Artfuldodger
Senior Member
The hillbillies and samsquamches and such will get you if you camp by yourself out in the woods.
A place that I'd like to try is Graveyard Fields but it appears to be overused as well.
The hillbillies and samsquamches and such will get you if you camp by yourself out in the woods.
That's not far from me, either, it's also in my county. It is a beautiful place, or was twenty five years ago. Now it's usually crowded. Same, yuppies from Asheville. It's still worth going to see, along with that whole Black Balsam/Shining Rock/Flat Laurel Creek area. It's better during the week.
A place that I'd like to try is Graveyard Fields but it appears to be overused as well.
One good thing about being retired. Even years ago, I about learned to take leave and go during the week to places. Plus never go camping on holiday weekends.That's not far from me, either, it's also in my county. It is a beautiful place, or was twenty five years ago. Now it's usually crowded. Same, yuppies from Asheville. It's still worth going to see, along with that whole Black Balsam/Shining Rock/Flat Laurel Creek area. It's better during the week.
One good thing about being retired. Even years ago, I about learned to take leave and go during the week to places. Plus never go camping on holiday weekends.
You generally don't want to be up at 6,000' here in January. It's the same climate as Canada. Often way below zero with a snowpack and sometimes 100mph+ winds. People from the flatlands don't realize that, and come up here hiking and get in trouble and die about every year. On the flipside, it was 52 here at my place at 2600' this morning. It's nearly 2PM on July 3rd right now, and 69* outside.I can tell ya the places NCH mentioned werent crowded this past January when my cousin had the brilliant idea to include me in on one of his backpacking excursions! Bout 8" of snow on Flat Laurel one night. Think we were the only idiots there.
You generally don't want to be up at 6,000' here in January. It's the same climate as Canada. Often way below zero with a snowpack and sometimes 100mph+ winds. People from the flatlands don't realize that, and come up here hiking and get in trouble and die about every year. On the flipside, it was 52 here at my place at 2600' this morning. It's nearly 2PM on July 3rd right now, and 69* outside.
No park rangers on the national forest. Pretty much nobody on the national forest that works for the forest service.JMO, but in situations like that park rangers should have the authority to be like my old drill sergeants and round everyone up and line them up for an old fashioned police call.
Bet the littering stops after that.
I still field strip and pocket my butts to this day. LOL
Nothing will change.Took my son, daughter, and future daughter in law to Kentucky to the Ark exhibit. We rafted Chattooga section 4 which was pleasant, if you could get past all the purple and blue haired guides.
They wanted to go tubing in Helen, so we went, even after I swore 2 years ago I wouldn’t do it again. The kids talked me into it.
I will say with 100% certainty, I will Not tube it again. You could have walked from tube to tube down the whole length of the tubing area. It was gridlock like 285 during rush hour. I saw a guy lose his mind over a dropped iPhone that a Mexican kid picked up.
There was literally near a riot started over this. Thankfully the kids had managed to get farther down the River than I was. However my daughter heard the guy going off on this Mexican family.
I was really worried this guy was gonna go postal. If he had there was no quick way out from the area we were in.
I prayed Lord just get us off this river safely and we’ll never go back. I might fish it in the winter, but I’ll never go near it again otherwise.
It was really sad to see the River so trashed, I’ve never felt that bad to have been part a of it.
Something has to change there in Helen. Those outfitters need to be limited on the amount of people allowed.
Just a quick count shows about 116 tents in that photo. Still lots of space there, but that doesn't mean it should be used for setting up camp. Fire rings certainly do a good bit of damage, but so do tents that mash down the grass and and leave a mark for days (or even weeks) after being taken down.I think it's some type of party cultural thing. Otherwise why would so many want to camp on top of each other? The young folks from Atlanta do the same thing. They all go to Yonah Mountain or Blood Mountain. I would love the vistas but I'm not willing to have to camp with a party crowd to enjoy it.
Part of the reason I go backpacking or canoe camping is to get away from people.
Agree. People in general just seem to not really care anymore. The mountains are unique place. My Grandad was born and raised in Cherokee county NC. We didn’t go to the beach growing up. We went to the mountains. The trouble is that tourist being in money. Money ruins everything. My Grandad died when I was 18 at the ripe old age of 94. But I still remember his stories about his life as a boy. Im sitting in a pigeon forge right now. You can’t get on a back road up here without seeing out of town tags. Out of town tags equal money. Sucks but that’s just how it is.Ride down any road(rural or urban) and you’ll see it trashed also. People all over are trashy so don’t except them to change when they travel. Lots of people have no respect for themselves let alone the world around them
I disagree about your perspective on the uniqueness of Appalachia. Southern Appalachia is one of the most diverse landscapes on earth. Central Indiana doesn't give me much of a feeling.Ron Eller has a good perspective on it..nothing unique about Appalachia, just a mirror of America in general. But I do feel your "uniqueness", and would agree.