Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Backcountry

After two days of driving, the first major adventure of our trip was two nights in the backcountry at Great Smoky Mountains National Park! We decided on a loop trip (technically a lollipop with a short stick) that was recommended on Backpacker.com, as well as in our "Best Hikes" series trail guide.

Here is the overview of our backcountry route:
Start from Newfound Gap
First night at Peck's Corner Shelter (about 10.6 mi)
Second night at Kephart Shelter (about 11 mi)
End back at Newfound Gap (about 5.5 mi)
Total = About 27 miles

We arrived at Great Smoky Mountains on Tuesday, May 13 and stayed the night at Elkmont campground. This way we could swing by the ranger's station at Sugarlands the next morning before heading out for the backcountry. We got our first taste of the Smokies right away, when it started raining as we tried to start a fire for dinner. We ended up eating dinner here, with the help of our stove:

It rains a lot in the Smokies, that's for sure, but it was over within an hour and we went on the Elkmont Nature Trail that evening to stretch our car-cramped legs. Many of the short nature trails were very nice, with self-guided brochures to tell about the area.

On Wednesday, we put on our packs and started heading north from Newfound Gap on the Appalacian Trail. In typical Great Smokies fashion, we started our trip in dense fog.

The trail was very rocky at the start, with a good number of day hikers up until Chalie's Bunion, which is just over 4 miles along the trail. Chalies Bunion is a highly recommended hike, whether a day hike or part of a backcountry trip. These were the most amazing views we had the whole trip! Pictures never do it justice, but here is the view from Charlie's Bunion:

One thing unique about the backcountry at Great Smoky Mountains is the fact that many sites have shelters. We weren't sure what to expect, but after discussing with the backcountry ranger at Sugarlands, we didn't even bring a tent! We brought a rain fly in case of emergency, but decided it was a lot of weight to bring "just in case." The shelters are like a giant bunk bed, with two platforms stacked on top of one another. Each platform is supposed to hold 5-6 people, but in reality could probably hold 8-10 if needed. The shelters also have a table and benches, and hooks for your backpacks! The cable system for hanging bear bags is nearby (you didn't even need a rope at these sites), and some shelters also have a fireplace and/or an outdoor fire pit. Peck's Corner had a Privy nearby, but Kephart's did not.

Our first night, at Peck's corner, we met 3 thru-hikers on the Appalachian Trail - Sunshine, Pockets, and Dragon (thru-hikers give each other nicknames). It was so much fun to hear their stories, learn from one another, and imagine what it would be like to spend months on the trail. Everyone please send them good thoughts as they continue on their journey through the summer and into fall! They said they would send an email when they completed their hike, and I truly hope they do!

After a rainy night (we would have been very wet in a tent!), day two was a wet one. Some of our trails had literally turned into flowing streams (top right of photos below). The elevation change on this day was huge, heading down, up, and back down again. I learned an important lesson: eat a snack before you are hungry! It takes a lot of energy to hike 3+ miles straight up! A must-have list for backcountry in the Smokies:

• Raincover for your pack
• Waterproof boots (or ones that will dry somewhat quickly)
• Quick-dry everything - When you only have 2 shirts, it's nice to know the other will be dry the next day
• Layers - We started each morning very cool, but quickly warmed up as we got moving. The sun was constantly in and out of the clouds, and the weather changed often. (It actually sleeted on our way back to the pass on day 3!)
• Ladies, if your hair is anything like mine -  A bandana to tame your hair in the humidity! :-)

Day 3 was a short but steep hike all the way back up to the pass. Overall, this trip is not for the beginner hiker (and probably shouldn't have been for me with my knees), but it was a great loop and comes highly recommended by us! We saw such a variety - it was a great way to get a good feel for what the Great Smoky Mountains have to offer. This is just a snippet of the awesomeness we saw these 3 days!

As always, if you want to see more pictures (or just bigger pictures) you can check out my Flickr!

