HikeSummer '16

Thank God the long nightmare is unofficially over. While it will get hot again we did get a taste of autumn as the calendar flipped to September. While it has been mostly a hot and miserable summer the one bright spot was HikeSummer ‘16. I will say that this was one of the best hiking seasons to date. In June there were some great wildflower hikes to places like Mount LeConte, Gregory Bald, and the Roan Highlands. Plus I did a little wilderness training. In July I had an excellent backpacking trip with the Harvey Broome Group at Grayson Highlands State Park and a trip to Jacksonville. August started like July with another overnight with the Sierra Club, this time in the Shining Rock Wilderness The I finished up the month with hikes on the Appalachian Trail (AT) around the area. So, before the 2016 Fall Outdoor Series can get in full swing here is a look back at HikeSummer ‘16.

Total Days Out: 30; Hiking Days: 27

Total Hikes: 24; Urban-Other Hikes: 4

Total Miles: 127.1; Hiking Miles: 120.7; Urban-Other Miles: 6.4

Longest: Rainbow & Bullhead Trails to Mt. LeConte - 15.2 Miles (06-10-16)

Shortest: Blue Hole - .25 Miles (08-25-16)

Warmest: Mulberry Cove NT - 103 Degrees (07-28-16)

Coldest: Grayson Highlands S.P. - 50 Degrees (07-09 & 10-16)

Mountain Peaks: 26

Highest: Mt. LeConte - 6,593 ft. (06-10-16)

Shortest: Persimmon Ridge - 1,900 ft. (06-07-16)

Fire Lookouts, Towers & Water Towers: 5

Highest & Shortest: Camp Creek Bald FT - 4,844 ft. & 21 ft. (08-29-16)

Lowest & Tallest: Rich Mountain FT - 3,643 ft. & 30 ft. (07-17-16)

Tallest: NAS JAX Water Tower - 130 ft. ( 07-24 to 30-16)

Shortest: Ridge Water Tower - 40 ft. (06-07-16)

Cliffs & Outcrops: 62

Highest: Cliff Tops - 6,555 ft. (06-10-16)

Lowest: Manatee Point - 2 ft. (07-27-16)

Overlooks: 25

Highest: Roan Rhododendron Gardens - 6,167 ft. (06-16-16)

Lowest: Mulberry Cove Overlook - 0 ft. (07-25 to 30-16)

Waterfalls: 11

Tallest: Rainbow Falls - 80 ft. (06-10-16)

Shortest: Upper Blue Hole - 10 ft. (08-25-16)

Bodies of Water: 36

Ocean: Atlantic Ocean - 41 Million SQ Miles (07-29-16)

Largest Lake: Cherokee Lake - 44.97 SQ Miles (06-30-16)

Highest Lake: Watauga Lake - 1,959 ft. (07-10-16)

Smallest Lake: Davey Crockett Lake - 383 Acres (

Lowest Lake: Douglas Lake 876 ft. (07-24-16)

Highest River: Doe River - 2,681 ft. (June 3-Times)

Lowest River: St. John's River - 0 ft. (07-25 to 30-16)

Trailheads: 43

Highest: Rainbow Falls-Boulevard Trails - 

Lowest: Mulberry Cove NT - 10 ft. (07-25 to 30-16)

Gaps: 34

Highest Hiking & Road: Toll House Gap  - 6,087 ft. (06-16-16)

Lowest Hiking: Cumberland Gap - 1,601 ft. (06-30-16)

Lowest Road: Moccasin Gap - 1,266 ft. (July 2-Times & Aug. 2-Times)

Shelters: 5

Highest: Mt. LeConte Shelter - 6,465 ft. (06-10-16)

Lowest: Jerry's Cabin - 4,166 ft. (08-29-16)

Gift Shops & Visitor Centers: 26

Highest: LeConte Lodge - 6,400 ft. (06-10-16)

Lowest: NAS JAX Pro & Gift Shop - 19 ft. (07-24 & 27-16) 

Wilderness Areas: 2

Highest: Shining Rock - 5,725 ft (08-13 & 14-16)

Lowest: Little Wilson Creek - 4,370 ft. (07-09 & 10-16)

Recreation & Picnic Areas: 9

Highest: Mt. Rogers NRA - 4,913 ft. (07-9 & 10-16)

Lowest: Fishermen's Cove - 8 ft. (07-27-16)

Campsites: 3

Highest: Shining Rock Wilderness 5,350 ft. (08-13 & 14-16)

Lowest: Lost Mine Campground - 1,885 ft. (06-24 to 26-16)

Major Trails: 16

Appalachian Trail: 9

Mountains to Sea Trail: 1

Art Loeb Trail: 1

GSMNP: 5

Day In GSMNP On The Gatlinburg Trail, Tanger Outlet & A Rant Too

I have hiked a lot in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) this year, but the last hike I had was June. I corrected that Saturday with a hike on the Gatlinburg Trail. I have blogged in more detail about it here, but today Deb's Mom joined us on this pleasant four-mile hike from Sugarlands Visitor Center. Overall it was a fun hike in the GSMNP. 

