WINE & DINE IN ORLANDO MILWAUKEE GETS CRAFTY SAN ANTONIO’S HOMEGROWN SOUND THERE’S NOTHING STOPPING YOU ! APRIL "#$$ T H E R E ’ S AN ALABAMA N O T H GOLF ODYSSEY I N G S GO BEHIND THE GREENS OF THE T O P WORLD’S TRICKIEST GOLF TRAIL P I N Pg. 42 G Y O U IN GOOD SPIRITS: LOCAL LIQUOR DISTILLERS Pg. 33 WALK ON THE WILD SIDE UNCOVER THE ULTIMATE a i r HIKING ADVENTURES t r a Pg. 54 n . c o m / g o A P R I L " # $ $ COMPLIMENTARY COPY 72 GO_0411_p001_COVER_EDIT.indd 1 14/03/2011 14:22 derness. Wil than t more American It’s a concep was established . Since Yosemite apple pie s of the 500 million acre 890, more than in 1 ically unique and ctacular, ecolog ation’s most spe he public n been placed in t ortant land has culturally imp sts and wildlife- , primordial fore aring mountains d the trust. So re. Here, we aske ll yours to explo h grasslands—a path trails ric off-the-beaten- reveal the best experts to and greatest e sweetest gear ot to mention th re (n ring the wild mo s) to make explo campsite r carry- ver. So pack you tempting than e our boots. on and lace up y It’s time to hike. M A H C R U B N BY PETER KOCH H O TYPOGRAPHY AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY JACOB THOMAS J APRIL !"## 54 GO MAGAZINE GO_0411_p054_CAMPING.indd 54 16/03/2011 15:23 ( Great Smoky Mountains National Park ) NOLAND DIVIDE TRAIL TO LONE! SOME PINE OVERLOOK "# MILES FROM ASHEVILLE A steep trail up a fire- scorched ridge delivers you to a rocky outcropping with dramatic views of North Carolina’s mountain country. Get Home Safely As Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s trails and WILDERNESS IS BIG, BEAUTIFUL AND OFTEN UNPRE! facilities volunteer coordinator, Christine Hoyer spends DICTABLE. WE ASKED THE EXPERTS WHAT TO DO most of her days in the field, working on the park’s WHEN TROUBLE STRIKES. 800-plus-mile trail network. But when she’s off the clock, she heads to one place: Lonesome Pine Overlook, a cliff-top lookout three leg-straining miles up the rugged Noland Divide Trail on the North Carolina side of Great Smoky. Here’s why: ! THE VIEW. From Lonesome Pine, the view is southwest into Deep Creek and Lands Creek valleys. “It’s really a spectacular, expansive view,” Hoyer says. ! SOLITUDE. Given the steep climb—it’s more than YOUR CANOE CAP- YOU’RE LOST IN YOU’RE CAUGHT IN 2,000 feet from Deep Creek to Lonesome Pine—and its SIZES OFFSHORE THE WOODS A THUNDERSTORM Jeremy Oyen, Reggie Bennett, Tony Nester, relative isolation from the park’s main travel corridors, American Canoe Mountain Shepherd Ancient Pathways only a tiny fraction of the park’s 9 million annual visi- Association Wilderness Survival wilderness skills tors ever make it to the lookout. (1) Stay with your School company canoe. (2) Have the (1) Ask the following (1) If you’re at high ! A WATERFALL. “There’s a small cascade during the designated rescuer questions: Do I elevation, get down springtime that crosses the trail,” she says. pull the canoe know the terrain? In into the tree line ! THE BURN. We’re not talking the one in your thighs, perpendicular on which direction is the as fast as possible top of his to drain it, nearest road, river or and look for shelter but rather a swath of Beaugard Ridge (the one you’ll then place it parallel town? Can I navigate under a grove of climb) that burned in a 2001 forest fire. “You can see the to his own. (3) Swim there? (2) If you have saplings or immature destruction of the fire,” Hoyer says, “but also the begin- to your canoe on the any doubt, stay put. trees. (2) If you’re in opposite side of the (3) Get shelter from a group, spread nings of [regrowth vegetation that’s] going to take its rescuer, who will wind, rain or sun. out about 30 feet place.” Plus, the fire opened up the views on the ascent. gently tilt his side up. (Most rescues hap- from each other. ! OFF MAP. “It’s not on the $1 trail map,” Hoyer says. (4) Lie on your back, pen within 24 hours, (3) As a general rule, reach your outside so food shouldn’t be if lightning is 6 miles “If people don’t know it’s there, they won’t look for it.” foot into boat. (5) Roll your first priority.) away (30 seconds ! BEARS. Three of the six times Hoyer has hiked S I toward canoe and (4) Start a fire. between lightning B here, she’s either scared a bear off the ridge or seen one. R and thunderclap) or O grab the rescuer’s (5) Drink some water. C ' hand, who will hold (6) Alert a search closer, squat down “If you’re