Metro to Mountain

24JUN10

Frantically we are trying to get everything done. It should not be this hard to go on a trip. I think I almost ready, now all I have to do is pack.

Jon and Laura invited us over for dinner. We had a great meal and conversation. The talk was centered around summer plans. We can't wait until they come out and join us. Jon and Laura will also help with Jake, the dog, if needed and in general be a number to call for help. Jake is getting the hints that he is not going; but he is not liking it!

23JUN10

Our house is a mess. We have things everywhere. I don't see how we are going to be able to leave for Colorado before Saturday.

I keep missing things. Then, I spend the rest of the day thinking just where I had them.

22JUN10

Wow, I finished a lot of projects today. Monica's and Robin's maps - done. Jean's site - done. And we finished some nagging house repairs. I finally feel like I am ready to go to Colorado. So my focus changes to packing and getting ready. We leave Friday or Saturday, it depends on when we are ready to go.

Last year we left for our summer trip as soon as possible, but were not really ready to go. We packed too many of some things and not enough of others. We did not check past notes and in general did a poor job packing. We hope not to make those mistakes this year.

We worked in the yard for a short while at noon. The heat was almost unbearable.

Amy's nephew, Ted, stopped by to learn how to deal with Jake, the dog. He is going to stay at the house while we are gone. Good luck, Ted, I hope you enjoy waking early. Jake does.

21JUN10

I ran at noon today. It was hot. I am just trying to get ready for the Teton sun. It is really hot in the mornings on those eastern slope approaches.

We went out for dinner. Wow, we found a big Caesar side salad for just $2, when you are an early bird.

20JUN10

We were hoping to do another hike today; but we still had to pay for the abuse we had given our bodies doing Kephart.

Though we felt better after moving, we packed and got ready for the drive home.

We had an encounter with Charlie, the Campground Host, that morning. More about Charlie on the Wednesday Journal entry.

We stopped at the new Natahala Outdoor Center's Store in Gatlinburg. We were really disappointed. They seemed to have almost made it into just another Gatlinburg souvenir shop.

It took us as long to travel from the Sugarlands Visitors Center to Lenoir City as it did from Lenoir City to Nashville. There was a lot of traffic and stop lights!

Ray had been camping with us at Elkmont. He had left his shorts on a lantern post to dry after taking a dip in the creek. He did not remember the shorts and left them behind. We brought them back to Nashville. He then came by to get them because he thought his driver's license was in one of the pockets. The license was not in the pocket; but he found it somewhere else. Oh, Ray.

Oh, Monty and Amy... Normally before we go on a trip we make a list and pack using the list. For some reason we did not use a packing list for this trip. A few of the things we left behind - tent ground cloth, maps, trail guide books, coffee(!), and an alarm clock.

19JUN10

We didn't pack an alarm clock. We always wake up on time, but the alarm clock lets us sleep until the time to wake up. Without the clock I tend to get less sleep as I nap waiting for the time to get up.

We did not have anything packed for the hike. That is not an issue, but we were trying to be at the trailhead by 0630 eastern time, 0530 central. We were up at 0445, but were just not moving fast.

Amy and I went to Alum Cave Trailhead. The rest of the group went to the Rainbow Falls Trailhead.

Back in camp we went to Steve, Jon and Laura's sites for supper. I had a terrible headache. I tried to sleep in the car but with little luck. We finally returned to B-16.

Journal entry #244, chronicles the hike.

18JUN10

Amy and I had too much going on today. We were hoping to leave for our weekend trip to the Smokies by noon, but that didn't happen. We ended up throwing things in the car and leaving at about three.

Jon and Laura still had not left.

By the by, it was hot in Nashville

We had an uneventful drive to the Smokies; but there was a lot of traffic. I think every traffic light between Lenoir City and Townsend stopped us. We decided it was a conspiracy.

B-16 in Elkmont was our camping home. We ate a couple of hot dogs and went to bed, Saturday was going to be a long day.