Blog Update - Wildfires and How to Help

First, please STILL stay out of the Gatlinburg area. First responders are still trying to clear roads from downed trees and power lines. The Red Cross is not accepting any volunteers that are not Red Cross Trained. Upon last known update, a curfew was being imposed in Gatlinburg between the hours of 6pm to 6am.

If you have new items you would like to donate and don't have a way to get it there, let us know. We can schedule a pickup in the Union County, Anderson County, and North Knox County areas. The persons delivering our items will be going up on Friday, Dec 2nd.

If you still want to volunteer, Volunteer East Tennessee is working to connect volunteers to volunteer needs.
Visit https://www.volunteeretn.org/DisasterRecovery
They will be able to assist you in finding the best place for your skills.

Wildfire in the Smokies - How To Help

Updated info as of 11/30 here: https://www.appalachiaandbeyond.com/2016/11/blog-update-wildfires-and-how-to-help.html

Most of you have heard about the devastating wildfires that have affected the East Tennessee area. Last night, Gatlinburg and the part of the National forest that stretches between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge - known as the Spur - was victim of an enormous, swift moving wildfire. Hundreds of homes and structures were damaged or destroyed and many, many people were displaced, some at this time still looking for family members including beloved pets.

It is sad, sad news. We are heartbroken for all of these victims, for all of the animals affected, and for our ancient mountains as well. Although as old as they are they've probably seen more fires than any of us could imagine, but in my lifetime, I've never seen anything like it in the Smokies.

There are more than 2000 people, at this time, that are in local shelters - more than 14,000 people evacuated. With this being #GivingTuesday, you may be wondering what you can do to help.

Cumberland Trail Conference - Call for Volunteers

Spring is almost here and it's time to get outdoors. State parks, national parks, natural areas, and more offer an abundance of hiking trails, camping spots, and other outdoor recreational opportunities. However, the only way these outdoor destinations can continue to provide us with that escape from society and/or technology requires more than what the employees (park rangers, maintenance crews, etc.) can handle. That's where we, the outdoor lovers come in. We enjoy these places. Otherwise we wouldn't be out there. It's time to give back though. There are plenty of opportunities to pay it forward, to show our appreciation, to show that we care and want to continue to enjoy our natural environments.

This year we've already mentioned the volunteer opportunities available at Frozen Head State Park in Wartburg, TN. Now we have another opportunity to list, and this one is just as near and dear to our hearts as Frozen Head. The Cumberland Trail Conference (CTC) is need of volunteers. Remember that grant survey from the CTC that we posted last week? Well they are ready to get the project rolling and have several dates in the books for the New River segment projects. In addition to these projects, they also have a few trail maintenance projects for the Obed segment, a different portion of the New River Segment, and the Tennessee River Gorge segment of the trail.

So hop on over to the CTC's volunteer page, see what's on the schedule, and sign up to be a volunteer. They will be glad you did, and we would be too. I'm hoping that we can make it out to lend a helping hand on some of the weekends myself.

Happy Trails,
Tim and Robin

Volunteer Trail Days - Frozen Head State Park

The new year has been in full swing for nearly two weeks now. We've seen a lot of weather here in East Tennessee, and due to that, there's sure to be some damage on the trails we know and love. If your resolution for 2011 was to give back then there's plenty of opportunities. I know that we enjoy getting on the trail and hiking until our hearts are content, but if it wasn't for the volunteers who sacrifice their weekends to maintain the trails we love, our hike would be more laborious, or worse - unavailable - to us to enjoy.

One of our favorite camping and hiking destinations is Frozen Head State Park in Wartburg, TN. There's over 80 miles worth of trail hiking at Frozen Head and to keep these trails up takes a lot of hard work. This weekend on Saturday, January 15th will be the first of many opportunities to give back. Everyone wishing to volunteer should meet at the park office/visitor center at 9am equipped with a daypack and water, appropriate clothing for the weather, sturdy hiking shoes, and a will to work/give back.

Work to be done will be announced before hitting the trail. Moderate hiking maybe required. Work should be completed and crews returning to the visitor center by 3:00pm or before.

If you can't make it this weekend, don't fret. There will be plenty more opportunities throughout the year. The rest of the year's volunteer trail maintenance dates are March 19, May 21, June 4 (this is the same day as National Trail's Day), July 16, August 20, September 17, October 15, and November 19.

So be sure to make an effort to give back to your local, state, or national parks if you can. We'd love to be at this one, but I'm on call this weekend. Hopefully, we can make it to the next date.

For a complete list of volunteer trail days and other events at Frozen Head State Park go here.

Happy Trails,
Tim and Robin