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In this Issue
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Baby Box Turtle
by Terry Maddox
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- NEW Mountain Farm Museum audio tour
- Experience a cool retreat to Balsam Mountain
- Watch the NEW Mt. Le Conte movie trailer
- Take our wildflower quiz
- Hike to Baskins Creek Falls
- Register for our annual Membership Weekend
- 'Thank you' to GSMNP's Search & Rescue Team
- Staff Spotlight - Dale Heiser
- Shop the Smokies
- Business of the Month
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NEW Mountain Farm Museum Audio Tour
A new audio tour of the Mountain Farm Museum at Oconaluftee Visitor Center allows visitors to enjoy the music and voices of a typical family on a 19th-century farm in the Great Smokies.
The dramatic tour was developed using oral histories and other research as a basis for the script. Professional actors and sound effect technicians were then employed to bring the words to life.
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Exploring Balsam Mountain
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Exploring Balsam Mountain
By Valerie Polk
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Summer heat getting you down? Pack up your camping gear and head for higher ground in the Smokies. Balsam Mountain Campground offers the promise of cooler days and nights, as well as hiking, biking, wildlife viewing, and a peaceful day or two among the evergreens.
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Wildflower Quiz
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Turk's Cap Lily
by Lisa Duff
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Many are familiar with the park's spring wildflowers, but did you know there's a wonderful display of color in summer, too? The first to answer all our quiz questions correctly will win a copy of Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers. Good luck!
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Register Today!
GSMA's Membership Weekend to take Gatlinburg by storm
GSMA members planning to attend this year's Membership Weekend Sept. 17-20 should Register Today!
Put your physical fitness to the test with hiking challenges; enhance your mental agility with talks and tours; become a VIP; and enjoy not one, but TWO delicious dinners (and maybe even a little local 'shine) with your friends and family. Enjoy all Gatlinburg has to offer, including FREE parking at the Clarion Inn (for guests only) on the Parkway, just a hop, skip and a jump from the national park!
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Mount Le Conte to be next
Smoky Mountain Explorer subject
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Sacred Mountain of the Smokies
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Due out in late August, "Mount Le Conte: Sacred Mountain of the Smokies" marks the third in GSMA's Smoky Mountain Explorer film series. Shot during more than 60 trips to summit and some 600 miles of hiking over the last two years, filmmaker Gary Wilson's 40-minute film captures this majestic peak, from spring's biologically diverse rebirth to its single late-season inhabitant - Mt. Le Conte Lodge's winter caretaker.
GSMA members will be the first to learn of the film's availability. Become a member today (or renew your membership) to be first in line to own this beautiful film. "Sacred Mountain of the Smokies" is Gary's most visually striking film to date. Anyone who has ever climbed this mountain or dreamed of doing so will want it for their video library.
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Shop the Smokies
All purchases support this national park
NEW - Campfire cooking made easy! Each card is a recipe, shopping & equipment lists, with cooking instructions, all held together by a sturdy carabineer and waterproof for those unexpected Smoky Mountain rain showers.
NEW - We can't promise you'll smell as fresh as a field of wildflowers after a long hike in the Smokies, but you'll certainly look good in this new wicking tee. The wildflowers in this beautiful image, exclusive to the Smokies, all bloom in this national park.
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Search & Rescue in the Smokies
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Thanks to a donation from a Sevier County, TN, business, Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers (from left) Christopher Tedder, Will Jaynes, Marc Eckert and Brad Griest were among 15 other rangers recently presented with high-performance search and rescue jackets to support search and rescue efforts in inclement weather. - NPS photo
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Last year Great Smoky Mountains National Park conducted more search and rescue operations than any other National Park Service site in the southeast region. And nationwide, only Yosemite, Grand Canyon and Lake Mead had more incidents than the Smokies.
According to acting chief ranger Steve Kloster, rangers in the Smokies respond to a little "over 100 search and rescue incidents per year." Mostly rescues. "We don't have too many searches because most adult hikers here are pretty good about staying on the trails," Kloster said.
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The horror continues...
Click on the video - if you dare!
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Baskin Creek Falls
by Gary Wilson
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Hike to
Baskins Creek Falls
By Marti Smith
GSMA's Membership Associate
& Smoky Mountain 900 Miler
The trail to Baskins Creek Falls is not generally crowded as its location is not widely publicized. Members of the local community used to use the falls as a place to take a shower. You will see why when you arrive. I prefer to bring a snack and be mesmerized by the natural beauty of the falls...
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Staff Spotlight: Dale Heiser
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If you spot this bear on your next visit to the Smokies, chances are good that Dale Heiser is driving him to one of our nine visitor center locations. - Marti Smith photo
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Dale Heiser reports to GSMA's warehouse in the morning, but spends much of his day loading and unloading our truck as he delivers maps, books, T-shirts, stuffed bears, preserves, bottled water, and other merchandise to the Association's nine stores in and around the park. Since the stores are in two states and are open seven days per week, Dale keeps very busy helping staff keep the shelves stocked and the merchandise moving!
Q: Where do you hail from Dale? A: Southeastern Nebraska, corn and livestock country. I was a farmer for 28 years. Q: What brought you from the Great Plains to the Great Smokies? A: First a vacation, then a big change in lifestyle.
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Carr's Northside Cottages
421 West Laurel Road
Gatlinburg TN 37738
Carr's Northside Cottages & Motel has it all when it comes to Gatlinburg lodging! Choose to vacation in one of our cabin rentals, cottages, town-
houses & apartments, Jacuzzi rooms or motel. We have accommodations for romantic Gatlinburg getaways, family vacations, or large groups needing lots of space.
NEW Business Members
Davy Crockett's Tennessee Whiskey
Hampton Inn in Pigeon Forge
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We are just a click away...
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Connecting Today to Yesterday; Preserving Today for Tomorrow
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