Trip Report: A Birthday Hike to Oscar Blevin's Farm

This past Saturday, I celebrated another year of life. In honor of that, I decided that I wanted to go hiking with my girls. The night previous, we hadn't a clue as to where to go. We wanted to make sure that where ever we ended up going, there was a destination for Bug to get down and explore, so that hiking becomes a "Fun" activity for her and something that she'll want to continue to do.

The next morning, we awoke and hung out around the house doing the usual morning routine and overall we were just being lazy. After a little while though, we started to get things ready and packed into the car so that we could head out to go hiking.

The weather was perfect. Mostly sunny and in the mid 70's. We finally hit the road just after noon and decided that we would head up to The Big South Fork NRRA. We had a couple different trails going through our heads, and finally decided that we would hike the Oscar Blevin's Farm Loop. This was a relatively easy to moderate trail that we hadn't done since Kiddo was about 5 or 6. That happened to be the year that we beat a nasty storm front off the trail and watched an amazing light show put on by mother nature. What we didn't realize at the time, was that the light show was a precursor to the destruction that hit the area we had been hiking in later that evening.

Trip Report: Eleventh Anniversary Hike - Interpretive Trail Loop FHSP

Robin and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary back in April. We didn't get each other anything fancy or what-not, but what we did do, was all the better. Considering I had been out of work for over a month while Robin was recovering from back surgery, our finances were looking a bit thin and well we really couldn't afford to do much of anything. So with the lemons we had we made lemonade by spending the day with our girls, outside.

We decided that since it had been almost a month since Robin's surgery, and she hadn't set foot on a trail since late January, we would head to one of our favorite State Parks and give the mostly pain free feelings a test drive for Robin. We got everything ready including all of Bug's stuff (diapers, bottles, etc.) and loaded up in the vehicle and headed out for Frozen Head State Park to hike the Interpretive Loop Trail or as Kiddo has dubbed it, the Interpretive Dance Loop Trail. Teenagers can be so funny sometimes.

Dinah's First Official Hikes

We've been jonesin' to get out on the trail for a while now. We hadn't been on any hikes since September of last year. Well I take that back, Robin did let me out on the Hiker Release Program back in November. Granted we've been on the Songbird Trail at Norris Dam State Park a couple of times and up to the Pinnacle Overlook at Cumberland Gap NHP after our little Bug was born but those were more just strolls along the path and not what we consider "real hikes". This all changed last weekend when we decided we were going to get out on the trail even if it killed us.

We had originally planned on just doing one hike this weekend. However, we had a small dilemma. Dinah is at the discovery age (4 months old) and she's not keen on being in her car-seat stroller. So we had to find a stroller that would allow her to sit up and see the world as it came at her. We found a good stroller and decided that instead of hiking on Saturday, we would just go to a park and walk around to test out the stroller and see how "Bug" did.

Early Celebration Giveaway(5.11 Tactical Flashlight)

Wow it's already spring and well it's one of our favorite times of year to be out on the trail and/or camping. We've been at this blogging business for a while now and well this year is a bit different. You know this May we will be celebrating five years of blogging, trail reports and destination guides here at Appalachia & Beyond. And while you can expect some cool things to celebrate the occasion, we thought with it being spring and a great time to get out on the trail or in the campgrounds, why not start celebrating a little early.

Photo Courtesy of:
5.11 Tactical

We are lucky enough to begin the celebrations for the upcoming anniversary by teaming up with 511Tactical  to give away a prize to one of our readers - and it could be you! The prize is an ATAC A2 Flashlight from 511's range of flashlights.

The ATAC A2 is simply designed to be strong, light and bright - the 2AA batteries supply 162 lumens, or just 15 lumens on 'ultra low power' mode.

Slave Falls and Needle Arch - Big South Fork - 5/21/2011

As you have heard, yesterday was supposed to be the rapture and Robin reported that we were going out in our style. Of course that meant walking in the woods. After Robin had been cooped up in the house most of the week and me having a busy week at work, we were both itching to seek solace in the trees and sandstone geology of The Big South Fork NRRA. This time we decided to do a hike that we hadn't done in close to 10 years: the Sawmill Trail to Slave Falls and Needle Arch.

Our original plan was to do the Slave Falls Loop. Of course with Robin working overtime all the time right now, we decided that she would make the call as to whether or not we would do the whole loop or come back out after seeing Slave Falls and Needle Arch. We really couldn't have asked for better weather as the rain was forecast to hold off another day. I suppose if there was one complaint, it would have been for the temps to be a couple of degrees cooler but nonetheless we weren't going to complain and enjoyed our time.

