Missing Hiker in Great Smoky Mountains National Park Alive and Well but Not Out of the Woods - Yet

Tonight formally missing 70 year old hiker Albert Morgan Briggs is making his home in a tent perched about 4,800 feet up on Porters Mountain drinking Gatorade and eating food dropped down to him by helicopter this afternoon which also dropped a 2 way radio which he has now turned off to conserve battery life.

Though the weather was shaky all morning long and early in the afternoon, it finally cleared up enough that a helicopter was able to assist on the search for Mr. Albert Morgan Briggs who was backpacking and not been seen or heard from since Sunday morning.

It was just plain old perseverance which found Mr. Briggs as a search and rescue crew up on the Appalachian Trail (AT) noticed a yellow tent about a mile due north of Charles Bunion purchased on a rock outcropping which he was unable to move from due to the extreme terrain in the area (See Map Below).

A helicopter was sent to his approximate location with the help of the spotters on the AT. Upon the helicopters arrival at about 4:15 Morgan signaled to it by waving his arms and with a red handkerchief that had with him.

Since there is no location near him the helicopter could set down, it flew back to the park headquarters where they loaded a pack with food, drink, a sleeping bag and a 2 way walkie talkie which was dropped to him as it was getting too dark for the crew on the ground to try to reach him in safety.

The rescue coordinators had a brief conversation on the radio with Mr. Albert Morgan Briggs to confirm that he was not injured and safe in his current location and that a rescue operation will take place to extract him from the ridge-line on Porters Mountain tomorrow.

Morgan's son has been contacted by the park service and advised of his status and the park services rescue plans.

Two concurrent rescue plans to extract Mr. Briggs are being put into action early tomorrow morning. The first rescue operation calls for 2 separate 4 man teams to be sent out to climb up to the peak of Porters Mountain to extract Mr. Briggs.

The second rescue operation which would be the preferred way to extract him but is dependent on the weather involves a Tennessee Highway Patrol helicopter which if it can fly will attempt to extract Morgan by hoist, pull him aboard and then land in the Sugarlands parking area by mid-morning.

I will be at vantage point on the top of mountain that looks directly out at the Porters Peak and may be able to capture the rescue if it is done by air. I will be twittering updates from my position at the peak of Shields Mountain in Sevierville.

Luckily though he put himself in a terrible position high atop an inaccessible ridge, at least he had enough experience to not try to get down and injure himself or be in a location in which he could not be spotted. Warm though wet weather has also keep the chance of exposure to a minimum and with the help of the additional sleeping bag he should be quite comfortable though anxious tonight.

Mr. Albert Morgan Briggs knows the park well as he was one of the national parks first ridge runners working along the Appalachian Trail and now works in the backcountry permit office in the Sugarlands visitor center just outside of Gatlinburg Tennessee.

Related Stories:

• Rescue of a Lost and Stranded Hiker in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Concludes
• Missing Hiker in Great Smoky Mountains National Park Alive but Not Out of the Woods - Yet
• Missing Hiker in Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been Found
• Search underway in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for missing hiker Albert Morgan Briggs
• Search for Missing Hiker in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is Still Unsuccessful

Missing Hiker in Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been Found Alive and Well.

After a very harrowing past few days, missing 70 year old hiker in the Great Smoky Mountains national park Albert Morgan Briggs of Pigeon Forge Tennessee was just found alive and well.

Rangers and volunteers have been looking since Wednesday for experienced hiker Albert Morgan Briggs when he was reported as overdue from a backpacking trip that started Saturday in the Greenbrier section of the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

A press conference will be held in about an hour at the national park headquarters and we will give the full details of Mr. Briggs rescue after the conference.

We have received numerous call and emails here about Mr. Morgan Briggs character by those who knew him and are so glad that the conclusion to the search and rescue had such a happy ending.

• Rescue of a Lost and Stranded Hiker in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Concludes
• Missing Hiker in Great Smoky Mountains National Park Alive but Not Out of the Woods - Yet
• Missing Hiker in Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been Found
• Search underway in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for missing hiker Albert Morgan Briggs
• Search for Missing Hiker in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is Still Unsuccessful

Search for Missing Hiker in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is Still Unsuccessful

Though trackers for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have searched through thick rhododendron thickets, sloshing through mud and scrambling up and around the numerous rocky outcrops and bluffs that create the 9 different drainages and other possible routes missing 70 year-old hiker Morgan Briggs may have taken since he was last seen in around campsite 31 in Greenbrier at the end of the Porters Creek Hiking Trail.

