Mt Kephart 2014

It has been a busy few weeks.  Work, my lovely wife, and Kimber have been keeping me off the trail, and attending to my regular duties.  Today I took some time to myself and headed to Newfound Gap, and Mt Kephart.  This is my second time to the summit of Kephart.  I enjoy this trail.  It is simple, straight forward, and at a little over 6 miles round trip a very enjoyable hike.

Today I brought along a new piece of gear.  A NEW CAMERA!  I have always loved photography, and I have been wanting a nice DSLR for my frequent excursions.  After Kendall's approval we purchased a Nikon D5300.

I am really liking this camera.  The sensor is excellent.  It will shoot 1080p video, and with 24 megapixel I have the opportunity to build a real nice portfolio.

Soon I hope to try my hand at some video blogging.  SOTA TV anyone?

Today Mt. Kephart treated me to some comfortable temps, and overcast skies.  In the three miles to the summit I gained 1237 ft elevation.  Along the way I took some interesting photos.

This tree stands above a trail marker.  I remember it from last time, and in the misty fog I thought it made a good subject.

The trail today was littered with dew laden webs.  This guy here was blowing in the wind, and it reminded me of the T-10C parachutes that saved my life over several drop zones.  

This photo here is on of my first attempts with Lightroom editing software.  It is fun, so expect more HDR pictures in the future.

 Some magic mushrooms anyone?

Turn right here.  On my first assent of Kephart I blew right by this sign and had to backtrack 3/4 of a mile.

 This part of the trail is after the turn toward the Jump Off.  Very pretty.

I stumbled across this little guy, and almost jumped back 20 feet.  my presence didn't seem to bother him though.  He continued to chow down as I passed.  I expect he is acclimatized to the hordes of hikers along this trail.

 

It was a great activation.  I was worried the bands would be a bit harsh considering the recent flare activity, but the bands were hopping.  I listened for a few minutes on 15m, but my attempts at DX today didn't pan out.

Thanks once again to all the chasers out there.  Hopefully it wont bee too long before I get the time to hit the trail once again.

73's And Keep Climbing!!!