Backpacker Magazine just announced their Reader's Choice picks for the best hikes of 2011. Since I am most familiar with the Southeastern U.S. - I'll focus on the top picks in this area: 1. Ramsey Cascades, Great Smokies, TN - I've hiked countless miles in the Smokies and did a 30+ mile trip starting at Elkmont and ending at Laurel Creek Road, but the Ramesey Cascades have somehow escaped me. Guess it's time to check this one out. You can follow this link for maps of the Great Smoky … [Read more...]
Episode 3: Ease In To Backpacking
August 10, 2011 By 2 Comments
In Episode 3, Steve (aka White Lightening) talks about how he migrated from camping in his youth, to hiking with kids in his 30's, and eventually wilderness backpacking as he reached his 40's. In this podcast, Steve talks about how he eased in to the sport with an initial trip to the Len Foote Hike Inn near Amicalola Falls State Park in North Georgia. From there, he explored the backcountry campsites along the Foothills Trail at Lake Jocassee, and eventually migrated to his first solo … [Read more...]
Did Earl Shaffer Take A Shortcut On The First Documented Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike?
August 1, 2011 By 1 Comment
It is customary in the world of Appalachian Trail thru-hiking to pick a trail name, and in 1994 after reading Wingfoot's Thru-Hiker's Handbook - I came to realize that it was better to choose a trail name rather than have someone pick one for me. So after completing Earl Shaffer's Walking With Spring, I decided to take the trail name "BirdShooter" which was the brand name of the hiking boots that carried Earl Shaffer 2000+ miles up the East Coast and in to history as the first hiker … [Read more...]
