Last Days of Summer Hiking In The Smokies

Here is a quick day blog on my outing Thursday in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). This was a shuttle hike from Newfound Gap down the Appalachian Trail (which I have done a few times). However, instead of heading toward the Boulevard Trail or out to Charlies Bunion we took a right at the first trail junction down the Sweat Heifer Trail and cascades of the same name.

We hiked to the end of it at the Kephart Shelter and then down a trail that shares the same name...the Kephart Prong Trail to Kaniti Fork. All-in-all about 7.5 miles, and I only got rained on once and I got to sweep the hike...it was a good day.

You Have Got To Love The Weather In Southwest Virginia

On Saturday I went to the Scott County Democrats Luncheon with Virginia Senator Tim Kaine's wife Anne Holton was the guest speaker. 

What is funny while inside for a good part of the day the weather was great unlike last weekend when I was supposed to help lead a hike to the Chimney Rocks on the slopes of High Knob and the weather Gods didn't cooperate so it was canceled. 

Well, I did do trail work there, getting ready for the hike, so here are some pictures from it. Anyway, while I didn't go to Chimney Rocks Saturday here are some photos from my July trailwork session.

It Is A Bear Down Stairdown With Buddy Bear

When did we move the Cabin to Cade's Cove? That is what it has felt like lately in regards to me seeing bears in Southwest Virginia. I guess I am on some kind of streak as I had another encounter at dusk on Thursday.
I had seen evidence that a bear had been close by as a limb was broke down in a Russian Olive tree, However, later that evening while sitting by the fire I had seen a deer earlier, but what came by this time was no deer, but a bear.

He was on the other side of the branch maybe 20 yards away. He looked at me while I looked at him, it was a stare down (except I was taking pictures). Then after a few minutes, he turned, galloped a short way and stopped when I said: "hey bear." After that, he turned and headed up the hollow. I decided to name him Buddy Bear after the one in the Jimmy Buffett song God's Own Drunk. I think he was the same bear as the one in the trail cam pictures.

That brings me to five and half bear sightings ( I count the individual captured on the camera trap as a half). Right in the same area, I saw a deer on connective days and a Tom turkey. Not bad for not leaving the yard.

Another Sierra Club Backpack...This Time To Cold Mountain

This is a short blog (I will write more soon) on this past weekend as I was backpacking in the Shining Rock Wilderness to Cold Mountain. As with most backpacks I do it was with members of the Harvey Broome Group of the Sierra Club, led by Will Skelton. It was another great outing, but this is not the first backpack of Will's I have been on this year, but the fourth.

The first was in May, at Rocky Fork State Park to the Hidden Lake and down past Lower Higgins Creek Falls.  The next was the annual June outing to the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, with this year going to the summit of Virginia's highest peak. Then in July, it was a hike to a place I had wanted to go to for some time...Big Bald. Yes, I will have more detailed blogs on all of these too, hopefully, sooner rather than later.

Hidden Lake:

Mount Rogers:

Big Bald:

Bears Where Back & There Is Going To Be Trouble

This past week I was back at the Cabin in Southwest Virginia and while I wasn't there for the visit this time the bears were back. As I wrote about in July when I was at last at the Cabin, Dad and I had a visit from a mama bear and later her cub.

Well, when we got to the Cabin last Monday and it was obvious that bears had returned as the apple tree, where we saw the bears, was wrecked and the apples were all but gone. So, I used the pole saw to clean up the tree, but I did get a picture of at least one bear. We had a camera trap pointing at the apple tree...cool.

Snakes, Hiking & Spelunking...Three-Days At Cedars of Lebanon

August, the Dog Days of Summer...well what better way to enjoy them than at Cedars of Lebanon for the Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra Club meeting, last weekend. This wasn't my first visit to this Tennessee State Park, that was at my last Chapter meeting back in January.
I must say that the weather, this summer, was better than the 2017 Summer Chapter Meeting at Nathan Bedford State Park. A year ago it hovered around 100 degrees. It also differed from my previous visit to Cedars of Lebanon as it was green, warmer and more crowded than winter. Friday is about socializing because there is only a small group.

Saturday is what I call my day and it started out with a short hike in the morning around the Cedar Glades. While I did this one back in January, it was raining, so the weather was better. Also, I had heard about the Tennessee Coneflower, a species believed extinct at one time, but on this hike, I got to see some. Oh, and there was plenty of fossils.

After this hike and a quick bite, it was off to do some spelunking. For those who don't know that is caving, which is something I don't have very much experience in doing. The first was led by Park Ranger Cody into the smaller Hermit Cave. It had some nice formations inside of it.

Later State Naturalist Randy Hedgepath (he also led the morning hike) led a hike into the longer and larger Jackson Cave. It is a quarter-mile of mud and muck to reach an underground pond. But hiking in both caves was a whole lot of fun.

I also got to see a feeding of the park's snakes, including an albino Corn snake named Butters. The evening was fun with a great meal provided by the Watauga Group. I even found time for a fire.

As always, Sunday was about the Executive Committee Meeting, it was again a good three days at Cedars of Lebanon.