3000 Miles in the Great Smokies ·
books ·
gifts ·
Historic Photos of Appalachia ·
Map ·
Meditations from the Great Smoky Mountains ·
Sanctuary ·
Waterfalls of North Carolina
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New Smoky Mountains related books
Monday, November 30, 2009
If you're looking for a great gift idea, or something new to add to your own reading list, there are a handful of books that have been published in recent months that you might be interested in:
3000 Miles in the Great Smokies
Author Bill Hart has hiked, camped and fished in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for more than 40 years. In over three thousand miles of walking, he has recorded his experiences and impressions. Whether exploring some of the most remote sections of the Smokies, angling for trout, meeting mountain folk or marveling at the flora and fauna around him, Hart has a gift for heartfelt storytelling and a wealth of knowledge to share about the park.
Sanctuary: Meditations from the Great Smoky Mountains
Sanctuary, by Greg Johnson, is a collection of essays on the highlights of hiking the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Johnson originally intended to write the book as a guide for hikers, but it ended up being partly as a language for pain as a result of a divorce he went through. He turned to the mountains for healing.
Historic Photos of Appalachia
Kevin O'Donnell's book, published last month, contains nearly 200 photographs that portray the region's land and people, including views of towns, houses, and farms; families at home and on the job; railroads, mining, and logging; and beautiful streams and mountain landscapes.
Waterfalls of North Carolina
Waterfalls of North Carolina is the very first map available that features over 300 waterfalls in the western North Carolina region. To create the map, photographer Kevin Adams partnered with Larry Odoski of Outdoor Paths Publishing and two of the best cartographers in the business, Jack Mohr and Pete Kennedy. The four of them devoted more than a year of painstaking work to complete this comprehensive source of information. In addition to the WNC region, the map includes falls on the Tennessee side of the Smokies.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.
Smoky Mountain Day Hikers Store Quality gear and apparel from some of the best outdoor brands.
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3000 Miles in the Great Smokies
Author Bill Hart has hiked, camped and fished in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for more than 40 years. In over three thousand miles of walking, he has recorded his experiences and impressions. Whether exploring some of the most remote sections of the Smokies, angling for trout, meeting mountain folk or marveling at the flora and fauna around him, Hart has a gift for heartfelt storytelling and a wealth of knowledge to share about the park.
Sanctuary: Meditations from the Great Smoky Mountains
Sanctuary, by Greg Johnson, is a collection of essays on the highlights of hiking the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Johnson originally intended to write the book as a guide for hikers, but it ended up being partly as a language for pain as a result of a divorce he went through. He turned to the mountains for healing.
Historic Photos of Appalachia
Kevin O'Donnell's book, published last month, contains nearly 200 photographs that portray the region's land and people, including views of towns, houses, and farms; families at home and on the job; railroads, mining, and logging; and beautiful streams and mountain landscapes.
Waterfalls of North Carolina
Waterfalls of North Carolina is the very first map available that features over 300 waterfalls in the western North Carolina region. To create the map, photographer Kevin Adams partnered with Larry Odoski of Outdoor Paths Publishing and two of the best cartographers in the business, Jack Mohr and Pete Kennedy. The four of them devoted more than a year of painstaking work to complete this comprehensive source of information. In addition to the WNC region, the map includes falls on the Tennessee side of the Smokies.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.
Smoky Mountain Day Hikers Store Quality gear and apparel from some of the best outdoor brands.
The next major destination on the loop is a huge meadow below Ute Pass. This glacially carved valley is an outstanding place to relax or do a little exploring. Looking towards the east, the prominent backdrop to the valley is Flattop Mountain, Ute Pass and the Continental Divide.
Beyond the meadow you’ll reach another fork in the trail where you’ll be turning left onto the Gilpin Lake Trail. From here the trail climbs up to the top of Gilpin Ridge.
From here the trail descends rapidly towards the lake. Through this section and just below the lake we saw a variety of wildflowers.
After a long day on the trail we made a beeline to the Old Town Pub for some wings and beer.
Six years later, in 2004, we decided to return and explore more of the park. By this time the region was now in a severe, multi-year drought. So as we made plans for another late summer trip, forest fires were an obvious concern.
Although Sperry Chalet has a beautiful native-stone exterior, the interior is just as rustic as the cabins on LeConte. With paper-thin interior walls, you can literally hear people turning over in their beds two doors down! The extreme sag in our bed left us to conclude that it was probably as old as the building, which was built in 1913.
Continuing northbound along the Appalachian Trail for another 0.7 miles (technically walking eastward) we reached our next destination, Jane Bald. In between Round and Jane we lost and regained about 200 feet before reaching the 5807-foot summit of Jane Bald.
Local legend has it that the peak received its name after a woman named "Jane" died of milk sickness while crossing the mountain (milk sickness is poisoning by milk from cows that have eaten white snakeroot).
At roughly 1.9 miles the Appalachian Trail takes a turn towards the left. At this junction you’ll see a side trail that continues straight ahead. This will take you to the summit of Grassy Ridge Bald.
Grassy Ridge Bald dominates the center of Grassy Ridge. At an elevation of 6189 feet, it’s one of the highest grassy balds in the Appalachian Mountains.
About a half-mile from the summit we reached a meadow right above the tree line - just at the base of the bowl under Avalanche Peak. We noticed four hikers descending the mountain about 150 yards up the trail from where we stood. About 200 yards above them, I saw what I assumed to be another hiker, dressed in brown from head-to-toe, cross over the trail. It took me a second or two to realize that what I was actually looking at was an adult grizzly bear moving towards the east. I yelled a warning to the four hikers between us and the bear. The bear also heard me and looked a little startled as he stopped to check us out.
I’ve made several trips out west over the years and have had the opportunity to hike in some of the best parks and wilderness areas in Colorado, Utah, Montana and Wyoming. Not only was our trek up Avalanche Peak the highlight of our Yellowstone trip, but was undoubtedly one the most memorable hikes I’ve ever had. The combination of stunning scenery and the chance encounter with a grizzly bear made this a wilderness experience of a lifetime.