Other searchers working in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park covered 8 miles of trail from the Appalachian Trail south into North Carolina and out to Newfound Gap Road at Kephart Prong Trailhead.

According to park officials search dogs may be used tomorrow to help find Morgan Briggs. Tomorrow calls for more bad weather but if it clears a helicopter may assist in the search even though with such dense cover as what the searchers are dealing with right now, the chance of spotting Albert Morgan Briggs is marginal at best.

• Rescue of a Lost and Stranded Hiker in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Concludes
• Missing Hiker in Great Smoky Mountains National Park Alive but Not Out of the Woods - Yet
• Missing Hiker in Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been Found
• Search underway in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for missing hiker Albert Morgan Briggs
• Search for Missing Hiker in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is Still Unsuccessful

Search underway in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for missing experienced hiker Albert Morgan Briggs

One of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park's first Appalachian Trail Ridge Runner 70 year old Albert "Morgan" Briggs is the subject of a large search stared Wednesday by rangers and volunteers who have already hiked numerous trails and interviewed other hikers who may have seen this experienced backpacker who is now long overdue from a hiking trip.

Mr. Briggs of 1008 Trotter Way in Pigeon Forge started out last Saturday by hiking up the Porters Creek Trailhead where he was left off up to campsite #31 a group of hikers believe they had seen Mr. Briggs.

Mr. Albert Briggs planned on Sunday to hike up the manway another 2,000 feet in elevation higher up to the Appalachian Trail where he would then hike about another mile to the Icewater Springs shelter where he would spend Sunday night. Log books in the Icewater Springs shelter do not indicate he had ever made it there.

On Monday his plan was to hike from the Icewater shelter about 6 miles to the Mount LeConte shelter where also according to log books he did not stay.

It was first reported that the final leg of Albert Morgan Briggs hiking trip was on Tuesday morning to hike from the Mount LeConte almost 5 miles down the Alum Cave Trail to the Newfound Gap Road (US 441) where he expected to hitch a ride back to Pigeon Forge, but it is now believed he may also wanted to have hiked down Le Conte either via Rainbow Falls or Bull Head Trail both of which end up in the Roaring Fork section of the park on Cherokee Orchard Road.

Albert Morgan Briggs is a white male 70 years of age, 5‘8, 180 lb. with balding white hair, white beard and a mustache. He wears wire frame glasses, has no mustache, blue eyes. He was reportedly wearing brown Danner hiking boots with vibram soles, a green 2 piece rain suit, and blue jeans or khaki slacks.

Poor visibility for days has plagued the upper elevations of the Great Smoky Mountains national park where Mr. Briggs was last seen and the past few days' rain will have made tracking him even more difficult.

Searchers are still concentrating their efforts in the off trail area Mr. Briggs planed to hike in Greenbrier while 5 additional teams of searchers are looking for Mr. Brigs on other possible trails.

Though I have solo hiked all the trails in the GSM national park as well as all of the major manways numerous times, this particular off trail hike I have never attempted alone due to the less than ideal conditions reported to me by those who have completed this hike.

• Rescue of a Lost and Stranded Hiker in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Concludes
• Missing Hiker in Great Smoky Mountains National Park Alive but Not Out of the Woods - Yet
• Missing Hiker in Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been Found
• Search underway in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for missing hiker Albert Morgan Briggs
• Search for Missing Hiker in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is Still Unsuccessful

Newfound Gap Road Closed from Cherokee NC to Newfound Gap Due to Fatal Crash

A fatal head on collision in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park between a Harley Davidson motorcycle driven by Charles Earl Bolt 55 of Belton, South Carolina and a Oldsmobile Bravado SUV took the life of the Mr Bolt as well as his wife Diane K. Bolt who his passenger on the motorcycle closing Newfound Gap Road (US 441) from Oconaluftee up Clingmans Dome Road

Newfound Gap Road remained closed while Park Rangers were completing their investigation and clearing the wreckage blocked the roadway until around 3 pm.

