingmans Dome parking lot at my usual late 10 AM, and immediately was distracted by the stunning views that can be rare this time of year due to clouds and fog. No problem today... [caption id="attachment_132" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Views from the parking lot before my walk"] [/caption] So after spending several minutes going "Wow...look at THAT view" and snapping pictures left and right at the Clingmans Dome parking lot, I decided I better get started on my walk. I made my way to the start of the paved trail that leads up to the Dome. Today I would take that path up to start the hike and the Clingmans Dome Bypass Trail on the way back. "WOW...look at THAT view"...ok, one more shot before I go... [caption id="attachment_133" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="The heath balds on the side of Mount Buckley as seen from the Dome parking lot"] [/caption] I don't care what kind of workout stud or studette you are..the paved path up to the Clingmans Dome observation tower is steep. Benches are strategically placed up the path so you can sit and catch your breath. No time for that today, I had places to go. Near the top you branch off to the left on an access trail through thick blackberry bushes to connect up with the Appalachian Trail. You start the trek left (west-northwest) away from the tower along a very skinny ridge. The Tennessee-North Carolina state line runs along this ridge. I think as I walk my right foot is in Tennessee and my left in North Carolina and there isn't much room for anything else. Soon you reach the junction with the Clingmans Dome Bypass Trail on the left. I'll return to the parking lot that way this afternoon. After a small uphill you reach a nice rocky and grassy area on the west side of Mount Buckley. I pause here to sit on the ground with a rock back support and take in the beauty of the views of balds on Mt. Buckley and distant mountains to the south. From here the trail travels mostly downhill through beautiful high-country forest. Along the westward trek clearings on both sides occassionally show the long-range views into both states that would be abundant today, a big reason this hike ranked #1 on my list for 2008. After a few miles of nice downhill you reach the intersection of Goshen Prong Trail on the right. Many people do a two-car shuttle walk from Clingmans Dome down the Goshen Prong Trail to the Elkmont campground area, around 14 miles. I suppose those looking for a big challenge hike it the other direction, and if so they would be treated to around 4400 feet in elevation rise from the campground! I'll have to try that one someday when I'm in better shape. I recall that trail intersection being an unusually peaceful and scenic spot among the towering trees, probably noticing because I had just walked downhill instead of uphill. More on that later... [caption id="attachment_134" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="The Double Spring Gap backcountry shelter. It has since been renovated."] [/caption] A few minutes later I reach a nice clearing and the Double Spring Gap backcountry hiking shelter. I have traveled about 2.8 fairly easy miles at this point. This shelther had the old chainlink fence enclosure style, but since I visited it has been renovated to the new open style. I guess having it open gives people more incentive to use the nearby bear cables to hang their food instead of eating in the shelter. At the shelter I talked with a man visiting the Smokies from Croatia that was resting on the logs around the fire pit. I noticed his backpack seemed unusually stuffed and he was carrying enough camera equipment to film a documentary. He said that his pack weighed 80 pounds! On my return trip from the Bald I would pass this poor gentleman grimacing his way towards the Silers Bald shelter. I didn't have the heart to tell him about the steep section he was about to face before the Bald. Westward from this point the trail passes over an again unusually scenic section of Jenkins Knob. This marks the western end of the range for the red spruce and fraser fir forest in the Smokies. From here westward the forest is dominated by beech and mountain ash trees, and today one noticeable mountain ash would still have a large cluster of its late summer red berries. Again I had not read about this trek before walking it, but I distinctly remember noticing the abundance of beech leaves littering the trail. At the time I didn't really notice there was no more spruce-fir forest. Another real nice section of this trail was "The Narrows". Yep, it's just like it says, narrow. One place there the ridge was so thin you could barely stand on it, and to the south was an incredible view all the way to Fontana Lake. A few steep downhill parts here, and once I completely lost my footing on a 45 degree dowhill angle rock and fell flat on my back. Fortunately a) nothing in my pack was damaged, and most importantly b) nobody saw me. It must have been pretty comical. Soon I would reach the intersection with the Welch Ridge