Dear Great Clips, Super Cuts, and countless other strip mall "Aestheticians,"

What happened in your childhood that has caused you to take a normal head of hair (albeit long), cut it to the near-directed length (FYI, 1/4 inch is actually smaller than 1 inch), AND THEN proceed to "style" to your choosing?

Do you recall me coming in with my hair "styled" in the first place? Is this some sort of evil game you play with your coworkers to see how ridiculous you can make a person look before you unleash them back into the world? Do you actually laugh at me when I'm walking out the door with my new "do?" Do you win some sort of pool money if I actually tell you that what you have done to me looks incredibly retarded? If so, do I get a share of the money? Here's some advice...before you do anything...just ask. And to save you some time, I'll go ahead and give you some answers:

1. Yes, the apron around my neck is about to choke me out...UNCLE!!
2. No, I don't want any foaming cream (or mousse as you call it) put in my hair.
3. No, I don't want you to use a blow dryer either.
4. Yes, some semblance of a sideburn would be nice (kind of like what I came into the store with...remember?)
5. Yes, your hand that smells like a cigarette is about to make me gag.

Please understand, I don't fear saying something to your face. I hold back for fear of what you might do to the next person that sits in your 360-degree-rotating-chair-of-hair-death. The last thing I need to be responsible for is an emotionally-charged Tennessee board certified cosmetologist named Candy (sorry if your name is Candy and you aren't a cosmetologist...or a dancer) holding a pair of scissors...I just don't think I could sleep at night knowing that.

Thanks for your time and consideration. I look forward to your response.

Been Clipped,

Adam

Mt. LeConte Shelter Weekend

Saturday turned out to be an unbelievable day (weather-wise) in the Smokies. Throughout the week, the forecast was calling for 60% rain, and Mt. LeConte had seen lows of 2 degrees twice during the week. Determined, we packed for precipitation, which was hopefully resulting in just snow on the peak. Fortunately, when Saturday rolled around, it was partly cloudy with warming temperatures on the way. The Tennessee Valley was going to have highs in the 60s, so we could expect 40s (give-or-take) in the mountains.

We met at Cracker Barrel in Alcoa at 8:30a (I was only 4 minutes late - success!) for some breakfast. I went with the Momma's Pancake Breakfast which boasts buttermilk flapjacks, two eggs, and some sausage. Throw in some coffee, and we were ready to hit the trail. Chad was a late "scratch" from the overnight list, so J.D. (I still don't know what that stands for, though he said it is "Jack Daniels." By judging from his breakfast selection, I'm gonna say it's actually "Jimmy Dean") and his wife Betsy (who is an absolute natural at this) moved into the two open reservation spots in the LeConte Shelter with Conner and myself.

We finally made it to the Alum Cave trailhead after much miscommunication and extra stops around 11a. The day was beautiful, with no rain whatsoever, though I kept looking over my shoulder for the clouds to break. When we reached the top, about 4 hours later, we were greeted with the news that the LeConte Lodge (a third-party "hotel" operated within Park boundaries) inn-keeper had invited us down to hang out in the Lodge kitchen if "we felt like it." LeConte Lodge operates between March and November, and hosts about 36 people/night serving them dinner and breakfast in the cabins (think The Shining, but without "REDRUM" written on anything). They shut down in November where only one person takes care of the property with no electricity or running water until they open back up in the Spring. I'm sure this person welcomes any and all company...I would.

As dinner time approached, we went down to the Lodge area to see if we could cook and hang out inside. Since none of us were willing to knock on the door (though we could hear people inside), we took a more passive approach......we began to cook in front of their window. It worked, and 3 minutes later, the inn-keeper came out and invited us inside. There, we boiled our water and "cooked" our dehydrated meals (Jamaican Chicken and Rice for me). Interestingly , 3 out of 4 of us forgot a fork, but the Lodge had plenty to spare so we were grateful.

After dinner we went back up to the Shelter, where only 7 of us were staying the night. The stay was uneventful, but perfect. The overnight low was 37 degrees, no rain, though there was plenty of snoring. Apparently, I was the culprit, but I never heard it myself. Throw in an iPod, and I'd say I slept like a canon.

If you are ever in the Smokies, I would definitely recommend this Shelter. If you are hiking with some folks who prefer a little less rugged experience, I would absolutely recommend looking into an overnight stay at LeConte Lodge, but just make sure you call well in advance (apparently it's 90% booked in just three days of registration in October).

Below are some pics from the trip. My batteries died early, so I only took a few. In case you are wondering, Chad didn't lose a bet, he wears that hat on purpose.

Trail 2007

Some of seeds of the New Year have been planted, and I'm looking forward to the growth to follow.

In the near future (February), a ski trip to Colorado with some friends (Kelvin and Jamie). We'll be slopeside at Breckenridge and Keystone, and wherever else that might grab our attention. My main goal for this trip is to get on and off every chair lift without incident (and I'm not at all opposed to ensuring this at another person's expense). I'm also looking forward to spending a few days with some friends I don't see much anymore.

