If you’ve gone to a local city park lately, you might have noticed strange metal baskets on poles with chains dangling free. These baskets are spread out throughout the park seemingly at random. For the uninitiated, Frisbee golf (sometimes known as disc golf) is a confusing concept. You might not think it, but Frisbee golf can be a very big deal to some people. [Stuff Made Here] is back with a disc launcher that he hopes will put all the disc golfers to shame.
It’s no secret that we here at Hackaday are big fans of [Stuff Made Here], or [Shane] (he has his own tag after all), and for obvious reasons — the CAD design process, the careful machining and testing, and the extremely high bar that [Shane] sets for his projects. This one is no different, and it is a tale of iteration and scaling. He started out with a simple goal: break the speed record for a thrown Frisbee.
An initial design was decided upon based on high-pressure air pushing a piston to throw the Frisbee off of an arm. Initially, the arm was way too slow as the airflow was severely restricted due to air solenoids and pressure regulators. After fixing all those problems by fabricating his own solenoid and adding a secondary tank with no regulator, the arm started really moving. However, [Shane] wanted it to be able to be arm-mounted, so making sure the torque wouldn’t melt his arm bones was an important priority.
A counterbalance was added to cancel it out, but that ended up causing additional problems down the road, so the throwing arm had to be made as light as possible. The gripper mechanism had to be redesigned again and again as each time the speed was increased, a new problem arose. Turns out that small plastic discs being accelerated at many G’s tend to deform and slip out of their holders, no matter how well engineered. So [Shane] switched to a clever new design to pull the Frisbee along rather than push. It was too dangerous to really be handheld, and the only tests while he was wearing it were at very low amounts of pressure and power.
Testing it in a wide-open field at full power showed promise and while he had plenty of speed, he wasn’t able to beat the distance record. Breaking the distance record is much harder as Frisbees aren’t really designed with the sheer acceleration that [Shane] is subjecting them to, and they want to flip. Additionally, the Frisbees are lacking the spin that would keep them more stable, and what we do as humans is quite difficult to reproduce. Maybe a larger-scale version of this disc launcher could be made that accepts Frisbees?
It’s incredible to watch this contraption come together as each part needs to be designed and machined first by [Shane]. Video after the break.
The sport of disc golf has grown to include just short of 9,000 courses worldwide. Of that number, about 80 percent are public courses or are in public parks.
Stanly got its first private disc golf course recently when Hardaway Point opened on the grounds of the 1913 Badin Inn.
The disc golf course on the grounds of the former Stanly County Country Club has an 18-hole course which changes elevation going up and down the hills near the inn. The 18th-hole starts on the top of the hill and works its way through the woods, then past the clubhouse and inn down Falls Road.
Along with the course, featuring new concrete tee pads and DISCatcher pro targets, the facilities now have a bar and game room on-site and a pro shop. Many of the existing cart paths can be used for golfers pulling their own carts behind themselves.
The course is the longest of the five disc golf courses in the county at more than 7,000 feet.
According to course designer Bryon Carter, the completion of the course took about 11 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic and weather.
Seeing the grand opening, which included a 51-person tournament, was a mix of fear and excitement, Carter said.
“I’m a perfectionist…I guess I’m excited, but I designed, installed and basically did everything,” Carter said of the golf course. “Pretty much everything came together today.’“
The day of the opening was nothing but positive comments from the competitors, he added.
“I’ve talked to people who came through the hardest part,” Carter said, which is keeping your disc in bounds. ”Everybody says it’s even better than we remember. They’re all super positive today, overwhelmingly positive.”
Playing on a more open course, he added, is satisfying “if you like watching discs fly.”
Carter said the local disc golf community, including the Albemarle Disc Golf Club, has provided support, but the Badin Inn owners Jennifer Owens and Vanessa Mullinix “put out a good amount of money to make this happen.”
Mullinix said she felt satisfaction in seeing the golfers playing in the tournament at the grand opening. She said she loves to ride round in the afternoons and look at the grounds.
