wow, i think we forgot about our blog....

Wow folks...first off, sorry about not updating the blog. Things have been busy as could be in the one year that we havent written. As usual, things are consistently getting busier here as we are getting more and more people outside to the the most beautiful places on earth. Scotland, Hawaii, Colorado, California, etc. As we continue increasing the amount of trips that we take each semester, we will start posting more and more trip reports right here for your viewing and comments. Also, while we are at it, we might just give a little bit of what to expect for our international plans next Spring (our big trip to Hawaii this spring is already sold out).....Get ready for a Spring Break 2011 trip to the Barbados for 6 days of surfing and then get ready to go to Spain/France in June 2011 to backpack the Camino De Santiago trail. Good times are coming! Until then....Get Outside!

Surviving Big Frog Mountain

We had another full adventure trip the weekend of March 29-30,  destination: the Big Frog Wilderness, located right next to the Ocoee River outside Cleveland, Tn.  The Big Frog is not only a wilderness area, but a bear sanctuary.  So there was a chance at seeing some wildlife.  Fortunately or unfortunately depending on one’s perspective, we saw no bears, but plenty of bear sign....  

Weather was probably the biggest theme or memory for this trip.  I have a new found appreciation for rain gear that I still don’t have.  There were some good storms through the area Saturday and we hiked right through it.  It stopped raining long enough for the group to all prepare, eat and clean up dinner.  Then proceeded to rain all night.  We had a few occurrences of sleeping bags getting wet, including mine.  Fortunately, it was a dry Sunday!!  No rain!!!  I think my pack was heavier going down the mountain than going up because of all my wet gear.

While convention says the lighter your pack, the better.  On a short trip, why not indulge in a great meal.  It was well worth the little bit of added weight that those chicken fajitas brought with them.  We had sealed pre-cooked chicken, mexican rice, cheese, fresh onion, and fresh peppers.  So good!!!!  Bagels with peanut butter, jelly, and blueberries were the only items on the breakfast menu.  Delicious!!!   So there are ways to eat well and still keep weight down.

The trail was one of the best I’ve been on as far as climbing a mountain goes.  The ascent was 5.4 miles, all uphill, but it was one of the most gradual trails I’ve been on.  There were very few steep sections, maybe two or three.  Due to the weather, there was a strong mist on the way up, so what were probably outstanding views couldn’t be seen.  That changed at the top!  We survived the night and woke up to the sun starting to peak out on us.  And what a view!!!!  We were on top of the clouds!  We were literally looking down on clouds and watching the clouds actually blow through camp.  Pretty sweet...  

Heading down was great too.  It was 5.6 miles down, and 90% of it was downhill, the rest was two small climbs.  But the views were great all day, from watching someone hike out of the mist behind you to awesome overlooks of the ridge-line and Ocoee River.    As I said before, one of the best trails I’ve been on, from difficulty level to scenery, just a great trail.

We all got off the trail after about three hours of hiking and headed to get some food.  We stopped at the Gondolier restaurant, which is an amazing italian place right next to the Ocoee.  Then it was home and time to dry out all our stuff.

Until the next adventure,

Chris Brown

Maui is...

Checking in from Maui!!! Well, Maui is more than we thought it was. Beautiful sunsets, perfect temps, and a playground that satisfies anyones hunger for adventure. Our backyard is mountains and our front yard is the beach...who could ask for anything more.

Evidently it takes awhile for jetlag to wear off, but i would like to attribute my 9pm bedtime to the fact that we have been out there catching great surf on long boards, hiking many miles in a rainforest (to top off the hike with a great cliff plunge into a deep pool), and snorkeling all the great reef offered. Yet, i dare you to find a participant who has stayed awake past 11pm.
Yes, we have a group of participants who are here for one thing....adventure. They have definitely found all that they have wanted and more in Maui. Some true rippers have learned how to ride a wave in (way to go Emily P, Josh M, Emily C, Tippett, etc), and Rowland has once again led an epic hike. The snorkeling crew has seen octopus, sea turtle, and other things of which i have no clue what they are.
My legs are scraped and red from riding the long board, my feet are sunburned, my calves tired from today's hike, and i cant wait to get out and ride a wave tomorrow. We will check back in again soon, and until then, get outside!

