tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9597853535250388162023-11-16T12:07:36.664-05:00WNC Outdoor LifeA blog about Western North Carolina outdoor recreation opportunities and mountain culture. Including live music, gardening, fly fishing, hiking, biking, backpacking, whitewater rafting, crafting and more! We love it all!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17663230244641740323noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-79344037905614753382017-05-16T11:24:00.000-04:002017-05-16T11:24:08.863-04:00Yellow Creek Falls <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhib9-xKSD84o91hP1Sihbo0US6zWAVBh7iq4aSaMGUOqsiennZUGDIi_TBPHz3KRx1i9DDuDTAKWyJhI1DJMLl1KWteXwP1VhukrvIvnHIhrty2jJrtcwJ-C-9xNk9IBFwhs5ot9hsMgM/s1600/yellow+creek+falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhib9-xKSD84o91hP1Sihbo0US6zWAVBh7iq4aSaMGUOqsiennZUGDIi_TBPHz3KRx1i9DDuDTAKWyJhI1DJMLl1KWteXwP1VhukrvIvnHIhrty2jJrtcwJ-C-9xNk9IBFwhs5ot9hsMgM/s640/yellow+creek+falls.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
For Mother's Day, we took a short family hike to Yellow Creek Falls. The trail is about 1/3 mile from the parking area to this spot. It's a great trail for our 3.5 year old to test out hiking without being so tired that she wants to be carried. C walked/climbed/ran the whole way! When we got to the falls, we explored all around and found plenty of rocks to throw into the creek. It is refreshingly cool there, even on a day when temps are 85+ degrees. The trail continues up to the bottom of the falls, so it is possible to wade in there if you want to cool off. The trail has some stairs, a small bridge, and plenty of rocks to climb, but it isn't terribly steep in my opinion. C loved it! <br />
<br />
The trailhead is on Hwy 129, north of Robbinsville, approximately 2.5 miles past Yellow Creek Road. The parking area is a small gravel lot on the right (if you're traveling north). If you reach Tapoco Lodge, you've gone too far. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM3_rILOSDtIK1vPCppgXx3qe-9uhSfRzgYvwOhO7ICTQFqjnLHrg2_Atfxo1u3R8ZaKKIc-TvwADSV8g5DpyonZNM9-540eJB6gszXAgzwbNViGDcykcntUMZ-AWd_DlR4ZeEu5Ze4Vo/s1600/mud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM3_rILOSDtIK1vPCppgXx3qe-9uhSfRzgYvwOhO7ICTQFqjnLHrg2_Atfxo1u3R8ZaKKIc-TvwADSV8g5DpyonZNM9-540eJB6gszXAgzwbNViGDcykcntUMZ-AWd_DlR4ZeEu5Ze4Vo/s640/mud.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Amhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17481121984956837413noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-43033745639249375272017-03-07T13:56:00.000-05:002017-03-07T13:57:24.867-05:00Meet Our Greenhouse! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We took some time last weekend to enjoy the sunshine and get a jump on our spring planting by clearing out the floor of our greenhouse. We saved this amazing greenhouse from a life of abandonment and it's still in great condition - we just needed to work on the floor, since some weeds had taken over since it was moved here. I failed to take a "before" photo - but it was a weedy area filled with briars and a small tree. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKd7nRNA7RPFeIssZRamwQTWzEG6AiFPV9VYH9N_54pKO1A0MqLKq9ukAQUIAiiiikVCikEaSJ1Xd_AdzXjOdL4Y6fpQldB_GbYMdOQqp99n3nAyELW3ZTlLo41pdkOi6fy5pQs0NZKJw/s1600/char+greenhouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKd7nRNA7RPFeIssZRamwQTWzEG6AiFPV9VYH9N_54pKO1A0MqLKq9ukAQUIAiiiikVCikEaSJ1Xd_AdzXjOdL4Y6fpQldB_GbYMdOQqp99n3nAyELW3ZTlLo41pdkOi6fy5pQs0NZKJw/s400/char+greenhouse.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We added weed block...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIVUY0_dw3uudFS-MgzcrDmLd8Pz0XvhZAh-daGYhjsFPcy2C0uljcGaN-P3jcsAYi96bve3jVyOOlkAAz7E9mwKnmJqn0vdv7tJx6zBOnpQFXeJ5L6SjU0v6WNN6r4h78L2GdO6ETRQ0/s1600/weed+block.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIVUY0_dw3uudFS-MgzcrDmLd8Pz0XvhZAh-daGYhjsFPcy2C0uljcGaN-P3jcsAYi96bve3jVyOOlkAAz7E9mwKnmJqn0vdv7tJx6zBOnpQFXeJ5L6SjU0v6WNN6r4h78L2GdO6ETRQ0/s400/weed+block.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And then a pathway...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOcpR1mIY3RlaEm-iU8wc6OefFkoEN5JjXECulZLYAVmIlNADp8tDjNp53vl9G8xWUnTpPOSTE36EwMCw0vE6FbXa5zs6iG5nwPQ2Dufy9tmmirnxZcIhsvUMW2lVmBDYvc0FnZK74fSw/s1600/greenhouse+progress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOcpR1mIY3RlaEm-iU8wc6OefFkoEN5JjXECulZLYAVmIlNADp8tDjNp53vl9G8xWUnTpPOSTE36EwMCw0vE6FbXa5zs6iG5nwPQ2Dufy9tmmirnxZcIhsvUMW2lVmBDYvc0FnZK74fSw/s400/greenhouse+progress.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Our next step is to put in the pea gravel and level the pavers. We can't wait to add our shelves and plant our first seeds. We hope our little one loves it as much as we think she will. Digging in the dirt is pretty fun, too.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6XLut_qVv1L_b8n9q-EKXQN7WvdxbsDnek8ITN2CFaaf3mymN9b6LXuIJMusxLhY4kJWh1JzXQ_p-2ue-JDbXAprUv5gMsHglA1GSgcBFVYjDiQwaSacQEoKa2YPEWvzj73PYTd-QNdk/s1600/dirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6XLut_qVv1L_b8n9q-EKXQN7WvdxbsDnek8ITN2CFaaf3mymN9b6LXuIJMusxLhY4kJWh1JzXQ_p-2ue-JDbXAprUv5gMsHglA1GSgcBFVYjDiQwaSacQEoKa2YPEWvzj73PYTd-QNdk/s400/dirt.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We'll post an update once the floor is finished. We hope to grow a variety of veggies, leafy greens, flowers, herbs, and more in addition to our traditional garden, which is adjacent to the greenhouse. There, we're going to plant sunflowers, gem corn, lots of tomatoes and maybe some pumpkins! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />Amhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17481121984956837413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-82434701066759116912017-02-13T09:46:00.001-05:002017-02-14T10:27:15.828-05:00Your Natural Destination!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3LTTq45SGzGm7dPeeBKJQANLDVq6DivAX5GGjTIisC8fhqH8sgITPza9To7-f_L962El_nb0DagabvbgcTP8vPa4LenZ6PkCe1osFQ01WTzSltLth5GP7R4Zur9PuYtaJLv2uYZKY1Y/s1600/GClogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3LTTq45SGzGm7dPeeBKJQANLDVq6DivAX5GGjTIisC8fhqH8sgITPza9To7-f_L962El_nb0DagabvbgcTP8vPa4LenZ6PkCe1osFQ01WTzSltLth5GP7R4Zur9PuYtaJLv2uYZKY1Y/s320/GClogo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
We love our beautiful mountain home and we have an idea for the blog that will highlight our favorite place on earth - Graham County, NC. We will be sharing our Graham County Bucket List with our most favorite hikes, meals, drives, lakes, rivers, kid-friendly activities, places to stay, sights, and sounds. Stay tuned! We've lived in Robbinsville for most of our lives, and that is by design. We truly feel at home here and we like to experience all that our area has to offer. <br />
<br />
Can you believe the temperatures last weekend hovered around 70 degrees? We're talking windows down riding to the playground at 9:00AM type of weather. I'll take it! Our Facebook feed reminded us that a few years ago we were enjoying 7" of snow! Either way, my spring fever is in full force by mid-February. I'm ready for more hours of daylight 😎 <br />
<br />
Leave us a comment if you have questions or ideas for our bucket list :) See you next time! -A<br />
<br />Amhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17481121984956837413noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-45265551451465898322017-01-12T14:56:00.002-05:002017-01-12T15:01:13.668-05:00Hey, Stranger!Wow! It's been a while! We have been so busy with life that the blog has taken a serious back seat! Sorry about that. We enjoy our blog and we'd like to stop neglecting it, so here's our first little update: we have an awesome addition to our family. Meet Clover! She was a local rescue. We fell in love with her sweet and playful personality - and she lets the cat boss her around. She enjoyed playing in the snow with our daughter and another of our 3 dogs, but she prefers the couch on a cold day. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBCDEmglhFYcKZqXkYpLylqhBVsR9h1-TAIYF7vBNYJcepLiRvQpacNa_So6ey2Xasj0fPqu137rC86a9cdlkW7_-ysnKYZjTV4wcN_DxQkUu9Dmpms_qQQcETdmrHEzSznJRlppkG4A/s1600/clover3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBCDEmglhFYcKZqXkYpLylqhBVsR9h1-TAIYF7vBNYJcepLiRvQpacNa_So6ey2Xasj0fPqu137rC86a9cdlkW7_-ysnKYZjTV4wcN_DxQkUu9Dmpms_qQQcETdmrHEzSznJRlppkG4A/s320/clover3.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
Anyway, we hope to be more faithful to our blog and post updates more often. Hope you'll come back soon! A&BAmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17481121984956837413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-90421906828874707002015-03-14T19:36:00.001-04:002015-03-14T19:36:26.138-04:00Tentsile Stingray Hammock Tent - A Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So I had been eying the <a href="http://www.tentsile.com/products/stingray-tree-tent" target="_blank">Tentsile Stingray</a> tent ever since I discovered it back in the fall. However, they are kind of pricey and didn't make my Christmas list. But after the Christmas holiday season, they went on sale and I scrounged up all my birthday and Christmas money and splurged on the Stingray, a cover for the hatch and a ladder for the tent. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The tent arrived a couple of weeks later and I took advantage of the first pretty day to set it up in my yard. I took a time lapse video of the whole process from initial unpacking to complete setup that you can see below. The whole process took less than 15 minutes. I think it will be even faster now that I know how everything works.</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/soruqK3U9jM/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/soruqK3U9jM?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is is a pretty substantial tent, weighing in at about 19 pounds. Most of that weight comes from the straps and ratchets - but of course they are strong to hold the advertised 800 pound weight limit. That means it won't replace my backpacking tent, but will become a staple for lake campsites and car camping with my little girl in the future.</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Upon setup I could tell that this tent is made of quality materials. The bottom of the tent is a thick nylon, while the upper is completely mesh. This will be great for hanging out in the summer. The rain fly is waterproof sealed nylon and should be pretty solid once it is staked out. I left the tent up overnight and it rained. I didn't have the sides and corners pulled tight and I think this led to the drips and wetness inside. I also did not have the tent level and I think the rain ran down the support straps and got the interior wet.<br />
<br />
Overall, I am very happy, impressed and excited about my new Tentsile Stingray. I was also very happy about the customer service that I received from Tentsile. I had some doubts about the website they were offering their discount through - I like to deal with companies directly or with known outfitters - and they reached out to me through social media (both Instagram and Facebook) to assure me that they would be fulfilling the orders directly from their own warehouses. After my order, I contacted them through their website because I didn't get my ladder with my initial order. Within an hour, I had a personalized reply and a new tracking number. The ladder shipped from London because their US supply ran out - and this didn't cost me another dime in shipping costs!<br />
<br />
If you love hammocks, make the splurge and go get a Tentsile tent. I am so glad I did! Also, look for more reviews of our favorite gear coming on WNC Outdoor Life.</div>
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17663230244641740323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-59313890985624292862015-03-05T20:06:00.000-05:002015-03-05T20:06:09.859-05:002015 Delayed Harvest DatesWhile regular Hatchery Supported waters in North Carolina are closed for the month of March, those creeks designated as Delayed Harvest are still fishable (catch and release, of course).<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/Fishing/documents/TROUT_MAP.PDF" target="_blank">Here is the stocking schedule </a>for the different waters around Western North Carolina. These delayed harvest waters are stocked eight year as opposed to five or six for the hatchery supported creeks. There are also more trout released per stocking - specific numbers for each creek in each county can be found by selecting your <a href="http://www.ncwildlife.org/Fishing/HatcheriesStocking/NCWRCStocking/ColdwaterStockingbyCounty.aspx" target="_blank">county of interest here</a>. <br />
<br />
In the past couple years I have heard rumors of otters invading our local streams here in Graham County (I have yet to witness an otter outside of Fontana Lake). This leads to people asking what is the point of these delayed harvest waters if the otters will get all the fish or if the fish can't reproduce or if you can't keep the fish, and so on.<br />
