Spring Break Recap - Post 4 of 4

Our decision to cut out from the original route ended up being one of our best decisions.  We decided to explore a new part of the park we hadn't seen before, Cades Cove.  We took the main road all the way through the park, a pretty, but long drive.  We set up camp at the campground there and had a delicious jambalaya dinner.

The next morning, we wanted to hike up to Rainbow Falls but needed to stop at the ranger station to find out where to park and if the trails and roads were open.  One question was answered quickly.  As we headed to the main station, we had to detour around the northern part of the Park.  Upon arriving at the station, we learned that there had been a pretty major rockslide as a result of all the snow and rain.  The rockslide occurred sometime just after we drove through to Cades Cove.  Phew we weren't a little later!  Anyway, due to the road closures we couldn't get to Rainbow Falls but a helpful ranger sent us back over to Cades Cove to climb the Rich Mountain Trail Loop which offers spectacular views of the Cove.  We couldn't have asked for better weather.  It was warm and completely clear and the sun finally made us feel officially dry.  The total loop was about 8.5 miles and we got see some deer and the views were great.  Toward the end of the hike, we explored a late-19th century cabin which was pretty neat. 

Pictures below are our beautiful views and last days in the Park.  If I continue to stay in Indiana, I'm hoping to make several more trips to the Smokies. 

 

Spring Break Recap - Post 3 of 4

Picking up where I left off, we packed up Wednesday morning and hiked almost completely downhill from Cosby Knob to Campsite 37, about 3.3 miles from where we started that morning.  Because the thru hikers had gotten up so early to head to their next via point, we too were up and back on the trail early without having a campsite to break down.  It was barely 11 am  by the time we reached #37, and here, we came across a misfit group of campers.   When we first walked up, these guys were trying to build a fire, and they had a pretty pitiful result.  The group of three had hiked all afternoon and evening after a late start and didn't make it to camp until after 8 pm the previous evening.  They were cold and wet from the snow and their gear, a huge axe and a pair of sad-looking tents, didn't seem to accommodate the weather.  It wasn't until we were about to leave them that I noticed one had on a pair of IU shorts - of course - fellow Hoosiers!

Since it was so early when we arrived, we ate our lunch, and debated about what to do the rest of the trip.  Originally, we had reservations for Campsite 37 on Wednesday night.  We were to do the short hike there, explore the watershed area for the day, rest up, and then the following day head up Mount Sterling.  Mount Sterling is one of the Park's highest points, but the night before, we had already decided to cut Mt. Sterling out our route after talking with a Ridgerunner about the snow conditions at high elevation.  (A Ridgerunner is an employee of the Appalachian Trail who literally runs the ridges, hiking fast and light to clear the trails and clean up shelters and campsites in order to keep the trail  in good condition despite to the heavy use it receives.)   We considered our options to either stay the night at #37 and hike out the next morning or go ahead and finish the hike to the car and make other arrangements. There was an alternate route out on the Big Creek Trail to where we had parked, only another 5.2 miles.  In the end, we decided to head out that afternoon, and it was a mellow walk in the woods back to where we had started only the day before.  We also saw our first wildlife of the trip, a wild turkey. 

This map shows the northeast area of the park where we completed the majority of our hike.  We started at Big Creek and took Chesnut Branch Trail to the AT and stopped at Cosby Knob.  Went back down to Low Gap to #37 and then out Big Creek.  The Swallow Fork trail over to Mt Sterling Ridge is the part we nixed due to weather.

Spring Break Recap - Post 2 of 4

Thru-hiking the AT does not sound like something I want to do. 

When we arrived at the Cosby Knob shelter on Tuesday night, it was just a little after 5 pm.  Ten thru hikers had already made it there. The majority were already in their sleeping bags and eating cold food.  All headlamps were out by 8 pm, and although it was gray and snowy, it was still light out.  It seemed kind of lame.  I like to hike and do backpacking trips so that I can enjoy the time outside, stop for views, experience creation, take time to sit around a fire or a stove and cook a nice meal while chatting distraction-free with friends.    

This group was all work and no play.  They were concerned only with getting to their destination each night which is a lot of pressure.  They had been cold and wet for almost a month, hiking through waist-deep snow for days, sometimes even up to their armpits.  All of this a result of wanting to hit the trail in mid-February to avoid crowds...?  I'm not sure how worth it is.  One guy, a Canadian, took 4 months off work.  He started early Feb so he's planning to be finished by early June- it's not even warm yet in Maine, the trail's end, in June.  

