We’re heading to the Smokies tomorrow. I can hardly wait! The forecast? Sunny and almost 60 degrees. I’m sure not complaining about that, as I sit in cold, white Indiana. But this time of year, you never know. Snow comes quickly in the mountains. If you’re heading to the Smokies this winter, make sure you’re [...]
Hot Tub Rash: What it is & How to Avoid it
December 14, 2011 By 1 Comment
One thing I LOVE about heading to the Smokies and holing up in a cabin in the winter. It’s not the fact that the roads may be impassible. It’s not that some cabins are drafty and cold. But it IS soaking in a hot tub in a world of white. Yes, I LOVE to soak [...]
Long-Term Elk Plan Adopted
November 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has adopted a new plan for managing the elk’s population, according to an article in the Knoxville News. The plan is a follow-up to a reintroduction project that started in 2001, when the park released 25 elk. This was followed by 27 more elk in 2002. Over an eight-year [...]
Kid Testers Conquer Grotto Falls!
November 11, 2011 By 1 Comment
It was a chilly October morning, but we were determined to get in a hike. So we set off for Grotto Falls. It turned out to be the perfect hike for our Kid Testers. Here’s what we learned about the Grotto Falls trail: Grotto Falls is a 2.6-mile hike, and it’s classified as easy. I [...]
Bear Breaks into Gatlinburg Candy Store
October 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Wow! This is a great story! The Mountain Press reports that a black bear greeted employees at the Ole Smoky Candy Kitchen on Oct. 19. The Press said: When Gwatha Kear and Dorothy Robbins arrived at the kitchen in the early morning hours, they entered as they always do — through the back door. The [...]
Black Bear Activity Up in Pigeon Forge
October 19, 2011 By 1 Comment
If you’re heading to the Smoky Mountains for the beautiful fall leaf season, keep your eyes open for black bears. More are showing their faces this year than usual. According to WATE, more black bears have been sighted in Pigeon Forge than in several years. Most of the sightings have been in residential areas, but [...]
Missing Bald Eagle Found!
October 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
According to WBIR, Volunteer, the bald eagle missing from the Dollywood Eagle Sanctuary, has been found and is safe and sound. He was found in a tree near Wears Valley in Sevier County. Workers with the American Eagle Foundation caught Volunteer in a net that had been set for him. There was worry that the [...]
Appalachian Trail Question Roundup
October 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The following blog post was written by two friends of mine, John and Elizabeth Hasenmyer, who finished hiking the Appalachian Trail in August. It was a long-term dream for them that they’d been working for … well, it seems like forever. We were so happy for them. Elizabeth (trail name: Muggle) was my college roommate, [...]
Plan Now to Attend Wilderness Wildlife Week in Pigeon Forge
September 28, 2011 By 1 Comment
So, it’s not until January. But if you’re anything like me, winter is the time of year you get stir crazy. Plan now to avoid that, and have something to look forward to! Every year, the city of Pigeon Forge puts on Wilderness Wildlife Week at the Music Road Hotel & Convention Center. This year [...]
Hint of Color Blossoms Across the Smokies
September 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Do you have your fall trip to the Smokies scheduled? Prime leaf viewing days will be here before we know it. According to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Fall Color Report for 2011 (as of Wednesday): There is just a hint of color in the earliest changing trees at this time. A few sourwoods, [...]