“It’s beautiful. I love seeing people on the course,” Mullinix said. “When I look and I see people playing, I think ‘What’s better than this?’ ”
The goal is to make Hardaway Point a family place, including the game room with a pool table, air hockey and such.
“God has blessed us every step of the way,” Mullinix said about the inn and the new course. “It’s a tough course. It’s a good workout.”
The plans for the course are to sell yearly memberships, and rounds at the course will be $5. The course is scheduled to be open year round.
After a three-year hiatus, Mitchell hosted a pro-amateur disc golf tournament over the weekend, which brought nearly 100 competitors and plenty of excitement to the Dry Run Creek Disc Golf Course.
As one of the local professional disc golfers who has been a pioneer for the sport in Mitchell over the past decade, Cary Muilenburg was “beyond proud” of Saturday’s tournament. After all, it was the first time in Mitchell’s history that a sanctioned disc golf tournament had a full slate of competitors, capping out at 90.
“We’ve never had a tournament completely fill up in Mitchell yet. Our max was 59 competitors in 2014, and it was just awesome to see such a big turnout,” said Muilenburg, who is also the South Dakota Disc Golf state coordinator. “We haven’t hosted a tournament here since 2018, partly due to construction of the course and the drainage work along the course.”
Alex Beres, of Sioux Falls, winds up to throw a disc during Saturday’s pro-am disc golf tournament hosted at Mitchell’s Dry Run Creek Disc Golf Course. The PDGA sanctioned disc golf tournament was the first to be hosted in Mitchell since 2018. (Sam Fosness / Republic)
Sioux Falls-based Albatross Disc Golf organized the event and tabbed Mitchell’s only 18-hole disc golf course that stretches along Dry Run Creek as the host site for Saturday’s tournament.
Mike Janish, owner of Albatross Disc Golf, raved about the condition and revamped layout of Mitchell’s Dry Run Creek course. While Janish typically hosts pro-am tournaments at Sioux Falls’ courses, he said Mitchell’s course has holes for “every type of shot.”
“It’s such a great course. It has every shot. It has technical shots and long shots,” Janish said of the Dry Run Creek course. “At the beginning of this year, my goal was to get some good courses recognized that haven’t had some tournaments lately. I heard a lot of good things about the setup of the course from people who competed as well, so it was a great tournament.”
Roughly seven years ago, the city of Mitchell’s Parks and Recreation Department shifted the holes to add more distance to the course. According to Muilenburg, the changes provided a more challenging course, while still keeping some shorter distance holes to bring more variety.
The changes have proven to be a success among the local disc golf community, along with catching the eyes of area disc golfers. Muilenburg said it’s becoming more common to see disc golfers trek from Sioux Falls and the surrounding area to play Mitchell’s 18-hole course.
The Mitchell tournament was part of Albatross’ series of summer sanctioned tournaments. Each tournament has a payout for the top finishers. To compete in Saturday’s tournament, pro disc golfers paid a $50 entry fee. It was also sanctioned by the Professional Disc Golf Association, meaning the scores of the pros and amateurs who competed will factor into their rankings.
Austin Jennings, of Mitchell, watches a disc golfer put during Saturday’s pro-am disc golf tournament hosted at Mitchell’s Dry Run Creek Disc Golf Course. The PDGA sanctioned disc golf tournament was the first to be hosted in Mitchell since 2018. (Sam Fosness / Republic)
“You get points based on your standings, which are determined from how you do at the tournaments,” Janish said. “We added some incentive for people to compete and reward those who are playing well consistently.”
Among the 90 competitors who squared off in Saturday’s tournament, Mitchell had 11. Considering the brief tournament hiatus, Muilenburg said the number of Mitchell disc golfers who competed was encouraging to see.
The structure of the tournament included one pro division and four amateur divisions. In the pro division, there were 20 disc golfers who squared off on Saturday, while the four amateur divisions were made up of the remaining 70 players.
During Saturday’s tournament, disc golfers broke into groups of five to play two rounds of disc golf on the 18-hole course.
