Last week I hiked the 36-mile Lakeshore Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I have posted a trip report in the form of a BLOG. There are 3 entries for the trip including an audio clip for each day.

Then there is an action alert encouraging folks to write to the NPS by March 20, 2006, hopefully in support of the $52 Million settlement with Swain County, NC. That is the position of American Hiking Society, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Benton MacKaye Trail Association, Smoky Mountains Hiking Club, Carolina Mountain Club, and the Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail.

Enjoy!

http://americanhiking.chattablogs.com/

Last week I hiked the 36-mile Lakeshore Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I have posted a trip report in the form of a BLOG. There are 3 entries for the trip including an audio clip for each day.

Then there is an action alert encouraging folks to write to the NPS by March 20, 2006, hopefully in support of the $52 Million settlement with Swain County, NC. That is the position of American Hiking Society, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Benton MacKaye Trail Association, Smoky Mountains Hiking Club, Carolina Mountain Club, and the Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail.

Enjoy!

http://americanhiking.chattablogs.com/

Date for input has been extended to April 7th. WBs we need your support hopefully in support of the $52 millon settlement. Help us protect the Smokies and the section of the AT that would be danger if this road were to be built.
Many Thanks for your help !!!
Chip
CMC Conservation Committee Member :)

Thanks for the update Chip. I updated the website to reflect the new comment deadline.

Thanks for the updates Jeff and Chip.

I'm totally dismayed at the apathy here on Whiteblaze and members of hiking the hiking community. It would seem that this would or should be a hot topic issue but the relunctance of many to critisize the present administation over anything, never mind environmental issues, appears to be the way. That, it is, the position of American Hiking Society, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the Benton MacKaye Trail Association, the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club, the Carolina Mountain Club, and the Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail and that dixiehiker's petition garnered so few signitures from a website with 1000's is sad. :(

Thanks for the updates Jeff and Chip.

I'm totally dismayed at the apathy here on Whiteblaze and members of hiking the hiking community. It would seem that this would or should be a hot topic issue but the relunctance of many to critisize the present administation over anything, never mind environmental issues, appears to be the way. That, it is, the position of American Hiking Society, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the Benton MacKaye Trail Association, the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club, the Carolina Mountain Club, and the Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail and that dixiehiker's petition garnered so few signitures from a website with 1000's is sad. :(

Hopefully, our fellow hikers will send a letter to the NPS in favor of the settlement. We as a group must protect what lands are left to our type of outdoor recreation. It is my opinion that "urban sprawl" is a disease upon the land of this country. Yes, our country continues to grow but with proper plans for "controlled growth" to maintain a balance for everyone in all walks of life is needed no matter what one's recreation or lifestyle may be.
It is far better to take a stand and fight for something you know is right even if you must stand alone. Hopefully others will see that you take a stand for their "rights" too and will join the cause. :)

Hello Jeff:

I'm headed for another installment on my section hike and leaving from Dicks Creek Gap in the morning. Sarah's coming with me for two days and then she'll head back to Chattanooga via my car which I will be leaving at the back country kiosk at Standing Indian.

I don't have a firm intenarary, but I'm considering taking that Lakeshore Trail that you mentioned here. How difficult is it to drive to the trail head? My wife will most likely be picking me up in two weeks and she is somewhat geographically challenged. In the likely event that you don't read this until sometime tomorrow (Sunday) or later, would you mind sending Sarah an email with directions to the trailhead via Bryson City? I may just take the BMT alternative through the Smokies on my section hike.


Thanks;

Gene Roll

Hello Jeff:

I'm headed for another installment on my section hike and leaving from Dicks Creek Gap in the morning. Sarah's coming with me for two days and then she'll head back to Chattanooga via my car which I will be leaving at the back country kiosk at Standing Indian.

I don't have a firm intenarary, but I'm considering taking that Lakeshore Trail that you mentioned here. How difficult is it to drive to the trail head? My wife will most likely be picking me up in two weeks and she is somewhat geographically challenged. In the likely event that you don't read this until sometime tomorrow (Sunday) or later, would you mind sending Sarah an email with directions to the trailhead via Bryson City? I may just take the BMT alternative through the Smokies on my section hike.


Thanks;

Gene Roll

Gene:

Good decision Gene. You'll really like the trail. The only problem is some blowdowns caused by Pine Beetle damage. If you have a light fishing rod, I'd suggest carrying it. A Tennessee fishing license allows you to fish in the NC side of the park.

