Beautiful Day Hike

 Nice trip to Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee River Valley, Lookout Mountain, and southern Appalachians of Tennessee and Alabama in the winter. 450 miles driven and 25 miles hiked over 4 days.  Overnights in Jasper, TN and Ft. Payne and Centre, AL. Highlight of the trip was Savage Gulf Natural Area in TN.  Deep gorges on top of the Cumberland Plateau make for a hiking paradise!  Miles and miles of trails.

North from US 78/AL 281 trailhead. Near Heflin, AL. 

National Wildlife Refuge near White Plains, AL. Former Fort McClellan property.

Climbing area near Leesburg, AL. Weiss Lake in the background. 

National Preserve near Fort Payne, AL.

Bouldering area near Ft. Payne, AL. 

WMA near Stevenson, AL. 

Climbing area near Jasper, TN. 

State natural area near Palmer, TN. On the Cumberland Plateau. 

Short trip to NC and SC to enjoy some fall colors.  900 miles driven and 40 miles hiked over 4 days.  Highlight of the trip were hikes to the crest of the Blue Ridge mountains for 360 degree views!

DuPont State Forest. From Cedar Rock trail. Near Cedar Mtn, NC. 

Fall colors galore! From Blue Ridge Parkway. Near Rosman, NC. 

Mtn to Sea trail from 215. Pisgah NF. Near Rosman, NC. 

Looking South. Off Blue Ridge Parkway. Pisgah NF. Near Brevard, NC. 

Pisgah NF. Near Brevard, NC. 

Palmetto Trail. Sumter NF. Near Joanna, SC. 

WMA near Ridgeland, SC. 

Late summer trip to the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains in Nevada and California.  120 miles hiking and 1100 miles driving over fourteen days, including a weekend with our daughter and son-in-law! Highlights of the trip include the Eastern Sierra lakes of the Toiyabe and Inyo National Forests.  Also, hiking on Slide Mtn. and the sublime beauty of Lake Tahoe.

From Slide Mountain, above pass campground. Near Reno, NV. 

From paraglider summit. Near Stateline, NV. 

Tahoe NF. Near Verdi, CA. 

North from Spooner summit. Near Carson City, NV. 

Near Tom's Place, CA. Smoke from Garnet fire. 

Skelton Lake, John Muir Wilderness. Inyo NF, near Mammoth Lakes, CA. 

Over the Sierras. Near Bishop, CA. 

Inyo NF, near Bishop, CA. 

Inyo NF, near Bishop, CA. 

John Muir Wilderness, Inyo NF, near Bishop, CA. 

John Muir Wilderness, Inyo NF. Near Bishop, CA.