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Took a walk today

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    • Time Zone and I met for another day hike in Cherokee National Forest and had a great time as usual. We drove up the Cherohala Parkway, parked one car on a bumpy, gravel road near Indian Boundary campground and another one at Eagle Gap parking and hiked 6 miles back to the car. This trail was new to both of us which was very cool.

      It was mostly downhill but the trail was overgrown with lots of thorny vines and spider webs. I was the web breaker and embarassingly, screamed several times when I walked into webs with big (to me) spiders in them.

      As usual, I made stupid decisions and wore a skirt so my legs are scratched up pretty bad.

      Let me tell you about Time Zone. He is very smart, far smarter than myself, and he knows so much about hiking and...everything. Not only is he smart, he makes good decisions based on his knowledge and he is always right. (He wore pants.)

      Me? I don't think about things, I just do it, and often make the dumbest mistakes. I live my life on generalities and hope for the best. Sometimes it works out. :)

      Anyway...after the hike we drove back up the Cherohala Skyway to get my car. It was still cool at that elevation so we sat in chairs, rested, (shared an adult beverage) and TZ ate his lunch...because he's smart and took advantage of the cool breeze and pleasant temps. I decided to stop at the base of the skyway at Tellico Beach (walk-up food stand next to the river) to eat a bacon cheeseburger and onion rings. It was delicious but so, so hot outside...it was hotter sitting on that bench in the shade than when we were hiking. The burger and onion rings were really good so maybe it was worth it. (Not many places know how to make onion rings the right way!)

      I only took a few pics and didn't get any of the overgrowth that we had to wade through.
      Lost in the right direction.

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Traffic Jam ().

    • Traffic Jam wrote:

      Time Zone and I met for another day hike in Cherokee National Forest and had a great time as usual. We drove up the Cherohala Parkway, parked one car on a bumpy, gravel road near Indian Boundary campground and another one at Eagle Gap parking and hiked 6 miles back to the car. This trail was new to both of us which was very cool.

      It was mostly downhill but the trail was overgrown with lots of thorny vines and spider webs. I was the web breaker and embarassingly, screamed several times when I walked into webs with big (to me) spiders in them.

      As usual, I made stupid decisions and wore a skirt so my legs are scratched up pretty bad.

      Let me tell you about Time Zone. He is very smart, far smarter than myself, and he knows so much about hiking and...everything. Not only is he smart, he makes good decisions based on his knowledge and he is always right. (He wore pants.)

      Me? I don't think about things, I just do it, and often make the dumbest mistakes. I live my life on generalities and hope for the best. Sometimes it works out. :)

      Anyway...after the hike we drove back up the Cherohala Skyway to get my car. It was still cool at that elevation so we sat in chairs, rested, (shared an adult beverage) and TZ ate his lunch...because he's smart and took advantage of the cool breeze and pleasant temps. I decided to stop at the base of the skyway at Tellico Beach (walk-up food stand next to the river) to eat a bacon cheeseburger and onion rings. It was delicious but so, so hot outside...it was hotter sitting on that bench in the shade than when we were hiking. The burger and onion rings were really good so maybe it was worth it. (Not many places know how to make onion rings the right way!)

      I only took a few pics and didn't get any of the overgrowth that we had to wade through.
      Don't be so hard on yourself. We're all different with our own strengths and weKnesses. Besides that we all have good days and bad.
    • LIhikers wrote:

      Traffic Jam wrote:

      Time Zone and I met for another day hike in Cherokee National Forest and had a great time as usual. We drove up the Cherohala Parkway, parked one car on a bumpy, gravel road near Indian Boundary campground and another one at Eagle Gap parking and hiked 6 miles back to the car. This trail was new to both of us which was very cool.

      It was mostly downhill but the trail was overgrown with lots of thorny vines and spider webs. I was the web breaker and embarassingly, screamed several times when I walked into webs with big (to me) spiders in them.

      As usual, I made stupid decisions and wore a skirt so my legs are scratched up pretty bad.

      Let me tell you about Time Zone. He is very smart, far smarter than myself, and he knows so much about hiking and...everything. Not only is he smart, he makes good decisions based on his knowledge and he is always right. (He wore pants.)