Planning Our National Parks Trip

When we have time for a vacation, our first thought is always "What parks can we go to?" This May, after Brian graduated, we had 2 weeks to spend on vacation. So how did we decide where to go?

1) Amount of Time - What can we see in 2 weeks? You could spend the whole 2 weeks at some parks and still wish you had more time. Other parks you only need a couple days. Two weeks seems like a lot, but you have to figure travel time, too! How much time are you willing to spend in the car?

2) Amount to Spend - Sure, 2 weeks is probably enough time to go to Alaska and see a park or 2, but that requires an expensive plane ticket. At this point, we were looking for an affordable trip.

3) Location of the Parks - First, what parks are near each other? I grouped parks together and looked at what the routes would look like if we visited that group. How much time would we spend driving? Does the route make sense? Is there anything else we might want to see along the way? This breakdown gave us 3 options: Yellowstone area parks, SW parks (Big Bend, Saguaro, etc), or SE parks.

4) Time of Year - This is probably the most important deciding factor on all of our trips. Where can you go this time of year? When you're going to be outside literally ALL of the time, you need to know what the weather is going to be like. Half of Yellowstone wouldn't even be open in mid May, so we decided to go farther south. It turns out that May is the off-season for the SW parks because it is SO hot and dry! So that brought us to the SE.

Based on all of these factors, we decided on a trip to Mammoth Cave, Great Smokey Mountains, and Congaree National Parks. This gave us about a week at the Smokies, a day and a half at Congaree, and one full day at Mammoth Cave. We were originally going to try and squeeze in a trip to the ocean, but decided against it. This trip was affordable, and the weather was great! And while I'm sure we could have spent more time at the Smokies, the timing was about right overall.

So, are you ready to plan your next trip to some National Parks?

**Update: Here are links to each section of our trip
Great Smoky Mountains - Backcountry
Great Smoky Mountains - Cosby/Big Creek
Congaree National Park
Mammoth Cave National Park

The Quick Update

Hello everyone!

I have been silent on my blog for quite some time, but this is not for lack of things to write about! The long updates are coming soon, but here is a quick update of what is happening in my life!

 - Brian graduated from Vet School at the beginning of May. Around this same time, I finished by job, said goodbye to many dear friends, and bridged my Girl Scout troop to a new level and new leader!
 - Brian and I went on a 2 week vacation, hitting up 3 national parks! Many posts to come with details on each!
 - We are officially moved into our new house and have started new jobs! I am working part time at the YMCA, helping with their summer day camp.
 - The house is starting to come together, but there is a lot more to do!

I'm off to do some furniture shopping now, but will hopefully have some more detailed updates and vacation pictures to share tonight!

26 things to do in my 26th year!

Well, I am officially a year older, and though I can't say I feel any different, I had a great birthday this year! My birthday was smashed between going-away parties and many "last" events, so it felt like I was celebrating for a very long time! While it has been quite the roller coaster ride, I can say one thing for certain: I am feeling very blessed! I am blessed because I have made friends who care enough to have farewell parties. I am blessed because I have made connections worth crying over. I am blessed because I have grown as a person and a professional through my wonderful job the last few years. I am blessed because I am surrounded by people who believe I will be successful in whatever comes next. Thank you to everyone who has made this time so very special to me! Though you make it hard to leave, that in itself is a blessing, too.

On another note...

Recently, I was reading through some of my favorite blogs on bloglovin (which I highly recommend if you're someone who follows a lot of blogs!) and ran across this post from the blog How Does She? The post is a list of 50 things to do before your next birthday, and I love the idea! We often visit the same restaurants, go to the same places, and do the same things again and again, sometimes because they are our favorites, but sometimes just because that's the way we always do it. For me, this year is one of change! So, while I did steal some of the ideas from the other list, I decided that my list might look a little different. Here are 26 things I want to do in my 26th year!

