Old Dan Walking

Just kidding…but hey, at least I got your attention. J

Park spokesman Bob Miller cited a whole bunch of reasons why Great Smoky Mountains National Park attendance was down 4.8% in 2011, but somehow he skipped over claiming my hiatus from hiking as a major reason. Strange, huh? J He could’ve also cited the fact that super-blogger Smoky Scout had finished her Smokies 900 and was off discovering eastern North Carolina on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST) with Danny Bernstein. Smokies super-bloggers Al Smith and Janice Henderson also finished their 900s and weren’t writing as often. Strange coincidences?…could the combination account for 4.8%? J

Read the real reasons Bob Miller cited here. (Opens in new window)

While I was in heavily into hiking in the Smoky Mountains in 2009 and 2010, quickly returning home from weekend trips to immediately write detailed website journals, I often wondered if my stories and the stories of other bloggers I followed had any impact on those that read them. I wondered if anyone was motivated to get out to the Smokies and walk? I sure hope so…and that’s why I need to return to Smokies soon so I can take full credit for the attendance upturn. Coincidence?...I think not. J

No walks lately...so official trail mileage for July 2011 will be zero. I've been enjoying some down time with the family, including my first trip with the boys to North Carolina's Outer Banks. As fate would have it I brought record high temps with me to the beach, but it was still nice. Our campground in Rodanthe on the Outer Banks afforded the opportunity for the boys to see a rare treat from dry land in the US; the sun rising and setting over water on the same day by only walking a few tenths of a mile across the skinny island. Sunrise was about 50 yards from the campsite over the Atlantic, and sunset an easy walk to the other side of the island over Pamlico Sound. 

I'm sure I'll start walking on the mountain trails again soon, but I'm currently enjoying the break and am in no hurry to get back out there. When the weather cools and the air gets crisp and clear, you can bet I'll get the itch to walk again. But for right now I recommend you explore the archives of my previous walks by clicking on the "Hiking Journal Archives" tab at the top of my page. Live long, prosper, and keep walking -Old Dan

Happy Father's Day to all you great dads out there, including this site's most loyal reader. :o) We're blessed to still have the architect of our family with us and I'm very thankful for that. Have a great day Dad!

Thank you for paying the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, so that our flag will always fly from coast (top picture, Brasstown Bald, GA) to coast (bottom picture, Nehalem Bay, OR).

God Bless America

Sunday I got a tough six mile walk in...so check back in a couple of days for the story and pics.

These canals were just steps from our campsite

There are even walking trails, but I didn't have time to check those out. But there was plenty of walking on the concrete trails, I can promise you that.

So today, on the 150th anniversary of the first shots of the Civil War, I get as close as I'll get to controversy. The topic of the Civil War is polarizing. But ever since I was a young kid for some odd reason I've been fascinated by the brutal conflict that split the country and took 620,000 American soldier's lives, and more than 1 million American lives overall. Such incredible loss and suffering...

Tomorrow's generation will likely not visit the places where this awful drama was played out. Not only is it a period the country seems to be trying to forget, but standing on a former battlefield that is merely a mowed field with some old silent cannon can't compete with a good game of Halo or Ultimate Fighter. But for me, standing on the same ground where so many fell is an unforgetable experience. So just as my parents did with me in my childhood, last August I took my boys to see the battlefield that is considered the turning point of the war in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. I hope they remember this trip as I did mine. 

The First Shot monument, start of the deciding conflict of the Civil War

This is the "High Water Mark of the Confederacy" monument at the Copse of Trees. After 2 years of success on the battlefield, General Lee and the Confederate States would be turned back for good here.

The site where Pickett's Charge was repulsed by General Meade and his Union troops

The Angle, where the rebels briefly broke the Union line.

The views from Little Round Top, a site of key Union defensive position that ensured victory, the end of slavery, and the re-unification of our great country. God Bless America!

Update 4/3/2011 - It was dark, the building was closed, and the festivities were long over, but I got this picture as proof that I was at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center on opening day. :) (Picture taken Friday, 4/1/2011 @ 8:25 PM)

I also FINALLY got back on a Smoky Mountain trail after a 5 month absence! Check back later in the week for the update on my gorgeous Spring walk.

The brand new Oconaluftee Visitor Center grand opening is tomorrow. Paid for with funds largely from the Great Smoky Mountains Association, the facility is supposed to be quite a sight. While hiking regularly in the Smokies in '09 and '10, I watched the building take shape and the elk grazing near the tall construction keep-out fences, probably wondering what the heck is going on.

Unfortunately I will miss the big event, but you can bet on Danny Bernstein being there providing a comprehensive report on the festivities for those of us that couldn't make the trip. Thanks in advance Danny!

I know this great stop-action video has been shared on other sites, but it's too cool not to pass on to my two readers.

Green Tunnel from Kevin Gallagher on Vimeo.