Trail. This trail is another popular but long downhill ridgetop day-hike that features exceptional views. I'll try that some other day. My destination was a short 0.4 miles away...piece of cake, right? Not so fast my friend...This 0.4 seemed straight up. Fortunately, I reached the top of Silers Bald and wondered, "is this it, wheres the Bald?" [caption id="attachment_135" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="The boulder marking the top of Silers Bald."] [/caption] Silers Bald doesn't look anything like it did when Jesse Siler grazed cattle here years ago. The forest has reclaimed much of it, and only a few yards of grass encircle the boulder that has the USGS marker embedded in it marking the official Bald at 5607 feet. I assume my great-grandkids will have a hard time finding the boulder if they visit here some day. Standing on the boulder, I could see a nice view looking back at the rain on top of Clingmans Dome...wait..rain on Clingmans Dome? Yep...hopefully it would be gone when I returned. And it was. From here you continue a few tenths down the trail to reach the Silers Bald backcountry shelter. This shelter has already been renovated to the new style. I met two nice gentlemen that were hiking the AT through the Smokies on this Labor Day weekend. We talked for a while and they offered me snacks and a gel. I didn't accept the snacks but did take the gel, which I wound up not using. They left before me, but I would catch up with them later at Double Springs Gap. Bears were apparently very active in this area, but I didn't see any. [caption id="attachment_131" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Silers Bald shelter, newly renovated"] [/caption] Now it was time to head back. I may have mentioned that the trail toward Silers was reasonably easy except in a few spots. Well, not so fast on the way back. I typically like to walk up the ridges towards the spine of the Smokies on my day-hikes, so that I'll have the psychological boost of knowing that "it's all downhill from here." for the return trip. Well, on this trail, the majority of the uphill is on the way back. This made the return trip very difficult for me. After meeting up with my new friends at the Double Springs Gap shelter and admiring a few deer grazing at the Gap, I walked with these two guys back towards Clingmans. I was able to keep up with them until the final brutal uphill over Mount Buckley. Despite their heavier packs, they had to go on without me while I sat at the top of Mount Buckley gassed. After a long rest, I finally trudged down Clingmans Dome Bypass Trail to the intersection with Forney Ridge Trail. Although it's only 0.1 to the parking lot, I felt that last little uphill on Forney Ridge Trail would do me in for sure. I survived, and laid on the grass next to the parking lot recovering before making my way back to home base in Cherokee. All in all, a beautiful Labor Day solo walk on the Appalachian Trail. Today's low elevation was around 5400' near the intersection of Welch Ridge Trail and the high elevation was of course Clingmans Dome, at 6643'. For pics of this walk, click the link below: Appalachian Trail to Silers Bald (Opens in new window)

[caption id="attachment_92" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Alum Cave Bluffs"]

[/caption] If you want to skip the chatter and go right to the pics, click the link below: Alum Cave Trail (Opens in new window) 10.2 mile Out-and-Back, February 15, 2009 The 10.2 mile walk on the second day of my weekend in the Smokies would be an experience completely different from yesterday's Deep Creek experience. I was pretty excited about today's walk, which would follow the entire distance of the Alum Cave Trail all the way to the famous Mount LeConte. I had never visited Mount LeConte; the only previous experience with the mountain being the stunning views of it from Gatlinburg in rented cabins. LeConte is the Smokies "tallest peak"...not the highest, but tallest. It rises more than a mile from it's base in Gatlinburg. The Smokies highest peak Clingmans Dome sits at slightly higher elevation but also rises from a much higher base along the Smokie's spine. I had walked the first 2.2 miles of this trail many years before. Around 1980 my best bud Ted and I huffed up this trail to the Alum Cave Bluffs. I distinctly remember that Ted and I were largely unimpressed. I guess sixteen-year-olds are not impressed with things that impress forty something year olds. Also, it was a much hotter time of year and bottled water wasn't 'invented' yet. Who'da thunk it, had we only known...."gee, let's put water in a bottle and SELL it!" Billions of bottled water sales later...genious! I bet the person that first put water in a plastic bottle was a hiker. I got my usual late start on this chilly morning and was treated to some very nice views on Newfound Gap Road on the way to the trailhead. After a few quick pics, I made the 20+ mile drive to the trailhead and got started about 9:45 AM. The Alum Cave Trail is in the top two or three in terms of overall