Smoky Mtn Mt. Sterling trip....

[TNRonin]

Thought I would share some pics from a trip I did last spring. I busted a buddy's cherry on this one. Turns out that the distance from the big creek campground is much further than 6 miles. Maybe six miles as the crow flies, but now way walking six miles. Mt. Sterling Pics.... I'm the fat guy in red, the guy that got his cherry busted is the guy in black. The guy in gray is a runner and kicked our butts!

I still haven't lived down that trip.

[brad nicholson]

why three tents? seems the heavy way to pack!!

you have some really nice shots of the clouds in the valleys...classics.

brad

[wayne-o]

you can easily see why they call them the smoke mts the way the cloud form and evaporate out of the valley, I like the pic of the "sea" of clouds as it pushed up the valley floor and just left the high points visable

[brad nicholson]

i liked those best as well, that effect never seems to lose its magic to me.

[TNRonin]

brad, everyone of us either farts excessively or snores loudly. My way-point weighs in at 2.5lbs or there abouts, the clipper is in at 3.5 IIRC. And the LL Bean is heavy, but he wants to carry it.

It was weird on the top of that tower, then you are on top of the mountian. On that previous night we had the lunar eclipse, I got some pics but they didn't come out. I tried to do a tree/moon shot as it was changing. I'll need to take another look at that and see if I can massage it and get a decent shot.

Thanks for the kind comments.

edited to add: Brad, I was an 11B1P in Italy (RTO, M203) and then I was @ Bragg. A Co 2/325th. I noticed your avatar and thought I would post my experience.

Mitch

[brad nicholson]

Mitch,
i definitely understand that reasoning then! when were you in A/2-325? My father was in B/2-325 in 70-71. I was in 3-319th AFAR, that picture is of Task Force Devil (504th PIR) HQ at Kandahar Airport in Afghanistan when I was deployed there during OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM in 2002. Have you seen my pics from A'stan on the old boards?
Brad
PS Whenever I get back stateside we should link-up for a trip, or if you get to Germany....

[TNRonin]

I was in in the early to mid-80's. The TN guard is about to deploy, I'm playing with going if I don't get hired back to teach. I don't have tenure yet so I'm playing loose.

[brad nicholson]

What and where do you teach? I have toyed with getting out to teach but to be honest the pay-cut would just be too substantial for a starting teacher salary. Especially now that my kid is still small (20 months) and another one the way, the wife is out of the line-up for about another five years. Once they are in school we shall see. She is our bread winner as a computer engineer. If you have some time and want to come to europe let me know.

[DefJef]

Wow great pics!! What elevation did you camp at?

[Heintooga]

Nice photos Mitch. Ron

[Heintooga]

5820 ft.