About Old Dan
Old Dan at Ramsey Cascades
Welcome to Old Dan Walking!!!
Welcome to the hiking journal/ramblings page for an average dude that likes to walk around in the beautiful Southern Appalachians. The page is dedicated mainly to hiking in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and other nearby areas, but since it’s my show I can’t help but add in tidbits of other people/places/things that interest me. (As Emeril always says, “Get your own show”, right?)
What is it about the Great Smoky Mountains that would cause a grown man to sit down and write a diary about WALKING there? I’m not really sure what it is…but ever since my first trip there as a youngster I’ve been in love with the place. Like most Floridians, I headed north on I-75 with family and sometimes friends to escape the summer heat while everybody else in the world was heading south. The beach is nice, the ocean breezes are nice, big cities and art museums, opera houses and stage shows are nice, but for me it was always about standing on a mountaintop or beside a clear cool rambling stream. Simple. Give me the oaks, hickorys, hemlocks, and firs over the palms any day. So when we were transferred to South Carolina in 2001 I was finally close enough to the place I loved so much that I could actually visit more than just the one week I had off in mid-summer or at leaf season. I could finally understand the constant cycle and look forward to another year of blooming wildflowers, brilliant colors, or iced-up waterfalls.
I had walked these mountains before. On trips with my Mom, Dad, my brothers Tom and Joe and sister Maria, and sometimes friends Ted and Rich or my then girlfriend Melodi, we would always walk the trails commonly trekked by the one-week tourist or weekend warrior. And I am very grateful for those times. But now that I’m within a “reasonable” distance, I am blessed to be able to walk trails only walked occassionally these days by anything that stands on two legs. And sometimes I’m the one that’s called Dad now while walking in these woods. Sometimes I’m the one pointing out something new now to my own boys or that same girlfriend now my wife. The trails are well documented, well maintained, and easy to stay on, and it is a place you can be out in the middle of nowhere on a solo walk and not feel too alone. The residents always make sure of that, be they hawks, turkeys, elk, deer, salamanders, or even the occassional bear or coyote. The views are stunning and the weather varies from beautiful to interesting. If you’re too hot, walk 2000 feet higher up the mountains. If you’re cold, you’ll be warmed by the incredible clear views and snow covered boulders lining the streams. And you can always count on the fact that you’ll see, hear, or feel something new, no matter how many times you visit a trail. This is what I discovered when I started walking these woods “for real” in 2008.
Another of life's joys - Old Dan's family
I hope you enjoy the journeys I share here…..and maybe one person that reads them will try a longer trail next time they visit this special place.
Regards, Dan DeSetto
View Dan’s hiking journals at: www.olddanwalking.com
View Dan’s pictures at: Link to Dan’s full picture gallery (Opens in new window)