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In this issue:
A Smoky Mountain Winter
- Park visitation surpasses 10M in 2014
- Take our Waterfall Quiz/Last month's answers
- Our membership program is getting a makeover
- We're makin' a list...100 Most Important GSMNP People
- Firewood regulations designed to help prevent invasive species from entering the park
- Mystery solved: Case of the missing Le Conte t-shirts
- Presidents' Day brings to mind a different leader in the Smokies
- Smoky Mountain Romance
- NEW - Where in the park are we?
- Recommended Hike - Chestnut Branch
- SM Recipe: Cherry Valentine Cookies
- Branch Out in February with McDade, Hatter
- Visit the GSMA booth at WWW
- Staff Spotlight: Erin Lamm
- Business Member of the Month: ACE Hardware
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Take our Waterfall Quiz
Frozen waterfalls make for some of the most impressive sights in the national park during the winter months. Test your knowledge of our waterfalls, whether you prefer them running at full force or frozen motionless, HERE.
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Smoky Mountain Mystery:
The Case of the Missing
LeConte Lodge T-shirts
In the spring of 2007, a helicopter making a supply run to the Lodge atop Mt. Le Conte lost a large quantity of the much-revered LeConte Lodge t-shirts somewhere between the staging area at Newfound Gap Road and the summit. Apparently the shirts slipped through the large cargo net that dangles beneath the chopper, and their fate has remained a mystery and a source of local legend ever since.
Then, on a cold December day last year, veteran Le Conte hikers David Landreth, Ronnie McCall and Tommy McGlothlin spotted the shirts in a drainage in the vicinity of Anakeesta Ridge.
"We simply couldn't believe that after all this time, nearly 8 years, and after enduring all of the brutal weather that regularly sweeps this high aerie in the Great Smokies, that we had actually found the mystery shirts and that many of them were still salvageable," Landreth explained. "...Over the years, [the shirts] had become a source of great debate and conjecture and really had become the holy grail."
Having pursued and obtained their "holy grail," Landreth and his cohorts celebrated the accomplishment by framing (below) some of the shirts for posterity. |
Presidents' Day reminds us...
Photo of FDR from his visit to the Smokies during the park's dedication in 1940. Seated with him are Prentice Cooper, TN governor at the time, and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. - Photo Courtesy of the Tennessee State Library and Archives
Presidents' Day, which falls this year on Monday, Feb. 16, is traditionally set aside to remember the birthdays of Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Here in the Smokies, however, another president comes to mind this time of year...
Do you know who was the last sitting president of the United States to visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park? The same president who was the first and only sitting president to visit the Smokies: Franklin D. Roosevelt.
President George W. Bush was scheduled to visit Cades Cove on April 22, 2005, but an intense, isolated thunderstorm interfered with his air travel. President Barack Obama got as close as Knoxville in January of this year.
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GSMA members invited
to 'Branch Out' in 2015
Thank you to all who took part in our January "Branch Out" programs. Both the Elkmont History Hike led by Butch McDade (right) and the January Owl Prowl with Keith Watson were successful, though chilly, outings.
 If you missed the first Owl Prowl, you're in luck; we've scheduled another one for Feb. 7. Additionally, GSMA staffer Ila Hatter (left) will present "The Tree-mondous Gift of Trees" Feb. 28.
For more information on these and many more "Branch Out" programs, as well as registration details, please visit us HERE. Our program list will grow mid-February, so look for an email about new sessions then or check our website.
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The weather during Wilderness Wildlife Week may be unpredictable, as these Cove Mountain hikers discovered during a recent event, but the climate is guaranteed: fun, educational fellowship. - Photo by Marti Smith
Celebrating its 25th year in 2015, Pigeon Forge's Wilderness Wildlife Week is part college lecture series, part outdoor adventure, and part shopping mall. But better than your average mall, WWW's exhibit hall is designed exclusively for lovers of all things Smokies.
Four days remain to experience all that WWW has to offer, including the GSMA booth, where we're happy to meet old friends, make new ones and share ideas about how we can all work together to support this national park.
In addition to our traditional, high-quality sales items, all of which support the park, we are offering a trivia contest at our booth this year. Participants are invited to answer five WWW-related questions for a chance to win a Field Guide Gift Set.
If you cannot make it to WWW this year, you can still enter our trivia contest HERE. The contest site will close at noon on Saturday, Jan. 31, so don't wait to test your knowledge. Good luck!
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Recommended Hike:
Chestnut Branch Trail
This often-overlooked trail makes for an enjoyable hike from the lower elevations to the mid-elevations during the waning days of winter. The trail begins near the old Big Creek Ranger station, which is just 2.3 miles from I-40 Exit 451. Chestnut Branch Trail climbs mostly gradually past old homesites and rich forest for 2.1 miles to the Appalachian Trail. From there you can return the way you came, continue on 3.8 miles to the Mt. Cammerer Fire Tower or make a 5.5 mile (total) trail/road loop by following the A.T. the opposite direction to Davenport Gap and on down the road to Big Creek. On a warm day you might even see some daffodils and violets in bloom.
