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Took a walk today

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    • I took a walk today and couldn't have asked for better conditions. The snow line has jogged up to above 6000 feet in most places and the majority of the lower trails in the are are clear and dry. It was beautiful 70 degree, blue bird day here in SE Idaho today. I believe the name of the trail I was on is locally known as Wiggle Worm. It was a nice three-ish mile loop up and back and I really enjoyed being able to get out in the fresh air and sunshine.

      “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” - T. S. Eliot
    • Went for a hike yesterday with a meetup group at Brighton Recreation Area on the horse trails. Hiked 11 miles in a pretty hilly area. My legs are feeling it today but I had a great time! So great to be out getting exercise in the woods with some fellow hikers. There were a number of riders out also so we had to jump off the trail about every half hour or so. Beautiful horses. The weather was perfect in the 50's with a slight breeze.
    • Went for another hike yesterday with my meet-up group, Michigan Adventurers Club, MAC for short. We hiked 10.6 miles on the Waterloo-Pinckney trail. This is 33.9 mile trail a little over an hour from my house. I've previously hiked about 5 miles of the eastern portion and another 5 miles of the middle portion. Yesterday's hike was from the western portion. I want to see if my sister wants to backpack the entire thing sometime this summer.

      Again saw about a dozen and a half horses on the trail. They were so beautiful.
      The only downside to the hike was the need to make an emergency visit behind a LARGE tree near the end of the hike as my intestines started to revolt. This meant that I wasn't feeling well enough to join the group afterwards at the local Grill for a burger and adult beverage.
    • Kathy and I went for a short walk yesterday.
      We had been wanting to get back to the Long Path and spent Friday night looking at maps.
      We decided to go to Tallman State Park, which the trail goes through and did about 5 miles in the park.
      The trail goes out the north end of the park and into the town of Piermont. We lost the trail and walked all over town looking for it.
      Finally found the trail, and where we went wrong, near the parking lot in town. Walked the trail uphill to where it intersects a rail trail and sat on a bench in front of a lovely, well restored, rail road station.
      When we got up we headed back to the park and followed a bicycle path back to our car.
      Not a lot of miles but an enjoyable day even though there was rain on and off.
    • LIhikers wrote:

      Kathy and I went for a short walk yesterday.
      We had been wanting to get back to the Long Path and spent Friday night looking at maps.
      We decided to go to Tallman State Park, which the trail goes through and did about 5 miles in the park.
      The trail goes out the north end of the park and into the town of Piermont. We lost the trail and walked all over town looking for it.
      Finally found the trail, and where we went wrong, near the parking lot in town. Walked the trail uphill to where it intersects a rail trail and sat on a bench in front of a lovely, well restored, rail road station.
      When we got up we headed back to the park and followed a bicycle path back to our car.
      Not a lot of miles but an enjoyable day even though there was rain on and off.
      2 years ago our crew built a set of steps, out of wood even! One of our guyz is the maintainer for the Long Path ... IN Tallman..... I will let him know of the problem you encountered
      Cheesecake> Ramen :thumbsup:
    • CoachLou wrote:

      LIhikers wrote:

      Kathy and I went for a short walk yesterday.
      We had been wanting to get back to the Long Path and spent Friday night looking at maps.
      We decided to go to Tallman State Park, which the trail goes through and did about 5 miles in the park.
      The trail goes out the north end of the park and into the town of Piermont. We lost the trail and walked all over town looking for it.
      Finally found the trail, and where we went wrong, near the parking lot in town. Walked the trail uphill to where it intersects a rail trail and sat on a bench in front of a lovely, well restored, rail road station.
      When we got up we headed back to the park and followed a bicycle path back to our car.
      Not a lot of miles but an enjoyable day even though there was rain on and off.
      2 years ago our crew built a set of steps, out of wood even! One of our guyz is the maintainer for the Long Path ... IN Tallman..... I will let him know of the problem you encountered
      There really isn't a problem Lou.
      The trail, once we found it, really is well marked.
      It's just that we were busy looking at a building with a mural painted on it and walked past the blazes telling us to turn left.
    • CoachLou wrote:

      LIhikers wrote:

      Kathy and I went for a short walk yesterday.
      We had been wanting to get back to the Long Path and spent Friday night looking at maps.
      We decided to go to Tallman State Park, which the trail goes through and did about 5 miles in the park.
      The trail goes out the north end of the park and into the town of Piermont. We lost the trail and walked all over town looking for it.
      Finally found the trail, and where we went wrong, near the parking lot in town. Walked the trail uphill to where it intersects a rail trail and sat on a bench in front of a lovely, well restored, rail road station.
      When we got up we headed back to the park and followed a bicycle path back to our car.
      Not a lot of miles but an enjoyable day even though there was rain on and off.
      2 years ago our crew built a set of steps, out of wood even! One of our guyz is the maintainer for the Long Path ... IN Tallman..... I will let him know of the problem you encountered
      I think we walked up those steps, thanks for the work!
    • Took a walk today along the Delaware river in Camden (Philadelphia across the river) where the Battleship NJ is permanent docked as a floating museum to watch the ‘tall ships parade’. There were sloops, catches, schooners, firefighting tug and a Portage’s man-o-war at least that was the buzz on the brick lined walk. Twas a great day!
    • I went for a walk today at the Loda Lake Wildflower Sanctuary in the Manistee National Forest, the only Wildflower Sanctuary in the NF system. It is a pleasant 1.2 mile walk in the woods. The trail goes across an arm of the lake that is now a bog where you can see pitcher plants and fiddlehead ferns. The early spring flowers were gone, but we did see some of the late spring flowers like Star Flowers, Violets (White, Yellow, and Blue), and Jacks in the Pulpit. But the star of the show were the Pink Lady Slippers. I can go for years without seeing one. Today we saw a dozen or more. This loop is just a mile from the North Country Trail and connected by a spur trail. The NCT uses blue blazes with white blazes for side trails (opposite of the AT), so I did get to see my White Blaze today

    • Took a walk today on a section of the NCT in central MI. From the Bowman Lake parking lot there is a short spur to the NCT. From there it is a short walk to the lake. A whoteblazed side trail circles the small lake. There are 4 designated back country campsites along the lake maintained by the Manistee NF. The first. Was the best. It had a large flat tent platform on the hill overlooking the lake and a bench. There is a second trail that goes back to the parking lot so you can make it a loop. Maybe 1 to 2 miles total.

    • (Sorry it’s so long)

      The theme of today’s hike is...you don’t always get what you want, but you get what you need.

      The alarm was set for 5:15 am with the intention of getting up early and either cycling into the Smokies or going on a strenuous hike. After working extra last week, the early morning alarm confused me, and i thought, why in the heck is my alarm going off at 5:15 if i dont have to go to work?

      It was nearly 9 when i dragged my butt out of bed. I made a tentative plan to drive to Rugby, TN where I would locate the ranger station and get my NP passport cancellation for Big South Fork. I glanced at a map the previous afternoon, so sort of knew which direction to drive. My day-pack was packed and I headed out on an impromptu adventure.

      I made it to historic Rugby (a charming village), stopped at the visitor center/theater/ranger station and got my passport cancellation. The ranger wasn’t there and the lady stamped my passport upside down and with yesterday’s date...oh well. I grabbed a hiking guide, asked about buying food and discovered that everything in Rugby is closed on Monday and was told to drive to the end of the road.

      I packed a lunch but it wasn’t calling my name so drove down the road and found a delightful, former, Gulf gas station turned country store and diner. Lunch was delicious! I needed a long walk afterwards to burn off those calories!

      I drove a few minutes back towards Rugby and found the trailhead for the Gentlemen’s Swimming Hole and Meeting of the Water’s Loop Trail. It was a short trail, only 2.1 miles. I hiked the easy loop around to the swimming hole and had a refreshing and relaxing swim. No one was around. :)

      I thought about hiking the loop back to car, giving me more miles but the sky darkened and it started to rain so hiked the 0.4 back to the parking lot.

      My hope was to get in a good workout...get some miles on my legs. Instead, I found a charming town, thoroughly enjoyed exploring the countryside, ate a great lunch, and had a relaxing swim. I didn’t get what I wanted, but I got what my soul needed.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • some pics
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      Lost in the right direction.
    • some more.
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      Lost in the right direction.
    • Today’s excellent walk was in the Smokies. The trail is a familiar one, Lead Cove trail up to the AT. 3100’ elevation gain in 4.7 miles. I saw a bear, checked out the electric fence at Spence Field shelter, and shared clementines with some young hikers from England. Fun times!
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      Lost in the right direction.
    • Traffic Jam wrote:

      Today’s excellent walk was in the Smokies. The trail is a familiar one, Lead Cove trail up to the AT. 3100’ elevation gain in 4.7 miles. I saw a bear, checked out the electric fence at Spence Field shelter, and shared clementines with some young hikers from England. Fun times!
      Wow an electric fence. Could make for an interesting midnight pee.
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference
    • jimmyjam wrote:

      Traffic Jam wrote:

      Today’s excellent walk was in the Smokies. The trail is a familiar one, Lead Cove trail up to the AT. 3100’ elevation gain in 4.7 miles. I saw a bear, checked out the electric fence at Spence Field shelter, and shared clementines with some young hikers from England. Fun times!
      Wow an electric fence. Could make for an interesting midnight pee.
      you know those annoying people that show up at the shelter at midnight (or later!) -- that fence would teach em!
      2,000 miler
    • Looks like everyone is trying to get some hiking in before summer ends. Finally got hiking again myself with a day hike up Camel's Hump in Vermont. Did a nice loop, up Forest City trail to the Long Trail, down the Burrows Trail.

