From the Rocky Mountain Coordination Center, which supplies fire weather forecasts but has quite a bit of current weather information.
Colorado Snowpack, February 25, 2015
From the Rocky Mountain Coordination Center, which supplies fire weather forecasts but has quite a bit of current weather information.
Throwback Thursday
Have you ever looked at a map of Rocky Mountain National Park and wondered what the Alva B Adams Tunnel was all about? The tunnel appears as a dotted line, crossing through the heart of the park from Grand Lake to Estes Park. It was built in order to transport water from Grand Lake to farmers on the eastern plains of Colorado. This 13.1-mile tunnel is truly a marvel of engineering – especially when you consider there was no such thing as GPS or laser technology in 1944. Workers began drilling on both sides of the Continental Divide in 1940. The 9.75-foot diameter tunnel was completed on June 10, 1944 when workers met at the halfway point, roughly 3800 feet below the surface of the mountain peaks. Starting from both sides of the Continental Divide, the engineers were only 7/16s of an inch off alignment when they finally met in the middle!
Below is a documentary film on the construction of the Tunnel, produced in 1943 by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation:
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
Earthquake Recorded in Great Smoky Mountains
As if the snow and ice in recent weeks hasn't been enough, the Great Smoky Mountains is reporting on their Facebook page that an earthquake was recorded in the park this morning:
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
The National Earthquake Information Center has confirmed that a minor earthquake (2.1 magnitude) occurred in the park at 4:14 a.m. this morning. The epicenter was 5 miles deep on Goshen Ridge (elevation 4,700'), near Clingmans Dome. Earthquakes are more common to the west of the park in the Tennessee Valley, but since the 1970s, only three have been recorded as having epicenters within the park's boundaries.
A 2.0 - 2.9 quake is considered minor — people may be able to feel it, but it causes no damage to buildings.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Earthquake Recorded in Great Smoky Mountains
As if the snow and ice in recent weeks hasn't been enough, the Great Smoky Mountains is reporting on their Facebook page that an earthquake was recorded in the park this morning:
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
The National Earthquake Information Center has confirmed that a minor earthquake (2.1 magnitude) occurred in the park at 4:14 a.m. this morning. The epicenter was 5 miles deep on Goshen Ridge (elevation 4,700'), near Clingmans Dome. Earthquakes are more common to the west of the park in the Tennessee Valley, but since the 1970s, only three have been recorded as having epicenters within the park's boundaries.
A 2.0 - 2.9 quake is considered minor — people may be able to feel it, but it causes no damage to buildings.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Pancakes
Every few weeks, school starts late, and I have the joy of an extra couple of hours with my youngest kid. For a while now, we've been using that time to head downtown to Darby's for breakfast; it's happened enough that we could call it a Tradition if we wanted. It's a luxury, having this extra time, and being able to spend it sharing coffee (she mostly warms her hands with it, but usually also sneaks a sip) and eating pancakes is a treasure I will not trade for anything.
Sometimes on weekends, we pry her older sister out of bed and head downtown to the diner. Maybe it's not until afternoon, but that's no problem, because like any real diner, you can order breakfast all day. One time, the music was some rap about pancakes, and we could hear the cooks talking about pancakes (sorry to be repetitive, but me and the girls tend to be selective with our terms, and cannot abide flapjacks, hotcakes, and especially flannel-cakes). One of them said, "I guess I eat a pancake about every damn day!" We cracked up, and repeat that phrase often, if not every damn day. Beneath the laughter, we all recognize a purity beneath the boast: the guy really enjoys having a pancake every day. A humble pancake sticking to your ribs gives you strength to face whatever the day throws at you.
Even a short stack can be too much for a kid, and sometimes there are leftovers. She works her way through methodically, cutting enough to eat and saving the rest of the disk, so there will be a substantial something instead of a pile of syrupy pieces. Usually, the dog is the beneficiary. Only recently, DNA analysis showed that a key difference between domesticated dogs and their wolfy cousins is that dogs can digest carbohydrates, and our hound excels. She gets a stale pancake and parances around for a while, showing off to those crows who sometimes taunt her that she has a delicious pancake, before settling down and gobbling it up.
Sometimes, I cook the pancakes. After years of messing with recipes and bisquick versions, I found that a local pancake mix does the trick best. These days, the youngest daughter mixes it, then I come along to knock out a few more lumps, and we let the batter rest while the skillet heats up. Cast iron is the only acceptable surface for me. Some of my earliest memories are of the thin blue smoke that my grand-dad let rise before flipping. Then watching my dad, who taught me that watching the bubbles pop led to browned perfection without grand-dads carbonized edging. Dad cooked on an 11.25-inch Griswold skillet that family lore (or at least my recollection) says was given to him when he traveled away to grad school. With this classic American iron, he could cook anything the lone male physics student was apt to eat. I have that skillet now, and continue to cook all kinds of stuff in it, sometimes to the chagrin of my kids...except when it's a pancake day.