looking to find wildlife, don’t go to our highest- G N I the canoe steady as plane with a signal on your packs and N use trails,” she says. It also helps that there are… N A you enter it. Know mirror. (7) Wait. ride out the storm. M ! BLUEBERRIES. “If you hit it just right (mid- to before you go: Don’t Know before you go: Know before you M A I late-summer), you’ll have Lonesome Pine to yourself L canoe alone. Three is Tell friends or family go: Research local L I W the ideal minimum. where you’re headed. weather patterns. and plenty of blueberries to munch on,” she says. APRIL $%&& 55 GO MAGAZINE GO_0411_p054_CAMPING.indd 55 16/03/2011 15:23 EVERNEW TITANIUM ULTRA!LIGHT COOK! WARE What do we know about titanium? Well, it’s used in airplanes (like the one you’re flying on), weighs next to nothing and MSR WHISPERLITE INTERNA! lasts a lifetime. What’s more, these pots, TIONALE There’s a reason why cup and collapsible utensils nest together Go Light, MSR has sold this model for 23 for easy packing. two pots, $87; cup, $ 22; years—because it’s the most utensils, $50, evernewamerica.com reliable stove available. Its simple, solid construction means it can Go Far withstand a beating, but is fixable YOUR BACK WILL THANK YOU in the field when it doesn’t. Oh yeah, it also heats food really well. $90, FOR PACKING LIGHTWEIGHT cascadedesigns.com CAMPING GEAR. STERIPEN ADVENTURER OPTI Unless you plan to lug gallons of water (and, at 8.35 pounds each, you probably don’t), you’ll need this little guy. Fast, reliable and ultralight, it uses UV light to kill bacteria and viruses in even the nastiest of puddles. $90, steripen.com PRINCETON TEC REMIX Whether you’re lighting your dinner or spotlighting the raccoon that took off with it, this bombproof headlamp has you covered. Three LEDs give off a bright, even SMARTWOOL SOCKS floodlight for camp use, and Socks are probably the a Maxbright LED sheds light most critical yet under- on animals up to 148 feet rated piece of equipment away. $45, princetontec.com on any backpacking trip. A good pair—with decent PACKIT GOURMET Just because cushioning and flat toe it’s dehydrated doesn’t mean it THERM!A!REST NEOAIR seams—keeps your has to taste that way. Not only You won’t worry about frozen ground feet warm, and blisters does Packit taste like real food— or that pesky root jabbing your ribs from forming on them. yummy dishes include “The Big when you doze on this lightweight Smartwool, a favorite for Easy Gumbo” and “Austintacious sleeping pad. Its reflective barrier 17 years, makes theirs Tortilla Soup”—but it’s also made returns warmth to your body while with sustainably raised, with natural and organic ingre- a stabilizing internal truss system superfine merino wool. $16 to dients when possible. Just add keeps you steady atop 2.5 inches of $24, smartwool.com water—and bon appétit. $2.50 to air. Sweet dreams. $150, cascade $7/single serving, packitgourmet.com designs.com ( White Mountain National Forest) wind-scoured ridges—one of which is 6,288-foot Mt. Washington, the Northeast’s tallest mountain—it’s LOST POND!SQUARE a launching point for big treks into the Whites’ most rugged terrain. But there’s plenty to suit less experienced LEDGE TRAIL hikers. In fact, Justin Preisendorfer, a long-time Wilder- !" MILES FROM PORTLAND, ME ness and Backcountry Recreation Manager in White Mountain National Forest, eschewed more obvious This family-friendly loop hike samples the choices—a hut-to-hut trek over the alpine heights of the best the White Mountains have to offer. Presidential Range or a frontal assault on the steeps of PPinPiinkkhham Notch, a deep glacial valley in the White Tuckerman Ravine—for an easier, low-country loop that MMoMouMountains,n is New Hampshire’s easternmost mountain shows off the area’s best features: cliff-top views, river ppassass and a hiker’s paradise. Sandwiched between two crossings, a waterfall and plenty of wildlife. JUSTIN’S “LEAVE NO Limit group size, because Walk on durable surfaces Keep an eye out for ani- Don’t feed the wildlife. TRACE” HIKING TIPS: groups have exponentially to avoid eroding trails, mals, and give them space. Visit lnt.org for more info larger impact on a trail. especially in mud season. You’re in their home. on “leave no trace” ethics. APRIL #$%% 56 GO MAGAZINE GO_0411_p054_CAMPING.indd 56 16/03/2011 15:24 BIG AGNES FLY CREEK UL$ It’s true there’s no place like home, but out on the trail this is the next best thing.