The fatal crash occurred at about 11:45 am when the north-bound SUV on U.S. 441 crossed the centerline of the highway about 2 miles south of the Newfound Gap parking area, and sideswiped a 2008 Mercury Milan sedan driven by Lewis Volkomer heading southbound and then the SUV hit the motorcycle head on which was behind the Mercury Milan.

Fortunately even though Lewis Volkomers vehicle was thrown off Newfound Gap Road (US 441) by the impact when it was was stuck by the SUV, Mr. Volkomer sustained only non-life-threatening injuries and was transported by Cherokee Tribal EMS to Swain County Hospital in Bryson City.

Newfound Gap Road was also closed to southbound traffic from Gatlinburg to Newfound Gap until 1:30 pm.

There may be possible charges pending completion of the accidents investigation by Great Smoky Mountains National Park Rangers.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Rededication Tickets Are Sold Out

The free tickets to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park 75th anniversary rededication to take place at Newfound Gap on September 2nd 2009 are already all gone.

As we predicted there was an enormous response by the public to get their hands on these coveted tickets for this historic event and those who have already contacted the National Park for tickets either via email or by phone will be notified if they will get tickets to the event that will be issued on a first come first served basis.

Unfortunately just because you requested tickets via Email or by telephone before the GSMNP stop taking any more requests does not guarantee you will be able to get tickets. Some news sources reported 2,000 tickets were available to the public but the actual number is far lower based upon the large dignitary and guest list as well as media which will be covering the event.

Limited Seats Available for Great Smoky Mountains National Parks 75th rededication

If you want to be part of history with the Great Smoky Mountains National Parks 75th anniversary rededication at Newfound Gap on September 2nd straddling the North Carolina and Tennessee border, the time to act to get tickets is now as they probably will not last until the deadline of Monday August 24th.

While many were hoping that President Obama was going to be at the dedication since no other President has visited the park since it was dedicated by FDR at this very same spot, there is till a very impressive list of distinguished guests and dignitaries including:

• 75th Anniversary Ambassador to the Great Smoky Mountains national park Dolly Parton
• U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar
• Governor of North Carolina Bev Perdue
• Governor of Tennessee Phil Bredesen
• Principal Chief Michele Hicks of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians
• U.S. Senator of North Carolina Richard Burr
• U.S. Senator of North Carolina Kay Hagan
• U.S. Senator of Tennessee Bob Corker
• U.S. Senator of Tennessee Lamar Alexander
• Congressmen Heath Shuler of North Carolina
• Congressmen John J. Duncan, Jr.
• Congressmen Phil Roe of Tennessee

Other important guest of honor will include other local and state elected officials, pre-park residents, and people who attended the original 1940 dedication and Civilian Conservation Corps members who built the roadways and trails in the park 75 years ago.

Governor Bev Perdue the of North Carolina who is at this time attending this event has been conspicuously absent from all of the other 75th anniversary Celebrations in the Great Smoky Mountains national park including the Governors Proclamation event at Clingmans Dome and the Oconaluftee visitors center ground breaking. Both of these events took place on the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Though the program will start at 11:15 am with patriotic music being played by both the Gatlinburg-Pittman High School (TN) and the Swain County High School (NC) and is slated to end around 1 pm, expect to spend the entire day as moving 2,000 people up Newfound gap road and back down will present challenges. Buses will start as early as 8 pm and run until around 3 pm. So you will not have to pack out refreshments, foods and drink will be sold at the Newfound Gap area.

And if all this is not enough to make you want to come to the Great Smoky Mountains National Parks 75th anniversary rededication at Newfound Gap on September 2nd, Dolly Parton has graciously agreed to perform 2 songs she had written about the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

How to Order Tickets for the September 2nd 75th anniversary rededication at Newfound Gap:

By Email:
Send an email requesting up to 4 tickets to GRSMComments@nps.gov with:

1. Your First and Last name as well as those of your guests
2. Your Mailing Address
3. Telephone Number
4. Departure point: Cherokee or Pigeon Forge
5. How many vehicles in your party
6. If you are confined to a wheelchair and need a ride in a bus with a wheelchair lift

Once ticket availability has been determined you will receive a confirming email.

By Phone

For those without Email access you can call (865) 436-7318 extension 258 where you will leave a message with your name and number. We suggest using the Email Option ONLY!

