For this ride I suggest the National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map #316 Cades Cove – Elkmont Map which in addition to the GSMNP map has contour lines and it’s much easier to distinguish between hiker only and horse and hiker trails.

You can pick up both maps at the Visitors Centers or the Heritage Center or any of the back country vendors outside the park. I can not imphasize enough … Do NOT go without a map. A GPS doesn’t cut it and your smart phone is a brick once in the park. I also suggest a compass, but that’s just me. Also, learn to read a map and learn to identify map features (like contour lines) as they can inform you ahead of time what you are getting yourself into. Orienteering is a life skill that everyone should have. More so if you enjoy the outdoors and being in the back country.

This ride starts at the Cades Cove Riding Stable parking lot.  We parked our truck and trailer just outside their gates on a large gravel turn-around area.

From the parking spot ride back across the Cades Cove Loop road and up to the picnic area you first passed on your left (now it will be on right). Head into picnic area where you will be the object of attention to children, dogs, and people visiting the park (of which you will now be ingrained in their memories and photos).  For this reason alone, we will not do this ride again.

Ride to the end of the parking/picnic area and head up the Anthony Creek Trail. A few hundred yards out of the parking area is a stock and tie area for horse campers who aren’t brave enough to bold the back country campsites. The Anthony Creek Trail is very rocky. This is why our trip was shorter than we planned (which was to do a full loop up to the Appalachian Trail and back another trail, but our horses had sore feet from all the rocks on this trail).  I recommend this only if you have shod horses or endurance boots.

1.6 miles up the Anthony Creek Trail we took left hand fork to continue on the Anthony Creek trail up to the primitive campsite (#9) where the horses rested while we ate lunch before heading back down. As our horses were a bit foot sore, we rode back down rather than continuing up to Bote Mountain Trail to make a loop back to the Russell Field Trail (off the Appalachian Trail).

This ride was a good three hours. While not as rough as the other two rides I’ve listed before, this is still a 3/5 in terms of terrain and skill as it is quite rocky with a half dozen stream crossings. Take plenty of water and some snacks for yourself. A few peppermints for the ponies would be a welcome treat during the breaks.

Things we have in our saddle bags:

1. Map
2. Compass
3. Water Bottles
4. Sunscreen
5. Snacks (trail mix, sandwiches, granola bars)
6. Small first aid kit
7. Wasp/Hornet spray

I was bored and wondering what I could do to use the honey so I can give the giant honey containers that I have to my father to fill with fresh honey from his hives.

I kicked around some ideas and just decided to wing it with a kitchen sink of stuff and hope for the best.

I went to the grocery store and shopped around for some concentrate or juice that had no preservatives, was not too expensive, and sounded good in a mead/wine as I had some wine yeast left over from my Perry.

After spending time between the juice and frozen food isles, I decided on a Cherry Melomel using honey, sugar, frozen concentrate, and fruit.  This is a work in progress and will probably get additional doses of fruit and even concentrate if the flavor is lacking after primary fermentation.

Recipe:

• 3 lbs frozen pitted sweet dark cherries
• 4 lbs 8 oz (old) orange blossom honey
• 1 lb table sugar
• 4 cans (12 oz) Old Orchard Apple Cherry Juice (makes 48 oz 100% juice)
• 15 drops pectin
• 2 tsp yeast nutrient
• 2 tsp yeast energizer
• 4 campden tablets
• wine yeast

The Old Orchard Apple Cherry Juice lists as it’s ingredients:

• Apple Juice Concentrate
• Water
• Pear Juice Concentrate
• White Grape Juice Concentrate
• Black Currant Juice Concentrate
• Aronia Berry Concentrate (WTF is this?)
• Cherry Juice Concentrate

And indicates that after adding 36 oz fresh water the resulting juice is 100% juice (which means that there are no additional sweeteners or sugars (I can’t stand that juice is labeled as juice if it’s only 10% fruit juice and high fructose corn syrup as the remainder)).

I put the frozen fruit through a food mill into a nylon bag, added the remainder of the ingredients (minus the yeast) and enough water to equal 4 gallons and will let it sit on the sulfates (campden tables) for 24 hours and will pitch yeast tonight.