The trailhead is located on the graveled Fork Ridge Road. To get there from Knoxville, you travel north on I-75 to the Oneida exit in Scott County. From there you take Highway 63 through Huntsville. At the light turn right on Highway 27 to Oneida. At the first stop light in Oneida's industrial area take a left onto 297 and continue left on 297 at the stop sign. From here follow the signs to The Big South Fork NRRA. Once in the park stay on 297 all the way through the park until you come to Highway 154. This is a bit of a drive so don't worry, you will stay on 297 until you get to 154 and have no choice but to turn right or left. At this junction turn right towards Pickett State Park until you come to the sign for Charit Creek Lodge. Turn right at the sign onto the graveled Divide Road and then turn right onto Fork Ridge Road. Go down Fork Ridge Road until you come to the parking lot for Sawmill Trail. It's just past the Middle Creek Trailhead area.

From the trailhead we donned our gear and were ready to head down the trail when a lady exited the trail with a full pack. Minutes later, as I was waypointing the trailhead, a man exited the trail with a nice sized pack as well. It was at this point he asked Robin if she could get their picture. Turns out the man and woman were together and had just hiked out from Charit Creek Lodge where they had stayed the night. After he took a good 5 minutes to explain how to properly operate his point and shoot to a woman holding a Canon 60D (bless his heart!), Robin snapped a few pictures for them and the gentleman offered to do the same for us. I handed him my camera and we (Robin, Clover, and I) posed for our group mugshot.

After exchanging pleasantries we finally set down the trail which followed alongside the graveled road we drove in on. Within two to three tenths of a mile we came to the point where the loop begins and you can turn left to cross the road or right to take the loop in a clockwise direction. It was also at this point, while once again waypointing this spot, we were met by a large group of adults and kids hiking back from what appeared to be a scout outing on the trail. Everyone admired Clover and one little boy mentioned that at first he thought "We were walking a skunk" because all he seen was a black and white tail. Too cute.

We turned right at this point and headed downhill on the trail through a mixed pine, hemlock, and hardwood forest. Along the way, we enjoyed the sound of birds flitting and chirping throughout the forest. We spotted toadstools and other fungi, as well as many different wildflowers amongst a fern-covered forest floor. We had the trail to ourselves and relished in that fact. We continued hiking, making mention of things we both saw.

At one point in the trail, about a half mile in, we noticed that a creek was meandering along to the right of the trail. We took a moment to let Clover get her paws wet and discussed how that would be a great water source for backpackers. Once Clover was done playing, we continued on for another .2 miles when we came upon a footbridge that crossed over the creek. We decided once again to take a small detour and let Clover play in the water once more. She absolutely loves playing in the creeks if you hadn't noticed by now. The interesting thing about the creek at this point was that it seemed to drop in behind a rock and then flow out of it's opening, which was pretty cool.

We continued on once more making our way further down the trail towards Slave Falls. It was around this point that I noticed the "CPS" had lost the satellite signal. Previous to our starting down the trail, Trimble decided to throw some sort of exception error. I had to restart the program and it appeared that all was well. Unfortunately, we were no longer recording our trip past the footbridge and it wasn't til the next day that I discovered it wasn't going to record any trips until I reset the whole phone. Oh well, c'est la vie.

Shortly after the footbridge we came to a point in the trail where it traverses the rim edge of the hollow where Slave Falls is located. Another .2 miles and we reached the junction in the trail where we could turn right to the Indian Rock House and continue the loop or continue straight for another tenth of a mile or two to the point in the trail where we had to decide if we wanted to go to the falls first or the arch first. We opted to turn left on the trail and head down to the falls. The trail to the falls is .2 miles and meanders alongside the rock overhang of the hollow rim. This part of the trail is where you can expect to get, in the very least, dirty and at the worst muddy as water from rain and runoff continuously drips from the overhang.

As we continued to descend into the hollow alongside the rim wall, we finally made it to the falls. There is an observation point here with fence and sign to allow safe viewing. However, being the photographers that we Robin are is, we decided in order to get the shot we had to CLIMB down the trail to the rock pool at the foot of the falls. This is where we got the dirtiest as we had to slip and slide down steep, muddy trail and butt slide down boulders to get there. (Makes me wish I had brought our climbing rope. :P). Once at the bottom we snapped several photos and then let Clover off the leash to romp in the pool created by the 60' Slave Falls -named for the slaves that took refuge in the rock overhangs in the area and the amphitheater that was created by the erosion from wind and the waterfall.

