Every Bit The Journey

The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, and this is mine.

Montana Mountains

Category: Life Page 3 of 6

Mt Mitchell and Waterrock Knob benchmarks

It was a Summit kind of Weekend

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On August 20, 2019

In Life, life events, Travel

Mt. Mitchell (6684′) & Waterrock Knob (6292′) are in the bag. This was as much an impromptu therapy couple days as much as anything else. It felt good to get out and go (highly recommended).

I had read about the southern sixer’s and decided to go out and try to bag a couple. Unfortunately, I had some pesky obligations for Monday (work), so I had to box in my plans down to driving up Saturday to North Carolina from Dorchester, South Carolina, hike a couple peaks, and then drive home on Sunday.

Normally I like to do a whole lot more planning when I’m heading in to somewhere new. This time I pretty much just hit the road, I had not really scope out the trails, or much of anything else, so I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived at the trail heads. This worked against me a little where I had wanted maybe a little more trail time and hit another peak or two, but the unknown added to the sense of adventure too. It ended up with me really not too sure where to pick up some of the trails to another nearby peak until it was too late in the day. This was still a really good trip. What I did know is Mt. Mitchell is the highest peak east of the Mississippi, I figured I would go there first.

I basically just took my backpack (just in case), a change of clothes, some dog stuff an hit the road with Radar as my co-pilot. It felt like I had loaded more stuff for Radar than me, but I think I’m just a better packer than he is. Radar (with the help of Mr. Garmin) was able to expertly navigate us from the house all the way to the Mt. Mitchell visitor center parking lot without missing a turn.

Radar is concerned about my level of planning

The trip up from south Carolina up to Mt. Mitchell was pretty uneventful, for a 5+ hour drive. Radar and I got to the Mt. Mitchell visitor center parking lot around mid afternoon. The visitor center was amazingly nice with ample parking. We geared up and headed out and up the mountain. Because of my lack of extensive trip planning, I really didn’t have a good idea how far it was to the summit, I found the hike from the visitor center parking lot summit trail head to the summit was incredibly difficult (just kidding, it was surprisingly easy!). The trail to the summit is actually paved and is an easy short walk for most people. The air was cool and a nice refreshing change from the heat in the low-country.

Radar and I submitted Mt. Mitchell about a quarter after 3 in the afternoon, on July 20th. The summit on this day was in the clouds, so visibility was pretty socked in – not really a whole lot to see. But then the view was not the prime reason I had come.

Summit of Mount Mitchell

I did not know this until I got to the summit (must remember to planning more), but Mt. Mitchell is named after Elisha Mitchell. He died on the mountain in 1857, trying to prove the elevation of this mountain. His remains are buried on the summit still. Mountain graves and memorials are not uncommon, I’ve seen a number while hiking over the years. I often stop and think about the person behind the plaque. What events in their life brought to where they ended up. I leave a stone to let them know they are not forgotten. I again left a small stone. This time; the name of a cousin of mine was engraved on the stone.

Several years ago I sadly lost a cousin and I had made a small memorial stone for him. In the back of my mind, I wanted to leave it on a tall mountain somewhere. I had brought this stone with me on this trip. It seemed fitting, so I left my stone on this high mountain, 6684 feet above sea level, discreetly near the summit of the highest peak East of the Mississippi River. Radar and I returned to our car and headed down and west along the Blue Ridge Parkway, towards Ashville, for the night.

We stayed in a pet friendly independent motel (which shall remain nameless – unless you ask) on the edge of Ashville. I had selected it on the internet strictly based on price. Radar took one look at the motel room, then me, and pleaded with me not to leave him there alone when I went for dinner. I couldn’t blame him. So we both headed out for some Mexican at restaurant with an outdoor patio. When we returned to the motel we took turns sleeping. I gotta say, they tried, it really wasn’t too bad, and it was an experience, but I likely will not schedule a return there anytime in the near future.

