Rescue Salvage

      Probably Every hiker has their own ideas about what to carry in their backpack or on their person for a long back country trail hike.  In preparing for the Smoky Mountain A.T.

It is amazing that at some of the higher altitudes of the Smoky Mountains, the foggy mist will be present at one time, and then only minutes later, it will clear.  These two pictures will give an example.  These pictures were taken going up on top of ole smokies between Walnut Bottoms and Cosby Campgrounds. 

Several years ago, on a regular kayaking trip, I had been experimenting with putting a seat belt in the Old Town Otter kayak to help keep me stable during some under/over maneuvers.  I had used some web belt with the backpacking type, strapping, and holding buckles.  My wife took the kayak and myself to the put-in point several miles up-river.  I never thought when I kissed her bye, on the bank of the river that I was about to go through some really trying situations.  I got in, buckled up, and started down stream.  I was really enjoying the rapids, chutes, pools, falls, and scenery.  The White Water was thrilling as always.  Many times before, I had been thrown out of the kayak, then got back in, and went on down stream.  Some miles on the trip down-river, I went into some rapids as I had in many times past.  It was, as always, an adventure loaded with fun.  At the end of the white water was a pool where I knew I could relax (I thought).  At the point where the kayak went into the pool, it also hit a rock on the forward right side.  Being unable to stable-out, the kayak flipped over as soon as it went into the deep pool.  Not only that, but it got jammed between some rocks, holding me in an under side position.  There I was, drinking in the water.  While I was upside down, I tried to pop loose the web belt snap to get the belt to release in order to allow me to surface, but my clothing had got caught in it, so the belt buclke was being held stuck there in the locked position.  I thought of being trapped there for only seconds more before I would die, and be standing before the Lord to give an account for all the things done in the life I had lived.  I

The Bible is God's Holy Word.  It is the Authority of all Authority and is totally accurate ( Proverbs 30:5-6).  No one has ever, nor ever will, prove anything otherwise ( Proverbs 28:30 ).  Every decision that is made, should be made to concur with the Word of God ( Psalm 119:105 ).  This book will keep you away from sin, and sin will keep you away from this book ( Psalm 119:11 ).  The Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested ( Isaiah 8:20 ).  The Bible tells a person how to have eternal life by accepting Jesus Christ into their heart ( John 14:6 ), and that no person will have eternal salvation any other way ( Acts 4:12 ).

More images can be found here.

On the Northeast side of the Smokies, I like to park at the Big Creek Ranger Station parking area, and begin hiking South from Davenport Gap.  This is entering the wilderness area of the Smoky Mountain National Park.  The hiking/camping trail shelters and/or places to stay overnight from North to South are: Davenport Gap, Cosby Knob, Tricorner Knob, Pecks Corner, Icewater Springs, Mount Collins, Double Spring Gap, Silers Bald, Derrick Knob, Spence Field, Russell Field, Mollies Ridge, and Fontana Dam.  Going up to Cosby Knob shelter, from Davenport Gap, there is a big rock that many people climb out on to enjoy the vast view.  The crying noise from the rock as the wind blows through it, is a reminder of a very important Bible verse.   If we don't praise his name the stones and rocks will cry out ( Luke 19:40 ).

When I went into the Army the first time, I took basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey during the cold February of 1973.  I did not mind the running, other physical training, and all the other types of training, but at the time I felt like they could have given me more to eat than what they did.  One day during the snow, we hiked out to the rifle range.  We had to rush through the chow hall, eat fast, as we usually did, and get out to the military formation.  We would move in the formation from there, over to the weapons room to get our weapons, then go on foot out miles through the woods to the firing range.

Since I was slow to eat my breakfast, I thought I needed some extra calories to help keep my feet on the ground.  I had it all figured out, I thought.  The mess hall had these trays sitting out with multiple breakfast items in them, some with fruits in them, and some with those small boxes of breakfask cereals in them.  What a nice opportunity it was, since I was wearing an ammo pouch on each side of my belt buckle.  I grabbed two boxes of cereals and put them in one ammo pouch and grabbed two oranges and put them in the other ammo pouch.  I picked up my weapon with the rest of the troops and we all headed out to the firing range.  I felt better knowing that I had something to eat when the urge hit.  We got to the range, and did our crawling around and firing, running and firing, and the other lock-load-fire maneuvers.  Anytime that I got more ammo, I put it in my pockets, since I had the ammo pouchs full of food, and I had so many pockets on my clothes anyway.

More pictures can be found here

Saturday morning's hike up to the top of Mount Sterling where campsite # 38 is located had some good views.  Trillium and other plants & flowers were all along the trail.  The next two pictures, after the tent, are in Cattaloochee at the Palmer House, which is a really pretty area.  Sunday, after Chapel Service, the hikes to Mingo Falls, Juney Whank Falls, Tom Branch Falls, and Indian Creek Falls were really great.  If you like waterfalls then you may want to get the waterfalls book or map from one of the Park Visitor Centers.

The 2008 Memorial Day weekend stay in Smokemont Campgrounds was pleasant.  Mount Sterling did not seem like a hard hike, and the North Carolina/Smoky Mountain waterfalls were really easy to access.  Mingo Falls is right off of Big Cove Road in Cherokee Nation, and Juney Whank, Tom Branch, and Indian Creek Falls can all be hiked from the same parking lot in the Deep Creek camping area near Cherokee, North Carolina.  The last picture in the group is Henwallow Falls near Cosby Campgrounds on the Tennessee side.