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I’ve started a journey to visit, and try to genuinely partake in the dream of, all 154 National Forests and 62 National Parks in the United States. This is a long and loose goal, one designed, a little counterintuitively, to promote quality over quantity. Read on to discover why I’m doing this and how I came to choose this particular trail. … Read more
- Big Bend NPView on Map I went to Big Bend planning to climb Emory Peak, but feeling conflicted. It’s the highest peak in the park at 7825 feet, and there is some exposure to the climb making it a genuine, if easy, challenge. But. It’s a popular destination. But. There are antennae on the top placed by the Park Service. But. I had loosely chosen Lost Mine as a secondary target and in some ways I really wanted to do it. There…
- Thomas Jefferson NFView on Map Mount Rogers is both the high point of the TJ NF and the state of Virginia. As such, it is a pretty common target and can be crowded. I figured by attempting it in winter I would avoid most other hikers. A friend expressed an interest in winter camping so this was a great opportunity to drag him along. I had attempted this peak once before, in the summer, with the same friend, but he had a…
- White Mountains NFView on Map Picking a goal for the White Mountains was easy. There are many amazing things in this Forest, but one truly legendary pursuit: a winter ascent of Mount Washington, home of the worst weather in the world. While the top of the mountain is technically a state park, the entirety of the ascent is through the Forest and at least in this case, it’s truly about the journey, not the summit. From Bradford Washburn to David Roberts and…
- Chattahoochee NFView on Map The highpoint in Chattahoochee is Brasstown Bald, a circus like fee area and not a great candidate for me. I also considered the iconic Springer Mountain, the official start of the Applachian Trail, but I’ve hiked it before, and it also tends to be crowded. Considering the above I decided that a wildspot was in order, and as usual I was pleasantly surprised with the results. I’ve logged a few dozen miles in the Chattahoochee, many of…
- Talladega NFView on Map The highpoint for Talladega was tough to track down. Do a search and it seems pretty straighforward: Cheaha Mountain is the highest point of both the Forest and the state of Alabama. Great, all done. But when you pull it up on the map you quickly realize that Cheaha isn’t in the Forest at all, it’s in the namesake State Park. Okay, what’s the second highest point, maybe that’s correct. Well, almost every single source I found…