Jigsha on GoSmokies

We just posted this on knoxnews:

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - A man faces two federal misdemeanor charges in a summer crash that killed two people inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, authorities said today.

Clyde L. Grubbs, 74, of Cincinnati was driving south on Newfound Gap Road on Aug. 19 when his Oldsmobile Bravado sport utility vehicle crossed the center line, sideswiped a Mercury sedan and hit a Harley-Davidson motorcycle head-on, park officials said.

GATLINBURG - A man camping in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park faces two federal misdemeanor charges today after his pit bull dog attacked a deer and injured it such that it had to be put down.

Nancy Gray, park spokeswoman, identified the dog owner as Manny Wall, who was camping at Elkmont on Wednesday morning when the attack occurred. Gray could not provide a hometown for Wall.

Rea

I thought this story by Morgan Simmons in Tuesday's News Sentinel is kinda interesting:

The spread of rhododendron in the Southern Appalachians may increase the likelihood of landslides during and after intense rain, according to a study by the U.S. Forest Service and the University of North Carolina.

Researchers tested 15 species of trees on a mountain in western North Carolina to determine how well their roots held the soil and stabilized mountain slopes. One of th

GATLINBURG - They went fast.

The 2,000 open-to-the-public free seats for the Sept. 2 Great Smoky Mountains National Park rededication ceremony at Newfound Gap are gone, less than a day after they were offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

As of this morning, park officials said they had received more requests than space will allow for the rededication ceremony. That means that additional requests for tickets will no longer be accepted.

We had this story in the News Sentinel today:

Three years ago, having already hiked all the maintained trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park twice, Cecil Rowe decided to go one more round.

Rowe had just turned 75. Presented with the opportunity to become the oldest person to hike all 800-plus miles of trails in the Smokies, he rallied the support of his hiking friends and hit the trail.