Getting to the trailhead is simple. Bryson City is about a 45 minute drive from Fontana Dam. The trailhead at the tunnel is 8 miles out of town.

I'll send Sarah an email with the info. Have a great hike.

http://americanhiking.chattablogs.com/

Thanks for the thoughtful update Mowgli. I try to hit Lake Fontana with the touring kayak once a year and I have always been curious about the trails close to the lake in GSMNP. Glad you had a good trip, and thanks for the Road to Nowhere update. By the way, my wife and I missed the event at Table Rock last year and are wondering what is in store this year?

Thanks for the thoughtful update Mowgli. I try to hit Lake Fontana with the touring kayak once a year and I have always been curious about the trails close to the lake in GSMNP. Glad you had a good trip, and thanks for the Road to Nowhere update. By the way, my wife and I missed the event at Table Rock last year and are wondering what is in store this year?

The next big public event for the Southeastern Foot Trails Coalition will be a conference May 3-6, 2007 at the Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, NC. That's about 20 minutes east of Asheville. It'll be more of a hiking festival than the last conference, with lots more opportunities for the regular hiker to have fun. Info should be available at the end of the summer. You can always subscribe to our free e-newsletter to stay on top of updates - http://www.americanhiking.org/alliance/newsletter.html

Thanks for asking and for the compliment on the Lakeshore Trail report.

The next big public event for the Southeastern Foot Trails Coalition will be a conference May 3-6, 2007 at the Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, NC.
Right down the road from me!

Greybeard Mountain is a good climb (2500 ft, 4 miles) if there's time. And there's a strenuous loop over the Sister's I still haven't done. After the conference, Black Mountain has some decent restuarants and the Town Pump has great music.

Y'all make sure to come, yea hear!

Right down the road from me!

Greybeard Mountain is a good climb (2500 ft, 4 miles) if there's time. And there's a strenuous loop over the Sister's I still haven't done. After the conference, Black Mountain has some decent restuarants and the Town Pump has great music.

Y'all make sure to come, yea hear!

I expect that representatives from the Carolina Mountain Club, Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail, NC Bartram Trail Sciety and the Nantahala Hiking Club will all lead different hikes. I expect to book some outstanding musical entertainment and guest speakers. It should be a hoot! Greybeard Mountain is definitely one of the hikes.

I'll post info online as it comes available.

Sounds awesome. I better put in for th weekend off now so I don't miss it!

Good news for the 2007 calender. I subscribed to the e-newsletter. Great cause for hikers/backpackers here locally as well as trail enthusiasts everywhere. Thanks for your work Mowgli.:sun

Sly I think there are more people than you think who are apalled by the actions of the current administration in regards to certain environmental issues...here's the thing why sit here on Whiteblaze and complain about it...where most agree with the complainer. Usually when someone comes up with something instead of talking about how apalled I am here...I write my congressmen, etc. That is the only way things get done.

Almost There. In the case of the Road to Nowhere in GSMNP, you need to write the NPS. For the address or an email link, please visit; http://americanhiking.chattablogs.com/

..I write my congressmen, etc. That is the only way things get done.

My congressman is the dishonorable Charles Taylor R/NC who scores a big fat F from the LCV.

Still, I write him several times a year, not that it's ever going to do any good.

Mowgli...thanks for the link...I think this is one I went to awhile ago...but I'll check it out.

Sly....I hear ya' man...sometimes it does little good...unfortunately these are the only guys who can affect change...legally.

Well, it's done. I got my section hike in for this year and did that section of the BMT that you did Jeff. I just did it from the other side. A great hike. Here's a link to TJ that picks up where I strated on the BMT if anyone cares to read about it.

Thanks for the tip.

Gene

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=127748

My congressman is the dishonorable Charles Taylor R/NC who scores a big fat F from the LCV. Still, I write him several times a year, not that it's ever going to do any good.

More on the good Republican's shenanigans....
(From Yahoo/AP news)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060425/ap_on_go_co/flight93_memorial

"Family members of those killed on United Flight 93 are urging a North Carolina congressman to lift his hold on funding for a memorial planned for the Pennsylvania site where the plane crashed on Sept. 11, 2001."

