Discovered: the truth about bears!

I still wonder what these two were up to!

Write in Front of Me

Photo courtesy of M & D Hills Adventure Photography

I’ve been looking for that gem – one single, indisputable piece of evidence that bears really are engaged in more mischief in the deep forest than we’ve ever realized.  At last, thanks to the skills of the savvy professional photographers at M & D Hills Adventure Photography, the visual evidence is finally out!

It seems that these American black bears really are involved in a deep discussion about something of great importance.  The question is what.

If you have any insight into what these two characters are up to please leave it in the comments section.

Photo copyright and courtesy of M & D Hills Adventure Photography.

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Hello Autumn!

Steve Zigler unveils the wonder of the Great Smoky Mountains at the turn of the season!

Steve Zigler Photography

Hello Autumn!

It finally happened! It doesn’t feel like it, it doesn’t look like it, but Autumn finally began today. The autumnal equinox in technical parlance. My favorite season in Steve parlance. And just this week, the first traces of autumn began to appear in my back yard. Not much yet really, but a few leaves bear the signs of seasonal change.

Not finding much Autumn in my back yard, I went looking for signs of my favorite season with my buddies Richard and Brian at the Foothills Parkway this morning. We didn’t find it there either. It was warm, downright balmy even. No Autumn at Foothills. Rats! However, on a more positive note, we found a nice layer of fog blanketing the valley. It was like Summer had pulled the covers up to its neck in an effort to keep out the change of season. Nice try, Summer!

It…

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Peaks and Valleys: A 30 mile GSMNP Loop

Thanks to Ryan for taking us on a peaks and valleys trek of the Smokies. It’s great seeing this park from a different perspective!

Ryan M. Ignatius

Much like life, I believe the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) is best understood and appreciated only after both the peaks and valleys have been explored.

The Park’s high country along the Appalachian Trail offers spectacular views and miles of knife’s edge ridgewalking.  However, the lesser known (and lower elevation) trails explore the Park’s vastness, with massive trees, huge creeks, and large mammals (bears and boars) that dwarf the hiker.

We chose a nice weekend loop that offered a taste of everything.  Let’s get walking!

Me, my brother in law Dylan, and close friend Jonathon on the Appalachian Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP).  As you can see, we’re pretty tough dudes, so the wild boar we stumbled upon in the Park absolutely made the right choice to just keep walking.  April 2017.

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