While this will be a monumental and historic event, based upon the extended travel and return time as well as the lack of child friendly entertainment this event would not be suitable for small children.

Little River Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park remains partially closed until Tuesday

Try as they might the crews from the Great Smoky Mountains national park along with the help of Pigeon Forge construction company Blalock & Sons Inc will not be able to one the section of the Little River Closed by last week’s rock slides.

It is now looking like with all of the additional lose material that needs to stabilized and removed from the roadway the stretch of Little River road between the Elkmont campgrounds and the Metcalf Bottoms picnic area will not be open until sometime late Tuesday the earliest.

Anyone trying to get to Cades Cove or Townsend from either Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge will need to take Wears Valley Road (US 321) at traffic light 3 in Pigeon Forge.

2nd Rock Slide in the Great Smoky Mountains national park will keep major road closed far longer

What in the Great Smoky Mountains national park as a simple clean up after a minor rock slide on Little River Road which connects Gatlinburg Tennessee with Cades Cove and Townsend Tennessee turned into a major project as a second landslide has left tons of debris precariously clinging to a cliff side which will take days to clean up.

About 30 truckloads of rock, lose soil and organic debris will need to be removed and carted away keep the stretch of Little Road between Elkmont and the Metcalf Bottoms Picnic area closed all weekend long and will probably not open now until at least Monday.

As seen in the animation above there is crumbly rock on the bluff that will fall on top the Little River roadway if left alone so the park service is using heavy equipment to remove any lose rock and material which will then have to be carted away.

No injurious, damage to vehicles, structures or park equipment has been reported at this time.

Rock Slide Closes Great Smoky Mountains National Parks Little River Road

A busy section of one the Great Smoky Mountains National Parks main thoroughfares will have a section closed for the next few hours between The Elkmont Campgrounds and the Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area due to the cleanup in progress of a rock slide.

Visitors coming from Gatlinburg wishing to go to Cades Cove need to take the Gatlinburg Bypass or the Spur to get to Pigeon Forge.

From Pigeon Forge drivers must take 321 (Wears Valley Road) all the way to Townsend or if they choose enter the park through the back entrance on Wears Cove Road where they can take Little Rover Road all the way to the Townsend Wye.

Campers in the Elkmont campgrounds wanting to go to Cades Cove must go back towards Gatlinburg in order to take the detour around the rock slide on Little River Road.

Little River Road will be open for sure by the mid to late afternoon. We will announce and changes on the cleanup status of the rock slide in the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Presents Birds of Prey Program with Doris Mager

One of the most exciting moments a serious or fist time bird watchers has in the Great Smoky Mountains national park is when they get the chance to observe one of the elusive and beautiful birds of prey in the park.

This Saturday you will have the chance to join naturalist Doris Mager known as the "Eagle Lady" give a lecture on these amazing animals as well as the chance to see 4 of these animals up close and in person including an American Kestrel, a Screech Owl, and a Great Horned Owl.

Doris Mager is no spring chicken at 83 years of age but she still travels around the whole Eastern United States given lectures about her 35 years of experience helping hundreds of Raptors, more than 80 eagles and all the while housing up to 36 birds of prey at a time in her backyard.

North District Resource Education Supervisor of the Great Smoky Mountains national park promised that Doris Mager's 1 hour lecture starting at 10:30 am this Saturday August 15th at the Sugarlands Visitor Centers Theater will be a real treat for people who can attend.

After the lecture I would suggest that if you are looking to see a bird of prey on the wild you park your car midway on Hyatt Road in Cades Cove and walk around, climb Mount LeConte Via the Alum Cave Hiking Trail or check out the stretch of the AT between Charlie's Bunion and Snake Den Ridge Trail in Cosby.

Can You Assist Scientists and Educators in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park?

Project Code Name: Stream Splashin' Science!
Project Objective: Collecting data to evaluate stream health and learning about the critters in the streams of the Great Smoky Mountains national park.
Project Destination: 2 Streams in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Project Date and Time: Tuesday August 4th, 10 am - 2 pm.
Project Predicted Weather: Mostly sunny with highs in upper 70's - low 80's with light winds.
Project Participants Requirements: For recent High School graduates to have a great time while learning about the Smokies
Required Equipment for Project Code Name Stream Splashin' Science: Long pants, hat, sun screen, closed toed shoes for hiking, sandals or water shoes to wade, drinking water, bag lunch, and your camera.
Participants Support Allowed: Bring your family to join in this exciting event!