"Nearly a dozen family members are scheduled to meet with their members of Congress on Wednesday to encourage them to sign a letter that asks Rep. Charles H. Taylor, R-N.C., to support $10 million for the project."

"Taylor, chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the Interior Department, has blocked millions in funding for the project in the last two years, and has expressed opposition to funding it when it comes up again before his committee May 3, said John Scofield, the House Appropriations Committee spokesman. ..."

"Taylor issued a three-page statement Tuesday in which he expressed concern about the project's size and cost."

(more of the article is at the above link)

Anybody else smell something rotten in Denmark, er, North Carolina??? Perhaps a political ploy? A little extortion going on? Abuse of power?

Who wants to bet the Taylor gets something in return (maybe a road to nowhere?), for flipping his position on the Flight 93 memorial, as he most assuredly will?

Rain Man

.

The Washington Post article on the memorial notes that Rep. Taylor is "a large landowner in the mountains of western Carolina." Has the significance of this been discussed in other threads already? Anyone know where his land is in relation to GSMNP?

Here's his "principle" on the memorial:

"For Taylor, a large landowner in the mountains of western Carolina, the issue comes down to principle: The federal government is already the largest landowner in the country, and he believes that no additional tax dollars should go to more land buying for this or any other memorial. Beyond that, the families have committed to raising half the $60 million needed to build the memorial but so far have raised $7.5 million. Taylor is concerned that the federal government will be left holding the bag."

Meanwhile, the Road to Nowhere is estimated to cost $600 million, as reported by NPR.

When I first read the article, I just thought it was ironic that he would block the Flight 93 memorial but champion the road. Maybe he's using the memorial as leverage to get the road built (or "studied") ... that would be an act of pure cynicism ... but maybe he'd do it.

If he does flip his position on the memorial (which will surely be reported), we need to watch out for any subsequent movement on the road issue (which may go under the radar).

Post article on Flight 93 memorial: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/24/AR2006042401428.html

I'm totally dismayed at the apathy So what? Who cares if people are apathetic?

i agree, this is politics at it's most basic ( and base) level. i hope he gets enough heat on this to turn his opinion and vote around. if not, perhaps november will resolve this matter.

I heard from our shuttle service this past weekend that the park service was about to release its preferred environmental alternative position (or something like that) coming out in favor of not building. Don't know how true it is, though, and I don't think I've heard of the NPS coming out with an preferred "enviornmental" alternative rather than just a preferred alternative. Seems like a bit of waffling to me if that's true.

Last October I had plans to take the family (myself, wife who's never slept outside a night in her life, my then 6-year old daughter and 5-year old son) on an overnighter on Goldmine Loop trail taking us through the Lakeshore tunnel. We got through the tunnel and to the first trail junction before lack of light (very late start due to traffic) caused us to turn back. Coming back through the tunnel in the dark was a bit eerie but it was a neat experience and I fully intend to get the family back out there at some point so that we can both experience backpacking as a family (or rather to share my love of backpacking with my loved ones in a tangible way beyond watching me pack and reading my trail journals), and that I can experience this area of the park before it possibly gets paved over by some sort of construction effort (be it a continuation of the road or the construction of a picnic area, etc.).

My one other question is that should they move forward with the building, don't they still have the problem with the sulfuric acid runoff created during the construction process when the rocks they're digging into get exposed to air and water? It isn't like chemistry has changed since the 1960's when they discovered this problem and halted construction.

So what? Who cares if people are apathetic?

i didnt catch this post the first time around, but that was a hilarious response frosty

My congressman is the dishonorable Charles Taylor R/NC who scores a big fat F from the LCV.

Still, I write him several times a year, not that it's ever going to do any good.De feated tonight I'm hearing.

De feated tonight I'm hearing.

Yeah! I voted against him a couple weeks ago and then moved to GA. LOL...

Yep, Charles Taylor conceded to Heath Shuler. Great news!

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/15954633.htm

Yep, Charles Taylor conceded to Heath Shuler. Great news!

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/15954633.htm

Fantastic news!!!

Yep, Charles Taylor conceded to Heath Shuler. Great news!

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/15954633.htm

Good ridance!

Yeah! I voted against him a couple weeks ago and then moved to GA. LOL...

Thank you Sly, :banana

This is better news than Taylor's loss. California voters ousted Rep. Richard Pombo - the guy who advocated selling off some national parks and attaining "corporate sponsorhip" and naming rights of others (now really, how does "Comcast Mountain" or "Burger King Cliffs sound?).

