Still Gravity

The culprits are named Jerks & Company . And no, they are not a legally incorporated business, they are those camping folks that love leaving behind trashy campsites.  Every person with a decent amount of experience camping in the United States has seen their deeds. Those jerks are the reason - or the excuse - behind the closing of many areas of dispersed camping. We've found these scumbags' trails in many places. Recently, we found a menacing sign from the Forest Service in a favorite dispersed campsite.  Warning about the potential closing of a dispersed campsite - License our images  here . We're losing hope because only a few dirty jerks can ruin dispersed camping for everybody. And even if many conscious campers pick their smelly leftovers, it's impossible to get rid of this flu.  The solution may be more patrolling by rangers plus hefty fines for the jerks. This is the only language t

Hiking to the Mt. Pisgah Summit in North Carolina - License our images  here . This is the highest peak in Pisgah National Forest - 5,721 feet (1,744 meters).  We departed early in the morning from the  Mount Pisgah Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Crossed the hotel across the road and spent some time by the cliffs mesmerized with the morning tints of the Smokies - amazing that the US government paid $5 per acre for this beautiful forest. Later, the walk followed the cliffs through the Mountain to Sea trail. It was muddy and slippery after the rain of these days. The hiking poles helped a lot.    Breve stop by the ruins of the hunting lodge of Mr. Vanderbilt - the man behind the biggest home in the United States, the Biltmore Estate. Not much left from Buck Spring .  Finally, we reached the Mt. Pisgah trailhead. From this point, 1.6 miles to go to reach the summit of this American mountain with Biblical nam

Our campsite surrounded by the beauty of Pisgah National Forest - License our images  here .           Awful weather these days at the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. A lot of rain and fog. We got two nights in Mt. Pisgah campground before its winter closing - the last two nights! Umbrellas out, we walked for lunch to the Mt. Pisgah Inn restaurant across the Parkway. Zero view. Just grey clouds.  Late in the afternoon, a weather opening allowed us to survey all the loops of the campground. In the tent area, brave campers fighting to keep their campfires alive. Humid smoke with hints of tasty grilling all around us. Again, we were hungry.   The icy rain came back and with it the London-like fog. Back to our shack on wheels, tea and remains of a chocolate cake under the care of Mr. Buddy . Tomorrow we'll hike to  Mt. Pisgah . Rain or shine.

Going up in the mountains of Pisgah National Forest, we found an open-air museum called The Cradle of Forestry in America. A "cradle of forestry"? The title somehow recalled something from a fantasy book. What is this place about? Immediately, we got in to find out.   One of the old cabins of The Cradle of Forestry Museum - License our images  here .            We didn't find any "cradle", but we found the surviving buildings of the Biltmore Forest School. The historic place preserves a classroom, a dormitory, and a dining hall among other structures.  Being in a forest, we also found some trails to hike and, along the way, climbed on a 1914 Climax logging train engine. Up in the cabin, the child in us was awaken and we couldn't resist to sound the old bell.  A German named Carl A. Schenck was the hero in charge of this peculiar school. He was brought to America by George W. Vanderbilt, the

Next day in Adventure Village RV Park, North Carolina - License our images  here . This fall there was plenty of rain in this American Transylvania - the name of the county we are travelling through. Dark skies brought our solar panels to a stop in Pisgah National Forest. With the power station at 25%, we went back to civilization. Adventure Village became our electric refuge for a day.  Some hours of charge and the battery roared full. At night, planning, hot chocolate, and the comfort of the heater running on and off while the rain played metallic notes on the roof of the camper.  Grey skies next morning, but the rain was gone. 

The Looking Glass Falls seen from the road - License our images  here . This is the easiest waterfall to visit in Pisgah National Forest. It's just some stairs away from the paved road.  The waters of Looking Glass Creek fall with the thundering fury of a sixty-feet downpour. The place is noisy and at the same time relaxing.  Camera clicks nonstop. Mist of water droplets in my nose. Lasting memories of a short walk stepping on river stones. Gorgeous day of autumn.  We were camped a short drive away at  Davidson River Recreation Area .

The beautiful Moore Cove Falls, North Carolina - License our images  here . This area, with this waterfall included, sold for $155 in 1891. The owner, Adam Q. Moore, gave it to the powerful Mr. Vanderbilt .  Moore Cove Falls is less than a mile from the road. Easy hike. The worst part probably is at the stairs by the trailhead. After that, the trail is pretty flat. The waters of Moore creek jumping from the tall bluff broke in a zillion drops that shined beautifully under the afternoon sun. C crossed behind the fall. She looked a tiny speckle besides the misty column of water.  Refreshing shower in the magnificent paradise of Mr. Moore. Recalling a line from Paulo Coelho's  By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept : God is here, right now, at our side. We can see him in this mist, in the ground we're walking on, even in my shoes. The shoes got a little muddy, but all felt very well.  Talking about waterfalls, Pis

P. J. O'Rourke came out with a good one in his article " Why I Hate Politics"  published in  American Consequences  in November 2021. Politics is the idea that all of society’s ills can be cured politically. This is like a cookbook where the recipe for everything is to fry it. The fruit cocktail is fried. The soup is fried. The salad is fried. So is the ice cream and cake. And your Pinot Chardonnay is rolled in breadcrumbs and dunked in the deep fat fryer. That’s no way to cook up public policy. Humorous Gonzo journalism. Truths that make you laugh. 

