Bears

I will finish the hiking story soon, but this work thing is keeping me busy, and I will be on the road for the majority of the week. In the meantime, I would like to address an important subject, Bears. Many hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts are ill informed on bears and their habits. This is the most informative sign I have ever seen, and should be read by all.

100 Miles in 2 Days: Part 3 "The Master Plan"

Friday afternoon of the fateful weekend rolled around. Benji and I met up and went to Wal-Mart (the poor man's REI) to get some last minute supplies. We were packing pretty light. I had a small generic brand camelback in which I managed to fit an army poncho and poncho liner. If you have never seen a poncho liner, it is a wonderful thing. It’s a Soldier’s best friend - light, warm and comfy. Most Soldiers treat it like Linus’ blanky, and refer to it as their Woobi. Anyways, I also tossed in my Swiss army knife, an emergency blanket, a pair of socks, a head lamp, and a butt load of power bars. Benji’s pack was slightly larger, but still just a day pack. Although he decided to jerry rig his sleeping bag to the bottom of it. After picking up our last minute supplies, we headed for the mountains. Of course, we were in two cars because Benji didn’t want to see the same terrain twice. So we drove about eight hours to the northern point of the trail and parked one of the cars. Then we drove all over, around and down the mountains trying to find somewhere to camp near our starting point. After shifting my Jeep into four wheel drive, we managed to climb some massive hill of mud and find a spot to camp. I’m not sure it was technically a camping area, but I was pretty sure most people couldn’t make it up the hill to find us there, as we had experienced a brief moment of “holy crap we’re going to roll” during our barely successful summit attempt. We finally went to sleep at about one in the morning. Our plan was to get up at six and be at the start point by seven. We would hike all day, only stopping to pump water and quickly eat a power bar. We had our time broken down and knew exactly how many miles we needed to go each hour. I can’t remember if we were trying to do three or four miles an hour. That doesn’t sound like much, but when you’re walking straight up a mountain, it becomes quite difficult. We planned on hiking pretty late into the night using our headlamps. The idea of it made us feel like super hiking bad asses who would be admired by all backpackers and stinky trail hippies. We would then stop and take a three to four hour nap to recuperate. After our beauty rest we would wake up muttering, “Sleep is a crutch,” and continue hiking with our headlamps until the sun came up. At this point we would be halfway into the flattest part of the AT and well on our way to a hero’s welcome at the end. We managed to envision and discuss this welcome, but somehow we never managed to discuss how the heck we were going to drive 8 hours back home after walking 100 miles and only getting four hours of sleep. To be continued . .

100 Miles in 2 Days: Part 2 "Preparation"

I wasn't sure that we would make 100 miles, but I knew that I only had to outlast Benji. I could then chastise him and assault his ego, which was as fragile (or large, depending on how you look at it) as mine. Before embarking on our endeavor, I ran into Benji yet again. As he smoked a cigarette, Benji told me that I better be working out because he didn't want me slowing him down, and he had been going to the gym and doing leg presses. I smiled to myself. Benji was doing leg presses while I was running 3 to 6 miles a day (not by choice), sometimes with a ruck sack (also not by choice). Nothing that would set me up to do 50 miles a day, but enough to give me the confidence that Benji would quit before I did. However, I was buying into this whole thing. I wanted to make the 100 miles and be able to tell everybody about how great we were. Beating Benji was just my back up plan to regain the upper hand in manliness. Benji picked a 100 mile section of the Appalachian Trail. According to him, the last 50 miles of this section were the flattest part of the AT. I suggested we do 50 out and 50 back on the flat part, but that was too boring for Benji; he didn't want to see the same terrain twice. This was a critical decision, as we later found out that the first 50 miles was one of the most mountainous sections of the AT. To be continued . . .

