"Gina hiked with me from Devils Courthouse parking to the split, where she went to her first summit of Devils Courthouse and took photos and videos that made me jealous because it was clouded over for my ascent in July, and I took the connector trail to the Mountains to Sea Trail (MST). The MST took me to a side trail with light bushwhacking due to overgrowth and blowdowns on up to the peak of Chestnut Bald. Returning to the MST I found a short side trail to a wide vista over a rock face. More narrow vistas on other short side trails going up Silvermine Bald until I passed the Art Loeb Trail. I continued up the MST to another side trail with light bushwhacking due to overgrowth and blowdowns on up to the peak of Silvermine Bald. I returned to descend the Art Loeb Trail to the Blue Ridge Parkway where Gina drove to get me. The satellite text message devices came in handy for coordinating that as cell communication was very poor." — davidensley • Sep 11, 2024

"Beautiful trails with a nice vista near the top. All the trails are in good shape. The Mountains to Sea Trail (MST) has been recently brush-cut, and the Mount Hardy Trail could use some brush cutting in some tight spots, but it is passable. The way up is all right turns, and the way back is all left turns, but it helps to use apps like Peakery and Peakbagger to distinguish the many spur trails. Keep going past the survey marker to the vista and two increasingly higher rock piles, after which it becomes obvious you have passed the high point." — davidensley • Sep 4, 2024

"Spent most of the morning trying to find a pancake place in Pigeon Forge that didn’t have a half hour wait (daddy promises were made and I had to pay up). Then took the Blue Ridge Parkway out for a long haul to the highest mountain east of the Mississippi. Mount Mitchell was the highest mountain of the United States until 1845 when Texas joined the Union and Guadalupe Peak became the highest mountain of the USA. We cheated and drove to the top, then walked the 300 yards to the observation tower." — wiweasel • Nov 25, 2023

"“Rest day” today. 🤣 Drove out to Clingman’s Dome road in SMNP. Hiked the icy paved trail up to the observation tower with hundreds of folks. Picked up the AT to head down via Mount Buckley and snagged Andrew’s Bald before hitting the Clingman’s visitor center and motoring up to Pigeon Forge to catch Dolly Parton’s Stampede." — wiweasel • Nov 23, 2023

"We left the cabin at 5:45am and got to the trailhead by twilight to make a go on Mount LeConte 12 miles and 3,000+’ of elevation in GSMNP - through Arch Rock, past Alum Cave and on up. Got into LeConte Lodge as they were locking it down for winter and strolled around camp. LeConte Lodge is the only lodging in the NP and you have to hike in on foot. No road access, resupplied by air drop. At its highest elevation of 6,593 feet at High Top, Mount Le Conte rises more than 5,300 feet above its base in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. As we summited, it started snowing as we made our way out to Myrtle Point to check out the scenic vistas across the Smokey’s - but there were none - we were surrounded by fog and cloud in every direction. Regardless we made the best of it. Descended by 1pm and headed to dumb ole' Cades Cove. " — wiweasel • Nov 22, 2023