The 2007 "Buds Trip" took place over Labor Day Weekend in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  Various circumstances had kept the group from getting together in 2006, so we were all anxiously awaiting the 2007 trip.  Planning began early in the year as we reserved a rental home in Gatlinburg and made travel arrangements.  Tim was a no-show for the third consecutive trip, but everybody else was able to go.

For this trip, Brad would be driving up from Florida and I would be flying in from Colorado on Thursday.  On Friday, Marc would be flying in from his home in Connecticut and Marc, Dave, and Eric would be arriving after driving from Indianapolis.

Fortunately, my direct flight from Denver to Knoxville went very smoothly.  After arriving in Knoxville late in the evening, I headed to the hotel where Brad had already checked in after arriving earlier in the day.  I had not seen Brad for a couple of years, so we spent some time catching up and making plans for a hike the next day.

Day 1 -- Ramsey Cascades

Brad and I had a few hours to kill on Friday while we waited on the rest of the crew to arrive.  We woke up at about 8:00, got ready, and hit the road for Gatlinburg.  Our plan was to hike the eight mile roundtrip to Ramsey Cascades as a warm-up for the weekend and then head back into town to meet the Indiana guys before heading up to Knoxville as a group to meet Marc at the airport.

Despite the oppressive humidity, Brad and I made very quick work of the hike to the Cascades.  We made it to the Cascades in just under an hour and forty-five minutes.  After taking a few minutes to eat a snack and enjoy the scenery, we headed back down to the car.  It was a great warm-up for the weekend.

On our drive back to Gatlinburg, we touched base with the Indiana guys who had already arrived and secured the keys to our cabin -- which turned out to be more of a vacation palace!  After chilling out for a bit and getting showers, we all piled in Mike Bilyj's van and headed up to Knoxville to pick up Marc.  After picking up Marc, we headed over to Hooters for our traditional "kick-off dinner".  As always, we had a great time catching up and laughing constantly.

Brad poses at Ramseys Cascades.	My semi-annual picture at Ramseys Cascades.

Day 2 -- Mt. Cammerer

Marc and I had planned on trying at least one new hike during this trip and Mt. Cammerer fit the bill perfectly.  Unfortunately, Brad, Mike, Dave, and Eric decided that they would rather do a shorter hike, so Marc and I decided to get an early start so that we could knock out the 11-mile hike and then be back at the cabin in time to call in for our Fantasy Football Draft.

The Mt. Cammerer hike was a real gut-buster for me, and Marc seemed to have just a little more energy than I did.  I think that my hike from the previous day had taken a bit out of me and the continued humidity was not helping me.  At any rate, we still really enjoyed the hike and and the new scenery.  We barely encountered any other hikers on the trail the whole day.  We had to laugh though at a couple of guys on horseback who we passed at a trail junction.  One guy asked us, "Duh y'all do this for fun or are ya' gittin' in shape for huntin'?"  We just had to laugh. 

Upon reaching the summit and the fire-lookout at the top, we were disappointed in the thick haze that sat over the surrounding mountain ridges.  The humidity was awful and you could see it in the air.  Despite the poor views, we sat down and enjoyed some lunch and Gatorade before heading back down the mountain.

Marc points to our destination at the trailhead.	Marc negotiates a log bridge near the beginning of the trail.	The morning sun peeks into the Smoky Mountain forest.	Marc enjoys a break at the summit.	Me just below the fire lookout on the summit.
A heavy haze hung over the surrounding ridgeline.	The fire lookout at the summit of Mt. Cammerer.

Day 3 -- Charlie's Bunion from Newfound Gap

Our original plan for the third day of the trip was a 16-mile long point-to-point hike over Mt. LeConte from Newfound Gap (with a side trip to Charlie's Bunion) and down past Alum Cave Bluffs and back to the lower trailhead.  The group had completed this hike on the last trip and had found it challenging and rewarding.

However, I woke up on this morning and simply just didn't think I had a long hike in me.  I was quite worn down from the previous two days.  I got up and went downstairs and said, "Fellas, I just don't see myself doing a long hike today."  I figured that I would get a ton of grief for it -- but I was quite surprised when I heard Marc say, "You know, I'm not sure I do either."  So we all decided on a change of plans -- we would all hike from Newfound Gap to Charlie's Bunion and back to Newfound Gap.  This is an 8-mile hike with moderate elevation gain and a rewarding view from the Bunion.  I liked that we would all be able to hike together (which we rarely do) and that we could kind of take it easy and enjoy the day.