A geek walked into the woods..

LyttleBryan March 14th, 2011

Thanks to my friend Ben for passing this along…

The Office of Surface Mining (OSM) is holding three public scoping hearings in Tennessee to discuss a proposal to protect over 500 miles of Tennessee mountain ridgelines from mountain top removal surface coal-mining. These mountains are upstream from the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area on Tennessee owned lands. We need your help, and ask that you attend one of the hearings to let the Tennesse…e OSM know you care about protecting Tennessee’s mountains and national parks.

Take Action:
Please attend and let OSM know that the entire petition area under discussion should be designated unsuitable for surface coal mining! The historic petition proposes the protection of more than 500 miles of ridgeline in the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area and the Emory River Tracts Conservation Easements, much of which is upstream from the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. Surface coal mining in this area destroys forests, wildlife habitat and scenic views, and contributes to substantial water quality degradation, threatening aquatic life, including more than 13 federally threatened or endangered aquatic species found in the Big South Fork River. Pollution from resource extraction, including expanding surface coal mining, is impacting water quality in the park.

Hearing Details

WHAT: Public Scoping Hearings on Tennessee’s request to place 500-miles of mountain ridges off-limits to mountain top coal-mining.

WHEN/WHERE:

Tuesday, March 15, 6:30 p.m.
Oak Ridge High School, 127 Providence Road, Oak Ridge, TN

CONTACT: If you have any questions, please contact Tracy Kramer at Tkramer@npca.org.

If you can attend, please feel free to share your national park stories at these public hearings. Ideas for what to share:

1. If you use the area (North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area, Big South Fork NRRA, or Cumberland Trail), please share which one you visit and what activities you enjoy doing there.

2. What qualities of these areas and these petitioned ridge lines are important to you (bird watching, hiking, scenic quality, hunting, biological integrity, etc.)?

3. What specific issues do you feel that the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) must address in their study? (Visual impacts, landscape changes, water quality downstream, peace and serenity, future tourism potential, etc.)?

We hope you can attend one of these public hearings, and help protect the Tennessee mountains and parks for our children and grandchildren to enjoy.

Sincerely,

Bart Melton
Program Manager
Southeast Region NPCA

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LyttleBryan March 9th, 2011

Let’s see, what did we get from the “checklist-o-crappy weather” that will put a damper on a backpack?

• Monsoon Rain
• Constant High Winds
• Blizzard like snow
• Tornado
• Hurricane
• Flooding

I’ll just suggest anyone wondering how the weather was for Nick’s Birthday Backpack look at the above and it will give you a solid idea. Fortunately for us however there were no hurricanes or tornadoes and our shelters didn’t flood. All that being said however, it was an awesome time! Funny how the more crappy an aspect of a backpack is, the better story it makes.

This trip was scheduled a couple months back for my good friend Nick’s birthday. He doesn’t often get weekends off, so when he does, we usually go out backpacking. He requested his birthday off many moons ago, so who were we to wimp out because of weather? From the minute we got out of the car on Mt. Rogers, it was pretty apparent that the weather wasn’t going to be a highlight of the trip. Friday afternoon as we hiked in the skies constantly threatened rain, but, fortunately, never opened up. The views on Mt. Rogers, and the expressive cloud cover made for some good sights. We even got to see a herd of the wild ponies that Mt. Rogers is known for. This was a major plus since both Alex and Julie had never been to Mt. Rogers.

We went in via Elk Garden Ridge, so the hike wasn’t that long. When we got to the shelter we found it almost full, with a group of folks eager to suggest we find a campsite elsewhere. We took the hint and went past the shelter to one of the great campsites set back in the tree line and set up camp. Shielded from the wind, and the rain still not hitting, we set up camp and started on dinner. Julie got our dinner together so I took the time to get a fire going. The fire made for some good socialization and eventually we turned in to face the impending weather from the dryness of our shelters.

The next morning mother nature had decided it was time, and we played “dodge the rain storm” while making breakfast and tearing down. The group that had been in the shelter had all abandoned, and we decided that it would be smart to move to the shelter for the next night. We packed up and moved out. Our original plan had been to do a day hike around the area, but with the weather so crappy and views limited, we decided to just hang out for the day. Julie took a nap, Nick and I shot the bull, and over the next few hours we welcomed more people to the shelter. Around 2:00pm we did brave the weather to hike out and meet the rest of our group. Kathy, Greg, and Tom couldn’t do Friday, so they joined us on Saturday. We had gone about a mile before running into them, and together we made our way back to the shelter. The shelter continued to fill up, and before all was said and done we had quite the large set of groups in there. Fortunately the wind was howling so loudly that we couldn’t hear any snoring. We socialized the night away, and decided to hit the hay early with the intent to hike out early. When we woke up though, mother nature had yet another surprise for us.

