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Great Smoky Mountains National Park – 5 Great Hikes in 4 Great Days

Most recently updated October 15th, 2024

Estimated Reading Time: 35 minutes

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is right on the edge of the areas of North Carolina and Tennessee that were hardest hit by Hurricane Helene.

That said, the Park is open and many of the surrounding communities are open for business and could really use your tourist dollars to help rebuild!

Go to my Hurricane Helene page to get the latest updates on the latest Park, Trail and road repairs.

Mists rise from the mountains after a summer rain. — Smoky Mountains get their name from the mist that settles in the valleys.

For years, I’ve been driving from my home near Raleigh, NC past the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) in Tennessee for work, but never had a chance to stop and explore.

It was very frustrating… 🙁

The Pulpit rock cairn marks the end of the Bullhead Trail.

But finally, last summer, I was able to spend a few days hiking in the GSMNP.

It was everything I hoped it would be!

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) was the most visited national park in 2019, with over 12.5 million visitors.

That’s nearly twice as many tourists as the Grand Canyon had that same year!

The Park covers 522,419 acres in North Carolina and Tennessee, making it one of the largest protected areas in the eastern United States.

It also straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain.

And as if that’s not enough to warrant a visit, the Appalachian Trail also passes through the center of the park on its route from Georgia to Maine.

Read on to learn about the park layout, history and the amazing trails that I hiked during my visit… and how you could hike them, too!

Continue reading Great Smoky Mountains National Park – 5 Great Hikes in 4 Great Days

Hike to the Zombie Tunnels! – Schenck Forest’s Richland Creek Trail

Most recently updated May 4th, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

The Zombie Tunnel Hike is a route that goes from Umstead State Park, and all the way through Carl Alwin Schenck Memorial Forest – with the help of the Richland Creek Trail.

All tunnels could be zombie tunnels... — All tunnels could be zombie tunnels…

I’ve been leading this hike for years, and people really enjoy it.

At over 11 miles, it’s a good long hike, but it’s pretty flat, and has a lot of different features – like Zombie tunnels!

Okay, there may not *actually* be any Zombies, but it sure looks like there could be….and one time I did find a mutant fish in there 🙂

According to legend, Brigadoon only appears for one day every 300 years.

I don’t host this hike very often because conditions need to be just right or the route is impassable, and I hate to disappoint anyone.

The other thing about this route is that, depending on recent weather conditions or new construction, parts of the trail have been known to disappear like Brigadoon at sunrise.

So earlier this year, before I posted the hike for others to join me, I decided to take a look and see if the route was still there – and still the same.

Good news! The route was still there – and still mostly the same. In fact some parts had actually been improved!

Now – just in time for Halloween! – I’ll tell you what I found, and how to get there – and maybe you can go try this somewhat spooky trail for yourself…

UPDATE: There have been some major changes to the Schenck Forest access area over the past few months. Read on for more updated info.

New construction on the Schenk access road off of Reedy Creek road. — New construction on the Schenck access road off of Reedy Creek road.

Continue reading Hike to the Zombie Tunnels! – Schenck Forest’s Richland Creek Trail

Hike Virginia’s Triple Crown – an Appalachian Trail Section

Most recently updated October 15th, 2024

Estimated Reading Time: 22 minutes

The Appalachian Trail (AT) runs through or very near areas of North Carolina and Virginia that were hardest hit by Hurricane Helene.

Portions of the AT are open, along with many other Virginia and NC State Parks and trails in the Eastern part of the State. That said, Parks and the AT on the Western side of the State have been damaged and may be inaccessible.

Go to my Hurricane Helene page to get the latest updates on the latest area Park, Trail and road repairs before you travel.

As soon as I heard about the Triple Crown hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains, I knew I had to do it!

View of the Dragon's Tooth at the hike summit. — View of the Dragon’s Tooth at the hike summit.

It’s an epic hike within easy driving distance from my home in North Carolina, do-able as a solo hiker – with reasonable precautions – even in the heat of summer.

Most importantly the summer of 2020, the Triple Crown trails and trailhead parking were just re-opened for use.

Effective June 13: The National Park Service has reopened the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in Virginia’s Blue Ridge, including the Triple Crown section of Dragon’s Tooth, McAfee Knob, and Tinker Cliffs.

The Triple Crown hike is actually a group of three hikes – Dragon’s Tooth, McAfee Knob, and Tinker Cliffs – that can be done individually or tackled as an overnight backpacking hike all together.

The Triple Crown trail loop is 35 miles of the best hiking in the Roanoke Valley and arguably some of the best overlooks in the entire state of Virginia.

