Warning: Hiking fever-inducing blog post

Les Jones recalls a trip to Gregory Bald in Great Smoky Mountains National Park that he made a couple years ago.

But beware before you check out his post.

He made the trip when the azaleas were in bloom. Viewing his photos is likely to make you start loading a backpack and thinking of a good excuse for calling in sick.

Help for the spelling-challenged

The folks at WordPress.com, the free blogging service used for creating and distributing this fine blog, recently introduced a spellchecker.

That's a welcomed new feature. But there's something perversely odd about it.

The spellchecker says the words "blog" and "blogging" are misspelled.

Name that shelter

By popular demand, I'm adding a new "name that location" photo.

Well, okay, so just one person said she liked the photo contest. But what difference does it make? This is my blog. I can waste pixels any way I want.

Here is another photo I took Sunday afternoon. And unlike the trip to Max Patch, I actually hiked a stretch of the AT when I took it.

The hike may have been only a couple miles, but that's longer than a trail's width, I'm sure of it.

So, can you name this shelter? It should be fairly easy to identify for many hikers who have spent time in the Southeast U.S.

And that's the only clue I'm giving.

Just one more thing: There are no prizes for this contest. No chocolate. Nothing.