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The world's oldest mountain range, America's most visited national park, and my home . . . let me show you around
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Meet the guy you're taking advice from
Hi, I'm Luke
I was born and raised in the foothills of the Great Smokies, in the blueridge range of the Appalachain Mountains. I grew up hiking, fishing, mountain biking, and whatever else I could find to do out in the hills around my home.
Despite that fact, in my first 18 years of life I had only once visited the national park whose boundaries were within sight of my front porch (a short daytrip to Cade’s Cove as a tyke). That all changed when I moved to Knoxville for school. Today I have spent thousands of hours within the park boundaries, hiked nearly every trail it has to offer, and fallen in love with the history, the places, and the people that make the park so special to the millions who visit every year.
Read the rest of my story (and how this blog came to be) below.
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Some of the links on this site are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission—at no additional cost to you—if you click through and make a purchase. I only recommend gear, books, and resources I personally use, trust, or believe will genuinely enhance your experience exploring Great Smoky Mountains National Park. These commissions help support the time and cost of maintaining this blog, creating trail guides, and sharing trip reports. Thank you for supporting my work and helping keep this site ad‑free and trail‑focused!