After what seemed like an hour enjoying the waterfall and surrounding scenery, it was time to head back up and check out Needle Arch. Of course this meant scrambling back up the muddy embankment to the observation area and then back to the main trail. Once back to the main trail we turned to the left from the falls trail and hiked another .2 miles to the arch. Needle Arch is a natural sandstone arch formed over time from erosion. At the arch, you can go right on the trail for another 1.5 miles to Jake's Place and then eventually to Charit Creek Lodge. However, after spending a little bit at the arch admiring the geological formation and taking Robin's 10 week pregnancy picture we decided to head back to the loop trail. After all if we were going to do the entire loop we had to get a move on.

We headed back the way we came until we came to the decision point as to whether to finish the loop or just head back out the way we came. Robin was feeling pretty tired after climbing down and then back from the falls so we opted to take the short route and head back out the way we came. We took our time and enjoyed what was left of our time in the woods, snapping a few more pictures. We came to the point where the trail traverses along the rim and I decided to see if I could give Robin a mini heart attack walk to the edge and glimpse the waterfall from above. Unfortunately, all I did was get a scolding for sliding down the rock to the ledge as Robin thought I was gone 60' down in a hurry.

At this point we continued our walk back to the car and enjoying each others company. We got back to the car to realize as always our car was the last one in the parking lot. We kicked off our shoes, removed our packs, put on our flip flops and headed home. We had to take time at the trailhead long enough to enjoy our PB&J sandwiches and oatmeal cream pies though. We had definitely earned them.

On our way back home we made countless jokes about the rapture. It wasn't quite "time" yet but drawing closer. We decided to stop at a little market (The Hitching Post) to grab a couple of sodas and a bottle of water for the Beene. We decided that it had that "Wrong Turn" feel to it as it reeked with that creepy vibe. It couldn't have been a more fitting place for the "pending rapture".

Nothing happened - as we all knew it wouldn't. Jesus will come in his own time, not some quack's time. Until then, there are plenty more trail to follow.

For bunches more pictures, go here and view this hike's web album.

BTW - we're transitioning to Picasa for our photos. Soon we'll have them all moved over from our Flickr.

Happy Trails,
Tim and Robin

Rainy Days by AnB Zeppelin

Yup... Robin is officially bored of the rain.

** To the tune of Dancin' Days by Led Zeppelin **

Rainy days are here again and the springtime evenings are cool.
The rhodo’s flowers are lovin’ the showers, the toads are on the stools.

Chorus
Temperate rainforest, Temperate rainforest – that’s what we get, I guess.
Rains for days and days, that’s right: days and days – shouldn’t expect any less.

Crazy weather is evident – There is snow on Mt. Mitchell in May
We’ve turned our heat on inside to keep the chillies at bay.

Chorus
Temperate rainforest, Temperate rainforest – that’s what we get, I guess.
Rains for days and days, that’s right: days and days – shouldn’t expect any less.

I told my Timmy I’d take some pics, but my camera hasn’t been waterproofed.
All this drizzle has made me sizzle with cabin fever under this roof.

Chorus
Temperate rainforest, Temperate rainforest – that’s what we get, I guess.
Rains for days and days, that’s right: days and days – shouldn’t expect any less.

Rainy days are here again and the springtime evenings are cool.
I want the sunshine back, the pretty sunshine back, I want to swim in a pool.

Just a Little Hike - Interpretive Trail Loop - Frozen Head State Park - 5/1/2011

This past Sunday, we were itching to get out and into the woods after spending all day Saturday doing yard work and other various chores around the house. We knew it had to be something short and easy because well let's face it, just getting out was asking a lot. With Robin only being in her seventh week of pregnancy, we are very limited due to how she may be feeling at any given moment. Of course she hates that that is the case but it is what it is and we make due with it the best we can.

So to accommodate the mixture of pukeyness and fatigue that comes from making a baby, we decided the Interpretive Trail Loop at Frozen Head State Park would be a perfect little trail to take to enjoy some fresh air and the splendor of mother nature. You might remember this trail from a couple years back when we took the kiddos for a hike and some playing at the park.

The trail starts behind the visitor center at the Visitor Center Trail which is only .3 miles to the actual interpretive loop. At .1 mile, if that, you come to an intersection where you can either go right up to Chimney Top or turn left to the Interpretive loop. The next .2 miles meanders through the woods to the loop with a small boulder field in the middle of the trail at one point and a major downhill that loses about 50 feet or so of elevation. We decided that after that descent, we'd take the road back from the Old Mac Trail once we were done.

