Welcome to Old Dan Walking!

Tennessee hiker Al Smith

The Smokies hiking blogosphere is losing one of its better sites as Tennessee outdoorsman Al Smith has decided to take down his excellent “Life After 50″ website. For the past three years Al has been providing entertaining and informative perspectives and brilliant photographs from his previous ten years of hiking in and around the Smokies, while occassionally throwing in some non-hiking related posts as well. The sight was one of the best and most educational around, with every detail of every trail, ridge, rock formation, insect, flower, and artifact he encountered along the way thoroughly researched and reported on.

Al was a major inspiration for me to start my hiking hobby and website. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and today my site is really just a lower quality copy of what Al started three years ago. I enjoyed following Al on his travels and will miss checking in on his latest adventure with anticipation of the treasures big and small that he discovered along the way. I told Al in a email that if he got nothing else out writing his journals, he can rest assured that he was responsible for at least one person living a longer and fuller second half of his life.

Thanks Al!

-(Old) Dan DeSetto

Workers breaking up the massive I-40 rockslide

My local news had an update on the I-40 rock slide progress a couple of days ago. Word was, when weather permits they have been working around the clock to get the massive slide cleared, but they still have a ways to go. Estimates are that it will be cleared by March.

For the latest news on the slide, click the link below:
NC DOT I-40 Rock slide news(Opens in new window)

Call me a wimp…but man, I ain’t walking in this! I’m blaming it on my lack of Arctic Circle approved gear. Check out these charts of the temps so far this year up in the Smokies.

At Look Rock, it hadn’t been above 30 degrees at any point in 2010 until yesterday! (click to view full size)

Look Rock Temps

Purchase Knob got below zero once, barely touched 30 twice, before finally breaking through the freezing mark yesterday. (click to view full size)

Purchase Knob temps

Come on man! Us Southern folk can handle a bit of cold every now and then, but we’re used to a BRIEF blast of cold air, then a break, then maybe another blast. Sustained cold puts us in hibernation mode. I say that makes it a perfect time to sit and watch the NFL playoffs. Maybe I’ll get out for a walk next weekend…….maybe.

On a more serious note, our prayers are with the victims of the awful tragedy in Haiti. I joke about how cold it has been, but those people are enduring real suffering. :o(

If you’d like to help out text the word Haiti to 90999. $10 will be added to your cell phone bill and proceeds will go to the American Red Cross Haiti relief fund.

Note: Charts are courtesy of the National Park Service webcam sites.

I chickened out on my first walk of 2010 because it was (waahhh) too cold and snowy, with temps in the low teens and a stiff north wind blowing. I decided I’d stay in the nice toasty indoors. It seemed everybody in East Tennessee/Western North Carolina was at Newfound Gap on New Years Day..with people and sleds everywhere enjoying the snow. It took me an hour just to turn around at the Gap. Here are a few pics plus one of the nice snow on I-40 today on the drive home. Newfound Gap Road is closed today (Jan. 2) due to the snow and ice.

Pics: (click on each picture to enlarge)

The Gap was packed

Snow on the spruce

These recent snows are sticking around for awhile

Views opening up

The AT entrance at Newfound Gap

Everybody wanted to play in the snow

From an overlook

Snowy Newfound Gap

Snow on main crest

The ride home