usage due to it being spectacular and also having a trailhead directly on Newfound Gap Road. For that reason, most Smoky "purists" wouldn't be caught dead on this trail. It is their loss...this trail is stunning. This was also the first trail I've done that is rated "strenuous". By the end of this day...I would totally understand! These 10.2 miles were indeed much greater than the 12 I did yesterday, and it would take me almost two hours longer to go 2 miles shorter distance. This baby was TOUGH!! I had read in "Day Hikes of the Smokies" where Carson Brewer wrote that the Alum Cave Creek at the start of the trail was "unusually pretty, even for the Great Smokies". I was skeptical because I had experienced some magnificent streams over the past year of walking the hills. I have to say Mr. Brewer was right on the money. The combination of the color and abundance of the slate and stone in the clear water makes this creek unusually pretty for sure. You won't believe me either...so please go see for yourself. After a nice walk along Alum Cave Creek and about 1000 stops for picture taking, I reach Arch Rock. This cool natural arch feature has stone steps going right through the middle of it. Very cool. After that a tough climb through areas with lots of evidence of former rock slides and some narrow rocky areas assisted with cables, you reach a bluffs and a chance to catch your breath. The Alum Cave Bluffs are an awesome scene, and important distinguishing feature to these Smokies that helped make the case for a National Park. Here I sat to make a decision if I would go to the top of the mountain. I knew I had to drive all the way home tonight and hadn't slept well. (all together now, waaaahhh) I decided to go for it and climbed onward through the huge red spruce. Just a few hundred yards up the trail I was treated to the sight of a Peregrine Falcon soaring through the air and calling out to its mate. I've seen a lot of birds-of-prey in flight before, but for some reason I was really impressed with this sight. Soon after you reach the rock outcropping Gracie's Pulpit and a pretty awesome view. You climb again before a downhill section around a very nice Spruce Fir forest gives you a view of the destination. How the heck am I going to climb all the way up there?!! [caption id="attachment_93" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Views along the Alum Cave Trail"] [/caption] Well boys and girls, after that short downhill section it's uphill big time from there. Soon the trail gets rocky and after a while, icy. There were several spots were I realized that had I been here a couple of weeks ago when Mount LeConte measured a -22 degree low, second lowest recorded temperature, I would not have been able to make this walk. Cable systems lined the mountain for the last 1.5 miles to help you get through the narrow rocky sections and the avoid the incredible dropoffs that awaited you just to your left if you decided not to use them. And the views opened up to reveal incredible sights to the west....I mean incredible! This was the Lord's payback for the foggy day yesterday, and I'm so glad I decided to keep walking past the bluffs. There were a few spots where you basically were ice skating. Very slippery. Using the cable systems, I pulled myself up the mountain in spots. I was determined not to turn around, but wondered if I would be forced back by ice. Fortunately, there was just enough clearing to make it to the top. The relief of last flat 0.1 mile was hard to describe. At the intersection of Rainbow Falls Trail there was a huge block of ice which made for some slippery picture taking. I met several nice folks up on the ridge as the crowds started making their way up from the five different trails that converge on this mountain. Secretly I was proud to say that I had come up the one that most agree is the most difficult, until I found out everyone else had come that way as well and they didn't look nearly as ruffled as I did. I had come up slowly...but made it none the less. A short 0.1 put me at the world famous LeConte Lodge for the first time, and many picture taking ops. The Lodge books up immediately every year when they open up for reservations. The views into Tennessee from the Lodge on this day were much hazier than the south side views on the approach trail. It was turning noticeably colder. After thoroughly enjoying the convenience store lemon cake wedge I bought earlier today, I made my way back to the bottom slowly but surely. [caption id="attachment_94" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="My first visit to the world famous Mount LeConte Lodge"] [/caption] Nothing to report about the return trip because I returned the same way I came up. I finished the 10.2 miles with a blistering 1.55 mph average and was passed left and right throughout the day. I was tired..I needed a shower and a nap. And I drove home to Irmo thinking what an awesome weekend it was. Low elevation today was at the trailhead at 3700' and the trail topped out on Mount LeConte at around 6500'.