For some reason, my recollections (not yet lore) of Dad's last few days focus on pancakes missed. He had a terminal illness--refusing to knuckle under to the "terminal" label for a couple years already--and was having such a hard time we'd scheduled a doctor visit. After some listening to lungs and flipping through charts, the doctor sat down with Dad, Mom, and me, and explained that Dad needed to be admitted to the hospital. I knew, and I think Dad did too, that the unspoken end of that sentence was "to die."
It was mid-morning now, and Dad said he was hungry. Stupidly, I asked if we could go out to eat before goign in to the hospital. I should have just taken him. But the message from the nurse was something like, "Now, you know we can't let you do that." That special gentle condescension that transforms dead men walking into incompetent children had already kicked in. I should have nodded, walked him out, turned the other way, and escaped to a stack of pancakes, but Mom was also worried about what might happen and still clinging to the belief that after a day or two of hospitalization, we could go out for breakfast. Instead of dropping dead over pancakes, he died in a bed surrounded by machines, stuck full or tubes. My aunt did smuggle in one of his favorite meals before the end, but we never got that last moment of freedom, that last stack of pancakes.
So, on those late-start days, I'll be sitting at a table with my kid, looking out at the street-scape shenanigans of making silverware sculptures while was await the pancakes. Falling behind a little on work doesn't matter. Eating carbs I don't need is not as unhealthy as missing time with my kids. Following hospital protocol but subverting a dying man's wish was a crime. Pancakes are life, and even if you cannot have one every damn day, it's worth sharing a stack with someone you love.
Sometimes on weekends, we pry her older sister out of bed and head downtown to the diner. Maybe it's not until afternoon, but that's no problem, because like any real diner, you can order breakfast all day. One time, the music was some rap about pancakes, and we could hear the cooks talking about pancakes (sorry to be repetitive, but me and the girls tend to be selective with our terms, and cannot abide flapjacks, hotcakes, and especially flannel-cakes). One of them said, "I guess I eat a pancake about every damn day!" We cracked up, and repeat that phrase often, if not every damn day. Beneath the laughter, we all recognize a purity beneath the boast: the guy really enjoys having a pancake every day. A humble pancake sticking to your ribs gives you strength to face whatever the day throws at you.
Even a short stack can be too much for a kid, and sometimes there are leftovers. She works her way through methodically, cutting enough to eat and saving the rest of the disk, so there will be a substantial something instead of a pile of syrupy pieces. Usually, the dog is the beneficiary. Only recently, DNA analysis showed that a key difference between domesticated dogs and their wolfy cousins is that dogs can digest carbohydrates, and our hound excels. She gets a stale pancake and parances around for a while, showing off to those crows who sometimes taunt her that she has a delicious pancake, before settling down and gobbling it up.
Sometimes, I cook the pancakes. After years of messing with recipes and bisquick versions, I found that a local pancake mix does the trick best. These days, the youngest daughter mixes it, then I come along to knock out a few more lumps, and we let the batter rest while the skillet heats up. Cast iron is the only acceptable surface for me. Some of my earliest memories are of the thin blue smoke that my grand-dad let rise before flipping. Then watching my dad, who taught me that watching the bubbles pop led to browned perfection without grand-dads carbonized edging. Dad cooked on an 11.25-inch Griswold skillet that family lore (or at least my recollection) says was given to him when he traveled away to grad school. With this classic American iron, he could cook anything the lone male physics student was apt to eat. I have that skillet now, and continue to cook all kinds of stuff in it, sometimes to the chagrin of my kids...except when it's a pancake day.
For some reason, my recollections (not yet lore) of Dad's last few days focus on pancakes missed. He had a terminal illness--refusing to knuckle under to the "terminal" label for a couple years already--and was having such a hard time we'd scheduled a doctor visit. After some listening to lungs and flipping through charts, the doctor sat down with Dad, Mom, and me, and explained that Dad needed to be admitted to the hospital. I knew, and I think Dad did too, that the unspoken end of that sentence was "to die."
