Hiking
South Carolina's Steepest Hike
October 2006
The mountains in Upstate South Carolina are the Rodney Dangerfield of the Blue Ridge – they don’t get no respect. Perhaps it’s because they’re so much lower than in North Carolina. Sassafras Mountain, the highest point in South Carolina, is only 3,554 feet high compared with Mt. Mitchell’s 6,684 feet. However, the gorgeous views, amazing rock outcropping and outstanding waterfalls makes these mountains a great place to explore almost anytime except the height of the summer.
A Hike Beneath the Hemlocks
September 2006
A wonderful hike in Georgia’s Chattahoochee National Forest is the Bear Creek & Pinhoti Trails, near the Cohutta Wilderness Area
Re-Joyce in Kilmer Wilderness Solitude
August 2006
Afraid of crowds at Joyce Kilmer Forest? Fear not. Most of Kilmer is remote, remarkable, and relatively unused.
LeConte: The Must-Do Smokies Hike
June 2006
I want to dispel a rumor right now: You can get a reservation at Le Conte Lodge without knowing anyone on the inside or booking a bed for summer, 2014. You have to either plan ahead or be flexible with your dates.
The Ultimate Camping Cookbook
May 2006
Food. It may be the most important item you carry in your backpack, for without it you won’t have the energy to get over the next rise and make use of all the other gear you’ve brought along.
Reading the Landscape
April 2006
It’s April. The temperatures are warmer, birds are singing in the forest and winging their way through the sky, and daylight hours are longer. If this isn’t enough to inspire a trip to the woods, I’d like to share a few things that kept me thinking about hiking during the long, cold days of winter.
A Winter Wildflower Wonder
March 2006
It’s late winter and time to head to the woods for a wildflower hike. What? A wildflower hike in winter? Sure, most of us start thinking about Southern Appalachian wildflowers sometime in late March or early April, but there is a plant that is blooming right now that deserves your attention—and maybe even admiration.
Ties Up in Knots Over Shoelaces
October 2005
It’s important to have a nemesis. Someone or something that you battle throughout a significant portion of your life. Superman has Lex Luthor. Batman has the Joker. George W. has the environment. A nemesis gives you direction. It gives you purpose.
Competitive Hiking
September 2005
I’ve recently learned that some of my friends have joined a bowling league. Shirts with names stitched on the pockets, rented shoes, Tuesday night tournaments—the whole shebang just like in “The Flintstones.” I’ve got nothing against bowling itself. I’ve only bowled a handful of times, never cresting the 100 mark, but I get the appeal.
Public Enemy #1: Mosquitoes
August 2005
I’m not a violent man. I’ve been in only one fight in my entire life. It was second grade and Joel Pinsky and I were after the same girl. Her name was Missy. She had blonde hair and the largest Cabbage Patch Doll collection in Cobb County. The attraction was inevitable.
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