Matt B

100 Miles in 2 Days: Part 1 "The Challenge"

This is an old story, but a funny one. My senior year of college (we won't talk about when that was), I was at a bar and ran into Benji, one of my old roommates. He was an outdoorsy guy too, and we had been on a couple of caving trips together. As we started talking, Benji told me that he had been planning on calling me to see if I wanted to go backpacking. He said that he wanted to hike 100 miles in two days, and that all his other friends were too chicken, but he knew that I would do it. I told him he was an idiot. Benji then accused me of being scared, which I vehemently denied. However, my ego can only take so much, a little known fact that Benji was well aware of. He continued his assault on my manhood and after an excruciating 30 seconds, I was on board. We picked a weekend, shook on it, and had a beer to celebrate this brave undertaking. When I awoke the next morning (morning being a figure of speech) the first thing that came into my pounding head was, "100 miles in two days." I ran the whole night and discussion through my head and decided that Benji was probably drunk and would forget about it, or chicken out and hope I had forgotten about it. A few days later I ran into Benji on campus. He hadn't forgotten about it. He made sure that I was still in, and I told him that if he planned it, I would be there. To be continued . . .
Matt B

Conasauga River Trail (Description and Directions)

This weekend I went backpacking on the Conasauga River Trail in the Cohutta Wilderness. It was a perfect weekend trip. From the beginning of I-575 to the trail head is under two hours. The trail is 13.1 miles long and crosses the river 38 times, so be prepared to get wet. Most of the crossings are only ankle deep, but some were knee deep. You can park a car at each end and hike through, or hike out and back. There were multiple areas along the trail that had obviously already been used for camping. You can utilize these sites to minimize your impact on the environment. According to one website the trail is marked with a yellow blaze, but I only saw aqua blazes, and they were few and far between, but the trail was easy to follow. If you are coming from Atlanta, the best route is to take 575 north. It will turn into 5 and 515 near Ball Ground. Continue north until you reach East Elijay, then go west on 52. If you are coming from another direction, you can get on 52 from the town square in Elijay. From the town square go approximately 9.5 miles west on 52. On the left side of the road you will see a big green sign that says Lake Conasauga Recreation Area. Turn right on to FS 18 at the sign. Before I got to the green sign I did see a wooden sign that said the same thing, but I have no idea where that road goes. After 1.3 miles on FS 18 the pavement ends. This is the important part. Normally you would go straight, and this is what I did, but there is a bridge out. The detour sign at the end of FS 18 is missing. When the pavement ends on FS 18, take a right onto the gravel road. It will go a couple of miles and come to a T intersection. Take a left at the intersection onto FS 9o (there should be a detour sign there). Go until you see the next sign and take a sharp right going uphill. You will come to another T intersection at the top of the mountain. Take a right and you will come up on the Conasauga River Trail in about a mile. You can contact the Ranger Station at (706)-695-6737. They are extremely helpful, and will give you directions, or answer any questions. Drive with caution on the back roads. They are very narrow and curvy, and there is more traffic than you would expect. Watch out for morons on dirt bikes going too fast around sharp curves, several tried to plaster themselves on the hood of my truck, but I was too quick for them and got out of the way.

Matt B

Cohutta Wilderness

That work thing got in the way again and forced me to go out of town, so there haven't been any recent posts. However, I'm going backpacking in the Cohutta Wilderness this weekend and will have a full report next week. I'm taking two of my nephews. One is about to leave for college and the other will be a senior in high school. I've acquired a decent amount of random gear, but I don't have enough for three people, so it will be an interesting trip. I have one extremely large pack that I'm planning on putting all the gear in and making one of them carry; they're both wrestlers and in way better shape than I am, plus I'm a slacker. I have a super light weight tent, but we won't all fit in there, so I am currently debating some type of tarp contraption. I also have a light weight stove, but I'm almost out of fuel and don't feel like driving all the way to REI to get more. I'll probably just take my heavier stove, but its low on fuel too, so I'll probably take both. It'll make the pack heavy but, as I stated earlier, I'm not carrying the pack. I also don't have enough sleeping bags, but its summer and I'm sure we'll survive. Check back next week and I'll let you know how it went.

Matt B

Where to Mountain Bike near Atlanta?

One of our readers posted the following message and we would appreciate any recommendations. "I am looking for some good mountain biking around the northern part of Atlanta. I have biked a ton at Sope Creek, but, am looking for some variety. I would like to find a new place that has some beginner and intermediate trails. Does anyone have any suggestions?" I haven't had much time to research other areas (this whole work thing gets in the way), but I did find a lot of videos of people mountain biking at Ft. Yargo in Winder, GA (a short drive up 85 or 316). I've also heard that there is a trail that follows the Little River near Woodstock or maybe Kennesaw. You Tube also had a helmet cam video of Sope Creek that looked pretty cool, but nowhere near as funny as this video.

