The latest saga in our continuing quest to find Huntsville's great outdoorsmen (and women) recently led us to a local watering hole to meet with Evan Dial. Evan has lived in Huntsville since he was just 5 years old, and hearing him tell tale of his adventures, it sounds like he's experienced just about every bit of our regional offerings.
He's simply done it all, folks. From hiking the back trails of Monte Sano and the Powerline Trail at Blevins Gap, to Buck's Pocket and the Walls of Jericho, all the way to Big Tree in Bankhead and to Stephen's Gap east of town, this man has covered some serious ground.
Although Evan is first and foremost a hiker, he's got well-rounded credentials: he's also dabbled in rock climbing, and has done whitewater rafting in several locations (notably on the Snake River in Wyoming), and has kayaked locally on the Flint, Hiwasee, Buffalo, and a few others. Furthermore, he's trout-fished on the Tellico River in Tennessee and is an accomplished runner, having competed in two half-marathons.
But perhaps Evan's best accomplishment is persuading his girlfriend to say "YES" while in the middle of her first backpacking trip in the Smokey Mountains at Charlie's Bunyan. Here at Huntsville Outdoors, we have a hard enough time convincing our wives to accompany us on casual camping trips; we are particularly impressed that Evan not only managed to have his girlfriend hike with him, but also managed to get her to sign on for a whole life of outdoors adventures.
And speaking of a life of outdoors adventures, it's not enough for Evan to simply spend free time doing outdoors activities. He also took a second job working at Mountain High Outfitters, just for the heck of it (and the discounts, we are sure!).
During our "interview" with Evan, we asked him to share with our readers (1) his favorite local outdoors activity and (2) his own personal outdoors goals. He was quick to answer both questions. Hands down, he says Walls of Jericho is the best hike in the Huntsville area. About 3 miles down a hill and 3 miles back up, the hike is fairly intense; but Evan says the beauty of the falls is unmatched, and there is some swimming to be had if the weather is right.
As for his own objectives, Evan tells us he'd love to hike Glacier National Park (one of your writer's goals as well) and to climb Grand Teton. Well Evan, you certainly have the resume for it, and we suspect it won't be long 'til you make it there. Perhaps a honeymoon hike is in your future???
Anyway, a big congratulations to the latest Huntsville Outdoors featured outdoorsman. Nice work, Evan.
{gallery OOTM/Evan|Photo Gallery}
Davy Canupp
