Cumberland Gal Turns Thirteen

Cumberland Gal  Turns Thirteen 

March 23, 2024

Dana Koogler 

    I realized just this week that coming up July 16, 2011 will be the thirteenth birthday of my Cumberland Gal Blog's creation.   I remember how little I liked the name when I settled upon it.  I wasn't quite sure about it.  I certainly don't feel that way now.    It has been thirteen years of adventures, friendships, challenges, and making wonderful memories!    I think of all the friends I have made and things I have learned because of this blog.   It has been very meaningful and fulfilling.   I'm glad I didn't give up on it when the platform I'd been using went away.   I started out with a Yahoo group and put trip reports and photos on there.  Yahoo groups were supposed to be going away as well as their photo storage.  I moved over to a social media platform called Multiply.  It was okay for awhile, but mostly unsatisfactory. It was a few years until Multiply was threatening to go away as well.   I moved again like a renter who can't catch a break with their land lord.     I settled on Blogger which has been very user friendly.     

        

Below: Me and Kenny at Fall Branch Falls off the Cherohala Skyway

Below: I hiked my first pair of Lowa boots to death!  

Above: Me with a butterfly that landed on my fingers

Below: Same day .. me in Summertime hiking in bib overalls with a llama at Pisgah Forest. 

Above and below:  Experiences hikers of today will never have... hiking to Catawba Falls on rope.   I would like to do that hike over once I am healed.  The trail reopens May 2024.  

Above:   Back in my outlaw days.. This is about July 2002.   at Dupont State Forest. I am sitting there buck nekkid at High Falls.  I went skinny dipping in the falls.  Then I climbed the falls with my husband and friends. Then we ended up running from the Police who were called by some concerned citizen (snitch!)     

Below: High  Falls

The Shape of Things to Come for Cumberland Gal 

    I recently learned that Google and Blogger DO have limits.    Image storage and blog content are not infinite.   I considered moving some entries to archives.   I then realized what I'd be doing if I proceeded.  I checked with my friend John Quillen who has a blog going back many years.  He has archives.  I ran past him that my options were thus:  

• Move the old entries to archives and hurt my search engine performance because of all the "missing entries".  
• Move the old entries and go through the headache of creating a redirect for each one. Too much trouble. 
• Begin a new blog and use the old blog as the archives. 

Upon conferring with him he agreed with me this was by far the better, safer, easier option.   

  I think I will get the frame work ready for Cumberland Gal 2 and begin to use it in 2025. 

          What else will be new or different for Cumberland Gal? 

Lots of things!   We are selling property in Virginia at last.   Cutting those last ties to the past.

Preparing for the next chapter of our lives.   We will be remodeling Kügler Haus for two reasons. 

1. It needs some updates and 2.  In anticipation of selling it  

    We are doing it in stages to make it a bit less troublesome.    We are in no hurry.  

We will begin looking for property.  I've already got house plans picked out.   Lord willing, we will be building something with more yard, flatter yard, a bit further out in the country.  

We will build a rancher all on one level. No stairs.     Something we can age gracefully in and remain in as long as possible.     Something with wider doors and a more open floor plan for our growing family.  It will also be a place easier to get around in should one of us need a wheel chair or walker.   

           I am having a few remodels myself.  I plan on getting both knees replaced to restore my mobility.   I look so forward to being my old self again.    Being able to wander around without getting tired so easily.      

   We are planning a trip to Ouray, Colorado to soak in some hot springs, see some waterfalls, and hike in the Rocky Mountains.  

      Once my knees are healed I can finish my Fire Tower challenge.

        I have decided to try some new stand alone pages.   Ideas I have are to 

come up with a  "Top Twenty Five Waterfalls" suggestion page for the state of Tennessee.  

Top Wildflower Hikes and Drives Page --Not only for Spring flowers, but Summer as well.

   

  Other ideas I have are to add some of the better OLD trip reports from the days prior to my current blog.    Here is a list of what I will be adding.  

• Defeat Ridge Manway
• Porters Creek Manway
• Sugarland Mtn Trail Dawn to Midday
• Bonas Defeat
• Hazel Creek Falls
•  Marks Creek Manway
• Roaring Fork to Twin falls and Dome falls back down Alum Cave trail
• Possumtrotting with Waterfall Rich--Laurel Falls and Upper and Lower Piney Falls
• Gunter Fork  Falls Hike
• Beard Cane Backpack With Dan
• James River Foote Bridge & Statons Falls 
• Enloe Creek With Rich 

  Things that will continue are the Valley So Wild Blog Series.  I am in the process of going back and applying that label to any pertinent blog entries.  I realized Panthertown ,NC was part of the Tuckaseegee water shed and thus part of the Little Tennessee watershed.    James Buchanan has sent me more stories and made some excellent suggestions.  I will try my best to comply with those wishes and get those up.   It will be a bit since surgery date is rapidly approaching.  A lot of time is going to be taken up on pre surgery testing and education.   It is happening already. 

  I will continue to have the Country Store Blog series.  

        Other Changes to Come --Tennessee Landforms 

    Back several years ago I became concerned about my friend Tom Dunigan.   I wondered what would become of the Tennessee Landforms database he had worked so hard on if he passed away?  What if he just got to where he either no longer felt like fooling with it or his health prohibited it?   I also had concerns about the fact Tennessee Landforms generates revenue for our state, but one individual was footing the bill for it.   That didn't seem right to me.   I spoke with Tom about it first, then with his blessing approached the state of Tennessee to appeal to them to make it official.   I wanted them to pay to keep it on the internet and register the domains.   They did not bite on it, and they never will for reasons I won't go into.      I did discuss with Tom who I believed was the logical choice as a successor whenever he was tired of fooling with it.  I suggested Chuck Sutherland.   Tom agreed he was a great candidate.  I approached Chuck about it to see if he'd be willing if and when the time came?   He said he would be honored.  

     Last Saturday March 16, 2024 I got a text message saying Tom had passed the Tennessee Landforms torch on to Chuck.  Wanting to know if I'd help him?  I said of course!  I am not going to be much help, but I can populate spread sheets with image URLs.     The website is getting a face lift and will be better than ever!  Very exciting stuff.  It will be more user friendly.  It will be easier to use for everyone.    I will do an updated How to Use Tennessee Landforms blog once it is completed.  

   Thank you Tom for the gift of the incredible database.    Thank you Chuck for being willing to take it over!  

   

 Here is a link to the very first blog entry on the current blog 

Bob Stratton Bald Hike--The Misty Mountain Hop

Above: Wolf Laurel trail to Stratton Bald in the fog

Below:  Stratton Bald with turks cap lilies and phlox! 

Hikes I Need to Do Over 

Upper Piney Falls

Stinging Fork Falls-- with water this time

Cummins Falls 

Benton Falls