Upon reaching the Interpretive Trail after .3 miles you come to a foot bridge that begins the Interpretive Trail on the other side of Judge Branch. Prior to this point there was an excellent spot next to the creek to let our trusty sidekick Clover off the leash to play in the creek. Boy did she have fun but she did think the water was a little cold.

Upon crossing the footbridge you can stay straight on the loop to the Old Mac Trail or turn right on the loop. We opted to go right and walked along creekside for about .3 miles. Along this part of the trail you can see remnants of what used to be part of the old CCC camp that helped build the park and trails back in the 1930's.

At about .4 miles on the loop there is a nice bench next to the creek with a big spot in the creek that is deep enough to take a dip if one so desires. There is a nice waterfall/cascade down the rock face at this point, too. We decided to sit on the bench and let Clover play in the creek some more. We sat on the bench amongst the hemlocks listening to the birds chatter away and watching butterflies flit to and fro all while Clover enjoyed her romp in the water. She just absolutely loves the water so long as it isn't too deep.

After this spot it's about .1 mile to the intersection with the South Old Mac trail. At this point you can turn right to continue up South Old Mac to Judge Branch Trail or Spice Branch Trail or stay on South Old Mac to the Fire Tower. To the left is Old Mac trail that leads back out to the Picnic Pavilion at the Old Mac trailhead. It's a straight shot to the trailhead from here with an intersection on the right at .15 miles to North Old Mac trail and another trail junction at .3 miles, just before the trailhead, back on the Interpretive loop to the Visitor Center and Chimney Top trails.

Considering we didn't want to have to ascend the one descent we had coming down the Visitor Center trail we headed out to the trailhead at the picnic pavilion and across the road to the Flat Fork Walking Trail back to the visitor center. The walking trail starts at the road to the campground and follows Flat Fork creek all the way back to just before the visitor center. We ended up heading back to the visitor center of course after a short Clover detour to find the perfect spot - if you catch my drift. At the end of the walking trail you have to walk onto the road to cross the bridge across Flat Fork Creek.

On the other side of the bridge, there is an open field area to the right and the visitor center on the left - which is bordered with some very showy rhododendrons this time of the year. Next to the field is a big pool area of the creek that, when the creek levels are up like they are now due to all the rain, provides for another great swimming area. Of course, Clover had to have one last dip before we headed back to our car to finish the hike.

Once we were done we had hiked a total of 1.77 miles. Of course it was probably more like 2 miles if you count the major Clover detour, but total trail miles ended at 1.77. Total elevation gain was 115ft. So if you are looking for a nice scenic and easy trail, the Interpretive Loop at Frozen Head is a great one to take. It offers a lot of scenery, plenty of cool views in the woods, cool dips in the creek, and makes for a pleasant walk in the woods.


Happy Trails,
Tim and Robin

Trimble Trail Details:

Dodging Bullets

Just wanted to let everyone know that we won't have a chance to get a post up this evening. We are too busy dodging bullets and hoping the power stays on. There's been some crazy weather all around us today so we are just riding this out and hoping for the best.

As you can see, there's a lot of red and we are currently under tornado warning for the next hour. 

Well I better turn off the computer before we lose power. We should have a post up tomorrow. 

Happy Trails,

Tim and Robin

Happy Easter!

It's a gorgeous day here in sunny East Tennessee, and we just had to stop by and wish everyone a Happy Easter. We have enjoyed our time off, and it's allowed us to be very productive around the house. But we can't wait to get back to blogging on Monday! We have lots to share including a gosling rescue, pictures of the Norris Dam open floodgates, and two gear reviews on our Eno hammock and the Bass Pro compression sacks.

Until then, have a blessed Easter Sunday!

Oh, and Ms. Coo wanted you all to know that she's practicing up. Maybe next year she'll make the cut as the NEW Cadbury Easter Bunny.

Spring Fling Staycation

With the long weekend and holiday ahead of us, Tim and I will be taking a small break from blogging.

Now knowing us, we'll come across something that we can't help but post, but we didn't want anyone to think we'd abandoned them.

With Earth Day falling on Good Friday, Tim will be off work for once to celebrate with me. Unfortunately, Ashby has school tomorrow due to snow-day makeup, but Tim and I plan on getting outside. Hopefully we'll get a chance to take early morning photos and work in our little gardens, maybe even plant some tomatoes.

