Hey y'all, thanks for reading! Today I am writing about a recent hiking experience I had in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the system in place here in the United States that affords myself and others these great opportunities. I'm going to dive a little into law and policy today, but I'll make it interesting I promise!
Winter Backpacking in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park
This blog was spurred by some thoughts and conversations I had while hiking in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park with my little brother during the Winter break from school in 2014. We chose to start at Newfound Gap, hike the Appalachian Trail to the Boulevard Trail that brought us to the summit of Leconte. We then took Alum Cave Trail down to highway 441 where my Aunt Kathy gave use a ride back to our car.
We were hoping to have an endearing winter summit, buried up to our knees in snow on the top of Leconte. The weather was frigid, and precipitation was in the forecast. My brother and I were in for an epic hike, or so we thought. We spent the night at Icewater Springs shelter along the Appalachian Trail. At the shelter we met a family from Alabama that was doing a short AT hike, and together we built a roaring fire to keep us warm as the snow approached. I was excited when we went to bed, because I knew I would wake up to a blanket of snow. I attributed the lack of cold in the shelter to our raging fire.
Turns out, it rained all night and was still raining when we woke up. My brother and I trucked a few brutal miles along boulevard trail in the rain until we reached the summit. Leconte was completed shrouded in fog, typical of the smoky mountains, and was being hammered by high winds. We could only stand a few moments at the top and elected to move back down to the cabins down the trail to have lunch behind some kind of barrier (the cabins are closed in the winter).
The thermometer on the side of the lodge read a comfortable 35 degrees, and it was still pouring rain. Here we met a teenager who had hitched a ride from Texas to come see the smokies. We loaned him our stove and fuel so he could heat some of his foot. The kid had been floating around the park, and sleeping in random outcroppings where he could shelter from the storms. I should note here that this is illegal, and also not advised. I'm still not sure anyone actually knew where he was, and if he went missing if anyone would know where to look. He followed us most of the way back, but ultimately disappeared into the woods once again about half way down the mountain.
These kinds of hikes may stink at the time, but I believe that they kindle a passion to get back out there in the long haul, at least for me. They leave me feeling alive.
Those of us that love the outdoors, undoubtedly love and appreciate our public lands. But, do we understand how they're different? Public lands can have various owners and funding sources, but today I'm going to break down the differences between the major federal public lands.
This blog was spurred by some thoughts and conversations I had while hiking in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park with my little brother during the Winter break from school in 2014. We chose to start at Newfound Gap, hike the Appalachian Trail to the Boulevard Trail that brought us to the summit of Leconte. We then took Alum Cave Trail down to highway 441 where my Aunt Kathy gave use a ride back to our car.
We were hoping to have an endearing winter summit, buried up to our knees in snow on the top of Leconte. The weather was frigid, and precipitation was in the forecast. My brother and I were in for an epic hike, or so we thought. We spent the night at Icewater Springs shelter along the Appalachian Trail. At the shelter we met a family from Alabama that was doing a short AT hike, and together we built a roaring fire to keep us warm as the snow approached. I was excited when we went to bed, because I knew I would wake up to a blanket of snow. I attributed the lack of cold in the shelter to our raging fire.
Turns out, it rained all night and was still raining when we woke up. My brother and I trucked a few brutal miles along boulevard trail in the rain until we reached the summit. Leconte was completed shrouded in fog, typical of the smoky mountains, and was being hammered by high winds. We could only stand a few moments at the top and elected to move back down to the cabins down the trail to have lunch behind some kind of barrier (the cabins are closed in the winter).
The thermometer on the side of the lodge read a comfortable 35 degrees, and it was still pouring rain. Here we met a teenager who had hitched a ride from Texas to come see the smokies. We loaned him our stove and fuel so he could heat some of his foot. The kid had been floating around the park, and sleeping in random outcroppings where he could shelter from the storms. I should note here that this is illegal, and also not advised. I'm still not sure anyone actually knew where he was, and if he went missing if anyone would know where to look. He followed us most of the way back, but ultimately disappeared into the woods once again about half way down the mountain.
These kinds of hikes may stink at the time, but I believe that they kindle a passion to get back out there in the long haul, at least for me. They leave me feeling alive.
Those of us that love the outdoors, undoubtedly love and appreciate our public lands. But, do we understand how they're different? Public lands can have various owners and funding sources, but today I'm going to break down the differences between the major federal public lands.
What's the difference between National Parks, Forests, Monuments, etc?
I'm always quite surprised by the number of my outdoorsy friends and acquaintances that are not familiar with the differences between federal lands that they commonly use. Then again, it can be a little confusing. I'll try my best to summarize.
National Parks are a very John Muir kind of conservation, where they seek to maintain the natural resources and sometimes cultural resources of an area "unimpaired". They do not allow hunting, nor do they harvest timber, but fishing is allowed in many cases. The idea in National Parks is that we have something here in this location that is so amazing or so important that it must be preserved in pristine condition.
National Forests are a very Gifford Pinchot/Teddy Roosevelt kind of conservation, focusing on multi-use management. National Forests allow hunting, biking, camping, fishing, and much more with regulations that vary across sites. National Forests are also managed for the production and harvest of timber resources (ie. logging).
Land owned by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is also multi-use.
National Monuments are similar to parks but capture a broader range of reasons for their preservation encompassing multiple interests. They are also typically smaller. They may be preserved because of significant cultural or scientific values, but they are often managed by the NPS. Examples include the Statue of Liberty and Cedar Breaks National Monuments.
What powers this engine.
Money, Money, and You. Especially in this changing political climate we must be advocates for public land. Write your representatives and support public land advocacy groups. To loosely quote Edward Abbey, get out there and enjoy it while you still can.
The more who love it, the more who will fight to save it.
The more who love it, the more who will fight to save it.
Sources:
www.nps.gov/aboutus/mission.htm
www.fs.fed.us
http://wilderness.org/article/how-we-designate-monuments
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