<br />
To these people, I say that if you have to ask what the point is, you are missing the point. To me, the beauty of catch and release fishing is that if it is done right, the fish you enjoyed catching will still be there for the next guy to enjoy. It's not in the taking, but in the planning and the preparation and the work it takes to coax this wild animal into thinking your fly is actually something edible...not as easy as it seems.<br />
<br />
I love the delayed harvest waters on my "home creek" in Graham County - Big Snowbird Creek. I was able to share a day with some students back in the fall. I threw in one time the whole day, andI was rewarded with the fat brook trout you see here. For me the more enjoyable thing was to watch these boys catch fish after fish and to know that the next time they are on that creek, those fish should still be around. I hope they don't miss the point.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3SjEir6esyidnw_eze26ttk1nTBaJTs2MTi3tC80q84v5beFhGidcdzptUnTwgat1I3D4E9WWOwLgOtujxjPN26314kQ4N_EFH0o2IUONQOn7tHSQ_uAToh7F4MU2xFuqfDKVch7LsA/s1600/P4200067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3SjEir6esyidnw_eze26ttk1nTBaJTs2MTi3tC80q84v5beFhGidcdzptUnTwgat1I3D4E9WWOwLgOtujxjPN26314kQ4N_EFH0o2IUONQOn7tHSQ_uAToh7F4MU2xFuqfDKVch7LsA/s1600/P4200067.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17663230244641740323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-51464397765420804792015-03-05T18:55:00.000-05:002015-03-05T18:57:51.642-05:002015 Cheoah River Release DatesThe Cheoah River in Graham County is quickly becoming one of the premier whitewater destinations in the Southeast, and maybe the country. On the first frigid weekend of release in February, I saw dozens of cars piled high with boats headed toward the river.<br />
<br />
Book your trip with the <a href="http://noc.com/plan-your-trip/cheoah-river" target="_blank">Nantahala Outdoor Center</a> or <a href="http://www.endlessriveradventures.com/Cheoah-Release-Dates" target="_blank">Endless River Adventures</a>, both based near the Nantahala River in Swain County.<br />
<br />
2015 Cheoah Release Dates:<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">February 21</span> & 22</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">March 21 & 22</span><br /><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">April 11 & 12</span><br /><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">April 25 & 26</span><br /><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">May 16 & 17</span><br /><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">May 30 & 31</span><br /><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">June 27 & 28</span><br /><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">September 12</span><br /><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">October 3</span><br /><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">November 7</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">See you around! </span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17663230244641740323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-69271171107737577122014-11-03T14:42:00.004-05:002014-11-03T14:42:26.691-05:00Fall Trail Camera UpdateAs is usual, the animals have been pretty active this fall, meaning we've seen plenty on our trail camera. I have it set up near a big oak tree with plenty of acorns. I have enjoyed this thing so much, it's one of my favorite Christmas presents ever! <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEgyAmSSb34hBLJdPqmqq0ZLsYjHzcKa6nAnmBBkryI-U32Tb15E0HBKmeTpPqc21XNV4lpiqEJQjMKVuFdkh_fliPJzrOuPrYY2h2hsb4toLz2grI3ay-P4uHEkQ5x0-YXRg0P08XX5o/s1600/MFDC0013+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEgyAmSSb34hBLJdPqmqq0ZLsYjHzcKa6nAnmBBkryI-U32Tb15E0HBKmeTpPqc21XNV4lpiqEJQjMKVuFdkh_fliPJzrOuPrYY2h2hsb4toLz2grI3ay-P4uHEkQ5x0-YXRg0P08XX5o/s1600/MFDC0013+(4).JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This fox came through almost every night.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMA_AvJrQiTPEw4Ei-ovDfF1EBtRCVg_6aVtgbTWnNYCGjpkYqUWppr0DjbVjiKaM2-PzW31Nzpz_ChRLzIgkNV4GrhX9d945ETTwyj2RoZjY2Yrd8JuqZeJQnjc8e0-139D_k0FRzj0I/s1600/MFDC0032+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMA_AvJrQiTPEw4Ei-ovDfF1EBtRCVg_6aVtgbTWnNYCGjpkYqUWppr0DjbVjiKaM2-PzW31Nzpz_ChRLzIgkNV4GrhX9d945ETTwyj2RoZjY2Yrd8JuqZeJQnjc8e0-139D_k0FRzj0I/s1600/MFDC0032+(4).JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A doe enjoying the acorns.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5dL3ksgDY3sjmiojUF7iHrKMAcsvcmTWVudcGZk49au1-Jvo2O2NWOBgkAK2MBPbYjCzM0QTKsWY4MTeBzAY9AxMIS1UKANU9O9DpFGTAVv5yx3FQjbR5xm84iRrfRkgujdiAD4g_Es8/s1600/MFDC0049+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5dL3ksgDY3sjmiojUF7iHrKMAcsvcmTWVudcGZk49au1-Jvo2O2NWOBgkAK2MBPbYjCzM0QTKsWY4MTeBzAY9AxMIS1UKANU9O9DpFGTAVv5yx3FQjbR5xm84iRrfRkgujdiAD4g_Es8/s1600/MFDC0049+(4).JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lone turkey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDq1D2netu-H4tN0wInHLD-ONLL7IURaw_2Y8QjtUUtCXn9IlMh0IwhZzaPuxagFinL5JJRWBTMCO7u1hVCbfquycz4mixCpSePkvSM-0Yu8LMBJD6HIux8J3g8B9o0BArN9BNTBhluXg/s1600/MFDC0063+(4).JPG" height="180" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bobcat on the left, behind the tree.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhPjEt4Fw-CUL-sNYeJiXiBsagG2aA8U_xMkNbw1jT9tpwG8pPVXY-vSEPrRIdMwNeithCcD07d1z83oAdlzzodshOq-UcvPPtrjkds625NGhBe8Sw66v6yn1-2WgrvFfDsP9_35tXwA/s1600/MFDC0057+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhPjEt4Fw-CUL-sNYeJiXiBsagG2aA8U_xMkNbw1jT9tpwG8pPVXY-vSEPrRIdMwNeithCcD07d1z83oAdlzzodshOq-UcvPPtrjkds625NGhBe8Sw66v6yn1-2WgrvFfDsP9_35tXwA/s1600/MFDC0057+(4).JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bobcat again in the middle of the picture, walking away from the camera.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCMZP5qG4zxQNiiCy-AXGhOx0cy5W1PeHoBjWay4ikH4kFe0I5cFSgDUCqYGVuBcRfzaBt3A0qthT6Rq-1TOqb9O96C1HvlPYmF-LFplnj5NuqH7LMYb4ps0IlbxyIC8Ca88Q0M-nxYaw/s1600/MFDC0409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCMZP5qG4zxQNiiCy-AXGhOx0cy5W1PeHoBjWay4ikH4kFe0I5cFSgDUCqYGVuBcRfzaBt3A0qthT6Rq-1TOqb9O96C1HvlPYmF-LFplnj5NuqH7LMYb4ps0IlbxyIC8Ca88Q0M-nxYaw/s1600/MFDC0409.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first bear of the season!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17663230244641740323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-15828155839192804562014-06-02T20:58:00.001-04:002014-06-02T21:00:55.405-04:00Raised Garden UpdateHere's a little update on the raised bed Ben built. I'm happy to say that it's coming along. We've got tomatoes, cabbage, beans, carrots, basil, lavender, cilantro, and spearmint- to name a few! I'm amazed by what we were able to fit into this small space. Unfortunately, our cats dug up our hopes of lettuce and onion this year (literally). That's OK because up the hill our cherry trees are having us dreaming of cherry pies. <div><br></div><div>Check out the little trellis I whipped up for our pole beans. It cost us <i>$free.99</i>, as we like to say.</div><div><br></div><div>I am most excited about the tomatoes and all the homemade salsa I'm going to can. I'm also going to try my hand at making pesto. This is making me hungry... If things go well I'll be posting photos of big juicy tomatoes in no time. Stay tuned!<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTeKv38fCxopgWNAV3eO6GmQ0eqlylX3f7UOBHrQyj-XLoch-mgVmBQ7s7JHUQZ9K3G5e6ZiTMVpcL-iwE14wTQfWkzwEXxpmWXvHCFzd-CDRX4ZuQt_rLUfE57rkP3Utmju1IAaflXhI/s640/blogger-image--1751209094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTeKv38fCxopgWNAV3eO6GmQ0eqlylX3f7UOBHrQyj-XLoch-mgVmBQ7s7JHUQZ9K3G5e6ZiTMVpcL-iwE14wTQfWkzwEXxpmWXvHCFzd-CDRX4ZuQt_rLUfE57rkP3Utmju1IAaflXhI/s640/blogger-image--1751209094.jpg"></a></div></div>Amhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17481121984956837413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-68695359078363940412014-05-26T22:23:00.003-04:002017-01-12T14:59:16.915-05:00Fracking - Bad News for WNC<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOtMockvwaEItFbSmZZo-YS3XKskVxRmK4CYvsCXVrOtikDInkH9DCDKFhIXXOW20p0GHg2ESalJlsh9zFycbuhpAHtObu3Y_9CvBy-DAMTZ5U9G3Buhyvl_kT0E8J7aqd-j-VEnZM-4/s1600/AnselAdamsNature.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOtMockvwaEItFbSmZZo-YS3XKskVxRmK4CYvsCXVrOtikDInkH9DCDKFhIXXOW20p0GHg2ESalJlsh9zFycbuhpAHtObu3Y_9CvBy-DAMTZ5U9G3Buhyvl_kT0E8J7aqd-j-VEnZM-4/s1600/AnselAdamsNature.png" width="320" /></a></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
This quote by Ansel Adams sums up my feelings on the idea of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_fracturing" target="_blank">hydraulic fracturing</a> (or "fracking) in <a href="http://www.thesylvaherald.com/breaking_news/article_7323402c-e1d6-11e3-8529-001a4bcf6878.html" target="_blank">Western North Carolina</a>. I normally shy away from controversial or political themes in this blog, but this one hit me right at home last week while watching the<a href="http://wlos.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wlos_nc-fracking-gets-senate-ok-16341.shtml" target="_blank"> local news</a>. The <a href="http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/5/22/fracking-north-carolina.html" target="_blank">North Carolina senate</a> is moving ahead with legislation to lift the 2012 ban on fracking in the state. Click <a href="http://www.ncleg.net/Applications/BillLookUp/LoadBillDocument.aspx?SessionCode=2013&DocNum=7819&SeqNum=0" target="_blank">here </a>to read the law in its entirety.<br />
<br />
If you are unfamiliar with the process (or didn't click the link above), fracking is a way of extracting natural gas from rock formations by injecting, at high pressure, a mixture of water, sand and other chemicals in such a way that the rock formations holding the gas break, allowing the natural gas to be collected. Problems stemming from these wells include <a href="http://time.com/84225/fracking-and-earthquake-link/" target="_blank">earthquakes </a>- as has been seen in <a href="http://time.com/60363/fracking-earthquakes-ohio/" target="_blank">Ohio </a>- and contaminated <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/01/05/some-states-confirm-water-pollution-from-drilling/4328859/" target="_blank">drinking</a> <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/groundwater-contamination-may-end-the-gas-fracking-boom/" target="_blank">water</a>. As if that wasn't enough, imagine the sight of drilling pads, roads, and heavy duty construction trucks cruising through some of your favorite backcountry locations. (Check out this <a href="http://www.alternet.org/fracking/how-our-national-parks-are-threatened-fracking?paging=off&current_page=1#bookmark" target="_blank">great post</a> about fracking impacts on national parks out west)<br />
<br />
Now here is where I will get political. A <a href="http://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1232&context=delpf" target="_blank">lot of the potential natural gas deposits</a> are found in the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/07/north-carolina-fracking-regulations_n_1577634.html" target="_blank">Eastern part of North Carolina</a>, under the counties of <a href="http://www.indyweek.com/imager/despite-the-dangers-of-fracking-north-carolina-lawmakers-want-to-legalize/b/original/2454487/a6b7/5.11-coverStory-maps.jpg" target="_blank">Durham, Wake and Lee</a>. More is found north of Winston-Salem near the Dan River basin. However, these areas are some of the most populated in North Carolina, meaning there are plenty of people there to raise a fuss about these wells. Western North Carolina is rural, forested and covered with national forests as well as state and national parks. Add this to a high unemployment rate and given the chance, which area (and people) will be more appealing for a mining company to exploit?<br />
<br />
That brings me to another point - jobs. It is true that North Carolina, and especially Western NC, has a very high unemployment rate (we can debate the cause/effect of recent cuts to corporate taxes and unemployment benefits another time). Natural gas companies will tout that their industry creates a lot of jobs (how many will be available in NC is <a href="http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/fact-checking-the-fracking-jobs-claims/Content?oid=3081208" target="_blank">still up for debate</a>). Consider this point though - wouldn't it be easier for the mining companies to bring in their own previously trained and proven workers than to hire and train new workers? But even if 5,000 jobs were created across the state over the next ten years, at what cost? Those jobs will pack up and leave when the gas runs dry. And besides, North Carolina has hundreds of thousands that are unemployed. Will the mining company take their new workers with them? What about the environmental impact left behind when they pull out, leaving empty drilling pads and unused roads cut into our beautiful mountains? <br />