While making breakfast the next morning, suddenly the wind and rain just stopped. Let me tell you, after near 36 hours of constant wind, it was rather strange to suddenly hear nothing. That silence didn’t come alone though, it also brought a crazy amount of snow. Snow that didn’t stop the entire time we were in the shelter, and the entire time we were hiking out. The snow the last 1/2 mile was brutal since we were outside the tree cover. Fortunately for us a wonderful place named “Quincy’s” was waiting for us in Damascus, and with it some really good pizza.

Overall it was a fun backpack and the weather didn’t dampen it too much. I see myself going back to Mt. Rogers again this year on a weekend with wonderful weather. I’ve seen it all before, but my friends haven’t. It’s definitely something to share. Enjoy the photos!

Mt. Rogers 3-5-2010

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LyttleBryan March 9th, 2011

Note: I apparently typed up this last year when we actually did the hike, then forgot to hit “Publish.” Thus leaving it sitting in a boring Draft state. Woops!

So, I finally did it. Finished the last of the routes up to Mt. LeConte. And a the same time, Julie started her list (and crossed of two). The GSHAG was going up via Alum Cave that day, so we arranged to meet them at the top and then catch a rid back to Newfound Gap.

Boulevard Trail is the longest of the routes up to LeConte, but I wouldn’t call it the hardest. The terrain itself with it’s rolling hills and surprisingly flat sections made for a very steady hike. Truth be told, from a terrain perspective, I felt it was the easiest of the trails up LeConte. The distance makes it inaccessible to most unless they couple it with a trip down Alum Cave. It made for a nice all-around hike.

It is definitely not a trail to be done in the winter without crampons and solid winter gear. The trail slope makes sliding easy, and even when we did it there were patches of snow and ice. Other than that, go out and hike this trail!

Boulevard and Alum Cave 11-14-2010

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LyttleBryan March 1st, 2011

Looks like Newfound Gap Road will be down to 1 lane for the better part of 3 months. I have to say this is a little frustrating since so many of the hikes I need for my map are on the South side of the AT.

Via WBIR…

West Virginia native Steward Haugan’s first visit to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was what he called, “memorable.”

“Oh… it’s beautiful… just really, really, really surprised by the scenery,” said Haugan.

However, the next time he or anyone goes through the park, they may notice something different.

“Because of the time of year, this is about the slowest things get around here between now and the middle of June,” said Bob Miller with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. “So we picked a low traffic time, so we picked a time that’ll do low impact.”

Starting March 1, construction crews will begin working on Newfound Gap Road. Crews will be focusing on about 2.5 miles north of the Tennessee-North Carolina state line, where they will first stabilize two retaining walls. That portion should take three months to complete.

“We’re not closing the whole road. We’ll have one lane open by flaggers or traffic lights during the whole period of time so access will not be cut off altogether,” said Miller.

However, some wonder if the traffic from the construction will backup into downtown Gatlinburg. Some businesses near the entrance do not think so.

“There’s construction all over this place, with the stimulus,” said Smokey’s Sports Pub and Grub owner Carl Hill. “So it’s something you got to deal with.”

After crews are done stabilizing the roads, they’ll focus on repaving the surface. That should be all wrapped up by 2012.

“Typically, it has the begin later in the year to warm up some before we can begin to pave,” Miller added.

Some said the extra work is needed on the road.

“I was really surprised, actually,” said visitor Haugan. “From what I heard, the roads are in a really, really rough condition.”

Construction on Newfound Gap Road, as a whole, began in 2006. That’s when crews started working on the North Carolina portion of the roadway.

The current project is one of three phases in Tennessee.

The overall Newfound Gap Road construction should be done by 2016.

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LyttleBryan January 4th, 2011

Well with 2010 behind us, I can go back and tally up the total number of new miles covered in the year. This is just new miles, it doesn’t count trails that I’ve done before.

And the grand total is….266.4!

Complete list and details are below. I left out the “notes” column in my list which explains what section of a particular trail or loops are involved. You’ll see multiple entries for some trails like the AT. I am keeping track of which section of the AT that row references, but I just didn’t post it below. I’m really looking forward to this upcoming 2011 year. I’ve got plans for a big trip to South America with Julie, and I’m hoping to cover an additional 250-300 miles of trails in my quest for 900.

