Join The Daily Times for ‘A Walk in the Smokies’
EDITOR’S NOTE: On April 26, Buzz Trexler and two friends began what was to be a
seven-day hike along the Appalachian Trail through Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Trexler
intended to write about “A Walk in the Smokies” along the way, transmitting stories and photos for
posting on http://TheDailyTimes.com . Alas, there were problems with his iPad email client, then the Verizon
wireless hub lost power and, finally, his phone lost power. The lesson, Trexler said, was this:
“When you hit the wilderness trail, expect to leave the world behind.” His overview of the six-day,
62-mile hike is scheduled to be published in the Sunday, May 13, Outdoors
section.
In 1996, author Bill Bryson and a friend began a south-to-north hike of The Appalachian Trail that the writer chronicled in his 1997 book, "A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail."
Bryson and his trailmate, Katz, took off from Springer Mountain, Ga., March 9, 1996, for the trek. But a little more than 30 miles into the Smokies — in other words, about one-third of the way through the Park — they dropped off the trail at Clingmans Dome, skipping hundreds of miles of what some consider the most beautiful scenery on journey, before stepping back onto it further north in Virginia.
What did they miss in the Smokies?
Join Daily Times staffer Buzz Trexler and two friends who have decided to see what Bryson and Katz missed as they hike through the Park, starting at Clingmans Dome on Thursday afternoon, April 26, with an anticipated end point at Max Patch, which is actually outside of Park boundaries.
Having pieced together a Verizon coverage area map, Buzz will be posting columns
whenever he finds connectivity along the Appalachian Trail. (See the links box at the right, or
click on Columns in the Menu
bar and scroll down to Buzz Trexler.)
Join The Daily Times for "A Walk in the Smokies."