It was mid-morning now, and Dad said he was hungry. Stupidly, I asked if we could go out to eat before goign in to the hospital. I should have just taken him. But the message from the nurse was something like, "Now, you know we can't let you do that." That special gentle condescension that transforms dead men walking into incompetent children had already kicked in. I should have nodded, walked him out, turned the other way, and escaped to a stack of pancakes, but Mom was also worried about what might happen and still clinging to the belief that after a day or two of hospitalization, we could go out for breakfast. Instead of dropping dead over pancakes, he died in a bed surrounded by machines, stuck full or tubes. My aunt did smuggle in one of his favorite meals before the end, but we never got that last moment of freedom, that last stack of pancakes.
So, on those late-start days, I'll be sitting at a table with my kid, looking out at the street-scape shenanigans of making silverware sculptures while was await the pancakes. Falling behind a little on work doesn't matter. Eating carbs I don't need is not as unhealthy as missing time with my kids. Following hospital protocol but subverting a dying man's wish was a crime. Pancakes are life, and even if you cannot have one every damn day, it's worth sharing a stack with someone you love.
Backcountry Skills: How To Cross a River
Spring hiking season is just around the corner for many areas in the lower 48. This means that snow in the higher elevations is beginning to melt, which usually results in high water in the creeks and streams along the slopes and valleys below. In many cases hikers won't have the option of crossing a stream via a footbridge, which means you'll have to get your feet wet. This can be a very dangerous situation for hikers, so you'll want to know how to do this without putting your life on the line. In this short video Backpacker Magazine offer several tips on how to cross a stream safely:
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
2015 Classic Hikes of the Smokies Schedule
Friends of the Smokies has recently published their schedule for the 2015 Classic Hike of the Smokies. This year's installment of guided hikes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park will feature interpretation and leadership by author and hiking expert, Danny Bernstein. Each hike highlights an achievement or cause Friends of the Smokies has supported in the Park. The following is the schedule for all hikes this year, which occur on the 2nd Tuesday of each month:
March 10: Smokemont Loop
6.2 miles, 1,400 ft ascent, moderate
Features: Historic chapel and cemetery
Highlight: Public Safety Treatment of Ash Trees
April 14: Caldwell Fork
9.4 miles, 1,650 ft ascent, moderate
Features: Union graves, Woody house and wildflowers
Highlight: Artist in Residence Program
May 12: Lake Shore Trail
9.4 miles, 1,370 ft ascent, moderate
Features: Tunnel and history
Highlight: Equestrian Leave No Trace Training Program
June 9: Hemphill Bald
8.8 miles, 1,900 ft ascent, moderate
Features: Masonic marker and flowers
Highlight: Feral Hog Control
July 20-21: Overnight at Mount Le Conte
Boulevard Trail : 8 miles, moderate
Trillium Gap Trail : 6.5 miles, moderate
Features: LeConte Lodge, waterfalls, sunrise, park program, Spruce-fir forest and Balsam wooly adelgid
Highlight: Reduce Backcountry Bear Problems
August 11: Big Creek
Moderate hike: 10 miles, 1,100 ft ascent
Easy hike: 4 miles, 600 ft ascent
Features: Swimming hole and waterfalls
Highlight: Suppress Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
September 8: Boogerman Loop
7.2 miles, 1,600 ft ascent, moderate
Features: Stone walls, creeks and elk
Highlight: Elk Bugle Corps and SCA Interns
October 13: Purchase Knob
7.5 miles, 1,500 ft ascent, moderate
Features: Science Learning Center and ridgeline views
Highlight: Parks as Classrooms
November 10: Chimney Tops and Elkmont
4 miles, 1,300 ft ascent, moderate
Features: Trails Forever project, views and history
Highlight: Trails Forever Program
December 8: Noland Creek
4 miles, 800 ft ascent, easy
Features: Historic home sites, Bryson City
Visitor Center and Museum
Highlight: Water Quality Monitoring Program
To register for any 2015 Classic Hike of the Smokies, contact AnnaLee@FriendsOfTheSmokies.org or 828-452-0720. To support the Smokies Trails Forever program, a donation of $10 for members and $35 for non-members is requested. Non-members receive a complimentary 1-year membership to Friends of the Smokies on their first hike. Members who bring a friend hike for free.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
March 10: Smokemont Loop
6.2 miles, 1,400 ft ascent, moderate
Features: Historic chapel and cemetery
Highlight: Public Safety Treatment of Ash Trees
April 14: Caldwell Fork
9.4 miles, 1,650 ft ascent, moderate
Features: Union graves, Woody house and wildflowers
Highlight: Artist in Residence Program
May 12: Lake Shore Trail
9.4 miles, 1,370 ft ascent, moderate
Features: Tunnel and history
Highlight: Equestrian Leave No Trace Training Program
June 9: Hemphill Bald
8.8 miles, 1,900 ft ascent, moderate