1/2/2010    Lead Cove Loop    7.7
1/10/2010    Twin Creek Loop    7.3
1/16/2010    Bote Mtn Loop    2.5
1/23/2010    Cove Mountain    14.6
2/6/2010    Gold Mine/Cane Creek Trails    2.9
3/20/2010    Brushy Mountain Trail    5.4
3/27/2010    Abrams Falls    1
4/10/2010    Alum Cave    5
4/17/2010    Noland Divide/Pole Road Creek Trails    11.1
4/17/2010    Deep Creek Trail    1
4/18/2010    Sunkota Ridge Trail    3.8
5/1/2010    Sugarland Trail to #21    4.8
5/24/2010    Wet Bottom & Cooper Road    6.1
7/1/2010    Baxter Creek Trail    6.1
7/1/2010    Mount Sterling Ridge Trail    5.3
7/1/2010    Balsam Mtn Trail    2
7/1/2010    Beech Gap Trail    2.5
7/1/2010    Hyatt Ridge Trail    1.8
7/1/2010    Enloe Creek Trail    3.6
7/1/2010    Chasteen Creek Trail    4.4
7/1/2010    Bradley Fork Trail    2.8
7/1/2010    Dry Sluice Gap Trail    4.2
7/1/2010    AT    20.8
7/10/2010    Middle Prong Trail    1.8
7/10/2010    Lynn Camp Prong Trail    3.7
7/10/2010    Miry Ridge Trail    2.5
7/17/2010    AT    9
7/24/2010    Hannah Mountain Trail    7.6
7/25/2010    Gregory Bald Trail    4.8
7/25/2010    Gregory Ridge Trail    5
7/8/2010    AT    3
8/29/2010    Huskey Gap Trail    2.1
8/29/2010    Sugarland Mountain Trail    9
9/3/2010    Twenty Mile Trail    5
9/3/2010    Lost Cove Trail    2.7
9/4/2010    Lakeshore Trail    28.3
9/19/2010    Low Gap    2.4
9/19/2010    Mt. Cammerer Trail    0.6
9/19/2010    AT    1.9
9/25/2010    Camel Gap    1
9/25/2010    Gunter Fork    4.1
9/25/2010    Balsam Mtn Trail    0.9
10/2/2010    Lower Mt. Cammerer Trail    7.4
10/7/2010    Trillium Gap Trail    2.3
10/9/2010    Russel Field Loop    8.1
10/23/2010    Wolf Ridge Trail    6.3
10/24/2010    Long Hungry Ridge Trail    4.6
10/24/2010    Twenty Mile Loop Trail    2.9
10/30/2010    Baskins Creek Trail    2.7
11/13/2010    Boulevard Trail    5.4
11/27/2010    Little River Trail    1.8
12/31/2010    Rough Creek Trail    2.8

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LyttleBryan November 5th, 2010

Well with that, Winter is officially here. Newfound Gap Road is closed due to snow and ice, and the park is calling for snow and ice accumulation above 3000′. Looks like it’s time to buckle down and do some hiking in areas that are easy to drive to. This weekend, my favorite hike in the park: Abrams Falls the back way!

The official report can be seen on the temp road closures page. I personally can’t wait to get out in it!

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LyttleBryan November 2nd, 2010

The Smoky Mountain Hiking Blog brought to my attention a plea from the National Forest Service seeking help to identify the men believed to be responsible for the forest fire that has been ravaging the Red River Gorge area.

Their picture

Take a moment and look at the pictures, maybe even re-post the information on your blog, facebook, twitter, or even email to your friends. There’s a large fire currently ravaging one of the best places in Kentucky, and bringing some folks to answer for the destruction is important.

Keep our back country safe and preserved people!
Lyttle Bryan

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LyttleBryan November 1st, 2010

Evansville Watch brings a story of a fall that happened a couple of weeks ago on Alum Cave Trail. Apparently a man traveling up Mt. LeConte with his son tripped over a root and hit his head/neck on the ground. There’s still a chance he’ll recover, but it’s a small one.

I first heard about this story from a coworker of mine who was in the group with the nurse mentioned in the article. She talked about how scary it was, and stressed how impressive the response from emergency services was. They were able to go from above Alum Cave itself to the trail head, and back with emergency crews in less than an hour. As much as no one wants this stuff to happen, it’s good to know the emergency crews in the park are capable.

