Back On The Mountain

8/15/2011

Hi Folks! Sorry I went MIA for a few days and took Meredith with me. We took a girls trip and went to a hoop dance workshop. We learned all kinds of new skills to practice during our time off on the mountain. We hiked down Wednesday night after dinner. Five minutes after being on the trail, we scared a bear which in return scared us. The little guy rolled down the hillside. Sorry Mr. Bear.
Anyway, after a few days of learning all kinds of fun stuff to do with my hula hoop, I hiked back today. Wow, what a change. The low last night was 32 and the temperature was 49 when I got up top. It is a bit on the chilly side. The flowers are still going strong. It won't be long before the blackberries are coming in strong.

Jacque J

8/15/2011 10:06:34 am

So glad you are back! Missed the blog! We are hiking up soon and was wondering if you guys carry any bear mace with you ? We have read up on what to do if we should run into one but would want some kind of protection if we should need it.Hopefully not!

Brian

8/15/2011 10:39:09 am

i'm pretty sure we saw you hiking up as we came down from the lodge today. Were you bringing your hula hoop with you? So fun! My wife and I were wondering why someone was taking a hoop to the lodge! But why not? Ha! We enjoyed our stay and hope to return around the same time next year.

High On LeConte

8/15/2011 11:38:05 am

@Brian- that was me. It is a fun exercise to do during my time off up top.

As for bear mace, I do not hike with it. I would if I was in Grizzly country. As for black bears, I yell, throw rocks, shake trees, and stand tall and act big. They are usually more afraid of you then you are of them. The only reason the bear scared Meredith and me was we did not see it on the side of the trail. We heard once we were on top of it. The large commotion in the woods is what made us scream. :)

Debra

8/15/2011 11:39:31 am

We saw you as you left Wednesday evening. Supper was great! Hope you enjoyed your time off as much as we enjoyed our night at the Lodge.

Tony Ga

8/15/2011 11:48:42 am

: )

Doug Y.

8/15/2011 01:09:29 pm

Sometimes you get the bear, sometimes the bear gets you ! Or is it the other way around ! :)

Shane S

8/15/2011 03:30:13 pm

Has anyone used the shuttle service "A Walk in the Woods.com"? My wife and I plan to come up Alum Cave and down Rainbow Falls on Sept 30th and were considering using this service so we could leave a vehicle at Rainbow trailhead. Just Curious.
Thanks for all you do up top. We Love this site and Love the Smokies from Ohio. PS: Has anyone seen Juanita?

sandee link

8/15/2011 10:09:53 pm

That made me laugh thinking of the bear taking a roll down the hillside, maybe he was afraid of the hula hoops? hee hee

Barbara Grove

8/15/2011 10:48:08 pm

We saw you on your way back up carrying your hoop. We talked about hiking Alum Cave Trail in the snow (amazing) and how fun it is to work on Leconte. You said you'd been doing it x 9 yrs. I had wondered where your blog had been. Glad you're back.

Paul B

8/15/2011 11:48:00 pm

Shane, we looked into using the shuttle but our group is 9 and they could only do a max of 8. I thought their rates were reasonable and it sounds like a great opportunity to take twodifferent trails. Where in Ohio? We are heading down from Cincinnati.

Shane S

8/15/2011 11:52:16 pm

Versailles, Ohio which is about 50 miles northwest of Dayton. Thanks for your input on the shuttle. I will have to look into it further.

Jeanie

8/16/2011 12:28:46 am

Shane, my husband and I have used the "Walk in the Woods" shuttle several times. In fact, we used their services in May. They took us to Alum Cave and picked us up at Newfound Gap coming off the Blvd trail. Great service at a great cost. Vesna and her husband Erik are great also! We highly recommend their services.

Denise

8/16/2011 01:20:40 am

@ Shane...we used the service "A Walk in the Woods" last weekend. We parked at Newfound Gap, hiked in the Boulevard, and hiked out Trillium Gap the next day. Vesna picked us up at the Grotto Falls lot and took us back to our car. We reached the lot about 45 minutes before our pick up time and were worried about an approaching storm but Vesna showed up a half hour early since she noticed the storm heading in too...we really appreciated that! Shared tons of info about trails and the mountains on the drive back to our car too. Very reasonable prices and reliable. We will be using them again.

Nancy

8/16/2011 04:21:32 am

Hey, we wanna see pics and video of those hoop dances. Sounds like fun! Maybe you can teach me on my next trip up!

Galen

8/16/2011 05:37:23 am

Galen

8/16/2011 05:46:09 am

Shane, I have never had a need for "Walk in the Woods" yet. However i do know someone that works for them and have heard only good things. Judging from other comments it looks like a great company.
Really enjoying the blog Allyson. Have been in flatland of Indiana all summer and been home to Wears Valley only twice. Sure do miss the mountains. Thanks for the pics and all the info.
Maybe you can have hoop dance classes and contest on the mountain. lol

Michael T

8/16/2011 10:50:46 am

Did the temperature really get down to 32 degrees?

Dana O

8/18/2011 01:14:35 pm

What is the pretty purple vine in the back ground? Reminds me of wisteria?

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