Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 57

The former tour guide leads a group down a Class III rapid on the Ocoee River in southeast Tennessee.

weren't enough, Wagner loves to
take his girls, ages 6 and 9, on summer camping trips in Smithgall
or along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Each winter for the past 15 years,
he and a few of his buddies have
mastered a challenging hike in the
mountains of Georgia, Tennessee or
North Carolina. "We try and find a
6,000-footer and some extreme temperatures," he says. "We do it on a
mid-January weekend when it will
be as cold as possible." This year,
he and his friends set out with their
crampons and ice picks and scaled
the icy Charlies Bunion, a major
rock outcrop in the Smokies. Wagner maintains a thick beard, by the
way, to keep his face warm on such
chilly adventures.
When he's not off on one of his
own man-over-nature conquests,
he's learning about somebody else's.
"I love reading nonfiction books
about some type of extreme elements," he says. "My wife always
makes fun of me. I'm either reading
those kinds of books or I'm packing
up to go to another park." 

WILL WAGNER'S 3 FAVORITE CAMPSITES:
BLACK ROCK MOUNTAIN STATE PARK,
CLAYTON, GEORGIA
"Whether you car
camp in the RV campground or backpack
in on the backcountry
campsite, that park
is just a phenomenal
place to go. It's a gorgeous way to spend
the weekend."
MOUNT PISGAH CAMPGROUND, BLUE RIDGE
PARKWAY, NORTH
CAROLINA
"That campground is
shrouded in a mountain shoulder and a
thicket of rhododendron and laurel. I have
the experience of
being totally isolated-
or I have an ability to

walk across the street
and go to a lodge, inn
or restaurant. So it's
kind of the best of
both worlds."
PINE MOUNTAIN TRAIL,
PINE MOUNTAIN,
GEORGIA
"That lone ridge in
middle Georgia is the
only hill of note south
of Atlanta. It's such
an oddity and such a
special place, camping
out on the Pine Mountain Trail and taking
another day to float
the Flint River. In my
opinion, Jimmy Carter's greatest accomplishment was keeping
that river from being
dammed."
-NH
May/June 2018 57



Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018

Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - Intro
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 3
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 4
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 5
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 6
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 7
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 8
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 9
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 10
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 11
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 12
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 13
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 14
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 15
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 16
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 17
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 18
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 19
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 20
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 21
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 22
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 23
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 24
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 25
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 26
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 27
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 28
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 29
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 30
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 31
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 32
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 33
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 34
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 35
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 36
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 37
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Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 50
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Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 55
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 56
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 57
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 58
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Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 60
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Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 62
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 63
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 64
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 65
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 66
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - Cover3
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - Cover4
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - BRPG 1
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - BRPG 2
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - BRPG 3
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - BRPG 4
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - BRPG 5
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - BRPG 6
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - BRPG 7
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - BRPG 8
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - BRPG 9
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - BRPG 10
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - BRPG 11
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - BRPG 12
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - BRPG 13
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - BRPG 14
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - BRPG 15
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - BRPG 16
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - BRPG 17
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - BRPG 18
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - BRPG 19
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - BRPG 20
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - BRPG 21
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - BRPG 22
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - BRPG 23
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - BRPG 24
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