Anyway, Sunday we were up and out early. We had to head home but I wanted to try to bag a couple more peaks, if we could. Back on the Blue Ridge Parkway, we continued heading west from Ashville, towards Waterrock Knob. One of our high points on the way, was being able to claim standing on the highest park of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

High point
The highest road elevation along the Blue Ridge Parkway

By the time we got to the Waterrock Knob visitor parking area, I knew we would be pressed for adventure time. There was supposed to be a trail at Waterrock Knob which ran across three or four peaks there. Unfortunately again, my (lack of) high level, detailed, planning would catch up with me. This peak also had an amazingly nice visitor center (they even let Radar inside) and nice parking. However, unlike Mt Mitchell, the trail to the summit of Waterrock Knob was not such an easy hike. The trail to the summit, while fairly short, just under a mile, it was a steep up hill climb. It felt good to work a little for the hike up.

Radar leading on the trail to Waterrock Knob

Like Mount Mitchell, the peak was also clouded in so the view was limited to the inside of the clouds. We hung out at the peak a little catching my breath. I tried to pick up the trail to the next peak, but really didn’t know where to go. With a limited time schedule and really not knowing the trails held me back from getting likely hopelessly lost that day. So we just explored the peak a little. Hidden in the grass and almost covered with dirt, we were able to locate the benchmark. With this as the days accomplishment, I felt good about heading back down. I told Radar next time he needs to research this trail stuff a bit more. During our decent we located a couple more trails which were likely candidates for some future hikes, but for now, we were done. It was time to head back home.

  • View from Waterrock Knob
  • Waterrock Knob Visitor Parking
    Waterrock Knob Visitor Parking
  • Radar after hiking up Waterrock Knob
    Radar after hiking up Waterrock Knob

Radar surprisingly slept almost the entire way back home. It was nice to get out and back up to the mountains. Being on the trail even for just a little while, helps put things back in place. Over all, a very therapeutic and worthwhile trip.

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A rainy day on the farm, July 4th 2019.

Just tryin’ to keep up

By

On July 8, 2019

In Life

It was raining when I started writing this post and it fits the mood. It’s been a bit busy in a lot of ways this past month for me and I’ve fallen behind my goal of more frequent postings.

I’ve had a few setbacks recently, which really do nothing to help in the writing category. Most notably, was the cancellation of our annual backpacking trip. Again. This is the second year in a row it’s been cancelled. I was really hoping to get some time in hiking a section of the Appalachian Trail, however there was some “dangerous” weather conditions forecast for our planned hike period. It would have made for a big fubar to bring new hikers into a week of really crappy, and potentially dangerous, weather, so discretion won out. But I feel like I should have gone anyway, even solo. My hindsight is way better than my foresight.

I had an idea and had applied for a federal grant to research a “save the world,” but I never heard back. I don’t think it was taken seriously by the big government givers away of money because I’m not affiliated with any major institutions of “higher” learning. Oh well. On an unrelated side note, if anyone is interested in crowd-sourcing atmospheric carbon capture using existing commercial building infrastructure, just let me know.

I also started teaching night classes again for the summer, which I do enjoy. Coupled with trying to set some sort of weekly gym-fitness routine, I was keeping busy. This was going well for the most part, but somehow still felt more like a place holder than anything else. Nice, but not hitting on all cylinders. So I went poking a stick in the bushes looking for some kind of a new job to explore. Besides, I felt a bit of positive cash flow would be nice for a change. Anyway, long story-short, I have just started working a new job. I’m grateful for the opportunity, yet I have a sense of being somewhat constrained by draft now. Unfortunately this may mean I loose out on an epic Utah trip this fall with my brother. We’ll see how everything shakes out.

Just because I seem to like trying new things, I’ve been bouncing around the idea of starting up a podcast too, but have held off. I have started listening to some really great sets, and they piqued my interest from the story telling perspective. I need to spend some time focusing on the direction(s) I want to take this. For now I think I’ll move this idea into the “future projects” file, maybe for when the rain stops.

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Photo by mali maeder on Pexels.com

Save the World

By

On May 1, 2019

In Life

I recently posted some random thoughts about our environment, about the state of the world, and particularly related to the enormous amount of plastic waste ending up in the oceans (it’s really enough to account for some sea level rise). I was doing a bunch of farm work the other day, and during a break, drinking a much needed cool drink my GF provided, I noticed the plastic bottle had a five cent deposit (if you were in Maine), which got me thinking, “Why doesn’t my state do this?”

