All posts by Danny Bernstein

About Danny Bernstein

I'm a hiker, hike leader for the Carolina Mountain Club and Friends of the Smokies and an outdoor writer.

Rain, rain, go away!

Dupont State Recreational Forest, Pisgah National Forest, State Parks

It has been raining like the proverbial cats and dogs.

It’s no surprise that Laura, our Carolina Mountain Club leader, cancelled the hike for tomorrow.

Our parks and forests are the victims of this incessant rain.

Chimney Rock State Park is closed after a retaining wall in its upper parking lot collapsed from heavy rain Saturday. It’s unknown when the park  will reopen. Officials said on Facebook that it will remain closed until the wall is assessed and stabilized and crews clean up fallen debris on the road below.

Chimney Rock had been open for less than a week before the collapse. It shut down for several days due to storm damage and reopened on May 22.

Great!!

Lake Dense

Now I read that Dupont State Recreational Forest has closed its single track trails.

And according to the weather gurus, more rain is expected in Western North Carolina.

Even Bent Creek in Pisgah National Forest is now closed for the week – at least until Friday.

As upset and anxious as I am when I can’t go hiking, I can’t help but think what effort and money it’s going to take to repair all those trails. Where will the money come from?

And the effects of climate change are upon us right now. It’s not about the world we’re leaving our children; it’s about our world right now!

Cades Cove Overnight

Great Smoky Mountains National Park,

Have you signed up for the Friends of the Smokies overnight? No camping involved!

Join Friends of the Smokies for the Cades Cove Overnight Experience, a special opportunity and fundraiser to explore America’s most-visited national park on June 11-12, 2018.

Abrams Falls

Enjoy your choice of Classic Hikes of the Smokies, experience spectacular Cades Cove, and meet fellow supporters of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Click here for more!

Check out Abrams Falls, a classic five-mile hike off the Cades Cove loop – just one of the hikes that will be offered.

Cades Cove is a special place and too far from most urban areas for a day hike.

So Friends of the Smokies had put together two days of hiking, fellowship and a great evening speaker, Dwight McCarter, a retired backcountry ranger.

Dwight by himself is worth the price of admission.

What would a pilgrim do?

Camino/Chemin de St. Jacques,
Sign to Muxia

This morning, at 5am, I cancelled the Carolina Mountain Club  Asheville Camino hike – again.

Is the Asheville Camino hike jinxed for me? I don’t believe in jinx, spells, ghosts or any supernatural stuff but what is going on?

The Asheville Camino walk is a 16-mile walk through the city, which is meant to simulate a typical day on the Camino de Santiago in Spain. It was devised by the Asheville Chapter of the American Pilgrims on the Camino. Many people are members of both, the Asheville Camino group and CMC.

The first time I was supposed to lead the hike, we had a snowstorm which paralyzed the city. It paralyzed me too, as I never had to cancel a hike before. The second time, heavy rain was predicted on the Sunday. So, at the last minute, I switched it to Saturday.  Because many people already had evening plans, we only did about 12 miles.

Last night, heavy steady rain was predicted all day today. With some bravado, I wrote on the CMC Facebook page that I wasn’t going to cancel. Pilgrims walked in the rain in medieval times with long skirts and cumbersome hats.

But this morning, after watching the heavy rain from my window, I went on the CMC website and canceled – reluctantly.

I knew that almost no one would show up. All I would do was to get my pack, boots,  and clothes all wet.

But why this hike? Why am I so unlucky with this hike?

If you’re on the Camino, you walk from town to town – rain or shine. You’re on a long-distance hike. Most albergue (hostels) will not allow you to stay inside all day. They want to clean the building from the last group and be ready for the next group. Fair enough!

Some pilgrims may take a bus to their next destination and just wait in a cafe until the hostel opens. But most walk in the rain.

But here’s the weird thing.

On the two Caminos I’ve done so far, almost 1,000 miles all together, I’ve not had three days of solid bad weather – ever. It rained here and there, but nothing like I’ve been experiencing on this hike.

So, should I give up on this hike?