We have arrived!

On the Gatlinburg Trail...

...past the Park Headquarters...

...& an old cemetery.

Jewelweed (Spotted Touch-Me-Not).

The beauty of  the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River...

...& the trail.

Dogs!

Deb trying to keep up with her Mom.

More river beauty.

Old fireplace just off the trail.

Footbridge from the right bank.

He just loved the water.

At the Gatlinburg Entrance sign.

Fallen Hemlock.

We reached the Gatlinburg end...

...so we headed over to the NOC....

...which always has park weather.

I need to head up to Ober Gatlinburg.

Headed back to the second entrance.

Footbridge from the left side of the bank

On the footbridge.

going past an old homestead.

Deb hiking away.

Orange barriers.

Moth on a Hemlock.

Last 200 yards...

...to the finish.

Gatlinburg from the Gatlinburg Overlook...

...& now the vista at the Mt. LeConte Overlook.

We then headed to Sevierville first stopping at Chipotle and this experience was better than our first one. This might be a surprise to some but I went with the vegetarian option of the Sofritas, the braised organic tofu, and it was very good. We then went to Tanger Outlet and it was like Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge...a madhouse, but it is Labor Day weekend. Now for my rant...

Sofritas.

Smith Creek Moonshine at Tanger Outlet.

That was the traffic headed in.

**Here is my warning to any Trump voting hatriot, don't read any further.**

Well with that out of the way it is rant time! OK, if you're not rich and a regular person I don't get it If you are voting for Trump. However, when I see a big Trump sign in the back window of a vehicle at Sugarlands Visitor Center I don't get it. People like Trump and other Republicans underfund the National Parks and would like to privatize them and turn the over to private companies so they can be raped and pillaged. If you don't, believe me, it is in the 2016 Republican Platform (story here). The days when most Republicans, like Teddy Roosevelt, defended the National Parks are long gone. Men like him way back in the 1800's and early 1900's understood the importance of public lands. So, a vote for Trump is a vote against the very park that you are taking the time to visit and enjoy. Hatriots...Nuff said, rant over.

Hatroits set up in Rogersville...gas prices are that bad under Obama

Good grief they were also driving a Prius! 

Tennessee has Hatroits too!

500

Well, this blog is technically three and a half years old, but I have regularly posted just short of 36 months (34 to be precise).  I wasn't sure if the Tales from the Wood Booger would make it that long and I really didn't know it would reach this milestone...500 blogs. I will admit, while sometimes doing this blog can be a grind, but I still enjoy doing it. This special blog gives me an opportunity to look back and give some facts over the previous 499 entries. The first blog was in March of 2013, but it didn't really get going until December.  That "second blog" was stats for the 2013 Fall Hiking Series (the 4th annual is just starting). I have had over 30,000 views (30,536 at the time I wrote this) The most viewed blog, by a wide margin is Day Hikes: Sawnee Mountain at 1255 views.  

Wood Booger on the Indian Seats at Sawnee Mountain.

I have had views from as far away as Russia and China. Over the time of the blog I have averaged 12 blogs a month since the start. However, if you adjust for the fact that I did one entry over the first nine months I have an average of 15 a month, not bad.  Since December of 2013, the year with the most blogs is 2015 at 225, but the most for a single month came in October of 2014.

At Mt. LeConte in 2015.

Pete at Hog Pen Gap in October of 2014.

The category with the most blogs is Day Blogs at 193. Not surprisingly the single most blogged about thing was the Beard Blog (65). The most blogged about hiking trail is the Appalachian Trail (AT), mountain; Blood Mountain, waterfall; Amicalola Falls.

One of my favorite pictures from the Beard Blog.

AT in Fox Cabin Gap.

Blood Mountain.

Amicalola Falls.

What is the future for the blog? I still enjoy doing it so I would say it is here to stay (unlike my beard). I do hope one day to move it so I can do more with it. So, here is to the first 500 blogs and here is to 500 more.