Features: Masonic marker and flowers
Highlight: Feral Hog Control
July 20-21: Overnight at Mount Le Conte
Boulevard Trail : 8 miles, moderate
Trillium Gap Trail : 6.5 miles, moderate
Features: LeConte Lodge, waterfalls, sunrise, park program, Spruce-fir forest and Balsam wooly adelgid
Highlight: Reduce Backcountry Bear Problems
August 11: Big Creek
Moderate hike: 10 miles, 1,100 ft ascent
Easy hike: 4 miles, 600 ft ascent
Features: Swimming hole and waterfalls
Highlight: Suppress Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
September 8: Boogerman Loop
7.2 miles, 1,600 ft ascent, moderate
Features: Stone walls, creeks and elk
Highlight: Elk Bugle Corps and SCA Interns
October 13: Purchase Knob
7.5 miles, 1,500 ft ascent, moderate
Features: Science Learning Center and ridgeline views
Highlight: Parks as Classrooms
November 10: Chimney Tops and Elkmont
4 miles, 1,300 ft ascent, moderate
Features: Trails Forever project, views and history
Highlight: Trails Forever Program
December 8: Noland Creek
4 miles, 800 ft ascent, easy
Features: Historic home sites, Bryson City
Visitor Center and Museum
Highlight: Water Quality Monitoring Program
To register for any 2015 Classic Hike of the Smokies, contact AnnaLee@FriendsOfTheSmokies.org or 828-452-0720. To support the Smokies Trails Forever program, a donation of $10 for members and $35 for non-members is requested. Non-members receive a complimentary 1-year membership to Friends of the Smokies on their first hike. Members who bring a friend hike for free.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
The Teton Crest Trail Uncut
Is anyone else ready for hiking season? I know I am, but it looks like we may have at least a few more weeks of snow, cold and overcast skies. If you haven't decided where you're going to hike this summer, perhaps this video will provide some inspiration. In 2011 Dan McCoy hiked the Teton Crest Trail in the Grand Tetons, and came back with this wonderful video that highlights some of the incredibly beautiful scenery he saw along the way. His four-day, 42-mile route took him from the Rendezvous Mountain Aerial Tram to Marion Lake , across the Death Canyon Shelf to the Alaska Basin , over to Lake Solitude , and then after climbing Paintbrush Divide, he returned to civilization via the Paintbrush Canyon Trail .
This video clearly underscores why the Teton Crest Trail is one of the premier backpacking routes in America. For those that don't backpack, there are fortunately a handful of segments can be reach by day hikes, which are linked to in the above paragraph. Enjoy:
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
This video clearly underscores why the Teton Crest Trail is one of the premier backpacking routes in America. For those that don't backpack, there are fortunately a handful of segments can be reach by day hikes, which are linked to in the above paragraph. Enjoy:
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Throwback Thursday
Do you remember the 70s band, Firefall? They had a couple of big hits including, "Just Remember I Love You" and "Strange Way". Their name came from a Yosemite tradition that ran from 1872 to 1968 in which a bonfire was lit at Glacier Point. After sunset the burning embers were dumped over the cliff so that visitors in the Yosemite Valley could see the “firefall” drop 3000 feet onto the valley floor below. Conducted by the owners of the Glacier Point Hotel, the firefalls ended in January 1968 when the National Park Service ordered them to stop. Ironically, the hotel was destroyed by fire just one year later.
In 1871 the original owner of the hotel hired a man to build the Four Mile Trail , which still leads to Glacier Point to this day.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
Grandstand of the Smokies - a Journey to Mt LeConte
In spring of 2015 the Great Smoky Mountains Association will be releasing their third film in the Smoky Mountain Explorer Series. This new film, called Grandstand of the Smokies - a Journey to Mt LeConte, will detail the history, recreation, and unique biological diversity of this geological treasure. Mt LeConte helped spur the creation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and every year thousands climb to the summit to take in one of the most scenic views in the world.
Below is a clip from the film that discusses the llamas that are used to re-supply the LeConte Lodge via the Trillium Gap Trail :
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Below is a clip from the film that discusses the llamas that are used to re-supply the LeConte Lodge via the Trillium Gap Trail :
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Eidsvold Earthquake 2015
I woke this morning to the news that a town to the west of Bundaberg had experienced a substantial earthquake. Well, substantial by Australian standards anyway. Geoscience Australia gives the intensity of 5.2 on the Richter scale. The quake occurred at about 2am local time (3am for those of us in the other eastern states coping with daylight saving).
The preliminary report from Geoscience Australia can be found here.