      Me? I don't think about things, I just do it, and often make the dumbest mistakes. I live my life on generalities and hope for the best. Sometimes it works out. :)

      Anyway...after the hike we drove back up the Cherohala Skyway to get my car. It was still cool at that elevation so we sat in chairs, rested, (shared an adult beverage) and TZ ate his lunch...because he's smart and took advantage of the cool breeze and pleasant temps. I decided to stop at the base of the skyway at Tellico Beach (walk-up food stand next to the river) to eat a bacon cheeseburger and onion rings. It was delicious but so, so hot outside...it was hotter sitting on that bench in the shade than when we were hiking. The burger and onion rings were really good so maybe it was worth it. (Not many places know how to make onion rings the right way!)

      I only took a few pics and didn't get any of the overgrowth that we had to wade through.
      Don't be so hard on yourself. We're all different with our own strengths and weKnesses. Besides that we all have good days and bad.
      Thanks!

      I’m still making the dumbest mistakes, I just quit telling y’all about them because it’s too embarrassing.

      :)
      Lost in the right direction.
    • Traffic Jam wrote:

      LIhikers wrote:

      Traffic Jam wrote:

      Time Zone and I met for another day hike in Cherokee National Forest and had a great time as usual. We drove up the Cherohala Parkway, parked one car on a bumpy, gravel road near Indian Boundary campground and another one at Eagle Gap parking and hiked 6 miles back to the car. This trail was new to both of us which was very cool.

      It was mostly downhill but the trail was overgrown with lots of thorny vines and spider webs. I was the web breaker and embarassingly, screamed several times when I walked into webs with big (to me) spiders in them.

      As usual, I made stupid decisions and wore a skirt so my legs are scratched up pretty bad.

      Let me tell you about Time Zone. He is very smart, far smarter than myself, and he knows so much about hiking and...everything. Not only is he smart, he makes good decisions based on his knowledge and he is always right. (He wore pants.)

      Me? I don't think about things, I just do it, and often make the dumbest mistakes. I live my life on generalities and hope for the best. Sometimes it works out. :)

      Anyway...after the hike we drove back up the Cherohala Skyway to get my car. It was still cool at that elevation so we sat in chairs, rested, (shared an adult beverage) and TZ ate his lunch...because he's smart and took advantage of the cool breeze and pleasant temps. I decided to stop at the base of the skyway at Tellico Beach (walk-up food stand next to the river) to eat a bacon cheeseburger and onion rings. It was delicious but so, so hot outside...it was hotter sitting on that bench in the shade than when we were hiking. The burger and onion rings were really good so maybe it was worth it. (Not many places know how to make onion rings the right way!)

      I only took a few pics and didn't get any of the overgrowth that we had to wade through.
      Don't be so hard on yourself. We're all different with our own strengths and weKnesses. Besides that we all have good days and bad.
      Thanks!
      I’m still making the dumbest mistakes, I just quit telling y’all about them because it’s too embarrassing.

      :)
      Embarrassment doesn't exist among friends.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.
    • Mount Jasper, Berlin, NH:

      Labor Day Weekend Kathleen and I hiked to a site I have wanted to visit for a long time, the Mount Jasper Lithic Source (or, ‘Indian mine’).


      Mount Jasper is more of a hill. The hike is less than a mile each way with a few hundred feet of elevation gain. The trail is not very well publicized. To find the trailhead, go to the back of the Berlin High School parking lot. Here you can see the pulp mill smoke stack of this hardscrabble old mill town.


      Native American 'workshops' have been uncovered both on the summit of Mount Jasper, and at the base down by the river. This was an important site for the manufacture of stone tools by paleo Americans.



      This is entrance to the most extensive paleo American mining operation. The shaft runs about 30 feet deep.


      Scott exploring the cave.



      Imagining what it was like here 10,000 years ago. The surrounding area still would have been tundra after the retreat of the glaciers. Paleo Americans would have hunted Caribou and perhaps some of the remaining Wooly Mammoths.