My OG was 1.072.

My plan is to let the primary finish and rack to secondary where I will add 5 lbs of milled frozen cherries and potentially another can of concentrate.

I’ll post updates as I have them.

I’m fermenting in a 7.5gal carboy and will rack after a week into a 5gal carboy for a two or three week secondary before bottling.

The recipe I used is:

• 9 lbs 8 oz Pale Liquid Extract (Breiss bulk)
• 1 lb Crystal Malt (60°L) for 30 minutes at 160
• 1 oz Centennial (9%) for 1 hour
• 1 oz Centennial (8.7%) for 20 minutes
• 2 oz Centennial (8.7% for 5 minutes
• 22 g Safale US-05 (two packets)

I will dry hop with:

• 1 oz Centennial (8.7%) after racking to secondary

My OG was 1.062 (down from an expected 1.067 which may be because I was a bit over 5 galons to the primary).

Due to my wife’s job(s), we have had to relocate three times in three years.  We were living in Blacksburg, VA for 4 years.  I had an awesome brewing setup.  I had an entire basic kitchen in my basement along with a double miller sink (stove, fridge, kitchen sink, cabinets, drawers, and the double miller sink) as well as a great cellar for fermenting and even lagering in the winter months. When we had to pack up and move to Raleigh, NC all the brewing gear got shoved in a shed or closet where we lived.

Since I know that was a short term arrangement, I never got around to brewing. Likewise a year later when we moved to Ithaca, NY; where we only lived for 10 months.

We recently relocated from Ithaca, NY to Knoxville, TN where we know we will be at least three if not five years while my wife completes a Residency in Equine Surgery at University of Tennessee, Knoxville. As such, I figured that I would have time to learn my new brewing area, brew a beer a month for a few years and have most of it finished when it’s time to pack up and relocate when she if finished (hopefully to a more permanent location).

I got energized by the Perry and since then I have cataloged my supplies, made  lists of required or replacement equipment, ordered some supplies online from Northern Brewer, and am prepared for this weekend’s brew.

I’ve decided to start back into the hobby slowly. I haven’t brewed in a while and brewing is a process that is mostly defined by your workspace. Since I don’t have the awesome setup I had in Blacksburg, I’m going to be learning my new area before I jump into an all grain batch with all it’s processes.

I opened my homebrew books for the first time in years and started reading How to Brew by John Palmer (I must admit I liked the 2nd edition much better than this current edition (3rd)) just to re-familiarize myself with the setup and refresh my memory.

I’m going to make an extract with specialty grains this weekend. I’ve decided on a robust porter, which is one of my favorite styles, and also one that is rather forgiving on newbie brewers.

I’m going to modify the recipe a bit based upon my tastes and availability of hops, but the base recipe from How to Brew is as follows:

Port o’ Palmer Porter

• 6.6 lbs pale malt extract (liquid)
• 1/2 lb crystal malt (60°L)
• 1/2 lb chocolate malt
• 1/4 lb black patent malt
• 1 oz Nugget (10% alpha) for 60 minutes
• .5 oz Willamette (5% alpha) for 40 minutes
• .25 oz Willamette (5% alpha) for 20 minutes

I’m not going to bump up the OG with another 1/2 pound or so of extract and I probably will not use that hop schedule as I’ll be doing a full volume boil. I’m going to visit Allen Biermakens, my LHBS, today and find some suitable ingredients and similar pacific northwest hop varieties.

I’ll update with final recipe and pictures of the brewing and process this weekend.

Here are the pictures:

The pre-boil:

Just pitched yeast:

The oops (overactive yeast):

The closeup (of overactive yeast):

The solution (1″ blow off tube):

This ride starts at the first truck and trailer accessible parking spot when you enter the park from Townsend and are heading towards Cades Cove.  The parking spot is about a mile past the tunnel and is indicated as a black half circle on the Trails Illustrated Map.

I’ve included a map below with some arrows and numbers (you can click the map to expand it to full size).  I used black arrows and red numbers (there are already black arrows, but with a little bit of studying you’ll see the trails I’m recommending in this ride).

