The Swannanoa Valley Museum in Black Mountain, North Carolina is offering a monthly hiking series during 2010 called the Swannanoa Rim Explorer Hikes.
The Swannanoa Rim Explorer hiking series offers twelve hikes that will take place on the third Saturday of each month in 2010. Each hike will cover a portion of the approximately 31 miles of the Swannanoa Rim, which runs from Jesse’s High Top, across Lakey Gap, over Ridgecrest and Montreat, up to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and down to Cedar Cliff above Camp Rockmont. These hikes will be led by experienced hikers who are also extremely knowledgeable about the history, topography, and ownership of the land.
Hikers will be issued a “Passport to the Swannanoa Rim” on their first hike, which will be validated upon completion of each segment. Special awards will go to those completing the full course during the first year.
The series is recommended for experienced hikers, as the hikes in this series will be strenuous and at times will require bushwhacking. Participation in each hike will be limited to 30 hikers plus the Museum team. The cost for each hike is $20 for Museum members, and $40 for non-members. Those wishing to secure reservations on all 12 hikes may do so by paying in advance, and they will receive a 10% discount.
An orientation meeting for hikers interested in participating in the series will be held on Thursday, January 7 at 7 pm in the Conference Room at the Black Mountain Savings Bank, 200 E. State St., Black Mountain. The first hike will be Jan. 16. Reservations will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Please call the Museum, 828-669-9566, or send an email to info@swannanoavalleymuseum.org for more information or to reserve a place on the hikes.
Here's the schedule for 2010:
Jan. 7: Preview meeting as the kickoff for the Swannanoa Rim Hikes, 7 pm, Black Mountain Savings Bank.
Jan. 16: First leg of the Swannanoa Rim hikes: Jesse's High Top to NC Hwy 9.
Feb. 20: Second Swannanoa Rim hike: Sunset Mountain to NC Hwy 9.
Mar. 20: Third Swanannoa Rim hike: Sunset Mountain to I-40.
Apr. 17: Fourth Swannanoa Rim hike: I-40 through Ridgecrest to Sourwood Gap.
May 15: Fifth Swannanoa Rim hike: Sourwood Gap to Greybeard. Led by Joe S.
June 19: Sixth Swannanoa Rim hike: Black Mountain Gap to Balsam Gap. Led by Wendell.
July 17: Seventh Swannanoa Rim hike: Black Mountain Gap to Greybeard. Led by Joe S.
Aug. 21: Eight Swannanoa Rim hike: Glassmine Falls Overlook to Craggy Pinnacle.
Sept. 18: Ninth Swannanoa Rim hike: Balsam Gap to Glassmine Falls Overlook.
Oct. 16: Tenth Swannanoa Rim hike: Craggy Gardens to Craggy Knob & return.
Nov. 20: Eleventh Swannanoa Rim hike: White Oak Flats to Brushy Ridge & return.
Dec. 18: Final Swannanoa Rim hike: White Oak Flats to Cedar Cliff to Camp Rockmont.
For more information on the museum and the series, please click here. There's also a good article in the Black Mountain News about the sights and history of the rim region.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Climber clings to icy cliff by his fingertips for 6 hours!
A Scottish newspaper is reporting that a young climber was forced to cling to an ice-covered cliff - by his fingertips - for six hours before being rescued!
Last weekend a British climber and his climbing partner became stuck on the 3790-foot mountain in Scotland known as the Lochnagar. Roughly 300 feet above solid ground, the
lead climber found himself completely stuck on a climb known as the Giant's Head Chimney, unable to move up or down and with no ledge or space to rest on. Fortunately the second climber was able to find a safe ledge and was able to make a call for help. It would be six hours before the two climbers would be rescued, with the stuck climber clinging to the rock by his fingertips for the entire time.
Rescue co-ordinator Inspector Andrew Todd said: "The lead climber had just climbed himself into difficulty and couldn't go forwards or backwards. He was completely stuck.
"The conditions were absolutely freezing although the visibility was good and the helicopter was a big help.
"The bottom climber was fine and was quite warm but the lead climber was in quite a difficult position and had to hold that position for hours. He was literally just hanging on to the cliff face."
One of the rescuers was lowered from a helicopter who helped the pair back to the bottom.
The lead climber suffered mild frostbite to his fingers after his ordeal in temperatures as low as -8C on the cliff face.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.
Last weekend a British climber and his climbing partner became stuck on the 3790-foot mountain in Scotland known as the Lochnagar. Roughly 300 feet above solid ground, the
lead climber found himself completely stuck on a climb known as the Giant's Head Chimney, unable to move up or down and with no ledge or space to rest on. Fortunately the second climber was able to find a safe ledge and was able to make a call for help. It would be six hours before the two climbers would be rescued, with the stuck climber clinging to the rock by his fingertips for the entire time.Rescue co-ordinator Inspector Andrew Todd said: "The lead climber had just climbed himself into difficulty and couldn't go forwards or backwards. He was completely stuck.
"The conditions were absolutely freezing although the visibility was good and the helicopter was a big help.
"The bottom climber was fine and was quite warm but the lead climber was in quite a difficult position and had to hold that position for hours. He was literally just hanging on to the cliff face."
One of the rescuers was lowered from a helicopter who helped the pair back to the bottom.
The lead climber suffered mild frostbite to his fingers after his ordeal in temperatures as low as -8C on the cliff face.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.