<br />
This brings me to my next couple of points - environmental impact and property rights. The version of the fracking bill passed by the NC Senate makes it a <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/north-carolina-bill-would-make-revealing-fracking-chemical-secrets-felony-251537" target="_blank">felony </a>- A FELONY! - for a person to disclose what a mining company uses in their fracking fluid. So the idea is that to protect the competition between the companies, they can use any secret mixture of chemicals they feel like. Sure, this mix is supposed to be treated after the well is dismantled, but can we guarantee that it was completely removed? This is not even diving into the possibility of natural gas leaking into groundwater supplies - rendering the water completely undrinkable (something the gas companies would be liable for only if it occurred within 2500 feet of a drill pad).<br />
<br />
Ok, the last point I will make is about property rights and self-governance. These are perhaps the most appalling of all the impacts from this bill. Fracking employs a technique called horizontal drilling, which helps maximize the amount of gas removed. The version of the bill that the senate has passed would allow drilling adjacent to private property to move horizontally onto that private landowner's property - with no consequence for the consequences such as contaminated ground water. It also allows the mining company to access private property at will, as long as the land owner is contacted (not asked for permission, simply contacted). Furthermore, this bill expressly <i>prohibits </i>any local governmental agency from creating a law to ban fracking in their town/county/municipality. It seems that those all-important property rights and will of the people go out the window when the all mighty dollar comes to play. <br />
<br />
Once the beauty of nature is destroyed, it cannot be repurchased at any price. We are living on this planet like we have another one to go to. The mountains of Western North Carolina are where I call home. My wife, my daughter, my family and everyone and everything that I know and love is here. The mountains have always been an anchor in my life; they calm me. The idea of ripping them apart for a few dollars digs straight to my soul and infuriates me to no end. There is no place on earth like the mountains of WNC - don't sell them out.<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17663230244641740323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-17059971395778798632014-05-04T21:10:00.000-04:002014-05-05T16:55:32.383-04:00DIY Raised BedsFor the past week, I have been forgoing my other outdoor hobbies to work on a project here at home. I have been working to build a raised flower bed/herb garden out of old pallets. With the addition of our little one, we are going to take a break from a<a href="http://wncoutdoorlife.blogspot.com/2009/09/wnc-gardening.html" target="_blank"> big garden</a> and focus on a smaller area at home where we can teach her as she goes. We still plan to get fresh produce from family members and local farmers markets and <a href="http://wncoutdoorlife.blogspot.com/2009/09/canning-and-freezing-your-own-homegrown.html" target="_blank">can </a>most of what we get for the winter.<br>
<br>
I thought it would be great to share some pictures and a bit of a tutorial. These beds weren't difficult - taking the pallets apart and removing the nails was the most time-consuming part.<div><br>
I started with very sturdy, high-quality pallets. Am's mom had gotten these for cheap a few months back and just had them laying around. The top boards were like decking, which made for great, strong side slats. If you have the option, ask around and try to get the best you can find. Since a flower bed will be filled with dirt, I wanted something that would last several years rather than rotting after just a few months.<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdLSEaZyZoFSu6TFgOIRKYWFXxwbsqimA4M1xebOQ1PuWDL4P4HVu4wQkkAS6_mC3VFIv78Gguf-Rg8A6uZ8WMK67z-PG0BO5fYArha5bIti_vb3AeJT3nMP2dBG55o8bU8nhZl9iW_8E/s640/blogger-image--1361411891.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdLSEaZyZoFSu6TFgOIRKYWFXxwbsqimA4M1xebOQ1PuWDL4P4HVu4wQkkAS6_mC3VFIv78Gguf-Rg8A6uZ8WMK67z-PG0BO5fYArha5bIti_vb3AeJT3nMP2dBG55o8bU8nhZl9iW_8E/s640/blogger-image--1361411891.jpg"></a></div>Starting out - quality pallets.<br>
<br>
From there, I began taking them apart and pulling nails. There is no secret, it's just elbow grease and a sledge hammer. After two pallets, though, I realized that there were only four slats on the bottom and seven on the top so I turned them over, removed the bottom slats and then the 2x4 supports and blew through the rest pretty quickly. Pounding out the nails from the bottom was pretty tedious, but we worked together and it wasn't so bad.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfBMyUpQqQfOnM6XTXgPQq4WqvN8Pi9-tQJFUFfVZ-BZze4w2Q2ZCluqJg4TpIHqPlmKU8pMibja499NDtSuyDtyX9EKKzWwDkLjFaFEUV3AdBhzwUFxjfRwzgZnetxuCS7VqB2eTZGE/s640/blogger-image-78207335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfBMyUpQqQfOnM6XTXgPQq4WqvN8Pi9-tQJFUFfVZ-BZze4w2Q2ZCluqJg4TpIHqPlmKU8pMibja499NDtSuyDtyX9EKKzWwDkLjFaFEUV3AdBhzwUFxjfRwzgZnetxuCS7VqB2eTZGE/s640/blogger-image-78207335.jpg"></a></div>Broken-down pallets.<br>
<br>
I started to lay out the bed by measuring where I wanted my corner braces to go. These were the 2x4 supports, cut into a point and driven into the ground (I actually used a post hole digger for the first 8 - 10 inches). Then I had to figure out where to drive in the other supports. My slats were 44 inches, meaning I had to do some measuring to figure out where to place the posts so that they would meet in the middle of the 2x4. Another challenge was making sure the supports were all the same distance from the house, so I started with the two ends and ran a string from one to the next to guide my positioning.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSUcJ8xDnH4kNq6iQQShLuW0zFvVxgIr5bm7BvfljfNDssjFNF9HXrtO9mOmiv-HSPAd7BXJISEva3Irt7Hc1Fa6M5v9Yn0qFqfR8WFexX82k05W1Kc9yKcmYQskqn-508tcSKlMpXdRA/s640/blogger-image-1343955620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSUcJ8xDnH4kNq6iQQShLuW0zFvVxgIr5bm7BvfljfNDssjFNF9HXrtO9mOmiv-HSPAd7BXJISEva3Irt7Hc1Fa6M5v9Yn0qFqfR8WFexX82k05W1Kc9yKcmYQskqn-508tcSKlMpXdRA/s640/blogger-image-1343955620.jpg"></a></div>Almost finished.<br>
<br>
After I got all the holes dug and the supports driven in, I began to measure and cut the side slats. As you can see, the yard has a natural slope and I had to account for that, so I started with the shorter end. Once those top two were flush and level, it was pretty easy to just continue the line and add pieces below. I came along later and dug a trench for a few of the bottom pieces to account for the slope.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUXsfU5f2-0A2hS0_cKlU5H5fucJfuXxasOtLWO_gN_SouC66pUEYRJUR3uxRf2DBRuYrasLBSjzQ-Rl2p9FfvhAIOkWy11xwluFKRZcQL38hQAEIdf8h0hcI2wF-qru93b2SoI8LTzM/s640/blogger-image--321573651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUXsfU5f2-0A2hS0_cKlU5H5fucJfuXxasOtLWO_gN_SouC66pUEYRJUR3uxRf2DBRuYrasLBSjzQ-Rl2p9FfvhAIOkWy11xwluFKRZcQL38hQAEIdf8h0hcI2wF-qru93b2SoI8LTzM/s640/blogger-image--321573651.jpg"></a></div>Stained, trimmed and finished...just needs dirt and flowers!<br>
<br>
Once everything was nice and tidy, we added some trim - leftover from another project - to the front to hide all the joints. I trimmed off the top of the supports with a circular saw and stained it to match the deck. I also stapled some 2 mil plastic around the inside of the wood, just to help lengthen thee life of the beds. I calculated the interior volume and picked up some dirt and we're in the gardening business! I'm hoping this little project will last for quite a while and help us pass on our hobby of gardening on to our little girl.</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17663230244641740323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-23123962992925067472014-04-27T22:31:00.001-04:002014-04-27T22:31:57.809-04:00Bass Fishing in Lake Santeetlah<div><br></div>A couple of days ago, my friend Earl took me bass fishing on Lake Santeetlah in Graham County. Earl is working on getting his qualifications together to become a fishing guide, so I am helping him by testing out his guiding skills. Like me, Earl is a teacher by day, but would love to make a living in the outdoor recreation industry.<div><br></div><div>Earl and I have fished the creeks of Western North Carolina together for years and have similar skills there, but lake fishing is a whole new ballgame for me. I estimate that he spends more than 100 days on the water in any given year, so he knows how to find fish. </div><div><br></div><div>We set out from Massey Branch boat ramp south of Robbinsville and headed down the lake toward the mouth of one of the many creeks that flow into Lake Santeetlah, called West Buffalo. We were soon trolling a cove and throwing sinking worms against the bank. Earl explained that this time if year, the water temperature is just right and the bass will start spawning. During this time, you can usually coax a bite from a fish that feels like you're getting too close to the nest. </div><div><br></div><div>It wasn't long before I had by first large mouth! I ended up catching three for the day, but missed at least three times that. Since I wasn't a paying client, Earl fished along with me and ended up with at least eight fish, a combination of largemouth and smallmouth bass.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihoNgTMvf1aDbdVZ3aJU_xmNJIqgLIMfA0KeQWVtBu-lYRgci8okmMTkWu8KKuvHxk-J_XxVGmIzzHqXt4XyECwyw91jEkocfVxhgoMMqUU9bO_SeHdDQijaZt9iJC1-QF19EniV-qn0w/s640/blogger-image-951378660.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihoNgTMvf1aDbdVZ3aJU_xmNJIqgLIMfA0KeQWVtBu-lYRgci8okmMTkWu8KKuvHxk-J_XxVGmIzzHqXt4XyECwyw91jEkocfVxhgoMMqUU9bO_SeHdDQijaZt9iJC1-QF19EniV-qn0w/s640/blogger-image-951378660.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">My first largemouth bass - weighed in just over a pound.</div></div><div><br></div><div>In our conversation, he pointed out that the bass in Santeetlah are small compared to other regional lakes. In response to this, there is no limit to the number of fish under 14 inches that you can keep I a day. The biologists hope that this will help to thin the population, resulting in fewer but healthier fish. </div><div><br></div><div>I also learned that the NCWRC has released grass carp into the lake in the hopes of controlling some of the weeds that are crowding out the banks. A few years ago as part of the relicensing agreement for Santeetlah dam, the decision was made not to draw the lake down in the winter like many other regional lakes. This has led to grass and weeds taking over the banks because they don't die off in the winter like they used to.</div><div><br></div><div>Santeetlah is one of the most beautiful lakes you will ever find, in any state. It has become a draw for people all over North Carolina and the southeast. This is mainly due to the large proportion of undeveloped lakeshore. At least 70 percent of the lake shore is Forest service land or national forest and will not be developed. Compared to lakes such as Lake Burton in north Georgia, this is practically uninhabited. Lake houses (when they become available) sell for $500,000 or more as people discover what an treasure Lake Santeetlah is. Fishing, skiing and kayaking are all activities easily enjoyed on the wide open waters of Lake Santeetlah.</div><div><br></div><div>We wrapped up the day with a picture-perfect sunset over Funnel Top (a landmark for all on Santeetlah) and just one more cast...</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia591WnVNxj142Ci_AWZFVa12HUVn-jxIvGfE1tgiDl9dL-sl4CQcZX_Dh1UxSW6O6lS77ikpvw7x-hVBjANrjAyqwuY1KqW6yIzCQEhpItijkXV2Zu_wl6jH9KsYc7X908c7TnJRpuiA/s640/blogger-image--930580230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia591WnVNxj142Ci_AWZFVa12HUVn-jxIvGfE1tgiDl9dL-sl4CQcZX_Dh1UxSW6O6lS77ikpvw7x-hVBjANrjAyqwuY1KqW6yIzCQEhpItijkXV2Zu_wl6jH9KsYc7X908c7TnJRpuiA/s640/blogger-image--930580230.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br></div><div>If you're in the market for an amazing day on the water surrounded by gorgeous mountains and solitude, let me know and I'll pass you along to my buddy Earl.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17663230244641740323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-61901238956650911762014-04-13T11:07:00.001-04:002014-04-13T11:07:36.612-04:00New Mountain Biking Trail Opens in Graham CountyThis past Saturday, April 12, the USFS held the grand opening for a new mountain biking trail in Graham County. This collaboration between the US Forest Service and the local revitalization group GREAT has brought the first new trails to Graham County in years.<div><br></div><div>The 9 miles of trails will be open to both bikes and horses and will use a combination of current and old forest service roads connected by some areas of single track. Most of the trail will follow the shore for beautiful Santeetlah lake, giving some awesome views as you overlook the lake. </div><div><br></div><div>To get to the trailhead, follow state road 143 (Massey Branch Road) north out of Robbinsville toward the Cherohala Skyway. Turn right when the road dead ends and the trailhead parking area will be about 2 miles on the right, at the intersection of 143 and Snowbird road. An alternate parking area is at Long Hungry road, further down 143 near the Carver Cemetary.</div><div><br></div><div>Two maps can be found below, one with the topography shown, another showing the two loops that make up the trail system. I haven't gotten the chance to ride this trail, but when I do I will certainly share some pictures and advice. Happy riding!</div><div><br></div><div>Trail map (no topo): http://www.grahamcountytravel.com/wp-content/uploads/SanteetlahBikeTrail-1.pdf</div><div><br></div><div>Trail map (topo): http://spokeyjoe.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/santeetlahlaketrail_portrait.pdf</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17663230244641740323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-33084693051105586742014-03-12T20:34:00.000-04:002014-03-12T20:34:09.668-04:00WNC Fishing Report - March 12, 2014March is usually a pretty slow month for fishing in western North Carolina due to most streams being closed for their annual stocking. However, all delayed harvest streams are open as well as all native trout-designated waters, including all of the Great Smoky National Park streams.<br />
