Downhill and fair weather...

Sporting only his briar clippers and a couple of band aids just in case the thorns dare retaliate, on his belt bag, Dad is the lead hiker. He meandered through the winding trails, pausing only briefly for us "young'uns" to catch up, he looks down on us from the top of Cherry Knob with a slight "what's takin' ya so long" smile upon his face. My first thought is "I wonder if they have oxygen tanks at the Planetarium." Then I look behind me to see that not only I, but the rest of the group must be sharing my exact thoughts. And there he stands, on top of that knob, his hands on his hips, a stance to proved to me, age has no limits.

This is our Dad, Rodney Gray. He too has a great love for the outdoors... I must say as I have heard him say before... " Downhill and fair weather love for the great outdoors." He is the one who first introduced me to hiking at Bays Mountain two years ago. He has taken me on some beautiful trails and sites on and off Bays Mountain and I hope to do many more with him by my side.

Photo taken on Laural Run Trail

The Devils Backbone Trail

Well, today I planned on hiking the Devils Backbone Trail through to the Mountain Bike Trails with Max, our 6 month old Great Pyrenees. That is UNTIL the boys over heard my plans and decided then, they were going to join me. It's decisions like those that makes life interesting. Beginning with the weather. It's 40 degrees but with the winds, more like 35. Winds were WSW at 20 mph with gusts at 29 mph. We made it through the bitter winds of DBT but when we started on the bike trails, in the short distance under the power lines, the wind was whipping! The boys had had enough and we ended up backtracking (even though we were SOO close to the end) to Fall Creek Loop trail, not near as windy there, where dear ol' Dad picked us up.

*Always check your camera & make sure it's focused! Ergh!

Just Start Walking...

Pack 348

With the biggest pair of brown eyes peering over my shoulder, I'm asked, will you post about our hike this week? Sure!

My son Evan is a member of Cub Scouts Pack 348 of Colonial Heights. Wednesday, March 24th, they set out on their first hike at Bays Mountain for the year. As a part of an effort to earn their World Conservation Award, they picked up trash from the antennas, along Bays Mountain Road to Cliffside Trail. Joining us was Hunter and his mother April, Cody, Cam and his father Shawn and Evan and I.

The hike was 4.1 miles. We began at the habitats, took LakeSide Trail to Fern trail, to Lake Road a short distance to Azalea Trail toward the antennas where we gazed down on downtown Kingsport. After taking a break for lunch, we began the trip down the mountain, picking up trash and stopped at one tower and many charming overlooks.

To see more pictures taken on this hike, click this link http://app3.sellersourcebook.com/users/9001/baysmountainscoutscleanup.jpg

Come sit by the campfire...

Hi! Grab your beverage of choice, I prefer Earl Grey, and join me around the fire! Other than spending time with my family, there's nothing that brings me more pleasure and sense of accomplishment than the great outdoors. Even though my parents never had a son, my father saw fit that I learned as much about the outdoors as he was able to teach me. To this day, I still get many life lessons, sometimes thinking I already knew the answers, but surprised by how far off I was.

From river camping and fishing to dry land fishing, I never, and still can not get enough of it. I hope you join me in some of my adventures as I explore what Kingsport and our neighbors have to offer.

Remember, the best way to get there is to just start walking.