Smoky Mountains Information: Your Smokies

Gregory Bald Azaleas in Peak Bloom Right Now – So I Am Told. When Good Hikes Go Bad.

2009-06-22T23:26:00.000-04:00

Friday was just one of those days in the Great Smoky Mountains national park that you just not be sure how the day was going to turn out for hiking. The weather man said a high chance of rain and the haze and 90 degree weather in the valley made me rethink my plans 3 times throughout the day to hike up to Gregory Bald where the azaleas would be in peak bloom and I could look down on Cades Cove and Lake Fontana.

Though Mount Le Conte was obscured from view by the haziness in Sevierville, as long as the air quality was good I was willing to take a shot and hope for as good view from Gregory Bald by hiking up to the mountain late in the day as it got cooler and returning down the mountain in the dark. The ozone level was at 38 so I felt as though the air quality was good enough to take this moderately strenuous 11 mile hike.

Driving through Cades Cove with the windows down it was still warm but comfortable as I was moving and few deer were out of the cover of the woods in the cove in the late afternoon sun. I decided as I was driving that since I was hiking back in the dark, to take the trail off Forge Creek Road rather than the one off Parsons Branch and upon arrival I could see the parking area was filled with other hikers looking to enjoy peak season on Gregory Bald.

Since it was so warm at the trailhead I threw 2 more water bottles in my backpack and I checked my water filter system in a dry bag even though I just consumed 2 bottles of water since I entered the Cades Cove. An extra flashlight got tossed into the pack along with some camera gear and I was off.

Within 5 minutes on the trail I ran into to 2 National Park employees I ironically was going to contact this week chatted for a few minutes and they confirmed it was spectacular up top and I was back on my way up the mountain to the parks pretties bald that I was sure was in peak bloom.

About another 5 minutes in and older couple was hiking down the trail. Seeing me geared up so heavily they asked me if I was a ranger and told me that and older couple was in distress up by the bald and that the man was very sick and suffering from the heat, when I asked as to the man's condition the response was "bad". He was very hot, very sick, had bad color and was unable to stand.

I told the couple to continue back down the trail carefully and to go to the Cades Cove visitor center so they could radio for help and to not rush down the trail so they don't fall and get hurt as well and I would go up and assist the couple in trouble.

I decided to run up the trail as quickly as possible as I would be the first responder at least an hour ahead of the parks EMS crew and that's if they were in Cades Cove which was doubtful. As I was working my way uphill I decided to hang some of the gear in my pack on the bear lines once I could reach campsite 12.

I passed a hiker leisurely coming down the mountain who I had seen a few months before on the same trail. I asked him the condition of the couple as well as their present location and he casually respond they were just above the campsite and the man was sick.

Still rushing up the trail I eventually ran into the couple slowly descending the trial. He was a tall fit gentleman who recognized me from the Porters Creek Trail. He was standing in the trail with a wet cloth on his head and swaying.

Apparently he and his wife went up the mountain with small packs, heavy camera equipment and about 2 liters of water. They were given more water when he wasn't feeling well and worked their way down to a stream where he rested and they refilled at least one container of water from the stream and wet the cloth on his head.

As he and his wife were telling me the story I observed his respiration, skin color and demeanor. When I asked him about nausea, dizziness, headache and other symptoms he didn't have kept saying he felt "real bad" and didn't feel that good on the way up either.

I told him help was on the way but we could see that he was feeling way better now that he started hydrating. He decided he was well enough to work his way down the trail and didn't want the park to execute a full blown rescue. As he was talking I was finishing off my last bottle of water and I set my stopwatch.

Since the trailhead was full and people would be working their way down I told him I was going to update the park as to his condition and to keep one of the people coming back down the trail close by him and his wife.

I worked my way down the trail quickly making note of the time at the trailhead and drove to the Cades Cove Visitors Center and advised them of his condition and returned to the trailhead to hike back up to the couple with more water I had in the car as well as Gatorade powder.

I dumped some gear back into the car to lighten my back for the trip uphill and just at the time and Park Ranger with EMS training arrived. I updated on the gentleman's improved condition and last know location and he notified dispatch and stared packing out his emergency pack as I rushed back up the trail.

When I caught up with the couple they were far further down and were accompanied by a kind middle aged couple watching out for him. We all stopped by a stream to cool off and wait for the ranger who arrived about 5 minutes later.

The ranger conducted a quick field exam checking for signs of dehydration, heat cramps and heat exhaustion. The ranger was thorough and had a fantastic bedside - make that streamside manor.

At this point the gentleman was drinking a light Gatorade mixture I had made for him and when asked how he was feeling responding clearly and emphatically "lousy". Since his balance was still in question we all accompanied him back down to his car carrying his pack for him with his precious camera gear.

Back at the car I unloaded my soaking wet backpack and finished off my 5th bottle of water in under 2-1/2 hours. Since it was too late to get good lighting I knew the day was over for me.

I have since heard from the gentleman who was very thankful and in great spirits.

Proper hydration and moderation in strenuous activities are especially crucial when hiking for an extended time in high temperatures. What appeared to be a mild case of dehydration and heat exhaustion could easily become deadly heat stroke if left untreated.

The couple left with far too little water and no way to safely treat more water if they needed it. When first not feeling well they should have stopped and cooled off - even going as far as soaking clothes with water or just sitting in a stream. Hydration and moderation are keys to comfortable safe hiking.

If this gentleman was not in such good general health, this story would had have a far more tragic ending rather than me not being able to see the peak in the azaleas on Gregory Bald.

Plan on hiking? Check out our new first aid pages for hiking listed below:

Dehydration First Aid for Hikers

Heat Cramps First Aid for Hikers

Heat Exhaustion First Aid for Hikers

Heat Stroke First Aid for Hikers

Aggressive black bear closes popular Cades Cove Hiking Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains

2009-06-20T07:08:00.002-04:00

The Great Smoky Mountains national park has had a black bear problem for weeks in the back end of Cades Cove at the Abrams Falls Hiking Trail and has finally been forced to close the trail for visitor and the bear's safety.