We'll be dying Easter eggs with Ashby, planning a Spring fresh Easter menu, and spend Sunday celebrating the resurrection of our Savior with the family.

We hope everyone has a wonderful Earth Day and Easter. We'll be back Monday with a weekend full of pictures to share, and we even have a couple gear reviews we'd like to tackle. In the meantime, we'd love to hear how you plan on spending your holiday.

Lake Trail to Old Mill Trail Revisited - Big Ridge State Park - 4/17/2011

This past weekend was a rather hectic and tense one for sure. By Sunday we were ready for the calm and tranquility of the woods. We decided that after our trek the day prior to the Bass Pro and drive in the Great Smoky Mountains, we'd stay close and local considering gas prices continue to sky rocket for no real apparent reason. Robin was itching for a nice easy walk in the woods as her back has been bothering her and she didn't want to do anything to strenuous.

With this in mind we decided to head over to Big Ridge State Park and hit the Lake Trail. You may remember this from our first hike of the year. I've lost count now how many times we've hiked this trail as well as how many times in which direction. Last time we started from the Gristmill and hiked the loop which included the Ole Mill Trail. This time we opted to start from the Campground side and hike it that way. This time though we didn't hit the Loyston Overlook Trail nor the Meditation Point trail.

It was a nice gentle hike on a beautiful spring day. The temps were in the 70's keeping it cool with the sun shining nicely. The trail was in great shape for the most part. There were storms that past through late in the week so there were some muddy spots, washouts, and flooded sections of trail that we had to circumnavigate. The wild flowers were blooming wonderfully. We spotted White Trillium, Bluets, Dwarf Crested Iris, "Sweet Williams" and many more. Come to think of it I don't think I've ever seen the Dwarf Crested Iris blooming here before, of course on all the previous hikes here, I likely wasn't paying much attention.

Starting from the campground, the trail gently climbs the ridge that over shadows the lake to the right of the trail. In the first .2 miles the trail looks like a major washout for the run-off during storms, so the footing is a bit tricky. On the right of trail is the turn for the Meditation Point trail. another .2 miles up the trail the terrain is much easier and there's a nice covered bench to sit and rest if so desired. We sat here for a few minutes to snap some shots of caterpillars and other items of interest. Another .1 mile or so you come to Big Ridge Dam. After crossing the dam, we opted to stay right on the Lake Trail instead of turning left for the Dark Hollow Trail.

The back side of the Lake trail is a pretty easy hike for the most part. The terrain is easy with only minor ascents and descents. There are a total of 4 footbridges from the dam to the end of the trail. At the first bridge we stopped to watch the rushing stream and take a small break. It was at this point that the kiddo decided to take an opportunity to see if Hiking Fiasco would like to feature her trail exploits by laying on the bridge and dropping her cell phone right into the creek. We were actually quite surprised that instead of her typical "What do I do look" she promptly removed both shoes and socks and was in the creek faster than anything I've seen her do (unless she's running the 400 or 800) and retrieved her phone. We figured if it had been one of us in the creek it wouldn't have been such a prompt response (hehehe). Unfortunately, her phone flipped out and we turned it off and stowed it in my pack until we could get it home to dry out. (Oh no, what ever will the kiddo do with text messaging)?

After this fiasco and more photo onward we walked. One cemetery and 3 bridges later we were emerging from the forest and back to the road that runs between the group camp and the gristmill. At this point I asked Robin if she wanted to take the road back to the car or if she wanted to take the Chestnut Ridge trail. She opted instead for the Old Mill Trail that runs along the lake and by the cabins. The Ole Mill Trail is only .3 miles and is a gentle stroll where you can find several wild flowers and evidence of beavers in the area. It only takes a few moments to get to the other end but one should take their time to really check the area out. It is quite interesting seeing all the aquatic life close at hand.

We finally reached the end of the trail and still had to walk past one of the ranger's houses, through a small parking lot by the Tea Room, and past the swimming area of the lake. Final count at the end of the trail was 2.84 miles with only 140+ feet of elevation gain. I might add that along the Lake Trail on this day there was some fresh blow down on the trail from the recent storms. It's nothing to hard to get through though. By the end we were refreshed and a bit more relaxed than before we hit the trail.

Happy Trails,
Tim and Robin

Trail Details on Trimble:

Spring Cleaning Your Gear: Trekking Poles

So how many of you actually clean your trekking poles after every use? *insert oooopsy look here* Yeah, neither does Tim. I don't have trekking poles, but Tim uses two Leki Makalu Ultralite Titaniums (discontinued now). I use one of his occasionally, but I usually just deem anything extra in my hands as unnecessary. I am a photographer after all, and a camera is a permanently attached appendage. That doesn't leave much room for a pole or stick.