<br />
Here are a couple of fish that my dad caught on one of these 70 degree afternoons earlier in the month. They are both big, fat stocked brookies from the delayed harvest section of <a href="http://wncoutdoorlife.blogspot.com/search?q=big+snowbird" target="_blank">Big Snowbird</a> creek in Graham County. He and my uncle caught over 50 fish both on spinners and fly fishing for the afternoon! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXcM0cNN-gZ4Ys-LDwN0d_TTJGL71HhmJ3kCv8Op1PWMcWohz5THCl6JBgZxe1dVAZvQkoM7TZzbK96qwmUk_9DX-jhKmRZQf_spJi_7gLrEBMz_nJ29tD80-S6u4Ju5vMHy6TKO_dXQU/s1600/1231555_10152033547617831_2074956284_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXcM0cNN-gZ4Ys-LDwN0d_TTJGL71HhmJ3kCv8Op1PWMcWohz5THCl6JBgZxe1dVAZvQkoM7TZzbK96qwmUk_9DX-jhKmRZQf_spJi_7gLrEBMz_nJ29tD80-S6u4Ju5vMHy6TKO_dXQU/s1600/1231555_10152033547617831_2074956284_n.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIeTrk9gAZeuAzyj-j8M8kR2Es-sAcNJ7isXki3XNHr_SuFmyBpcWlZI4uvyoMnJr_WXJZy19jYQBRF9WNmgjWZZE6NRXRUVzU50FLc5sFIbqi3nmQYAPQHMvbZ0oV4IJ0VriZfw4b4EU/s1600/1476214_10152033548372831_181725262_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIeTrk9gAZeuAzyj-j8M8kR2Es-sAcNJ7isXki3XNHr_SuFmyBpcWlZI4uvyoMnJr_WXJZy19jYQBRF9WNmgjWZZE6NRXRUVzU50FLc5sFIbqi3nmQYAPQHMvbZ0oV4IJ0VriZfw4b4EU/s1600/1476214_10152033548372831_181725262_n.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I follow several different local fly shops on Facebook and Instagram (such as <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hookersflyshopandguideservice" target="_blank">Hooker's fly shop in Sylva</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Fontana.Guides" target="_blank">Fontana Guides from Bryson City</a>) and there are reports of 150+ fish days on the delayed harvest section of the Tuckaseegee and Raven's Fork in Cherokee. <a href="http://www.randrflyfishing.com/" target="_blank">R&R</a> <a href="http://instagram.com/randrflyfishing#" target="_blank">Fly Fishing</a> in Tennessee is reporting an increase in dry fly action in the park and plenty of native trout on nymphs. If you get a chance, get out and play on some of these awesome rivers! <br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17663230244641740323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-11064989960267007902014-03-03T21:48:00.001-05:002014-03-03T21:48:09.518-05:00NC Wildlife Announces Delayed Harvest Stocking DatesThe NC Wildlife commission has announced their stocking schedule for the delayed harvest streams in western North Carolina. These streams will be stocked in March, April, May, October and November. These streams are stocked at a higher rate than other streams and with larger fish, making them super popular places for people to try out fly fishing somewhere they know there will be fish. Some of the creeks include the Tuckasegee in Jackson county, the Nantahala in Macon county and my personal favorite, Big Snowbird in Graham county.<div><br></div><div>The complete stocking schedule and locations can be found at <a href="http://www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/Fishing/documents/TROUT_MAP.PDF" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">http://www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/Fishing/documents/TROUT_MAP.PDF</a></div><div><br></div><div>Happy fishing, everyone!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17663230244641740323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-76461077330821857042014-02-23T23:08:00.002-05:002014-02-23T23:08:36.613-05:00Baby's First (real) Dayhike - Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest<div>
</div>
We took the opportunity of this spring-like day here in late February to take our daughter on her first real hike. We went to <a href="http://wncoutdoorlife.blogspot.com/2009/02/joyce-kilmer-memorial-forest-is-great.html" target="_blank">Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest</a> in Graham county and walked the approximately two-mile figure eight shaped loop through the huge trees and by Little Santeetlah Creek. Our little girl is just three months old and she was mesmerized by the trees and new scenery...until she fell asleep of course.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzcq-W0dgZqD_PowsZMX8zU24qKlOh51ImUrwkNgQVqR7fW0aNwdlz3uAOIN0eRiFT2NJddjNtB80mIhzJDCqbv4vy677vceBeMu6T8nXVdj2JfrjbPU92GWs3IKR0BNOS-jbENWa1kLw/s640/blogger-image--146751376.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzcq-W0dgZqD_PowsZMX8zU24qKlOh51ImUrwkNgQVqR7fW0aNwdlz3uAOIN0eRiFT2NJddjNtB80mIhzJDCqbv4vy677vceBeMu6T8nXVdj2JfrjbPU92GWs3IKR0BNOS-jbENWa1kLw/s320/blogger-image--146751376.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom and baby check out the awesome trees.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
</div>
<div>
If you haven't been to Joyce Kilmer Memorial forest, it is several hundred acres of preserved, virgin hardwood forest. This area, unlike much of western North Carolina was not logged during the early part of the 1900s. Much of the surrounding forests, uincluding much of the Great Smokies National Park have been logged at some point in time. This lack of human intervention means the tulip poplars and white oaks have grown to incredible sizes - 15 to 20 feet around in some cases!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47hTeDP57-E-4WPoeMGOCKCi3hBWm8cnsheP71yyug4GhDUCVePCioapOzsdzgLVzsKijvG7nD9G38PMH0vYJauoA1iZwZcNJYaCxhsbC_K5ObBDiKJQ5ATuDOj2OEc4KiU5uqjJI174/s640/blogger-image--558552197.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47hTeDP57-E-4WPoeMGOCKCi3hBWm8cnsheP71yyug4GhDUCVePCioapOzsdzgLVzsKijvG7nD9G38PMH0vYJauoA1iZwZcNJYaCxhsbC_K5ObBDiKJQ5ATuDOj2OEc4KiU5uqjJI174/s320/blogger-image--558552197.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two huge poplars!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
However, the area has not been without intrusion, especially in the past ten years. The<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemlock_woolly_adelgid" target="_blank"> wooly adelgid</a> is wreaking havoc on the hemlock trees up and down the Appalachians. Entire stands of these trees are dying, leaving only their trunks as a reminder of their former glory. The dead and dying hemlocks have proven to be at best a nuisance and at worst a serious hazard for anyone that might be caught under one on a windy day. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzAEhX6bLE0Jg9TyKCnEeQQgNx6vU9RPlpbTPjsOqGERwWrozInAiN2o0K5xdZc_xpgySWs36-3rdkQ43FqgfJUbAA4yvxum9lzU-MqAq5bqmQoBwumbZQ3SRSw-M16lDqqjdmQHl4eyY/s640/blogger-image-67551252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzAEhX6bLE0Jg9TyKCnEeQQgNx6vU9RPlpbTPjsOqGERwWrozInAiN2o0K5xdZc_xpgySWs36-3rdkQ43FqgfJUbAA4yvxum9lzU-MqAq5bqmQoBwumbZQ3SRSw-M16lDqqjdmQHl4eyY/s640/blogger-image-67551252.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huge dead hemlocks are becoming all too familiar in the southern Appalachians. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<br />
Three or four years ago, the Forest service realized that they were going to have to address the hemlock issue in Joyce Kilmer. However, this area is designated as a "wilderness" meaning it should be kept as close to natural as possible. The use of gas-powered machinery is forbidden and the idea of leaving sawn off stumps wasn't appealing to the wilderness idea anyway. So the solution came to use dynamite to blow up the dead hemlocks, giving the illusion that they broke off themselves during a wind storm. I'll admit that I was skeptical and was not impressed when I went hiking just a few months after it was done. However, after several years, the forest is starting to reclaim the blown down and broken logs as planned. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvq0cXylKqPrn5z-xjJDhleXaKspkHPeN-RptBySaKtyuVfNEi20D0p6jMCGQiTxbCu5u9_FXuvGPJRpWc53yq_RofAZ-yCeozDCw2Y6AIankOnKhPAiWbxyLqKK2mVGmtyrFmYTfWAD0/s640/blogger-image--910669088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvq0cXylKqPrn5z-xjJDhleXaKspkHPeN-RptBySaKtyuVfNEi20D0p6jMCGQiTxbCu5u9_FXuvGPJRpWc53yq_RofAZ-yCeozDCw2Y6AIankOnKhPAiWbxyLqKK2mVGmtyrFmYTfWAD0/s320/blogger-image--910669088.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
These logs were cut with traditional hand tools after being dynamited. </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizc9nSgUQsyiDY4hKzym1CxAkbA8sCl1UrmkZR2abBQWkDNxUYh37NXnuj3gIgNo4E9t8-VtjOa_N6KqQN75tL2bWVW0Xj6qS0bsHnvcwM3l1-GcKYLwQ-OaXWN0LyOLWvbz4CRAW5b2Q/s640/blogger-image-1285026996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizc9nSgUQsyiDY4hKzym1CxAkbA8sCl1UrmkZR2abBQWkDNxUYh37NXnuj3gIgNo4E9t8-VtjOa_N6KqQN75tL2bWVW0Xj6qS0bsHnvcwM3l1-GcKYLwQ-OaXWN0LyOLWvbz4CRAW5b2Q/s320/blogger-image-1285026996.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
A dynamited stump of a dead hemlock.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Joyce Kilmer memorial forest is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and it is a place I have some of my earliest memories of hiking with my family. I will make sure it is one of my daughter's earliest memories too.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiql_yQkuEUrIGgLUnEmiCEtgw-BratQ5VNZah7nnFWchzNM3tHDKjWRKrI3WuMSgZlVQFHhbKxCYV-0EBGqQLy1vPL3J6M_e5FYbuwXBhNBXCx9RwwDOMyreWU6KCCbmfd5P3r0WiaV_E/s640/blogger-image--262167215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiql_yQkuEUrIGgLUnEmiCEtgw-BratQ5VNZah7nnFWchzNM3tHDKjWRKrI3WuMSgZlVQFHhbKxCYV-0EBGqQLy1vPL3J6M_e5FYbuwXBhNBXCx9RwwDOMyreWU6KCCbmfd5P3r0WiaV_E/s320/blogger-image--262167215.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I always assumed that design was a leaf, but it is actually a relief of the Little Santeetlah Creek watershed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPe3hHxYGbaUaDG4ZalnqRJv3HwRDO803Py2CwJKmToX21imMpaJ0Ei8goyVxqtJaqgC4TuKZVki80OyD4OKSpi1eozEK28iXpPyEP-hnSK0mpqCrE_pilYPZKnlLmLBuk1-OI30kekI/s640/blogger-image--1304989681.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPe3hHxYGbaUaDG4ZalnqRJv3HwRDO803Py2CwJKmToX21imMpaJ0Ei8goyVxqtJaqgC4TuKZVki80OyD4OKSpi1eozEK28iXpPyEP-hnSK0mpqCrE_pilYPZKnlLmLBuk1-OI30kekI/s320/blogger-image--1304989681.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
After a wet winter, all the wet weather springs were running - some even through the trail!</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Trail conditions on this day were good with a few muddy spots. Our wet winter has led to several springs running where they might not be found in the summer. There are a few new logs down that require either a big detour or some scrambling, but the forest service should have things cleared up soon.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF6mbnRUcPwVoK8hf5kwWoHNcqOsqbR_edbnJRSkunPI6QIZMTzwUQrdyNa7knu3jUj8MZgRWEqeEKQPsHcghGz38fNoe3kk38Zb3PUn734dmJ1nUR2umHXOOmDWFIVFtRAlh09pif1Fg/s640/blogger-image--24878978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF6mbnRUcPwVoK8hf5kwWoHNcqOsqbR_edbnJRSkunPI6QIZMTzwUQrdyNa7knu3jUj8MZgRWEqeEKQPsHcghGz38fNoe3kk38Zb3PUn734dmJ1nUR2umHXOOmDWFIVFtRAlh09pif1Fg/s320/blogger-image--24878978.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Little Santeetlah Creek runs through the heart of Joyce Kilmer. </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXoI1IwVWQM1ilMhEj4F9uQ4QjMsVFkJIyT50sbfF3lKMr0on00JPa6b4bs4DmWbnLRe3RWUTjq3L9sMRZzMpFj4zg_V_Qw6nwr8u-b_lRpz-U0lAcNVBYbZmLlQrt0_Rvt3YK68mTM9w/s640/blogger-image-1022168910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXoI1IwVWQM1ilMhEj4F9uQ4QjMsVFkJIyT50sbfF3lKMr0on00JPa6b4bs4DmWbnLRe3RWUTjq3L9sMRZzMpFj4zg_V_Qw6nwr8u-b_lRpz-U0lAcNVBYbZmLlQrt0_Rvt3YK68mTM9w/s640/blogger-image-1022168910.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Joyce Kilmer is part of the Slickrock-Citico Creek wilderness </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWA6m6MNBK0iJU-KjyQ1Te_96rnqYNICwKzLFkOJ_bQgiidcV9UhEkFPcG9OdM4UjuV5g0KFOIynHjpi3j0YwbFmg8HabgVsS_x2nHvkuDS10dFoxmUqBTlohyphenhyphenf4jtY-3ZcSpZbj8mLs/s640/blogger-image-242067379.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWA6m6MNBK0iJU-KjyQ1Te_96rnqYNICwKzLFkOJ_bQgiidcV9UhEkFPcG9OdM4UjuV5g0KFOIynHjpi3j0YwbFmg8HabgVsS_x2nHvkuDS10dFoxmUqBTlohyphenhyphenf4jtY-3ZcSpZbj8mLs/s320/blogger-image-242067379.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