For this ride I suggest the National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map #316 Cades Cove – Elkmont Map which in addition to the GSMNP map has contour lines and it’s much easier to distinguish between hiker only and horse and hiker trails.

You can pick up both maps at the Visitors Centers or the Heritage Center or any of the back country vendors outside the park. I can not imphasize enough … Do NOT go without a map. A GPS doesn’t cut it and your smart phone is a brick once in the park. I also suggest a compass, but that’s just me. Also, learn to read a map and learn to identify map features (like contour lines) as they can inform you ahead of time what you are getting yourself into. Orienteering is a life skill that everyone should have. More so if you enjoy the outdoors and being in the back country.

The parking spot (#1 on the map) is where both the Schoolhouse Gap Trail (to the north of the road) and the Bote Mountain Trail (to the south of the road) terminate at Laurel Creek Road.  We rode this route clockwise by starting heading north from the parking spot on the Schoolhouse Gap Trail.  This part of the ride is nice with a smooth grade and can be ridden two abreast for most of the climb.

The Schoolhouse Gap Trail intersects (@ #2 on the map) with the Turkeypen Ridge Trail.  Follow the Turkeypen Ridge trail to the left.  This trail is single file and has some pretty steep terrain. There are times when you are riding on the side of a very steep mountain with a very long drop on the down hill side.

Once you have descended all the way to the bottom of the Turkeypen Ridge Trail (before the intersection) there is a nice lunch spot with some running water that the horses might enjoy.

The Turkeypen Ridge Trail intersects at a four way intersection (@ #3 on the map).  Take the left most trail which is the Finley Cane Trail. This is a bit tricky as the trail goes under the road in a stream. You wouldn’t want to hike this portion as you will be wet from the ankles down, but the ponies didn’t seem to mind.

Just under the bridge there is a fork in the trail (# 4 on the map), just stay to the left on the Finley Cane Trail.  The Finley Cane Trail is mostly gentle grade and we did trot intermittently. We did come across a very large underground hornet’s nest but luckly nobody was stung. My wife yelled out “Hornets!” kicked her mare into a run and left me with the swarm.  I likewise ran up the trail a few hundred yards then dismounted to check for hornets.  There were some stuck in my mare’s mane and two trying to sting the polo wraps.  This is why from now on we will ride with hornet/wasp spray in our saddle bags.

There is a hitching post about 3/4 of the way up the Finley Cane Trail before you reach the next intersection which would be another good stopping place to give the ponies a break.

The next intersection with the West Prong Trail (@ #5 on the map) is well marked.  From here back to the parking area the trail is very well maintained and wide enough to ride two abreast and can also be trotted or cantered.

The intersection with the Bote Mountain Trail (@ #6 on the map) is also well marked and is a gentle grade back down to the parking areas.  While this could be another area to trot or canter, we kept it at a modest walking pace as we like to let them cool down as we get towards the end of our ride.

This ride was a good four hours. While not as rough as the 8.6 mile ride I listed yesterday, this is still a 3/5 in terms of terrain and skill (while the other was like a 4 or even a 4.5). Take plenty of water and some snacks for yourself. A few peppermints for the ponies would be a welcome treat during the breaks.

Things we have in our saddle bags:

1. Map
2. Compass
3. Water Bottles
4. Sunscreen
5. Snacks (trail mix, sandwiches, granola bars)
6. Small first aid kit
7. Wasp/Hornet spray

My wife, Stacie, picked the really nice looking ones and is packing them in saw dust to soften so she can eat them (pears are her favorite fruit). I took the middle of the crop and made pear preserves with a very light syrup. This was challenging as there were lots of bad spots that were found once I pealed the pears so some of the medium sized pears were the size of walnut halves once peeled, cored, and the bad spots cut off.

I took the remainder of the pears and made a pear wine, which even though it’s technically not a Perry, (which is either a pear mead or a sparkling pear fermented pear juice and mine (recipe below) has a lot of added water and table sugar), I’m going to call it that as it has a nice ring to it.

I’ll probably end up carbonating some of the product and adding some lactose, maltose, or malto-dextrin or other non-fermentable sugar (or I could just use a stabilizer to kill all the yeastie beasties and then use more table sugar).