Sioux Falls’ Taylor Lupton finished on top of the pro division, throwing 16-under-par in the two 18-hole rounds of disc golf. Lupton managed to throw a score of 47 in the first round and 49 in the second round, equating to 16 under. Lupton also took home $360 in payouts for his first place finish.
Mitchell native Shawn Sudbeck narrowly trailed Lupton in the pro division, throwing 14-under-par on two rounds of disc golf. Sudbeck’s strong performance earned him a second place finish in the top division, helping him take home $200 in payouts.
While it was rare to see a tournament reach maximum capacity several years back, Janish and Muilenburg’s passion for disc golf has been rubbing off on many others in the state.
With a goal to grow the sport at the local and state level, Muilenburg said the strong turnouts at South Dakota’s tournaments this year signals there’s growing excitement around disc golfing.
Mike Janish, owner of Albatross Disc Golf, left, and Cary Muilenburg, of Mitchell, right, stand along a disc golf hole on Saturday following the pro-am tournament that was held in Mitchell at Dry Run Creek Disc Golf Course. (Sam Fosness / Republic)
“This year, almost every South Dakota tournament has been filling up, which is awesome to see,” Muilenburg said. “It was really nice to have a PDGA sanctioned tournament back in Mitchell, and Mike’s (Janish) tournaments are really helping grow the sport. I think this tournament will only help it grow more on the local level. We have a great disc golf course, and this tournament proved that.”
1/4: Alex Beres, of Sioux Falls, winds up to throw a disc during Saturday’s pro-am disc golf tournament hosted at Mitchell’s Dry Run Creek Disc Golf Course. The PDGA sanctioned disc golf tournament was the first to be hosted in Mitchell since 2018. (Sam Fosness / Republic)
2/4: Austin Jennings, of Mitchell, watches a disc golfer put during Saturday’s pro-am disc golf tournament hosted at Mitchell’s Dry Run Creek Disc Golf Course. The PDGA sanctioned disc golf tournament was the first to be hosted in Mitchell since 2018. (Sam Fosness / Republic)
3/4: Austin Jennings, of Mitchell, sinks a put during Saturday’s pro-am disc golf tournament hosted at Mitchell’s Dry Run Creek Disc Golf Course. The PDGA sanctioned disc golf tournament was the first to be hosted in Mitchell since 2018. (Sam Fosness / Republic)
4/4: Mike Janish, owner of Albatross Disc Golf, left, and Cary Muilenburg, of Mitchell, right, stand along a disc golf hole on Saturday following the pro-am tournament that was held in Mitchell at Dry Run Creek Disc Golf Course. (Sam Fosness / Republic)
Bowling Green’s parks and recreation master plan for the next five years includes some mundane priorities, like replacement of aging roofs and cracking pavement.
But there are also some projects that park patrons have sought for years, like a walking path around City Park, a truly inclusive playground, and outdoor pickleball courts.
After years of “tremendous growth,” Bowling Green Parks and Recreation is now shifting its focus to maintaining its parks and partnering with others, according to Kristin Otley, director of the parks and recreation department.
Otley presented the BG Parks & Recreation five-year master plan to the city’s Planning Commission last week. The five-year master plan was created using citizen input from four community focus group meetings, and a recreational needs survey conducted last year.
While the park acreage isn’t expected to grow in the next five years, there are a few plans to expand opportunities for play. And in many cases, those plans involve the city partnering with other groups to offer new recreational opportunities.
In Carter Park, plans call for an inclusive playground to be built through a partnership with Wood County Play. Outdoor pickleball courts are planned with the help of pickleball enthusiasts, and upgrades to the disc golf course are planned by partnering with a disc golf organization.
“Carter Park is getting some love,” Otley said.
City Park will also see some changes, with a walking/running path being paved around the park, and some horseshoe pits being switched over to cornhole sets.
“That is something people have been asking for for years,” Otley said of the walking path.
In response to growing vandalism, the plans also call for more security cameras in the parks and timed locks to the restrooms.
The planning commission unanimously approved the park and rec master plan updates, which will next go to City Council.