Man, If I had a dime for every time I or someone in my party stumbled on a root or rock, we’d probably be able to cover this mans medical bills. It’s a frightening dose of reality.

Be safe out there!
LB

Tags: hiking, injury, paralysis

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LyttleBryan October 28th, 2010

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Chief of Facilities Management Alan Sumeriski announced that the Ramsey Prong Road in the Greenbrier Area of the Park will be closed for bridge repairs from Monday, November 1 through Friday November 5.

For safety reasons the Ramsey Prong Road beyond its junction with the Porters Creek Road will be closed to all use including, cars, bicycles and pedestrians. Park officials have advised that all vehicles will have to be out of the Ramsey Cascades Trailhead by Sunday night, October 31.

According to Sumeriski, “Bridge inspections performed by the Federal Highway Administration showed deficiencies which will be corrected during the closure period. One bridge will be stripped to the support beams, and be totally re-decked and get new bridge rails, while the other will receive less extensive repairs to both end of the wooden bridge deck. Barring any extreme weather conditions, rock slides or other complications we should reopen the road by the end of the day on Friday.”

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LyttleBryan October 27th, 2010

Via Friends of the Smokies

Great Smoky Mountains National Park has announced its winter season facility closings schedule. As cooler weather approaches and visitation decreases, various facilities will close, including 7 of the 10 campgrounds, and operational hours for some visitor services will be

reduced.

VISITOR CENTERS

Through the month of November, the Sugarlands Visitor Center, 2 miles south of Gatlinburg, TN, will open daily from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The Oconaluftee Visitor Center, 2 miles north of Cherokee, NC, will serve visitors from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The Cades Cove Visitor Center located half way around the Cades Cove Loop Road will be opened daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The visitor center hours for the following winter months are posted on the Park’s website, www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/hours.htm .

Snow Below NFG
Snow Below Newfound Gap by Sam Hobbs

ROADS

Several of the secondary roads are scheduled to close as indicated:

Balsam Mountain/Heintooga Roads on November 1; Roundbottom/Straight Fork on

November 16; Parson Branch and Rich Mountain Roads on November 22; Clingmans Dome and Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail on December 1.

During the winter months, the Park’s two main roads, Newfound Gap (U.S. 441) and Little River, will remain open throughout the year, except for temporary closures for extreme winter weather conditions.

The Gatlinburg Bypass, Cades Cove Loop Road, Cosby Road, Greenbrier Road, Upper Tremont, Forge Creek, Lakeview Drive, and Foothills Parkway (East and West) will open and close as road and weather conditions mandate.

For more information on winter weather road conditions, contact the Park at (865) 436-1200 (Then select option “2″ and select “2″ again to access road

info).

LODGING

Mt. LeConte Lodge will close for the season on November 23.

CAMPING

Two of the three major campgrounds will remain open all year. These year-round campgrounds are Cades Cove in Tennessee and Smokemont in North Carolina. Starting November 1, they will be on a self-registration basis with a reduced number of available sites. Elkmont Campground in Tennessee

will remain open through the Thanksgiving weekend and will close on December 1. Balsam Mountain campground is already closed for the season. The six remaining self-registration campgrounds at Cosby, Cataloochee, Deep Creek, Big Creek, Look Rock and Abrams Creek, will close on November 1st.

CADES COVE CAMPGROUND STORE

Cades Cove Campground Store will close on December 22, but will reopen December 26-January 2 to serve visitors during the holiday period. The store will also be closed on Thanksgiving Day. Vending machines at the store will remain in service throughout the winter.

PICNICKING

Seven picnic areas will remain open through the winter: Chimney Tops, Cades Cove, Cosby, Greenbrier, Metcalf Bottoms, Big Creek, and Deep Creek. Picnic pavilions at Cosby, Greenbrier and Deep Creek will be open through the winter and can be reserved at www.recreation.gov/. Picnic pavilions that will close on November 1 include Twin Creeks, Collins Creek, and Metcalf Bottoms.

HORSEBACK STABLES

Smokemont Riding Stable is scheduled to close on November 2. Sugarlands Riding Stable and Smoky Mountain Riding Stable will close on November 29. Cades Cove Riding Stable will close on December 22, but will reopen December 26-January 2. The Cades Cove Stable will also be closed

on Thanksgiving Day. The closing dates are dependent on weather conditions.

HORSE CAMPS

All five horse camps–Round Bottom, Tow String, Cataloochee, Big Creek, and Anthony Creek–are scheduled to close on November 15.

-NPS-

Bob Miller

Management Assistant

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

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