Indian Grave Point Spelunking

Because this cave is not one that MTOP regularly leads trips through, Josh and I thought it prudent to scout it out the day before the trip to determine the best route for guiding a group through the following day. It was a miserable scouting event; one filled with danger, pain, and wining (from Josh). It seemed that at every fork and turn in the cavern, without meaning to, we managed to take the most dangerous, muddiest, slipperiest route possible. Seriously, I must have fallen ten times. (As a precaution, I wore knee pads the following day; which everyone made fun of me for.) And Josh… well, there were times in there when I worried he might not make it out alive. (He’s always been sort of the weaker of the two.) Oh, and we also got a little bit lost. Luckily however, it would seem that Josh has a talent for reading maps; especially maps with little squiggly lines that make absolutely NO sense. And so we were able to navigate through the danger zones, find a good route to lead a group through, and make it out safely.

The next day began with a positive start. Having designated a relaxed 10:00am departure time, every member of our eight member group arrived punctually and appeared fully rested; ready for an adventure. Josh drove the bus while I mingled and conversed with the group. We learned that we had 3 caving first-timers; Vida, Josh (not Josh Stone), and Ashley. At approximately 10:45am we arrived at the parking area, talked to a few trees, grabbed our gear, and headed up the hill to the cave entrance.

Ryan was the first to enter the cave. He would also later become the first to get wet. (I accidentally pointed him in the wrong direction which caused him to step into some deep water) Once everyone got inside we turned off our headlamps and to adjust our eyes to the darkness. After that, we started spelunking.

What can I say? We spent the next two and a half hours walking around and exploring the underground; even crawling and climbing at times; trying not to fall down; trying not to get lost, trying not to get too dirty… And it didn’t work. Just about everyone fell down at least once. Ashley even fell and immersed herself into some deep mud - it was pretty funny. And Josh, Eleanor, and Vida got lost on the way out; approximately 100’ from the entrance. But everyone made it out safely. Oh and we saw some pretty cool bats and formations too.

We all had a great time. If you’re looking for some pictures from the trip, talk to Josh Stone or Will. I think they both got some really good shots inside the cave. I'm interested to see how Will's pictures turned out through that waterproof digital camera case he was using. Someone let me know.

Michael Rowland

Fiery Gizzard Backpacking

55 degrees in February? Really? Yep. So, our winter backpacking trip to the Fiery Gizzard Trail almost felt more like a Fall trip. Nonetheless, what a great weekend for a trip. 8 of us set out on Saturday (should have been 9, but Scotty is such a sissy that he sat home with the "sniffles") to hike 8 miles to the Raven Point campsite. The flat terrain gave way to great views of the gorge and Foster Falls....then came a small gorge. A quick up, down, and losing the trail and we eventually made our way out of the gorge. We could have done it in less time, but Michael Rowland is not well known for following a trail. After a few more miles we came across a small 9ft waterfall in the middle of nowhere. What a beautiful setting for a swim, too bad it was 55 degrees. A few more quick miles and we were at camp. While the lazy ladies took a nap, we made a quick jaunt to Raven Point. What a view!!! I highly suggest you see it. Back at camp, we relaxed and listened to Rowland complain about not having a fire. Dinner time was upon us, and we cooked up a feast of huge burritos. Too bad Alyssa was not holding up her end of the bargain, and Rowland and myself were forced to eat 3 a piece. The chili crew of patrick and barry had their hands full, and patrick dropped about 30 lbs from his pack that night.

The sun went down, and having no light from a warm fire, we all retired to our tents.

Feeling restless, Rowland and i played a friendly game of UNO in the tent. Rowland didnt know what he was getting himself into, and i repeatedly beat him until he was crying like a beat puppy. Having lost his dignity, he went to bed.

Temps got cold that night, into the 20's, and Michael "warmfoot" Rowland shivered through the night because he brought his cheap "Warmfoot" sleeping bag instead of bucking up and taking a Outdoor Pursuits bag....lesson learned.



The next day we woke to the sunshine, coffee, and pancakes. Breakfast was served and we began the 4.5 mile hike through a large gorge. The terrain was steep and rocky which made for slow time, but the numerous waterfalls and creeks quickly made up for the tough mileage. The quick crew of Josh, Kathrine, Patrick, Barry, and Andrew finished off the trail 30 minutes ahead of the slackers (the other Josh, Rowland, and Alyssa).



All in all, you couldnt have asked for a better weekend and a better crew. The trail was about as beautiful as it can get with numerous waterfalls, creeks, and overlooks. I can't wait for the next adventure.



Now go get outside!

Josh Stone