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Official Park Store
Shop the Smokies to
Support the Smokies!
You CAN get there from HERE. Handsome grey long sleeve t-shirt with an image of Clingmans Dome tower on the front. This tee is a great way to commemorate your hike to the highest spot in the Smokies and along the entire 2,000+ mile Appalachian Trail!
One of our most popular items - This 50" x 60" super soft throw is made from 90% acrylic and 10% polyester recycled fibers. It is a great item that is environmentally friendly and machine washable. It is designed to warm you, not the Earth! This is a great product to keep you warm on cold nights, while reminding you of your visit to the park.
Top 5 reasons to take THIS mug camping:
- It's stainless steel
- It's light weight
- It's non-breakable
- It attaches to your backpack by the handy carabiner, which doubles as the handle
- Every purchase supports this park! Get yours HERE.
 Praise for "Carroll Best and the White Oak String Band" continues to be shouted from the roof tops. Ok, maybe not the roof tops, but from the pages of some fine bluegrass publications. Check HERE for a full list of reviews, including the latest from Bluegrass Today!
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Business Member
of the Month
ACE Hardware
1025 East Parkway
Gatlinburg TN 37738
Phone: 865.436.5173
ACE is the place with the Helpful Hardware Man!
New Business Members
Baymont Inn and Suites, Cherokee
1455 Acquoni Road
Cherokee NC 28719
Phone: 828.497.2102
email: info@baymontcherokee.com
Nantahala Brewing Company
61 Depot Street
Bryson City NC 28713
Phone: 828.488.2337
Email: jenn@nantahalabrewing.com
GSMA Members Benefit...
GSMA members earn discounts at more than 50 North Carolina and Tennessee businesses. Think about it - 20% off here, $5 off there, and before you know it, your membership dues have paid for themselves. It's our way of saying "Thank You" for your membership! See our complete list of supporting business on our website.
Get your business seen here!
If you own a business and want to become a GSMA Business Member and reach more than 40,000 email inboxes each month, please contact Westy Fletcher HERE.
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We're up to more than 370K FANS on Facebook! We get more "Likes" when you help. Share our posts and invite your FB friends to "Like" us on
 Follow us on Pinterest
Subscribe to find hundreds of Smoky Mountain videos from GSMA HERE
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10,000,000+ visited park in 2014
 | | With 10+ million visitors in 2014, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a sure thing to retain the title of "Most Visited National Park in America." And if that's true, then Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg, TN, must hold the title of "Most Visited Visitor Center in America." - Photo by Bill Lea |
Great Smoky Mountains National Park welcomed more than 10 million visitors in 2014, just the fourth time in 80 years and the first time since 2000. In 2014, 10,099,275 visitors enjoyed the national park, an 8% increase over 2013. Read more HERE.
Increased visitors to the Smokies in 2014 contributed to GSMA's outstanding rebound from a less-than-stellar 2013, during which a government shutdown and landslide deeply impacted our organization's mission to support this national park. GSMA experienced several record-breaking months in a row, according to Finance Director Howard Clinton.
Details of 2014 park support from GSMA are set to be released in our early spring annual report.
 | | From the unique opportunity to photograph the park's variety of wildlife to camping, hiking, biking, bird watching, fishing... the reasons to visit the Smokies are never ending. |
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Help us choose the 100 most influential people in the Smokies
 | | While many of the obvious candidates have already been selected, including Horace Albright (top, left), Anne Davis (top, right) and Arno Cammerer, we want to hear from you. Who would you include on a list of the 100 most important people in GSMNP's history? |
On August 25, 2016, the National Park Service turns 100 years young. The Centennial will kick off a second century of stewardship of America's national parks and engaging communities through recreation, conservation, and historic preservation programs, and will celebrate achievements of the past 100 years.
One of the NPS Centennial projects to be undertaken in the Smokies is the creation of a list of the 100 Most Important People in Park History. The criteria is: "Those individuals who have had a positive lasting impact on the land itself, on the way in which the park is managed, and who were major players in historical events."
The list will be included with many other centennial features in a special spring 2016 edition of Smokies Life Magazine. (A free subscription to the magazine is one of the many benefits of a GSMA membership.)
To make this more fun, far-reaching, and interactive, GSMA is asking our Cub Report readers who their choices for the list would be. The deadline for sending in your nominees is April 1, 2015. Click HERE to send us an email message with your choice and why you think he/she should be included on the list.