Lake Blue Ridge Fishing Report

There are no fish in Lake Blue Ridge. If there were, I would have caught one, end of story. I don't want to talk about it anymore. In an effort to branch out and address some other outdoor activities, I found a video of some good old fashioned Georgia Kayaking.
Matt B

Peachtree Road Race

This weekend was my first time running the Peachtree Road Race. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, the Peachtree is a 10K race in Atlanta that draws around 55,000 participants and just as many viewers. Due to the number of runners, the race is broken up into multiple groups that start several minutes apart. The competitive runners, whom I refer to as the Kenyans, are the first to start. Then come the serious runners who have qualified by running a certain time in another 10k. After that, it’s just people out for a good time and a nice run or walk. The Kenyans and serious runners are done and stretched out long before most people have even crossed the starting line. The race was a great time and I enjoyed it immensely, especially the runners wearing costumes. I have decided to run the race in costume next year and will be accepting recommendations for a crazy patriotic costume. I try to avoid making negative remarks, but I must address one issue, and I do so with only good intentions in mind. Someone must warn these people that nobody likes them and that their actions do not make them look cool. I refer to this group of people as the “I’m a really good runner look at me running another six miles back to the starting line without my shirt, so you can relish in how great I am people,” but I’ll just call them RGRs for short. The RGRs are not part of a structured organization, but they are unified in their mutual self absorption with their own running abilities and flat abs. Whenever one is trying to look cool, one must consider their audience. Obviously the RGRs have not done this. So I will do it for them. There is no doubt that RGRs possess running endurance beyond that of your average participant. Because of their great abilities, which I’m sure they work quite hard for, the RGRs are usually in one of the first groups to start. They are not the fastest runners there, because they are not Kenyan (despite their deepest desires to be so & even though they read everything they can about the Kenyans and try to emulate their eating and training regimen). Anyways, the RGRs quickly finish the race, a light 6.2 miles. After crossing the finish line, the RGRs jog lightly (because it’s not good for your muscles to stop immediately and they know this because they read Runner’s World) to the station where they get their t-shirt for completing the race. There is nothing wrong with that, they worked hard for it, but it is here that logic seems to leave their brains. I would blame oxygen deprivation, but these guys are RGRs; they’re not even breathing hard. Now the RGRs are faced with a tough decision. They have two shirts and only one body - which shirt will they choose, the sweaty one that shows how hard they worked (if they actually broke a sweat), or the new one that shows they completed the race? Surprisingly, they choose neither. Defying all logic, they take off their current shirt and decide it best to carry both shirts. I know it sounds crazy, but I’m not making this stuff up, it’s true. Many race participants realize that the finish line is a long way from the starting line, and either use MARTA or team up with friends and pre-position a car near the finish line. Not RGRs; they read Runner’s World and know that they need to do a cool down run (plus 6.2 miles wasn’t far enough for these pasta eating running machines anyways). So, in their infinite wisdom, they decide to get on the sidewalk and run back to the starting line while carrying two shirts. They may just be stupid and didn’t think about the whole car being at the starting line thing, but I think not. These guys want you to see their body, infested with abs and other muscles that normal people didn’t know existed. As the RGRs run back to their cars, they must dodge the people lining the sidewalk to cheer on the runners/walkers. The RGRs seem perplexed that these people would dare stand on the sidewalk, which is obviously reserved for people doing cool down runs or trying to get some extra miles in. Then the RGRs look, with utter confusion in their eyes, at the people still running/walking. They turn their heads slightly as they try to figure out how they’ve already run 9 miles and you’ve only done 3. Then it comes to them: “I’m better than those people.” They then decide to put a smug look on their face in hopes that you will think they are super cool and want to whisper amongst yourselves about their greatness. This is where the RGRs should consider the audience they are trying to impress. The people still on the course represent a wide range of people. Some are experienced runners out having a good time and not worried about their time. Others are beginners, struggling through their first race, or walkers who set a goal to complete the Peachtree. These are the people I admire. A 10k is nothing to a RGR, but for the average person it presents a challenge to be conquered. Let’s review the situation. We have a shirtless RGR doing some extra miles and looking smugly at a group of people fighting cramps, dehydration, and demons of doubt as they attempt to complete what to them is a trying event. Each time I saw an RGR, I looked through the crowd around me, surveying their reactions. You wouldn’t believe it. Not a single look of admiration towards the RGR. Is there no respect for shirtless pasta eaters that weigh 100 pounds soaking wet? What I witnessed was bared teeth, clenched fist and general looks of extreme hatred. In fact, had they not been so tired, I do believe the crowd would have attacked the RGR and eaten his flesh for energy. I’m not saying that RGRs don’t deserve our admiration as great athletes; I’m just saying they may want to consider their audience before flaunting about. RGRs must remember that they may be nimble and fast, but they are slight of stature and could be seriously killed if caught by a mob of average Joes.