Here’s my process and a bit of my history as a home brewer. I used to brew, and brew a lot. I was making about two batches a month a few years ago.  I quit brewing as we were moving across country once a year for three years and I just never got where I wanted to set up all my supplies and brew. We recently landed in Knoxville where we will be for at least 3 if not 5 years. Therefore, I’ve decided to get back into the hobby. I will work my way into it and start with an extract and grains brew or two to get used to brewing and getting my setup all organized before jumping back into all grain.

The pears got me energized. I went to Allen Biermakens, my LHBS (Local Home Brew Store), purchased a new plastic fermenter (7 gal. food grade plastic bucket with lid) as the buckets I had carted around the country for years were in pretty bad shape and since I wasn’t boiling, I didn’t want to take the chance on making pear vinegar. I also picked up some wine yeast (Lalvin K1-V1116), some acid blend, yeast nutrient, some peptic enzyme, campden tablets, a large nylon straining bag, and an airlock.

The recipe I loosely followed is from the Winemaker’s Recipe Handbook, but I took about 20 lbs. of the smallest and hardest pears and sliced them thin with the skin on, cutting out the cores and any bad spots that I came across (much easier than peeling first). I put the slices into a large bucket which had water and a campden tablet tossed in. When I had cut all the pears,  I ran them through a meat grinder into a nylon straining bag suspended over my fermenter (I had already put three crushed campden tablets in the bottom of the frementer) . I ended up with a full bag of pear mush and about a gallon of pear juice. To the juice I added 12 cups of sugar, 9 quarts of water, the acid blend, the yeast nutrient, and the peptic enzyme. I stirred until the sugar was mostly dissolved and then placed the nylon bag of mush in the fermenter.  I let this sit for 24 hours, stirred again and pitched the yeast.  Within 24 hours, I had a very active fermentation and it’s still bubbling along (3 days later).

I’ll pull the bag of mush out after a week and rack after another week to a secondary.  I may have to rack an additional time or two to get the clarity I want.  I’ll post pictures once I have something good to look at (can’t see much now but a bubbling air lock on the top of a plastic bucket).

Here’s the recipe I followed (this recipe is for 1 gallon, which I scaled up by a factor of 3)

Pear Wine / Perry

• 4 lbs Pears
• 6 pts Water
• 4 cups Sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp Acid Blend
• 1/2 tsp Peptic Enzyme (read the label on what you buy as I ended up using 5 drops for the equivalent of 1/2 tsp (I used 15 drops total))
• 1 tsp Nutrient
• 1 Campden Tablet
• Wine Yeast

The process in the book is very detailed and could easily be followed by a beginner.

For the pear preserves, I simply peeled and cored pears until I had enough for very full (heaping) 4 quart saucepan.  While I peeled and cut, I placed the halves or slices (depending on what was left after cutting out the bad spots) into a citric acid solution (2 Tbs citric acid (available at any store that sells canned good … even Wal-mart) to a quart of water) to prevent browning and keep the fruit firm.

Once I had all the pears I needed, I drained them well and put them in a 4 quart saucepan and added water to about 1/2 way up the side (the pears contribute a lot of juice, if you fill the saucepan with too much water you will have a too much juice) and 3/4 cup of sugar (I didn’t want them swimming in super sweet syrup). Alternatives to the sugar would be to use white grape juice or apple juice in place of the water and sugar.  I heated this to boiling an let it boil for 5 minutes.

I had previously filled my canner (just a large enamled pot as I don’t have a pressure canner (yet)), placed my pint jars in the canner and had it at a rolling boil. Using my bottle grabber, I got a hot jar from the bath, filled it to within 1/2″ of the top, put a lid and screwed on the band and returned to the canner.  Once I had all 10 pints back in the canner I returned it to a rolling boil and processed for 20 minutes.

Below is a picture of my finished product. Once we finish eating the ripe pears, I’m sure these will be delicious.

This ride starts at the Cades Cove Riding Stable parking lot.  We parked our truck and trailer just outside their gates on a large gravel turn-around area.  I asked at the stable offices if it was OK, and was also given plenty of information for future trail rides as the receptionist seemed to be a horse person herself and gave us some great pointers for the near future.