After last weekend's hike, Tim decided that the filthy things needed a good cleaning. So yesterday, during the gloomy, cold weather we were having (as opposed to the weekend's near 90's), Tim embarked on the retractable-pole-cleaning-quest. I thought it best to sit back and enjoy watching him clean something for once, then attempt to describe to you what I observed.



First things first: gather all the things you'll need one item at a time. This includes a pole cleaning kit, a towel, a thin old rag, a piece of fine grit sandpaper, a large bowl, water, fabric softener, and some mild detergent and a sponge (or go the quick route and use baby wipes). Make sure when you're fetching these items that you become engrossed in a rerun of SNL and promptly forget what you were after, twice per item. Add a few miscellaneous items into the mix to confuse anyone looking at the pictures.

After being reminded four times, put the towel down so your wife doesn't kill you to catch the mess and protect the table surface. Better yet, have her give up and do that part for you. Next, wait for the pizza to be ready. A man needs fuel, and this is going to be a half-evening job. After that, be a hero and disassemble your poles.

Once you've accomplished this daunting task - which I'm sure is easier if they're not as filthy as Tim's - you'll need to remove each retainer clip from the plug and screw. Fiddle with this about six times just because it's a neat little contraption.

If your poles are like Tim's, they'll be four screw sets total, and each will be two separate parts. It could be one piece on yours, in which you will remove it from the screw and treat it the same way. Clean the threads of the screw thoroughly in between ginormous bites of pizza.

Next, sand the top of the clip (or your one piece plug/clip) a bit with some fine grit sandpaper and place it back on the screw. Realize you were supposed to sand the plug instead, and sand it too. This provides a better seat for the screw - so says Tim. It also improves friction and the performance - so says Leki. Honestly, I can't see how it made that much of a difference.


The next step will require the trekking pole cleaning kit, but a gun cleaning kit may work just as well if you happen to have one. You'll want to use this to clean the insides of the shafts after you've smeared more pizza on your cheeks.

Notes on this: If you have titanium poles like Tim, then it's probable that the insides have been anodized for anti-corrosion and wear-resistance properties. The cleaning kit came with brass cleaning brushes, but I wouldn't recommend using them on anything. They will damage the anodized surface of titanium, and will shred carbon fiber. I would suggest you use the loop attachments that come with the cleaning kit and a soft piece of fabric, like a handkerchief.

So, cut a small piece of fabric to fit the shaft cleaner loop attachment that took you ten minutes to find the adapter for, then run the cleaner up into the shaft. Realize that you may have cut the fabric a bit too large, and ascertain that the cleaning wand and the pole have now become fused as one. Point the metal tip at your belly, and puppy-eye your wife into a tug-o-war to get the wand out. Let her remind you that you're going to stab yourself in the gut, move the pole to your side, then laugh hardily when she nearly topples over from having to put all her weight into pulling the cleaning wand out.


Cut the fabric into a smaller piece, rethread it into the loop attachment and then clean throughout the shaft making sure to "dump" any dirt out that has become loose. Repeat this step a few times because it's just too darn fun not too. Grin at your wife in the middle of the pumping motion. Give her the eye. She'll love it.

By the way, never use a lubricant on your poles - inside or out. I have seen some people recommend using WD-40 to wipe down rust, but it would be better to call the manufacturer and discuss replacing the section that has rusted.


Next, clean the entire pole with the mild detergent and sponge - or do like Tim did and use baby wipes. They are mild, easy to use, disposable, and we have a ton of them lying around because Q likes to sleep in baby wipe boxes houses.







Make sure to wipe the grip, too. Then, eat more pizza (is this humanly possible?!) while you allow the sections to dry.




While the bottom sections are drying, soak the straps in a bowl of warm water with about 1/4 cap full of fabric softener. Put the Hercules-death-grip on the cap of the softener so wifey can't get it open on laundry day. Let them sit for 10-20 minutes while you finish off the pizza.



Then rinse well, squeeze out the remaining water, and hang to dry on your wife's kitchen curtains which has become a catchall for anything outdoorsy that needs to dry out.









Wipe down all the parts in their entirety once more with a dry, soft rag, then reassemble the poles. Stand back and be proud. You may have cleaned some poles, but be real - you just devoured a whole pizza!

Now get out there and work it off with a long walk in the woods.

Happy Cleaning!

Robin & Tim