Backpacking Joyce Kilmer

Steve Hinkle and I went up to Joyce Kilmer on October 25-26, 2008. Parked at the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest parking area and headed up the Naked Ground Trail to Naked Ground. From there, we headed up to the Bob Stratton Bald which is the highest point in the wilderness. We dropped down to a place near Cherry Log Gap which is on the Fodderstack Trail that heads off to the right off of Bob Bald (Okay, Bob Stratton Bald is called two balds on some maps. One is called Stratton Bald and the other Bob Bald. Actually, they are the same mountain top. They are just two different fields on top). We camped near Cherry Log Gap where the Benton MacKaye Trail intersects with the Fodderstack Trail. There was plenty of fire wood, so that was very nice. We listened to the UGA vs LSU game where the Dogs killed them. Next day we backtracked to the balds and to Naked Ground, then onto Hangover Lead and the overlook. It was very clear and you could see for miles and miles. You could see all of the Smokies from Gregory Bald to Mt. Guyot and in addition, Mt. Leconte. We could also see the southern Nantahala's along with the fire tower on Wesser Bald. It was a fantastic trip. Remember that when you go down the Jenkins Meadow Trail, that you need to take a left at one point where the trail appears to go straight. If you go straight and bushwhack it, it will end up on the Naked Ground Trail, but it's better to take the left. When you come to the trail intersection that marks the beginning of the Naked Ground Trail, note that there is a giant blowdown on this trail that caused me to backtrack and head out the trail that takes you to the Horse Cove Campground area which is a half mile from the parking lot.

Camporall 2008

Went camping last weekend with the Boy Scouts from the Foothills District up at Woodruff. My Troop 435 hosted Webelos from Pack 565. We had a great time! The weather was fantastic! This weekend it camping with the Girl Scouts up at Misty Mountain in north Georgia. I'll post some info about it next week.

Hiking and Riding

A week ago Sunday (9/7/08) I went hiking in the Cohutta Wilderness. Left home at 3:45am and arrived at the 3-Forks trailhead at 6:45am just before dawn. Went down the Cowpen Mountain Trail to the Hickory Ridge Trail down to the Jack's River. Ate lunch at the falls, then headed upstream to the Rough Ridge Trail which took me back to 3-Forks. Encountered a group of wild boar on the Hickory Ridge Trail. I surprised them when I came around the corner. They squealed at me and 6 of the 7 ran off very quickly. Only 1 remained, and he wasn't scared of me. After staring each other down, I decided to move on. At that point, he decided that it was time to attack me. At that point, I decided to use my hiking stick as a weapon of mass destruction. The boar caught onto my plan and decided to abort his attack. One must always carry a hiking stick while in the wilderness. It's for your own protection.

Yesterday, Mickey Casey and I rode our Harleys in Northwest Georgia. I needed to find the Misty Mountain Girl Scout Camp since Emma and I are camping there in a couple of weeks. We also went by Pettijohn's Cave so I could show Mickey the entrance. We rode a few hundred miles and had a good time.

Back still stiff

Tried to get back to normal routines this weekend. Cut the grass Friday after work. Hiked Kennesaw Mountain early Saturday morning as usual. Worked in the yard some more Saturday afternoon. Worked on cars Sunday. This morning, the old back is still stiff, but I guess it's a little bit better. Hurts in the mornings the most.

Ouch

Lower back starting hurting after the hike last Saturday and it's hurt all week long. Here it is Friday, and it still hurts. Went on a brisk 3-mile hike last night (55 minutes), and it seems a little better this morning. Will try "working it out" this weekend.

Riding in Alabama

Rode my Fatboy to Mickey Casey's house in Alabama yesterday. It was 93 degrees. Had a little problem in that my starter was sticking "on". We took off the seat and found the starter relay, pulled it out and re-seated it. I'm going to have to get a new one just in case the relay is the problem. I think this same problem happened the last time I went to Mickey's when I thought I was low on oil and the valves were clicking (or so I thought). I need to fix this problem ASAP. Mickey and I just did some riding around his house, and he followed me into Cedertown in Georgia before heading back to Alabama.

Kennesaw Mountian hike

Hiked up Pigeon Hill to Little Kennesaw to Big Kennesaw, down to the Visitor's Center, and back this morning. It's supposed to be 93 degrees today, so I did it very early this morning.