As a kids, we used to collect glass soda bottles and turn them in for the deposit. That’s how I remember making my first pocket money. My brother and I would pick bottles up from the side of the road, and cash them in at the convenience store. I think they were worth like a nickle a bottle even back then. Half a dozen bottles and we were on our way to the candy isle! The point is, as a state, as a country, as a global community, we have gotten away from that idea of reusing and recycling. We throw away plastic. It’s cheap. We’ll make more. No need for the whole deposit thing any more. Well the cheap and “we’ll make more” is catching up to us. Globally now.

Recent news around my state and the nation and the world, now includes gross amounts of plastic waste being discarded, ending up in the oceans, killing marine life. Causing problems, crazy problems everywhere. Go to any beach anywhere, walk along the shore 100 meters, and tell me there is no plastic trash washing up. Municipalities in my state struggle with maintaining recycling programs, communities are trying to ban plastic straws and shopping bags, and inexplicably, legislators are trying to outlaw those same plastic bans. We have a problem.

I will not argue plastics are a boon to both safety and convenience. Plastic saves tons of energy to transport due to their lower weight. Without a doubt, plastic containers have a lot of advantages. The problem is, we are making far more plastic than we are recycling. If you want to talk about something which really can end the world in 12 years, I will argue, drowning and choking to death on waste plastic is it.

Voluntary plastic recycling is great, but hit and miss and does not seem well supported by communities as a whole across the nation. Government curbside recycling often struggles to break even, often giving the impression these programs are only in place to check-off the “we recycle” box and to keep a lid on the environmentalists. I suspect the prime reason there is so much plastic waste is because it generally has no intrinsic value.

I really don’t think there is an easy fix. As a consumer we’re encouraged to “Pitch it in.” We’re doing the right thing by properly disposing of our waste, right? Maybe not any more. As a consumer, we have no skin in the game. But my thought is, a state “bottle bill” could help change this. By placing a value on these types of containers, people would be incentivized to return plastic bottles and containers. In my country, there are only ten state (out of fifty) which have some form of a container deposit legislation. These states with such laws, have less litter and more recycling. They are capturing the plastic before it enters the waste stream and becomes a problem. It’s an idea we can build on.

Fight Litter. Save the world. Ask your legislator for a bottle bill.

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Thoughts and comments, Please!

Roan High Knob Survey Marker

A new adventure in the Southern Sixers

By

On April 24, 2019

In Life, life events, Travel

A couple years ago and for a lot of different reasons, I had set and completed the goal of climbing Pikes Peak in Colorado and was able to successfully “bag” my first Fourteener. It was only after I had set my Pikes Peak goal, I learned climbing mountains over 14,000 feet is a thing. Especially in Colorado since they have something like 53 of these beasts. I feel like I would like to try some more of them, maybe, but I would probably need to live in Colorado.

Just this week however, I learned of something called the “Southern Sixers.” These are the tallest mountains in the eastern United States which are all over 6,000 feet. All (besides New Hampshire’s Mount Washington) are in and around the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. “Wow,” I thought, they sound close to home, maybe I could hike a couple of them. I did a little research, pulled up the list of mountains, and noticed a bunch of very familiar names. Low and behold, it looks like I’ve already hit about a quarter of them!

Now it’s time to start planning to bag the rest of them.

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Columbia Glacier in Alaska; glaciers in Alaska are currently contributing the most of glaciers worldwide to sea level rise. David McNew / Getty Images

Melting ice and some random thoughts about our environment

By

On April 10, 2019

In Life

Here’s a frigging idea. Maybe it’s not the ice melting (which has recently been reported are re-freezing)? Follow along, please.

I recently read an online article from EcoWatch which popped up in my news feed. The article indicated “glaciers lose about 335 billion tons of ice a year, the equivalent of one millimeter per year of sea level rise.” Curious, I explored this statement a bit. According to some quick math, 1 ton of ice equals about 264.5 gallons of water (I know it’s not as simple as this, but this is the internet, so we’ll run with it).

