As I approached Maryville’s PetSafe Pistol Creek Dog Park with Pepper, the 6-month old black Lab I was puppysitting, my worst fears about dog parks were realized. A big fight …
Green Clean: Seeking ‘Shinrin-Yoku’ on the Boogerman Trail
Reeking of the usual quiet desperation, I needed a cleansing session of forest-bathing, or shinrin-yoku—a kind of wellness therapy researched by the Japanese for over 30 years, reputed to prevent …
Hiking the Smoke Ring Trail Around the GSMNP
“It won’t rain on me,” said Travis “Shepherd” Hall, the long-distance hiker who was descending the Smokies’ Chestnut Top Trail with me last Friday afternoon. Hall, who hiked the Appalachian …
How to Jump Into the Knoxville Paddleboarding Scene
For a while now, I’ve watched people propelling what look like surfboards across our inland lakes. Recently, in a desperate act to extend the last days of summer, I decided …
Creatively Paddling at TCWN’s Dragon Boat Race Festival
After the Knox County dragon boat team graciously allowed me to paddle with them in the Second Annual Tennessee Clean Water Network (TCWN) Dragon Boat Race Festival, I thought it …