For pictures from the Alum Cave Trail walk, click the link below: Alum Cave Trail (Opens in new window)

[caption id="attachment_79" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Foggy day on the Sunkota Ridge Trail"]

[/caption] If you want to skip the chatter and go right to the pics, click the link below: Deep Creek trail hike Part II (Opens in new window) 12 mile Out-and-Back, February 14, 2009 It is probably smart to research the trail you're going to walk on BEFORE you walk on it. I didn't follow that advice today and it would make the "downhill" trip back to my car at the Deep Creek trailhead much more difficult. If you read Part I you know that I had reached Martins Gap after a nice uphill trek. You also read that the two ladies I had met earlier had beat me to the top. Well, after some picture taking at the gap they started their "descent" while I stayed and had some lunch. I said to one of the ladies as they left "..at least it's all downhill from here." Uh....not quite! Old Dan, you should've done your homework. Had I done my homework I would've known that I had 1000 more feet of uphill to go. So off I went, fat, dumb, and happy. I quickly realized my mistake and was gasping for air soon after leaving Martins Gap. I knew the car was parked at 1800 ft, so I knew I had to go downhill to get there. Just not right now... Several places tricked me into thinking I had reached the top, but finally after about the third time saying to myself "ok, that's the top..." I reached this spot.... [caption id="attachment_78" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Crossing 3400 feet elevation on the Sunkota Ridge Trail"] [/caption] Later I would find out that the top of the ridge was 3405 feet. After the uphill trek the remainder of Sunkota Ridge Trail was uneventful downhill ridgetop walking. This portion of the trail was built by Park Service after establishment of the Park, and not quite as well built as the majority of the trails the CCC built throughout the Smokies in the 1930s. I could tell there would normally be good views along this trail if the weather was clear. Unfortunately today would not be clear, so the view was only a few hundred feet to each side of the ridge. This is when I began to notice something. I'm a big fan of White Pine and Hemlock trees...and I saw many along both sides of the ridge. There were also a lot of very big trees, mostly poplar I assume. But at this elevation there were no large white pines and no large hemlocks. What's up with that? One of you gurus out there...tell me why. I know this area was logged, but did they selectively log just the evergreens? My theories were a) the poplars grow faster than the pines and hemlocks. (unlikely because they were WAY bigger than the biggest pine) b) White Pines and Hemlocks have just recently returned to the ridge naturally. c) Aliens had visited and planted old growth poplars. These are the things you think about when solo hiking in the fog. Further down the trail I started to hit the rhododendren tunnels and it began to clear. The sun actually came out, but only for a few minutes. Next, I reached the Loop Trail..here it would be decision time.... [caption id="attachment_77" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Decision time"] [/caption] The little Loop Trail runs a mile and connects the Deep Creek Trail to the Indian Creek Trail. Sunkota Ridge ends at about the middle of the Loop Trail. Now we come to the decision I was talking about. 900 mile club members will understand what I'm talking about here. Looking at the trail sign, if I go right, I'm making the decision that I want to be a 900 club member. 900 milers refers to the small group of people that have walked every official trail in the Smokies. There are places like this throughout the Smokies trail system where the fact that you want to be a 900 miler is highlighted. There was no real reason to go right when going left was the preferred way to go back to the parking area. The only reason would be that if I wanted to be a 900 miler, I would need to take the short 0.5 mile walk to tag up with the Indian Creek Trail and complete this otherwise unremarkable segment. Decisions, decisions..... I went left..and returned to the parking area through the Loop Trail and back along the Deep Creek Trail. On the Loop Trail I crossed the only unbridged 'stream' crossing for this