Labels:
cliff,
Climber,
clings,
fingertips,
Giant's Head Chimney,
Lochnagar,
Scotland
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas
I wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, and a New Year full of great hiking adventures!
Jeff
Jeff
Labels:
Merry Christmas
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Snowdrifts as high as 6-8 feet deep on Blue Ridge Parkway
Crews on the Blue Ridge Parkway continue to work to remove snowdrifts and downed trees. The National Park Service is reporting that there are snowdrifts as high as six to eight feet deep on the Parkway!
This is the report from the National Park Service today:
The Blizzard of 2009 dumped from 10 to 30 inches of snow along the entire length of the 469-mile-long parkway. High winds, particularly in the northern districts, have created snow drifts as much as six to eight feet deep, which require the use of front-end loaders and back-hoes in conjunction with snow plow equipment to clear administrative access to park duty stations.
Numerous fallen trees are further complicating snow-removal operations. Unrestricted access to some sections of the parkway that cannot be controlled by a gated closure has further compounded the severity of this storm event because law enforcement rangers have limited ability to identify and respond to stranded motorist emergencies.
Protection rangers are working with Virginia and North Carolina State Highway Patrol officers to receive information from flyovers. The HQ and visitor center in Asheville, North Carolina, are open and the Peaks of Otter Lodge in Virginia is open via State Route 43.
The Asheville Citizen-Times is reporting that the Blue Ridge Parkway from Asheville to Cherokee is closed due to snow and downed trees. No word on the BRP north of Asheville.
The article states that hikers can still walk beyond the gates. Deputy Superintendent Monika Mayr said visitors often use the closed road for cross country skiing during heavy snow.
She said the best advice is to leave an itinerary with a friend.
And, for the parkway, bringing along a snow shovel and sand is a good idea.
“We are having people get stuck,” she said. “They still need to be careful where they park.”
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.
This is the report from the National Park Service today:
The Blizzard of 2009 dumped from 10 to 30 inches of snow along the entire length of the 469-mile-long parkway. High winds, particularly in the northern districts, have created snow drifts as much as six to eight feet deep, which require the use of front-end loaders and back-hoes in conjunction with snow plow equipment to clear administrative access to park duty stations.
Numerous fallen trees are further complicating snow-removal operations. Unrestricted access to some sections of the parkway that cannot be controlled by a gated closure has further compounded the severity of this storm event because law enforcement rangers have limited ability to identify and respond to stranded motorist emergencies.
Protection rangers are working with Virginia and North Carolina State Highway Patrol officers to receive information from flyovers. The HQ and visitor center in Asheville, North Carolina, are open and the Peaks of Otter Lodge in Virginia is open via State Route 43.
The Asheville Citizen-Times is reporting that the Blue Ridge Parkway from Asheville to Cherokee is closed due to snow and downed trees. No word on the BRP north of Asheville.
The article states that hikers can still walk beyond the gates. Deputy Superintendent Monika Mayr said visitors often use the closed road for cross country skiing during heavy snow.
She said the best advice is to leave an itinerary with a friend.
And, for the parkway, bringing along a snow shovel and sand is a good idea.
“We are having people get stuck,” she said. “They still need to be careful where they park.”
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.
Labels:
blue ridge parkway,
snow closures
84-year-old man collapses on Middle Prong Trail
The Maryville Daily Times is reporting that an 84-year-old Knoxville man had to be carried off the Middle Prong Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park after collapsing Tuesday.
Bill Sterling and two hiking companions were about a half-mile from the trail head when Sterling collapsed and was unable to walk out. The trail was icy and packed with snow.
Authorities were contacted at about 10 a.m. A group of Park rangers and Rural/Metro paramedics hiked up the trail and carried Sterling out on a litter. Park officials said he was conscious when rescuers arrived but was unable to walk himself out.
Sterling was taken to Townsend to a waiting Lifestar helicopter and was then transported to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville where he is listed in stable condition.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.
Bill Sterling and two hiking companions were about a half-mile from the trail head when Sterling collapsed and was unable to walk out. The trail was icy and packed with snow.
Authorities were contacted at about 10 a.m. A group of Park rangers and Rural/Metro paramedics hiked up the trail and carried Sterling out on a litter. Park officials said he was conscious when rescuers arrived but was unable to walk himself out.
Sterling was taken to Townsend to a waiting Lifestar helicopter and was then transported to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville where he is listed in stable condition.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Two hikers stranded in Smokies during snow storm
WBIR has a story on their website about two hikers from Illinois that became stranded as a result of last week's snow storm.
As the snow continued to pile-up, the two decided to cut their planned backpacking trip short and hike back to the main ranger station. However, they became stranded when they discovered they couldn't get back to their car on Newfound Gap Road.
It sounds like the hikers were never in any danger, but there's a video on the page that's worth watching. It's shows some of the snowy scenery and the efforts by work crews to clear the road through the park.
Please click here to go to the story.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.
As the snow continued to pile-up, the two decided to cut their planned backpacking trip short and hike back to the main ranger station. However, they became stranded when they discovered they couldn't get back to their car on Newfound Gap Road.
It sounds like the hikers were never in any danger, but there's a video on the page that's worth watching. It's shows some of the snowy scenery and the efforts by work crews to clear the road through the park.
Please click here to go to the story.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.
Labels:
Newfound Gap Road,
snow
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