Bert Emmerson was hiking through a broad grassy valley in New Mexico’s Gila Wilderness, trying to make it to the Mexican border and finish the Continental Divide Trail. It was …
Finding Wild Flowers, but No Wild Boars, on the Smokies’ Whiteoak Sink Trail
After a few minutes on the trail to Whiteoak Sink in the Smokies, I met a park ranger on his way out who told me that the wildflowers down there …
Walleye Quest, Part 2: Misadventure on Tellico Lake
On April Fools’ Day, a series of omens convinced me that I would have the best odds of fulfilling my quest of catching my first walleye, a sport fish commonly …
Cold Fish: In Search of the Prized Walleye, at Cove Creek
I was paddling as fast as I could to get to my takeout, a half mile away. My hands, in fleece gloves, were swelling and stiffening to the point of intolerance. …
A Winter Hike in Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness
The trick to enduring a long winter is to embrace it, to go out and confront its winds and vapors and crusty frozen surfaces. There are no insects, no serpents, …