Lumber Ridge Loop short version

So you start up the Lumber Ridge trail and about a mile or less on this great trail there's a trail to the right marked with a small sign with the letter 'M' on it. Once you begin this trail, 'M', you quickly realize it's not used often and by foot traffic only, as it is very narrow. This route will bring you down, in what seems like half a mile+-, to the Falls trail right there at the water tower. Stay to the right unless you wanna go over to Spruce Flat Falls to the left, which is less than a mile from here, and go right again when you come down the trail intersection. You'll pass the tents and such for the Tremont guest on the left and in about 1/4 ml. you'll be back at the Lumber Ridge Trailhead.
Oh! Yea, an awesome day hiking this short route and I accomplished my goal...which was to relax and be in the quiet for a few minutes.

Rich Mountian/Indian Grave Gap

Hey dudes and dudettes! Yesterday (Sun.12/18/11), was a beautiful day for hiking and today is looking excellent as well. So after I finish my work I'll get in the woods for a short walk. The hike I enjoyed yesterday; w/ the Mysterious One, was up the Rich mtn trail from Rich mtn road, onto Indian Grave Gap to the intersection with the Rich mtn Loop trail, and then returning the way we came. We saw two groups of other hikers who took advantage of the clear skies and quiet trails; w/ temps in the 40's+, to enjoy the views available on this route only in the winter.

Bear Activity

CAMPSITES CLOSED DUE TO BEAR ACTIVITY:
Shelters: Icewater Spring
BC Sites:

USE CAUTION AT THESE CAMPSITES/ LOCATIONS DUE TO BEAR ACTIVITY:
Shelters: Mt LeConte
BC Sites: BC #38, #61 and #85
Trails: Mt. Sterling, and Laurel Falls Trail

Closed Trails and BC sites:
Due to recent storms, the following trails are closed: Gunter Fork Trail,
Beard Cane Trail including Campsites 3 & 11, Hatcher Mountain Trail north
of its intersection with the Little Bottoms Trail.

USE THE FOOD STORAGE CABLES PROVIDED AT ALL
BACKCOUNTRY CAMPSITES
December 17, 2011

New Boots!!

Today I was without an excuse for not hiking, other than being lazy. For about a year or more I have been using "shoe goo" to extend the useful life of my boots that had probably 1700 plus miles on them. About a month ago they fell apart one last time and since it has been raining lately the wet trails have kinda discouraged hiking without the proper footwear. So today the fine folks at the Little River Trading Co. put me in a new pair of boots and I went for a short walk to see if they felt as good on a trail as they did on flat floors. Dudes and Dudettes! I think I made good choice; with help, in my purchase and I'll get a better feel for them as the Mysterious One will be up tomorrow to do some walking and we'll do more than the approx. 2mls I covered today.
The short walk I took today was up the Chestnut Top trail and it was a nice stroll with some cardio coming up from the Townsend 'Y' parking. Check out the picture of the Squirrel's dining area atop the stump. This was one of several I noticed along the level parts of the trail. Level? hmmm, kinda stretching it using that word as most parts of the Chestnut Top trail have some slope one way or another.

Smokies road conditions on Twitter

The season has arrived to send out a reminder message to folks about getting road closure updates by Twitter.
The public can get the most current information via the Internet by going to:
www.twitter.com/smokiesroadsnps to read recent road notification postings. This is a Twitter website maintained by the Park, but anybody can access it at any time, without having to establish a Twitter account.
Anyone having a Twitter account can go an extra step and choose to have updates set to them by going to the site listed above and clicking the “follow” button to see the updates on their own account page and receive the notifications in the manner they specify.
In addition to notifications of winter road conditions, Park officials plan to notify travelers throughout the year of road openings and closings due to rock slides, fallen trees, and accidents. Anytime the status of one of the listed roads changes, a message will be sent out asap.
We encourage people to use this service as extensively as possible.

Looking forward

13 or more NGO's will be meeting in the coalfields of eastern Kentucky this week to discuss their strategies and needs to assist in these communities as they make a transition from often impoverished strip mining communities; primarily strip mining in the form of MTR, to more financially, socially, and environmentally rewarding and sustainable ways of life. Those gathered will gain input from local citizens, local and regional citizen groups and folks quite knowledgeable on the human cost to ones health, as well as the history, and culture of the families who have lived in these mountains for generations.

Updates for Campsites and Bears in the GSMNP

Dudes and Dudettes! This is the latest on our native friends, though "the song remains the same" if you use basic safety practices. We are looking forward to a short overnight excursion this week and we'll send pictures afterwards. Peace
CAMPSITES CLOSED DUE TO BEAR ACTIVITY:
Shelters: Icewater Spring
BC Sites: BC # 24
USE CAUTION AT THESE CAMPSITES/ LOCATIONS DUE TO BEAR ACTIVITY:
BC Sites: BC #35, #36, #37, #38, #61 and #85
Shelters: Mt LeConte and Silers Bald Trails: Mt. Sterling, Anthony Creek Trail & Horse Camp, Laurel Falls,
Ramsey Cascades, Forney Ridge (upper section) and Old Sugarlands
Closed Trails and BC sites:
Due to recent storms, the following trails are closed: Gunter Fork Trail,
Beard Cane Trail including Campsites 3 & 11, Hatcher Mountain Trail north
of its intersection with the Little Bottoms Trail.
USE THE FOOD STORAGE CABLES PROVIDED AT ALL
BACKCOUNTRY CAMPSITES

36th annual 'Festival of Christmas Past', in the GSMNP

GATLINBURG – Great Smoky Mountains National Park announced the 36th annual Festival of Christmas Past celebration scheduled on Saturday, December 10, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at the Sugarlands Visitor Center. The event, sponsored in cooperation with Great Smoky Mountains Association, is free to the public.
Festival of Christmas Past is an annual celebration of the history and culture of the Smoky Mountains with an emphasis on the Christmas season. “We try to recreate some of the sights and sounds of an old fashioned mountain Christmas,” said Kent Cave, North District Resource Education Supervisor.
The festival will include old-time mountain music featuring the "Lost Mill String Band," "Boogertown Gap" band, and "South of the River Boys." Demonstrations of traditional domestic skills such as the making of mountain berry baskets, apple-head dolls, quilts, and apple butter will be ongoing throughout the day.
“Local volunteer craftspeople and musicians come together to share their ancestral skills with the public during this annual festival. We invite the public to participate in the day’s activities and learn about winter life and work in the Great Smoky Mountains,” said Cave.