This dynamited tree has formed a big pool (full of fish, I'm sure).</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17663230244641740323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-70396666938310377742014-02-23T12:42:00.002-05:002014-02-23T12:42:05.922-05:00Trail Camera Fun - Part IFor Christmas this year, I got a trail camera. I set it up near my house and put out some food scraps and feed corn, just to see what shows up. So far we have gotten what I expected - squirrels, mice, racoons - and a few things I didn't - coyotes, foxes and some neighborhood dogs.<br />
<br />
I look forward to having this camera set up all summer and into next fall because I know there are bears around (I have seen at least three in the past year) as well as deer and plenty of turkeys. I'll keep you posted.<br />
<br />
<br /><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRAPy_9-te-N8daliYPddNirBED8wEldKv6wFSGMIBkQ1cOMTJxrbqlyOx8oPVI1M66rNSYM1lekmxoQM_3fFG-SFr_saj2dFoE8-awFFoYecRtTyp5Socds6FWPeMBqDbDeSECxkSP2s/s1600/MFDC0049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRAPy_9-te-N8daliYPddNirBED8wEldKv6wFSGMIBkQ1cOMTJxrbqlyOx8oPVI1M66rNSYM1lekmxoQM_3fFG-SFr_saj2dFoE8-awFFoYecRtTyp5Socds6FWPeMBqDbDeSECxkSP2s/s1600/MFDC0049.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coyote at night.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPsq65WPAGicAVvozeWs4jahLiWN1wvrJlDK4ubHWiS6mjMKsjdId4JSduPhswVzgRLOZj7zfzIZ3dC8NoUlP1sI-9Aihu4N6EXKoFZqp_ex8MC-ZyrjvfLoA6iImcgA3Wzt7QT7unuQ/s1600/MFDC0035+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPsq65WPAGicAVvozeWs4jahLiWN1wvrJlDK4ubHWiS6mjMKsjdId4JSduPhswVzgRLOZj7zfzIZ3dC8NoUlP1sI-9Aihu4N6EXKoFZqp_ex8MC-ZyrjvfLoA6iImcgA3Wzt7QT7unuQ/s1600/MFDC0035+%25282%2529.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Must have heard the camera.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyirMofNu4mZN6OVtVbPcwBK_IHvMrF4aRVmpS57faJ9F0antub0iY1bHpzi8Ghz0Q-sAL1ui8cqPb3H0HwT_XhIM_uvnp3S88YG7FoJbnE0z68GeAdw9gFA0i7C04oZ8X0cVxPOr2zRw/s1600/MFDC0017+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyirMofNu4mZN6OVtVbPcwBK_IHvMrF4aRVmpS57faJ9F0antub0iY1bHpzi8Ghz0Q-sAL1ui8cqPb3H0HwT_XhIM_uvnp3S88YG7FoJbnE0z68GeAdw9gFA0i7C04oZ8X0cVxPOr2zRw/s1600/MFDC0017+%25282%2529.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three coyotes!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHCQy4ZeF0wA2TkS1n-QumB_zQt2iseJcC4TsIGSBkobv6k7OazDdEc_jT1aoeD50NmoeIBBmY7rLRJJDzFy_QZUfkPzwGKlANBLut-pU5p9ajqsbN_2-rCagpuq1jpdlP_SNokEaItlo/s1600/MFDC0023+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHCQy4ZeF0wA2TkS1n-QumB_zQt2iseJcC4TsIGSBkobv6k7OazDdEc_jT1aoeD50NmoeIBBmY7rLRJJDzFy_QZUfkPzwGKlANBLut-pU5p9ajqsbN_2-rCagpuq1jpdlP_SNokEaItlo/s1600/MFDC0023+%25283%2529.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coyotes are actually pretty animals, even though they are considered a nuisance.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuuqltVbHp41mMQ9PQPG5_NSqcckAwIlW0RwOXuWErww7LVDaXAMpuAULt81dSi_P7xDyk6KSHhmbFBz-mEph40rVCGzprdickvhbG8EMgPEe6vQEJTxR6VMyV5B5YhBNzw5T2DqfoGrc/s1600/MFDC0077+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuuqltVbHp41mMQ9PQPG5_NSqcckAwIlW0RwOXuWErww7LVDaXAMpuAULt81dSi_P7xDyk6KSHhmbFBz-mEph40rVCGzprdickvhbG8EMgPEe6vQEJTxR6VMyV5B5YhBNzw5T2DqfoGrc/s1600/MFDC0077+%25283%2529.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marking its territory.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJznWQAJ6nmi3LF8_JUzcyCzJNVo4gqctFzJpQxggB7w0_G2keD2tNHHXIKtdIY6XhJjEZyrFzyfdXO90WJyTeI9DHX_NViA1KKwJjfK942yy28_ovCI-xkzpB4dZN3RIU9-101OlWks/s1600/MFDC0371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJznWQAJ6nmi3LF8_JUzcyCzJNVo4gqctFzJpQxggB7w0_G2keD2tNHHXIKtdIY6XhJjEZyrFzyfdXO90WJyTeI9DHX_NViA1KKwJjfK942yy28_ovCI-xkzpB4dZN3RIU9-101OlWks/s1600/MFDC0371.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raccoon butt!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFthtyUIyiNgDtCmZX8QqYN6UkumJ15K9zldRuWRtLlKvEblQyXhemb69ypgpA4-fzEiNo_8UELOXyLLLvQqyd0w3V5Z0J0baf9J2xAyBr2UVCVkuV3ejHkS73XdWlZwX9TlV2CWxgNbk/s1600/MFDC0281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFthtyUIyiNgDtCmZX8QqYN6UkumJ15K9zldRuWRtLlKvEblQyXhemb69ypgpA4-fzEiNo_8UELOXyLLLvQqyd0w3V5Z0J0baf9J2xAyBr2UVCVkuV3ejHkS73XdWlZwX9TlV2CWxgNbk/s1600/MFDC0281.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fat raccoon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmg9OV76FfmLhwWOCLj8zDqjIBbA714Hi2gqanv7kwlZoOZ07gXcQLjCadISngyuci9mN5c-XFmaavbaXorwWT9LdPMwOn22jP9lSJwgivA9F4J3_DrFiXaJ6wMciFzNhEBsIZFe9n06g/s1600/MFDC0175+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmg9OV76FfmLhwWOCLj8zDqjIBbA714Hi2gqanv7kwlZoOZ07gXcQLjCadISngyuci9mN5c-XFmaavbaXorwWT9LdPMwOn22jP9lSJwgivA9F4J3_DrFiXaJ6wMciFzNhEBsIZFe9n06g/s1600/MFDC0175+%25282%2529.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"What was that?!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJ1YblwzmpecWizxGjLe3Os4J6gybRj6YJ04IRPXnW3iAU8d4Wc_NkZT-v2ii0U3xCsdkhRITEEqnrBK2603W_ueZia3e_Urg0k5piz7jiGK1KmzesXy75H-vHG7ifu-2pZW51wihxUA/s1600/MFDC0010+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJ1YblwzmpecWizxGjLe3Os4J6gybRj6YJ04IRPXnW3iAU8d4Wc_NkZT-v2ii0U3xCsdkhRITEEqnrBK2603W_ueZia3e_Urg0k5piz7jiGK1KmzesXy75H-vHG7ifu-2pZW51wihxUA/s1600/MFDC0010+%25283%2529.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All done for the night.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPsq65WPAGicAVvozeWs4jahLiWN1wvrJlDK4ubHWiS6mjMKsjdId4JSduPhswVzgRLOZj7zfzIZ3dC8NoUlP1sI-9Aihu4N6EXKoFZqp_ex8MC-ZyrjvfLoA6iImcgA3Wzt7QT7unuQ/s1600/MFDC0035+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsgQJ-8bCY3RsPOkLpC38WZG2TQbDPkWOhdQ7W8x4YN3SMk3BKXoJaWb7lqW1rMZZidq4dsamjETWw9bD_EsqjcU4VwHqS14JysoIdBompLeUUX1P5zthAkH50FjtxcHuVDB-9iFZsmr4/s1600/MFDC0190+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsgQJ-8bCY3RsPOkLpC38WZG2TQbDPkWOhdQ7W8x4YN3SMk3BKXoJaWb7lqW1rMZZidq4dsamjETWw9bD_EsqjcU4VwHqS14JysoIdBompLeUUX1P5zthAkH50FjtxcHuVDB-9iFZsmr4/s1600/MFDC0190+%25282%2529.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So. Many. Crows.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbA0o2-kDC_rPUUidcn5TVY1TCnsJWqaB3IFf8qCyhzlMyeAHleb4Fz9BO-7wp0WwFdQEWDoIB3KJyrdVdqWuspklIbbwgreTc4ra0O5UX81wM1XcGMOsSHAR03cYAMkur2R7YmPxhoxM/s1600/MFDC0070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxTRhp9Hs2P4JFz8pvS3Kh2hcHlKBCMH6YOqlyBUMG4MRnup-pSTqdrW5PWg_0SZ-y0f3CRxagwx5l1Fv7SQPdSjCZ2zkUMpKa6XADhlHwlPYQeoQjZpabNQdWB8uLE-lFZRzL_OkIcw/s1600/MFDC0070+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxTRhp9Hs2P4JFz8pvS3Kh2hcHlKBCMH6YOqlyBUMG4MRnup-pSTqdrW5PWg_0SZ-y0f3CRxagwx5l1Fv7SQPdSjCZ2zkUMpKa6XADhlHwlPYQeoQjZpabNQdWB8uLE-lFZRzL_OkIcw/s1600/MFDC0070+%25282%2529.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selfie!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhRM-_GUo9tiX7HWaSvaKMr91dnoEjOG6C5CK2WZTy-E-5vpxpSm2uP0i56snKYY67aT-dhtjGe8TAasc3g90jr0VWqPB-pkgLxoleRLyCuGHC0eCWMigG3UVBMmROacAhjz2M0cUY-8E/s1600/MFDC0066+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRCFBYo7nMFIeBiROhJgMwxkducHeddretrhHr4gAoYYsp_K60WDOzIlVeNLQo4RnDRYX81nHHd1FHP_O0qVT93k_SunVuG8wHZQU6UPrElEE7NnVfKC7UWkt_CUE3GBiP2U8hXET11EE/s1600/MFDC0057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HfKBG1oxb19NuJgDVOPN6ULR97FTjXptNlhhhGvseLiXFcYIgW3ZOa7tU6d1Q-IifgD5VUZXaT6mz_da4alnl9vFdsudz8DcDmS-Xv1GJvf-decRmKQEipGuQeQdYHnjikRIJajdx7s/s1600/MFDC0014+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HfKBG1oxb19NuJgDVOPN6ULR97FTjXptNlhhhGvseLiXFcYIgW3ZOa7tU6d1Q-IifgD5VUZXaT6mz_da4alnl9vFdsudz8DcDmS-Xv1GJvf-decRmKQEipGuQeQdYHnjikRIJajdx7s/s1600/MFDC0014+%25283%2529.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Must have heard the camera.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx0Jhy7LVL6dSN1bqOYzMqKR9hiCzSrwow6FX5X_Gz4TFpTfFKzi3bK-NbYUfdm4IaaVbt8mVwhMxQnwYRYhdh_NqY3xp-iftfxD3QG6RMBFOUwIpOQjqQGlDg0dyEGtL6AEeEd9ohk3A/s1600/MFDC0088+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx0Jhy7LVL6dSN1bqOYzMqKR9hiCzSrwow6FX5X_Gz4TFpTfFKzi3bK-NbYUfdm4IaaVbt8mVwhMxQnwYRYhdh_NqY3xp-iftfxD3QG6RMBFOUwIpOQjqQGlDg0dyEGtL6AEeEd9ohk3A/s1600/MFDC0088+%25283%2529.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very photogenic.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Iitw8QVXKA1yptw-m97BCAE_PFZgr4WWCxy6i0KAoKZF021HnD1rzlecToG6-TILgSDyTp0J70Q-Nqre8kR6gIJEQ7DiNuT1nb6emP8VWhaHEJp5KAI7B2qDTGr57fIPxxP20T3CoUM/s1600/MFDC0100+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Iitw8QVXKA1yptw-m97BCAE_PFZgr4WWCxy6i0KAoKZF021HnD1rzlecToG6-TILgSDyTp0J70Q-Nqre8kR6gIJEQ7DiNuT1nb6emP8VWhaHEJp5KAI7B2qDTGr57fIPxxP20T3CoUM/s1600/MFDC0100+%25283%2529.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two foxes!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZJdv_Xtfzs9jmAQb7B-0uIVKyHthXCq4_LG7T3zzrGAabE3pZgmM50scZ_7LgpEWwV6lgEwOXwLD4O7lUTvOCwqOQxm0kxLsHVifr7QUpkMvNZ-jHPc_AqgKrHwOPAV51aQZWp-q8f0/s1600/MFDC0097+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZJdv_Xtfzs9jmAQb7B-0uIVKyHthXCq4_LG7T3zzrGAabE3pZgmM50scZ_7LgpEWwV6lgEwOXwLD4O7lUTvOCwqOQxm0kxLsHVifr7QUpkMvNZ-jHPc_AqgKrHwOPAV51aQZWp-q8f0/s1600/MFDC0097+%25283%2529.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very rare daytime shot of the fox.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaY3ajk4acCsMge-AdiNcWLuLFKJ4PN7FiGcrorFBe3C4p9-M0MfWOboU-UbImdSLrCne2OcBJALUWglupnAbGlG90kKl9F5EKOQVDokMwc4h2Fb1-_uK-Ifo5BrwmA5ouO1QN9U6dloI/s1600/MFDC0104+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaY3ajk4acCsMge-AdiNcWLuLFKJ4PN7FiGcrorFBe3C4p9-M0MfWOboU-UbImdSLrCne2OcBJALUWglupnAbGlG90kKl9F5EKOQVDokMwc4h2Fb1-_uK-Ifo5BrwmA5ouO1QN9U6dloI/s1600/MFDC0104+%25283%2529.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking out his squirrel kingdom.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvZna8FfJ8ppiEOMHAdtQM0W22guoTREE9nGcc1rRypkpi2xMFjyKy1Rj73vuN_T3V8kea4wUxWqWfSc_ayJRj-Qa7dHByJnnu0cTu0vuz7eqKnA0CAQViIa1JL7GJMlmIq2P3Tv7xhE/s1600/MFDC0070+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvZna8FfJ8ppiEOMHAdtQM0W22guoTREE9nGcc1rRypkpi2xMFjyKy1Rj73vuN_T3V8kea4wUxWqWfSc_ayJRj-Qa7dHByJnnu0cTu0vuz7eqKnA0CAQViIa1JL7GJMlmIq2P3Tv7xhE/s1600/MFDC0070+%25283%2529.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very sensitive motion detect - caught this mouse going for the corn.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOcFqdexsqd_aZIjaZYje5KOqZ9YONjLseH_TNq5kJVELG-tCz3Qbzjkdk54_P97yITcrI9zxg3-qQhRx8-_UcwCHUd6otzepy3lFdjWCucMjAWKC9Lgla3V5n_fZK8k_jK5BAs77loEE/s1600/MFDC0248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOcFqdexsqd_aZIjaZYje5KOqZ9YONjLseH_TNq5kJVELG-tCz3Qbzjkdk54_P97yITcrI9zxg3-qQhRx8-_UcwCHUd6otzepy3lFdjWCucMjAWKC9Lgla3V5n_fZK8k_jK5BAs77loEE/s1600/MFDC0248.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neighborhood dogs - we know their owners.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuhX6OTX21nEOVVTdvCgug01NdwDm7VqLnEFoLjnKaRyErc9oTt9TRqTLB0k8u2mRp7xAK_ck44-0iPwMzNtFPlyZ8ydqtux4uH28Fgl5bSwy6AdRv9vj2v_TKQ80U-GkmP9L7tBaEVUM/s1600/MFDC0113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuhX6OTX21nEOVVTdvCgug01NdwDm7VqLnEFoLjnKaRyErc9oTt9TRqTLB0k8u2mRp7xAK_ck44-0iPwMzNtFPlyZ8ydqtux4uH28Fgl5bSwy6AdRv9vj2v_TKQ80U-GkmP9L7tBaEVUM/s1600/MFDC0113.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our dog Abby is mad about all the visitors.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzugaNgMtV70OJi2pTX0mu4CFna_GhqeyXW4Rmysd-oesyk4pIXVAHcUxHvgSHkz_d6nUP3l_HIkwjYtIA87jYqeCZKCW2UxhjSiA61EsykunFjACj9O_SCQ6OKZ_0ZtaqPP8HfP40eM/s1600/MFDC0082+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzugaNgMtV70OJi2pTX0mu4CFna_GhqeyXW4Rmysd-oesyk4pIXVAHcUxHvgSHkz_d6nUP3l_HIkwjYtIA87jYqeCZKCW2UxhjSiA61EsykunFjACj9O_SCQ6OKZ_0ZtaqPP8HfP40eM/s1600/MFDC0082+%25283%2529.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy, happy, happy! (We don't know him, though)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9w72QR9NjwhHTmmYqrbXgNLbqONjzg3u_0TdRliBsyH-IeFP9JJbDI7kLuUpxs6EW698ahkax8bHgndyzcpDqL0_qs5lFC0tsNKLGBAxvuSeQrJf2NAmY-mLgL6Ip4v6AG0TaXTC948/s1600/MFDC0134+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9w72QR9NjwhHTmmYqrbXgNLbqONjzg3u_0TdRliBsyH-IeFP9JJbDI7kLuUpxs6EW698ahkax8bHgndyzcpDqL0_qs5lFC0tsNKLGBAxvuSeQrJf2NAmY-mLgL6Ip4v6AG0TaXTC948/s1600/MFDC0134+%25283%2529.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My brother looking for the camera! It is well-hidden.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxTRhp9Hs2P4JFz8pvS3Kh2hcHlKBCMH6YOqlyBUMG4MRnup-pSTqdrW5PWg_0SZ-y0f3CRxagwx5l1Fv7SQPdSjCZ2zkUMpKa6XADhlHwlPYQeoQjZpabNQdWB8uLE-lFZRzL_OkIcw/s1600/MFDC0070+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17663230244641740323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-32264174990537385842014-02-14T20:10:00.003-05:002014-02-15T01:33:47.810-05:00A Full Moon Snowy Night!Last night we were treated to a rare treat for Western NC - a full moon on a clear night with 8 inches of snow on the ground. It made for some amazing sights and I was lucky enough to capture some of it in these photos.<br>
