A Walleye Is Finally Caught, and a Personal Quest Ends
For almost a year now, I’ve been paddling my kayak in pursuit of the East Tennessee walleye. I’ve heard people claim they’ve caught walleye—a pikeperch native of the upper Midwest—and ... The post A...
View ArticleHistorically Low Water Levels at Chilhowee Lake Offer Up a Surprising Catch
“What is that thing?” biologist Drew Crain said when the fish on my line came into view, shimmering in the clear water. People standing on the bank of drawn-down Chilhowee ... The post Historically Low...
View ArticleUp a Creek With No Name
I had reached that stage of holiday exhaustion where too much consumption and stimuli had veiled me in a narcotic mist of fatuous inertia. Nothing would restore my senses like an ... The post Up a...
View ArticleThe Big Freeze: Winter Camping at Rock Creek Campground
Why anyone would consider camping in the middle of January is beyond me, but it was something I’d never done, so one Friday afternoon I began to consider it. I ... The post The Big Freeze: Winter...
View ArticleWhere to Paddle in the Knoxville Area
You’ve got a boat and a paddle and a yearning to explore, but you’re not sure where to put in, how far to paddle, what to look for, and what ... The post Where to Paddle in the Knoxville Area appeared...
View ArticleLearning the Ropes at Obed Wild and Scenic River’s “Climb with the Ranger”...
How does one go about learning a sport like rock climbing? As in other outdoor sports in which failure carries high-stakes consequences—hang gliding and base jumping, for example—rock climbing for ......
View Article‘Six Legs and a Buzz’ Celebrates the Words (and Life) of Rikki Hall
“You write all the time. You need to write a book,” Kim Pilarski-Hall once said to her husband, Rikki Hall. Hall, who died of cancer in the spring of 2014, ... The post ‘Six Legs and a Buzz’ Celebrates...
View Article10 Tips for Photographing the Great Outdoors
We heard the owl around noon on a bright spring day, its melancholy call an insistent melody against the louder mockery of crows. I knew what would happen next because ... The post 10 Tips for...
View ArticleOutdoors Etiquette: How to Not Drive Other People Nuts in the Wilderness
Many of us covet the notion that once we get into the wilderness there are no rules and we can go crazy and be our sloppy selves without inhibitions or ... The post Outdoors Etiquette: How to Not Drive...
View ArticleOur Man in the Water Competes in the Powell River Canoe and Kayak Regatta
I may have had a bad attitude about my first canoe and kayak regatta because the idea of racing in a kayak is counter to the reason I paddle in the ... The post Our Man in the Water Competes in the...
View ArticleJudging the Culinary Competitors at the One Pot Cookoff
When photographer Randy Russell and I canoed the length of the Cumberland in 2003, we had cooking wars each evening after paddling our 20-odd miles. I favored the macaroni and ... The post Judging the...
View ArticleGoing High and Low: Two Different Runs for Paddling on the Little River
Paddling on moving water versus flat water tends to be more fun because of the surprises that pop up on a bending, swirling, wavy waterway. For example, a couple of ... The post Going High and Low: Two...
View ArticleBear Country: Learning About Those Other Big Inhabitants of the Smokies
Fifteen years ago, Richard Hatten was sleeping in his hammock at Elkmont Campground in the Smokies when something bit his arm and pulled him to the ground. A neighboring camper, ... The post Bear...
View ArticleOn the Hunt for the Perfect East Tennessee Swimming Hole
Boulder hopping up a dry creek bed on a quest to find a swimming hole, I was about ready to quit and hike out of the gorge. It was mid ... The post On the Hunt for the Perfect East Tennessee Swimming...
View ArticleConservation Fisheries Reintroduces Endangered Species to Local Rivers
Steve Scarborough showed me the exact spot on his property where I could take a step from the Tennessee Valley onto the Cumberland Plateau. On one side of us was ... The post Conservation Fisheries...
View ArticleHow to Buy a Kayak
When I transitioned from canoeing only to mostly kayaking about 10 years ago, it greatly expanded what I could do on the water. I could cover more territory in the ... The post How to Buy a Kayak...
View ArticleShanty Dreams: A Quest for the Forgotten Stories of the Tennessee River
“What the hell have I gotten myself into?” is all I can think as I prepare to board the shantyboat Dotty. This thing doesn’t even look like it could float, much less ... The post Shanty Dreams: A Quest...
View ArticleSmoky Mountain Field School Prepares You for the Great Outdoors
You’re wandering around in the woods, off trail, and you start to get a little hungry. Those red berries look delicious, but you’re not sure if they are safe to ... The post Smoky Mountain Field School...
View ArticleSeeking Just Enough Adversity at Abrams Creek Campground
When I asked biologist Drew Crain and his son Jared, 19, what constitutes the ideal camping experience, Drew said good food—and Jared, who first said there was no ideal, added ... The post Seeking Just...
View ArticleCreatively Paddling at TCWN’s Dragon Boat Race Festival
After the Knox County dragon boat team graciously allowed me to paddle with them in the Second Annual Tennessee Clean Water Network (TCWN) Dragon Boat Race Festival, I thought it ... The post...
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