For more information about Centennial activities across the entire National Park Service, click HERE.
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Membership enhancements outlined
GSMA's board of directors approved several enhancements to the current membership program to take effect April 1.
 Among these changes are two brand new categories - a youth level we're calling 'Acorns' and a mid-point level we're calling 'Chestnuts' - and a higher entry point for "lifetime" members. All our levels have been renamed in honor of our park's trees and to encourage even more visitors to "Get Rooted in the Smokies."
Details of the new levels, including how these changes could affect your existing membership, are available HERE.
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NPS announces firewood regulations
 | | Leave Your Firewood at Home |
Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials have announced regulation changes that will help protect park forests by limiting the type of firewood brought into the park. Beginning in March, only heat-treated firewood that is bundled and displays a certification stamp by the USDA or a state department of agriculture will be allowed for use in park campgrounds.
"The threat of new pests coming into our forests, both in the park and regionally, compels us to do all we can to reduce the risk to our forests," said Acting Superintendent Clayton Jordan. "While a ban on the importation of non-treated firewood will not entirely halt the spread of destructive forest pests and diseases, it will greatly slow it down."
Click on the image above to watch the GSMA-produced video that explains the firewood problem and click HERE to read more about the park's plan to address it.
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19th-Century Smokies Romance
One of the great moments in Smoky Mountain romantic history involves the Meigs family, for which Meigs Mountain, Meigs Creek, and Meigs Post Prong were named. Return Jonathan Meigs was a surveyor who was hired to establish a boundary in the wilds of the Smokies after the 1802 treaty with the Cherokee.
Meigs' first name is where the romance lies. His father, Jonathan, was involved in a long-term, epic courtship with a Quaker woman whom he loved. Many times Jonathan proposed marriage and many times his beloved refused.
After giving it one last shot and getting the usual brush off, Jonathan mounted his horse and was about to gallop off into the sunset when he heard the words "Return, Jonathan, return."
When the couple's son was born, Jonathan insisted on naming him "Return," because, he said, that was the most beautiful word he had ever heard.
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Smoky Mountain Recipe:
Cherry Valentine Cookies
St. Valentine's Day is fast approaching... Looking for a Smoky Mountains-influenced sweet for your sweetie? Look no further than these Cherry Valentine Cookies from Joy the Baker.
Cherry Valentine Cookies
Ingredients
2 C Foods of the Smokies whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick (8 TBSP) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 C sugar
1 egg
2 TBSP milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 C Foods of the Smokies cherry preserves
Directions
Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, ginger and salt. With a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth. Add the sugar and beat for a minute. Add the egg and beat for 2 minutes more. The mixture will be satiny. Add the milk and vanilla and beat just to combine. Don't be concerned if the mixture looks curdled, it will even out shortly
Reduce the mixer speed to low, add the preserves and beat for 1 minute more. With the mixer still on low add the dry ingredients and mix only until they are incorporated. You'll have a very thick dough.
Spoon the dough by the rounded teaspoonfuls into a dish of granulated sugar. Toss to coat and place on a baking sheet, leaving about an inch between the mounds.
Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. The cookies will be only just firm, fairly pale and browned around the edges. Pull the sheets from the oven and allow the cookies to rest for 1 minute, the carefully transfer them to racks to cool to room temperature.
Repeat with the remainder of the dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches.
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ATTENTION GSMA MEMBERS - We've published a collection of recipes on our website HERE. Be sure to log in and click on "Smokies Insider" to find all these mouth-watering delights. Then, send us photos of your friends and family enjoying what you've created HERE. Extra credit for including the Foods of the Smokies item in your photo. Who knows? You may see your photo in an upcoming Cub Report or on our Facebook page.
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Where in the park are we?
 Anyone recognize this structure? Click HERE to learn where you'll find this view in the Smokies, plus a little more about the surrounding area. |
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GSMA Staff Spotlight:
Erin Lamm
Erin Lamm (seen here at Clingmans Dome) is an assistant manager for our three GSMA stores in North Carolina: Oconaluftee Visitor Center, Swain County Visitor Center (Bryson City), and Clingmans Dome Visitor Center. She has worked in many jobs in her career in the national parks, including interpretive ranger and biological science technician.
Q: Where do you hail from, Erin?
A: I am originally from Hollidaysburg, PA, which is in the south-central part of Pennsylvania.
Q: What brought you to the Great Smoky Mountains?
A: My husband, Joe Lamm, and I have worked in and around national parks for the last eight years, primarily on the coast of North Carolina at Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Cape Lookout National Seashore. He was offered a job as a small craft operator and trail crew leader on Fontana Lake and decided he wanted to pursue this opportunity. I was, and am, happy to return to living life above sea level. When he decided to accept this position, I began looking for a job that would allow me to continue to work to support the national parks. I am very happy to be working for the Great Smoky Mountains Association in support of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Q: What was your biggest surprise upon moving here?
