Editor’s Note: This is the final essay in a series written about Railback’s stay in the park from June 22 to August 4, 2023. My days at this place I’ve called Second Acts are coming to an end, and that old human rooting instinct wants to hold me fast to what
In Great Smoky Mountains National Park, law enforcement rangers regularly patrol the roads and trails responding to various incidents, medical emergencies, and search-and-rescue missions—all involving inherent dangers. A prime example of this dedication to public safety is that of Smokies park rangers Bill Acree and Dave Harbin, who survived a
Editor’s Note: This essay is part of a series written during Railback’s stay in the park from June 22 to August 4, 2023. July 11: I am writing in a fever dream, words flying onto the page as I reach the final paragraph of the novel I’ve come to Great Smoky
A few short weeks ago, Great Smoky Mountains Association officially opened the Great Smokies Welcome Center—a new visitor center and retail space at 7929 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway in Townsend, Tennessee. In this new and expanded location, GSMA will provide information, educational materials, souvenirs, and other park-related goods to visitors
Whoever it was that first penned the classic holiday carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas” was clearly in love with a birder. Of the song’s twelve verses that describe gifts presented to a “true love” between Christmas Day and the day before Epiphany, or January 5, more than half are
Editor’s Note: This essay is part of a series written during Railback’s stay in the park from June 22 to August 4, 2023. I quietly stand in a corner of the main room of the Dan Lawson house on a hot afternoon in July, watching four barn swallow chicks pop their
It’s no secret that Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a hotspot of biological diversity. Not only does it offer a range of environmental conditions to support plant and animal life, no ocean or glacier has disturbed it for over a million years, giving species lots of time to evolve.
Angelyn Whitmeyer might be the last person you would expect to contribute to ongoing research surrounding a Japanese photographer who found inspiration in the Great Smoky Mountains. And yet, the world is coming to know more about some sophisticated early images and an unlikely champion of Great Smoky Mountains National
Editor’s Note: This essay is part of a series written during Railback’s stay in the park from June 22 to August 4, 2023. I try to bike Cades Cove Loop every day, but this afternoon I hesitate at the entrance. The line of vehicles extends from beyond the information kiosk to
I love snowy days in the woods! Wow, did I really just say that? There was a time when cold temperatures made me want to burrow into the blankets with a good book and a cup of cocoa refusing to emerge. But about 15 years ago, I started spending more
Editor’s Note: This is the final essay in a series written about Railback’s stay in the park from June 22 to August 4, 2023. My days
In Great Smoky Mountains National Park, law enforcement rangers regularly patrol the roads and trails responding to various incidents, medical emergencies, and search-and-rescue missions—all involving
Editor’s Note: This essay is part of a series written during Railback’s stay in the park from June 22 to August 4, 2023. July 11: I
A few short weeks ago, Great Smoky Mountains Association officially opened the Great Smokies Welcome Center—a new visitor center and retail space at 7929 E.
Whoever it was that first penned the classic holiday carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas” was clearly in love with a birder. Of the song’s
Editor’s Note: This essay is part of a series written during Railback’s stay in the park from June 22 to August 4, 2023. I quietly stand
It’s no secret that Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a hotspot of biological diversity. Not only does it offer a range of environmental conditions
Angelyn Whitmeyer might be the last person you would expect to contribute to ongoing research surrounding a Japanese photographer who found inspiration in the Great
Editor’s Note: This essay is part of a series written during Railback’s stay in the park from June 22 to August 4, 2023. I try to
I love snowy days in the woods! Wow, did I really just say that? There was a time when cold temperatures made me want to
The Great Smokies Welcome Center is located on U.S. 321 in Townsend, TN, 2 miles from the west entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Visitors can get information about things to see and do in and around the national park and shop from a wide selection of books, gifts, and other Smokies merchandise. Daily, weekly, and annual parking tags for the national park are also available.