“It’s a living, breathing, fluid document,” Otley said.
Following are some of the proposals in the five-year master plan.
Plans at existing parks
BG Athletic Fields behind community center:
Continue to expand and enhance the outdoor obstacle course while maintaining the native areas included in that section.
Add storage shed for obstacle course equipment and maintenance equipment.
Add shade structures.
Bellard Park:
Black Swamp Preserve:
Work with the joint owner, Wood County Park District.
Carter Park:
Continue to manage the established natural area.
Replace both playgrounds with an inclusive playground, partnering with Wood County Plays. The city’s budget for next year has penciled in $100,000 toward the new playground.
Hub building/garage/park restroom LED lighting upgrades.
Pave hub building axis drives and entire parking lot.
Softball field fencing repairs/replacement.
Build four outdoor pickleball courts at front of the park near the water tower. Fundraising for this will be done in partnership with a group of pickleball enthusiasts and the support of park foundation.
Disc golf course upgrades to increase the challenge level of some holes, partnering with GAS Disc Golf and Visit BG.
City Park:
New roofs on Stone Shelter, Needle Hall, Kiwanis Shelter, maintenance building, rink and east restrooms.
New patio at Stone Shelter.
Pave loop and parking lots.
Add paved walking trail around the loop.
Backflow installation.
Wall refurbishment.
Horseshoe area reconfigured, leaving one or two pits and adding concrete cornhole sets and other newer outdoor game features like chess tables.
Change irrigation system to domestic water supply/abandon well.
Raney Playground:
Ridge Park:
Replace concrete entry leading to sidewalk/add handicap parking spaces.
New storm sewer tap when the current line running through park is abandoned.
Simpson Garden Park:
Two art sculptures are in the works to be added when complete.
This park will have its own master plan updated. Gardens are ever changing. It’s anticipated that several of the gardens will need to undergo a change in design/refresh.
New property development – trails, overlook, benches and rustic shelter.
Feasibility study on small wetland area in new acreage.
Native plantings project in front section of the park (started in 2021 and should be completed by 2024.)
Additional parking area either on the new acreage or additional row of angled paved parking down entrance road.
Updates to Sader garage (siding, gutters, garage doors, electric.)
Continue to follow the parks ecological restoration plan.
System wide:
ADA issues continue to be addressed at all parks.
New entry signs at all parks – the recycled lumber signs are faded.
Begin adding and upgrading security cameras.
Convert all outdoor restrooms to timed locks so they can be secured when parks are closed.
Work with city arborist to maintain trees in the parks.
Plans for park and recreation programs call for keeping up with fitness trends, development of family recreational events, reaching out to wider demographic groups, and partnering with local athletic programs.
Plans for park facilities
All facilities:
ADA issues
LED lighting upgrades
Continually review rental policies and prices.
Trails:
Help to connect parks via trails throughout the city (walking and biking).
City Pool & Waterpark:
Speed slide – this will more than likely be obtained through sponsorships and fundraising. As this facility enters its 10th year, it would be advantageous to add a new component to keep numbers and revenues up.
Replace pool VGB drain covers.
Replace sand filter media.
Pool pumps/motors refurbishment.
Replace diving boards.
Refinish zero depth swing post/cover.
Replace shade umbrellas.
Community Center (some costs will be split with building partners, the state and Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities):
Plan for replacement or renewal of roof, HVAC, electrical, windows and doors, plumbing, masonry, paving, and interior painting.
Parking lot island cut throughs.
Replace break room counters.
Replace fitness flooring.
Reconfigure front desk area/partitions/back counter.
A new disc golf course aimed at families, youth and the disc golf-curious is open at the Mason County Campground.
The course, called the Tinderbox, goes “around the campground itself,” said Ranger Tom Oele, adding that some holes are “literally a hop and a skip away” from campsites.
It should take 45 minutes to an hour to complete, with holes one-third to one-half the length of those at nearby courses, he said.
“It’s really downsizing the professional experience,” Oele said. “It just creates a faster pace, a shorter walking distance.”
