The Standing Indian Loop: Day I We arrived at Standing Indian Campground just after 5 pm on Thursday….though we had another 30 mins or so delay as we had to backtrack into Franklin to stop at an ATM machine (we had forgotten to bring cash.) If you stage out of this campground, remember to bring it. The camp host warned […]
The Cold Equations
The Standing Indian Loop: Preparations and Decisions Gen. Dwight Eisenhower once said that before a battle, preparations are everything; but once a battle is joined, preparations mean nothing. So it goes with hiking. Good preparation is absolutely essential for a multi-day hike, and most hikes that fail do so because the hiker was poorly prepared. But the trick is knowing […]
The Hundredth Mile Wilderness: The Standing Indian Loop via the AT
The Standing Indian Loop Three Day Backpacking Adventure *We have added the Standing Indian Loop to our list of Best Hikes in the Southern Appalachians. The SIL is a surprisingly straightforward two or three-day backpacking adventure on the Appalachian Trail and adjacent side trails, located entirely within North Carolina’s Nantahala National Forest. We loved the wilderness character of the hikes […]
Two Miles of Wow…The Best of the Linville Gorge Wilderness, Continued
Part II: The Chimneys, Linville Gorge Wilderness, NC *Along with Table Rock, we have added the nearby Chimney’s to our list of Best Hikes in The Southern Appalachians and Carolinas…and with an exclamation point! Both can be regarded as a single hike…Making for two solid miles of WOW! We just can’t say enough about the hiking around the Linville Gorge! […]
Two Miles of Wow…The Best of the Linville Gorge Wilderness
Part I: Table Rock, Linville Gorge Wilderness, NC *We have added Table Rock to to our list of Best Hikes in The Southern Appalachians and Carolinas…and with a serious exclamation point! In fact, we think the Linville Gorge, and particularly the trails off the mostly unpaved Table Rock Road, are hands down the best in North Carolina. The views […]
Warning: Adventures in the Making!
We’re still getting ready for the Tour du Mont Blanc in July. So we’re busy training and looking for spots to test ourselves against the mountains, to prepare our minds and bodies for the trails to come. Last week we found a GREAT Place. This week we hope to find another. The Linville Gorge in the Pisgah National Forest may […]
Brian Kicks The …You Know
Bucket List. It’s really a silly bunch of words to describe something that for many of us is so very dear and important. I personally detest the term. Urban Dictionary defines the term thusly: A list of things to do before you die. Comes from the term “kicked the bucket”. I need to remember to add skydiving to my bucket list. In other words, it’s a list of life’s grand ambitions. […]
Canyon at the Edge of a Neon City
Day 4: Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas With regrets we said goodbye Zion Canyon. We had done what we had set out to…explore the great canyon and do as much hiking as was possible. But we still had a LOT of unfinished business here, enough for at least one more trip. We departed, vowing to be back someday. But we […]
Observation (exclamation) Point
Day 3: Observation Point, Zion Canyon *We have added Observation Point to BecauseItzThere’s list of Great Hikes in The US and Canada. It’s hard to believe a hike could get much better…yet the almost universal consensus is that this hike ranks below Angels Landing and The Narrows, both of which are Bucketlist Hikes. Need any more reasons to visit Zion? […]
The Bowl Full of Wonders
Day 2: Bryce Canyon *Located less than 90 minutes north of Zion National Park is much less visited Bryce Canyon National Park. Though less epic in scale than Zion, it is photogenically AT LEAST as pleasing and a worthy place to to visit all by itself. If you are visiting Zion anyway and have time, making the drive up to […]