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- 1997 - Utah/Four Corners Area - Hiking and River Rafting. We spent the first four days hiking in Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and the last four days rafting the Test question: What four states come together to form the "Four Corners"? Just after the picture, a chunk broke off and squished him...just kidding!
- 1996 - Glacier National Park and Waterton Lakes Canada - Hiking. A wonderful trip during which we hiked our brains out. We did 10 to 15 miles each day and really got the most out of our trip. : It is a good first climb for someone wanting to try a glaciered, snow and ice peak. Timberline Mountain Guides does a great job.
- 1995 - Canadian Rockies - Hiking. Most favorite spot - Radium Hot Springs in British Columbia - had to get in the hot springs. Least favorite spot - Banff - reminded me of why I don't like Gatlinburg.
- 1994 - Grand Canyon. Hiked North Rim to South Rim. It's easier than it sounds. Getting a permit to camp at Phantom Ranch was the hard part.
- 1993 - Maine - Baxter State Park. Home of the Northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Mount Katahdin was harder than expected - it's about 4,200 vertical feet and has a tree line.
- 1992 - Colorado - Mount Elbert. Highest mountain is Colorado at 14,433 feet. Made the summit but the altitude made me sick as a dog. Staying in the Strike King Motel in Leadville at 10,000 feet didn't help much.
- 1991 - Mount Whitney. Highest mountain in California and the contiguous U.S. at 14,496 feet. Made summit in spite of the snow (it was late June) but marmots ate my food (two packs of freeze dried zucchini lasagna). Got sick on the way down (altitude) but ate pizza that night in Lone Pine.
- 1990 - Mount Whitney. First trip. Could not reach the summit due to deep snow and lack of proper equipment (crampons and ice ax). Hands and feet got numb and the altitude hurt me. Pretty bad for late September.
- 1989 - Grand Canyon. Rafted with a guide service. Great food and a lot of fun. Took 8 days to travel 225 miles of the Colorado River. Some big water in this one.
1988 - Mount Rainier. Highest mountain in Washington and hardest of lower 48. The mountain is fully glaciered and requires full snow and ice climbing gear. Rainier Mountaineering provides a great guide service. Made the summit early in the morning on day 4. This is quite a place to see and hang out. While there I meet the first man ever to climb Mount Everest twice and another man who later became one of only a few men to climb the highest mountains on all seven continents.
12:50 - 2008-Sep-24 -
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- Chattooga River - the premier whitewater river of the area. Section II is mostly Class II rapids and is good for beginners. Sections III and IV contain Class III and IV rapids and are for the more hardy and experienced. Section III was hard on me last summer in my kayak...need to work on that "bomb proof" roll in the river. Three good guide services are available (Wildwater LTD, Southeastern Expeditions, and Nantahala Outdoor Center). I tried a Section IV trip with a guide service (I'm not completely crazy) and had a great time.
Me Running Big Shoals on Section II
- Nantahala River - Farther away (close to Bryson City, NC) but great if you like to paddle your own boat and not worry about being killed (I ran it in my kayak last summer...I lived). The Nantahala is mostly Class II but has some nice standing waves. You can rent boats from local outfitters (I prefer Nantahala Outdoor Center due to their location). The water is clear and relatively cold for the area (it is hydro feed and the water comes off the bottom of the lake). It is a good idea to call ahead and reserve a boat and make sure that the hydro station is running.
12:58 - 2008-Sep-23 -
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- Foothills Trail - the flagship trail of this area. Built and maintained by Duke Power Company and the Foothills Trail Conference, this trail extends almost 80 miles from Oconee State Park to Jones Gap and Table Rock State Parks. Most sections can be day hiked with the exception being the section from Whitewater Falls to Laurel Valley. I have hiked it all and frequently pick a short section for a day hike. Try it out! Hiking Trails
- Mountain Bridge Trail System - associated with Caesar's Head and Jones Gap State Parks. There are 17 trails in this system and some of them are fairly new. This system has waterfalls, views, rivers, and almost any type of scenery that you would expect to see in this area. A nice color map is available at the park headquarters.
- Table Rock - several nice trails lead from Table Rock State Park including a connector (via Pinnacle Mountain) to the Foothills Trail. The best trail is the Table Rock Trail. It's only about 3.5 miles (one-way) but has an elevation change of 2,000 feet. Good practice (minus the snow and altitude) for some of the bigger mountains out West.
- Whitewater Falls - without question, one of the most spectacular falls in the Southeast. Take SC 130 out of Salem or off Hwy 11 and continue until it turns into NC 281 (Whitewater Falls Road). The road to the falls is on the right if you are going North. A paved trail leads from the parking lot for a view of the falls. A better view is a few hundred feet down the Foothills Trail. Continue to the river and see the nice steel span bridge at the bottom. Be careful off the trail...this falls has claimed many lives. To see Lower Whitewater Falls, take the turn into the Bad Creek Project (sign-in at the gate) and go to the Foothill Trail parking lot and hike the trail (maybe 4 miles round trip).
12:50 - 2008-Sep-23 -
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