<br>
The following were all taken on a tripod with my Nikon D3100 at 30 seconds exposure time with an aperture setting of f3.5. The setting is the town of Robbinsville, NC and surrounding mountains.<br>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJ40ofaQjopaz0HeJOdBP2Xfqbf6F4F7Q4FYZ_mDm2n9Lf4zJomM7ssu-BkRnpwzCaeyfLNiftnUljXIwpohpGfhjVbW3TJFRdH1Ngxz2YqA_4C47zKkysq-tRxfUyLEc5WT3LItdXN8/s1600/DSC_0325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJ40ofaQjopaz0HeJOdBP2Xfqbf6F4F7Q4FYZ_mDm2n9Lf4zJomM7ssu-BkRnpwzCaeyfLNiftnUljXIwpohpGfhjVbW3TJFRdH1Ngxz2YqA_4C47zKkysq-tRxfUyLEc5WT3LItdXN8/s1600/DSC_0325.JPG" height="213" width="320"></a></div>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_OCRH_LvIarlNd3L85qdYqk-844fmsfgBD6Sz3FcXqBTAqAUCIXd3iwuugnuY1YXh07j15JFRACsdHnZqivhM52a49ghdqxYCSduAmgeUKJOacJ5oySEq95MVBtOX5KamaVfuP08HZwE/s1600/DSC_0327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_OCRH_LvIarlNd3L85qdYqk-844fmsfgBD6Sz3FcXqBTAqAUCIXd3iwuugnuY1YXh07j15JFRACsdHnZqivhM52a49ghdqxYCSduAmgeUKJOacJ5oySEq95MVBtOX5KamaVfuP08HZwE/s1600/DSC_0327.JPG" height="213" width="320"></a></div>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ArC-QmuCee4T5ngNfPXA5iuM7unLHqTS0Oe6XlT66yfrvmiw5ZDa9-qpnpa2dr958caT_UP9uzjzVXG75uyQtS3a0aC77TH5LPfYHp6yOceXZl1moZSgZsifPUa6NRc4ikGWK-J8-JA/s1600/DSC_0330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ArC-QmuCee4T5ngNfPXA5iuM7unLHqTS0Oe6XlT66yfrvmiw5ZDa9-qpnpa2dr958caT_UP9uzjzVXG75uyQtS3a0aC77TH5LPfYHp6yOceXZl1moZSgZsifPUa6NRc4ikGWK-J8-JA/s1600/DSC_0330.JPG" height="213" width="320"></a></div>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyjA6klEC-k-HP7Zo2tVks1emn8_TIn7uD4AVMiQk6IUll2PmulwXGZNzsMFfezBpiQIDD9S384pj9zMU-uwULp7t-3afnazwvFp6a_bSEIXsYEUbhOsBKqNUyvoOg0U1bclQ4EmRBF20/s1600/DSC_0332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyjA6klEC-k-HP7Zo2tVks1emn8_TIn7uD4AVMiQk6IUll2PmulwXGZNzsMFfezBpiQIDD9S384pj9zMU-uwULp7t-3afnazwvFp6a_bSEIXsYEUbhOsBKqNUyvoOg0U1bclQ4EmRBF20/s1600/DSC_0332.JPG" height="213" width="320"></a></div>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizMoj22L0TBl-X3GTEymm4L20FueVu9SBXcOGJ5JAOzeRiTI6qO28lA6E_qfl8Zs7hGU8brwc5-XOQfdZ8BRbXUEm8I58Ts8aYFRFq2QwGBriqKm79SEOlSCpoiKJGJ5St4qok2XdGJx8/s1600/DSC_0339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizMoj22L0TBl-X3GTEymm4L20FueVu9SBXcOGJ5JAOzeRiTI6qO28lA6E_qfl8Zs7hGU8brwc5-XOQfdZ8BRbXUEm8I58Ts8aYFRFq2QwGBriqKm79SEOlSCpoiKJGJ5St4qok2XdGJx8/s1600/DSC_0339.JPG" height="213" width="320"></a></div>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKdXE-009wZCiA_3rqmn6k-ER62f7JGwDBuNBVKqb-eKUp9qAky9OPVpE9dUHFVEGR3jnGML2wm1McVsaf2oLU1d-M61iSvmApNC3b5_WlXUXxJsRj6qr47CUaSi54mJ6JhaQUq3Y7YKk/s1600/DSC_0338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKdXE-009wZCiA_3rqmn6k-ER62f7JGwDBuNBVKqb-eKUp9qAky9OPVpE9dUHFVEGR3jnGML2wm1McVsaf2oLU1d-M61iSvmApNC3b5_WlXUXxJsRj6qr47CUaSi54mJ6JhaQUq3Y7YKk/s1600/DSC_0338.JPG" height="320" width="213"></a></div>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj48yd8VweYhSSMxIK4zfqnTXRfyXXJn8EiBMTRAcoDJUDpM1o-I7-pxxLJvEWhJc4w7eMS_JaxVmtTmab0fEEgwKTyVyvK2b5VWEqKcYC7gJYkMXPRIaQE-sE1oI70ZLdQQU7isjemC7s/s1600/DSC_0336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj48yd8VweYhSSMxIK4zfqnTXRfyXXJn8EiBMTRAcoDJUDpM1o-I7-pxxLJvEWhJc4w7eMS_JaxVmtTmab0fEEgwKTyVyvK2b5VWEqKcYC7gJYkMXPRIaQE-sE1oI70ZLdQQU7isjemC7s/s1600/DSC_0336.JPG" height="213" width="320"></a></div>
<br>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17663230244641740323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-60473588002949573082014-02-13T16:47:00.003-05:002014-02-13T16:47:17.858-05:00Lower Falls of Snowbird Creek, Graham County, NC As you probably know if you've read this blog before, one of my favorite places in Western North Carolina is Big Snowbird Creek in Graham County. I have written about my many trips to the <a href="http://wncoutdoorlife.blogspot.com/2009/02/our-favorite-dayhikes-part-ii.html" target="_blank">Middle Falls</a>, <a href="http://wncoutdoorlife.blogspot.com/2014/01/babys-first-day-hike.html" target="_blank">day hikes to Sassafras Creek</a> and <a href="http://wncoutdoorlife.blogspot.com/2013/12/delayed-harvest-fishing-on-big-snowbird.html" target="_blank">fly fishing the Delayed Harvest section</a>. Today I will share some photos and tips for a successful trip to the Lower Falls (also labeled as the Big Falls on most maps) of Snowbird Creek.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTo8dT4lbd1YxlzFNCN9PPjiVmGkhzskFw0ea539AP5eNXeMwYLTZobFHzNsNxdaZXs_gKgF_5GSRi_gHZQIJRgxhEOuu0kPB-rpRBVSuJ9owHrvFrNItwwGE0ETMVwc5pCV2O0CPv4XM/s1600/Snowbird+Trip+-+May+2010+045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTo8dT4lbd1YxlzFNCN9PPjiVmGkhzskFw0ea539AP5eNXeMwYLTZobFHzNsNxdaZXs_gKgF_5GSRi_gHZQIJRgxhEOuu0kPB-rpRBVSuJ9owHrvFrNItwwGE0ETMVwc5pCV2O0CPv4XM/s1600/Snowbird+Trip+-+May+2010+045.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lowest cascades of the Lower falls.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Snowbird creek is located about 10 miles from Robbinsville in Graham County. I have previously given detailed directions and trail information <a href="http://wncoutdoorlife.blogspot.com/2009/02/our-favorite-dayhikes-part-ii.html" target="_blank">here</a>, when I wrote about the Middle Falls. There are three main sets of falls on Snowbird Creek, creatively named Lower (Big) falls, Middle Falls and Upper Falls. The Lower falls are actually a set of three or four cascades and slides that serve to separate the rainbow and brown trout populations from the native brook or speckled trout.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07Abgk498UiBv6m26ERE5dsiQ42iaJg8l9JMzRErD5QB8O1TZ66OrGsmAdN7iVt4QRqh4PVb825lo3fnqoJl9fkuwo5oxlLmHtYOwnd2OJQpxPIlTe2mdKKW99vjFK5axGcgpsLKyMig/s1600/P6161504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07Abgk498UiBv6m26ERE5dsiQ42iaJg8l9JMzRErD5QB8O1TZ66OrGsmAdN7iVt4QRqh4PVb825lo3fnqoJl9fkuwo5oxlLmHtYOwnd2OJQpxPIlTe2mdKKW99vjFK5axGcgpsLKyMig/s1600/P6161504.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice little brown trout.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
On this particular trip, myself and a set of friends camped at the mouth of Sassafras Creek where it joins Big Snowbird Creek. It was late May and we couldn't keep the fish off the end of our lines. My brother and I and another friend fished from the campsite at Sassafras to the Lower Falls - a distance of about a mile. The day before, my brother and I had fished Sassafras creek, which is a great little creek to itself, but that's a topic for another post.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkAoNjKbqkVpa2-y9BpKbaGrCxiFm2jvLQKDbSvV9e6KWxdOdTyEn-0DUJzp8OFP8Go63h73wgcmxlZwIcswhS4IxZSUeN5IiyaLr3FtIcTAQOY0pcsYYi_vvkoTH8c8bpxCb3fRwVf54/s1600/Snowbird+Trip+-+May+2010+039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkAoNjKbqkVpa2-y9BpKbaGrCxiFm2jvLQKDbSvV9e6KWxdOdTyEn-0DUJzp8OFP8Go63h73wgcmxlZwIcswhS4IxZSUeN5IiyaLr3FtIcTAQOY0pcsYYi_vvkoTH8c8bpxCb3fRwVf54/s1600/Snowbird+Trip+-+May+2010+039.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty little native rainbow.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Below the Lower Falls, you will catch decent sized native rainbows and browns, though you may also see the occasional speck (if you're lucky). However, the size of the falls prohibits the rainbows and browns from moving any farther up the creek.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8PGO_DlF1mVYbhDri2GLP_sServNtLkuVyQkLygnPvodgpkQLnNA0LTs5zTKv_JM5zXruryWbWGZlSn5w33PFunX91LbktapA3YrV-PVWr56wE2UdvprSplQ19qTvp24D4p2OewIQkw/s1600/Snowbird+Trip+-+May+2010+052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8PGO_DlF1mVYbhDri2GLP_sServNtLkuVyQkLygnPvodgpkQLnNA0LTs5zTKv_JM5zXruryWbWGZlSn5w33PFunX91LbktapA3YrV-PVWr56wE2UdvprSplQ19qTvp24D4p2OewIQkw/s1600/Snowbird+Trip+-+May+2010+052.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You will catch the rare speck below the Lower Falls.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
If you decide to hike straight to the falls, you can cross Sassafras creek and follow the trail along the left side of the creek for about a mile. The trail will rise in elevation above the creek to where accessing the main creek becomes almost impossible (you will even lose the sound of the creek at one point). This is an important thing to remember if you fish this portion of Big Snowbird as you will have to do some climbing and bushwhacking if you decide to leave the creek before the Lower Falls. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7ui2Nhkk7pbySDRTA8_D7K8WCfuuEnSx6dsLFlJy1ZHHBasMXZvCSE1kxIPV9c9A0isgzv62QBU_i1QeqMrEujWxJa39fmGYs8gRuutGp4dok45oTr-MvuQNWHuPYt0zZmMfLYQlcM0/s1600/Snowbird+Trip+-+May+2010+047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7ui2Nhkk7pbySDRTA8_D7K8WCfuuEnSx6dsLFlJy1ZHHBasMXZvCSE1kxIPV9c9A0isgzv62QBU_i1QeqMrEujWxJa39fmGYs8gRuutGp4dok45oTr-MvuQNWHuPYt0zZmMfLYQlcM0/s1600/Snowbird+Trip+-+May+2010+047.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rock-climbing skills can come in handy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
There is no signage for the falls themselves, but they are pretty straight forward to locate. Once you begin to hear the creek again, you will soon be able to see the falls and several fisherman's trails down to the falls. Be careful, as the banks are pretty steep! If you reach the foot log that crosses Big Snowbird, you have gone too far for the falls. (Side note - there are some amazing campsites on the other side of this foot log at Mouse Knob creek - also a topic for another post). <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj03UAlbt131R40zYk3S_fc7wDF1n_mdfC1UdLuMwJQFpHhgEZ-pl7CidAaLhk-Z44CjhTl7CjlWbTY0Si9eh31Rg3FG0MYfm7dQxGAthjx6dySE-wvxa1oYsN9K2yBeZDcaO0eQGCLAdk/s1600/Snowbird+Trip+-+May+2010+050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj03UAlbt131R40zYk3S_fc7wDF1n_mdfC1UdLuMwJQFpHhgEZ-pl7CidAaLhk-Z44CjhTl7CjlWbTY0Si9eh31Rg3FG0MYfm7dQxGAthjx6dySE-wvxa1oYsN9K2yBeZDcaO0eQGCLAdk/s1600/Snowbird+Trip+-+May+2010+050.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch on top of a rock would be great!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Like I noted before, the falls themselves are a series of cascades and slides and you can rock hop from one to the next. The tallest is the farthest up the creek and is ten to fifteen feet tall with a huge pool below. In my opinion, this is one of the best swimming holes in WNC. I have been swimming here since I was about 12 years old and taking a dip in the perpetually chilly creek is one of the highlights of each summer. If you're brave enough, the pool is even deep enough for a jump off the top!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56nl7xYJ3VM61DrIema_h93axbNT_ikQaWj81HEyFi2tVZ1xjdzrQCX55Ifqe1czpUOgJ7uYvUC9qfcGTed_azUXJxaJlAgeWoB_0doUofGXdgpyzJlP6x1GXky8lEHhOJ6KD04reJOw/s1600/P5231388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56nl7xYJ3VM61DrIema_h93axbNT_ikQaWj81HEyFi2tVZ1xjdzrQCX55Ifqe1czpUOgJ7uYvUC9qfcGTed_azUXJxaJlAgeWoB_0doUofGXdgpyzJlP6x1GXky8lEHhOJ6KD04reJOw/s1600/P5231388.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geronimo! It was cold, I'll guarantee that!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As always, be safe and have fun in WNC!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19KZ1oGVxoZkGy9EeSEDupi5UGMMtQYnR4r5EdM17ylEH3A8O-S6EUPC6lRgki_CkvTRMo1O7_EPBW-NMAQ-AsZ1EYUoo5YKoxeg1Cn1LCpHDK8QioeFnW9imQkOXgNwDuYduIDI86Os/s1600/P5231374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19KZ1oGVxoZkGy9EeSEDupi5UGMMtQYnR4r5EdM17ylEH3A8O-S6EUPC6lRgki_CkvTRMo1O7_EPBW-NMAQ-AsZ1EYUoo5YKoxeg1Cn1LCpHDK8QioeFnW9imQkOXgNwDuYduIDI86Os/s1600/P5231374.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shimmy up the left side and you've got a nice pool to jump into.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17663230244641740323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-81556289553386561332014-02-05T19:41:00.005-05:002014-02-05T19:41:44.743-05:00Biking at Biltmore EstateIf you aren't up for a day of strenuous mountain biking in the mountains of North Carolina, an excellent alternative is biking on the grounds of the <a href="http://www.biltmore.com/" target="_blank">Biltmore Estate</a>. Access to the miles of woodland and paved trails is included with admission to the Biltmore Estate.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinc7vUONRelf6_f5h2N7rxXNfNAUZP0bK3ACDK8tKaySntD4ZO2pquuuYaJpwlLfNqoJZWz3X6oNFnnEEXuALVqkw4zR70l0drYvFn2orEi_t2rdBKrXMVf2zPiJ76YmrCPi6dmXEJtlE/s1600/PA311814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinc7vUONRelf6_f5h2N7rxXNfNAUZP0bK3ACDK8tKaySntD4ZO2pquuuYaJpwlLfNqoJZWz3X6oNFnnEEXuALVqkw4zR70l0drYvFn2orEi_t2rdBKrXMVf2zPiJ76YmrCPi6dmXEJtlE/s1600/PA311814.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
For the past couple of years, we have had annual passes to the estate and have found it to be a good deal as locals. We don't visit the house often, but unlimited access the restaurants, grounds and winery is well worth the cost. The Biltmore house and grounds provide plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities right in the middle of Asheville.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0ti4AWe5y5POZi9Qs6-L9HM5MU_JFgAm2INP-5_mt6vhZX_43ZAzku_ziqw3gCWMrMVypHM5jgbYbouPvavcDBDOfzgMVtOLkND-CD3vsVa2OF_RsGouNj1ZwYpGRM2FRCDOA3zEDMU/s1600/PA311812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0ti4AWe5y5POZi9Qs6-L9HM5MU_JFgAm2INP-5_mt6vhZX_43ZAzku_ziqw3gCWMrMVypHM5jgbYbouPvavcDBDOfzgMVtOLkND-CD3vsVa2OF_RsGouNj1ZwYpGRM2FRCDOA3zEDMU/s1600/PA311812.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
We loaded up the mountain bikes and headed to Asheville last fall for some time on the trails at Biltmore.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3LCqMLEHwh7d5dEpapMMJfezby4-zGMj6uzooaeIAH8unGKp06uG-jvB3kAv6dBDCT1VVQu__YpyUveQ8pXlbiSTr1oiUARUXxLEzUZpv-wPgl67Hdp1Vph4lMHp9HL5Y0SxsfGVfRzY/s1600/PA311811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3LCqMLEHwh7d5dEpapMMJfezby4-zGMj6uzooaeIAH8unGKp06uG-jvB3kAv6dBDCT1VVQu__YpyUveQ8pXlbiSTr1oiUARUXxLEzUZpv-wPgl67Hdp1Vph4lMHp9HL5Y0SxsfGVfRzY/s1600/PA311811.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Clear blue skies and colors starting to show made the day a very memorable one.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiToC-ysnEvyIea-lZwTUW9-vsLr_yRjaZMJM23PoBrPd2ZZ9eW02VpF12GewjbJbC99zjC_yMxyzKlxhHCbJf4w2TYFxOzlW5VVfvYiWP6hGd65yAmQY0LSmQFiyrIH1D0FmgkQ2PEt1w/s1600/PA311810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiToC-ysnEvyIea-lZwTUW9-vsLr_yRjaZMJM23PoBrPd2ZZ9eW02VpF12GewjbJbC99zjC_yMxyzKlxhHCbJf4w2TYFxOzlW5VVfvYiWP6hGd65yAmQY0LSmQFiyrIH1D0FmgkQ2PEt1w/s1600/PA311810.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The Biltmore Estate is one of the most picturesque settings in the Southeast. It is a family-friendly option when visiting Asheville and western North Carolina with plenty to do in between your other outdoor adventures.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0bO_GPzYt9_WnqKv4tT0SqBg9ssbEtjFi0uyAc2YZpAOqCc1OA9mcuIIYilHJWnybvR379WhieRklCmkJ5oH9JVut_3WRDrOYSB37Q-2CmJtLRSksiiXSFlfqOUC9EnLQY-rUbncc4c/s1600/PA311813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0bO_GPzYt9_WnqKv4tT0SqBg9ssbEtjFi0uyAc2YZpAOqCc1OA9mcuIIYilHJWnybvR379WhieRklCmkJ5oH9JVut_3WRDrOYSB37Q-2CmJtLRSksiiXSFlfqOUC9EnLQY-rUbncc4c/s1600/PA311813.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
More information on biking at Biltmore can be found <a href="http://www.biltmore.com/visit/things-to-do/outdoor-activities/biking" target="_blank">here</a>. Biltmore also offers plenty of other <a href="http://www.biltmore.com/visit/things-to-do/outdoor-activities" target="_blank">outdoor activities</a> like fly fishing, horseback riding and offroad driving.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17663230244641740323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-86223890228484516962014-02-03T15:17:00.002-05:002014-02-03T15:17:27.243-05:00Two Wheel Inn Named one of Tripadvisor's 15 Best Bargain HotelsTripadvisor has just released their annual <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Hotels-cBargain" target="_blank">Traveler's Choice awards</a> for 2014 and a <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g49483-d1546259-Reviews-Two_Wheel_Inn-Robbinsville_North_Carolina.html" target="_blank">local Western North Carolina hotel</a> has broken the top 15!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.twowheelinn.com/" target="_blank">Two Wheel Inn</a> bills itself as a unique motorcycle-friendly motel in the heart of some of the best riding in America. Each room has their own connected motorcycle garage, meaning there's a place to keep your ride secure and dry for those surprise summer showers.<br />
<br />
Within minutes of the hotel are some of the best known roads in the southeast, if not the country - the <a href="http://www.cherohala.com/" target="_blank">Cherohala Skyway</a>, <a href="http://www.moonshiner28.com/" target="_blank">Moonshiner 28</a>, the <a href="http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/" target="_blank">Blue Ridge Parkway</a> and of course the famous <a href="http://www.tailofthedragon.com/" target="_blank">Tail of the Dragon.</a><br />
<br />
Come visit Graham County and if you're a biker, consider the Two Wheel Inn - you (and your wallet) will be glad you did!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17663230244641740323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-2472107977526036282014-01-21T12:33:00.002-05:002014-01-21T12:33:17.268-05:00One Hundred Ultimate Outdoor Activities - Blue Ridge Outdoors<a href="http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/" target="_blank">Blue Ridge Outdoors</a> has released their annual Ultimate 100 List. This list includes 100 awesome things to do outdoors in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and beyond.<br />
<br />
This year, the staff is challenging readers to complete as many as possible, documenting on social media with the hashtag #BROultimate100. To help, they have even included a <a href="http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/docs/BROUltimate100Challenge.xlsx" target="_blank">handy spreadsheet </a>with added bonus challenges, helpful websites and other information.<br />
<br />
Local Western North Carolina Activities include:<br />
<br />
<b>4. CANOE AND CAMP</b> along the entire length of the <a href="http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/paddling/rush-french-broad-river-trail/" target="_blank">French Broad River Trail</a>.
If you’re feeling ambitious (and have three months to spare), take the
river all the way to the Mississippi and down to the Gulf of Mexico.<br />
<br />
<b>17. LOOP IT UP</b> on the <a href="http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/outdoors-travel/trip-guides/bartram-trail-guide/" target="_blank">Bartram Trail</a> for a weekend of challenging terrain, stellar views, and remote hiking. Thru-hike all 100 miles for the ultimate experience.<br />
<br />
<b>52-56. GO BOATING.</b> Whether you’re just starting out or looking
to step up your game, Dagger paddler Chris Gragtmans has five things
every river rat should try.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Learn to kayak.</b> The Nantahala River is the best place to do that.</li>
</ul>
<b>57. BE HUMBLED</b> as you gaze up at the towering old growth trees of the <a href="http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/eco/news-issues/nature-at-its-best/" target="_blank">Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest</a>. You’ll be surprised at the amount of awe and beauty that can be packed into a two-mile hike. <br />
<br />
<b>67. RE-LIVE DELIVERANCE</b>, without the squealing like a pig.
Paddle or raft the class III and IV sections of the Chattooga River, one
of the largest free-flowing rivers in the Southeast and the setting for
the 1972 thriller <i>Deliverance</i>. <i>–Jill Moore, Asheville, N.C.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Check out the entire list over at <a href="http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/go-outside/blue-ridge-outdoors-ultimate-100/" target="_blank">Blue Ridge Outdoors,</a> and pick up a copy of their magazine if you see one at your favorite gear store.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17663230244641740323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-30282217729324029992014-01-20T19:48:00.000-05:002014-01-20T19:48:06.426-05:00Our Favorite Day Hikes Part IV - The HangoverOne of our favorite places for a day hike is to the Hangover (not the movie!) in the Slickrock Creek Wilderness in Graham County. This 6-mile out-and-back hike takes you to over 5,000 foot elevation as you cross the mountains of Graham County and offers 360-degree views of the beautiful Slickrock Creek-Citico Wilderness at the border of Tennessee and North Carolina.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Dd6uy0gSFdfivLTltJOt2a3mQR2LMHTCYqtjFU4iRgllrZpoYqMM_JGEWbuDRyxVifcDgAOHNEhJpXAV_Cfv-e-UsoKs_uPC2gKnt0kgAgPUeqv2NeOuhSPLElHGJUIYG269Mwe4QO4/s1600/Spring+%252708+029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Dd6uy0gSFdfivLTltJOt2a3mQR2LMHTCYqtjFU4iRgllrZpoYqMM_JGEWbuDRyxVifcDgAOHNEhJpXAV_Cfv-e-UsoKs_uPC2gKnt0kgAgPUeqv2NeOuhSPLElHGJUIYG269Mwe4QO4/s1600/Spring+%252708+029.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 300-foot cliffs of the Hangover as seen from below.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The Hangover is one of the most noticeable and striking geographical features in Graham County and can be seen from Robbinsville and the surrounding areas. It is so named because of the sheer 300-foot cliff at the end of the trail - the top of which can be reached for panoramic views of the forest below.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnVyqXsgCi5TEYtvAnYC8ePXM5_A7xX2ivJFWAwkVFqVXrzaA-l3b6GYgsWoRhnkEKiYZXuVYIj3-VMUZ_uFBpawNrM0dtod6qgc9gOkiMHqNJfmBjEoFzetmlakmV08rgXWrUNCMbBvY/s1600/1125091154a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnVyqXsgCi5TEYtvAnYC8ePXM5_A7xX2ivJFWAwkVFqVXrzaA-l3b6GYgsWoRhnkEKiYZXuVYIj3-VMUZ_uFBpawNrM0dtod6qgc9gOkiMHqNJfmBjEoFzetmlakmV08rgXWrUNCMbBvY/s1600/1125091154a.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking east into the North Carolina mountains. The Great Smokies are in the far distance..</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Miles of trails wind their way through the Slickrock Creek Wilderness, with access from the North Carolina and Tennessee sides. This means that there is any number of trailhead locations to start toward the Hangover. I have hiked from several of these, including the <a href="http://www.main.nc.us/graham/hiking/hangoversouth.html" target="_blank">Big Fat Gap trailhead</a>, but find that the Wolf Laurel trailhead in the <a href="http://www.main.nc.us/graham/hiking/santeetlah.html" target="_blank">Santeetlah Creek area</a> gives an easier hike with less elevation change. Pick up a map at the Cheoah District Ranger Station just outside of Robbinsville. I also recommend the National Geograpic Trails Illustrated map of the area titled <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fontana-Hiwassee-Nantahala-National-Geographic/dp/1566953332/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y" target="_blank">Fontana and Hiwassee Lakes.</a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglpl5Ylqyt-PwUwEcImC96szQAciGhKVTDF-hRmlh22yFrY4vw4eUaI-QwWlaiCyJ3TiWtFpvb_ui-XztwbXfoaWnkPxTa3bmtUq2QUkaFJM0QbTukrMHKUn32DL7-ajpfnwZiWgBhxEI/s1600/1125091125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglpl5Ylqyt-PwUwEcImC96szQAciGhKVTDF-hRmlh22yFrY4vw4eUaI-QwWlaiCyJ3TiWtFpvb_ui-XztwbXfoaWnkPxTa3bmtUq2QUkaFJM0QbTukrMHKUn32DL7-ajpfnwZiWgBhxEI/s1600/1125091125.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dogs will love this hike!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
To reach the Wolf Laurel trailhead, you head west from Robbinsville on US Highway 143 toward the <a href="http://wncoutdoorlife.blogspot.com/search/label/Cherohala%20Skyway" target="_blank">Cherohala Skyway</a>. At the beginning of the Cherohala, take a right toward Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest and then an immediate left onto Old Santeetlah Road (Forest Service Road 81). You will follow this gravel road down the hill and parallel Santeetlah Creek for about 8 miles. At the first fork, follow Forest Service Road 81-F to the right toward Wolf Laurel. Take this road up the mountain until it ends in a parking area.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_uWg3ZLBTjyCZ0qJQdOZNjswb6CI-5cu45z_ytxfOwDgDmgpj_10PpTbbhdu4sU9h4nxHr2ENE_FVZdaBA2CEUtfhMTwz0gayZS9JdPXzB1Y7CTgcXDkeZ4xVjghHF_QS-Y8VCaWG8bw/s1600/Spring+%252708+019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_uWg3ZLBTjyCZ0qJQdOZNjswb6CI-5cu45z_ytxfOwDgDmgpj_10PpTbbhdu4sU9h4nxHr2ENE_FVZdaBA2CEUtfhMTwz0gayZS9JdPXzB1Y7CTgcXDkeZ4xVjghHF_QS-Y8VCaWG8bw/s1600/Spring+%252708+019.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view from the clear cut - plenty of firewood here.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
From the parking area, you will take the Stratton Bald Trail, number 54 to the left toward Bob Stratton Bald. This will intersect Trail No. 53, the Haoe Lead Trail, after about a mile. Turn right to follow the Haoe Lead for about a mile and a half up and over the 5,249-foot rise known as the Haoe. Side note, this oddly-named feature was named for a turn of the century local that could be heard going about the area shouting "Heeyyyy-ohhhh." I suppose he was also pretty excited to be in these beautiful mountains.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim9QYZpTb-5hk3fFb8vhyLU0hlgjFYmds8aWCjTBp3BXKUzloUIFQRChKwQalt9Wi0Ps8zlGhbva7LW2T5ax3c4LByg2dlj-WLo7uTn_KQest5Gs0nw0CthXPt1Xy4nDqjxToAiJwOJZc/s1600/Spring+%252708+033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim9QYZpTb-5hk3fFb8vhyLU0hlgjFYmds8aWCjTBp3BXKUzloUIFQRChKwQalt9Wi0Ps8zlGhbva7LW2T5ax3c4LByg2dlj-WLo7uTn_KQest5Gs0nw0CthXPt1Xy4nDqjxToAiJwOJZc/s1600/Spring+%252708+033.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild boars are abundant - keep your distance! We were in a car when we saw this guy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
From the Haoe, stay on trail 56A for a half-mile or so to the Hangover. You will pass through an area that was clear cut in 2008 to allow a bucket helicopter to land while fighting wildfires in the area. The trail closes in with rocks and laurel bushes all around until you finally can pop your head over the brush in what feels like the top of the world. There happens to be a geocache around the hangover, so if you are adventurous, try to (carefully) find it.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs4fFKEuh_u_ISorqzMwF9HlbSa-FdiK0QeI2LxwrfSmqwgo__dR916jra4N2Zb7DwDvTN6ltEgkuRgNomktpThBmvb8RGZih2q5RfEV5WyjGfpUobII_uwLWD6_zm6Ou0YeJdDi_rByQ/s1600/1125091224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs4fFKEuh_u_ISorqzMwF9HlbSa-FdiK0QeI2LxwrfSmqwgo__dR916jra4N2Zb7DwDvTN6ltEgkuRgNomktpThBmvb8RGZih2q5RfEV5WyjGfpUobII_uwLWD6_zm6Ou0YeJdDi_rByQ/s1600/1125091224.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mountains for days!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
There is a great stand of pines at the edge of the previously mentioned clearing with a couple of established fire-rings. I haven't done it yet, but I want to watch a sunset and sunrise from this awesome place. Be forewarned though, this high elevation ridge will see more wind than the valleys around it and the weather can sometimes be unpredictable. I have set off for here in mid-April with forecasted 50 degrees in the valley only to be turned around by sleet and fog. There will also be more rain here in the summertime, as weather systems hit this ridge as they sweep across the Tennessee valley. Always come prepared with proper clothing, even for a day hike.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9bBY6dkR3JMIe_zk7AKrWpFopK-0HmYMldytotXOMsEpQdOnpRMpI2YokytCJJDR1WjVR9F69rYzurRSpz7mO1QSkJLOrOE7FqjOsSoRzGTGLUg6ZyQ6SwSRWiQB8YiZ63Efl5bJIYpc/s1600/1125091154b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9bBY6dkR3JMIe_zk7AKrWpFopK-0HmYMldytotXOMsEpQdOnpRMpI2YokytCJJDR1WjVR9F69rYzurRSpz7mO1QSkJLOrOE7FqjOsSoRzGTGLUg6ZyQ6SwSRWiQB8YiZ63Efl5bJIYpc/s1600/1125091154b.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch at the Hangover - even Abby gets some treats.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I hope that you get out and enjoy the Hangover hike and the surrounding Slickrock Creek Wilderness. There are hundreds of miles of trails in this wilderness, so it's a place I visit often. See you out there!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lC742uffNkBiYckHxFdnHb_8wLj-uUsCE_mk654xeWTAlg9-DEuPWMGpy2btoXqCcer5Fk-QuyiDRXbjJmIwK8oXcY8sZD5iwEVhUdi2DC7FrR673QHIvcNi-UzdaoIQIkk5Rx5VL2s/s1600/1125091151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lC742uffNkBiYckHxFdnHb_8wLj-uUsCE_mk654xeWTAlg9-DEuPWMGpy2btoXqCcer5Fk-QuyiDRXbjJmIwK8oXcY8sZD5iwEVhUdi2DC7FrR673QHIvcNi-UzdaoIQIkk5Rx5VL2s/s1600/1125091151.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My brother and Abby lounging at the top.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17663230244641740323noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-61480753087215507612014-01-20T14:37:00.002-05:002014-01-20T14:37:16.229-05:00Great Smokies Scavenger HuntOn the weekend of March 21st & 22nd, the <a href="http://www.gsmit.org/" target="_blank">Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont</a> will host its annual scavenger hunt. This hunt will go all over the park - using normally accessible trails and roads - while participants photograph or research answers to questions.<br />
<br />
The particulars:<br />
<ul>
<li>Teams must fit into one vehicle (up to 12 members)</li>
<li>A digital camera with a clear memory card is required</li>
<li>Questions will be assigned point values according to difficulty</li>
<li>Questions will be emailed by 3:30 pm Friday, March 21st</li>
<li>Teams are due at Tremont by 4:30 pm Saturday, March 22nd</li>
<li>Registration fee is $50 per team</li>
<li>Proceeds benefit the Tremont scholarship fund </li>
</ul>
To register and get more information, visit the Tremont <a href="http://www.gsmit.org/hunt.html" target="_blank">website here</a>. See you in March!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17663230244641740323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959785353525038816.post-70620640647004668852014-01-15T21:08:00.003-05:002014-01-15T21:08:52.192-05:00Fly Fishing on Raven Fork - Great Smokies National ParkRaven Fork in the Great Smokies National Park is one of the hardest to reach, wildest, most interesting creeks that I have fished. The lower parts of Raven Fork are pretty well known as<a href="http://hookersflyshop.com/destinations-2/guidedflyfishingincherokeenc/" target="_blank"> trophy fly fishing</a> waters of the Cherokee Indian Reservation. People also (crazily!) <a href="http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/detail/id/3351" target="_blank">kayak </a>down the middle and lower sections of this river, which I can't even begin to imagine. However, it's the upper reaches of the creek - those without direct trail access - that are the most interesting and fun to fish.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUa1nYgC_mZkGIrxGwrUJHE4_9EQH51C_4NIf3m_roOO6uo1f2KAvCMqFCzp5ftgMg8DtBziHwXOSMo7wZ0nGXd1nQSN6bAb7Sj_7kxHVGeD693bSJVydB-sE_rnXjodbwcU8Vfl4T6Rs/s1600/Spring+2010+008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUa1nYgC_mZkGIrxGwrUJHE4_9EQH51C_4NIf3m_roOO6uo1f2KAvCMqFCzp5ftgMg8DtBziHwXOSMo7wZ0nGXd1nQSN6bAb7Sj_7kxHVGeD693bSJVydB-sE_rnXjodbwcU8Vfl4T6Rs/s1600/Spring+2010+008.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some fancy footwork will be required on Raven Fork!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Getting to Raven fork is not particularly difficult, but will involve some hiking. To reach the trailhead, head to Cherokee on the North Carolina side of the Great Smokies. From there, you will take Big Cove Road for nine miles to where Straight Fork Road splits to the right (right after the bridge at the junction of Straight Fork and Raven fork creeks). Big Cove Road parallels the lower stretches of Raven Fork where some of the trophy waters are and you will pass plenty of campgrounds for those less adventurous or traveling with families.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKyi4Jc0BFAHnh9OOK1kJUJjE32n0Odl8m_8wWwex1jqCfWAsKekgKeQZpfaabhL6DHs3tBy9QpzVBqKI9vJo0yqoHNt8sFGTIluHm5dXEev0GdjFJxpobp1e6mQPj7hKS7UwONd15dw/s1600/Spring+2010+015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKyi4Jc0BFAHnh9OOK1kJUJjE32n0Odl8m_8wWwex1jqCfWAsKekgKeQZpfaabhL6DHs3tBy9QpzVBqKI9vJo0yqoHNt8sFGTIluHm5dXEev0GdjFJxpobp1e6mQPj7hKS7UwONd15dw/s1600/Spring+2010+015.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Never forget that the Smokies are bear territory.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Straight Fork road is paved for a mile or two and then turns to dirt at a trout pond. You will see a sign welcoming you to the Great Smokies National Park. The parking area at the trailhead will be in about a mile on the left - it's the first you will come to. You may have to share with some horse trailers, but there is plenty of space. Side note - this dirt road follows Straight Fork creek for several miles and gives easy access to this creek. I haven't fished it myself (yet), but the word is that it is a wonderful creek as well.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrFUOmyBcVj-3vy26gmD82ZM8oBVwyTxsqGsJ3p-bYSeIEqbBdSwwS5UCum3nw6OwT-V5Ut1vvCFL1x-iOlwIQc37q6DYfF6-Re-OGw8ncXdh-95psO8D08euA12HIst4vfuF-4M9gKmg/s1600/Spring+2010+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrFUOmyBcVj-3vy26gmD82ZM8oBVwyTxsqGsJ3p-bYSeIEqbBdSwwS5UCum3nw6OwT-V5Ut1vvCFL1x-iOlwIQc37q6DYfF6-Re-OGw8ncXdh-95psO8D08euA12HIst4vfuF-4M9gKmg/s1600/Spring+2010+003.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clear waters and big boulders define Raven Fork</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After parking at the Haytt Ridge trailhead, head up the trail for 1.8 miles (and several hundred feet of elevation gain) to the top of the ridge, where you will meets the Enloe Creek Trail. Follow this trail to the west (stay straight) and it is about the same distance down the other side of the mountain to Raven Fork.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOL1tL7BQ5Eco_fbxo0SWnbAqcvHoi1GRzXLeMweZgyl8jYCeSm_3hFegiYJUaVfPdChvxpc-pd7Lqziq4f3aqZyOxLwn_WYnilHC8qbTPOxwyJVb4J9eRRGGLrxtFy-Q0UCOSi6_pwk/s1600/P7292627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOL1tL7BQ5Eco_fbxo0SWnbAqcvHoi1GRzXLeMweZgyl8jYCeSm_3hFegiYJUaVfPdChvxpc-pd7Lqziq4f3aqZyOxLwn_WYnilHC8qbTPOxwyJVb4J9eRRGGLrxtFy-Q0UCOSi6_pwk/s1600/P7292627.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beautiful gravel beach on Raven Fork - perfect for lunch.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
You will cross the river on a huge steel truss bridge that looks quite out of place so far from humanity. Across this bridge is campsite 47, which requires a <a href="https://smokiespermits.nps.gov/" target="_blank">permit </a>for overnight camping. At this point, the trail turns and follows the creek downstream. However, the more adventurous will turn upstream for some of the best native speckled trout fishing in the Smokies. Once past this point, there is no more trail access for the length of this creek so be prepared to rock-hop and wade your way for the rest of the day.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDTkeFklz92LPjpebKgP1hcFynWnY1cy0zCt7ZPASuDQCkak8y57MCfAOM6O8UHazWolKa-xJZd022_cuyge0FIuiK7zwIR1_u3H6mPgQISkeV9IkXPUIRD1cK1j5eyXh-tme4LI1LZbs/s1600/Spring+2010+023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDTkeFklz92LPjpebKgP1hcFynWnY1cy0zCt7ZPASuDQCkak8y57MCfAOM6O8UHazWolKa-xJZd022_cuyge0FIuiK7zwIR1_u3H6mPgQISkeV9IkXPUIRD1cK1j5eyXh-tme4LI1LZbs/s1600/Spring+2010+023.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steel truss bridge at campsite 47 where the Enloe Creek Trail crosses Raven Fork - start fishing here.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The terrain on this creek is like none I have encountered in the Great Smokies or any other part of western North Carolina. It reminds me more of a western stream with huge boulders and extremely clear waters. Stealth is the key when fishing here, though the native brookies are usually pretty hungry. A royal wulff or thunderhead pattern in a size 12 or 14 will be very effective at almost any time of year. A beadhead prince nymph dropped below one of these flies will double any angler's chances.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNuS4oKR8TnMaarPSdemLWl__xYPSsmoHdtTglht2ZVcE6pB88wb62lx675U-omMpxJESKyae1A4lovk9H0GccwsrRf_cX2OwowXGitwsYtX7I2JIhzsnUa8oNHyExtC9MqimbTED455A/s1600/Spring+2010+014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNuS4oKR8TnMaarPSdemLWl__xYPSsmoHdtTglht2ZVcE6pB88wb62lx675U-omMpxJESKyae1A4lovk9H0GccwsrRf_cX2OwowXGitwsYtX7I2JIhzsnUa8oNHyExtC9MqimbTED455A/s1600/Spring+2010+014.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful mini-waterfalls and greenish-blue water on Raven Fork</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The only downside to fishing this part of the creek is that you have to wade your way up the creek as well as back down when you are ready to head home. I never advocate fishing alone, but this is a place that you should never fish without a companion. Leaving a detailed plan for your location and return time is always a good plan as well.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia0vemgfpxhoSp5Q2O-yODvVoxFPuSnqyPaZVj-S6SEtoAeGZuJ-lA51gFU1KsYfSgojSbBOAlcLB8tmsAgfu6V6KaHter77FLaFb8TgG57Du0gRMClXVatFN6fTuab9XICES6no9UqFw/s1600/P7292639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia0vemgfpxhoSp5Q2O-yODvVoxFPuSnqyPaZVj-S6SEtoAeGZuJ-lA51gFU1KsYfSgojSbBOAlcLB8tmsAgfu6V6KaHter77FLaFb8TgG57Du0gRMClXVatFN6fTuab9XICES6no9UqFw/s1600/P7292639.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rugged and beautiful!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Good luck and tight lines!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17663230244641740323noreply@blogger.com4