Matt B

4th of July

The 4th of July is nearing and I can hardly contain my excitement over a three day weekend. This is the perfect opportunity to get outside and enjoy the beauty of nature. I’m planning on doing a little fly fishing at Lake Blue Ridge and should have a full report for you next week. I went to Orvis today and grabbed some flies for bass and blue gill (I don’t know of any trout in Lake Blue Ridge). I’m also running the Peachtree on Friday. I’m sure I’ll have something to write about that, but I promise you it won’t include my extremely slow time. More important than the opportunity to get outdoors, the 4th of July provides an opportunity for us to reflect on the greatness of our nation. As I said yesterday, I intend to keep this blog about the outdoors, but it’s the 4th and it would be un-American not to say something. Below is an exert from a letter written by an Infantry Platoon Leader. Please read it and take some time over the weekend to reflect on what it says and to remember the people who made us free and to thank the ones who continue to keep us free.

I was prompted to write today by tragedy. My battalion lost 2 men a couple of days ago. I ask that you pray for their families and friends. My patrol was sent to the hospital to pick up the wounded that were cleared to return to duty. As I walked in I saw my buddy from the Infantry Officer Basic Course. It caught me off guard when I saw him. We had been in the same squad in IOBC and saw each other every day. I knew it was his platoon that had been hit, but it hadn't even crossed my mind that he might be who I was picking up. His face was cut and bloody and he looked dazed. Not because he was hurt, but because he had lost a soldier. I think it's every leader's greatest fear. I didn't know what to do. How do you tell him it's OK? I just hugged him as best I could with all my gear on and walked him outside. We talked a little but he was still overwhelmed. I made sure he got in my vehicle and I took him back. The price is being paid and I hope Americans and Iraqis understand and appreciate it. When a soldier in this area is killed, all phones and internet are shut down. This is so that the family is notified by the proper means. When I was finally able to connect to the internet to let my wife know I was OK, it hit me. I hadn't been too upset yet, but as I was getting ready to IM my wife, I realized that the reason my computer was now working was because two families had just found out that their son or husband or father had been killed. In my beliefs, death isn't the end. However, it is painful for those left behind. I pray that America and Iraq stand strong and finish what we have started so that all these deaths are not in vain. I believe fully in what we are doing and other than hurting my family I have no qualms about dieing here, as long as it turns into something good. I have received so many emails from people I don't even know saying thank you, but I'm still not sure Americans as a whole understand what's at stake. They may get an idea of the cost of war when they see the death toll, but that makes them want to quit and run. To do so would be the greatest insult to those who have given their lives. It would say that they died for no reason or greater purpose. Or, that America is a nation of cowards, afraid to take risks for something greater than themselves. I do not fight for a nation of cowards and I do not risk my life without purpose. What is at stake is our nation’s survivability, and along with it goes everything America stands for. Not for us or our kids, but for many generations from now. So many Americans have degenerated into complacency and self-centeredness. They do not strive for something above their daily life. They have no purpose other than themselves or maintaining status quo. They are afraid to take risks or stand up for anything. Our nation was founded by men who knew a purpose greater than themselves and risked everything for it. Any Soldier knows that when you become complacent, you are endangering yourself and others. There are still millions of Americans who understand our greater purpose in life, but they are endangered by those who don't, and those who don't are endangering our future generations. America is a great nation with power and strength. Along with that comes great responsibility. Responsibility to the American people, and responsibility to the World. I'm not saying that everyone should join the military and go to war. I'm only hoping that people see the greater cause and support a nation that is not afraid.