The closure of the Abrams Falls Hiking Trail starts on the dirt road before the parking lot area so the Rabbit Creek hiking trail in Cades Cove is also affected.

There are other hiking trails with black bear problems in the Great Smoky Mountains national park which have warnings issued on them include: the Little River hiking trail, The lower portion of Trillium Gap trail near Grotto falls and the lower portion of Crooked Arm Ridge trail.

Great Smoky Mountains national park Black Bear Information

Great Smoky Mountain National Parks 75th Anniversary Celebration Continues with Oconaluftee Visitor Center Ground Breaking.

2009-06-14T21:35:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow will be the Great Smoky Mountains national parks actual 75th anniversary and what better way to celebrate than to have the public be able to join in with a celebration at the Oconaluftee visitor center and Farm Museum? From 10 am to 2 pm there will be demonstrations, music, storytelling, dancing and a ground breaking on the new state of the art visitor center.

Long overdue, the new energy efficient visitor center will be more than 6 times larger that the present visitor center built in the 1940s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) which was originally used as a ranger center. The new visitor center will have a museum with displays of the history and traditions of the Cherokee people, Southern Appalachian culture, the and the Park's establishment and development.

Around 2,000,000 people a year pass by Oconaluftee to get into the Great Smoky Mountains national park with nearly 350,000 visitors presently entering the Oconaluftee Visitor Center and Farm Museum area. The original building will be kept when the new visitor center is complete.

Besides the entertainment, the Park has extended a special invitation to all former CCC members who served at Great Smoky Mountains National Park to attend the groundbreaking and some are expecting some to attend.

Dale Ditmanson the parks superintendent commented "We are excited about the opportunity to hold the visitor center groundbreaking during our anniversary year and are especially honored to have several CCC men who assisted with the construction of the existing visitor center over 65 years ago. This project will represent a symbolic bridge between the past and the future of the national park".

The ground breaking ceremony hosted by Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson will also include Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Principal Chief Michell Hicks, and Cherokee Elder Jerry Wolfe giving the "Blessing of the Ground".

The schedule for the 75th anniversary celebration at Oconaluftee 2 miles north of the Cherokee North Carolina Parks Entrance is also follows:

10 am - Music performed by Boogertown Gap
11 am - Warriors of AniKituhwa: Official Cherokee cultural ambassadors performing traditional dances including the War Dance and Eagle Tail Dance
11:30 am - Storytelling by Charles Maynard
12 pm - Groundbreaking Ceremony
1 pm - Music played by Earl and the Boys

Thanks to 2 fantastic organizations: the Friends of the Smokies and the Great Smoky Mountains Association the buildings and exhibits have been funded.

Both Friends and the GSMAs work and the funding make this and many projects possible within the Great Smoky Mountains national park and it is impossible for me to accurately state how much they mean to the park, the surrounding communities and me personally.

I am very grateful that Oconaluftee will finally be honoring in a significant way the Cherokee and Native Americans who have inhabited the area for more than 10,000 years.

Great Smoky Mountains Nat Park 75th Anniversary Celebration Continues Today With Park Open House

2009-06-14T08:48:00.002-04:00

Join Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson and other park personnel at an open house today from 12 noon to 4 pm at the Sugarlands headquarters as part of the 75th Anniversary Weekend celebration.

The park headquarters just outside the city of Gatlinburg was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1940 and will be honored as part of today's celebration as well as a first-of-its-kind behind the scenes view of the Park's day-to-day operations open to anyone and the a unique opportunity to meet and talk with key managers of the Park along with the opportunity to see park equipment up close such as search and rescue, fire and road maintenance vehicles and the offices of the Great Smoky Mountains Association will also be open to the public.

According to Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson "We will basically showcase how we perform and accomplish our duties, everything from conducting air and water quality research, protecting wildlife, treating nonnative plant and animal species, search and rescue, maintaining historic buildings and cultural landscapes, prioritizing road construction and facilities improvement projects, conducting visitor and educational programs, and carrying out our fiscal responsibilities,"

The winning quilt from the Pigeon Forge 75th Anniversary Smokies Sampler Quilt contest made by Naomi Davis of Sevierville, Tennessee will be held unveiled at 11 am at the visitor center and from 1 pm to 3 pm there will be an easy guided hike to the Sugarlands Civilian Conservation Corps camp via the Old Sugarlands Hiking Trail.

Parking for the event will be at the Sugarlands Visitor Center right next door to the headquarters.

Cades Cove Concert: 40% chance of wash out.

2009-06-12T08:23:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow a much anticipated event will helpfully take place in the Cades Cove, the crown jewel of the Great Smoky Mountains national park; the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra will perform to a crowd of around 5,000 spectators to celebrate the parks 75th anniversary. There will also be special exhibits and programs on the history of Cades Cove.

The concert will take place at 3 pm near the Cades Cove Visitor Center in the back end of Cades Cove where there is very limited parking on asphalt and since there is no shelter from rain for performers and visitors and most of the cars will have to be parked on grass fields, even wet grass can become a parking and driving nightmare.

According to 3 Smoky Mountains weather reports the consensus is that there will be a 40% chance of rain with a slight chance of thunderstorms in the morning and a greater chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Thunderstorms + Open Fields with spectators = canceled event.

Unfortunately if the even gets canceled there is rain date or refunds.

Around 200 more vehicle passes are still available at $25 a pieces and can only be purchased and picked up today between 9 am - 5 pm at the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra box office located at 100 South Gay Street in Knoxville.

