If you're running out of ways to keep yourself busy during the final weeks of the offseason, I understand.  You can re-read Athlon, Lindy's, and The Sporting News.  You can play another year in your dynasty in NCAA Football 10, where by now I'm sure you've returned UT to her rightful place atop the college football world.  And of course, you can study every syllable of Rocky Top Tennessee 2009 until you know it by heart.

Or...you can hike to the actual Rocky Top.

Last weekend, three of my friends and I took a 3 day, 24 mile trip on the Appalachian Trail...and this was the highlight.  Rocky Top serves as one of the peaks of Thunderhead Mountain, the highest point in Blount County at around 5,500 feet.  There are actually two rocky peaks surrounding Thunderhead, and as you can see...well, it's rocky.  And awesome.

There's more about the trail here (thanks to hooper for pointing this out to me before I left so I had a better idea of exactly what I was getting myself into on a "strenuous" hike...).  You can get there easiest from Cades Cove; we did this on the second day of our hike from Clingman's Dome, ending at Cades the following morning. 

And hey, if it's not your thing...you can always stay at the motel in Gatlinburg where the song was written.

Seven weeks, boys.  Seven weeks.

(This is the official hiking pose of "I've never done this before but I want to look like I have.")