17 Days in the Heart of Darkness

[Dogwood]

"...what Dogwood calls "front woods areas"?? Whatever this means. Cohutta and Citico ain't the Wrangell-St Elias"

You know darn well know what front country or front woods means. You just gave an example, a somewhat extreme one. You know what it means to repeatedly go to the same areas, CS's, and trails, to go to the same comfortably familiar places. Yet, you sometimes put down others for doing things in familiar ways. I'm trying to be kind TW but direct. I'm not offended or defending anyone or anything. I go with the flow and happily accept others do things differently. That's life. How about you? I'm telling you as one I'd happily share a campfire or CS you come off as sometimes having contempt for others doing things differently. In your own way you're doing the same thing as some narrow minded thru hikers, those with UL philosophies, those who hike out west, those who car camp, neophyte campers and hikers, or access Mrs Nature in ways you do not.

[Tipi Walter]

Not everyone is largely going out to highly familiar and front woods areas.

"...what Dogwood calls "front woods areas"?? Whatever this means. Cohutta and Citico ain't the Wrangell-St Elias"

You know darn well know what front country or front woods means. You just gave an example, a somewhat extreme one. You know what it means to repeatedly go to the same areas, CS's, and trails, to go to the same comfortably familiar places.

I had to google "front country camping" or "front woods areas" to find out what the heck you're talking about. According to quick googling, frontcountry refers to car camping at least according to the GSMNP website and the National Park Service. See--

https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvis...ry-camping.htm

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/camping...ry-camping.htm

So I suppose you're interchanging front woods with frontcountry. Who could know? Going to the same areas and trails as I do does not mean Frontcountry---because I'm not car camping. And I would consider my stomping grounds like Cohutta and Big Frog and Snowbirds and Citico and Slickrock and Bald River/Upper Bald River and Pisgah/Wilson Creek along with the Crest Zone of Mt Rogers to NOT be frontcountry but instead to be in somewhat remote backcountry. So let's get the terminology right unless you want to confuse people into thinking all my trips are done in car camping mode.

And even out West the furthest you can get from a road is 18.76 miles which must therefore be genuine backcountry. See---

https://www.peakbagger.com/report/report.aspx?r=w

This is in a 1,280,000 acre wilderness. The second furthest is 17.16 miles in a 2,304,000 acre wilderness. Our biggest wilderness in the Southeast (and the Southern Apps) is the Big Frog/Cohutta at around 40,000--45,000 acres. Paltry when compared to out west.

Several years ago I compiled a list of most of the trails I hike in the Southeast and it comes to around 500 miles---and this does not include the Great Smokies. So there's plenty of backcountry left in the mountains of TN and NC.

[Tipi Walter]

Personally, I think it all comes down to a lack of respect. People get too defensive about the "style" they enjoy and for whatever reason feel like if someone doesn't do "X" the same way they do it lessens their perception, worth, what have you. I enjoy fast and light and max miles per day but I also appreciate Walter's style of backpacking. He gets out there and hauls loads that I don't care to but it allows him to accomplish what he sets out to do.

It also comes to play for people that post videos of hikes/trips, people take a persona's style as gospel truth and anytime someone opposes that, all Hell breaks loose. Sometimes people lose their mind even when the persona they subscribe to decides to change a piece of gear or the focus of a video. I don't know how to fix it, just something I have observed.

In my lengthy and wordy Trail Journals---where I write long reports of each individual trip (and not like this picture thread of my recent trip)---I spew forth with my convoluted opinions on all styles of backpacking and hiking---ultralight backpackers and backpacking, dayhikers and dayhiking, car camping, thruhiking and thruhikers---and criticisms of different kinds of gear like quilts vs bags, tiny tents vs large tents, boots vs trail runners etc.

It's a "journal" where I'm able to express my opinions on a wide range of subjects regarding Nature and Backpacking. Many of these opinions are negative and judgmental---but then what good is a trail journal if I don't express my thoughts and opinions? And even sarcasm? And opinions are in themselves personal judgments---so by extension "judgmental". And many of my opinions are positive regarding getting outdoors in Nature, my relationship to Miss Nature---the Woman of the Forest---and my positive spin on the gear I need to backpack and camp---and the beauty of the landscape around me.

So I suppose if I can dish it out in my journals I can justifiably take it on threads like this from people like Hosh and Dogwood. It makes for some intricate and nitpicking discussions but the core of this thread still remains---It's a photographic report of a backpacking trip into the mountains of Tennessee.

Regarding JC13's post---I too am guilty of getting defensive about the style I enjoy---long trips, heavy packs---but I try to save my biggest rants for Trail Journals and keep off the Ultralight forum here and off the Speed Hiker forum too---and off the Hammock forum. Just as some Ultralighters recommend going uber-light with a minimal food load---I advocate going slow, carrying alot of food and gear, and staying out for weeks.

[Horse with no name]

Tipi,

Great to see you out exploring our new Tennessee wilderness area! I enjoyed reading about your trip. I hope to run into you again as it has been years since the last chance meeting on Bob Stratton Bald.

Kurt from Baylor


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Tipi Walter]

Tipi,

Great to see you out exploring our new Tennessee wilderness area! I enjoyed reading about your trip. I hope to run into you again as it has been years since the last chance meeting on Bob Stratton Bald.

Kurt from Baylor


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I remember that meeting because you brought out some students and your boots were frozen the next morning. I also remember the trip we did with the Chattanooga hiking club up Brookshire Creek.


A cold couple days on the Bob back in 2009.


Kurt arrives with the crew.


Frozen Asolos---and tough on the feet.


Hanging with the Chattanooga HC near Sled Runner Gap. Kurt on left.


Kurt coming down the jungle of Kirkland Creek.


Kurt and the CHC in Horse Camp on the Brookshire Creek trail. Good times.