Laurel Creek Road will be closed tomorrow at noon to anyone without a vehicle pass or who is not a registered camper at the Cades Cove Campgrounds. This means you will not gain access to the following trail heads:

Anthony Creek Trail
Bote Mountain Hiking Trail
Crib Gap Hiking Trail
Finley Cane Hiking Trail
Schoolhouse Gap Hiking Trail
Turkey Pen Ridge Hiking Trail

Cades Cove will be closed all day to bicycles and pedestrians.

According the GSM national parks superintendent Dale Ditmanson "in the interest of avoiding a premature and unnecessary cancellation of the concert, the final decision may be delayed until the very last possible moment". Since we will be covering the event we will not be able to give out updates about potential cancellations but if cancellation is imminent the hot line phone number (865)436-1316) will be activated and we are told that www.GreatSmokies75th.org will have up to date concert information.

Let's hope the weather in the Smokies cooperates for the 75th anniversary celebration of the Great Smoky Mountains national park in Cades Cove.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Firefly Festival in Gatlinburg

2009-06-06T21:57:00.002-04:00

Come out and join the Firefly Festival in Gatlinburg Tennessee where you will be able to meet a firefly expert, see an insect zoo, meet a local nature author, and enjoy some music, food and drink while learning about fireflies and some of the other fascinating creatures that comprise the amazing biodiversity of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park!

It's all happening at the Happy Hiker store in Gatlinburg Tennessee near traffic light #10 on June 12, 2009 from 10 am - 6 pm.

Related News Stories

20 year old hiker Drowns in the Great Smoky Mountains national park

2009-05-24T23:42:00.002-04:00

The normally quiet Sunday evening in the Great Smoky Mountains national park was shattered with the sound of sirens from park rangers racing to the Abrams Falls Hiking trail in the back end of Cades Cove. The last vehicle racing to the scene was a park ranger's pick-up truck with a gurney and a ladder in the bed.

Few details have been released other than a 20 year old male has drowned presumable just under the Abrams Falls which is swollen with today's rain. Because of the darkness and the dangerous conditions, the body will have to wait to be retrieved by divers tomorrow at which time the name and hometown of the drowning victims will be released.

Earlier today it was reported that 2 young women were jumping off the falls into the pool underneath. Abrams Falls is the highest volume waterfall in the Great Smoky Mountains national park and the pool beneath has swift currents, rocks, branches and logs that entangle swimmers in its 25 foot depth.

The Abrams Falls hiking trail has seen numerous serious falling accidents as well as downing deaths and has been ranked as one of the top 10 most dangerous hiking trails in all national parks.

Guns are still not allowed in the Great Smoky Mountains national park – at least not yet...

2009-05-23T10:17:00.006-04:00

Firearms that are loaded have been long banned from the Great Smoky Mountains national park since President Regan signed into law that guns in national parks must be unloaded and inaccessible.

Now thanks to bill just signed into law, over the dismay of most citizens, law enforcement personnel, fraternal order of park rangers and retired rangers, guns will no longer be illegal in the Great Smoky Mountains national park in late February 2010.

Until late February 2010, concealed weapons and loaded firearms of any sort are still illegal in the Great Smoky Mountains national park (GSMNP) and along the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP).

The Department of the Interior now has 9 months to get their act together in order to figure out all of the ramifications of this law especially since the GSMNP and the BRP both have multi-state jurisdiction issues.

To make matters even more interesting, the law depends upon the state law in which the national park and the visitor with a gun is located. Since the Great Smoky Mountains national park is located in Tennessee and North Carolina with the border marked clearly in only 1 place in all 800 square miles, I think the park has their work cut out for them.

Acting Director Dan Wenk made the following statement: "As Interior prepares to implement the new law, the Department will work to understand and interpret its implications for our national parks, with public safety and the safety of our employees as our foremost consideration."

Of course, one can only hope that that a law snuck underhandedly into a credit card reform bill will get struck down as the last one Bush passed did since none of the environmental issues, safety issues and the overwhelming majority of citizens who visit do not want guns to be legal in our national parks has not changed.

Just think, the Great Smoky Mountains national park doesn't even want bear spray to be legal in the park!

Related New Stories on Guns in Parks:

Invasion of the non native exotic plant species in the Great Smoky Mountains national park

2009-05-22T22:15:00.004-04:00

Thanks to Discover Life in America (DLIA), Kris Johnson Great Smoky Mountains national park vegetation management specialist and Margie Hunter author of Landscaping with the Native Plants of Tennessee, International Biodiversity Day in the GSMNP at the Twin Creek Science Center was incredibly informative and thought provoking.

Any talk given by Kris Johnson is a home run and this one was no exception. The work that she and others working for the Great Smoky Mountains must go through in order to keep invasive exotic plants under control is staggering.

Part of the job of the national park service is to maintain the historical integrity of national park and beside the preservation of man made objects such as buildings, monuments and other historical and cultural artifacts as well as the flora and fauna of an area.

Non-native invasive plant species reek havoc on an ecosystem by crowding out native plants, raising the risk and intensity of wildfires, changing the hydrological makeup of an area, diminishing food sources for local plants and animals, creating a toxic environment for other plants and animals, and creating financial hardship through excessive maintenance issues.

While there are a few ways we can all help reduce the numbers of invasive non native plants species that threaten the biodiversity and the ecosystem of the Great Smoky Mountains national park, one of the easiest way to protect our environment is to only use native species in our own landscaping and gardens.