For this ride I suggest the National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map #316 Cades Cove – Elkmont Map which in addition to the GSMNP map has contour lines and it’s much easier to distinguish between hiker only and horse and hiker trails.

You can pick up both maps at the Visitors Centers or the Heritage Center or any of the back country vendors outside the park. I can not imphasize enough … Do NOT go without a map. A GPS doesn’t cut it and your smart phone is a brick once in the park. I also suggest a compass, but that’s just me. Also, learn to read a map and learn to identify map features (like contour lines) as they can inform you ahead of time what you are getting yourself into. Orienteering is a life skill that everyone should have. More so if you enjoy the outdoors and being in the back country.

I’ve included a map below with some arrows and numbers (you can click the map to expand it to full size).  I used black arrows and red numbers (there are already black arrows, but with a little bit of studying you’ll see the trails I’m recommending in this ride).

From the parking lot you can ride up the fence line to where the Cades Cove Loop Road becomes one way. Just after the road switches to one way the trail head is well marked on the north side of the road (#1 on map).

It’s a half mile ride to the first fork (#2 on map). This part of the trail is well maintained, wide, flat, with few rocks.  At the first fork (#2) we went left to make the loop counter clockwise.  In hindsight, the clockwise route may have been better as the Crooked Arm Ridge Trail (which is what we came down) has a lot of very rough switchbacks and a lot of rock.

I’ll continue narrative in the counter clockwise direction….

From the first fork (#2) we took the Rich Mountain Loop trail. Before the climb, you will come up to the John Oliver site which is an historic cabin.  The trail makes a right angle turn to the right and is labeled “Trail ->”. Once past the cabin this trail follows a creek up a ravine and crosses a few times. There is some very steep terrain and we dismounted and walked up some tricky spots with very large flat rocks. There was evidence on those rocks from slipping horses (scars from shoes) so we played it safe. Once you leave the creak the ride is rather steep heading west, and can be done on or off your horse. There is a nice lunch spot just before the Indian Grave Gap Trail (#3) (you’ll know it as it’s after you turn back North but before the fork).

The trail merges with the Indian Grave Gap Trail (@ #3) and heads due east. At this point (and if you have the Trails Illustrated Map you will see this via the contour lines) the trial is a gentle grade on the very top of a steep ridge. There are beautiful views to the north (Townsend) and south (Cades Cove).  This might be the ridge where you can see 5 states, but I’m not sure. This section of the Indian Gap Trail is also a great place to trot or slow canter. The trail is mostly gravel and well maintained. There is one fork (@ #4) where you just stay to the right.

The decent starts when you reach the Crooked Arm Ridge Trail (#5).  This is a very steep descent and there are some very tricky switchbacks. Our horses are very surefooted but we still dismounted a few times. There was also a tree across the trail that could not be ridden around (hikers had just gone under it).  We hacked it up and moved it enough to get past, but it wasn’t easy.

There is a creek once you reach the bottom of the descent. This is the first open water since leaving the creek on the Rich Mountain Loop Trail and the horses were thirsty as it was a hot and humid day.

We walked the half mile back to the trailer once we reached the final fork (#2) to let the horses have a break.

This ride was a good four hours as the descent is rather slow. Take plenty of water and some snacks for yourself. A few peppermints for the ponies would be a welcome treat during the breaks.

Things we have in our saddle bags:

1. Map
2. Compass
3. Water Bottles
4. Sunscreen
5. Snacks (trail mix, sandwiches, granola bars)
6. Small first aid kit
7. Wasp/Hornet spray

We recently moved to Tennessee and now live within 20 minutes of the Tremont area of the GSMNP.  We have our own horses and trailer and these ride descriptions will be geared towards similar people.  There are plenty of rent-a-horse places both outside and inside the park for those that just want to try riding or have a story to tell when they return from their vacation. Some of the trails documented here are pretty rough and only seasoned riders and horses should attempt them.

I will try to put in detailed maps and a narrative of the ride for each ride.

