Sugarloaf Mountain

Our first real outing here in the Old Line State was to Sugarloaf Mountain. The "mountain" is all of 1,282 feet. As puny as that may sound, it still makes for nice views. Anything you read about Sugarloaf is likely to say the same thing: despite its relatively low elevation as a "mountain", Sugarloaf dominates the horizon. It's surrounded by flat terrain of 300 to 400 feet.

If you're out looking for a rugged outdoor experience, somewhere to test your mountaineering and orienteering skills, this is not the place. But it is perfect for family outings. The various trail lengths do allow you to choose from a range of experiences. There is a trail that skirts the base of the mountain, where you can really work up some miles and enjoy relative solitude. If you want to head for the peak to take in some views, it's only about a 200 foot gain from the parking lot, and less than a mile. The views from the peak are nothing to laughed at.

Aside from the trails and views, the mountain also has some significant history. Unfortunately, our trip came on a weekday afternoon when I got home from work, so we didn't have ample time to explore the man-made attractions. There is a mansion and some other buildings.

When we arrived, we forgot to grab a map, so we had some issues finding the trail we wanted. Initially we headed down the trail the skirts the peak, thinking that eventually it would lead us to the top. After a few minutes we backtracked and found the green-blazed trail that was to take us to the top.

Even while hiking on the red-blazed trail, there were still some nice rock out-croppings that offered decent views, and it was enough to keep Gabriel entertained.

The green-blazed trail to the top was well maintained. Purists would say a little too well-maintained. It was paved with flagstone, and when the elevation kicked in, there were stone-carved steps with a rail. For this occasion, I was okay with the manicured walk-way. Laura was about 7 months pregnant and Gabriel benefited from the improved footing.

The exposed rock "cliffs" up toward the peak were, in their own way, impressive. When we went up there were some rock jocks using the boulders as a training spot. Gabriel was impressed.

We got to the top with enough daylight to have a snack and soak in the views. Again, even with the low elevation, the views were impressive. We were a little past time for peak fall colors, and high winds had knocked most of the leaves off the trees. It was still great scenery. In the end, Sugarloaf Mountain gets a thumbs-up from me. Young families in the area should put this one on their shortlist

Another Smokies Hit!

Can you do an over-nighter in a back-country shelter in the Smokies in October? Sort of. As a part of David's pre-departure checklist (he and Holly are getting ready to move out to the West Coast), we were going to tackle Mt. LeConte via Alum Cave Trail. The plan was to go up, stay the night in the shelter on top of the mountain, then hike down the next day via the Boulevard Trail and the AT. I knew it was going to be hectic. Alum Cave and Mt. LeConte are two of the Smokies' biggest attractions. October, outside of the summer rush, is the busiest time of the year for the park. All of the "leafers" come rushing in to see the changing colors, and of course, LeConte is usually high on their list of sites to see.




We gave the reservations office a call, and sure enough, they had handed out the last permit for Mt. LeConte a few weeks ago. We made a decision to go anyway, and see if we couldn't get away with squeezing into the shelter anyway, on the hopes that someone with a reservation wouldn't show up. After we arrived at the trailhead, that idea quickly went out the window. The parking at the trailhead was comparable to Wal-Mart on Christmas Eve. It was packed. We knew there was no way we would squeeze into the shelter. On top of that, the hike up the mountain would probably be like standing in a line at an amusement park.



With that in mind, and after some deliberation we.... well, we couldn't really come up with anything. Our options looked pretty bleak. With a quick stop at R.E.I. on the way up, we were already running about an hour and a half late. We considered just doing a day hike, and maybe staying at a hotel, but even a day hike would have us competing with the setting sun. We decided to head down to the visitors center and talk with a ranger.

Traffic was pretty much bumper to bumper, but that didn't put too much or a damper on the scenery around us. When we got to the visitors center, it was insanely busy. We made our way to the reservations office, and I asked if there was anywhere in the entire park where we could get a permit. Luckily, there was ONE shelter left that had exactly four spots left. We snatched 'em up, and hit the road.



The hike started at Clingman's Dome, the highest point in the park. This is the KING of tourist traps in the park. The "trail" that leads to the top is an asphalt-paved walkway about the width of a one-lane road. You walk right past a gift shop before reaching a huge, hideous, spaceship-looking observation tower. The Appalachian Trail, which is where we were headed, passes right by the tower. The crowds were obnoxious. I get emotionally torn in situations like these. In one sense, I'm always happy to see people getting out and enjoying the fresh air in some way. Walking up a paved trail to a concrete observation tower certainly beats setting at home all weekend watching TV. The sad part is that, most of those folks think that this is the ultimate outdoor experience. At this particular location, the sad irony of that is highlighted even more because the pinnacle of American outdoor experiences, the Appalachian Trail, passes right through here. If any one of those tourist would walk in either direction on the AT, they would be rewarded with the same amazing views they got from the observation tower, only without bumping elbows with hordes of people.