Native Plant Alternatives to Invasive Exotic Plants in Tennessee compiled by Margie Hunter

Trees:
Invasive Exotic Species: Mimosa (Albiziajulibrissin)
Native Species Alternative: Chionanthus virginicus - fringetree
Native Species Alternative: Cercis canadensis - redbud

Invasive Exotic Species: Princess tree (Paulownia tomentosa)
Native Species Alternative: Catalpa speciosa - northern catalpa, cigartree Native Species Alternative: Aesculus jlava - yellow buckeye

Invasive Exotic Species: Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana)
Native Species Alternative: Viburnum rufidulum - rusty blackhaw viburnum
Native Species Alternative: Amelanchier x grandiflora 'Autumn Brilliance' - serviceberry, Juneberry

Shrubs:
Invasive Exotic Species: Butterfly-bush (Buddleja davidii)
Native Species Alternative: Cephalanthus occidentalis - buttonbush
Native Species Alternative: Ceanothus american us - New Jersey tea
Native Species Alternative: Clethra alnifolia 'Ruby Spice' - summersweet, sweet pepperbush
Native Species Alternative: Clethra acuminata - mountain pepperbush
Native Species Alternative: Rhododendron spp. - azalea

Invasive Exotic Species: Burning bush (Euonymus alata)
Native Species Alternative: Euonymus american us - hearts-a-bustin'
Native Species Alternative: Itea virginica - Virginia sweetspire
Native Species Alternative: Fothergilla gardenii - dwarf fothergilla

Invasive Exotic Species: Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii)
Native Species Alternative: Lindera benzoin - spicebush
Native Species Alternative: Leucothoe jontanesiana - doghobble
Native Species Alternative: Autumn (Elaeagnus umbellata) & thorny (E. pungens) olive
Native Species Alternative: Croton alabamensis - Alabama croton
Native Species Alternative: Calycanthus jloridus 'Athens' - sweetshrub

Invasive Exotic Species: Privet (Ligustrum sinense, L. japonicum, L. vulgare)
Native Species Alternative: Kalmia latifolia - mountain laurel
Native Species Alternative: Ilex glabra - inkberry

Sacred bamboo (Nandina domestica) & Leatherleaf grapeholly (Mahonia bealei)
Native Species Alternative: Callicarpa americana - American beauty berry
Native Species Alternative: Ilex verticillata - winterberry
Native Species Alternative: Xanthorhiza simplicissima - yellowroot

Vines:
Invasive Exotic Species: Sweet autumn clematis (Clematis terniflora)
Native Species Alternative: Clematis virginiana - virgin's bower
Native Species Alternative: Clematis viorna - leather-flower
Native Species Alternative: Clematis glaucophylla - blue-leaved leather-flower

Invasive Exotic Species: Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicerajaponica)
Native Species Alternative: Lonieera sempervirens - coral or trumpet honeysuckle

Invasive Exotic Species: Periwinkle (Vinca minor) [groundcover vine with herbaceous alternatives]
Native Species Alternative: Phlox stolonifera - creeping phlox
Native Species Alternative: Carex plantaginea. C. platyphylla & C. jlaeeosperma - seersucker, blue satin & blue wood sedges

Invasive Exotic Species: English Ivy (Hedera helix)
Native Species Alternative: Bignonia eapreolata 'Tangerine Beauty' - crossvine
Native Species Alternative: Gelsemium sempervirens - Carolina jessamine, yellow jessamine

Invasive Exotic Species: Chinese and Japanese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis & W. jloribunda)
Native Species Alternative: Wisteriajruteseens (w. maerostaehya) - American (Kentucky) wisteria 'Amethyst Falls'

Grasses:
Invasive Exotic Species: Japanese blood grass, cogon grass (Imperata cylindrica) Noxious Weed
Native Species Alternative: Panieum virgatum 'Shenandoah' - red switch grass
Native Species Alternative: Sehizaehyrium seoparium - little bluestem

Invasive Exotic Species: Zebra grass, silvergrass (Miscanthus sinensis)
Native Species Alternative: Sorghastrum nutans - Indian grass
Native Species Alternative: Muhlenbergia capillaris - pink muhly grass

Herbaceous Plants:
Invasive Exotic Species: Japanese knotweed, fleeceflower, Mexican bamboo (Polygonum cuspidatum)
Aruneus dioieus - goat's-beard
Native Species Alternative: Cimieifuga raeemosa - black cohosh

Invasive Exotic Species: Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)
Native Species Alternative: Liatris Spp. - blazing star [L. spieata, L. squarrulosa, L. squarrosa]
Native Species Alternative: Conoclinium eoelestinum (Eupatorium eoelestinum) - mist flower
Native Species Alternative: Chelone lyonii - pink turtlehead

Web Sites With Non Native and Native Plant Information:
Gardening with native plants
Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council
Tennessee Native Plant Society
University of Tennessee Herbarium

Synchronized firefly show in Great Smoky Mountains national parks Elkmont area 2009

2009-05-22T10:15:00.001-04:00

When and where can I see the synchronized lightning bugs in the Great Smoky Mountains national park? This time of the year I get these questions about the fireflies in Elkmont more often that anything else other than where the black bear are.

The where is easy: in the Elkmont area of the Great Smoky Mountains national park along the Little River Hiking Trail. When the best time to see the Synchronized firefly also called lightning bugs is a little less exact.

First of all lightning bugs have been out in the Smokies for more than a month already. Little flashes of green and blue from the fireflies have been visible just after sunsets in ever increasing numbers everywhere in the Great Smoky Mountains.

The firefly beetle responsible for the awesome synchronized show Photinus Carolinus, is seen best only in Elkmont and starts usually around the second week in June but the entire show is visible for about 3 weeks.

The lightning bugs synchronized light show is actually part of the fireflies mating behavior. This start and duration of firefly behavior can vary based upon, when they emerged, current temperature among other factors so and exact "peak date" of when it is the best to see the Synchronized firefly show in Great Smoky Mountains national park will hopefully be when the trolleys are running from June 6th to the 14th.

Some days more than 1,000 people can show up to view the synchronized lightning bugs in the GSMNP Elkmont section so to accommodate this volume of visitors who would not all be able to park in Elkmont, the Great Smoky Mountains national park will close Elmont Road from 5 pm to 12 pm to all vehicles other than those of registered campers in the Elkmont Campgrounds.