It is in an interesting area because the area of the earthquake is in the northern part of the New England Orogen. This belt of squashed rocks extends from the Bundaberg area in a big arc all the way to Port Macquarie in the South. There are many faults in this area and some are still active, although they are generally small. An earthquake between Gunnedah and Tamworth in 2013 springs to mind.
The scale of the earthquake is quite large for Australia. Indeed the Newcastle earthquake was measured at 5.6. I've not done the maths but the new Eidsvold quake of 5.2 is about half the size of the Newcastle one (The Richter Scale is NOT linear).
Historically, the area is prone to small to medium sized earthquakes with Bundaberg being hit by a size 6.0 in 1918. This is nearly ten times more powerful than the most recent one though the 1918 quake occurred just off the coast.
The preliminary report from Geoscience Australia can be found here.
| Seismograph from Eidsvold Station |
It is in an interesting area because the area of the earthquake is in the northern part of the New England Orogen. This belt of squashed rocks extends from the Bundaberg area in a big arc all the way to Port Macquarie in the South. There are many faults in this area and some are still active, although they are generally small. An earthquake between Gunnedah and Tamworth in 2013 springs to mind.
The scale of the earthquake is quite large for Australia. Indeed the Newcastle earthquake was measured at 5.6. I've not done the maths but the new Eidsvold quake of 5.2 is about half the size of the Newcastle one (The Richter Scale is NOT linear).
Historically, the area is prone to small to medium sized earthquakes with Bundaberg being hit by a size 6.0 in 1918. This is nearly ten times more powerful than the most recent one though the 1918 quake occurred just off the coast.
Video of the Day: Cascade Canyon
The hike to Cascade Canyon in Grand Teton National Park is regularly touted as one of the top hikes in America. The hike includes a boat ride across Jenny Lake, as well as visits to Hidden Falls, Inspiration Point, and Cascade Canyon itself. The views of Mt. Owen looming more than a mile above the canyon are absolutely outstanding. The video below does a good job of showing exactly why this hike is so popular with hikers and pundits alike:
Hiking the Tetons - Day 1 - Cascade Canyon from Clark on Vimeo.
For more detailed information on this hike, please click here to visit our new hiking website for the Grand Tetons.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Hiking the Tetons - Day 1 - Cascade Canyon from Clark on Vimeo.
For more detailed information on this hike, please click here to visit our new hiking website for the Grand Tetons.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Congressional Bill Would Extend North Country National Scenic Trail; Connect With A.T.
A bi-partisan contingent of U.S. Senators and Representatives have renewed efforts to improve the North Country Scenic Trail. If enacted, the recently reintroduced legislation would include a major reroute of the trail in Minnesota. It would also extend the trail to Vermont, thus allowing it to connect with the Appalachian Trail.
The trail - which currently extends from North Dakota to New York - was never built along certain sections in Minnesota. The originally proposed route passed through wetland areas that are difficult to build through, and have raised many conservation concerns. The newly reintroduced legislation would revise the authorized trail route to avoid these wetland areas by incorporating 400 miles of existing trails in the Minnesota Arrowhead region, which includes the Boundary Waters and North Shore of Lake Superior.
If the billed is passed by Congress and signed into law, the North Country National Scenic Trail would extend for roughly 4600 miles: from North Dakota to Vermont. If that wasn't enough, hikers could extend a one-way hike by heading south along the Appalachian Trail, thus making a one-way hike that travels for almost 6800 miles!
For more information on the bill, please click here. For a PDF version of the NCST map, please click here.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
The trail - which currently extends from North Dakota to New York - was never built along certain sections in Minnesota. The originally proposed route passed through wetland areas that are difficult to build through, and have raised many conservation concerns. The newly reintroduced legislation would revise the authorized trail route to avoid these wetland areas by incorporating 400 miles of existing trails in the Minnesota Arrowhead region, which includes the Boundary Waters and North Shore of Lake Superior.
If the billed is passed by Congress and signed into law, the North Country National Scenic Trail would extend for roughly 4600 miles: from North Dakota to Vermont. If that wasn't enough, hikers could extend a one-way hike by heading south along the Appalachian Trail, thus making a one-way hike that travels for almost 6800 miles!
For more information on the bill, please click here. For a PDF version of the NCST map, please click here.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Throwback Thursday
Alum Cave is one of the more popular hiking destinations in the Great Smoky Mountains. Although the cave (actually a bluff) is an interesting geological site with great views, it also has a great deal of historical significance. The Epsom Salts Manufacturing Company was established at Alum Cave in 1838. Until it was sold in 1854, the company mined epsom salts which were used by mountain folk to dye homespun clothing a reddish brown. During the Civil War the Confederate Army mined saltpeter out of the cave, which they used to manufacture gunpowder. Winter is a great time to visit the cave . It’s pretty cool watching the icicles drop like missiles from the ledge above.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
Jaw-dropping Glacier National Park
58NationalParks has produced another excellent overview of Glacier National Park. If this video inspires you to visit Glacier this upcoming season, the best way to explore this wonderful park is to take a hike along one of the many hiking trails that meander throughout the park.