If you wish to accept this mission please RSVP to Ranger Emily Guss at (865) 436-1292. You must give her the code phrase "healthy streams have plenty of salamanders" and you may join this very important Science Volunteer mission in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

If you wish to know of other Science Volunteer Opportunities missions in the Great Smoky Mountains national park that will be taking place this fall, ask Ranger Emily Guss to be placed on a mailing list for information about upcoming programs.

...end message

Presumably Drowned Woman is Found Alive in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Miraculously the woman who jumped into the Great Smoky Mountains National Parks Little River which was rain swollen presumably to take her life and refused to be rescued by a park ranger, was spotted by a Park Volunteer at 10:45 am crossing the Little River at the Townsend Wye and was in the parking area at the Wye while scores of park rangers, fire department and rescue personnel spent a second day searching for her.

Though 45 year old Carla S. Manzolini of Knoxville Tennessee jumped off a rock when a concerned park ranger approached her due to her odd behavior into the raging river only a few hundred yards from the Metcalf Bottoms parking area where she left her vehicle, she ended up 7 miles downstream.

It is believed that she exited the flooded little River on the north shore at an elevation of 1,675 feet and hiked up to the Roundtop Trail which ranges in the area between 2,300 feet and 2,625 feet. From Little Roundtop she could have hiked east about 1-1/2 miles to Wears Cove Road or West as she did for about 6 miles.

With so many park rangers and local rescue personnel it is easy to see the staggering cost of the rescue operation undertaken to save Carla Manzolini who was transported to Blount Memorial Hospital for evaluation.

Cades Cove Loop Road reopens, some other Great Smoky Mountains national park roads still closed

Little River Road in the Great Smoky Mountains national park between the Metcalf Bottoms Picnic area and the Townsend Wye remains closed today as park rangers attempt to find the body of a woman who drowned yesterday by jumping into the flooded Little River and refused to be rescued.

Cades Cove Loop Road which was closed yesterday due to flooding at numerous points is now open t all traffic, bicycles and pedestrians. Flooding and wind damage has kept 2 of the other major roads in Cades Cove closed: Rich Mountain Road and Parson Branch Road. No reopening date is anticipated yet.

In the south end of the Great Smoky Mountains national park in the Balsam Mountain area Heintooga Road is also closed due to storm damage with no reopen date.

Little River Road closed as Great Smoky Mountains national park searches for drowning victim

A section of Little River Road in the Great Smoky Mountains national park will be partially closed Saturday as the park service commences searching for the bodies of a woman who entered Little River and was swept away while refusing to allow a ranger rescue her.

While a park ranger was on patrol along the Little River he observed a white female approximately in her 30's sitting on a rock at the edge of the river. Since her behavior was unusual the ranger decided to check on her at which time she stood up and jumped into the raging river swollen and flooded from earlier today's heavy rains.

The Great Smoky Mountains national park ranger followed her as she was swept down the river and attempted to rescue her by throwing her a life line and float which she picked up and purposely tossed aside.

Little River Road was closed today from the Metcalf Bottoms Picnic area to the Townsend Wye as park rangers and first responders from Gatlinburg's Rescue Squad and Rural Metro Ambulance swarmed the area searching in vain for the women.

Rangers during daylight searched all along the riverbanks of the Little River which was running chocolate brown and loaded with debris. They also set up a vantage point by an area called the Sinks further down river from where the lady entered the water in an attempt to intercept the victim if she floated by.

Today's heavy rains also flooded Cades Cove along Sparks Lane, Hyatt Lane as some other stream crossing prompting the park service to Close Cades Cove Loop Road creating a traffic nightmare at the Townsend Wye.

While working traffic management at the Townsend Wye with 2 other volunteers in the park our park vehicle was struck by a pickup truck transporting kayaks. No injuries were sustained although the back door was taken off the park service's jeep Cherokee used by Volunteers in Cades Cove.

Because Cades Cove Loop Road was closed tonight's very popular 3 mile night hike in Cades Cove with Ranger Mike which crosses a stream on Spark Lane that is to rough to cross today was canceled leading to many disappointed park visitors.