In May, I'm planning another "long-distance" hike with some other friends. This time, we'll be trekking 32.5 miles from the Newfound Gap parking to the Smokies exit at I-40 on the Appalachian Trail. I'm happy that I now have a physical goal approaching, which will encourage me to get back into some sort of physically fit shape. I've basically taken the last 12 weeks off, apart from a 3-on-3 basketball fiasco last week. Words to live by, "Ice the knees...Ice the threes." I'm sure there will also be some icing after this hike.

A looming business venture beginning this Spring. I'll let you know how that goes, but only if it's successful, of course.

More opportunities to walk the path behind those wiser, walk with those similar, and walk ahead of those brave enough to follow down the same trail, all with eyes fixed on the the same goal.

And of course, there's hope of being more organized, a better listener, a more confident leader, loving others well, eating better, falling in love (no sister-in-law of mine, I will not be on The Bachelor - gag me), giving more, not breaking as many hearts (what can I say, it just happens - ha), finding more peace, escaping to the mountains more often, and discerning God's will from my own desires.

Geez, I have some work cut out for me this year, but here's to 2007, new challenges, and the confidence that it will be successful. Race you to the top! See you in the Backcountry.

And, because Kelvin is going skiing with me, and he is also a great basketball player, I’ve decided to premiere the following video taken this last summer. I mean, did he really think I would never post this? The only thing really missing, is the theme song from The Wonder Years (Joe Cocker - "With a Little Help from My Friends").

LeConte Shelter

I'm heading up to Mt. LeConte Shelter in the GSMNP this weeked with some friends (Conner, Chad, and maybe Tyson). Joining us for the day will be J.D. and his wife Betsy. I'm confident that the following will actually take place:

1. Conner will be ready to go by 5a on Saturday morning, and calling me 30 minutes before our scheduled meeting time saying, "Where you at? You ready to go?" My response, "I'm almost there." "Almost" is subjective, so I'm not actually lying.

2. J.D. and Betsy will have their first hike together in the Smokies. Awww, how sweet.

3. I will be 30 minutes late to the redezvous point. The restaurant Rendezvous in Memphis also has some great dry ribs, if you're ever in the area. If you've hit West Memphis, trust me, you've gone way too far.

4. Tyson will show up at midnight and convince us that we need to make some snow angels in the snow. This, only after his earlier attempts of snow angels using snow peas (I quote, "snow peas are a lot messier than real snow.")

5. Chad won't show up at all, and try to blame it on Peyton Manning's performance against the Ravens.

6. We will be cold at night.

Last night, the low on LeConte was 2 degrees. Fortunately, the forecast is calling for some warmer temps this weekend in the valley. Hopefully, that translates to the same up top. This is the perfect time of year for some backpacking, and I'm ready (except for the packing and food buying part - OK, so I'm not ready at all - I'm excited). More pictures and an update from the trip to follow.

Crouching J.D....

...Hidden fish. Today, the temperatures were higher than usual, again. After some rain the last couple days, the water levels were also higher than usual, but water temps were reaching the desireable 50 degree threshold. From what I have read, this temperature is when a lot of bugs, and subsequent trout, become more active in this area.

So, J.D. (I still don't know what that stands for) and I headed out for the Middle Prong at Tremont this morning. We stopped into Little River Outfitters to pick up some flies, get a reel loaded with line, and to check out some fly tyers who were putting on some clinics. Dave Carson, a local guide and expert fly fisher, was tying what were referred to as "realistics." I have never seen anything like what he was tying, and hate that I didn't think to take a picture of his work. He created a spider fly that was more realistic than...well...reality itself.

After about 45 minutes in the shop, we set out for the water. If there have been "ideal" conditions to fish any day this winter, today may have been just that. Of course, that doesn't mean I catch many fish, and well...I didn't catch many fish today. J.D. is very new to fly fishing, but I was impressed with how quickly he picked up on what he needed to do to be stealthy, get the fly on the water without snagging branches, as well as his (or my) face. His goal going into today was, "just to get a bite, and I'll be happy." He accomplished that, and hopefully went home feeling good about the experience. I feel that he was satisfied considering how quickly he went online to look at waders and flyrods on the computer when he went home.

As for my own creel, I hooked up with "one that got away" in the first 10 minutes of fishing on a Copper John. It was until a couple hours later at what I have officially started calling "my hole" (seriously, I posted a sign) where I brought a monster to hand on a Parachute Adams. And after a recent revelation, I've figured out a very simple technique to catch "bigger" fish, and it goes like this...Use the smallest rod you can find. That's yours, at no cost or obligation. So, put down those expensive journals on fish habits and bug life cycles and go buy a 2wt.

Today was great, and I was happy to get out with J.D. for a few hours. If I didn't know it was January, I would have thought it was April. Good times, and more to come the new year.