      Examining the rhyolite seam. The Mount Jasper rhyolite is very glassy and apparently was prized by the native tribes for its ability to make sharp stone tools. This is a place where several bands of the Abenaki would have converged and traded.


      Scott framed by rhyolite: Stone from this mountain has been found across North America and it speaks to the extensive trade networks that must have existed among the native tribes.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • Took a walk this weekend. Another 'Micro-hike' with the wife. Mount Kearsage/ Rollings State Park near Warner, NH. It was a 1-mile loop to the summit.

      Lots of folks do this short hike, the state was crowded with 'Leaf Peepers' this weekend.

      Unfortunately a wind/ rain storm a few days earlier has really knocked back the foliage. The remaining colors were rather subdued. The maples have dropped, but I am hoping the other trees come in when I go up that way again next weekend.

      This photo is looking north with the White Mountains in the far distance. Mount Kearsage is south of Winnipesaukee, at 29 hundred something feet.

      On the way down, looking south towards Warner. All in all a great day and an easy hike.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • Took a walk in Frozen Head SP. it was a new for me trail and was fascinating to see the original Brushy Mt prison from which James Earl Jones escaped. The prison mine was very cool too.

      There is only one more trail in this park that I need to hike. FHSP only has 50 miles of trail, some of which I’ve hiked multiple times, but I’ll feel like I accomplished something when I’ve hiked all of them.
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      Lost in the right direction.
    • I’m pretty sure this small section is mentioned in the film about the Barclay Marathon. It was much steeper than it appears in the pic, especially towards the top, which was nearly vertical. I didn’t hike it, it was so steep, it was beyond my skills.
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      Lost in the right direction.
    • Traffic Jam wrote:

      Took a walk in Frozen Head SP. it was a new for me trail and was fascinating to see the original Brushy Mt prison from which James Earl Jones escaped. The prison mine was very cool too.
      For a second I thought there was a more to James Earl Jones the actor than I ever realized :) That was James Earl Ray!
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • IMScotty wrote:

      Traffic Jam wrote:

      Took a walk in Frozen Head SP. it was a new for me trail and was fascinating to see the original Brushy Mt prison from which James Earl Jones escaped. The prison mine was very cool too.
      For a second I thought there was a more to James Earl Jones the actor than I ever realized :) That was James Earl Ray!
      I just saw where the sequel of Coming to America called Coming 2 America is due to come out this year.

      Surprised John Amos is still alive. Since they killed him off on Good Times 44 years ago, it sems like he is living on borrowed time.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • IMScotty wrote:

      Traffic Jam wrote:

      Took a walk in Frozen Head SP. it was a new for me trail and was fascinating to see the original Brushy Mt prison from which James Earl Jones escaped. The prison mine was very cool too.
      For a second I thought there was a more to James Earl Jones the actor than I ever realized :) That was James Earl Ray!
      Lol!!!! Where’s that monkey pic of Coach Lou’s?
      Lost in the right direction.
    • Astro wrote:

      IMScotty wrote:

      Traffic Jam wrote:

      Took a walk in Frozen Head SP. it was a new for me trail and was fascinating to see the original Brushy Mt prison from which James Earl Jones escaped. The prison mine was very cool too.
      For a second I thought there was a more to James Earl Jones the actor than I ever realized :) That was James Earl Ray!
      I just saw where the sequel of Coming to America called Coming 2 America is due to come out this year.
      Surprised John Amos is still alive. Since they killed him off on Good Times 44 years ago, it sems like he is living on borrowed time.
      I keep seeing that guy who froze to death when the Titanic sank.
      Pirating – Corporate Takeover without the paperwork
    • rhjanes wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      IMScotty wrote:

      Traffic Jam wrote:

      Took a walk in Frozen Head SP. it was a new for me trail and was fascinating to see the original Brushy Mt prison from which James Earl Jones escaped. The prison mine was very cool too.
      For a second I thought there was a more to James Earl Jones the actor than I ever realized :) That was James Earl Ray!
      I just saw where the sequel of Coming to America called Coming 2 America is due to come out this year.Surprised John Amos is still alive. Since they killed him off on Good Times 44 years ago, it sems like he is living on borrowed time.
      I keep seeing that guy who froze to death when the Titanic sank.
      My John Amos classic movie is the World Greatest Athlete. In elementry school sleep over parties for one of my son's it was a big hit.