      Here is the family minus my son who was working...
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • jimmyjam wrote:

      Traffic Jam wrote:

      Today’s excellent walk was in the Smokies. The trail is a familiar one, Lead Cove trail up to the AT. 3100’ elevation gain in 4.7 miles. I saw a bear, checked out the electric fence at Spence Field shelter, and shared clementines with some young hikers from England. Fun times!
      Wow an electric fence. Could make for an interesting midnight pee.
      Tom Smith (famous Bear biologist) has been advocating the use of electric fences for backcountry use. He claims they have 100% effective. They make a lot of sense for permanent instalations like a GSMNP shelter, or large expeditions. With lots of people. But he says they also make small portable versions for individual use that weigh less than a bear canister, although I can't say I've seen one for sale or in use.
    • We took a walk today out on the pier at Grand Haven today. A few days ago, a storm churned up the lake so the water temps along the shore dropped about 20 degrees. Then today it got hot and humid again. The result was dense fog along the lake shore. The fog was so dense, when we were halfway (500 ft) to the first lighthouse, you couldn't see the lighthouse just in front of you (first pic) or the shore just behind you (second pic). Creepy.



    • odd man out wrote:

      We took a walk today out on the pier at Grand Haven today. A few days ago, a storm churned up the lake so the water temps along the shore dropped about 20 degrees. Then today it got hot and humid again. The result was dense fog along the lake shore. The fog was so dense, when we were halfway (500 ft) to the first lighthouse, you couldn't see the lighthouse just in front of you (first pic) or the shore just behind you (second pic). Creepy.




      Reminds me of Jacksonville, FL.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Traffic Jam wrote:

      Hiked 9 miles in the smokies with a friend. Had fun. Having trouble with feet and shoes.

      Doing another hike to Mt LeConte soon but wasnt asked to do any planning this time. ;D

      Made my reservations in GSMNP to finally finish the BMT, yee haw! I can’t wait.
      Great to finish a trail up! :thumbup:
      I wish you well with your shoes and feet.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Last weekend my husband and I finally both had a weekend free AND the smoke from the area fires lifted enough that the sky was mostly clear. We took advantage of the opportunity and visited Craters of the Moon National Monument. It's a surreal place and I've never seen so much lava rock in one place that wasn't the result of intentional landscaping. We got a late start, so we didn't have time to explore the caves. I will definitely be going back for cave exploration and maybe some camping and/or multi-day hikes.
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      “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” - T. S. Eliot
    • Astro wrote:

      Pictures like that make you want to move, or at least visit. :thumbup:
      I don't always appreciate the simple beauty in the area where I live. I'm from the deciduous glory of the Appalachians and I've lived in some very vibrant places like the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. It's easy to look around and just see scrub land and basalt rock. I forget to notice that there's actually a lot going on if I take the time to pay attention and to remember that I'm really close to so many distinctly unique places.
      “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” - T. S. Eliot
    • Ewok11 wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      Pictures like that make you want to move, or at least visit. :thumbup:
      I don't always appreciate the simple beauty in the area where I live. ........................... I forget to notice that there's actually a lot going on if I take the time to pay attention and to remember that I'm really close to so many distinctly unique places.
      Where I live it's so crowded and hectic that I often miss the beauty of the place.
      Pine barrens, ocean beaches, and more but it's all lost to me because of the all the people.
      I guess I need to exercise an attitude of gratitude more.
    • max.patch wrote:

      Traffic Jam wrote:

      Did another overnight, group LeConte hike. I took my full Pack with at least 20 lbs. and carried stuff for multiple people. It was good training. Hiked about 15 miles. Still having foot problems so ordered some new shoes today.
      did you stay at the lodge or the shelter?
      The lodge. That’s as close to roughing it that the ladies will get. Except me.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • Traffic Jam wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      Traffic Jam wrote:

      Did another overnight, group LeConte hike. I took my full Pack with at least 20 lbs. and carried stuff for multiple people. It was good training. Hiked about 15 miles. Still having foot problems so ordered some new shoes today.
      did you stay at the lodge or the shelter?
      The lodge. That’s as close to roughing it that the ladies will get. Except me.
      it's been years,but i've stayed at the lodge with friends several times. i really like the alum cave trail.
      2,000 miler
    • Traffic Jam wrote:

      (Sorry it’s so long)

      The theme of today’s hike is...you don’t always get what you want, but you get what you need.

      The alarm was set for 5:15 am with the intention of getting up early and either cycling into the Smokies or going on a strenuous hike. After working extra last week, the early morning alarm confused me, and i thought, why in the heck is my alarm going off at 5:15 if i dont have to go to work?

      It was nearly 9 when i dragged my butt out of bed. . . . . . . . .

      My hope was to get in a good workout...get some miles on my legs. Instead, I found a charming town, thoroughly enjoyed exploring the countryside, ate a great lunch, and had a relaxing swim. I didn’t get what I wanted, but I got what my soul needed.
      You can't always get what you want,
      You can't always get what you want,
      But if you try sometimes, try sometimes, try sometimes,
      You Get What You Need!
      Oh Yeah! . . . BABEE!

      Ok, now you've got me dancing around the kitchen :)