It was slightly entertaining walking up the paved "trail" on the way to the AT. Some people were pointing saying, "Look! professional hikers!". A couple of guys were asking all about our trip and where we were going and what we were going to eat, and what we were going to do if we saw a bear. It was almost a celebrity moment. We were adding to their tourist experience, allowing them a chance to see "real hikers".



We got to the AT junction and made a left (south). Our destination was the Siler's Bald shelter. It didn't take long before we were smacked in the grill with awesome panorama. David was really looking forward to get out on the Boulevard Trail, mainly because of what I told him about my hike there in April 2009 (See blog post). I told him about the ridge hike and its awesome views. We thought we were going to miss out on that, but the AT lived up to the accolades.




It was a 4.6 mile hike down a ridge that runs from Fontana Dam, up to Clingman's Dome. With the exception of about a one mile stint through a stand of evergreens, the entire hike had exposed views of either the Tennessee, or North Carolina side of the park, and in some places, both. The North Carolina side was filled with ridge after ridge of Smokey Mountain glory. You can also see slivers of Fontana Leak snaking around the base of some of the ridges. The Tennessee side, while still quite breath-taking, is still pretty epic. The mountains flatten out into the flat plains of the mid-west, and you can see the sprawl of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge below. Being so high up, you can even see the curviture of the Earth.




At 2.2 miles we came to Double Spring Shelter. This shelter had obviously recently been renovated. it looked extremely cozy. Even at 5:00, it was already filling up. We would find out on our hike out, that Double Spring Shelter hosted 14 guests that night, two more than its capacity allows. A couple of guys had hiked in a hand saw, and were cutting up some hearty firewood and getting a nice fire going in the built in fireplace. We had a quick snack and kept on trucking. Aside from breath-taking views, the hike in was pretty un-eventful. We ran into a big fresh pile of bear evidence about a mile from the shelter, but no actual sightings. Best of all, when we got to the shelter, we found out we were sharing with a father and son, and that was it. No big crowds.





We got settled in. Matt, the youngster we were sharing the shelter with, had already gather up some firewood, so I got to work on that immediately. We prepped some food and spent the rest of the night literally laying on the ground staring up at the stars. Night time was extremely windy, but we stayed north of freezing temperatures. The shelter's trail log was filled with horror stories about the mice (as is the case with almost all AT shelters), but we didn't have any issues.



The next morning we lounged around, taking our time getting packed up. We waved off Ron and Matt. About an hour later we departed, too. Usually the return hike, when doing an out-and-back route, is kinda lame. This time, the views were still just as grand. We caught up to Matt and Ron at the Double Spring Shelter, and had lunch. Shortly after that, the crowds started picking up again, and before you knew it we were back at the paved trail. We went up and had a peek from on top of the observation tower. The wind and the crowds made it a less than desirable experience. We loaded up and headed home, stopping at Texas Roadhouse in Asheville to top it all off. ...NEXT!

Table Rock... again!

This month last year, David and I braved some nasty weather and hiked up Table Rock . When we got to the top (well, near the top, actually), the clouds parted long enough for us to take in some amazing fall scenery. It's certainly the best mountaintop scenery I've enjoyed on the east coast.


This time around, we went up about a week ahead of the leaves changing, so the fall colors weren't quite there, but neither was the fall rain. We also brought along some company. David's wife, Holly, made her second Table Rock climb and I was lucky enough to be accompanied by the entire family. By "entire," I mean my wife, Laura, and 16-month-old Gabriel.


We drove straight from Augusta to Table Rock State Park, arriving around 3:30, an hour behind schedule, which is customary when traveling with David, and ended up not actually getting on the trail until around a quarter to four. The issue with the later time was that Gabriel would be approaching bedtime before we could make it down off the mountain and we had no idea how he would handle being stuck in a baby carrier while his eyes got heavy. Of course, we also had no idea how he would enjoy being stuck in a baby carrier for the hike up the mountain either.


As has been the case on all our other outdoor adventures with the little man, he was perfect. When he gets outdoors, his wheels stop turning quite as fast, he calms down, his eyes get big, and you can tell his little mind is just taking in all the scenery around him. This trip was no different.


About an hour into the hike, we stopped at a large boulder beside the trail to take in some water and let Gabriel stretch his legs. David hopped up on the boulder to find a seat and the little toot headed up after him. This was a solid granite faced boulder that had a very steep grade, but he got about half-way up the 6 to 7-foot face before realizing that he was climbing on his own. Crazy little kid!! David's mom always jokes with me that because I introduced David to backpacking, I am also responsible for his rock-climbing hobby (which I completely refuse any responsibility for). Now I tell her that her son taught MY son how to rock climb, so we're even.


