Bear Hair Gap Loop Hike

06/15/08

Lately I've been looking for a hike a bit long or more challenging. The problem is with 1 1/2 to 2 hours of driving on the front and back end of the hike, doing anything longer eats up almost a full day. With many interests competing for my time, some delicate balancing is required.

I figured I could fit in a good 3 hour hike as long as the drive wasn't too long. Bear Hair Gap fit that description pretty well. This particular trail started at Vogel State Park, a beautiful facility feature a nice lake, ample camping, putt-putt, volleyball courts and more. Looked like a great place to bring kids and on this Father's Day it was very active.

In contrast, the hike was quite quiet. I only saw two other groups, one at the beginning and one at the end of my hike. The hike itself forms a loop going uphill to a nice vista overlooking the park before heading back down and around to return to the park. Most of the challenging parts were early and featured some rough bedrock trails. Although I didn't see any bears there were more than a few signs warning of their presence.

I enjoyed the hike quite a bit but was a little disappointed I finished in only 2 hours. Perhaps it was because I maintained a fast pace or because I didn't stop. In the future I might come back again and try some of the other trails including Coosa Trail which clocks in at almost 13 miles.

A couple photos from the trail:

Stanley Cup Finals - Review

Another NHL season has come to a close and what a fabulous ending it was. Nice to see my favorite team come out on top for the 4th time in 11 seasons. Although the series against the Pens started off looking like a serious mismatch, by the end of it the Pens had gained some respectability and made the finals interesting for even the casual observer.

What the finals showed is that experience really matters. What the Pens sorely lacked, the Wings had in droves all throughout the roster right up to the top of management. Few NHL teams rise to the top without first experiencing some setbacks. The lessons the Pens have learned from this series will go a long way towards getting them back and having another shot in years to come. The question now becomes, can they keep the team together?

As a Thrasher fan, there was some satisfaction to be gained seeing Hossa come up short at the end. His desire to leave Atlanta and take a few pot shots on the way out didn't sit too well with me. Seeing him sitting against the boards in disbelief as his team fell short didn't bring me one ounce of pain. He'll get his big payday this summer because he is a very effective player. I just hope that the assets Atlanta got in return can somehow make up for the pain/grief he cause here last season.

The Wings put on quite a display throughout the playoffs and left little doubt that they were the best team this season. Zetterberg finally got the recognition he deserved and showed why I picked him as an MVP candidate prior to the season. I guess my signals were just a little crossed as he came home with the Conn Smythe (playoff MVP) instead. Two other players certainly deserved mention for the Conn Smythe, Osgood and Franzen. Osgood was a savior of sorts, relieving Hasek and bringing with him a sense of calm the permiated the team and got them back on track. Franzen, even though he missed a handful of games with concussion symtoms, lead all players in playoff goals continuing the hot streak that started in March. He'll be a major force for the Wings for the next several years and I'm predicting here he'll subplant Holmstrom on the top unit next fall.

Those Wings couldn't have done it alone though. Their defense was incredible, completely shutting down Pittsburgh and others while contributing on the scoring sheet. Lidstrom's effort goes without saying and Rafawski wasn't far behind. Stuart and especially Kronwall raised their level of play once the playoffs began. The defensive play of forwards like Datsyuk, Samuelsson, Draper, Helms, Cleary and more played a critical role. Babcock has created a very sound, disciplined unit that plays as a team better than any other. I'm anxious to see what he can do with even more talent coming up through the system.

Enough gloating about the team. Time to gloat about my predictions again. First, I picked Detroit to win the President's Trophy and Stanley Cup way back in early October. Then, I stayed with that pick as the playoffs began. Although these might seem like the picks of a homer, I don't always pick with my heart. If I did the Thrashers would have been cup finalists. In fact, I hadn't picked the Wings to be in the cup finals for a few seasons. Based on last years playoffs, I had a feeling things were headed in the right direction.

Detroit #1 vs Pittsburgh #2
PREDICTION : Detroit in 7
Confidence : 55%
RESULT : Detroit in 6

Best Observation : "Detroit has two super forwards to counter with in Zetterberg and Datsyuk. Although not the marketing magnets that Crosby is, both are just as skilled or more so. In fact, both of these players are also excellent defenders, a level above the likes of Crosby and Malkin." - Zetterberg's play on a 5 on 3 penalty kill cemented his place as an NHL elite player. Malkin was a non-factor.

Bad Observation : "Intangibles - Edge Pittsburgh" - The biggest intangible was the experience factor. How I could overlook this one is beyond me. Had I given proper respect, my confidence would have been higher.

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A hypothetical bet of $100 per confidence point at 1:1 odds :

Bet : 55
Return : 110
Profit : 55
Rate of return : 55/55 = 100%

Playoffs
Bet : 1015
Return : 1440
Profit : 425
Rate of return : 41.9%

Alright. That does it. Next year I'm betting these for real. Of course, that'll be the season the Thrashers upset Pittsburgh, Edmonton sweep Detroit and Phoenix ousts the Sharks.

You'd think there'd be time for some rest now that the season is complete. I'll rest when I'm dead. Free agency is in a week and I've got a few opinions on what the Thrashers should do to fix their mess and get back into the playoffs.