Cades Cove may reopen tomorrow if flood water subside enough.

Despite the extremely flooded conditions of Little River the kayakers pictured below were still out in force even past sunset. Expect the Great Smoky Mountains national park to have many kayakers and extreme tubers enjoy the flooded Little River tomorrow and throughout the weekend.

Gregory Bald Azaleas in Peak Bloom Right Now – So I Am Told. When Good Hikes Go Bad.

Friday was just one of those days in the Great Smoky Mountains national park that you just not be sure how the day was going to turn out for hiking. The weather man said a high chance of rain and the haze and 90 degree weather in the valley made me rethink my plans 3 times throughout the day to hike up to Gregory Bald where the azaleas would be in peak bloom and I could look down on Cades Cove and Lake Fontana.

Though Mount Le Conte was obscured from view by the haziness in Sevierville, as long as the air quality was good I was willing to take a shot and hope for as good view from Gregory Bald by hiking up to the mountain late in the day as it got cooler and returning down the mountain in the dark. The ozone level was at 38 so I felt as though the air quality was good enough to take this moderately strenuous 11 mile hike.

Driving through Cades Cove with the windows down it was still warm but comfortable as I was moving and few deer were out of the cover of the woods in the cove in the late afternoon sun. I decided as I was driving that since I was hiking back in the dark, to take the trail off Forge Creek Road rather than the one off Parsons Branch and upon arrival I could see the parking area was filled with other hikers looking to enjoy peak season on Gregory Bald.

Since it was so warm at the trailhead I threw 2 more water bottles in my backpack and I checked my water filter system in a dry bag even though I just consumed 2 bottles of water since I entered the Cades Cove. An extra flashlight got tossed into the pack along with some camera gear and I was off.

Within 5 minutes on the trail I ran into to 2 National Park employees I ironically was going to contact this week chatted for a few minutes and they confirmed it was spectacular up top and I was back on my way up the mountain to the parks pretties bald that I was sure was in peak bloom.

About another 5 minutes in and older couple was hiking down the trail. Seeing me geared up so heavily they asked me if I was a ranger and told me that and older couple was in distress up by the bald and that the man was very sick and suffering from the heat, when I asked as to the man's condition the response was "bad". He was very hot, very sick, had bad color and was unable to stand.

I told the couple to continue back down the trail carefully and to go to the Cades Cove visitor center so they could radio for help and to not rush down the trail so they don't fall and get hurt as well and I would go up and assist the couple in trouble.

I decided to run up the trail as quickly as possible as I would be the first responder at least an hour ahead of the parks EMS crew and that's if they were in Cades Cove which was doubtful. As I was working my way uphill I decided to hang some of the gear in my pack on the bear lines once I could reach campsite 12.

I passed a hiker leisurely coming down the mountain who I had seen a few months before on the same trail. I asked him the condition of the couple as well as their present location and he casually respond they were just above the campsite and the man was sick.

Still rushing up the trail I eventually ran into the couple slowly descending the trial. He was a tall fit gentleman who recognized me from the Porters Creek Trail. He was standing in the trail with a wet cloth on his head and swaying.

Apparently he and his wife went up the mountain with small packs, heavy camera equipment and about 2 liters of water. They were given more water when he wasn't feeling well and worked their way down to a stream where he rested and they refilled at least one container of water from the stream and wet the cloth on his head.

As he and his wife were telling me the story I observed his respiration, skin color and demeanor. When I asked him about nausea, dizziness, headache and other symptoms he didn't have kept saying he felt "real bad" and didn't feel that good on the way up either.

I told him help was on the way but we could see that he was feeling way better now that he started hydrating. He decided he was well enough to work his way down the trail and didn't want the park to execute a full blown rescue. As he was talking I was finishing off my last bottle of water and I set my stopwatch.

Since the trailhead was full and people would be working their way down I told him I was going to update the park as to his condition and to keep one of the people coming back down the trail close by him and his wife.

I worked my way down the trail quickly making note of the time at the trailhead and drove to the Cades Cove Visitors Center and advised them of his condition and returned to the trailhead to hike back up to the couple with more water I had in the car as well as Gatorade powder.