The Great Smoky Mountains national park in cooperation with the city of Gatlinburg Tennessee will run shuttle trolleys from the Sugarlands visitor center parking area neat the city of Gatlinburg to Elkmont and back for only $1 a person.

The trolleys to take you to the Elkmont synchronized firefly show run from 6 pm to 9 pm or stop sooner if the parking area is full. Though the last trolley is scheduled to leave Elkmont by 11:00 pm but it can end up leaving after midnight.

You can not park in any of the pull offs or along Littler River Road from the Sugarlands to Metcalf Bottoms picnic areas when the trolley to the fireflies are running.

Since it is unsafe to walk or bike along roadways at night and you must take the trolley if you want to see the Synchronized firefly show in Great Smoky Mountains national parks Elkmont area.

If you are going to see the show you can brink along a blanket or small folding chairs and your own food and drink except for alcoholic beverages. Coolers are not allowed and what you bring must fit on your lap in the trolley. A small flashlight with a red led or cover so as not to disturb others is a good idea.

I personally like to hike in all the way to the Cucumber Gap Trailhead and slowly walk back to the parking area in order to see the Synchronized firefly show. The lightning bugs can be best seen on the side of the mountain or the flat area below by the trail away from the river and the fireflies will work their way down as the night progresses.

The Synchronized firefly show in Great Smoky Mountains national park is a must see event and well worth the trip!

Related News Stories

Celebrating Ferns of the Smokies in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

2009-05-21T16:30:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Discover Life in America and Anna Porter Public Library you can enjoy a free exhibition of 20 high resolution scans of the Ferns of Great Smoky Mountains National Park from May 15 through August 15, 2009.

See ferns as you have never seen them before and appreciate the fine textures colors and shapes brought out by these high resolution scans so that you can really appreciate the beauty and diversity of ferns and other plants in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

There will also be a presentation and discussion about the progress of the Great Smoky Mountains national parks All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) project on Thursday, June 11 from 6:30 - 8:30 at the Anna Porter Library.

Anna Porter Public Library
158 Proffit Road
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
(865) 436-5588

International Biodiversity Day in the Great Smoky Mountains national parks Twin Creek Center

2009-05-21T14:25:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow from 1 pm - 3 pm it's International Biodiversity Day in the Twin Creeks Science Center located in the Cherokee Orchard/Roaring Fork section of the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

The topic of discussion will be about invasive species and what to do about them. The biodiversity of the Great Smoky Mountains national park is amazing but also amazingly fragile when non native plants species be it plant or animal invade the park.

The talk will be given by the Great Smoky Mountains national park vegetation management specialist Kris Johnson who is a true expert in her field and a delight to hear her speak.

Margie Hunter the author of landscaping with the native plants of Tennessee will be also speaking about how to help conserve the parks biodiversity by only working with plants that do not threaten the local ecology.

To me nothing smells better in the spring that fresh honeysuckle blossoms which can perfume the air as you walk or drive by them. Unfortunately this evasive pest is a fast growing vine that chokes out other slower growing native species reducing their numbers and can eventually entirely replace an entire portion of an ecosystem driver a weaker slower growing plant into obscurity if not extinction.

Ramsey Cascades Hiking Trail Will Have Partial Closure May 28th

2009-05-21T11:32:00.002-04:00

One of the most poplar hiking trails to the waterfall in the Great Smoky Mountains national park (GSMNP) the Ramsey Cascades Hiking trail in the Greenbrier Tennessee section will be partially closed for a foot bridge to be repaired all day May 28th.

The Ramsey Cascades trail is an 8 mile round trip hiking taking you to one of the nicest waterfall in the GSMNP, spectacular old growth trees, interesting rock formations and pools, and crosses the Ramsey Prong more than once. While listed by many as moderate, I rank this for beginning and intermediate hikers as strenuous based on the distance and the fact it gains about 2,700 feet.

The Ramsey Cascades hiking trail will be closed from where the old road bed ends. If you wish to take a hike from this point to a spectacular view, you can ascend the unmaintained Pinnacles Manway all the way up to where the fire tower once stood.

The Pinnacles manway has many blowdowns and will require climbing over, under, and around fallen tress and is a slightly longer hike than the Ramsey Cascades Trail. It is not meant for beginners or hikers with children and with any unmaintained hiking trail in the Great Smoky Mountains national park, you need to be even more alert and careful.

Where will the $64 million dollars given to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park go?

2009-05-17T22:21:00.000-04:00

The $64,006,150 that the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will receive through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will be a great help to the infrastructure of the park and is expected to create as many as 1,500 jobs mostly in the private sector as employees of a variety of contractors who will be hired to fix up the park.

So where is all this money going that must be either spent or obligated by September 30, 2010? Well the majority of this federal stimulus money about $59 million dollars is going to be used on park roadways and the balance will be spent on trail maintenance, building and facility improvements.

First of all not a cent will be used to repave the Cades Cove 11 mile loop road. That Money has been already allocated for the Cades Cove repaving work that will start early next year.

$34 million is to be spent to finish the 1,200 foot incomplete section known as the missing link of the Foothills Parkway west which will include an 800 foot-long bridge - the longest single structure to be constructed from Wears Valley Road US321 to Walland.

The next approximately $25 million will be spent to repave and rehabilitate 4 roads in the park:

9 miles of the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail and Cherokee Orchard Road near Gatlinburg.
All 7 miles of Clingmans Dome Road from Newfound Gap Road US 441 to the Clingmans Dome parking area.
The Cosby Campgrounds in Cocke County Tennessee
The Sinks parking area on Little River Road between Wears Cove Road in Metcalf Bottoms picnic area and the Townsend Wye in Tennessee.

$4 million of the stimulus money given to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be spent on long overdue handicapped accessibility public restrooms in campgrounds and picnic areas.