So, 335 billion tons of melting ice would be something crazy like adding 88.6 Trillion gallons of water a year to the oceans just to push the level up 1 mm. However our planet also has other things which “displace” water, like boats. These things would also have the effect of adding volume to the oceans and would also contribute to “sea level rise.” According to the 2018 e-Handbook of statistics, globally, we have a growing fleet of commercial (those over 1000t capacity) vessels in the neighborhood of 1.9 Billion tons, this would be the equivalent of an additional 502.6 Billion gallons of water added to the oceans. And trash also displaces water. According to the earth day folks, we add an estimated 8 Billion tons of plastic alone to the oceans, each year. This would be like pouring in an additional 2.1 Trillion gallons of water every year. if we’ve dumped at the same rate for the last 10 years, we’re at an additional 21.2 Trillion gallons and rising. And of course, our rate of “contribution” for plastics in the ocean is set to increase tenfold by 2020. And this doesn’t include all the other garbage we generously include, like
cruise ships pumping a billion gallons of sewage (that’s poop, feces, or sh*t for the layman) in to the ocean a year. We dump or pump untold quantities of junk into our oceans. Sadly.

I don’t dispute our climate can and does change. I don’t dispute we, as people, can have some level of influence on any possible change. I ‘m just not convinced melting ice is our problem. I do think our “problem” comes from an ironically deeper, darker place. A place where we keep disregarding the natural world around us. We keep reaching for those shinny brass rings on the bright loud carousel ride of life and not looking around. we’re distracted by the loud music and bright lights. I think we need to get the hell off the ride and leave the noise of the amusement park sometime. We need to walk in grass with bare feet. Look at the stars at night. Hike up a mountain sometime. Sit with the warmth of the sun on your body and smell clean air. Maybe then we’ll appreciate more, and take better care of, what our mother nature has given us.

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It’s a WIN!

By

On February 13, 2019

In Life, National Parks, Travel

The headlines of the Chicago Tribune read “Senate backs biggest conservation bill in a decade, protecting millions of acres of land and adding four national monuments”. This is great news not just for the outdoors folks but really for all Americans and here is why.

This is one of the biggest outdoor conservation bills in a long time and it looks like it’s been done right. While the bill still needs to make it through the House and then be signed by the President, this bill has an impact in just about every state of the nation and when signed, will have a positive and lasting impact for a long time to come.

The Senate, working together, in a seemingly and sometimes rare bipartisan manner, passed S.47 – Natural Resources Act. The bill is to protect millions of acres of land, hundreds of miles of wild rivers, and establishing four new national monuments. Legally, by congress coming together to pass federal legislation. This is hugely important to the outdoor community and should be as important to everyone. The outdoor community at first was celebratory with former President Obama’s executive orders declaring new areas as protected lands, then anguishing as current President Trump looked at undoing some of these “protected” areas. Many may have felt rightly upset, as if the outdoor conservation rug had been pulled out from under them.

This bill makes a giant step forward in cementing the protection of what Americans love about our lands. From wilderness area, to historical areas, to outdoor sports and activities we enjoy, this bill has something for just about any one who steps outside of their house. This new legislation is a huge win for everyone really. If you read the Tribune’s article, you get an idea of the magnitude of this piece of legislation. And unlike executive orders, bills like this will have the proper funding to go with it for park and program maintenance.

  • Hiking back down from Pike’s Peak into the forest
  • A view down from Pike’s Peak with the boulder field in the foreground
  • The tundra along the trail to Pikes Peak
    The tundra along the trail to Pikes Peak
  • Pikes Peak
    Pikes Peak
  • The new 14er hikers, all finished safe and mostly sound
    The new 14er hikers, all finished safe and mostly sound

The value of this bill really struck home with me as I was reading over the introduction in Section 1 of the bill. One of the very first things I read was about the Crags Land Exchange to enhance the Pike’s National Forest and provide permanent trail easement. This is the side of Pikes Peak I climbed with my family. For me anyway, this is an amazing section of trail and land. The experience was something I will hold dear to me. If any of the rest of the areas or items in the bill are worth even a fraction of the Crags portion and my experience hiking there, then this bill is priceless in providing current and future generations with the best outdoor experience possible.

