Exploring
This page is still in the works, but will be divided into three sections:
Hiking
I'm very fortunate to live within 30 minutes of the Smoky Mountains National Park, with over 800 miles of hiking trails. May parents have been taking me on day hikes since I was too young to remember, and I was introduced to backpacking during high school. Since then, I've spent countless afternoons hiking hundreds of miles of trail.
Driving
I constantly find myself abusing the unlimited mileage on rental cars. Last year, for example, I rented a brand new Grand Prix on a trip to Utah and brought it back with over 2500 miles after 6 days. I've had my car for about a year and a half, and have already put over 30,000 miles on it. While I loathe traffic, I find driving to be relaxing otherwise, and actually enjoy putting 400 miles of interstate behind me in one day. I'll post a map of my travels here.
This is my answer to hiking the high elevations of the Smokies in the dead of winter. I got ahold of a pair of snowshoes in December and frequently visit the park after heavy winter storms that can leave up to 2 feet of snow at the highest elevations of the park. It's funny how different a familiar location seems under a few feet of snow.