If you do plan to visit Glacier this year, please note that our website also offers a wide variety of accommodation listings and other things to do to help with all your vacation planning.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
If you do plan to visit Glacier this year, please note that our website also offers a wide variety of accommodation listings and other things to do to help with all your vacation planning.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
Voluntary Thru-Hike Registration System Launched For Appalachian Trail
In order to enhance the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) experience for thru-hikers and better manage this natural resource, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), in cooperation with its partners, has launched a new voluntary registration system for those attempting to hike the estimated 2,185-mile-long Trail in one year. This registration system exists to ease impacts from the increased number of hikers expected after the release of two hiking related films, “Wild” and “A Walk in the Woods.”
In recent years, the A.T. thru-hike experience has at peak use times suffered severe overcrowding at the southern end of the Trail. Crowding intensifies because hikers tend to start thru-hikes around specific dates, such as March 1st, March 17th, and especially April 1st and weekends. Overcrowding puts undue pressure on the finite number of shelters and campsites and on the water, plants and wildlife near these accommodations. When too many people are crammed together at campsites, vegetation is trampled, trash may accumulate and unsanitary conditions can ensue. These issues that arise due to overcrowding are detrimental not only to the A.T. but also to the hiker’s overall experience.
“With a large number of new hikers expected along the Appalachian Trail in 2015 and 2016, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy hopes that this new voluntary thru-hike registration system will allow hikers to know in advance when overcrowding along the Trail will exist, and then adjust a thru-hike start date to his or her advantage – the solution is simple, the hikers need to spread out,” said Morgan Sommerville, the ATC’s regional director.
Users of this voluntary registration system should keep in mind that it does not provide hikers with guaranteed spaces along the A.T. or serve as a substitute for any required permits. At this time, registration is only open for 2015. Registration for 2016 will be available on Dec. 1, 2015.
For more information about the new system, please visit http://ift.tt/1z43VuA .
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
In recent years, the A.T. thru-hike experience has at peak use times suffered severe overcrowding at the southern end of the Trail. Crowding intensifies because hikers tend to start thru-hikes around specific dates, such as March 1st, March 17th, and especially April 1st and weekends. Overcrowding puts undue pressure on the finite number of shelters and campsites and on the water, plants and wildlife near these accommodations. When too many people are crammed together at campsites, vegetation is trampled, trash may accumulate and unsanitary conditions can ensue. These issues that arise due to overcrowding are detrimental not only to the A.T. but also to the hiker’s overall experience.
“With a large number of new hikers expected along the Appalachian Trail in 2015 and 2016, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy hopes that this new voluntary thru-hike registration system will allow hikers to know in advance when overcrowding along the Trail will exist, and then adjust a thru-hike start date to his or her advantage – the solution is simple, the hikers need to spread out,” said Morgan Sommerville, the ATC’s regional director.
Users of this voluntary registration system should keep in mind that it does not provide hikers with guaranteed spaces along the A.T. or serve as a substitute for any required permits. At this time, registration is only open for 2015. Registration for 2016 will be available on Dec. 1, 2015.
For more information about the new system, please visit http://ift.tt/1z43VuA .
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
How To Start a Fire With Your Cell Phone
Did you know that you can start a fire with your cell phone? With nearly everyone owning one, and taking them into the backcountry, this is a good skill to know in case you're ever caught in an emergency situation. Backpacker Magazine shows exactly how to do this in the video below:
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
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Guns at the Capitol
| Some guy from Alabama running his mouth on the Washington State Capitol steps. |
This past Saturday, our local paper reports, about 50 people showed up to protest what they see as infringement on their right to carry arms. A couple of legislators showed up to support them, and nobody was arrested. Washington state, characterized in the media as a liberal haven of pot-smokers and same-sex-marriers, turns out to also be one of the few states that does not outlaw carrying guns into its capitol building.
Still, the good voters of this state did vote last November to require background checks on all gun sales. You can still buy guns, a bunch of 'em, all kinds,...the voting public here is pretty tolerant of gun owners, but We the People decided it's reasonable to try and limit gun ownership by violent criminals and the mentally ill.
And it really pisses off a few people. Maybe the dude in the colonial outfit worries he'll be deemed as crazy as he looks. Maybe the guys covered head to foot in "tactical" paramilitary costumes genuinely believe that a background check is tantamount to tyranny.