trip...a little brook not more than two feet wide. The 1.0 mile section of Deep Creek Trail between Loop and Indian Creek Trails was pretty unremarkable, a flat wide road with only a few pretty creek areas. The last 0.7 miles was a repeat of this morning's start. I arrived at the parking lot around 4 PM tired but satisfied with a nice walk, just under the distance of my personal longest hike. The low elevation for this walk was 1800' at the Deep Creek trailhead and the high elevation was 3405' along Sunkota Ridge. I highly recommend this area and I've read that Indian Creek Trail is excellent for wildflowers which should be making an appearance in the next few weeks. Link to the photos from Part II of the Deep Creek area hike: Deep Creek trail hike Part II (Opens in new window)

[caption id="attachment_55" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="The popular Deep Creek area of the Smokies, near Bryson City"]

[/caption] If you want to skip the chatter and go right to the pics, click the link below: Deep Creek trail hike Part I (Opens in new window) 12 mile Out-and-Back, February 14, 2009 Ok, now I'm finally ready to do the first post for an actual hike. When I decided to do this site I guess I underestimated how much work this was going to be! Steps: 1) Download the pictures 2) Back up the pictures 3) Review the pictures for good/bad ones. 4) Choose a few to put inline with the post, edit them for web-friendly size 5) Upload the reviewed pictures to picasaweb 6) review information about the hike in books, web, maps, etc. so at least you have something remotely interesting to say 7) Log your hike distances and trails in your master spreadsheet 8) Ok....NOW am I ready to actually start journaling? Man, this is work! I have to admit that I wasn't overly excited about the prospect of this hike today. I'm not sure if it was the 3 hours of sleep or the fact that I knew I would be on a lowland trail, but I sure wasn't buzzing about it like normal. For whatever reason, I usually am more excited about the high-elevation spruce-fir forest walks. I'm happy to report that after experiencing these trails I was definitely wrong, today was nice walk. Waterfalls, leisurely road walking, tough ridge climbs, a peaceful campsite, pretty streams...today's walk would not disappoint. I reached the trailhead just outside of Bryson City and got on the trail about 10 AM. Some day I've got to get going earlier, but had I tried that today I would've been soaked. The rain was gone so no need for a rain jacket today. I was happy about that. Walking up Deep Creek trail you quickly reach the side trail for Juney Whank Falls. It was only 0.3 miles to the falls, but I decided I would save that for another day. No worries though, because Toms Branch Falls appears within minutes on the right after a short walk beside pretty Deep Creek. There are new benches in front of the falls to sit and relax, but with 12 miles to walk today I had no time for that. This would be a good segway to my rant about optimal trail lengths...but I'm going to save that for a weekend when I'm not walking. Past the falls you continue around a few bends on a old road...easy walking with only slight elevation rise. After a leisurely 0.7 miles Indian Creek Trail appears on the right. The sign says "Indian Creek Falls - 200 ft", but I would swear I hear the falls right now. Turns out that was just a big cascade making a bunch of noise, because there is a little side trail on the left 200 feet up the trail. It takes you downhill a few yards to the very nice Indian Creek Falls. [caption id="attachment_53" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Indian Creek Falls"] [/caption] The falls were a pleasant surprise. The recent weeks had melted away the evidence of the brutal cold they've had up here this winter. Had I been at the falls about 3 weeks ago, I would've seen the falls shrouded in solid ice. Absolutely no evidence left today. Today was probably in the mid-40s..decent hiking weather. I continued up Indian Creek Trail through hemlock and oak forest past several trail intersections. There is a spaghetti of trails criss-crossing the area, and one thing I learned pretty quickly was I needed a better map. Note to self, $1 trail maps do ok until you're in an area like this one....get a better map. No need to worry though, because the Smokies trails are all well