The trailhead - License our images  here . The Looking Glass Rock is a huge monolith with shiny iced cliffs that work as mirrors for the sun in winter. The trail to the top is the most popular hike in Pisgah National Forest, so... we ended parking on the roadside - not much parking space at the trailhead.  Many switchbacks in the first section of the climb. This is why many say that this trail is hard, but is not that bad. Moderate would be a better definition.  At the end of the trail is the sloped flat with the reward for making the effort of walking up here. Great views of the Smokies from the end of the Looking Glass Rock trail.   We rested up there and ate a snack. Ten minutes later, arrived a bunch of young hikers that began to compete for the closest selfie to the edge of the cliff. Instagramic nonsense. A fall from this high is not joke. We l

The Davidson River through Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina - License our images  here .   We got a campsite in the Hemlock Loop of the Davidson River Recreation Area. No electricity, but potable water across the street. Nights were cold. Days were awesome.   This recreation area is at the entrance of Pisgah National Forest coming from the city of Brevard - the biblical name means "summit", or so it's said.  This forest is a paradise of waterfalls - check this post and this one - and white squirrels.  A couple of centuries ago, the Davidson brothers landed in this spot of Transylvania County. No worries, no Dracula around here.  View from the trail: The Davidson River close to Brevard.   A few hiking trails crisscross the recreation area. Some allow mountain bikes. One follows the river and ends in Brevard - there is

The Edisto River in Colleton State Park, South Carolina - License our images  here . We ended here tired after a long day on the road. This is a small park with a campground on the banks of the Edisto River. In warmer months many come here to paddle downriver, but the coldness of the fall scared them away. We only saw two kayakers braving the dark waters of the Edisto close to the sunset.  The waters are not exactly black. The brown tint is caused by the tannins the river picks through swamps and wetlands. Regardless, the Edisto is the "black water crown jewel" of North America. Named after the extinct Edistow Indians gone since colonial times, this is the longest free flowing blackwater river in this region.  Sunset walk after dinner. Only a few travel trailers in the campground, and the road loop is so short that we did three laps. Also walked to the rangers' office and the picnic ar

Sunset on the shores of the St. Johns River in Huguenot Memorial Park, Florida - License our images  here . Second time in this park. The previous visit was eight years ago. This one was an overnight stop in route to the Smoky Mountains.   The campground was crowded. Smoking fires, music, and people fishing from the river shores.  After dinner, we went for the Atlantic. The darkness was broken here and there by lights of faraway ships. Tiny spots on the horizon. Not a soul in the beach and neither mosquito in this windy autumn.  On the way back, we saw a big red moon grew bigger and, on the other side of the river, the warships at Mayport Naval Station lighted up as Christmas trees. Fish was bubbling in the St. George River inlet. Maybe the fishermen we saw earlier were at the wrong spot.  Next day: Breakfast at the shadow of the camper cooled by a light breeze from the sea. Two men in powered parachutes compet

Old telegraph (no, you don't need to carry this in the backcountry) -  License our images here .         Phones are not a reliable mean of communication when hiking or camping in remote places - exception: satellite phones.  A PLB - Personal Locator Beacon - is a good option. Just push a button and a distress message with our coordinates is sent. The transmission should reach government centers that can coordinate a rescue. Check the illustration in  this article  to get an idea on how the system works.  ACR is a well-known brand of PLB. We must register the device, but there is no subscription fee. The limit is the battery that only last 5 years. After that, we need to buy a new unit.  This video review covers the  ACR PLB  and also the  Garmin InReach  - both product links are affiliate.

We have both, because redundancy saves the day. Our small butane stove at work in a campground - License our images  here .          The goods of propane are efficiency and that works better in wintertime. The big difference between propane and butane is in their boiling point. Butane boiling point is -2 degrees Celsius, meaning that must be kept inside the camper in the cold months.    Our Coleman propane stove.  More info about propane:  Keep the tanks outside or in a special compartment. Must be in a location where vapors can't build up.  Transport them upright, on a flat surface, and secured to prevent tipping - an old milk crate works well for 20 lbs. cylinders. These crates are 13" x 13" x 11" and the tanks 18" tall and 12.1" wide. Get a gauge to know the level of propane in the cylinder. Propane tanks are

This is the heater we use for camping and, so far, it has worked well, but... is it safe?  The propane heater in the truck camper high in the Smoky Mountains - this was in Mt. Pisgah Campground by the Blur Ridge Parkway  - License our images  here . The maker says it's safe for indoor use because the propane heater has a sensor to shut off the unit if the oxygen levels fall too much.  There are three potential dangers with propane heaters that come to my mind.  Generating the toxic carbon monoxide (CO), a gas that we can't detect because is colorless, odorless, and tasteless.   The possibility of a propane leak. Propane is flammable, and being heavier than air it will go to the floor.  Fire.  To mitigate poisoning, we always keep a window with a narrow opening for ventilation - at least nine square inches are recommended. We also have a carbon monoxide detector close to the bed. Besides all this,

Walking into an ample room created by trees - License our images  here . This group of trees created an interconnected structure that would make easy to build a small house. I believe these are banyan trees. The species grows accessory trunks from roots that help them to spread. 

