Camping Fever

It has been a while since I have headed into the woods and gotten disconnected from everything and everyone around me. There is nothing like grabbing a few buddies, packing up a pack, and heading into the wilderness where you can relax and enjoy the goodness of nature. With me being from the North Georgia Mountains a staple place for me has always been the foothill of the Appalachian Trail. Most everyone has heard of this grueling, yet spectacular, 2,160 mile trail that reaches from the good old Springer Mountain to Maine. The fun part about hiking in the area that I like to call my usual is seeing the usual thru-hikers that are just starting their voyage (or attempted voyage) through the mountains of the east coast. Below is a map of the trial and shows the path that many people each year try to tackle in a 3-6 month hike.

My Bucket List includes this hike. I just hope I have the chance to do it.

With that being said the most recent trip that I have made hiking and camping in the Springer Mountain area has to be one of the most memorable. I went with two other guys that I know and we started at the drop off at Springer and hiked up to the shelter that is on top of Springer. We got there and setup the hammocks and I decided since we were at a shelter and it looked to be pretty well built, I would just go ahead and sleep in there. I helped the guys with me get their hammocks setup and gather firewood to get a fire up. About the time we stated getting some fire wood a couple of guys came up to the shelter. One looked like a grisly old man and the other an overweight son. The proceeded to assist us in gathering the firewood with us. We met them and the Dad stated that he was retired and that his son was a Chef but he was in-between jobs at this time (which translates to he cant find a job because he chose a limited career path and he eats more than he shares with the people he cooks for).

The night progresses and we have a couple more people come into the shelter (one of which almost set the shelter on fire, but that story for another time) and it gets time to go to bed. It is probably around 25 maybe colder at this point. Well I was in the loft of the shelter and the father son duo got up there also. The son had (with the disapproval of his father) brought a 45 degree sleeping bag because it was lighter and would pack smaller. So, naturally they go to bed before us and the dad comes down 4-5 times in about an hour stating that his son is freezing and cannot get warm. He took Jackets, hats, socks, extra clothing, and then even their tent up there to wrap around this guy. I finally get tired and go to bed. I get up to the loft and see this monstrosity of fabric wrapped around this 300 lb kid and he is snuggled up against his dad and is still complaining about being cold.

The night moves on and about every 5 to 10 minutes this kid keeps talking about being cold and waking me up. I overhear it over and over again. "Say a prayer for me Daddy", " I really think I am going to freeze to death", and he even had the guts to ask me if we could hike down to my buddies truck in the middle of the night so that he could sleep in it. I told him that it was not my truck and that my buddy would be pissed if he bothered him with this in the middle of the night. He finally dropped it and might have actually gone to sleep.

Me and my buddies at the Springer Mountain Shelter. The morning after "Daddy I am going to freeze"

The next morning I wake up and I hear the kid (I say kid he was probably older than me and I am 24 years old) telling his father that he is going to get the fire started with his stove. Now this did not register with me at first but then I realized that he was using a pressurize fuel can stove that is sort of a mini version of a gas grill. I start thinking to myself, "Self, surely he is not downstairs with a lit up stove turned upside down trying to light the firewood on fire." I then decided it was too big a risk to not check. Naturally that is exactly what he was doing. See the deal is there is a chance that the flame could double over itself and go back into the can and essentially become a very very large firecracker or grenade if you will. I jumped down off the loft and looked at him mean and said very simply "are you as much of a stupid ass as you look right now. Down here with a gas canister turned upside down about to plow us all the hell up?" He looked at me and stated "I am still cold." I told him simply and finally "I don't give a shit if you are cold if you turn that lit stove upside down one more time I am going to kick your fat ass!" Needless to say he never did again. I started a fire with some brush and I made me a cup of coffee.

We always speculated how long they made it when the first night they were actually considering getting a hotel in the middle of the night becuase it was too cold for fatty. I wished them all the best but I feel like they either died on the trail or they finally said "to hell with this" and went home. I will say this though. I really appreciated the saw that they left at the shelter and I wonder how their time cutting firewood went the rest of the trip.

Well that is my spill for the day. It might not be the most exciting blog I will put out but I just have been really wanting to get that out with me in the camping mood. I hope that some of the people that have read have enjoyed and will come back for some more next time.

Good bye and Good Day,

Kingmachine

Quarterbacks, Models, and Primal Living

Well it has been a while since I have written a blog for the enjoyment of whoever chooses to listen. I have been busy with workout schedules and the enjoyment that is birthday parties and Super Bowl extravaganza's. Now that there is time to catch a breath and enjoy the finer things in life I bring to you a discussion that I find to be very interesting an controversial at the same time. So lets set sail on the ride that is Quarterbacks, Models, and Primal Living.

“You [have] to catch the ball when you’re supposed to catch the ball,” she said. “My husband cannot [expletive] throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time. I can’t believe they dropped the ball so many times.” -- Gisele Bundchen (pictured below)

The goddess herself

This is like the shot that was heard the world round after the devastating Super Bowl loss that the New England Patriots suffered at the hands of the New York Giants for the second time in 5 years. There are opinions on "both sides of the ball" here but I will tell you what I think on the matter. There is nothing wrong with a little shit talking in football. I dont care if she is just the wife of Tom Brady, if she is taking slack from the media, she should get the benefit of defending herself and her husband. What most people miss is the fact that she was getting harrassed more than even her husband was in the immediate aftermath of the game and she held up nicely I think. And also lets take into consideration that this statement was true to a certain point. (Pictured Below)

Wes Welker drops one of the most important passes in the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl.

 If the wife of one of the players (even Tom Brady) wants to voice her opinion on the matter of fact then I have no problem. Lets also be blunt about this, she is beyond beautiful and should be able to say what she wants. 

The next thing that I would like to talk about is Primal Living. Some of you might see this and think to yourself "what the hell are you talking about?" Well the deal is that I have let myself get out of shape and it has finally gotten me fed up with myself. I have been looking for a solution to my problem and something to get me motivated for change. I found that in a program that my roommate Cameron found that really makes a lot of sense to me and is something that I can follow.  This program is called the "Primal Blueprint" and its explanation can be found on this website : 

http://primalblueprint.com/pages/What-We-Do.html  

Do you have what it takes to live "Primally?"

The concept that drives this program is the fact of how we survived back when we lived like "Primal Creatures". There was not really any grains or breads that we consumed and the diet was rich in Meats, Vegetables, Fruits, and Nuts. We ate what came to us and what the land provided to us. I think we can all agree that back in the those day we were a much more healthy culture. The falsity that fat is so bad for you is a lie that the corporate America has really pushed and it has won over many people. Fad diets run rabid through society and what happens at the end? You are the same size that you were when you started. I have been on the diet and have been on a 4 day a week workout regiment of cardio and weightlifting and as of this morning. I am down about 6% body fat which adds up to about 13 lbs of pure body fat. I have gained some muscle mass so my weight loss is only at about 9 lbs but I have only been at it three weeks. This diet works. If you are committed to make a lifestyle change you too can live "Primal". 

Thanks for visiting and until next time rock out people. 

Kingmachine