Chilhowee Re-opening

 Celebrating Chilhowee's re-opening... this kid is a salamander finding MACHINE. The picture of just muddy, silty creekbed below--he found 6 salamanders (his total salamander count for the day was about 15).

Cicade Emerging

 Hanging out in the yard waiting for a cicade to emerge

Gee Creek/Hiwasse

 Another epic adventure weekend is in the books. Started the trip camping with Myers at Gee Creek. Hit up Webb Store to rent some duckies and went whitewater rafting, explored backroads, and hung out in the campgroud. Sam joined us a couple days in and joined for some fishing, rafting, kayaking, target shooting, and lux dump camping replete with roadside diner epicurian delights. 

Backpacking with Myers

 Backpacking with my best buddy. He decided campsite 1 where we've gone the other times we've backpacked isn't far enough away (2 miles roundtrip), so this time we went to campsite 15 (8 miles roundtrip). The last time I was there was with Brandon Everhart when Blount County called out of school for flooding in '98.... much better weather this time, and rangers didn't have to take us out in kayaks, so I'd say it's a win-win!

Oatmeal, straight out of the packet like a good backpacker

Baby Salamander

Start of the trail

Blister prevention 101

Flint and Steel fire, courtesy of Myers

AT Section 1

 We hiked so far we broke my pedometer with 44,000 steps halfway through the day. Ended up with right at 29 miles on day one. Great trip... wussing out of a planned thru hike of the AT after my freshman year of college is the only regret I have over something left undone. Starting this with Sam is fitting, since it was backpacking portions of the AT with him as juniors in high school that really put that goal into play in the first place. Granted, we'd planned to put in 55 more miles over the next two days, but that plan was made based on our performance during our last backpacking trip back before we were 30-somethings, and, well, our minds don't know we're not in our 20s any more, but our bodies sure do. It softens the blow a little that sitting waiting for a ride where we bugged out, most of the hikers were on day 3-4, and they were still about 5 miles from where we stopped the night before. Very thankful for Jodie and the kiddos being willing to let me have selfish life-goals, and to have the chance to finally start chipping away at this 2,200 mile albatross, slowly but surely. On pace to be 2,000 milers by our 65th birthday 

Abrams Creek to Ourselves

 

2016 Knoxville Marathon

Half Marathon - 2:08:07

Hiking with Dexter and Myers

 Jakes Creek/Cucumber Gap/Little River Trail Loop

Kayak Fishing with Bartley - Little River at Coulter's Bridge

 

Gertrude Joins the Family!