Archive for June, 2010

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Woman falls 60 feet down Walden’s Ridge

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
The Chattanoogan is reporting that a young woman suffered head and facial injuries in a fall from a cliff at the Falling Water Nature Trail last night.

At approximately 6:40 p.m. the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched regarding a fall from the cliff area of the trail. When deputies arrived, they spoke with a young man, who said he and two females went swimming in a pool on a creek about one mile from the road.

They were climbing up a cliff and used a rope that had been previously placed by other hikers. The victim, 21-year-old Toni Bedwell, slipped off the rope, striking her head and facial area before she fell to the ground. One report said she fell 30 feet and another said 60 feet.

The other female stayed with her, while the young man went for help.

She suffered injuries to her face and head and the rescue and extrication took about three hours. Rescuers set-up a four rope system and cleared paths with chainsaws to help with getting Ms. Bedwell extricated quickly. Since the terrain was so steep and rocky, the rope system was a quick and safe way out, officials said.

Ms. Bedwell was airlifted to Erlanger Hospital by LifeForce helicopter.

Officials said Ms. Bedwell "sustained possible traumatic injuries."


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.

Posted in Falling Water Nature Trail, Walden's Ridge | Comments Off

Study clears Newfound Gap Road reconstruction in Smokies

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
WATE TV in Knoxville is reporting that the National Park Service has issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) on the natural and cultural resources of the Smokies, thus clearing the way for reconstruction of Newfound Gap Road in the Great Smoky Mountains.

The Federal Highway Administration will now contract for the rehabilitation of the 14.5 miles of Newfound Gap Road from the park's entrance at Gatlinburg to the Tennessee - North Carolina state line at Newfound Gap.

The work will address the "deterioration of the pavement, safety concerns, and rehabilitation of the historic cut stone guardwalls, most of which were constructed about 70 years ago by the Civilian Conservation Corps," said park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson.

Officials say the work will be done in three phases over the next six to seven years.

It begins with the first two miles of the road which descends north from Newfound Gap into Tennessee. That phase is expected to begin in November.

Other than some resurfacing work done in the 1980s, no major improvements have been made to the road since it was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps nearly 70 years ago, said National Park Service spokeswoman Nancy Gray.

Officials are hoping to use a variety of strategies to keep traffic flowing on the road, which sees up to 9,000 vehicles per day during the peak season, she said. Temporary traffic lights, lane closures with flaggers and full road closures are among the options that might be used.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.

Posted in Great Smoky Mountains, Newfound Gap Road, reconstruction | Comments Off

WNC man donates land to Blue Ridge Parkway

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
A western North Carolina man who remembers seeing the construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway is donating and selling land he owns to help expand its protected landscape.

The Conservation Trust for North Carolina announced yesterday that Joe Arrington has donated a 46-acre parcel of land in Haywood County. In April, he sold a 64-acre tract to the same group.

The combined tract, called Richland Creek Headwaters, is adjacent to the Parkway in Haywood County, near Milepost 440. It's part of a larger piece of land bought by Mr. Arrington's family in 1936, before Parkway construction reached the area. Thirty of the family's 188 acres were condemned and used for the road project.

Richland Creek Headwaters provides a spectacular backdrop for Blue Ridge Parkway travelers – especially from the Waynesville and Saunook overlooks – near the boundary of Jackson and Haywood counties in the Great Balsam Mountains.

CTNC plans to convey the combined property to the National Park Service for inclusion in the Parkway's boundary, possibly by the time the Parkway marks its 75th anniversary in September.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.

Posted in Conservation Trust for North Carolina, Joe Arrington, Richland Creek Headwaters, blue ridge parkway, donates | Comments Off

Bushwalking: Hartz Peak, Tasmania

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
This is another great day walk that is easily accessed from the lovely city of Hobart. It provides for excellent alpine walking with extensive views and secluded and attractive lakes and tarns. The walk commences from a car park at the end of the gravel road that leaves the C632 road (see access below). There is [...]

Posted in Day walks around Hobart, Hobart, Mt Hartz, Tasmania, day walks | Comments Off

Hiker survives first bear attack in modern Kentucky history

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
"Then, he really dug in deep and began shaking me kind of like a dog would do with a toy."

Tim Scott, 56, of Springfield, KY said he was hiking on the Pinch-Em Tight Trail in the Red River Gorge area of the Daniel Boone National Forest this past Sunday when a black bear attacked him without provocation.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources said this was the first black bear attack on a human in modern Kentucky history.

The Red River Gorge area is closed until further notice.

State wildlife officials are setting traps in the area to capture the bear and, until they have caught it or know that it has left the area, the Red River Gorge recreation area will be closed, said U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Kimberly Morgan.

Scott said in a telephone interview that he was standing on a ledge, his blue heeler dog with him on a retractable leash, when he realized there was something behind them. When he turned, he said, the black bear was standing on the trail.

Scott was released from a hospital Monday morning after receiving 50-60 stitches. You can read his entire encounter by clicking here.

Here's an article regarding one of the guys who helped rescue Scott from the bear.

As I've mentioned in previous postings, I spent quite a lot of time in Red River Gorge in my younger days. Back in the mid-Eighties there were always rumors of bear sightings in the Gorge, but no one really took them seriously. Within the last 5 years or so, however, the number of sightings/rumors began to take off. With this incident, I guess officials can finally confirm the existence of bears in the area.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.

Posted in Pinch-Em Tight Trail, Red River Gorge, bear attack | Comments Off

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