A Winter Vacation...

One of our favorite places to vacation during the winter is Jackson Hole, Wyoming. If you like to ski or climb, then surely this must be heaven. And after a long, hard day breaking trail, a healthy, heardy meal and a home crafted beer at the Snake River Brewery can't be beat. It's where the locals hang out. Oh yeah, don't forget to set your watch to "Jackson Hole Time"..If you don't know what this means, just ask the waitress!

Also, don't miss visiting the National Elk Refuge just north of Jackson Hole. The arch in the town square is comprised of thousands of elk horns. There is one on each of the 4 corners. You can take a sleigh ride into the refuge and get inside the herd sometimes numbering in the hundreds. More info can be seen at Elk Refuge Sleigh Rides.

I suddenly think a return trip to this magical place is in order!!!

Success!!!

Congratulations to Stan, Stefan and Alex Goldberg on their successful summit of Mt. Hood this past Sunday. Stan, age 81 and father of Alex and Stefan, has now completed 48 of the 50 State Highpoints. Only Granite Peak in Montana and Gannett peak in Wyoming remain on the list but an attempt on Granite comes in 5 weeks. Good luck to Stan on his personal quest. Photo order, left to right: Stefan, Alex, Ed and Stan

Clock's Ticking!

Well, indeed, the time clock is ticking as indicated on the previous post titled "Second Chance". Scroll down several posts to view the background info. For those guests following our blog and other interested viewers who have inquired, the mountain in question is Mt. Hood near Portland, OR. Yesterday, my gracious and understanding boss gave me the day off to go play with the boys. And play we did! About 13 miles on the AT in North Georgia from Unicoi Gap to Tray Mt. summit and back to Unicoi Gap. Great day, slightly humid but, thankfully, somewhat overcast so not so hot. Anyway, this was the last conditioning climb prior to attempting Hood again. Weather permitting, we hope to tag the summit so my friends Dad can check off one of three remaining high points left in his personal quest.
PS. The blooming flower is a rhododendrum which is very common in North Georgia. As you can see, the blooms are just opening...a hundred feet or more below the summit they had already bloomed and fallen to the ground.

Second Chance?

Well, the clock is ticking for a second attempt for the summit of this mountain. My friend, Stefan, (back row, second from right) is accompaning his Dad, (Back row,center) in attempting one of his final peaks of the State Highpoints. Quite an achievement! We were turned back in June several years ago due to high avalanche potential. In fact, a bad accident befell several rope teams which passed us while we took a break at the berschrund. So, we'll try it again soon! Can you guess which mountain we are on?
Hint: Western US, second most climbed mountain in the world.

Innkeepers' Day Off

Well, it finally snowed in North Georgia, although only about a half inch, but just enough to make things pretty. So, combined with 35+mph winds and 27 degree temps, conditions were perfect for a day hike. An hour and a half north of Atlanta puts you on the Appalachian Trail and into stellar views of North Carolina. Did I mention the bear tracks we encountered on the trail in the newly fallen snow?? Suddenly you find yourself looking behind you at the slightest noise or movement. We encountered several AT thru-hikers getting an early start heading towards Maine. Wow!!

Following a long day on the AT, my friend, Lee, and I decided to hike up to Mt. Yonah and check out the climbing routes as he had passed the mountain many times and had always been curious. He was impressed and will return I'm sure.

So, Innkeepers do get out and have fun in the woods. It's nice to have an understanding Boss!

Climbing with Ed

Hello!! I am Ed and the co-owner and innkeeper at Shellmont Inn. If you have already viewed the sidebar list of our favorite Things to Read and View and our Favorite Links, then you have most likely concluded that my passion is Alpine Climbing, Mountaineering and Rock Climbing. In fact, if I'm not at the Inn, chances are good that I'm out seeking higher ground.

I became interested in mountaineering just over five years ago while surfing the web looking for an exciting outdoor sport which would be physically challenging. Climbing caught my attention, specifically Mt. Rainier outside Seattle in Washington state. I trained very hard (or at least I thought I had) for five months prior to my summit attempt. However, at 12,500 feet, I hit the wall and could go no further. Of course, the 60+ mile per hour wind may have had something to do with that issue! Anyway, I returned 7 months later and gained the summit. What a wonderful feeling of accomplishment.

Since then, I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to climb Mt. Whitney (California), Mt. Hood (Oregon) and Ixta & Orizaba (Mexico) as well as rock climb here in the Southeast states. I routinely try to stay in shape by riding a mountain bike from the Inn in Midtown, Atlanta to Stone Mountain east of Atlanta, climb the mountain and return back to the Inn...a fourty mile round trip. Of course, working around the Inn presents numerous opportunities for exercise on a daily basis.

Our next post will most likely focus on Debbie, our resident Innkeeper and Co- Owner of Shellmont Inn, who also happens to be my wife who patiently supports my mountain wanderlust!!!