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Hiking South Carolina – Croft State Park

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On January 29, 2019

In Canoe, Hiking & Camping in South Carolina, Life, SC State Parks, Travel, Uncategorized

If you like the outdoors, then Croft State Park has something for you. From horses to bikes to hiking to boating to shooting sports, this park offers a heavy helping of fun for everyone and is another outstanding South Carolina destination to explore.

Located in the rolling, wooded terrain of the upstate, Croft has an amazing amount of trails within the park to explore. All the 50 miles of trails at Croft are open to hikers and include the 12.6 mile Croft Passage of the Palmetto Trail, almost 17 miles of trails for Mountain Bikes, and another 17 miles of horse trails. While my girlfriend rode the horse trails with her friends, Radar and I took a day and hiked just about 13 miles of various trails including 8.5 of the Palmetto Trail section. We barely scratched where we could go.

This park opened in 1949 and with 7054 acres, is the third largest in the South Carolina State Park system. Besides the hiking, biking, and horseback riding, this park is packed with other things to do too. There are about 190 acres between the two lakes which support fishing, boating, and bird watching. There are picnic shelters, a playground, and several geocaches are located on the park. This is also one of the few South Carolina Sate Parks with a shooting range (contact the park for more information).

Favorite Time of year: Anytime for camping.

Things to Know: Please speak to a park ranger before setting a geocache. Swimming is not permitted in the lake, but you may wade in the Fairforest Creek at your own risk of course.

Camping: Camping from RV to primitive is available at Croft. Call 1-866-345-PARK (or go here for reservations).

Pet friendly: Pets allowed in most outdoor areas but must be physical restraint or on a leash not longer than six feet.

Getting There: Croft is in the upstate of South Carolina, just 5 minutes South and East of Spartanburg, between I-26 and US-176. It’s about a 4 hour drive from the Charleston area.

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What to do when the magnetic North Moves on you?

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On January 18, 2019

In Hiking & Camping in South Carolina, Life, Outdoor Tips, Skills, Travel

In recent news, the earths magnetic north pole has moved. A lot. What does this mean for the hiker trying to find their way?

If you are planning to navigate with a magnetic compass, the first thing you need to know is the average amount of variation in your area. In parts of the country and world other than South Carolina, the variation may be more or less and can be to the East instead of West. In South Carolina the magnetic declination or variation is normally between 6 and 9 degrees (depending on where you are in the state) to the West. This means when you are holding a compass in your hand, the needle will actually be pointing about 6 to 9 degrees West of the earths true North pole, it’s pointing towards the earths magnetic North pole. To find the true North direction you have to add this westerly variation to your magnetic compass reading. Simple right? Maybe.

Some compasses include an adjustment setting for declination or
variation. This is great if all your navigation is typically in one area and you have a large amount of declination, greater than 10 degrees. you can make the adjustment for your area and the compass will indicate true North. Most maps will have some sort of compass rose which typically will point to true North and may also indicate magnetic North. You should always use the most recent maps available for your area.

While a lot depends on how far you are traveling, most hikers follow established trails. In these cases, the compass is an aid to make sure you are heading in the correct direction on the trail, or to simple help you get back on trail if you step off for a quick bathroom break of to explore a bit (of course you would need to take a bearing when you head off). If you are truly navigating open areas with long distances where a couple of extra degrees of error may matter, I would recommend augmenting the compass with GPS or other aids. With regards to the movement of the earths magnetic North, I wouldn’t worry about it too much, yet.

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Happy New Year!

By

On December 31, 2018

In Life, life events, Travel

I’m back in my proper time zone now, winding down 2018 with my girlfriend at the farm. Family is home and my daughter wished us a happy new year from the future (she is all the way in tomorrow). The clock is slowly ticking down the remaining hours and minutes of 2018.

Tick.

Tock.

I am looking forward to seeing what the new year brings. I am trying not to pre-build expectations, but as we transition from one year to the next, there is much to be thankful for. The ones we love and care about most are topping my list. 2019 will come no mater what, and like every dawn, new opportunities will present if you watch for them.