The Tinderbox is just the latest addition to Mason County’s suite of disc golf courses, which Oele said is becoming a regional magnet, drawing in hundreds of tournament players and vacationers seeking “destination courses.”
“Disc golf … is escalating at an exponential rate,” Oele said.
Kids likely won’t get tired out completing the 18-hole course, Oele said. Still, the hilly terrain is “not necessarily easy,” according to Steve Begnoche, chairman of the Mason County Parks & Recreation Commission.
The course can also serve as a gateway for players new to the sport, Begnoche said.
“If you want to get a taste of it, this is probably a really great course to get a taste of it,” he said.
Players will likely only need putter discs and midrange discs on the Tinderbox. Driver discs, designed to cover long distances, shouldn’t be necessary, Oele said.
A course with those shorter distances is “exactly what Mason County needed,” said Kayleen Moffitt, owner of Grip N Rip Disc Golf in Ludington. She said the course will give players a new type of challenge in Mason County, where courses are heavy on power shots.
“It might be shorter, but it’s a lot more challenging just trying to get around trees and angles,” Moffitt said.
Though the campground is closed for the season, the course is open year-round. Visitors can park at the main gate and walk to the Tinderbox’s first hole.
The sixth hole is currently blocked by a few “massive” oak trees felled during an Aug. 10 storm. That storm’s pounding winds wreaked havoc on the course just as work was wrapping up.
“It was completely disheartening,” Oele said. “We basically had to redo it from scratch again.”
An entire course near the campground, Beauty, remains closed due to damage from the storm. About 200 trees fell across the campground and picnic area, according to Parks Manager Deb Roberts.
Oele said the Tinderbox was possible due to the “direct support” of Begnoche, Roberts and Jeff Schwass, president of the Mason County Disc Golf Association and parks and recreation commissioner.
“They moved mountains,” Oele said.
The course is the first to be managed by the campground itself. Three other courses near its picnic area — Beauty, Beast and Goliath — are leased to and operated by the disc golf association.
INGHAM COUNTY, Mich. — What if you and your family could get the up-north camping experience right here in Ingham County? A newly adopted project is going to make that a reality, with the construction of rental cabins and more.
Ingham County Parks Director Timothy Morgan said there are a lot of big improvements coming to Lake Lansing South in the next two years. “Also a lot of big improvements coming up at Burchfield, as well as Hawk Island. So, our three major parks, you’re going to see a lot of work,” said Morgan.
The five-year plan is expected to cost around $15 million, which includes a new disc golf course at Lake Lansing North.
“That’s being started now,” Morgan said. “If you go up there to North Park now, you can kind of see some flagging and stuff, and staff started working on that as much as they can with the weather, but should be finished sometime this summer.”
The new rental cabins will be constructed at Burchfield Park, though that project is still in the design phase. There will also be improvements to the boardwalks and trails at all three parks.
Morgan said county park visits have gone up a lot since the start of the pandemic.
“About the total increase from pre-COVID to COVID, just under a million more visitors we’ve seen,” Morgan said.
In turn, the amount of feedback the department received has been unmatched.
“Part of our five-year master plan is we solicit for input and we have a survey,” Morgan said. “We had 2,500 responses. I’ve been in parks and rec. for 35 years. I’ve been a part of a lot of master plans and I’ve never seen this kind of input back. There was 100 pages of written comments.”
So, how will all of these improvements be paid for?
“Since the trails and parks millage passed back in 2014, we really have been very aggressive as far as the parks department with this capital action program to try to make the local millage dollars be our match for as many grants as we can apply for,” Morgan said.
The six-year, 0.5 millage brings in about $4 million a year, and it was renewed in 2020.
“To date, we’ve received just over $4 million in DNR grants since 2015, to match our local trails and parks millage,” Morgan added.
To see the full master plan, click here.
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CHATHAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Dozens of disc golf players flocked to the Stonykill Disc Golf Course in Chatham Sunday for the second annual Stonykill Wipeout. The tournament, which is the first of several of this season hosted by Capital Discs, enjoyed spring-like weather to wrap up the weekend mildly.