$1.2 million will be used in the Great Smoky Mountains national park to hire trail workers to make improvements to:

22 miles of eroded horse trails in Tennessee
10.4 miles of trails in North Carolina
61 historic cemeteries in North Carolina

Lastly $259,000 will be spent to paint and reroof numerous buildings throughout the Great Smoky Mountains National park.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Official Written Statement on Bear Spray

2009-05-12T12:50:00.003-04:00

Since our last new story about the use of bear spray in the Great Smoky Mountains national park more documents have surfaced online written by people within the GSMNP that were in contradiction to what I was told. Information was also circulating about the parks superintendents power to change or make exclusions to existing laws.

Bob Miller the Management Assistant and one of the official parks spokespersons issued to me in writing the following official park statement:

Status of Bear Repellent Spray in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

In response to recent conflicting information, we want to clarify the Park’s posture regarding the possession and use of bear repellent spray.

Under 36 CFR Section 1.4, an "irritant gas device" is considered a weapon by legal definition and is therefore prohibited under 36 CFR Section 2.4. Items marketed and sold as bear repellent would typically meet the legal definition of a weapon. The Superintendent does not have the discretion to authorize the possession or use of a weapon for this particular purpose. As with any regulation, the degree of enforcement is a discretionary function that the individual Ranger makes in each instance based upon the totality of the circumstances and the possession and/or use of bear repellent would be evaluated in the same manner as any other violation.

Do with this information as you may. For those like me who would not want to depend upon discretion of an individual Ranger who may have had a bad day, the bear spray stays at home when I am in the park.

For the many of you contacting me about petitioning the Great Smoky Mountains national park to have the superintendent make the bear spray legal, you now have your answer. It won't help.

Though I make my living on the internet I am still amazed at both the positive and negative power that it holds. It has created far more transparency for the average citizen well as the unfortunate ability to spread false and or misleading information.

Though it has created great aggravation for me and I sure the Great Smoky Mountains national parks as well, I must commend the people who did not believe me and they in turn also kept getting the run around or wrong information which they disseminated on the internet exposing this issue that is still not as black and white that we all wish it to be.

Related News Stories:

Great Smoky Mountains national park host tourism week and Employee of the year celebration today.

2009-05-11T09:47:00.002-04:00

More than 9,000,000 people a year visit the Great Smoky Mountains national park and pump more than 700 million dollars in the to the surrounding communities such as Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Maggie Valley, Townsend, Bryson City, Cherokee, Cosby and more.

Today at 11:30 am a family of tourists will be honored on the lawn of the park headquarters in the Sugarlands as well as the Great Smoky Mountains national park Employee of the year: the Administrative Assistant for the Division of Resource Education, Susan Ross.

The more time is spend intimately involved in the park, the more I see that the people behind the scene such as Susan Ross are what protect this priceless place, enhance every visitors experience and drive the local economies of the gateway cities.

Susan Ross is the coordinator of education and visitor programs throughout the entire Great Smoky Mountains national park making sure that 9 million plus visitors get the most out of their experience in the Smokies.

Her experience in the Great Smoky Mountains national park is not just behind as desk but was in the front lines of the GSMNP as a crew leader in removal of nonnative vegetation, a fire use manager and even an emergency dispatcher.

According the Great Smoky Mountains national parks Superintendent Dale Ditmanson "She has a positive and progressive attitude, willingness to assist and encourage others, ability to coordinate the many activities of a diverse and demanding division, and desire to tackle challenging situations with new, fresh approaches are all attributes that have gained Susan this recognition".

The host and co-producer of WBIR-Knoxville Heartland Series Bill Landry will serve as the Employee of the Year emcee, and the co-hosts of the event include: Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism, Gatlinburg Department of Tourism, Sevierville Chamber of Commerce, Smoky Mountains Visitors Bureau, Cherokee Tribal Travel and Promotions in North Carolina, and Newport/Cocke County Tourism Council.

Congratulations Susan Ross on a job well done. Your work is the Great Smoky Mountains national park has touched many and a legacy of education and love for the Smokies will carry on for generations.

Pigeon Forge Dolly Parton parade a huge hit.

2009-05-09T11:45:00.015-04:00

Everyone loves a parade, especially when the grand marshal of the parade is the Smokies own sweetheart Dr. Dolly Parton the ambassador of the Great Smoky Mountains 75th anniversary. Yes Dr. Dolly Parton just received her honorary doctoral degree of humane and musical letters from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville just before the parade.

I have to be honest. I never stuck around to watch the parade in Pigeon Forge before and boy did I miss something. Picture Pigeon Forge meets Mayberry and a whole lot of fun and yes - Dolly Parton!

Many of us were real concerned with the surrounding counties under tornado watches and the weather being shaky all day long and I even felt a few drops just before the parade starting at 6 pm but to everyone delight the weather was perfect until the end of the parade and then within minutes Sevier Country was under tornado watch as well!

Boy scouts, baton twirlers and a marching band opened the Pigeon Forge parade followed by Dolly Parton all dolled up like a national park ranger from a Vegas show on a float celebrating the Smoky Mountains national parks 75th anniversary.

Right behind Dolly Parton was a float from Friends of the Smokies - a non profit organization whose fund raising efforts have been an invaluable help to the Great Smoky Mountains national park. Wave to Bob Miller the GSMNP spokesperson and next to him Holly Burcham the Marketing Director from Friends of the Smokies.

The parade continued for miles and took hours to pass and was a mixture of our local heroes: Fire Fighters and Policemen, bands and dancers from local schools, local clubs and organizations, beauty queens, veterans, the Shiners - everyone loves their little cars, trucks and motorcycles, and a whole host of local businesses showing of their entertainers and talent.

Local country representatives and even the Pigeon Forge Trolley and bear got in the action. Don't you just love this little dozer? It was a huge hit with everyone!

There were even some beautiful classic cars parading down the parkway in Pigeon Forge. Not quite the Rod Run but absolutely top notch collectible cars.

In between all of this there were some unusual displays of once sort or another that can only see in a Pigeon Forge parade!