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006//pages/results/states/CA/H/11/index.html

great news

In announcing Charles Taylor's defeat, I heard the reporter say Taylor was a lumber baron and _the_ wealthiest member of the House of Representatives!

Hopefully Heath Shuler will better represent the people in the people's house.

Rain:sunMan

.

Since there's the small Goldmine Loop trail that breaks off of the Lakeshore Trail almost directly after the tunnel making a 3.1 mile loop (with GSMNP campsite #67 about halfway in), it makes a great opportunity to take the family backpacking. So this past weekend I planned on taking my 6-year old son on that route (along with my college buddy WB user Eeyore). This would be my son's first backpacking trip.

The day before we planned to leave, Eeyore's mother-in-law in Pennsylvania had an accident that was going to require surgery, so he couldn't make it. So my son and I went alone. Following is the account of the trip that I emailed to Eeyore (edited slightly to make more sense to the rest of you all):

Heh. Well we got back late last night and the trip was both bad and good, but I think in the end you may be glad you didn't get to come along. Here's the details:


I got everything packed up and loaded into the car on Friday night (except for the fresh bacon and eggs and the water bottles, which I kept in the fridge. On Saturday morning we got up , got everything else packed (even remembered to get the stuff out of the fridge and put it in a cooler bag with a couple of those ice pack things to keep the fresh food cold on the drive down) and got out of Middletown around 6:30 AM. Made our first stop somewhere south of Florence and north of Lexington to get some breakfast from McDonald's and top off the gas tank. Made a second stop at the Welcome Center when you first hit Tennessee and then didn't stop again until we hit Pigeon Forge.


There we filled up the gas tank, had lunch at Calhoun's and drove into the park, taking the Gatlinburg bypass. Stopped at Sugarlands Visitor Center to register for our trip, then started the drive down through the park, into Bryson City and to the end of the Road to Nowhere. We got there, got our packs ready and hit the trail probably around 2:30 PM or so (made better time than I thought we would, largely due to traffic being very light for a Saturday). I needed a water solution [I], and I found that in the back of the Trooper was an unopened gallon jug of water I had purchased for a scouting event a couple weeks before but not needed. So even though adding the extra weight sucked, I just lashed the jug to the back of my pack and away we went.


Jon's pack (my small blue Eddie Bauer internal frame daypack I got from Campmor a few years ago) seemed to fit him well enough at home, but once we got on the trail we figured out that even with all the straps cinched down as tight as they can go, it was still just barely too big for him. So we had to pause every so often so I could hike Jon's pants back up since the pack was just pushing them down and all the weight (which was all the food and the cooking utensils) was not very fun on his shoulders. But the boy was a trooper; he whined once the whole time and I pointed out that part of being a man is just "sucking it up and dealing with it" when stuff isn't the most comfortable - that he should remember that while his pack doesn't feel great, he is in the woods hiking and gets to camp out which is the fun part so a little bit of discomfort should be worth it. He never whined again the whole campout and I know he had a great time because he was all smiles and no "UH's." [When Jon gets mad all he'll do is grunt at you with an "UH!"]


So with Jon's ill-fitting pack, his short legs, my over-laden pack and the fact that the trail was (at times) a fairly steep descent, it was pretty slow going. We apparantly marched right by the Tunnel Bypass Trail junction right after the tunnel (which was the route we originally intended to take, turn left there and then right onto Goldmine so that our 1.6 mile day gets extended to 2.9 miles). So we ended up taking the 1.6 mile route. Even moving slow, we still made excellent time and were at the campsite by 4:00 PM or so.


What a beautiful campsite! Several hundred yards away from the main trail up a side trail, and it is small but sits directly beside a stream (Hyatt Branch). It was just a nearly perfect setting. On the downside, it was completely trashed; we found used propane canisters (the small green coleman ones), all kinds of paper trash, rope, tin foil and even a dead rat. I removed the dead animal from the area using my handy orange trough, and then while I set up our tent (about 10 feet away from the stream), Jon set about cleaning up all the trash into one big pile by a tree towards the entrance to the campsite.


