My Recent Trail Hikes
Whenever I go on a trip I always to like to do some exploring on foot, whether it is wandering around a city or finding a trail to do some hiking. Nothing real strenuous but just something around 5 miles round trip or less to get my steps in and enjoy nature. In the past month I did some traveling and was able to add a couple of new trail hikes to my top 10 list that I wanted to share.
The first hike was in SW Washington State just south the small city of Long Beach. This trail is inside the Cape Disappointment State Park and starts and the beginning of park entrance and has a 500 foot elevation gain to the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. I started at 9am so the marine layer had not burned off yet so even though the area was experiencing higher than normal temperatures, it was nice to start the hike in cooler temps. Not cool enough to power up my Volt heated hoodie, but I did have it on to start the trail. As I got to higher ground I surprisingly came across not one, not two, but 5 Gartner snakes out on the trail at different times that were apparently out to warm up in the sun. This was ironic to me as I live in FL and rarely ever see a snake when out on a trail hike.
I am certainly biased as I grew up in WA and feel this part of the country has so much to offer when it comes to picturesque scenery. And this particular trail, besides it namesake, did not disappoint. Although the views from the Lighthouse are beautiful, especially on this day as the marine layer gave away to a bright blue sky but the highlight was a side trail that goes down to “Deadman’s Cove” which is movie like setting with tons of weathered driftwood washed up on the shore and the coolest inlet that looks like a secret entrance to Narnia. Definitely recommend this hike if you find yourself in the area. I was attending a wedding in the Astoria area that is just a 30 minute drive away. Astoria is a great city to wander around on foot and then reward yourself with an adult beverage from one of the many local breweries.
The next hike was just outside of Gatlinburg, TN in the Smoky Mountains. There were plenty of options to choose from but after some google searching I chose the Alum Cave Bluff trail. This is more of a hike as it does involve an elevation change of 1200 feet. The trail is 4.4 miles roundtrip where you first follow along a river and you are surrounded by forest. About half way up the trail, right when I was finding my rhythm moving pretty fast, I was startled when seeing some movement in the bushes just off the trail about 20 yards away where I stopped to observe. I am glad I did stop as a mama black bear and 2 of her cubs popped out of the bushes. At this point I wasn’t sure what to do as they were basically blocking the trail going up. I had always heard that you never want to come between a bear and her babies but I am sure they were pretty comfortable with seeing hikers and they went along with their business scrounging around the forest soil where I suppose they were looking for grubs or something else to eat. They eventually moved along and I was able to scoot by after taking a quick photo to help document what I had just witnessed.
The hike starts to pick up elevation at this point and really starts to get interesting as you come upon the “Arch Rock” where the trail goes through a cave and looks like something you would see at Disney or Universal on your way to get on a ride. After this point the trail starts to open up and you get some wonderful views of the Smoky Mountains. As you ascend you know you must be getting close and then finally see this big cave overhanging off the side of the mountain. The hike back down goes fast and didn’t take me long to get back to the trailhead. I did pass some people on the way down you had also seen the bear and was told there were 3 cubs with her.
Never thought I was going to see a black bear when the day started. I also never expected to see more snakes on a WA trail than I have ever seen on a FL trail. I guess that is the beauty of nature, you never know what to expect. That goes for the weather as well. That why I like to always to bring with me my Volt heated vest and charged battery, just in case. I may never need to use it but the heat sure is welcomed when the temperature may unexpectedly start to drop.
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Battery Storage Instructions
- Fully charge your battery to 100%
- Plug your battery into your Volt product (gloves, vest, jacket, etc)
- Run the product on high for 30 minutes (this leaves you with approximately 75%-80% charge remaining in the battery)
- UNPLUG the battery from the Volt product (important step)
- Store in a cool and dry place
- check the battery in approximately 3-4 months and repeat the steps if necessary