But of course, it wasn't the legislators that passed the background check referendum. It was the neighbors of the protestors. Initiative 594 was not the work of some liberal cabal, but the result of a popular vote. Think about it for even a second, and you have to realize that many of the people who voted for the measure actually own guns themselves. No, this was not a top-down clampdown.
Not that there's not some precedent for the legislature curtailing the right to bear arms. In 1969, another protest occurred in Olympia, also making its way to the Capitol steps. That time, though, it was the Black Panthers. And that time, they were protesting a bill in the Legislature that aimed to outlaw the public display of firearms, echoing the California Legislature's act, one that was squarely aimed at the Black Panther Party. The Seattle Black Panthers stood silently on the capitol steps, rifles and shotguns aimed at the sky. When the State Patrol asked that they unload and put down their weapons, the Panthers did so, and after about an hour, they left. [Here's the firsthand account, so you don't have to take my word for it.]
To reiterate, faced with legislative action directly aimed at a political party to whom 2nd Amendment rights were a core principle, that party protested peacefully. They did not attempt to enter the Capitol building (as recent gun rights protestors have), and even allowed their weapons to be unloaded by State Troopers (as contemporary gun rights protestors swear they would never allow).
In 1969 (as in 2015, sadly) young black men were shot by policemen for minor alleged offenses. The Black Panther Party included people who had directly experienced repression by The State. Not minorly incovenienced by a referendum-passed background check, but subjected to full-on harrassment and injury at the hands of law enforcement. Break-ins, frame-ups and shootings perpetrated by local, state and federal governments, not to mention the lack of enforcement when amateurs stepped in with murders and lynchings. Thus the Panthers' belief that they needed to police the police and to arm themselves for self-protection. Thus the February 1969 protest here in Olympia.
The crowd this past Saturday did not include any black people that I could see in the available photos. They were prevented from entering the actual legislative chambers with their arsenals of handguns and assault weapons, but no legislation was passed that targeted them, or even gun owners in general. Yet their statements and signs show that these modern protesters feel that they have been grievously wronged, and are being oppressed.
If the Black Panthers had showed up with military assault weapons, would they have been treated as civilly? The 1969 photos show a bunch of guys in berets and jackets holding rifles and shotguns, hands visible and not on triggers, not handgun in sight, no paramilitary "tactical" gear at all. Had the Seattle protesters insisted that the State Patrol could unload Panther rifles once they had--in the words of Heston and any number of white NRA advocates--"pried it from my cold dead fingers," the Panthers may well have been obliged. I mean this not as a statement about the Washington State Patrol, who in fact seem to have been equally adept at diffusing tense situations then and now, but about the relative value of black and white lives then and now.
The local paper also reports that protesters this past Saturday expected to be arrested (read, "martyred") and were selling hats to cover bail that said "Fight Tyranny--Shoot Back." I'm not sure they had Michael Brown or Eric Garner in mind, but what if black men did just that? We don't have to speculate about the answer, because history provides it: those black men would be jailed, beaten, shot. In my own lifetime, I remember rowhouses in Philadephia being fire-bombed--with men, women, and children inside--because they were black nationalists. Now that's oppression. That's being Tread Upon by the iron heel of The State.
But background checks? Get real, your rights are in no danger.
How to Give Directions
Seven or eight of the volunteer firefighters are engaged in hauling brush that a resident cut back around his barn — part of a grant-funded wildland fire mitigation project.
When it's loaded, the chief gives directions to the ranch where the brush will be dumped into gullies for erosion control:
"Go down J_________ Hill and turn left by the corral where they found the body."
And I have now lived here long enough that I knew where he meant.
When it's loaded, the chief gives directions to the ranch where the brush will be dumped into gullies for erosion control:
"Go down J_________ Hill and turn left by the corral where they found the body."
And I have now lived here long enough that I knew where he meant.
Public Open Houses to Welcome New Park Superintendent
Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials invite the public to four open house opportunities to meet and welcome new Superintendent Cassius Cash to the Smokies. The open houses will be held in late February from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at each location. Two open houses will be held in North Carolina and two will be held in Tennessee.
Cash most recently served as Superintendent of Boston African American National Historic Site and Boston National Historical Park where he developed many partnerships with the surrounding community. This will be the first opportunity for the public to meet the Superintendent who begins working at the Smokies on February 9th.
“Great Smoky Mountains National Park is surrounded by incredible communities with a long tradition of supporting the park,” said Superintendent Cash. “I look forward to meeting and working with park neighbors as we continue building relationships and partnerships that enable us to protect this special place together.”
