Wish List

I'm bored and thought this would be a fun discussion. I would go day hiking in the Smokies, but so many main park roads are closed due to ice. I hate the main entrance of the Smokies and who knows how poorly the tourists who are from further south will drive like with the snow and ice on the ground. Blah. Anyway, I was curious know what you guys/gals have on your wish list, both gear and trip wise.

Gear: I'd like some new clothes and shoes. I would also like to make my own hammock out of single layer 1.1oz ripstop nylon as well as a top quilt and under quilt for it.

Trip: One regret I have when I lived in Johnson City in college is that I never went backpacking at Roan Highland. I didn't start backpacking until my 3rd year of college; I'm planning to go back within the next two months and backpack Roan Highland. Other places I'd like to go is Colorado, Montana, and Washington.

This is probably not the optimum time to hike at Great Smokies..

Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Major Slide Cuts Newfound Gap Road

Newfound Gap Road has been closed due to a landslide that undercut the road between Collins Creek and Webb Overlook on Wednesday morning. The slide is estimated to have taken out about 90,000 cubic yards of material, destroying about 300 feet of roadway. The slide is still active and a team made up of park staff and Federal Highways employees observed debris continuing to fall during an assessment of the area yesterday. The closure is expected to be in effect for an extended period of time. The park is also evaluating the remainder of the roadway, but anticipates that Newfound Gap Road will reopen to visitors from the Gatlinburg entrance in Tennessee to Newfound Gap parking lot as soon as it is possible. The road will be open to Smokemont on the North Carolina side. Park staff are working with the Department of Federal Highway’s Construction and Geotechnical Services to evaluate the slide damage and to begin planning for repairs. Additional details will be released as condition assessments are analyzed. As of midnight on Tuesday, the park had received 8.56 inches of rain at Cherokee, 7.40 inches at Newfound Gap, and 6.86 inches at LeConte. Rivers and streams have been running fast and high since Sunday, when the rains began. There are currently multiple temporary road closures throughout the park due to high water. For the most current road closure reports, please call 865-436-1200 x 631 or follow SmokiesRoadsNPS on Twitter.

Go west, young man!

Exactly why I'm not hiking right now.. A lot of sketchy road conditions. I follow the GSMNP's twitter feed about condition updates.

I have dreams about the west. Working on a plan to go out west.

For gear, I really don't have anything in particular on the wish list right now. (Yes, this really is Glenn.) I may look at a lighter tent later this year, but that may go nowhere; the one I have now is a pretty good balance of livability, light weight, and ability to withstand weather. I'll also look at the new lighter Q-Core, but again, I'm not lusting after it. (No, seriously, this really is Glenn!)

Trips - now that's another story! I want to try Grayson Highlands again, or maybe somewhere else in the Roanoke/Damascus area. Dolly Sods would be nice, too. But the place I'd really like to go, if I can swing that much time away, is Isle Royale. (That's the dream list, but I'll be just as happy taking a lot of small trips in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Already planning one for the end of February to Hoosier National Forest in Indiana.)

My gear is pretty well set for the type of backing trips I take - 3-5 days into the High Sierra with fly fishing on my mind. I do hope to pick up a new fly rod to take with me. I'm looking at a Sage TXL-F 00wt rod. Now that Sage is selling this ultralight fly rod in a 4-piece (was a 3-piece previously) I can fit it into my backpack. I love going as light as I can in my fly fishing and this sweet little fly rod would be a delight to carry and use up in the GTW. I hope to pick one up later this Spring and take it with me on a couple of trips into the GTW.