I dumped some gear back into the car to lighten my back for the trip uphill and just at the time and Park Ranger with EMS training arrived. I updated on the gentleman's improved condition and last know location and he notified dispatch and stared packing out his emergency pack as I rushed back up the trail.

When I caught up with the couple they were far further down and were accompanied by a kind middle aged couple watching out for him. We all stopped by a stream to cool off and wait for the ranger who arrived about 5 minutes later.

The ranger conducted a quick field exam checking for signs of dehydration, heat cramps and heat exhaustion. The ranger was thorough and had a fantastic bedside - make that streamside manor.

At this point the gentleman was drinking a light Gatorade mixture I had made for him and when asked how he was feeling responding clearly and emphatically "lousy". Since his balance was still in question we all accompanied him back down to his car carrying his pack for him with his precious camera gear.

Back at the car I unloaded my soaking wet backpack and finished off my 5th bottle of water in under 2-1/2 hours. Since it was too late to get good lighting I knew the day was over for me.

I have since heard from the gentleman who was very thankful and in great spirits.

Proper hydration and moderation in strenuous activities are especially crucial when hiking for an extended time in high temperatures. What appeared to be a mild case of dehydration and heat exhaustion could easily become deadly heat stroke if left untreated.

The couple left with far too little water and no way to safely treat more water if they needed it. When first not feeling well they should have stopped and cooled off - even going as far as soaking clothes with water or just sitting in a stream. Hydration and moderation are keys to comfortable safe hiking.

If this gentleman was not in such good general health, this story would had have a far more tragic ending rather than me not being able to see the peak in the azaleas on Gregory Bald.

Plan on hiking? Check out our new first aid pages for hiking listed below:

• Dehydration First Aid for Hikers


• Heat Cramps First Aid for Hikers


• Heat Exhaustion First Aid for Hikers


• Heat Stroke First Aid for Hikers

Aggressive black bear closes popular Cades Cove Hiking Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains

The Great Smoky Mountains national park has had a black bear problem for weeks in the back end of Cades Cove at the Abrams Falls Hiking Trail and has finally been forced to close the trail for visitor and the bear's safety.

The closure of the Abrams Falls Hiking Trail starts on the dirt road before the parking lot area so the Rabbit Creek hiking trail in Cades Cove is also affected.

There are other hiking trails with black bear problems in the Great Smoky Mountains national park which have warnings issued on them include: the Little River hiking trail, The lower portion of Trillium Gap trail near Grotto falls and the lower portion of Crooked Arm Ridge trail.

Great Smoky Mountains national park Black Bear Information

Great Smoky Mountain National Parks 75th Anniversary Celebration Continues with Oconaluftee Visitor Center Ground Breaking.

Tomorrow will be the Great Smoky Mountains national parks actual 75th anniversary and what better way to celebrate than to have the public be able to join in with a celebration at the Oconaluftee visitor center and Farm Museum? From 10 am to 2 pm there will be demonstrations, music, storytelling, dancing and a ground breaking on the new state of the art visitor center.

Long overdue, the new energy efficient visitor center will be more than 6 times larger that the present visitor center built in the 1940s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) which was originally used as a ranger center. The new visitor center will have a museum with displays of the history and traditions of the Cherokee people, Southern Appalachian culture, the and the Park's establishment and development.

Around 2,000,000 people a year pass by Oconaluftee to get into the Great Smoky Mountains national park with nearly 350,000 visitors presently entering the Oconaluftee Visitor Center and Farm Museum area. The original building will be kept when the new visitor center is complete.

Besides the entertainment, the Park has extended a special invitation to all former CCC members who served at Great Smoky Mountains National Park to attend the groundbreaking and some are expecting some to attend.

Dale Ditmanson the parks superintendent commented "We are excited about the opportunity to hold the visitor center groundbreaking during our anniversary year and are especially honored to have several CCC men who assisted with the construction of the existing visitor center over 65 years ago. This project will represent a symbolic bridge between the past and the future of the national park".

The ground breaking ceremony hosted by Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson will also include Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Principal Chief Michell Hicks, and Cherokee Elder Jerry Wolfe giving the "Blessing of the Ground".

