How to Jump Into the Knoxville Paddleboarding Scene
For a while now, I’ve watched people propelling what look like surfboards across our inland lakes. Recently, in a desperate act to extend the last days of summer, I decided ... The post How to Jump...
View ArticleHiking the Smoke Ring Trail Around the GSMNP
“It won’t rain on me,” said Travis “Shepherd” Hall, the long-distance hiker who was descending the Smokies’ Chestnut Top Trail with me last Friday afternoon. Hall, who hiked the Appalachian ... The...
View ArticleGreen Clean: Seeking ‘Shinrin-Yoku’ on the Boogerman Trail
Reeking of the usual quiet desperation, I needed a cleansing session of forest-bathing, or shinrin-yoku—a kind of wellness therapy researched by the Japanese for over 30 years, reputed to prevent ......
View ArticleA Canine View of Knoxville-Area Dog Parks
As I approached Maryville’s PetSafe Pistol Creek Dog Park with Pepper, the 6-month old black Lab I was puppysitting, my worst fears about dog parks were realized. A big fight ... The post A Canine View...
View ArticleGetting a Good View of the Supermoon at Obed Wild and Scenic River
Soft-spoken ranger Rick Ryan stood near the edge of a precipice 100 feet above Clear Creek and said this: “Parks are great places where we can go to find ourselves ... The post Getting a Good View of...
View ArticleA Quick Guide to Trail-Running Sites in the Knoxville Area
The first trail runner, I’m guessing, was a Neanderthal in minimalist footwear fleeing a saber-toothed tiger. About 300,000 years later came seasonal trail runners, motivated less by predators than by...
View ArticleJoining an ‘Interpretive Hike’ at Obed Wild and Scenic River
One of my most memorable trips into wilderness—a three-day float down the Green River through Dinosaur National Monument in Utah and Colorado—was nearly ruined by the guides who made us ... The post...
View ArticleWinter Listicle: Kim Trevathan’s Top Five Movies That Make You Want to Go...
If you’re not up to facing the actual outdoors during these dark winter days, I’ve made a short list of viable movies that will make you feel as if you’ve ... The post Winter Listicle: Kim Trevathan’s...
View ArticleFrozen at Frozen Head State Park
One of my students boiled down the definition of “wilderness” to this: a place outdoors that makes you feel free. Camping in the wilderness, particularly in winter, is about as ... The post Frozen at...
View ArticleBen Montgomery’s ‘Grandma Gatewood’ Reveals the Full Story of an Appalachian...
Think about that time you were hiking up a steep trail and felt like you were making decent progress, putting one foot in front of the other, sweat dropping off ... The post Ben Montgomery’s ‘Grandma...
View ArticleDo Group Runs and Craft Beer Really Go Together? Why, Yes, They Do!
Running through the dark, winding streets of Sequoyah Hills on a chilly February evening, I was struggling to keep pace with Chris Morton, owner of the Bearden Beer Market, and ... The post Do Group...
View ArticleA Taste of the AT via Big Creek Area’s Chestnut Branch Trail
My plan was to pick up Ben Montgomery, the great-great nephew of the famous Grandma Gatewood, from Sevierville’s Rose Glen Literary Festival and take him for a hike in the ... The post A Taste of the...
View ArticleTackling the Full-Body Workout That Is Big South Fork’s Honey Creek Loop
When Maryville College colleague Drew Crain invited me on a trip that he said was on his bucket list, I hoped for something extraordinary, a destination with challenges and adventure ... The post...
View ArticleWhat to Expect if You Lock Through Watts Bar Dam—in a Canoe Going Upstream
Within a barge length or two of Watts Bar Nuclear Plant across the lake, I launched my canoe for the first time in over a year. Accustomed to riding low ... The post What to Expect if You Lock Through...
View ArticleFishing on a Fine Spring Day, Hip-Deep in Citico Creek
In the middle of Citico Creek, wearing a borrowed pair of chest waders and felt-soled boots three sizes too big, I sat down on a rock that was a half-foot ... The post Fishing on a Fine Spring Day,...
View ArticleA Survey of Detritus Discovered (or Left Behind) in the Wild
I’m pretty good at losing stuff in the wilderness. The Cumberland River took a micro-cassette recorder full of my jumbled thoughts. I forgot a cherished hiking stick on Honey Creek ... The post A...
View ArticleNorm: A Final Trek with a Faithful Outdoors Companion
Not until we lose a pet do we fully realize how intimately they connect us to nature and the wild animal part that we share with them. Norm, my dog, ... The post Norm: A Final Trek with a Faithful...
View ArticleSurviving the Ocoee River’s heart-pounding whitewater
I’d put off rafting the famous Middle Ocoee for years. Just the look of it spitting rafts and kayaks down what looked like a continuous hellstorm of whitewater rage had ... The post Surviving the Ocoee...
View ArticleSocializing on Two Wheels: Community Rides and Races
Bicycling isn’t just for getting to work or sweating profusely in the Urban Wilderness—it’s also your ticket for meeting new friends on community rides, races, and movie nights. American Red ... The...
View ArticleKnoxville Area Bike Clubs
Looking for an instant social/support group for your bicycling pursuits? Try one of these local clubs. Appalachian Mountain Bike Club ambc-sorba.org AMBC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to...
View Article