Great Smoky Mountain National Park – 40 at 40

January 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Five to ten years ago when I was younger and in better shape, I joined a group of former thru-hikers for a multi-day and often strenuous winter backpacking trip. The hike was appropriately dubbed the MLK trip since it usually occurred on or around the three-day Martin Luther King weekend. The "M.O." of the MLK trip was (and continues to be) a 30-38 mile mega-hike, preferrably in snow, and always spanning four days. Typically we left town after work, fought traffic to some Mexican … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Backpacking Articles, Backpacking Trails, Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Winter Backpacking

Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Kephart Shelter – Trip Video (December 2010)

December 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

This video is of a short in and out backtrack hike in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It starts at US 441 on the North Carolina side of the park (and just north of the Oconaluftee Visitors Center) near Cherokee. The trail follows the The Kephart Prong which is a stream that runs down from Kephart Shelter to the Newfound Gap Road - also known as US 441. The shelter sleeps 10-12 and is situated in a valley at the junctions of the Grassy Branch and Sweat Heifer Trails. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Great Smoky Mountain National Park, National Parks, Videos, Winter Backpacking

Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Mt. LeConte – Trip Video (February 2005)

December 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

This is a video of a backpacking trip we did through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in February 2005. The 32.2 mile hike has 29,000 feet of total elevation change, so make sure you are in good shape before you take it on - especially in the winter time. On this hike, we started at US 441 and climbed to the Mount Collins Shelter via the Husky Gap and Sugarland Mountain Trails. Once on the ridge, we followed the Appalachian Trail across Newfound Gap and up to the Boulevard Trail which … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Appalachian Trail, National Parks, Videos, Winter Backpacking

Grand Canyon National Park, Phantom Ranch – Trip Video (December 2002)

December 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

This is a video slideshow of a three day backapacking trip in the Grand Canyon that I did with Charlie (aka the Operator) back in December 2002. We hiked two of the corridor trails, the South Kaibab Trail and the Bright Angel Trail, on our trip. This is a popular and heavily traveled route through the canyon but the frequent rest stops, access to water, and other amenities make it a very user-friendly overnight route suitable for all ages. Phantom Ranch is located a short distance from the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: National Parks, Videos, Wildlife

The Chilkoot Trail – Trip Video (June 2001)

December 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

This is a video slideshow of a five day hike we did on the Chilkoot Trail back in June 2001. For an interview with "The Camel" on this trip, check out this podcast link or click here for more photos, maps, and a trip report from the Chilkoot Trail. The Chilkoot Trail is a walk back in time. It follows the trail that the stampeders used to reach the Yukon River and float their provisions to the gold fields of the Klondike over a hundred years ago. Many artifacts from the 1890's still litter the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: National Parks, Videos

Denali National Park, Zone 31 & 32 – Trip Video (June 1995)

December 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Denali National Park & Preserve features North America's highest mountain, 20,320-foot tall Mount McKinley, but there is more to this place than the mountain. On this four day backpacking trip through Zones 31 and 32 we had spectacuar scenery and saw lots of wildlife including five grizzly, a moose, caribou and countless dall sheep. I wish I got more of the wildlife on film, but here's a video of the trip. If you are considering a hike in this area, then get in to shape because this is a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: National Parks, Videos, Wildlife

Episode 5: The Chattooga River Trail

December 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

In Episode 5, Ken (aka The Weasel) discusses his experiences on the Chattooga River Trail which is a nearly forty mile route that borders the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia and follows the banks of the Chattooga National Wild And Scenic River from Burrell's Ford to US 76. In the podcast, we discuss four separate sections of the trail, some historical points (including Ellicott Rock and Commissioner Rock), some scenic waterfalls (including Spoonauger Falls and Kings … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Backpacking Discussions, Backpacking Tips, Backpacking Trails, Backpacking With Your Dog, Camping With Your Dog, Long Distance Backpacking, National Forest, National Parks, Podcasts, With Dogs
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