After that we spent a good 45 minutes or so trying to get a fire going, but alas it was not to be. I did forget to grab any firestarter type thing other than a lighter [Eeyore was going to bring this], and it was just too wet to get a fire going that would last for more than 5 minutes or so. So we broke out the Jetboil and resigned ourselves to a dinner of Kraft EasyMac and hot cocoa. We cooked, ate and cleaned up, then sat around for a little while eating trail mix and talking about not much in particular.


About the time it got dark (no later than 6:30 PM), we hung the packs and got into the tent. Jon and I couldn't both fit into my Slumberjack Ultrapacker Magnum sleeping bag, so I had to pack an extra bag for him (sucky for weight, but in the end it was fortuitous). We listened to some music on my iPod shuffle and then Jon went to sleep. I slept like crap all night (waking up every hour or so to turn over or what not). Luckily the iPod helped because I had something to do besides lay there doing nothing (though at times that was nice too since you could listen to the stream running). It got cold overnight but I doubt below freezing because I didn't see any frost where we were in the morning. I was getting so hot in my bag (0 degree) that it ended up becoming a blanket as I unzipped it completely and just draped it over me. My night wasn't very comfortable.


Finally at 5:30 AM Jon and I both get up and get dressed. The inside of the tent was wet with condensation from the moisture in the air our bodies produced, and Jon had an accident and his bag was wet. No matter. I just got it all packed up there in the dark (Jon helped) and then we sat and rested for a while, eating a cold breakfast of trail mix. We bagged up the trash Jon piled up the night before, made sure we had packed everything, then got our packs on and made a pre-dawn start around 6:15 AM.


Had to use the red LED part of my headlamp to see where we were going for the first 30 minutes or so, and the going was very slow at times but it was fun. We finally made it back to the car around 8:00 AM I think. While hiking out Jon got to have his first experience with answering the call of nature outdoors (the kind that involves the handy orange trough), which I guess could only be described as both somewhat successful but very messy.


When we got back to the car we cleaned up thoroughly, changed clothes and then sat there in the parking lot and cooked our breakfast of bacon and eggs. Jon said they were the best he'd ever had. Once that was done and cleaned up, we started on our way. Stopped at a Mom & Pop place in Cherokee to get something to drink before we hit the park, then headed back into Gatlinburg.


About the time we got near the Kephart Prong trailhead, we ran into pretty much a snowstorm (or perhaps freezing rain would be a better description). Just past that, we came across two backpackers with their thumbs out, so I stopped and picked them up. They had hiked from Newfound Gap to Kephart Shelter the night before and were headed back to their vehicle at the Gap. They had planned on a leisurely walk along the road but when the weather turned bad they had heard that the park service was thinking of closing the road in the higher elevations so they needed to get back to their vehicle quickly. We dropped them off at Newfound Gap and then continued on. The road was kind of slick so I kept the 4 wheel drive on until we hit Sugarlands Visitor Center.


When we got there, we stopped and went to the backcountry office where I told them about the mess at Campsite 67 and that we had managed to get probably 90% of it packed out but there was still some stuff in the fire pit that we just couldn't do anything with (glass and tin foil mixed in with ashes, etc.). And that there were a couple of broken glass bottles along the trail right at the tunnel (one just outside each end, actually). They thanked us for the info and for packing out the trash we did, and then made a Jon a Junior Ranger for the park service! They gave him a badge and really got a kick out of it. Unfortunately, Jon was wearing a UC [Cincinnati] shirt and one of the park rangers asked if we were from Ohio. Jon said yes and before I could stop her she said, "Well your team beat Michigan with a vengeance yesterday!"


AAAAARRRRRRRRGGHHHHHHH!!!!! I had mom DVR it so I could watch it, and I guess I still will, but I was purposely trying to avoid any news on the outcome of the game.


Anyway, that's all the good part. Now's when the story turns into the part you'll [Eeyore] be glad you missed. We left Sugarlands and drove into Gatlinburg, parking at the Aquarium parking garage. Walked over to the Mountain Mall and then all the way down Parkway to Calhoun's and back to the parking garage. Did a little bit of Christmas shopping, got a snack of fries and a diet coke from McDonald's and then stopped at the Ripley's Arcade so we could play some games (skee ball, etc.). Jon started to get the hiccups but otherwise was in fine spirits.