If you decide to explore this portion of the Appalachian Trail, you’ll be rewarded with incredible overlooks, unique rock formations, shelters for rustic camping, and challenging, bucket-list-worthy trails 🙂 Continue reading Hike Virginia’s Triple Crown – an Appalachian Trail Section

How To Stay Healthy Working from Home

Most recently updated November 24th, 2022

Estimated Reading Time: 15 minutes

Have you become a remote worker recently due to circumstances beyond your control? Whether you have chosen remote work, or it’s been thrust upon you, it can be a difficult transition for you and your whole family.

You can find yourself getting stressed, socially awkward, and extra fluffy 🙂

And this can add additional stress, which creates a really bad cycle that it’s best to avoid altogether.

So, that said, what’s the best way to protect your mental and physical health when you’re suddenly forced to work from your home???

Sign promoting hand-washing along local greenway trail

People who had already chosen to work remotely before any Stay At Home mandates have probably figured this out already.

But for those who became remote workers overnight due to the COVID-19 health crisis response or other sudden life change, this could be a problem – especially if there’s no end in sight.

As an aside, I joined the workforce when there was no such thing as “remote” work, because there were no laptops, internet or cell phones.

…. I’ll pause here so you can say “Okay, Boomer” 🙂

I also remember when working remotely was the shiny new Holy Grail of work situations, and only the Cool Kids got to do it.

The rest of us had to fight family, school buses and traffic to make it into the office on time despite a blizzard or an illness that had you burning with fever.

Your commute to work can be replaced by a nice long walk or bike ride

Those days are not entirely gone, but most companies now recognize natural disasters, communicable diseases, and different time-zones within Global teams as valid reasons to work off-site.

Fortunately, with today’s technology everyone is able to work remotely as needed, if your business will allow it.

Some people work remotely 100% of the time now and some younger workers have NEVER had an office-based job.

"Working from home" used to mean something very different. — “Working from home” used to mean something very different.

At this point in my career, I’ve worked in all kinds of remote, half-remote, on-site only, etc etc situations, and I have to say – I really like working from home most of all!

But working remotely is not everyone’s favorite thing.

When working from home – whether it’s as someone’s else’s employee or as your own boss – there are a lot of bad habits you can fall into.

Finding the discipline to manage your time and ignore distractions, especially if you’ve also got kids at home – never mind anxiety about world events, or depression due to isolation – may be unusually difficult.

And staying focused enough to get some exercise and eat right can be almost impossible!

There are some tricks I’ve learned over the years that might help you 🙂

Continue reading How To Stay Healthy Working from Home

Hike the Tongariro Alpine Crossing – New Zealand’s Favorite Day Hike

Most recently updated February 6th, 2024

Estimated Reading Time: 19 minutes

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing, a 12 mile day hike on New Zealand’s North Island, is one of the most popular day hikes in the country.

Located inside The Tongariro National Park, the alpine crossing is part of a larger 3-4 day hike that is one of New Zealand’s Great Walks.

Tongariro National Park was made famous – like so many places in New Zealand – by it’s appearance in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.

The park’s alpine, volcanic scenery is the setting of Mordor, home of Mount Doom – aka Mt Ngauruhoe – the object of Frodo and Sam’s quest throughout the series.

I had the opportunity to take this trek as part of an active group trip to the North Island early this Spring.

(Fortunately, I was able to return home before travel became restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.)

Here’s how hiking the Tangeriro Alpine Crossing went for me, and some information that will help if you want to go try it for yourself!

Continue reading Hike the Tongariro Alpine Crossing – New Zealand’s Favorite Day Hike

Outdoor Activity Ideas for Homeschool Kids

Most recently updated January 20th, 2022

Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

Home school kids need to get outdoors in the sunshine and play – for their physical and mental health and for ours, too.

If you’ve recently become a remote worker AND a home-schooler all at once, courtesy of COVID-19, you’re probably already running short on patience.

Getting outdoors, either in your own yard or in a local park or forest, can help boost the entire family’s mood and immune system.

Sitting still for long periods of time is hard for everyone, but it’s especially difficult for energetic young ones who may have shorter attention spans.

When children have the space and freedom to move around, they can work off their excess energy and be more focused on learning when playtime is over.

Through physical outdoor learning activities children can improve their speed, strength, stamina and motor skills, too.

Here are some ideas for incorporating outdoor time into your new at-home daily schedule, and some tips on places to go for outdoor fun where you can still avoid crowds, for social distancing purposes.