Everybody loves a good bear - be it Teddy, Winnie, Yogi, or Boo-Boo -, but meeting the real ones face-to-face on a trail is another matter. All because there is a problem with bears: we can read and learn all we want about them, but up close we'll see that...  T H E Y  A R E  H U G E .   A big fat bear -  License our images here . I'm not an expert in this topic and neither have vast experiences dealing with bears. I just take photos and once in a while a bear comes into my camera frame. This post is a collection of notes from different sources. Be warned, use them at your own risk.   There are three commands to wander in bear land.  Learn about bears.  Learn about living with bears.  Learn to defend from bears.  Welcome to bear country - Ocala, Florida.  THE BEAR Bears, it turns out, are a lot li

The dirt road through Dinner Island Ranch - License our images  here .         This wildlife management area is north of the Big Cypress Indian Reservation. Far from the main roads of South Florida, it doesn't get crowded out from the hunting season. This area became a magnet for cattlemen, hunters, trappers, and traders after the Second Seminole War in the 1830s. There are still ranches in the surroundings.   Two camping places here, one in the open grass and the other covered by the trees of a hammock. They are by the entrance to the WMA. Both are free, but a permit is required. Stay is limited to 14-day. No electricity or potable water.  The dirt road loop through Dinner Island Ranch goes on for 11 miles - 17 kilometers. We crossed deer, snakes, gators, and many birds. There are bears and panthers, but they are hard to see. There were also cows loose on the road.  It was spring and the alligators wer

Our truck camper on a good dirt road - License our images  here .         Jack Kerouac wrote On the Road , "Here I was at the end of America - no more land - and now there was nowhere to go but back." - the previous link is affiliate  to the book page in Amazon. Not necessarily, Jack. When the road ends, we can keep going off road. The thing is to know where and when and how, plus be prepared for the worse.  These are some ideas to survive a road trip to nowhere.  Get good tires.  Low the air to ~ 50% (no lower than 30%).  Switch to low gear.  Drive on the higher spots of the road.  Keep the wheels straight.  Protect the driver's side and center of the vehicle - the location of the gas tank in my truck. Cross one wheel at a time in a ditch.  If in doubt, take a break. Stop and walk to check the obstacles.   If stuck and a wheel is slipping, drive out slowly. 

The bed of my Nissan Frontier - which usually carries the camper - has two capped holes toward the cabin. What are they for?   One of the holes uncapped. No, they are not for water drainage like some people say. These holes are too high. The bed drain holes are on the cargo floor - marked in blue in the previous photo. I found that the capped holes are a factory convenience designed to run utilities to the cargo area such as wires or hoses.  There are other holes on the sidewalls of the Frontier bed. Threaded holes on the sides of the Frontier's bed.         The upper holes are for the installation of the Utili-track racks. In these racks one can secure these attachment points - link is affiliate.  The threaded ones near the front and the back of the sidewalls are for OEM tie downs. The thread of the tie down bolts is 8 mm - 1.25. S

Our propane stove in campgrounds - License our images  here . We share the planet with little nasty things called bacteria. And these bacteria have a thing for spoiling and poisoning our food. So, we need to learn to live with them, because as Stewart Brand said, If you don't like bacteria, you're on the wrong planet.        How to keep them at bay while camping?  Easy! We need to keep our food  outside of the "Temperature Danger Zone" (40° - 140°F or 4° - 60°C). Inside this range of temperatures bacteria doubles its numbers in as little as 20 minutes, but under 40°F won't reproduce. Cooked foods are a risk if left at room temperature in warm climates. Always throw away any leftover exposed for over two hours - make this one hour for BBQ leftovers if the temperature is over 90°F.  For pre-cooked food: Reheat over 165°F for at least 15 seconds and serve

Long straight walk - License our images  here . My Viking girl is a natural walker. She is at home in the wilderness. What a luck to find such a match in the whole universe. Happy me. 

Packs for a day hike -  License our images here . EDC means "Every Day Carry". It also means being prepared carrying some essentials and having the knowledge to use them and get out from a dire situation. In the words of General Patton ,  Prepare for the unknown by studying how others in the past have coped with the unforeseeable and the unpredictable. The web has many long lists of EDCs for day hikes. But it's a fact that we can't carry our house with us, and there is no way to cover for every situation. Also, a long EDC list may end like learning a thousand martial arts techniques and mastering none. Be selective in what you carry and fill the gaps with knowledge and training. Use the  Mors Kochanski 's mantra,  The more you know, the less you carry. Or the KISS principle : Keep it simple, stupid! "Essential" is the keyword and "is this essential?" the right question to ask when deciding what to carry. The answers are impacted by the type