We got back to the car and drove into Pigeon Forge. First we went to the Kroger on Wears Valley Road (where you bought the HP Book back in 2003 I think) and bought two slabs of Corky's pre-packed ribs from the freezer section (cheaper and better packaged for travelling than buying them at the restaurant). Then we drove back to Corky's and ate - they now have all you can eat ribs all day every day. I had about a rack and a half, then bought a big side (they say a pint, it's really more like a quart) of baked beans to have for dinner tonight with those ribs I bought at Kroger. Plus four bottles of sauce (2 for Jenny and I, two for a coworker who asked me to get her some).


While we were at Corky's the first sign of trouble hit. Jon got sick and went to the bathroom (luckily!) to throw up. I figured that much like the time we went camping and he got sick at that KFC/A&W place at the Outlet Malls, he just ate too much too fast. Because he acted just fine after that, no indication that he felt sick at all. So on we go. We stopped at the Coleman store (but didn't buy anything) and then stopped again to top off the gas tank just before we got on I-40. The gas station also had a Baskin-Robbins in it, so I got us a couple of milkshakes for the road. And away we go. We don't stop again until we got to the Welcome Center just as you enter Kentucky so we could have a bathroom break. Again, everything seems fine. And we keep going.


And then it hits. Just south of Berea KY. Jon, who was sleeping, awakes with a BLLUUGGGHHH, and proceeds to throw up more than I have ever seen come out of any one person in my life. We get off the highway and stop at a gas station (ironically, it is the same one that Phil [WB user Eightiesguy] and I stopped at when the tranny went out on his car in June [we were on our way to Franklin NC to start a week long A.T. section-hike from Springer to Deep Gap]. Berea must have some sort of evil filter on it that sucks people in or something). I buy some paper towels, wet wipes, a bottle of water and an air freshener and set about cleaning up.


First I get Jon out of his puke covered clothes and (since his other clothes were also dirty from some sort of bodily fluid) I had to put him in one of my t-shirts and sweatshirt. Then I cleaned up the car as best as I could. Took friggin' forever. Finally get it done to about as good as I can and I put Jon back into the carseat, and he promptly throws up again (though this time there wasn't much of anything to come out. Not good. So I go inside and ask if they've got anything bucket-like I can buy and explain that I have a puking kid and probably 200+ miles to drive tonight. The cashier goes in the back room and comes out with one of those ridiculously large travel mugs (the ones they used as a display to hold beef jerky) which she says I can have. So after I clean Jon and the car up for the second time, I get him strapped in, give him the mug to throw up in and away we drive. Since it's cold out I have to have the windows up. Mmmmm, what a pleasant smell.


About the time we get back on the road, my stomach starts feeling upset (not nausea, but lots of gas). The only thing I can figure is that the bacon we cooked for breakfast was a bit past prime (it had been in the fridge a week, but I remember mom having a package of bacon in the fridge for weeks at a time growing up, or at least I think she did). It didn't look, smell or taste funny though. But it would explain why I got a bit of discomfort and Jon got outright sick.


So we pretty much drive all the way home, Jon heaving probably every 10 to 15 minutes or so (sometimes going longer when he would fall asleep). We don't get home until like 10:30 PM. I get Jon in the tub and start getting the car unpacked (which took several trips) and all the wet gear hung up to dry. And all the clothes that were in the car went straight into the washing machine. Didn't want Jenny to have to deal with that. As I'm making trips in and out, I happen to look at the roof of the Trooper while standing on the step before going outside, and the roof is all dented in! I go around to the back (where it's the worst) and stand on the back and look at the top, and there are friggin' kid sized footprints on the roof. DAMMIT.


No way of knowing how long it's been like that. I start beating on the

inside of the roof and manage to pop up the largest of indentations, but it's still pretty dented up there. I ask both kids and they don't have any idea what I'm talking about. Did this happen while we were on the trip, or before, or what? Guess there's no way to ever know for sure.


So after getting everything cleaned up it's about midnight and I crash

because I have to be here at work in 7 hours. That was pretty much our trip.


And I wished I had waited and gotten that body glide from you that you picked up at REI in PA for me the last time you were out that way because even though the route ended up being slightly over 3 miles (plus a couple of miles in town), I've got some chafing that was not very pleasant last night.


-Scott

Even with all the bad stuff, Jon and I still had a really fun time and he's already talking about when we go again! And I was glad that both he and I got to experience at least a little bit of that area, since there's a chance that it may end up paved over in the future.