Tennessee Mountain Dreams

Waterfalls of the Smoky Mountains

Gary Boyd — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:50:40 +0000

Late March Color – Smoky Mountains

Gary Boyd — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:01:46 +0000

Myrtle Point, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Gary Boyd — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:17:16 +0000

At Myrtle Point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. From my October 19 walk up the Alum Cave Bluffs trail and a little beyond.

Mount LeConte, elevation 6,593 feet, is only the third highest peak in the Great Smoky Mountains but the trails that lead to its summit offer the hiker the quintessential Smokies experience. If you have to choose only one hike in the Smokies this might be the best choice—it highlights everything the park is famous for and it leads to the LeConte Lodge—a few rustic little cabins high in the Great Smoky Mountains. The lodge, reached exclusively by foot, is accessed via any of the five trails that lead to the summit of one of the highest peaks in the park—and although it is not the highest point, LeConte is as majestic as any peak in these rolling mountains, and a highly worthy destination for any hiker.

via Mount LeConte – Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

Benton’s Old Style Country Hams and Bacon

Gary Boyd — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:39:38 +0000

I’ve been hearing about Benton’s country hams and bacon for years now and have promised myself that whenever I make it to the area I’ll stop in and try some. Now I find out you can order it online and have it shipped to your home. I’m debating on it… With shipping it looks like 4 lbs of bacon will work out to $10 per lb or close enough for government work…A bit pricey for a daily bacon fix but twice as much as the supermarket bacon I’ve been using for years.

Benton Family Cure from Jennifer Davick on Vimeo.

CURED from UM Media Documentary Projects on Vimeo.

Tiny Tenn. smokehouse earns big rep with ‘time and patience’ By MERIDITH FORD

Allan Benton drives a 1994 Ford truck with a covered bed, and when he places the key in the ignition and fires it up, the air conditioner blows out air steeped in smoke — the kind of smoke laced with hickory from a smokehouse.

Benton is considered perhaps the greatest ham and bacon smoker in the United States — at least that’s what nationally acclaimed chefs such as John Fleer, the former executive chef of Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tenn., will tell you.

“I can talk to you about Allan,” Fleer says, “but understand that the conversation will border on hero worship.”

via Lifestyle | ajc.com.

Thanks to Jason Kottke for the links

Benton’s Smokey Mountain Country Hams (kottke.org)
Southern-Cured Country Ham (5ptsalt.com)

Timber Rattlesnake – Cumberland Gap Trail

Gary Boyd — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 10:19:58 +0000

Just another thing to watch out for as you hike around the Appalachians…

A large Timber Rattlesnake calmly slithers across the Cumberland Gap Trail – accessible form the Elkmont Campground area within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The timber rattler is a notoriously thick rattlesnake and is well camouflaged in the dense understory of the Elkmont area of the Smokies. This rattler is one of two venomous snakes in the Smokies – the other being the copperhead. Encounters are few and far between.

Cherokee Trail » Knoxville News Sentinel

Gary Boyd — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:03:23 +0000

DEL RIO, Tenn. — Anyone who has driven U.S. Highway 25-70 from Knoxville to Hot Springs, N.C., is familiar with the striking beauty of the French Broad River valley.

One of the best ways to explore this territory is to hike the Paint Mountain-Chimney Rocks trails in the Cherokee National Forest between Del Rio and Hot Springs. This six-mile loop is located in the national forest’s Nolichucky Ranger District, which covers 80,000 acres in the mountains of Cocke and Greene counties. Both trails were damaged by tornadoes in April 2011, but they’re now in excellent shape thanks to a rehabilitation project the U.S. Forest Service completed in early December.

via Changing views of French Broad valley highlight of Cherokee trail » Knoxville News Sentinel.

Cades Cove Images

Gary Boyd — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 06:28:45 +0000

Check out these Great Smoky Mountains National Park images by Jorge F found on Flickr. He’s another Texas guy with a penchant for taking photos in the mountains.

Image by jorge_dfw

Winter: A “Secret Season” in the South’s Loftiest National Parks | National Parks Traveler

Gary Boyd — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:36:31 +0000

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Smokies might lie pretty far south—but no other mountains lie to the west to sap the snow from storms. The Smokies’ ridge is so abrupt and massive—rising from 1,000 feet near Gatlinburg to nearly 7,000 feet—that the highest peaks can get hammered by big snow in even marginal conditions.

Snowstorms often interrupt travel across the park on US 441, the Newfound Gap Road, but the public highway is such a critical transportation link that plowing is routine.

via Winter: A “Secret Season” in the South’s Loftiest National Parks | National Parks Traveler.

From The Web: Winter Camping in East Tennessee – Skiing – Yahoo! Sports

Gary Boyd — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:24:54 +0000

The eastern portion of the state of Tennessee is known for its diverse natural habitats, shopping and recreational areas. There are several state and national parks within the state that showcase the areas best scenic vistas and natural scenery, and that are close to numerous shopping and recreational attractions.

The following three parks have camping areas that are open and accessible in the winter and that are close to natural wonders, as well as numerous other activities.

Read the rest at Winter Camping in East Tennessee – Skiing – Yahoo! Sports.

Head To Cumberland Gap National Historical Park To Taste Appalachian Christmas Cheer | National Parks Traveler

Gary Boyd — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:13:05 +0000

John-Boy might not be there, but youll still get a taste of Appalachian Christmas cheer with a visit to Cumberland Gap National Historical Park this coming Saturday.

Each year, deep in Appalachia, the holiday season is ushered in as Christmas-red cardinals decorate snow-covered hemlocks. Icicles become natures diamonds frosting rocky mountainsides. The brisk air makes ones skin tingle. Christmas bells treat ears to a medley of jingles. And at Cumberland Gap National Historical Parks “Taste of Christmas Past” children of all ages will thrill in the magic of mountain holidays of old.

via Head To Cumberland Gap National Historical Park To Taste Appalachian Christmas Cheer | National Parks Traveler.