“It’s a great start, we couldn’t ask for better weather. Last year the Stonykill Wipeout was 20° with 20 miles an hour winds and the course was solid frozen. This is definitely a step up,” said Jeremy Whitaker, the owner of Capital Discs.
With the weather warming up, disc golfers from across the Capital Region are looking forward to the season ahead.
“I think it’s just a great excuse to get outside, get into the woods. It’s a really good way to see different areas of the country, to travel, these things are popping up all over the place,” said Tyler Calzada, who plays for Team Capital Discs.
“Some courses are really cool. It’s kind of like a hike with an incentive like you can just hike without thinking about hiking. Can throw a disc and then pick it up, throw another disc and pick it up,” Karly Daly, another member of Team Capital Discs, added.
Like hitting the links, the sport is described as golfing with a frisbee. Disc golf even uses some of the same terminologies, but instead of sinking a putt into a hole, you sling a disc into a basket.
Organizers say the sport can be enjoyed by people of all ages and skillsets. Whitaker mentioned his father and niece and nephews all enjoy getting outside and taking to the course.
“Anybody can get into this sport at any time. It’s all about getting out there, having fun, throwing some discs, having a good time with your friends, and just enjoying the outside and the beautiful nature,” Whitaker explained.
Players and organizers say the sport has continued to grow in popularity, especially over these past few years, with people looking for fun ways to get out of the house during the pandemic.
“So people started buying discs off of websites, manufacturers got crazy backed up because of how many people got into the sport and it’s just growing and growing,” said Whitaker.
Walker Gap to The Fontana Hilton Warm n Cloudy Camp to First Shower Camp AT miles: 3.6 Total miles: 173.9 Elevation change: 348ft gain, 1857ft loss
My first real nero (day with nearly zero miles hiked) of the AT was a good one. I slid a few miles into Fontana and watched the rain drizzle down from a big comfy couch. Top it off with a hot shower and I’m feeling refreshed, ready for the big haul through the Smokies.
The rain showed up for the last few hours of the night. It fell steadily, and I took comfort in knowing that there was absolutely zero rush today. I just needed to make it about three miles to Fontana, where I planned to pick up my resupply box, charge my things, and rest for the night. And it was all downhill from camp.
Fungus pineapple.
I waited it out as long as I could, but the rain was still coming down when I got hiking around 9am. The trail down was fully saturated and slippery. The layer of leaf litter was a couple inches thick and full of water. About half of my steps had a little bit of a slide to them, which I quickly got used to. That said, I did hit the deck once when I slipped on a hidden root. A little dirty, but no harm done.
Squishy and slick.
The marina parking lot was nearly deserted after I crossed Hwy 28. It wasn’t exactly fishing weather, after all. Signs pointed me to the restroom building where there hung a phone to call for a shuttle to the resort. I pushed zero and made my request for pickup, after eating a large cookie, of course. I brushed my teeth and waited in the heated restroom for my ride. It was only 30-something outside, so even the bathroom was a glorious improvement to waiting on the damp bench.
Shua drove up in a van a few minutes later. I threw my pack in the back and hopped in shotgun. He was a nice guy singing a sad story, and I felt grateful for the real human-to-human honestly he gave so willingly. Wishing him the best, I unloaded and wandered into the fancy lobby of the Fontana Lodge.
A heated bathroom, all for me.
Unfortunately my resupply box was not at reception. It seems that I mailed it to the post office instead, which wouldn’t open until 11:45am the next day. Ugh. Well, I had planned for a long rest, and now I was going to get it with a little extra on top. Whatever, I’d hike out tomorrow afternoon instead of tomorrow morning.
So with an entire day to enjoy at me leisure, I wandered downstairs to the lower lobby, a little less fancy and well away from the public eye. Still muddy and damp from the trail, I was a little self-conscious and I saw no reason that I should stink up the couches next to the main lobby fireplace. That privilege was reserved for paying customers.