marked. Besides, Indian Creek Trail follows a old road most of the way so no real issue. This area was heavily settled before the park was established..and all along the sides of the trail you could see flat areas where homes and farms once stood. One clearing on the left had the tell-tale evidence, boxwoods and the first signs of the upcoming Spring..tons of daffodils beginning to sprout. Just past the trail my peaceful walk was aggrevated by today's first trash sighting...a fresh Reeses outside wrapper in the middle of the trail. The cardboard bottom piece was a few feet further up. No sign of the brown paper wrapper that the Reeses always stick to when they get warm. I wondered who would be so darn lazy and ignorant to do this to my mountains. Further up was a second Reeses wrapper...same deal.... [caption id="attachment_54" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Ok, now I was getting mad"] [/caption] Heading further up the trail, another one. Ridiculous. Ok, now I was getting mad...a) this person had chocolate and I didn't ..and b) they were so irresponsible they shouldn't be allowed on my trail. Further up, now they switched to Snickers. Sugar overload! I was really mad now..it finally dawned on me to pick that one up. Duh! Later on down I finally started noticing the pretty woods again. All around were the signs of the hemlock adelgid infestation that may doom the beautiful trees like the blight that wiped out the American Chestnut tree. In the past few years I spent a lot of time here in the Smokies, and I've seen the sweep of devastation progress incredibly quickly. Crossing a footbridge late in the trail, there was an area of seemingly healthy old-growth hemlocks. These must have been treated by the Park Service. Just past this area on the right was a cleared area that must have been settled at one time. There stood a huge pair of trees growing in a V shape. After intersecting the Deeplow Gap Trail, you climb through peaceful woods to the site of Campsite #46. It is a nice spot and I decided to take a break and have a snack. This was the end of the Indian Creek Trail. Here I talked briefly two nice ladies that had whipped past me further back. One of the ladies was planning to walk all 900 miles...I wished her luck and told her to make sure she writes a blog. (and of course took the opportunity for a shameless plug of my website :o) The trail changes names and changes character on past Campsite #46. It is now Martins Gap Trail. You're on a 'real' trail now instead of roadbed, and you cross a few nice footbridges and begin to climb. Climbing, climbing...this part of the trail feels good after so much road walking. You pass a lot of downed chestnut trees, victims of the blight and still present after falling 60-70 years ago. Relief comes in 1.7 miles as you reach Martins Gap and the intersection with Sunkota Ridge Trail. A nice spot to sit and have lunch. My two new friends had beat me up here by a several minutes. Sunkota Ridge and the return trip would be next...see Part II for that journal. Link to the pictures from Part I of the Deep Creek hike: Deep Creek trail hike Part I (Opens in new window)

Wow, what a weekend! 22 miles on two very different hikes. I can always tell how good a hike was by how many pictures I took. This weekend's count...243! (don't worry, I didn't post all of them) I decided while solo hiking this weekend that I would split up my posts from this weekend's adventure into four different segments. I had a lot to say, so it could get overwhelming in one long post. So read the other segments for details on a really awesome Smoky Mountain experience on several great trails. I left Friday night for two night stay at home base in Cherokee. The family decided to sit this one out so I was rocking down the highway solo by evening. I chuckled as the Beatle's "Long and Winding Road" came on my Ipod just past Soco Gap. Those of you that have taken this route on US19 between Maggie Valley and Cherokee know exactly why I would be chuckling. Suffice it to say that if you have a passenger in the car with you, he or she will not be your friend when you reach Cherokee. When the family is with me, I don't dare travel this way, but rather take the slightly longer but much more tame "Smoky Mountain Expressway" around the south side of the Plott Balsams. As I sped downhill through the twisties I thought about