The schedule for the 75th anniversary celebration at Oconaluftee 2 miles north of the Cherokee North Carolina Parks Entrance is also follows:

• 10 am - Music performed by Boogertown Gap
• 11 am - Warriors of AniKituhwa: Official Cherokee cultural ambassadors performing traditional dances including the War Dance and Eagle Tail Dance
• 11:30 am - Storytelling by Charles Maynard
• 12 pm - Groundbreaking Ceremony
• 1 pm - Music played by Earl and the Boys

Thanks to 2 fantastic organizations: the Friends of the Smokies and the Great Smoky Mountains Association the buildings and exhibits have been funded.

Both Friends and the GSMAs work and the funding make this and many projects possible within the Great Smoky Mountains national park and it is impossible for me to accurately state how much they mean to the park, the surrounding communities and me personally.

I am very grateful that Oconaluftee will finally be honoring in a significant way the Cherokee and Native Americans who have inhabited the area for more than 10,000 years.

Great Smoky Mountains Nat Park 75th Anniversary Celebration Continues Today With Park Open House

Join Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson and other park personnel at an open house today from 12 noon to 4 pm at the Sugarlands headquarters as part of the 75th Anniversary Weekend celebration.

The park headquarters just outside the city of Gatlinburg was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1940 and will be honored as part of today's celebration as well as a first-of-its-kind behind the scenes view of the Park's day-to-day operations open to anyone and the a unique opportunity to meet and talk with key managers of the Park along with the opportunity to see park equipment up close such as search and rescue, fire and road maintenance vehicles and the offices of the Great Smoky Mountains Association will also be open to the public.

According to Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson "We will basically showcase how we perform and accomplish our duties, everything from conducting air and water quality research, protecting wildlife, treating nonnative plant and animal species, search and rescue, maintaining historic buildings and cultural landscapes, prioritizing road construction and facilities improvement projects, conducting visitor and educational programs, and carrying out our fiscal responsibilities,"

The winning quilt from the Pigeon Forge 75th Anniversary Smokies Sampler Quilt contest made by Naomi Davis of Sevierville, Tennessee will be held unveiled at 11 am at the visitor center and from 1 pm to 3 pm there will be an easy guided hike to the Sugarlands Civilian Conservation Corps camp via the Old Sugarlands Hiking Trail.

Parking for the event will be at the Sugarlands Visitor Center right next door to the headquarters.

Cades Cove Concert: 40% chance of wash out.

Tomorrow a much anticipated event will helpfully take place in the Cades Cove, the crown jewel of the Great Smoky Mountains national park; the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra will perform to a crowd of around 5,000 spectators to celebrate the parks 75th anniversary. There will also be special exhibits and programs on the history of Cades Cove.

The concert will take place at 3 pm near the Cades Cove Visitor Center in the back end of Cades Cove where there is very limited parking on asphalt and since there is no shelter from rain for performers and visitors and most of the cars will have to be parked on grass fields, even wet grass can become a parking and driving nightmare.

According to 3 Smoky Mountains weather reports the consensus is that there will be a 40% chance of rain with a slight chance of thunderstorms in the morning and a greater chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Thunderstorms + Open Fields with spectators = canceled event.

Unfortunately if the even gets canceled there is rain date or refunds.

Around 200 more vehicle passes are still available at $25 a pieces and can only be purchased and picked up today between 9 am - 5 pm at the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra box office located at 100 South Gay Street in Knoxville.

Laurel Creek Road will be closed tomorrow at noon to anyone without a vehicle pass or who is not a registered camper at the Cades Cove Campgrounds. This means you will not gain access to the following trail heads:

• Anthony Creek Trail
• Bote Mountain Hiking Trail
• Crib Gap Hiking Trail
• Finley Cane Hiking Trail
• Schoolhouse Gap Hiking Trail
• Turkey Pen Ridge Hiking Trail

Cades Cove will be closed all day to bicycles and pedestrians.

According the GSM national parks superintendent Dale Ditmanson "in the interest of avoiding a premature and unnecessary cancellation of the concert, the final decision may be delayed until the very last possible moment". Since we will be covering the event we will not be able to give out updates about potential cancellations but if cancellation is imminent the hot line phone number (865)436-1316) will be activated and we are told that www.GreatSmokies75th.org will have up to date concert information.

Let's hope the weather in the Smokies cooperates for the 75th anniversary celebration of the Great Smoky Mountains national park in Cades Cove.