The lower lobby had everything that I needed, a comfy couch, wall plug, bathroom, and 100% vacancy. The season hadn’t picked up yet, so the place was deserted. I posted on a couch with a view of the pool and the rainy clouds, and settled in for a long stay.
The lower lobby. Where the magic happens.
Over the course of the next five hours, I barely moved. The classic rock pumping through the speakers was soothing, and I sat and stretched while working through a backlog of internet chores and making calls home. I also worked through half a jar of peanut butter. But that wasn’t enough, so after all my stuff finished charging, I hoisted myself from my deep couch indentation to find something else to snack on.
Wandering the resort grounds, I couldn’t help thinking about just how awesome this place must be in summer. Mini golf, 18 holes of disc golf, a pool with a lazy river, tons of fire pits, this would be an epic trail stop in a few weeks. For now, however, I couldn’t even find the one thing I wanted most, a fresh piece of fruit. The general store was still closed for the season and the convenience store carried only non-perishable hiker staples, like tuna and ramen. With the selection further reduced by my vegan diet, I opted for a Backpacker Pantry veggie stew. Not exactly a gormet town meal, but it was still a treat when compared to the cold beans I’ve been sucking down. The super friendly emoyees even boiled some water in the microwave for me.
As I was checking out, none other than Catfish walked through the door, on a mission for beer. The timing was perfect and I jumped in the idling shuttle with Shua at the wheel for a ride back to the marina.
The final mile to the Hilton sure was scenic.
I walked the final mile to the Fontana Hilton along the lakeshore with a piping hot pouch of stew in my jacket. The rain was finished, but the low clouds lingered and it certainly wasn’t warm. I pulled into the large shelter and joined Catfish, AKA, and a section hiker on the plywood bunks. As I dug in to my meal I wondered where all the hikers were. With a great stretch of weather starting tomorrow, I figured that there would be about 30 hikers hanging tight, waiting for the rain to pass. I was wrong about that. It was just the four of us, which was fine with me.
I wandered around the beautiful spot, complete with large fire pit, picnic benches, and a solar charging station, perched on a small flat with expansive views of the lake. But the best part was the free hot shower at the nearby bathhouse. Good pressure, hot water, no line. I took my time, letting the salt and gunk from the last 11- days wash down the scummy drain. With the cool temperatures we’d been having, I didn’t feel particularly nasty, but that wasn’t really for me to judge. It was salubrious for my soul if nothing else, and by far my favorite moment of the day. A transcendent feeling after so many cold days and nights in the hills.
The famous Fontana Hilton. The shelter all other shelters aspire to be like.
I pitched my tent on a grassy ledge below the Hilton. As nice as it was inside, I always find that sleeping in a bunkhouse setting is disruptive to my sleep. As a light sleeper, the quietest snores or gentlest farts can keep me awake. I hung out with the others, exchanging stories, for a couple hours, then turned in around hiker midnight, feeling clean and relaxed. As the snores began to echo above, I knew that I’d made the right decision. Smokies tomorrow. I’m stoked.
This post was originally published on my blog hikefordays.com. Check it out for trip reports from my other hikes including the CDT and Sierra High Route.
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Fort Bend County will prepare to hold its first tournament using Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) rules on May 21. The Fort Bend County Commissioners’ Court has waived rental fees for the tournament at Jones Creek Ranch Park, where the event will be held.
A brand new portable new disc golf course was installed at Jones Creek Ranch Park last fall. The Houston Disc Golf donated tee posts, baskets and more to the course. The organization also helped with the course’s design.
Houston Disc Golf is a non-profit, volunteer organization that donates equipment to cities and counties to help grow the sport of disc golf. Typically, these cities and counties would not have spent their funds for disc golf otherwise. Houston Disc Golf Director Steve Stanley says Fort Bend County has been particularly helpful moving the process along.
“Fort Bend County has just been amazing,” Stanley said. “They’re on top of trying to do everything they can to get the course put in for their constituents.”
According to registration data from popular disc golf scoring app, UDisc, the Jones Creek Ranch course averages around 500 players each month. This isn’t including people who use the course and don’t log their scores in the app, so this is likely an underestimate. Stanley says most of these players are coming from out of town, bringing visitors to the county and adding to its economy.
“Think about it. All these people are driving into town, buying gas, stopping for drinks or maybe having lunch while they’re in the county,” Stanley said. “That’s probably more important than anything, these are people coming from outside your area.”
Fort Bend County Parks and Recreation Director Darren McCarthy echoed the importance of bringing new people into the county through this course.
“A lot of people playing disc golf had no idea the park existed,” McCarthy said. “Once people come, they’ll want to come back. This could bring in people from all over Houston.”
The upcoming tournament will be called the 2022 Zambia Open Fundraiser. In addition to cash prizes for winners, donations and proceeds from the event will go toward equipment and course upgrades for disc golf courses in Zambia. The funds raised will also help pay some of the Zambian staff’s salaries for the 2022 Open season.
The Jones Creek Ranch Park course will need to see some improvements before it’s PDGA ready. Namely concrete tee pads and tee boxes, but Stanley the course is well on its way.
“We’re close, but not there yet on the baskets,” Stanley said. “The county has been very good about going through all the steps.”
It is fairly common for organizations filing as non-profit entities to have certain fees waived by the court. Waiving the fees to use the park is one less hurdle for event organizers as they prepare for the tournament.
“We’re going to have more eyes than ever on Fort Bend County,” McCarthy said.
PORTLAND – Michael R. Hedgpeth, 59, of Portland, unexpectedly passed away at his home on Thursday Feb. 3, 2022.
He was born on Dec. 22, 1962 in Staten Island, N.Y., the son of Robert D. and Elizabeth (More) Hedgpeth. Michael grew up in numerous places as the son of a Coastguardsman, living in Puerto Rico, Cape Elizabeth, and Topsham, to name a few.
He was a 1981 graduate of Mt. Ararat High School, and later attended college at the University of Maine. Michael worked as a prep-cook at several local restaurants, such as Estes Lobster House, Applebee’s, and most recently The Black Tie Company.
He first set his eyes on Louise Pecci in 1987 at a Christian fellowship in Lewiston. They went on various trips with friends to Christian concerts and retreats in the Midwest, strengthening their spiritual bond with God as well as each other. They married on June 15, 1992 and over the next 18 years, raised three daughters at their home in Richmond.
Michael was an artistic man and enjoyed making music, writing, and reading science fiction. When he wasn’t jammin’ on his keyboard or creating one of his many works of art, he loved playing miniature golf with his daughters and telling one of his many “Dad jokes”.
He was a spiritual man who had many long conversations with God. In 2016 he was baptized, surrounded by family and friends. His faith had always been the foundation of his character.
Poker night was a weekly ritual with his daughters, where often they would clean him out of all his pennies and loose change. He enjoyed a plethora of outdoor activities with his family such as fishing, canoeing, gardening, stargazing, softball, disc golfing, shootin’ hoops, and swimming.
Michael is predeceased by his parents Robert and Elizabeth “Bette” Hedgpeth.
He is survived by the mother of his children, Louise Hedgpeth; his daughters Jamie Hedgpeth of Sabattus, Elizabeth Hedgpeth of Portland, Katrina Hedgpeth and fiancé Andrew Webb of Portland; his brother, Robert Hedgpeth III and his wife Laura of Monmouth, a half-sister, Denise Edwards and her husband Galen of Mentor, Ohio, sister, Susan Hedgpeth and wife Angela Stewart of Topsham, two half-brothers; and several nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at the Conroy-Tully Walker Funeral Home, 1024 Broadway, South Portland on March 12 at 2 p.m., with reception to follow.
A GoFundMe page has been created to assist with funeral expenses and can be found online at http://www.gofundme.com/f/a8u6s2-michaels-funeral-expenses?qid=6def6f3ce44a131cd024fbf02210d3a3.
To view Michael’s memorial page or share an online condolence, please visit http://www.conroytullywalker.com.