how fun it would be to be driving something other than a top-heavy boat right now. It was a truly awful night's sleep that evening. When I finally did get to sleep around 4 AM the rain decided to wake me up at 4:45. Argh! Now I was pretty much lying awake listening to the rain...and I decided that wasn't half bad. [caption id="attachment_47" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Happy Valentine\'s Day!"] [/caption] When the rain stopped and I finally scraped myself up to get going on the hike, I noticed the above reminder of today's date on the deck outside the RV. It was one of Melodi's tiny craft pieces and had probably been there for 6 months, but I had never noticed it before. I immediately thought of Melodi and felt guilty for being here by myself today. Melodi assured me she was ok...did I mention I was blessed? As is typical for me, I usually have a couple of different hiking trails in mind when I leave the campground. I decided to turn left at Big Cove Road instead of right and head for Bryson City.... [caption id="attachment_48" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="The rain starts to break on Saturday morning"] [/caption]

[caption id="attachment_40" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Kephart Prong Trail, Old Dan\'s first \'official\' Smokies walk"] [/caption] I'm not sure of the exact reason I decided to start walking the Smokies "for real" in 2008. I think I was worn out from all the driving around these mountains since purchasing a (since sold) cabin in Georgia in 2000. Watching the mountains fly by out the window only goes so far, I wanted to see my favorite place on Earth in a different way. Whatever the reason, I'm glad May 10, 2008 happened. That beautiful Spring day I decided it was time to start walking and chose the Kephart Prong Trail. Take a walk there one day and you'll understand why I was immediately hooked. I returned every chance I got through the year and finished 2008 with 171 miles of walking, all on Smoky Mountain day-hikes. It takes a very patient and understanding family (remember gas was about $4 a gallon at the time), and the grace of God to have the means, the time, and health to do it. I'm blessed in so many ways...truly blessed. As I got more into my walks I discovered a couple of great websites that inspired me to start my own. There are a lot of great sites out there for hikers, but two of my favorites are from Al Smith/Janice Henderson and Smoky Scout. Al's site is chock full of great information and Smoky Scout is hiking all 900 miles of official Smokies trails in one year for benefit of the Girl Scouts. Links to their sites are below: Al Smith's informative site (Opens in new window) Smoky Scout's inspiring story (Opens in new window) [caption id="attachment_34" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Views like this one on Sweat Heifer Creek Trail are what kept me coming back"] [/caption] You can review my photos of the 2008 "before website" walking adventures at the links below: Summer 2008 (Opens in new window) Fall 2008 (Opens in new window) Winter 2008 (Opens in new window)

[caption id="attachment_19" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Old Dan, about to be walking"] [/caption] Thanks to my brother Joe we're up and running on old Dan walking (.com)! It's going to take me a while to figure out how to use this tool to get the look and feel I'm looking for, but thanks Joe for the help!! Things are pretty easy when bro is an expert. :o) So it's Thursday night (2/12/09) and I'm trying to figure this thing out so I can start posting my hiking journals. For those of you who are reading this site for the first time, check out "About" in the upper right for my long-winded explanation of me and my new hobby...er obsession. This weekend I have Monday off, but as usual a big presentation that I'm (of course) way behind on is due the day I get back. This "real life" interruption may impact my hiking plans for the long weekend, but I'll do my best to make sure it doesn't. So my plan is to write journals here and link to my pictures over on picasaweb. The link for those is  Dan's Pictures (Opens in new window) I hope you enjoy reading my stories about hiking the Smokies. I started this new hobby when I decided I liked the way it felt after finishing a very challenging trail...and then the old Dan just kept on walking