The view from Mt. LeConte. Courtesy Swain TDA
Why do we seek the high places? The easiest explanation for going to the mountains is for the scenery. Even so, there must be something ingrained in the human experience that draws us to lofty summits and places where we can look out over the landscape. The reasons vary from the practical to the spiritual.
High places represent safety and security. Elevated vantage points have been used throughout history for human survival. From the heights, an approaching enemy can be detected from a long distance, or an attack more easily fended off. A path through unknown territory might be scouted out as waterways and passes can all be seen better from a high perch. Hunters are better able spot herds of animals from an overlook. Migratory animals often use mountain ridges to travel long distances. Surely the Cherokee utilized ridge tops in their network of trails connecting villages and hunting grounds.
Rainbow Falls Trail temporarily closed for two weeks for bridge replacement - The Cherokee One Feather theonefeather.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theonefeather.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
For every 116,732 people visiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, one experiences an emergency and calls the park’s Search and Rescue Team for help. As the park’s popularity increases, so does the urgency of figuring out how to weaken that ratio.
“That’s what we’re trying to dial in,” said Smokies Emergency Manager Liz Hall. “Who is that one person, and what’s contributing to them being injured rather than someone else?”
Hall was hired in July 2020 to fill the Smokies’ first-ever emergency management position. She’s a law enforcement officer and oversees the park’s EMS and Search and Rescue programs, but upon her hire she was told that her main project would be to get a program up and running that could successfully reduce searches by 20 percent within five years of her arrival.
Volunteers are wanted to help the Great Smoky Mountains National Park monitor visitor use patterns in some of the park’s most popular locations. .
Alum Cave Trail temporarily closed in February for bridge replacement - The Cherokee One Feather theonefeather.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theonefeather.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.