I have often thought about doing a long thru hike, something like the AT, the PCT, or after a friend hiked it later, the Camino de Santiago de Compostela from France to Spain.  But, I think I may have crossed the AT off my list.

'Suum Cuique'

Spring Break Recap - Post 1 of 4

After passing on Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods," to Brian earlier last fall, he got excited about doing something for Spring Break on the Appalachian Trail.  But, break came up so suddenly this year that trip planning didn't get done too far in advance.  The week before I finally called the ranger station in Smoky Mountain National Park and got us reservations for a backcountry permit, and found what I thought would be a nice little route in the northeast corner of the park.  


We drove down Monday to Tennessee and had a chance to walk around Gatlinburg, a family-oriented, tourist trap with at least three 'old-time photography' studios per block.  Brian made this observation and although neither of us could explain from where the phenomenon stems, I did reveal that I, myself, was subjected as a participant in one of these studios in 1988 along with my older sister and two cousins. (Please see figure one below.  I'm on your far left.) Figure 1.

Figure 1.

We managed to contain our enthusiasm and opted not to go home with our own old time photo, but instead had a decent meal and headed to bed at the Elkmont campground in the National Park.  So let me preface the next part of our trip by saying that I did in fact read and acknowledge the March 8th warning of a current 40+ inches of snow at higher elevations, and I assumed that since the helpful ranger pointed out a route for us, I was not expecting it to be too affected by snow.

  


Oops! You can probably sense my exasperation in the above picture.  We were energetic and excited on Tuesday morning when we put the final things in our packs and headed up to the Chestnut Branch trailhead.   We didn't hit snow until we were about half way up Mount Cammerer, and all of the sudden, there was a lot.  The excitement somewhat dissipated along the way with my boots sinking 15 to 20 inches down while trying to navigate several down trees since we were so early on the trail, it hadn't been cleared.  It was a long day but we finally made it up 4500 feet in 8.2 miles to the Cosby Knob shelter.  This hike gave us a chance to hike over 6 miles on the AT which we thought was kind of neat to say we had done. At Cosby Knob shelter we met 10 AT thru hikers, which I'll come back to later, spent a chilly night with den mice, and woke up the following morning excited about going to lower elevation. 

Google Announces Google Biking Directions

 Of all the newest Google ideas, this might be my favorite! 

Washington, D.C. - March 10, 2010 - The League of American Bicyclists is proud to be the forum for Google to announce what all bike riders have been waiting for - Grab Your Bike and Go with Google Maps. Google is announcing at the Opening Plenary Session at the National Bike Summit that they are adding biking directions in the U.S. to Google Maps."This new tool will open people's eyes to the possibility and practicality of hopping on a bike and riding," said Andy Clarke, President of the League of American Bicyclists. "We know people want to ride more, and we know it's good for people and communities when they do ride more - this makes it possible. It is a game-changer, especially for those short trips that are the most polluting,"

  Finish reading more here: Bikeleague.org Blog » Blog Archive » National Bike Summit 2010 – Google Announces Bike Google Maps at Summit Today!

To check out the new feature for yourself, visit here:
http://maps.google.com/biking <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103167038569&s=1060&e=001pYbKTip6NGUMp5vvnnFtNxTAw4z-60rI9dIaf05UbwpcjZdHOG46E4Da7Vg2vZLP8eW7FGF4kaZ3ZWqxvmMibcv53lqHnVKvaCzRrp5QI4o-5iDoYvW4pw==

Someone needs to buy Rick Barnes a new tie

Preferably a green and gold one.  According to my college roommate, he apparently doesn't wear a tie to Waco because he doesn't respect the Baylor Bears or Scott Drew.  After last night's game in which the Horns were destroyed (as my brother-in-law said) and Quincy Acy put down 10 dunks, Barnes should get a new tie before the next game, this Thursday at 9:30 pm (EST).  The Big 12 tournament starts this week - Sic Em Bears!

As the snow melts

The sun is shining so brightly today, and I know I'm not alone in hoping that the last piles of snow will be melted out of existence never to return for another 7-8 months - fingers crossed.  Brian and I finished a wintery puzzle this weekend in honor of what is hopefully the end of the cold, snowy season. Thanks for the great puzzle, Ila!