      The scenery may have been done on the cheap, but I don't know if I have ever heard a dozen boys laugh so hard.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • The dog and I hiked. 8.56 miles at LBJ National Grasslands. North of Decatur Texas (Google Maps, put in Tadra Point....we were all SW of that on horse trails). It was supposed to have a high of 83 and overcast. Saturday and Sunday is in the upper 90's! So we went today. It was NOT 83. It was 90 Plus (truck said 94 when we got in it, but once driving, registered 89...!) And partly cloudy. Dog got a good swim in a pond around 1:45 to cool off. All he wanted to do at lunch, was sit under the truck in the shade.....and have me toss him pieces of chicken. Saw no deer (we have the prior 2 weeks), but a flock of probably 15 wild turkeys.
      Pirating – Corporate Takeover without the paperwork
    • Took a walk this weekend, up the Sugarloaf Trail to Middle Sugarloaf in Crawford Notch, NH. About 2.6 miles roundtrip. A short hike with a great payoff.


      Kathleen


      Looking towards Mount Washington. You can see the line where the Cog Railway goes up.

      Looking up Zealand Valley. Zealand Hut is up that ways somewhere.

      Looking over the cliff. The foliage was past-peak here, but still very nice. It was a gorgeous weekend.

      On the other side of the peak. It is not really an open summit, but there are rock ledges all around to get an almost 360 degree view. This is looking towards the village of Twin Mountain (Carroll, NH).

      This is looking towards Franconia Notch. The color was great in Franconia Notch this weekend. Sorry I marred the view.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • IMScotty, Awesome pictures as always! :thumbup:
      Based upon my experience I believe you may have taken an easier path out of Crawford Notch than I did in 2019 climbing up Webster Cliff. ;)

      Glad you had the opportunity to enjoy the Whites at such a great time!
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Just another short 'micro hike' this weekend with my wife. One mile roundtrip to a fire tower in Pawtuckaway State Park, NH.

      View from the fire tower looking south. The trails were crowded. The park announced that starting next weekend entry would be by an online reservation system only. This may be the wave of the future for many places I am afraid.Here I am marring a nice view looking East.


      Color was spotty, but there were still a few nice trees to be seen.

      All in all, another nice hike with the wife.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • This past Saturday Kathy and I went to New York's Harriman State Park to take a walk. We got a late start so by the time we got there all the trailhead parking areas we had in mind were filled to overflowing. We kept driving along route 106 until we finally found a place to park in a large paved lot at a lake side picnic area. Only thing was that there weren't any trails that came to this area. It was already 11:30 so we just headed off on a paved road that went through a private camp that's in the park. The paved road eventually took us to some gravel roads which took us to trails. During the whole time we were out walking we were never more than a few minutes from being out of sight or sound of other people. Not only were there many people out hiking but there were more tents pitched than I've ever seen in the park before. All of that aside it was the perfect day for hiking. it was tee shirt temperature, no wind, and the morning's gray sky turned into bright blue. And of course nature was putting on a wonderful show in the colors of the leaves. It was amazing! I also enjoyed seeing one of the old iron ore mines that the park is dotted with. Our course included some good hills so we had a good workout as well as a good show. I couldn't help but notice how many people were finding there way by using maps on their phone. That seems like a sketchy proposition to me, too many things could go wrong. I'll stick with a good old paper map. The walk finished with a road walk to get us back to the picnic area parking lot. Since we had picnic table right there we broke out our stove and finished the day by having dinner together in the great outdoors. Then it was just the drive home to finish the day. It turns out we hiked 9.3 miles and had a great time doing it.
    • Astro wrote:

      LIHikers mentions t-shirt weather. I have been walking with a long sleeve shirt and jacket lately. Wouldn't be surprised if the temperature was the same. :)
      Years ago my wife and I took an Alaska cruise. I was on the deck watching glaciers in Glacier Bay NP. I was wearing a t-shirt and next to me was a guy wearing a Univ. Of Minnesota t-shirt. Then a couple of women walked by wearing down parkas. The MN guy and I looked at each other and smiled as we both knew what the other was thinking.
    • I took the dog up to LBJ National Grasslands on Saturday (north of Decatur Texas). It was a 8.6 mile hike that I had to put off over a week due to family issues. It was chilly (for Texas) in the AM. I had on a short sleeve and a long sleeve Merino wool shirt, plus an athletic T. Texas, remember.... It was around 45 when he and I started out, but we were out on the Grasslands part of the hike. Which means exposed, Sun but also 20 MPH winds out of the north. Once we got into the second mile, we were in a forest area and I ditched the athletic T. We passed a lot of equestrians all day. LBJ has a lot of equestrian trails and we were on some of them. We got back to the truck after 5 miles and sat on the running board and shared cold chicken breast (good thing he's not spoiled). After we ate we started hiking again on our final 3.4 miles. These loop trails we do, pass the same point in several places, one of which is a pond which the dog loves to jump in. At that point, I was down to just one T-shirt. Shorts all day. Meanwhile my wife (Texas born and raised) wears a coat when it is 65 degrees.

      Tally was 9 equestrians. No other hikers spotted but they were out as there were other footprints along the main trails. Probably 5 to 7 car campers set up in the area I hike.
      Pirating – Corporate Takeover without the paperwork
    • Well, I actually didn't walk today (injured list) but I just returned from voting (2 mile drive and then literally 15 seconds to walk to the drop off box, submit ballot, and return to the car) and I happened to notice the trip mileage since things shut down in March. I thought it was interesting. :)

      Since March 16:

      751 miles walked in neighborhood.
      224 miles driven in car.

      The last time I filled up was Friday March 6 on my way back from Costco (which was a total madhouse) and Publix (which was almost as bad). It's time for another fillup.
      2,000 miler
    • max.patch wrote:

      Well, I actually didn't walk today (injured list) but I just returned from voting (2 mile drive and then literally 15 seconds to walk to the drop off box, submit ballot, and return to the car) and I happened to notice the trip mileage since things shut down in March. I thought it was interesting. :)

      Since March 16:

      751 miles walked in neighborhood.
      224 miles driven in car.

      The last time I filled up was Friday March 6 on my way back from Costco (which was a total madhouse) and Publix (which was almost as bad). It's time for another fillup.
      Wow, I would not be surprised if I have driven 10,000 miles since March. :rolleyes:
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • I finally hiked Standing Indian Loop. Hurricanes and weirdness seemed to happen every time I planned this trip. (I’m extremely embarrassed to admit it but I tried to hike this loop once before but parked in the wrong place and hiked in the wrong direction. Typical of me and my stupid shenanigans.)

      It is a great hike but Kimsey Creek Trail that goes from the AT to the Backcountry Information Booth next to SI campground wasn’t super enjoyable. A sign at the trailhead says it’s easy so I expected to cruise along and quickly finish but it was a lie. :)

      The first night, while camping at the summit of Albert Mt near the fire tower, someone woke me up at 1:38 am, walking by my tent, breathing heavy, and shining their headlamp on me. It scared me but I thought it must be a night hiker. At 1:50, they walked by again, going the other direction. I was very freaked out and it took a long time to go back to sleep. Several times I had to shine my light outside the tent to make sure no one was lurking. In hindsight, I should have called out and asked if they were ok. Likely it was someone looking for a campsite and they didn’t want to disturb me.

      It made me think about the etiquette involved when night hiking. If they had gently called out and announced themselves, I wouldn’t have been so scared, yet no one wants disturb people who are presumably sleeping.

      It was chilly but I stayed toasty in my WM 5* bag. Overkill for some but perfect for me.

      I still have a lot of pain in my foot that starts around mile 2 so I have to hike slow and take a lot of breaks.
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      Lost in the right direction.
    • Oh wow, that sunrise made it all worth it.

      The night hiker might have been on a bathroom run? I understand your worries, but the intent was probably innocent. I don't like to night hike, but for me the etiquette would be to keep away from campers as much as possible, and yes, I probably would remain silent.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier