Waterfall Heaven close to Cookville

After reading Bill Little"s email this week about his thurs hikers plans I talked Carol Osborne into coming w/ me  to Cummins Falls State Park.  Good signs off 40 got us there and this new Tenn State Park was a gem.   New bathrooms opening this week and a nice loop hiking including wonderful overlook then trail down to the river   We walked thru some rocks and trail along the edge of the river and were amazed at this pretty watefall.  And its one of the  best swimming  holes in the Southeast !  yes i jumped in and swam over to a spot where you  can jump off.  More about Burgess Falls in next post

The HIlls clearly not "over the HIll" but on the trail

Couple getting Fit and having Fun w/ Missy & Friends

Bob & Janie @ 7 Islands

I met Bob and Janie Hill about 3 years ago, at a walking class at the mall called Get on Track w/ Missy Kane.  They said they had also been working out w/ me for awhile on my Missy Kane Fit and Fun show on PBS.  

Bob had retired and Janie while not working full time is very busy with arts/crafts which she makes and sells at various shows.  They both had said they had lost some weight in the past and gained little back and wanted to get fitter.

They were ideal participants who read the suggested workout guides, listened to speakers (like RD Jessica Gourley from Food City who talked about NuVal program they offer) and came faithfully.

They both improved their endurance, lost a few pounds, and kept their vitals (BP/HR) at good healthy levels.  But they were now ready for more fitness challenges.

So they heard me talking about Get on Local Trails I do in the summers with Legacy Parks and Thompson Cancer Survival center and eagerly came to many 2-4 mile local hikes.  

Next they got the hiking bug more and signed up for the Fall Get on Trail w/ Friends and Missy program and were soon doing more than a few miles.  They gradually made it up to 6-8 miles and last year did a few plus 10 mile hikes.

They still tune into my morning show (7 AM m-f ) on ET PBS and have taken a few of the Body Works classes I told them about through Covenant Health.  

It is exciting to see folks in the 65+ age group  embrace new fit hobbies, & imp;rove their fitness while  enjoying  the many new trails & friends they have discovered.

Bob & Janie upper left Fort Dickerson

Hills in Get on Track Class @ mall 

HIlls on big Get on Trail 12 mile hike Noland Divide 

Hills on Adventure Race Hike top of Fort Dickerson  Upper right 

Carol O went from High Cholesterol to High stepper/peddler but not paddler

 Carol Osborne From sky high Cholesterol to Record High Stepper & Peddler (not paddler ha) 

 Carol center with Sharon Spezia & MIssy
@ Covenant Health Go Red Heart Truth event 

Carol far right on a Missy Fit Fun adventure bike hike trip @ Fontana Village 

Carol before picture late 1990's 

 Carol Osborne knew she had to do something after a physical back in 1999. She heard about a New Year, New You program and thought maybe this is the answer. Covenant Health’s Missy Kane was kicking off this health iniative with Dr. Bob both who have health shows on East Tenn PBS. Even Dr.Bob was shocked to see that Carol’s Cholesterol was over 800 !   Carol started walking more with Missy and her Get on Track programs and did some BodyWorks classes through Covenant Health. She also knew that with her Heart Disease condition she would never miss her yearly doctors check ups. Part of Missy’s Get on Track class also had tips from a Fort Sanders Cardiologist and Nutritonist. "I saw a great nutritionist that I learned about through Covenant Health and she helped me come up with a plan I could live with. The plan had to last a lifetime so I had to find something I could live with and enjoy. I eat much smaller meals on a daily basis and usually have six meals a day. Instead of high glycemic meals I eat good carbs and nuts or dark chocolate and try to make good protein choices. My favorite dessert is ice cream and instead of Ben & Jerry’s-Skinny Cows are great."

Carol & mascot Tara
helping w/ a Legacy Park walk

Sharon & Carol after a "canoe tip" 

And since Carol entered Missy’s classes they have grown to be good friends and Carol has done 100’s of miles with “missy and Friends” in the GSMNP on trails and now joins Missy on many long bike rides on the East Tennessee bike ways and roads "My job with Norfolk is very stressful and exercise keeps me sane. I can eat more of the foods I love also. When we do the big hikes and bike rides we always have a great meal and the fun times and laughter with friends keeps me happy. We always have some crazy adventure to look back on like the time I canoed for the first time and went in circles and tipped over. My co-workers have asked me if I want to live longer and that’s not it at all, I want to enjoy life and be active as long as possible.

Carol far right and Heart Truth mascot "Tara"
Carol is a Heart Truth Champion and helped Missy with
an 8 week Walking Program

In 2002 Carol was featured on a Womens Heart PSA run by Covenant Health and WBIR as she wants to help other know that when you have genetic factors leading to heart disease you have to A. take medications when needed to control high cholesterol, B. Exercise on a daily basis to control your weight an reduce high cholesterol, and C. eat a diet rich in omega 3 (nuts, fish etc) and watch your intake of fatty foods.
Carol lost 50 pounds after that 2000 New Year New You program and has managed to keep the weight off but she says it is not always easy.  She was on the first Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon media team and has done 2 half marathons.
She joined forces with Missy again this spring and they led 28 people on their teams called “Heart Truth Walkers” in a Knox County walking program encouraging each to wear a pedometer daily and track their steps. Carol logs in more than 10,000 steps every day walking trails on Knox County/City parks like Forks of the River, I C King and Hastie park. Carol shared her story of Heart Disease with the women on their teams and gave out healthy recipes like her “Rosemary Chicken” (www.covenanthealth.com/missykane page ) 

Fun @ hot springs spa after 12 mile hike in snow

Carol will turn 60 this summer and Missy and 10 other ladies plan to do a “Missy’s Buddy’s bike trip” in the fall. All of the ladies will join Missy’s Team (train with kane) for the Buddy’s race against Cancer November 11th and they plan to bike 40 miles on the Silver Comet bike trail to Anniston Alabama, then catch the AmTrack to New Orleans and walk around French Quarter 2 days then ride the train back to Anniston and bike another 40 mile to their cars in Cedartown Ga. She has a full time job at Norfolk Southern as a Yard master and works odd hours and looks forwards to these fitness adventures.  

Carol logs a 25 miler close to Kodak 

Smiling Sharon "the butterfly" hiker

Sharon Spezia not only defies aging, she defies gravity up 5,000 feet above sea level on one of the 900 miles of the GSMP trails.   Sharon is 62 years young as she looks and acts like someone 20 years her junior.    She started hiking with me on "Get on Trails w/ Friends & Missy" 10 years ago and she was hooked.  And it just made her radiant smile bigger as she says hiking is more than just physical it is a spiritual experience on the trails too.  "I just love being out in God's beauty and so grateful for you and Friends of the Smokies for getting me into hiking for my health and for all these fun adventures."  While at first she just hiked for fun whatever hikes were planned for the fall and spring series, she started hearing the "fast extreme" bunch talk about their 900 mile club quest.   There are 900 miles of maintained grails in the GSMNP.   And to be a member of the club you have to record and document each hike, and many parts are in remote areas where it may take an 8 mile hike on a trail you have marked off to get to the 3 miles you need.  So needless to say you end up doing many more hikes.

Sharon became friends with Ellen Morar thru the Get on Trails series and the two started seriously planning and documenting their hikes last fall and already they are winding up doing the last of this long adventure August 1st in Fontana.  They have teamed up with other Get on Trail hikers like Carl Loy who first hiked with me and the local trail hikes 2 years ago and lost 50 pounds and gained a new love of hiking.  The three also hike with a group called Margaret and Friends Wednesday hikers.  Margaret Stevenson was quite a lady, who started hiking in her 50's and hiked up to LeConte more than 300 times and I did stories on her back in my WBIR days and she really turned me on to the trails and the wildflowers to be seen there.   A big group still hikes in her honor year round.  These folks plan hikes where often they leave before sun up and have car shuttles and do 16-20 miles on some days.
And despite arthritis issues in her fingers and toes, Sharon is accomplishing this feat in record time as she is a fast hiker.   " That is why we call her butterfly on the trail " laughs buddy Ellen Morar. "She gets into her Sharon Shuffle (like a jog) and takes off and for laughs spreads her "wings" arms to act like a butterfly darting up the path"

Sharon is a fast on the roads too, she has competed in 5 Covenant Health Knoxville half marathons, and has run close to 2:30 which is great for her age division.  "I love participating in the Covenant Marathon events, with all those people and finishing in Neyland Statdium is a blast".  Plus she is a good role model for her grandkids as they brag that Grandma or Nona (some call her ) hikes a lot and can even climb trees!  "I love them all and it was so great having them all do the Covenant Kids run together in 2011.  We have 6 and one more on the way.

When she has time she also hops on her road bike and has done several "fit and fun" road trips, biking on Blue Ridge Parkway, Creeper trail, and the Natchez Trace.   On her 61 birthday she did 70 miles up and back from the Martha Washington Inn on the Virginia Creeper Trail.   Besides all her fitness activities she tries to help volunteer at Fort Sanders Regional and her husband Tony Spezia CEO of Covenant Health is her biggest supporter, "I am so proud of Sharon, she is amazing with all the things she does to stay fit and healthy and inspire others.  She really can run circles around lots of people half her age, and it shows that "seniors" can still accomplish many goals."

And the truly neat thing about Sharon, is that even on a day when her feet may be bothering her, she always has that radiant smile & maintains a positive attitude.

That is why I wanted to include Sharon as one of my Fit Fun Folks to Profile!