Support our Heroes

I intend to keep this blog focused on the outdoors, but this is too important to ignore. The reason we are able to enjoy our many freedoms in America is because there are brave men and women willing to risk their lives for us and our way of life. We are able to live in peace and enjoy the outdoors because of their sacrifices. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you believe or how you vote, these brave souls are out there defending you. The least we could do is support them and take care of them when they return home. The Wounded Warrior Project is a non-profit organization that does great things for our heroes who have been injured. You can check out their website (https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/) for more information on what they do. Be sure to take a look at the outdoors section, where they help wounded Soldiers cope through outdoor pursuits. Ranger Up is a clothing company that makes some pretty funny shirts and shows tremendous support for our troops. I think you can guess their background from the name (no they are not Park or Forest Rangers). Anyways, Ranger Up is trying to get the word out about the Wounded Warrior Project and raise some money to help. They are now selling a shirt that reads “Operation Grim,” and donating all of the profit to WWP. Grim stands for GRace In Maxim. Grace is one of their lovely models, and they are trying to get pictures of her wearing the shirt printed in Maxim to raise national awareness for WWP. They already have professional pictures of her and Tim Kennedy (MMA fighter and Special Forces Soldier) wearing the shirts and ready for print. It seems that they were well on their way to accomplishing this when Maxim went through an editor change. Now they are starting all over again. You may ask, “What can I do about that, I don’t work for Maxim?” There are several ways you can help. You can make a donation to WWP, every penny helps. You can buy a cool shirt and the profit will go to WWP. You can write an email to Maxim encouraging them to print the pictures. I believe that Ranger Up is trying to collect all the emails and send them in mass. You can check their site (http://www.rangerup.com/operationgrim.html) for details and a block letter, or write your own and send it to operationgrim@gmail.com. You can tell everybody you know about this and encourage them to get involved. I have lost many friends in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and know many of the wounded. These people have incredible spirits. It seems that everyday I read an article about a military amputee running a marathon or accomplishing some great feat against all odds. They do this because they refuse to be defeated, and because they want to set an example for others. WWP assists these people and helps provide the necessary equipment, which is quite expensive. Please show that you care and get involved somehow. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a lot of money, just help raise awareness or give what you can.
Thanks,
Matt B

My First Blog

I have finally jumped into the 21st Century with both feet. I got a new cell phone last week (my old one was the size of a brick) and now I'm blogging. None of my friends will believe this. I was inspired to start blogging by my good friend Matt S. We're both listed as the blogger because this is a joint venture (I think it was his idea, but I'm sure I offered some sort of wisdom to the discussion). We both grew up outdoors and love everything it has to offer. After getting out of the Army we both moved back to GA. Matt S lives just south of Atlanta and I live to the North. The Army offered us high adventure and great experiences, but it was time to move on and settle down, as we both have families. However, as much as we love Atlanta (actually Matt S isn't a big fan), we felt trapped in a concrete jungle. As we discussed this perplexing situation we realized the vast outdoor activities that Georgia has to offer within a short drive of Atlanta and how little information there is about these places. We felt that there must be other people in Atlanta (or anywhere in Georgia) who suffered from the same desire to get away from the hustle and bustle, but just didn't know where to go. We made it our goal to tell them about it. Our plan was to take a trip every weekend, then write about it and share it with others who might want to try it. This is still our intention, but we both work and have family obligations, so it is tough to get out every weekend. We invite our readers to share their experiences for all to read. When we can't get out on a trip we will give tips or find something outdoorsy to talk about. For instance, I've been wanting to talk about backpacking on a budget. Gear is expensive! I did a decent amount of backpacking in college, when I was super broke, but managed to get by with good inexpensive gear. One of these days I'll put together some info and try to share my cheap guy incite. And what about Hunting? Georgia has tons of land, but unless you own it, its hard to find a place to hunt. Fortunately, I have family with land, but I plan on checking out some of the WMAs and giving you the low down. My hopes are that this blog turns into a one stop shop for anyone interested in the great outdoors. Please add your input and links to other resources.
Thanks,
Matt B