All the "kids" had a great time at the Pigeon Forge parade so be sure to be here next year for the best parade in the Smokies!

Clarification finally made by Great Smoky Mountains national park on Bear Spray: It's illegal.

2009-05-06T15:06:00.005-04:00

When we first reported that bear spray is illegal in the Great Smoky Mountains national park and provided the law in writing, some people questioned the accuracy of what they felt was our interpretation of the law and to further confuse matters, someone in the parks Sugarlands backcountry office gave out conflicting information on April 20th which was posted onto a web site.

I immediately requested confirmation as to the legality or illegality of Bear Spray in the GSMNP which I have finally received today from Steve Kloster the Tennessee District Ranger.

There is no legal form of bear spray allowed in the Great Smoky Mountains national park and like any other weapon, trap or net, it is illegal to carry, possess or use in the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Information given out previously by someone in the backcountry office that there was a legal form of bear spray was in error.

We advise anyone who visits the Great Smoky Mountains national park to obey all laws including weapons laws and not bring a loaded gun, bear spray or any other weapon into the national park.

Related News Stories

Great Smoky Mountains National Park needs more Volunteers to assist with the Elk Program

2009-05-04T10:30:00.002-04:00

For those of us who love the Great Smoky Mountains national park, nothing feels better than giving back to the place which means so much to us and for locals who live in the Smokies this is your chance as the park still needs more volunteers for the Elk Bugle Corp program.

Probably this first animal that comes to mind when you think about the Great Smoky Mountains national park is our beloved black bear which has been a visitor favorite since the GSM national parks formation 75 years ago.

North American Elk used to freely roam the Smoky Mountains until the 1800's where they were hunted to extinction, but thanks the Friends of the Smokies and other conservation groups between 2001 and 2002 a total of 52 North American Elk were reintroduced into the Cataloochee Valley of the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

The park service is looking for volunteers to join the Elk Bugle Corps to assist park rangers by giving park visitors information on the elk as well as responsible elk viewing practices and to help with parking and traffic management in the Cataloochee Valley.

Additional Volunteers are needed to help from May to November and work for at least 2 scheduled, four hour shifts per month. Help is especially needed on day shifts from 1 pm to 5 pm through the summer.

Anyone interested in joining the Elk Bugle Corp should call Mark LaShell the Cataloochee Park Ranger at (828) 269-3161 for training which will be held tomorrow at the Palmer Barn from 10 am to 4 pm. Volunteers are asked to bring their own lunch as there are no facilities at the park.

First Smokies tick of the year found in Cades Cove

2009-05-02T19:22:00.003-04:00

Ticks are probably the most unwelcome resident of the Great Smoky Mountains national park and I just found one this week after hiking on a deer path near the swamp just north of the Abrams Falls trailhead in Cades Cove.

Driving along the Cades Cove Loop Road I spotted a lone deer gallivanting around in Abrams Creek. Seeing that the sun was setting soon and everything around me was getting the warm glow that the "golden hour" gives off I decided to circle around the deer path to photograph this beauty with this pretty background.

Stealthily I walked along on the path but the white tailed deer left far before I was close enough to photograph him. I still took a shot of the leaves and light reflecting on the water of Abrams Creek - sans deer and returned to my car.

Out of habit I checked my legs and low and behold, I found the first tick of the season in the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

What does this mean? Well since North Carolina is the Rocky Mountains spotted fever capital on the United States, it means that during tick season it is important that hikers and campers use insecticide with DEET and check themselves for ticks after being outdoors.

If ticks are removed in less than an hour after they have attached themselves to you, you are usually ok.

The picture below is recycled from last year when I wrote an article with information about ticks in the Great Smoky Mountains national park and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. It's well worth checking out.

Laurel Falls Hiking Trail Fire Damage Report

2009-05-02T10:44:00.011-04:00

Wild fires in the Great Smoky Mountains national park are inevitable and in fact in some cases even encouraged under controlled circumstances. This is not the case with this week's Laurel Falls Wildfire which threatened one of the parks most valuable natural resources as well as homes and businesses close by.

The Laurel Falls wild fire was set accidentally by an illegal campfire similar to the one pictures here I found 2 days ago in the Greenbrier section of the park. There was a wildfire warning the day this fire was made and since the weather conditions were right and there was plenty of fuel to feed a brush fire with all of the hardwood litter on the forest floor and beetle damaged trees, the fire quickly got out of hand.

Dozens and dozens of firefighters worked with hand tools making scratch lines and fire breaks to slow the spread of the wild fire, along with setting small controllable fires to burn up any fuel they could before the main fire reached the area.

Along with almost 90 men on the ground fighting the fire, a light helicopter dropped loads of water taken from a pond in Wears Valley on the area, while a 2 engine reconnaissance plane used a spotter to help control the ground crew and lead in the water taker plane as it would drop its load of water and flame retardant flown in all the way from Chattanooga.

The hiking trail to Laurel Falls is a short paved trail less than 1-1/4 miles long which takes you to one of the most attractive waterfalls in the Great Smoky Mountains national park. This section of the trail has a limited incline gaining about 600 feet to the falls and year round has some overlooks affording visitors a view of mountains within the GSMNP.

The Laurel Falls waterfall is quite impressive and is where most of the visitors who come to the most poplar hiking trail in the Great Smoky Mountains national park stop. In fact the Laurel Falls Hiking trail continues far past where it is paved and continues another 1-1/2 miles gaining another 950 feet in elevation before it reaches the next trailhead where you can take a short 1-1/2 round trip hike up to the peak of Cove Mountain.

The stretch of the Laurel Falls Hiking Trail past the falls contains largest concentration and some of the best old growth trees that can be accessed in the Great Smoky Mountains national park. These huge old growth trees were never logged as they were not accessible to the Little River Logging Company who clear cut large areas of this wilderness before it became a national park.