The open house events will be held on Tuesday, February 17 at the Oconaluftee Administration Building adjacent to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, NC; Thursday, February 19 at the Barn Event Center in Townsend, TN; Tuesday, February 24 at the Historic Calhoun House in Bryson City, NC; and Thursday, February 26 at the Calhoun’s Banquet Room in Gatlinburg, TN.
The open house events are hosted by Friends of the Smokies, Great Smoky Mountains Association, the Townsend-Walland Business Alliance, the City of Townsend, and the Historic Calhoun House. Light refreshments will be served from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Cash most recently served as Superintendent of Boston African American National Historic Site and Boston National Historical Park where he developed many partnerships with the surrounding community. This will be the first opportunity for the public to meet the Superintendent who begins working at the Smokies on February 9th.
“Great Smoky Mountains National Park is surrounded by incredible communities with a long tradition of supporting the park,” said Superintendent Cash. “I look forward to meeting and working with park neighbors as we continue building relationships and partnerships that enable us to protect this special place together.”
The open house events will be held on Tuesday, February 17 at the Oconaluftee Administration Building adjacent to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, NC; Thursday, February 19 at the Barn Event Center in Townsend, TN; Tuesday, February 24 at the Historic Calhoun House in Bryson City, NC; and Thursday, February 26 at the Calhoun’s Banquet Room in Gatlinburg, TN.
The open house events are hosted by Friends of the Smokies, Great Smoky Mountains Association, the Townsend-Walland Business Alliance, the City of Townsend, and the Historic Calhoun House. Light refreshments will be served from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Throwback Thursday
Since becoming a national park in 1915, Rocky Mountain has recorded at least 60 fatalities associated with climbing 14,259-foot Longs Peak, the highest point in the park. Perhaps one of the strangest deaths to occur on the mountain happened in 1889 - prior to the park's establishment. Frank Stryker was ascending the Keyhole Route when a loaded pistol fell out of his pocket and discharged into his neck. You might say there was a bit of karma involved. The 28-year-old was taking pleasure in launching large boulders down the mountain while climbing the peak. The newspaper account at the time said "he announced his intentions of sending off a particularly huge stone" just before the accident occurred. The man continued to cling to life for ten more hours while his companions attempted to transport him down the mountain on a makeshift litter.
You can read more about the history of fatalities on Longs Peak by clicking here .
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
It Is a Cold, Foggy Day . . .
| January 20, 2015, up behind the house. |
. . . so I am posting a picture of a gray fox, because I like them.
MTJP: A Visually Stunning Journey Through Great Smoky Mountains National Park During Peak Fall Color
This just might be the best video of the Great Smoky Mountains I've ever seen. It was produced last fall by a small start-up known as "More Than Just Parks". This spectacular 4-minute film is the culmination of two weeks spent extensively filming some of the most incredible parts of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
More Than Just Parks has set the goal of producing similar films for all 59 national parks. They hope that this will encourage folks to get out and have one-of-a-kind experiences of their own in our national parks! They also hope that these videos will help to build a greater awareness for all of the breathtaking natural wonders protected by our national park system.
MTJP | Smoky Mountains from More Than Just Parks on Vimeo.
For more information on the MTJP project, please click here .
If this video has inspired you to visit the Smokies this year, the best way to explore this wonderful park is to hike along one of the many trails that meander throughout the park. With over 850 miles of trails, the park is without a doubt a hikers paradise!
While making your plans, please note that our hiking website offers a wide variety of accommodation listings to help with your vacation planning.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
More Than Just Parks has set the goal of producing similar films for all 59 national parks. They hope that this will encourage folks to get out and have one-of-a-kind experiences of their own in our national parks! They also hope that these videos will help to build a greater awareness for all of the breathtaking natural wonders protected by our national park system.
MTJP | Smoky Mountains from More Than Just Parks on Vimeo.
For more information on the MTJP project, please click here .
If this video has inspired you to visit the Smokies this year, the best way to explore this wonderful park is to hike along one of the many trails that meander throughout the park. With over 850 miles of trails, the park is without a doubt a hikers paradise!
While making your plans, please note that our hiking website offers a wide variety of accommodation listings to help with your vacation planning.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Back in the Burn, Ten Years Later
| Part of the Mason Gulch burn, ten years after. |
M. and I were both feeling housebound yesterday, so we went for a walk up on the Mason Gulch Burn ( from the July 2005 fire — related blog posts here).
I wanted to see if there was a noticeable game trail in a certain area, and I found it, but it was faint and intermittent. Still, it gave me a new clue as to how elk in particular might move through that country — worth remembering and revisiting.
The woods were quiet. No one down on the road. Some sports thing going on, apparently.
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