Although it’s only a small part of GRSM, Cades Cove attracts more visitors by itself than most national parks in their entirety.

For the past year, I have been working with The Student Conservation Association, traveling around the country to document some of the amazing work young people are doing in our nation’s most cherished lands.

Last night almost didn’t happen.

And I thought doing my video work was hard!

Mount LeConte is Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s second tallest accessible peak, at 6,593ft.

On Wednesday night, I drove to the Knoxville airport to pick up my parents for a four-day trip with me in the Smokies.

With over 1,600 flowering plant species, including 100 species native trees, the Smoky Mountains are a great place to be during the fall.

Today was a nice break from the busyness I’ve been experiencing lately. I headed to the North Carolina side of the park without much of a plan, and that let me focus on actually enjoying myself.

I have been admittedly absent from both this blog and the twitter recently, but with good reason. My time has been equally consumed, I would say, by both working out in the field and doing all sorts of research at the library and archives here at park headquarters.

“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” - John Muir