A: How supportive people are of this park. The last two parks I worked at - Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout - were going through some very challenging times. It is nice to work in a park that so many people care so deeply about and support wholeheartedly.
Q: What other national park areas have you worked in?
A: I have worked in Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site, Johnstown Flood National Memorial, Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Cape Lookout National Seashore.
Q: You work at the Clingmans Dome Visitor Center sometimes, right?What is that like?
A: Working at Clingmans Dome offers a completely new dimension to the job. I am lucky to get to see how life at 6,000+ feet changes hourly, daily, weekly and monthly. Looking out the windows from the Information Center and watching the clouds roll over the mountains is simply breathtaking, as are the sunrises and sunsets. It is fun to see visitors experience the unexpected differences of life at 6,000+ feet and educate visitors about why these differences occur.
Q: If someone were starting from Oconaluftee Visitor Center and had only one day to enjoy the park, what would you suggest they do?
A: I would suggest they check out the Mountain Farm Museum and Oconaluftee Visitor Center, then drive up US 441 to Mingus Mill and visit with the miller if the mill is open (April - Nov.). I would suggest they continue to Newfound Gap and/or Clingmans Dome to enjoy some great views. Then head down over the other side of the mountains to Sugarlands Visitor Center. Some time during the day, I would encourage the visitor to get out and experience the Smokies with a hike... some of my favorites are the Mingus Creek Trail, Oconaluftee River Trail, AT from Newfound Gap to Charlies Bunion, Chimney Tops Trail, and Abrams Falls Trail. There is simply too much to see and do in the Smokies to spend just one day! Hopefully spending one day in the park will be enough to encourage folks to come back.
Q: What's your favorite animal in the Smokies?
A: My favorite animal in the Smokies is the river otter. Their playful nature makes them a real treat to see. And the success of their reintroduction to the Smokies, with GSMA's help, is a wonderful story.
Q: What are your three favorite products in the GSMA stores?
Want to read more?
Click HERE for more staff spotlights. As spotlights are added to our new website, staff are including a list of their favorite Great Smoky Mountains products, including beloved books, Foods of the Smokies, and fun, new products, all 100% NPS-approved for superior quality and value standards.
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Answers to last month's This
& That Quiz | -
This all-season beauty is a magnet for bears and songbirds when its berries ripen in September. It thrives at high elevations and is a dominant tree in the Clingmans Dome area. Mountain Ash
- This historic site - located where two toll roads crossed the mountains - served a growing population of settlers using wagons and driving hogs and cattle to market.
Indian Gap
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This home - located along Rough Creek Trail in Cataloochee - is a prime example of a progressive 20th-century structure. It started as a one-room log cabin and was enlarged with framed additions, including several bedrooms, porches and a kitchen. Like many families in the area, this one took advantage of tourism by stocking their streams with trout and charging for fishing. They also provided tourists with room and board. Woody House
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This rugged mountain man was gatekeeper on the old "Lufty Turnpike" and served as a guide for Arnold Guyot, noted Swiss cartographer and mapped the Smokies. Robert Collins
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This small tree blooms from October through January, making it the first and last tree to bloom each calendar year. Witch-hazel
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This bird often roosts in tree cavities during the day to remain inconspicuous. A master of camouflage, its plumage may be mostly red or gray, though the red phase is far more prevalent in the park. Because it frequents roadsides it unfortunately is the most road-killed bird in the Smokies. Eastern Screech Owl
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Porters Creek Trail, known for its impressive spring wildflower display, is located in this area of the park. Greenbrier
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Bone Valley was a community so named for an abundance of bones left from a cattle herd that froze to death in the late 1880s. It is located in this area of the park. Hazel Creek
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This popular destination for intrepid hikers was once known as White Rock and was built by the CCC in 1937. Mt. Cammerer Fire Tower
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She was the only Walker Sister to marry. Sarah Caroline
Winner was Tammy Lacy of Florida. Congratulations!
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| Have Questions? | - For questions about online purchases, click HERE and the Mail Order department will help you.
- For questions about membership, click HERE and Judy or Marti will help you.
- For questions about business membership, click HERE and Westy will help you.
- Want to volunteer with GSMA? Click HERE and Lisa will help you. |
EXTRA!
Read all about it! |
The following are all instantly available, digital, GREEN publications...
+ The all-new Winter 2014-15 Smokies Guide (the official GSMNP newspaper) is available for viewing, reading and printing. Click HERE. + Read back issues. Archive editions of the Cub Report can be found HERE. + GSMA members can access The Bear Paw newsletter HERE and archived Recipes of the Smokies HERE. Sign in is required for both. |
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All purchases support this national park. 
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