We loaded back up and headed up the trail. After about a half hour we came to the gazebo that marks the approximate half-way point. Near the gazebo is an exposed rock face that you can safely walk out on, giving you your first hint of Table Rock scenery.

Already running a little behind schedule, we didn't spend too much resting. With just another couple of minutes climbing, we would be at Governor's Rock. This is the place that David and I had to stop last time due to time and weather constraints. I was looking forward to going back and letting Laura and Gabriel experience the views, although the colors weren't quite popping yet.


We plopped down and let Gabriel run around and much as safety would allow. We took some pictures, drank some water, and snacked on some trail food. Again, we were in quite a race with the sunset so we didn't hang around long because I was anxious to make it all the way out to the nose of Table Rock.

After hitting the trail again, we crossed paths with a four foot rat snake. It was quickly making its way across the trail. If nothing else, it was fun to see David's fear of snakes manifest itself for a quick second. We kept moving and after crossing the official summit of Table Rock, we came to what they call "the nose."


The extra effort was certainly worth it. The views of the lake below and the landscape stretching out into the South Carolina Low Country was awesome. But again, as our race against the setting sun continued, we had to pack up fast and make a hasty retreat down the mountain.


We headed down at a much faster pace, but it was obvious we were not going to make it down before the sun set on us, so we divvied out the headlamps and anxiously awaited Gabriel's fussiness from riding in the carrier at night. Come to find out, as long as he had a handful of crackers, he was as happy as could be riding on my back. He never got fussy. He never wanted down. He was enjoying every second of the hike. The last 15-20 minutes of the hike were with headlamps on, hiking in the dark. Still, Gabriel didn't make a peep. At this time of day he would normally be having a bottle of milk while getting rocked in preparation for bedtime. He was just as content holding on to a handful of crackers hiking through the night!

We made it back to Hotel Dennis and, as always, enjoyed a weekend spending time with the entire Dennis family (despite Texas losing to Oklahoma the following Saturday). Now, Gabriel has added a second patch to his lil' pack! He'll be out of room for patches before you know it!

Trick or Treat!?

Life has been pretty busy lately, and I haven't gotten out much at all. A new baby and a new house have kept me pretty occupied. Well, I was sitting in a training class with Dennis and we decided that, as long as permission was granted by Laura, we would head up to Greenville, South Carolina, for a couple of days. We got up to Caesar's Head State Park at around noon, and the weather was pretty miserable. The above picture is from an awesome overlook located near the park's visitor center. Usually you can see clean past Greenville from here, which is located about 20 miles to the south. But not today. Nothing but FOG! and lots of it.

We sat around for a bit hoping it would open up, but it never did. From there we decided to go ahead and try some hiking anyway, so we headed for Raven Cliff Fall's Overlook.






Luckily, the valley this waterfall was located in was kinda protected from the fog. That meant we got some pretty good views. We spent a while just chilling at the little gazebo there, taking pictures and soaking up all the fall colors.





It was hard to leave, but we finally did. We had to cut our return route short because we took too much time at the overlook (but who can blame us?). So we hiked back to the car and headed back into town to the Dennis residence. We were welcomed warmly as always. After some awesome lasagna and a good movie, we hit the hay, hoping the weather would get better for our trek over to Table Rock State Park the next morning.

We woke up and the weather was terrible. Absolutely terrible. The fog was still thick, and the weather people were telling us it was only going to get worse. We debated our course of action over pumpkin pancakes and almost elected to just stay at home. Dennis decided that since we had our rain gear, we should go anyway and at least get some exercise in.

With that in mind, we loaded up and headed to Table Rock. On the way there it went from thick fog to thicker fog to drizzle to heavy rain. At this point our Halloween was turning out to be more trick than treat. We sat in the parking lot at the trailhead and came close to just turning around. A little reluctant, we donned the rain gear and headed up. Halfway up the mountain we came to a little gazebo-type thing that usually offers amazing views of the valley below. The rain had finally stopped, but the fog was still there in full force. We hydrated and munched on Clif Bars and debated whether or not to head back down, when finally there was small slither of an opening in the fog. We hung around for another 15 minutes, and sure enough the clouds finally rolled back and showed us the view.








We sat there a while enjoying the momentary break in fog before it finally rolled back in and covered everything. The rain was still stopped, so we decided to continue climbing. Dennis had been up the mountain before and said that the views (if the fog would allow) only got better. We passed a hiker coming down and he said the fog had rolled back in and covered everything. We pressed on anyway.

When we got to the top, we were greeted with some of the best views I've ever seen on any trail anywhere. Here's the proof....





































It started out as a trick but ended up being quite the treat. The fall colors mixed with the fog rolling in and out really made it a unique setting. It was the type of scenery that is hard to catch. We happen to be up on the mountain for the only two-hour period the fog relented for 48 hours. Can't wait to get back up there!!!