Wild Country

[peter]

Crawldad,

The 900 miler is at a halt right now cause I've been busy and will be busy for the next few months. But prior to knocking out the last peaks I worked on it a fair share, including a post Thanksgiving Day trip on Goshen Prong and down Sugarlands/Rough Fork/Huskey Gap and a New Years Eve backpack up Eagle Creek and down Jenkins Ridge, finishing the last section of the Lakeshore Trail in the process.

I'm about 2/3 done with the trails, maybe a bit more. I've got a lot of trips planned out to try to get the rest most efficiently, some needing a shuttle (Old Settlers/Gabes Mtn, etc.). It will probably take me another year, year and a half to complete them from now, but less if I were pursing them as hard as I were the 5,000 footers. Technically, I began the 900 miler the day before I climbed my first 5,000 footer, when we left the dam that day on the AT Smokies traverse.

I came up with a new, long term hiking goal which would be to hike all of the federal trails in western NC - all USFS and NPS maintained trails (I'll include the State Forests & Parks as well). That would be the Smokies 900 + the Pisgah 400 + Nantahala ###??? and northern Pisgah ###??? + the NC AT, and throw in Dupont State Forest, Chimney Rock etc., BRP trails, Rendezvous ESF trails, etc etc.

Despite persuasion, I'm not doing the 4,000 footers. If they're convenient, I'd knock off a few of the 4,800-4,999ft. peaks. Had I had more time, I would have gotten #199, the 4,995 ft. peak at the end of Highland Ridge, poking just above the Raven Fork campsite on the Enloe Creek Trail. But Highland Ridge was horrifically terrible. #200 would be a tie, but Kimsey Bald, just off of US 64 near Standing Indian Campground, wouldn't be too bad of a side trip to complete the top 200 peaks /w 200ft. prominence.

I sure have a hankering to get back into Linville Gorge sometime too. Allison and I finally watched Last of the Mohicans Friday night and it was a good one. Thanks to Brian for the recommendation that finally pushed me to it. he was right - it has all the different components a movie should have. And set in the NC mountains nonetheless.

[griztrax]

The road that had been closed up in DuPont that blocked off access to Bridal Veil Falls (the one that was featured in LOTM) is open now, allowing access from the popular Triple Falls region. I've ridden up there several times in the past few weeks and it's really getting a lot of traffic. DuPont is the perfect 'family' park, with lots of variety to suit all levels of ability.

[greywolf]

Congrats, Peter!! That's determination. I am starting at 5,000 feet so it doesn't SOUND high but I know it's climb from down there. Good work, man!