A couple of pointers -

1. Review the rules and regulations for the area you are riding.  Know what is and what is not allowed.  Know when can and when you can’t ride (no point in driving
2. Learn the difference between a hiking only trail and a mixed use trail. It’s a great privilege to be able to ride in a National Park, don’t give the park a reason to resend that privilege.
3. Take plenty of water and a small first aid kit.
4. Be safe.  You will be riding in an area that is pretty remote and medical and veterinary assistance may be unavailable.
5. USE A MAP

I’ve heard of a couple who were lost 7 weeks after taking a logging road in the Pacific Northwest on their way to Vegas (one of whom died), this family in Death Valley, a group of SUVs getting lost in Utah, I remember a bus that tried to go through a tunnel that it didn’t fit through, a man who drove a bus into a lake, and another lake story, I’ve heard Park Rangers tell of getting calls from cell phones where someone asks how to hike out of where they are lost using a GPS, and many many others.  All usually blamed on the GPS.

Every one of these stories seems to “blame” the GPS, in fact this story calls it “Death by GPS.” As harsh as this seems it’s actually the “STUPID” that is the issue (so the story should be re-titled “Death by STOOPID”).

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m a gadget guy and I love my gadgets. I had an early version of the hand held Garmin GPS which was marketed to hikers, campers, and the like. I have an in-dash GPS in my car, my wife has the ubiquitous GPS suction cupped to her windshield, both our phones have Google Maps with turn-by-turn instructions (walking, public transportation, and of course driving).

Even with all that technology that I have, you will find in my glove box a nationwide map, at the bottom of my hiking day-pack you will find a compass and depending on where we are spending the day you will most likely find a trail map as well.

Two weeks ago my wife and I were horseback riding in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  We went on a Saturday and did a day hike (with a trail map and compass in our day-pack) and looked for good trailer parking for our horse trailer.  That evening we looked at the horse friendly trails and the parking we had spotted and decided on a 10 mile loop for the horses.  We were maybe two or three miles away from the road when we came across a family (man, woman, teenage child).  They asked us which way to the road and how far.  We pointed them back down the trail we were coming up, told them were to turn and how the trail was marked.  He pulled in iPhone 4 out of his pocket and exclaimed how his “technology” didn’t work here. He had no map.

As far as we could tell, they drove up from some metropolitan area, using their in-car GPS or his “technology” entered into the National Park, parked, and started walking on what looked like a trail.  If you’ve ever hiked a “horse friendly trail” you would know they are muddier than the trails reserved for hikers only and usually covered in horse shit. We took pity on him and provided him with the $1 version trail map available from the Visitor’s Center and requested that he head directly to said Visitor’s Center, purchase a map, make a small donation to the trail crew, and ask a Park Ranger where to go spend his afternoon. What kind of idiot thinks you can just get out of a car in a National Park and start walking? Didn’t he realize that he didn’t have a cell phone signal, without which his “technology” wasn’t working?

My boss often states that in-car GPS are the “spawn of the devil.” Like me, he travels for business.  He always has a map in his car and usually a printout from Bing (he also thinks Google is the “spawn of the devil”) of his route. He often relates to these stories of tragedy “caused” by in-car GPS systems. I often reply with the title of this blog post.

Here’s my wrap-up of recent GPS issues:

• To the folks in Death Valley – It’s called “Death Valley” for a reason
• To the folks on the logging road in the Pacific Northwest – you lived in the British Columbia … what is wrong with you
• To the group in Moab – SUVs and GPS … real outdoor type folks aren’t you
• To the bus driver – pull head out of ass and watch minimum clearance of tunnel not your GPS
• To the other bus driver – pull head out of ass and watch the road (lake).
• To the woman who drove her SUV into a lake - see comment to bus driver

For years, ever since a spectular dinner at The Pink House in Savannah, GA, I’ve been “underdoing” my pork.  The dish I had at The Pink House was a medium rare pork loin dish with a disclaimer on the menu that the USDA does not recommending pork cooked to a medium-rare doneness.  I ate it, I didn’t get sick, and I’ve been doing it that way since then.

My dinner guests often scoff and ask for the “done” pieces of a loin and I have gotten away with hogging (pun intended) all the pink pieces.