Get Rugged

2009-02-08T20:24:00.000-08:00

It was a brutal couple of days in the High Country with nearly a foot of snow and temperatures in the single digits. Eric and I did manage to brave the elements to get this shot--an experiment in depth of field for my intro to digital photography class.

Snow Day!

2008-11-21T18:59:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning to some of the most significant overnight snowfall I've seen during my five years in Boone. I got that old snow day feeling again, like when I'd have to shovel two feet off the sidewalk back home in Northeast Ohio. Back then, my sister and I would huddle long before the sun came up, next to the radio, fingers crossed, to listen to the 102 Zoo morning school cancellations. Today I tiptoed across the frigid floor to the my laptop which broke the good news--no school.

So I headed for the mountains to get out in it. I started off at MacRae Meadows where I happened to meet cross country skier and local photographer extraordinaire Todd Bush. From there, Todd used his special powers to get us into Grandfather
Mountain, closed due to the harsh weather. We drove until the snow got too deep and set out on foot, pummeled by fierce winds. On our way down we caught sight of a doe and her fawn (wild, not the ones in the zoo). It looks like the baby has a broken leg.

Rooftop Death Fights

2008-10-17T21:33:00.001-07:00

Marty, Beast, Eric and I took to the roof to let out some good old male aggression. Things will get a little more interesting with the recent purchase of two pairs of boxing gloves.

Also a picture looking out at Table Rock and Hawksbill from Ship Rock.

King Street

2008-10-06T17:53:00.000-07:00

I love living on King Street--always something interesting going on.

Fall

2008-10-06T13:16:00.001-07:00

The temperatures are dropping and the leaves are changing--definitely the best time of year in the High Country. Hunter and I went out to the cow pastures at the Cone Manor to take in the view of Grandfather Mountain.

Ideal

2008-08-11T19:33:00.000-07:00

Working in one of the busiest restaurants in town is nice because you get to see a lot of people on a daily basis--people you might not normally run into. Benjamin just happens to be one of my favorite people, so I was really glad to see him sit down at the bar the yesterday. It had been months since I'd had a chance to catch up with him and hear about his trip to Nicaragua.
I was fortunate enough to get off a little early so he and I headed for Snake Mountain off of Meat Camp Road. I won't try to tell you how absolutely beautiful it was up there because I couldn't do it justice, so I'll just let you look at the pictures.

That'll Do.

2008-06-30T14:10:00.000-07:00

It's been a while blog. I took this picture of the Sawmill Man, local musician Glenn Bolick peering through the window of his very own stage. Enjoy.

Summer Is Coming

2008-05-07T05:40:00.000-07:00

After a long, cold winter in our drafty apartment, it is so nice to finally feel some warmth. I caught this picture of Eric relaxing on our makeshift lawn out on the roof.

Oldies But Goodies

2008-02-24T19:11:00.001-08:00

Grandfather makes an apperance.

Mark and Prana at Blowing Rock Boulders

First Snow on Rough Ridge.

Victor Wooten

Tolu en Costa Rica

Rough Ridge Sunrise

Football Withdrawl

2008-02-24T18:55:00.001-08:00

It's official--my 2005, 2006, and 2007 Division 1 FCS National Champion Mountaineers will open the '08 campaign against none other than the 2008 BCS champion LSU Tigers. And good God am I anxious.
It will be my second trip to the Bayou to see the Apps play in Death Valley and I am optimistic that this one will turn out a little better than 2005's 24-0 loss.
I know one thing is for certain--I will not endure another hellish 60-hour roundtrip Greyhound ride full of irritated, displaced Kartrina victims again. This time a plane ticket is in order. Picture is my favorite Appalachian receiver of all-time, William Mayfield, against Wofford in '06.
And I couldn't resist sticking this one in.

Networking On Top of the World

2008-02-03T15:11:00.000-08:00

Walking home from the Larry Keel show at The Boone Saloon Thursday night I could tell we weren't going to have school in the morning. Folks stumbling out of the Saloon onto the King Street concrete is nothing I haven't seen before, but add a thick glaze of ice and the casualties increase ten-fold.
Luckily, the ice that had damaged both homes and egos alike gave way Saturday with 60-degree temperatures.
Stricken with a case of cabin fever, I made my way over to the Linville Gorge and set my sights on Table Rock. After an unplanned offroad excursion compliments of the ice I had so exhalted a day earlier, I made it to the gorge. A couple mile hike up a closed Forest Service Road took me to the trail head where I began the mile ascent.

From one side of the summit, the gorge looked poised to swallow me up. On the other, the Piedmont stretched to the horizon. Hikers came and went throughout the day as I relaxed in my combination chair/backpack. As the day drew to a close, I had the fortune of striking up a conversation with a young lady who turned out to be a writer for the Charlotte Observer. An aspiring journalist myself, she was a nice contact and encourgaed me to come check out the newsroom at the Observer.

I sat a little while longer, hoping to catch sight of a peregrine falcon, but to no avail. So I packed up and headed out satisfied with my day. The only thing missing was a cheesy "Life Is Good" t-shirt.

"Get rugged this time, man..."

2008-01-30T15:05:00.000-08:00

repeated the gentelman in the blue shirt. "Lock that heel hold and get rugged this time."
Working the Fin at Blowing Rock's Mushroom Boulder, Mark and I could not quite muster the ruggedness. The crux is a skinny spine, more accurately a fin, that requires the pinching power of a clothes pin from all four limbs. Neither of us topped out that day, but I came away with a new philosophy--GET RUGGED.