Gibson, Chilton and family!

Gibby's new friends...

Cataloochee run...

Chris Brown and I decided to find a "back way" into the Smokies this weekend. After staying the night at a family cabin in Maggie Valley, we drove up some of the new development roads west of the Cataloochee ski area...and hit a gate on an unmarked dirt road far below our goal...Not to be deterred, we parked and started running up in hopes of finding a connecting trail into the park...After about an hour, a few wrong turns and an extra 1500 feet of climbing, we found the park border and the Hemhill Bald Trail...The original plan was a long loop encompassing the Rough Fork Trail...But, with wives and kids waiting at home, we settled for a 3 hour out and back over Hemphill Bald and past Calswell Fork & McKee Branch...Fun day in the hills though...