I’ve proved beyond doubt that Grandfather Mountain is no place to hike if you’re in a hurry. I’ve established a firm 1.1 mph pace after five outings totaling about 25 miles. Sign for the Profile Trail, seen heading north on…
Author Archive for tom
More Guides at Everytrail.com
by tom • June 23, 2010 • 3 Comments
I’ve added five new ones since my last update. Castle Rock State Park — This is the Saratoga Gap Trail route to the campground and back. Flag Hill Loop, Sunol Wilderness — Find out why this steep climb is actually…
Blogs of Two-Heel Drive commenters
by tom • June 20, 2010 • 3 Comments
No hikes this weekend, but the itch to blog must be scratched (hard to believe there’s any epidermis left after all these years, but I digress). Lately I’ve been seeing a burst of comments my hike posts, many from North…
Dan River to Hanging Rock via Indian Creek Trail
by tom • June 13, 2010 • 7 Comments
One-word summary of this outing: Wet. Sweat on the way up, rain on the way down. I finished soaked from the top of my cap to the soles of my shiny new New Balance trail runners. Yes, I took rain…
Grandfather Mountain: Swinging Bridge and MacRae Peak
by tom • June 6, 2010 • 19 Comments
This is a great combo if you’re into contrasts: start out with a sane, scenic hike to the Mile High Swinging Bridge, then move on to the utterly crazy ridge route to Macc Peak. There’s a certain sanity to the…
No hike to report this week
by tom • June 1, 2010 • 2 Comments
The arrival of the holiday weekend filled me with an unexpected urge to take a holiday from hiking. By next weekend, though, I’m reasonably confident I’ll be back to normal. If you had any adventures, share with your friends in…
Major upgrade for Everytrail Guides
by tom • May 29, 2010 • 3 Comments
I’m still contributing to the Guides project at Everytrail.com, which has signed up a half-dozen “partners” besides me to develop GPS-enhanced travel content. For now they’re nice resources for Web travelers, but in the future they’ll be available for download…
Blue Ridge Parkway — southernmost section
by tom • May 24, 2010 • 4 Comments
First look: South Mountains State Park
by tom • May 16, 2010 • 8 Comments
It took me 30 years to rediscover how much I liked walking in the woods, so I guess it’s an improvement that it took a mere nine months to discover a park that suits me almost perfectly. South Mountains State…