Continue reading Outdoor Activity Ideas for Homeschool Kids

Hike the Route of the Hermitages de Tella in Spain

Most recently updated June 9th, 2022

The trip began in Barcelona and ended in Madrid

Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes

Last summer, I took a whirlwind tour across Northern Spain.

We started in Barcelona and made our way across the country to end the tour in Madrid – all in 8 days!

For me, the highlight of the tour was a short day hike in the Aragonese Pyrenees.

Don’t get me wrong – the rest of the tour was great, too.

But I’m not usually a fan of big cities, even cities as beautiful as Madrid and Barcelona.

I usually like to spend my holiday time away from cities, sweating in a desert canyon, searching for ruins in a rainforest, or hiking up a steep slope to a mountain view.

To be honest, the hike in the Pyrenees was the main reason I signed up 🙂

I’d been planning another trip that cancelled at the last minute, so I decided to take a chance on a different sort of trip for me. I’m very glad I did!

Continue reading Hike the Route of the Hermitages de Tella in Spain

The Best Hiking Boots – Choose Your Perfect Fit

Most recently updated July 7th, 2023

As the weather changes with the seasons, you should also update your hiking boots for better performance and comfort.

But how do you know what features the best hiking boots or hiking shoes for the weather and your hike should have?

Of course you should like how they look, and they should feel good when you try them on – but beyond that, what are the most important things to look for?

Some boot features to consider:

- - - Are they waterproof?
    - Do they have cushioned shock-absorbing heels?
    - Do they have grippy soles?

If your feet are wet or painful, you won’t be able to think about anything else – and might not even be able to complete your hike.

What you put on your feet is without a doubt your most important piece of hiking gear, so you’ve got to get it right!

Hiking boots or trail running shoes (not regular road running shoes) are your best hiking footwear options.

Aside from fit, one of the most important things to consider is what kind of trail you’ll be on, and how long you’ll be on it 🙂

Continue reading The Best Hiking Boots – Choose Your Perfect Fit

Shenandoah National Park – Visit Guide and 5 Days of Hikes

Most recently updated October 15th, 2024

The Shenandoah National Park is right on the edge of the areas of North Carolina and Virginia that were hardest hit by Hurricane Helene.

That said, the Park is open and many of the surrounding communities are open for business and could really use your Fall vacation dollars to help rebuild!

Go to my Hurricane Helene page to get the latest updates on the latest Park, Trail and road repairs.

Shenandoah National Park first opened to the public in December of 1936. It’s located in Virginia’s Blue Ridge mountains, less than a half days’ drive from home for me.

Though I’ve lived in the area for more than 20 years, I’ve never had the chance to spend much time in Shenandoah – until this past summer.

Bridge over the trout stream at Rapidan Camp

With 200,000 acres of protected land, Shenandoah National Park has some of the best hiking in Virginia – and the entire mid-Atlantic region of the US – so you can imagine how excited I was to visit!

I had a great time exploring on my own, but the park hosts a variety of trails and attractions for everyone from expert hikers to families with small children.

Where is Shenandoah National Park?

Shenandoah National Park is only 115 miles from Washington, D.C., 95 miles from Richmond VA, and 250 miles from Raleigh NC.

That’s close enough for a great long weekend or longer family vacation, without getting on an airplane!

I allowed a week for my trip – 2 days for travel, and 5 whole days to explore 🙂

Continue reading Shenandoah National Park – Visit Guide and 5 Days of Hikes

Foot Care for Hikers – From Blisters to Boots

Most recently updated July 7th, 2023

My feet hurt most of the time.

Accumulated damage from years of dance, martial arts, high heels, various athletics and now a couple of decades and lots of miles of hiking means my feet hurt more often than they don’t.

Add metabolic aging of my feet now that I’m in my 50’s, and it’s a recipe for some VERY painful feet.

But I’ve found ways to alleviate my foot pain and prevent more injury so I can keep doing the active things I love!

How to Care For Your Feet

As a hiker, you can’t overestimate the value of wearing the best hiking boots you can to have an enjoyable hike and avoid possible injury.

But there are other things you can do to keep your feet happy beyond simply wearing good boots!

I love to be active outdoors and plan to keep on going for the long haul. That means investing effort in taking care of my feet and legs as much as I can.

These are some of my favorite tips to avoid or eliminate foot pain and keep your feet happy, healthy and ready for any adventure!

NOTE: Instead of illustrating this post with images of injured feet, I decided to share pictures of some beautiful things I’ve seen – while walking around 🙂

Continue reading Foot Care for Hikers – From Blisters to Boots