Sometimes, when hiking, the trail is so hard, my focus is just on the next step. Then the next step. Then the next step. Until I can catch my breath and start looking about at what is around me. This is when I am in awe of the world, when cresting a ridge, the view relieved, you realize the wonder, presented to you.

I wish everyone a wonderful and glorious new year, may the trail you taking, be amazing.

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International time traveler and other recent discoveries (part 2)

By

On December 23, 2018

In Life, life events, Travel, Uncategorized

I’ve been in Okinawa visiting with my daughter and her family for just over a week now. They have been stationed here since the spring. I haven’t seen her or my granddaughter in a while, so a quick visit before Christmas seemed like a good idea. I have seen some pretty “cool” and amazing things. Things like, they have food on conveyor belts, and you just eat as much and whatever you want. You don’t even need talk to a person to order anything. Kind of a point and click situation. That works really well here because they don’t speak English and I don’t speak Japanese (or Okinawan).

Note to self: must work on the language thing next time when time traveling.

Since coming here to Okinawa, I have spent time discovering and learning a little about the island. With my daughter as guide, we visited some historic places, a little bit of traveling back in time if you will. We visited the Urasoe castle ruins at Kakau ridge (Hacksaw ridge) and the Shurijo castle, site of the former Japanese Naval underground HQ. During the second world war, great battles were fought at these sites. Okinawa has a deep history of it’s own right, which unfortunately, has been clouded some with the events of the last world war. It was quite thought provoking, to visit these ancient castle sites and battlefield memorials in a country where they didn’t win. To see how they wrote the history of what happened, humanizes this opponent from long ago. For me I developed a better understanding of the differences between the two cultures of Imperial Japan and Okinawa. It offers a bit of historical insight you can’t find in a book. It’s sad to think of all of the lost lives when the world degrades to total war. Sigh.

We even climbed a mountain, Mt. Katsu Dake. While not the highest point in Okinawa, Mt. Katsu Dake is an honest climb and provides absolutely amazing 360 degree views of the island. I’m told way better viewing than some of the taller peaks (due to the vegetation). Well worth the trip up, but bring plenty of water and solid hiking shoes. The rocks are both treacherously slick and razor sharp, makes for an interesting combination. Ri, my daughters family dog, had worn pup boots which were totally appropriate for the rock climbing over lava rocks.

We did some of the normal tourist things too with shopping and eating. It was fun exploring the shops and trying different foods and tastes. I like food and flavors. The Okinawa people are some of the nicest and most polite people I have ever met and truly a pleasure to interact with. The cars are little here. It’s okay because they just seem to fit. Most of the cars are small compact cars, but they do have the equivalent of some US cars like the Cube and Toyota’s but they all have little tires which make them seem smaller. Oh and they drive on the “wrong” side of the road. As a new passenger, it’s best to not try to pay attention to traffic, let the driver drive, and just enjoy the scenery. Strangely there is no wood (very little) to speak of on the island, so everything is made of cement, even the wood is made of cement here. The “logs” used in the hiking trail and for railings and fences, they are all cement with a faux wood finish. The houses are smaller here. And concrete. almost all buildings are concrete, concrete block, or some combination. A wood frame house is not a thing on this island. There are some small farms. Most seem little more than communal garden plots really, probably local produce. The locals grow small crops and raise a few cows (probably dairy?). I watched a farmer cutting hay. By hand. And then fork into the back of a little truck. The hay field was less than a half acre. I went to a beach with my daughter and granddaughter and watched the sun rise. Sometime around 1992, I touched the eastern side of Pacific Ocean. This week I touched the western side of the Pacific too.

I do like traveling and exploring. Traveling half way around the world however can be a kick in the head, but once you arrive and get settled, the key is to enjoy. I’m actually on the return trip to home now, in a lay-over in Taiwan. I’m waiting for the big time travel hop to New York. I actually take off from here at about 5:30 pm on 12/23 and land in New York 7:15 pm on 12/23 (I know it’s really like a 15 hour flight). Anyway, the best part of this whole far east adventure was really getting to see my daughter and spend a little bit of time with family. I’m heading home now for Christmas with my girlfriend and the some of the rest of my family. I can’t wait until we can all together again in one country. I love you all.

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