A Fond Farewell To The Whites

I am glad our paths intersected once, the day of your bear on Cabot. You and Lauky and your adventures will be missed here.

God Speed. Great good Karma on you.

My son and I are glad to have met you and Lauky in person once. It was on the Belknaps, somewhere between Belknap and Piper back in April. We'd seen your posts and photos and were delighted to actually meet you both in person. Good luck and I'm sure you and Lauky will find new adventures in Georgia!

Ed, it was a pleasure to see you at Cardigan Lodge a month ago as you headed out to the Skyland trail. We will miss you here, but thanks to the Internet none of us is any further away than you want to be.

God speed, and slainte mhath a duibh uile gu leor Creag nan drochaid

Creag Nan Drochaid said:

Ed, it was a pleasure to see you at Cardigan Lodge a month ago as you headed out to the Skyland trail. We will miss you here, but thanks to the Internet none of us is any further away than you want to be.

God speed, and slainte mhath a duibh uile gu leor Creag nan drochaid

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My goodness, was that you? I wish I'd known at the time.

Ed, Thanks for sharing this inspiring last report. It was a pleasure to have bumped into you and Lauky on the Zealand summit in November of '11. Always have enjoyed your meaningful posts. Best of Lauk-y to you in Georgia.

summitseeker said:

I hope you two continue to share new peaks and trails for many years to come. The Whites will miss you but the South is lucky to have such a nice person on the trails.

May you find adventure wherever you end up

Z

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Totally agree with this quote. well said. I met you on the way up Isolation in 2009 for the flags on 48. I was with Dave Bear and a friend of his. Best wishes and happy hiking. The south is so lucky to have you both. Keep us up to date on your adventures down there.

Hi Ed,
Wish I would have known it was Bon Voyage we could have grilled for you after your Washington summit! We all will certainly miss you around here and I wish you folks many happy trails! It's been a pleasure to meet you and Lauky here and there and spend time together on the trails! As others have said your trip reports and photos have always been something to look forward to and you will always be a part of this community no matter how many miles or mountains are between us! If you're ever headed back up this way give us a heads up so we may cross paths again! Best regards, Dave Bear & Thor.

Thanks for such a heartfelt report, Ed. I'm not ashamed to say it brought a tear to my eye...your love of the Whites (and of your pups) is so touching. Glad that Fran and I had a chance meeting with you and Lauky on our first trip up Marcy, back in June '09. Bon voyage!

Dave Bear said:

Hi Ed,
Wish I would have known it was Bon Voyage we could have grilled for you after your Washington summit! We all will certainly miss you around here and I wish you folks many happy trails! It's been a pleasure to meet you and Lauky here and there and spend time together on the trails! As others have said your trip reports and photos have always been something to look forward to and you will always be a part of this community no matter how many miles or mountains are between us! If you're ever headed back up this way give us a heads up so we may cross paths again! Best regards, Dave Bear & Thor.

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Thanks so much for the thought. John Sobetzer also suggested something like that before did that last hike. One of the problems was that things were so hectic I really wasn't sure when I could get off. It turned out that Friday was the only day that week that wasn't taken and it was a bit of a last minute decision and Friday, of course, is not real convenient for a lot of people. The other thing was I wasn't sure I had really done anything that rated a party. As it was I came back to an empty parking lot which since it was the Cog lot it was a bit strange but maybe fitting for someone who hiked alone most of the time. I remember when Duffy and I finished the 100 highest on Pico late one fall Tues. afternoon we were all alone until Sabrina showed up. It was the first time I met her and she took our picture. I still remember the astonishment in her eyes when I told her we had just finished the NEHH with no fanfare.

Chris, I remember well meeting you guys as we made that first crossing of the river on the way to Isolation. It's been fascinating to read of all the places we've run into people as far away as Marcy. I think I have to give credit to Lauky for the fact that you've recognized us.

We did have a good send off the day we moved. Something like 32 friends showed up to help us load the truck the day we moved. We had it loaded in nothing flat.

Now we're down here I've got to get out again before the both of us get out of shape.

Here's a picture of Lauky and me taken on our very last hike in New England. It was taken on top of Pleasant Mt. Maine. I don't know how many times I've been up there but it's somewhere between one and two hundred times. It was an emotional moment when we reached the summit that day.

You'll have to post a picture soon of your first summit for the two of you from down south.

Ed'n Lauky said:

Here's a picture of Lauky and me taken on our very last hike in New England. It was taken on top of Pleasant Mt. Maine. I don't know how many times I've been up there but it's somewhere between one and two hundred times. It was an emotional moment when we reached the summit that day.

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Y'all are a great pair, Ed. Thanks for sharing that photo and moment with us. I agree with sdways - look forward to seeing and hearing your reports from southern sojourns. May they be many and fortunate.

It was suggested that I post my first Georgia hike here, so here it is. I'm convinced that hiking is not only psychologically addictive, but also physiologically additive. After almost a month off the trails I was getting really edgy. It took most of the hike to walk off the demons, but when I got back to the car I felt better. The trailhead for the Arkaquah trail up Brasstown Bald starts at Track Rock gap which is one of the most important archaeological sites in the south east.




Just an example of the rock carvings.




The trail starts off with a stiff climb of 1500' in the first 1.5 miles. The next 4 miles is basically a ridge walk with a number of interesting features. The ridge is often very narrow with precipitous drop offs on either side. Were it not for the trees growing on the sides it would be breath taking. There were a few spots where folks obviously spend the night.




One of the biggest differences in Georgia hiking is the foot-bed. Up on the ridge there were some serious PUDS with 100' to 300' elevation changes.




Another difference is the Rhododendron. Here we are about to go through a Rhododendron tunnel. As much as I hated whacking through spruce, I'd take that anytime over a whack through Rhododendron.




After a 5.5 mile hike you reach the parking area where you will find Georgia's highest general store.




There is still a .5 mile hike with a 400' elevation gain up a paved path to the top.




As you near the summit you see the Summit building



Those who have only seen coastal Georgia may be surprised by the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountain Range



Of course we have to pose for the traditional summit picture then it's off for the 6.1 mile return to the car. It's interesting how those PUDS seem so much higher when your brain tells you that you're on your way down and your legs tell you you're going up.

A greenie in absentia, Ed. Thanks for the post.

Hi Ed!
I just recently found myself transported down to Atlanta from Boston. I haven't had much time for hiking yet, but I have managed to find my way up Rabun's Bald. The mountains down here are different, but very much beautiful in their own way. Unfortunately I am still looking for some lists to complete. Enjoy, and hopefully our paths will cross one of these days.
Doug

Great to see and hear from you and Lauky, Ed. Glad to see you both out on trail and look forward to more vicarious adventures down south with you.

PS: Were there a lot of tourists there to see the soapstone carvings? Sounds like an interesting place.

Driver8 said:

PS: Were there a lot of tourists there to see the soapstone carvings? Sounds like an interesting place.

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There was no one else there when we stopped by, but the trail over to them has been has obviously been well used.

Good to see the new trip report Ed! Keep 'em coming and best of luck in your new home and your new mountains.

What a lovely last hike. I have greatly enjoyed reading about your adventures together and hope to continue reading about the new trails you shall be traveling. Safe travels...

Hey, Ed. Good luck to you. I think I met you at the T/H for the beginning of Larissa's finish after the Fool's Scout Ball in April, although I probably was not that awake. Sorry I didn't get to know you better before then. Our mountains will miss you... but they will always be here to come back to...