Outside Magazine Online recently released a list of the Best Hikes in each State. We were made aware of it through Besthike.com as many people were…they were in turn clued on by the Adventure Blog, which we also follow. https://www.outsideonline.com/2393036/50-best-hikes-us We have bashed Outside Magazine in the past, and this is exactly the type of thing — a try to […]
Hiker Killed In Attack On The AT
Man Arrested in Connection With Apparent Machete Attack on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia A murder has happened on the Appalachian Trail. News reports are saying that a pair of hikers were attacked by a man wielding a large knife or Machete while hiking the AT in the backwoods of Virginia. One of the two was killed; the other escaped […]
The Great Valley
The Great Shenandoah Trip Part I Sometimes a bit of serendipity falls upon one disguised as bad luck. For example…Last week we were supposed to go away for a weekend trip, which would have been the subject of this blog post. Unfortunately, Sylvia’s business commitments prevented this from happening. In search of something to write about, site Editor Brian found […]
AT Thru Hike Season Gets Underway!
Spring has arrived! And for those who wish to try their luck at completing the entire Appalachian Trail – the celebrated 2192 mile white blazed Footpath that links Springer Mountain, Georgia with Maine’s Mount Katahdin – Late March/early April is typically the time that most will set out. Winter has not yet left the Southern Appalachians by any means, but […]
Fun With Fitzroy: High Above Highlands
Cashiers and Highlands, NC: Part II Just down the road from Cashiers, NC is the town of Highlands. As its name implies, Highlands is quite high up there, being situated at 4118 feet above sea level. This makes it one of the highest elevation towns in the eastern United States. Tiny Beech Mountain, NC, is even higher (at over 5000 […]
Fabulous Fitzroy’s First Big Adventure!
Cashiers and Highlands, NC: Part I Having successfully completed our inaugural hike with new team member Fitz Roy, we decided that it’s time to take him out to the mountains to see how he does on real trails. Fitz is of course part Shiba Inu…a type of dog specially bred for hunting in mountainous conditions in rugged central Japan. The […]
The Alum Cave Trail to Mt. Leconte
**We’ll soon be back from the holidays…until then, please enjoy this re-run of a post that appear in this space earlier in the year — one of the most popular trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, The Alum Cave Trail to Mt. Leconte. It’s popular for a reason! *The Alum Cave Trail to Mt. Leconte is one of […]
The Incredible Shrinking (and Late Arriving Fall) Color Show
Higher Temps and More Rain, Humidity Mean a Later Onset of Autumn How did this year’s fall color display in the Appalachian Mountains compare with those of years past? The short answer, at least when we were there to experience it, is…not that well. For the second straight year, fall colors came late to the Carolinas. Another year of record […]
There’s More to Stone Mountain State Park Than Stone (But There’s plenty of That, Too)
Stone Mountain State Park, NC What could be simpler to grasp than Stone Mountain State Park? It’s a state park with a mountain that has a lot of…well, stone in it. You gotta love simple. Of course, any mountain by definition has a bunch of stone in it. But rarely is so much of it so prominently on display. There […]
Standing Indian Loop Video
The Standing Indian Loop Hike via the AT In our newest video we hike the Standing Indian Loop in western NC…a very popular 3 day backpacking trip. It is one of the very few places where a long loop hike involving the AT is even possible without a great deal of logistical complication. It’s also a great option for anyone […]