1. Collect and display old family photos
2. Take part in community celebrations in our new town
3. Update or restore at least one piece of furniture
4. Build something
5. Go to Minnesota State Parks
6. Learn a new skill
7. Host a dinner party
8. Have a picnic
9. Grow some vegetables
10. Watch a meteor shower
11. Learn how to find new constellations
12. Continue to learn more about star photography and practice that skill
13. Do something crazy! Something outside my comfort zone
14. Treat myself to a massage
15. Plant a tree
16. Clean out closets and storage, and donate to Goodwill
17. Create systems for keeping clutter at bay in our new house
18. Keep reading - Join a book club
19. Do pull-ups and stretch and home
20. Take at least 2 private aerial lessons to keep my skills fresh
21. Create a piece of art for our new home
22. Stay in touch with friends from Ames/DesMoines and get together with them
23. Draw/sketch something just for fun
24. Try at least one completely new workout class
25. Try a food I've never eaten before
26. And because Worthington is home to the National Windsurfing Championships... Go windsurfing!

Here's to another happy and healthy year! Thanks for being a part of my life!

Home Sweet Home!

I realized that in the craziness of everything going on right now in life, I never posted another update about houses, so here it goes!

Brian and I were back up in Worthington to look at houses in mid-March and made an offer immediately upon getting home. The house was our favorite by far, but had only been on the market a short time and was a little above our preferred price range. We decided that you can't do anything but go for it, and boy are we glad we did! Our offer was accepted a couple days later, and we've now signed all the necessary paperwork to be homeowners!

We'll be moving in May (renting for a month) and officially closing on the house in June. We are so excited about all the possibilities this house holds, and to really make it our own - here are a few pictures!

Woman vs. Fire

Okay, perhaps I'm not against the fire. I'd really like to work with it, but at this point, it feels a bit like the enemy! I have recently decided to explore the world of friction fire-building. Yes, you heard me. Put simply: I am going to rub two sticks together and make fire! And it is going to feel empowering! 

This all started because I wanted to do something with match-less fires at an event at camp. I love fire building, and it's something I've always considered myself pretty good at, so this is the next step, I guess (plus I have a strong interest in survival skills)! There are some really cool techniques for starting a fire without matches, including flint/steel, lens fires, and steel wool/battery (some of which I have done successfully, and some of which I would still like to try). But friction methods definitely became a goal. After doing some research, I purchased some friction fire kits, because it is easiest to start learning with certain types of wood. Sotol wood is considered the best in North America and is a desert plant. I decided to get a fire plough, bow drill, and hand drill. The hand drill is more just for fun and will only be attempted if/when everything else is mastered. 

Tonight was my first attempt with the fire plough, and though I gave it my best shot, the score is still 0. No fire for me tonight - not even smoke, in fact! I'm doing some more reading, and it looks like maybe others are bit more successful with the bow. Now that we finally have some nice weather, I can give another a try tomorrow! I hope to show you pictures of a blazing fire after my next attempt! 

House Hunting

It's interesting to me that we use the word "hunting" when we talk about searching for the right home. I don't know that I can really compare the process to hunting, but I am sure learning a lot! Brian and I went up to Worthington this weekend to begin our process of finding the right home for us. Here are a few things I learned:

1) Looking at houses is emotionally exhausting! We looked at 10 houses in one day! Wow!
2) If you're not sure of your exact cut-off, look a little higher and a little lower than you think you might want to spend. This gives you a better idea of what you're getting for your money.
3) You get a lot more bang for your buck by heading out of town! I'm not sure this is true everywhere, but it was here!
4) "Location, location, location!" It's true. If you're not okay with the location of a house, don't even look. You'll just fall in love and get your heart broken!
5) My mind changes from day to day, and even hour to hour! While there are lots of things to weigh and consider, there is also something about a house just feeling right!
6) There are certain things you just can't budge on. For us, one of those was outdoor space! I need a yard!
7) This is not a quick process...

We will be back to look at houses at least one more time, probably 2! That's not at easy task when you have to drive and spend the weekend, but it will be worth it! If you have any house-hunting tips for us, feel free to share in the comments!