The first quarter of the way up the waterfall trail, other than the smell of an old campfire in the air you would never know that a huge battle against a wild fire was just fought on this trail. Why look to the left and you will see one the first flaming azaleas still blooming in the park.

The last 2/3rd of the trail are another story. Clear fire damage is visible on both sides of the Laurel Falls Hiking Trail. Huge charged logs lay on the ground many of which are cut into more manageable sizes with the use of a chain saw.

There is now an obvious absence of normal understory plants and small bushes in most areas and blacked pine cones and scorched empty soda cans previously hidden on the first floor can now be seen scattered about on the forest floor or mountainside on the rest of the way the waterfalls.

Though it looks terrible now, this damage along the hiking trail is very minimal as most of the mid and upper level canopy has remained untouched and bright green in huge contrast the to the black scorched forest floor.

By the end of the summer, other than the scorched logs and tree trunks, most of the understory will have grown back and the rhododendrons and other bushes should be fine by next spring.

Luckily even though almost 270 acres of this beautiful forest between Elkmont and the Sugarlands was damaged by the wildfire, the area past the Laurel Falls remains untouched.

Once you pass the falls and hike up the double switchback to the other side of Chinquapin Mountains on the back end of the trail, larger trees become more and more numerous and the wildflowers more abundant. A few hundred yards more and you start to see the parks old growth giants scattered about.

This forest has always felt more primordial to me with its huge trees, dark green ferns and heavy low cover of wildflowers and is one of the most tranquil areas of the entire Great Smoky Mountains national park. I have hiked all of the trails in the park and time and time again I find myself taken aback by the beauty of this trail.

Within a few minutes along this section of the trail you forget you just went such major destruction. Back on this section of the trail you smell the fresh green of spring and the smell of old stale smoke is no longer discernible.

Today you can see plenty of wildflowers which have already peaked in other sections of the park including: Large Flowered Trillium, White Erect Trillium, Painted Trillium (pictured below), White Violets, Hepatica, Rue Anemone, Silverbell, Wild Strawberry, Star Grass, Smooth Yellow Violet, Common Blue Violet and Squaw root coming up through the leaves everywhere.

Thanks to the valiant efforts of our firefighter, one of the most precious resources on the Great Smoky Mountains has been saved form destruction. The economic cost to fight the Laurel Falls Wild Fire will be staggering.

GSM Wild Fire Report: Laurel Falls: Contained - Stony Ridge: Almost there

2009-05-02T10:37:00.001-04:00

Thanks to rain and cooler spring weather in the Great Smoky Mountains national park, the Laurel Falls Wildfire has been contained a day earlier than predicted and the Stony Ridge wild fire should be contained shortly.

As of last night all the hiking trails closed by the Laurel Falls Wildfire in the Great Smoky Mountains national park have reopened.

Because of the Wears Cove wildfire, The Little Roundtop Hiking Trails off Wears Cove Road and ends at the Townsend Wye remains closed at this time.

The closed section of the Blue Ridge Parkway from US 441 to US 19 has been reopened and the command of the Stony Ridge Wildfire will be assumed by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians tomorrow and is expected to be completely contained by Monday.

Laurel Falls and Stony Ridge wildfires in the Great Smoky Mountsins national park update

2009-05-01T10:33:00.008-04:00

Time and rain have been huge helps in the battling the 2 wildfires burning in the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Presently the Laurel Falls fire which is East of Elkmont and West of the Sugarlands TN is still burning but is more than 75% contained.

As long as conditions keep improving as they have the past 2 hours we may see the following closed hiking trails reopen as soon as late this afternoon:

Cove Mountain Hiking Trail
Laurel Falls Hiking Trail
Little Brier Gap
Little Roundtop Hiking Trail
Little Greenbrier Hiking Trail
Metcalf Bottoms Hiking Trail

At this point 267 acres have been burned by the Laurel Falls wild fire and no structural damage or specimen old growth trees have been damaged.

The Stony Ridge Wildfire has already consumed 1,557 acres and is now 60% contained.

The only pubic access areas closed is a section of the Bluer Ridge parkway from Soco Road - US 19 to Newfound Gap Road - US 441 just a short distance north of the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains national park in Cherokee North Carolina.

Blue Ridge Parkway Closure because of the Stony Ridge wildfire to last until at least Saturday

2009-05-01T10:19:00.003-04:00

The Northernmost section of the Blue Ridge Parkway from the Soco Road (US19) to the Great Smoky Mountains national parks main thoroughfare Newfound Gap Road (US 441) has been closed for the past 2 days due to the Stony Ridge wildfire near Cherokee North Carolina.

Fire officials believe enough of the wildfire is under control that they will be able to open the Blue Ridge Parkway some time this weekend.

Great Smoky Mountains national park Laurel Falls wild fire update

2009-04-30T20:21:00.009-04:00

The Laurel Falls Hiking trail in the Great Smoky Mountains national park remains closed along with other hiking trails close by as 3 fire fighter crews continue to fight the stubborn blaze fueled by leaves, branches, and other hardwood litter as well as trees with heavy beetle kill damage.

Though open flames were no longer visible from the last areal reconnaissance of the Laurel Falls wild fire in the GSMNP, stump holes and logs are still smoking and could flare up at any time. The photo below was taken at the Laurel Falls wild fire and shows typical current fire behavior.

Though the Laurel Falls Hiking trail is only a moderate incline, the fire fighters are dealing what they have classified as an extremely rugged and steep terrain making battling the blaze very difficult.

The estimated current containment date of the Laurel Falls Wildfire is now May 3rd. The potential growth of this fire is minimal as long as the weather trends continue and the condition of the fire is now far better than it has been in the past 3 days.

Currently this wildfire is within the boundaries of the Great Smoky Mountains national park and Ober Gatlinburg and residences close by do not appear to be in any danger, but are still having to deal with varying degree of smoke.