Why stop at the Wagon Wheel...

When you can drive just a little farther and be at Ryans.

The end of a great trip. Thanks for coming along.

You can't catch him

Bob-O has one thing on his mind... The Wagon Wheel. Don't get in his way or try to pass him.

Trillium in the front - Mayapple in the back

More nature

The Spider Wharf puts out its purple bloom only after a rain. According to my wife and she's really, realy smart.

The other is Fake Solomon's Seal. I don't know what the real one looks like.

Blackberries in bloom

Better post a "Bear Crossing" sign before too long...

Bubba's last stand

Bubba mounted his Schwin, said, "Hey y'all, watch this..." and after a triple backflip went on to glory...

Rooting along the trail

Bear or boar?
Anybody know???

Scott Hearn
From my mobile device

Wendy's Out-take

I handed Bob the camera in video mode...

Breakfast of... hikers

Hot banana bread, hot coffee and hot oatmeal... Good stuff sitting in the middle of nowhere. (yeah, the banana bread is a little burnt on the bottom but you would have eaten it.)

Bob-O did his magic again last night. He caused the whole shelter to decide to Cowboy-camp". ( well, two guys and another was dead to the world, even Bob's chainsaw.) I was already in my hamock, but i'm used to him anyway.

Packing up and heading back out to Hogpen Gap, the to the Wagon Wheel in Dahlonega.

Hiking on.

Scott Hearn
From my mobile device

Bob returns to where he almost died

From freezng to ddeath one night in February. His Florida blood just couldn't handle the low 40's. He's a lot better now...

Here we are at Low gap shelter. It rained coming in then got humid. The flies are bad so I'll be glad to be hammocking tonite!

Scott Hearn
From my mobile device

I sight for sore eyes...

It was so good to see Bob-O!! Then he utered those heavenly words: "You wanna run down and get a burger?"

I confess... I hesitated... But I came to my senses. A 1/2 lb. Wndys Baconator... And of course I had a Frosty...

Heading back up to the trail and hiking on...

Cowrock Mtn...

A lovely, lovely spot in God's Creation. I wish all of you were here to experience it with me in person. We'd have to bust out a 55 gallon jug of consecrate! (Rev. Brooks will get it!)

There was a nice going to sleep sprinkle last night. I think I got some good sleep. But the best sleep was from 7 to 9 this morning. I finally didn't have to get up and go to the bathroom anymore!

It is hot today! But I am meeting Bob shortly. It wil be good to see him.

Hiking on...

Night 2

Well today was really, really a struggle. I have to admit, my doctor may be right.... I simply had no stamina today. My doc said it would take 2 or 3 weeks for the radiation to get out of my system.

12.4 mile today and I had to stop and lie down about a mile and a half from my destination - Baggs Creek.

It was a great day though! Beautiful weather, sunny and a nice breeze. Things are really beginng to bloom. Above is a pic of some flame azelia.

There is also a pic of the veiw from the top of Blod Mtn, my lunch site. There were TONS of people up there today with it being Memorial Day. I met a couple that lives less than 5 mile from me! They were just out for the day.

The last pic is inside my hammock which is where I am now, typing away. It is getting into the low 50's at night so I have a double-wide 60 x 40 1/4" closed cell pad for underneath insulation. It can be kind of unweild at first, but it surrounds you so you feel like a nice warm burrito. And only 7 oz. And I top it off with my Ray-Way homemade 40 degree quilt. I really like the set-up.

I also called Bob. He was going to drive to Unicoi Gap and hike in to Chatahochee Gap and camp with me then drive me back to my car. I'm not even going to try. Instead he's going to meet me at Hogpen Gap and we'll hike in to Low Gap, overnight, and hike back out. What a brother..

Well it is way past hiker mid-night, got to shut it down...r

1st morning on the trail

I got on the trail at about 9:15 last night after I performed a wedding. My plan was to only go a mile and a half to one of my favorite "close" spots. My favorite "close" spot was also the favorite of a family, including two little boys. I heard on say in his best kid-whisper, "I bet he is so late because he live in another state." I thought about how I wanted to take it easy in the morning and realized this was not the place for me. With it being such a beautiful night, I moved on...

I am hammocking on this trip and I thought with all the trees in the woods it would be a great idea. What I didn't think about this time of year is poison oak climbing up all the trees!

Along the way I spooked some wild-life that had bedded down for the night... Which also spooked me.. Two families of deer but the thing that weirded me out was a pair of eyes lit up by my headlamp... That didn't run... Don't know what it was... I just moved on!

About 11:30 I found a nice spot.. Two trees with no poison oak! I got my hammock and food bag hung fairly quick then off to bed with coyotes barking and howling in the not to distance... Hey, maybe that was the eyes?

I good night's sleep, a little coffee water heating on my coolfly, and a pop-tart and I'll be ready to roll. Maybe lunch on Blood Mtn. It is a beautiful day!



Scott Hearn
From my mobile device

Happy Mother's Day

I am the luckiest guy in the world. Look who all I get to live with. Yeah, as the only guy in the house (yeah the dot is female too) sometimes it feels like i'm thrashing around in the sea of estrogen... But dang, who's got it better than this?
Thank you to the best wife and mom a guy could have...

My buddy "G"

You know what's even better than catching a foul ball at a Braves game?
Getting to share it with a SPECIAL friend!

Take me out to the ballgame

My first foul ball... ever...
4 pitches earlier we were just discussing that there was no way a ball could make it all the way up to the $12.00 seats. And just think what we would have missed if we were in the $22.00 seats. God is good...

The Hiker-box is here...

It is like Christmas in May! I got on a list to receive a "hiker-box" with a group of guys from the blog at www.minibulldesign.com. The way it works is, someone starts a box with various hiking items in it and mails it to the first person on the list inside the lid of the box. When that person gets the box, they can take out a few items and replace it with some new goodies. Then the box is off to the next person.

Well there were quite a few goodies in the box when it came to me! Exercising great control, I'm taking out a "Sketti" alcohol stove. This behemoth can hold up to 3 or 4 ounces of alcohol and rumor has it, it can boil up to THREE GALLONS of water! Glad I'm finally a proud owner...

The other item I picked looks like a prototype of Tinny's (of minibulldesign fame) fan-driven, wood-burning stoves. It doesn't look like they'll make it to market so this is definitely a collector's item...

Not to worry, I am sweetening the box and will be getting it off to a lucky guy in West Des Moines!