Tag: things to do in Sevierville

The Appalachian Trail

There might be no backcountry spot, no trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, as hiked or sought after as the Appalachian Trail. In all, just a hair over 71 miles run through the Great Smoky Mountains. That’s just a fraction of its total: 2,143 miles. It’s a destination for many coming in to Sevierville every year and a point of emphasis for local nature lovers, of which there are many.

You’ll find the trail’s highest peak located in the national park, Clingman’s Dome (6,643 feet). There are just so many marvels of the Smokies to be found along the AT. Tree species are in high count for those naturalists in all of us. Rock facings that will leave even the most well-traveled of geologists in awe and wildflowers the likes of which are seen on magazine covers and books.

If you’re looking for a spot a little less crowded than most of the trail, head over to the northern side before venturing to sections like that between Newfound Gap and Charlies Bunion.

The Appalachian Trail is the only trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that’s marked by white blazes on trees or rocks, just look for the white streaks of paint and you’ve found one. Therefore, you’ve come to a portion of the AT.

For safety purposes, plan out your trip on AT before setting out, and keep a few other things in mind while planning, like preparing yourself mentally for the trip, making sure someone knows your route and where you’re going, caring a trail map and using it, taking a cellphone for precautionary measures, and being aware of those on the trail around you. Those suggestions, and some common sense can go a long ways in making sure your trip is a memorable one.

The Appalachian Trail is managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, state agencies too numerous to list and volunteers that number in the thousands. Annually, over 6,000 volunteers contribute more than 195,000 hours toward protecting, helping maintain, and marketing the Appalachian Trail. The AT is calling, happy hiking!

Sevier County Family Resouce Center makes Christmas better for area teens, but still needs donations.

What’s better during the Christmas season than giving back to those in need? Not much. It’s the true meaning of Christmas and places like the Sevier County Family Resource Center are a testament to that. Not only do they specialize in helping others, this holiday season they’ve pinpointed one group in particular: teenagers.

Instead of focusing on children 12 and other like many other worthwhile charitable organizations, the Sevier County Family Resource Center is lifting up teenagers this Christmas, a group than can sometimes get passed over during the holidays.

According to Center Director Kim Loveday, and sole employee of the Sevier County Family Resource Center, there are a lot of families with teenagers that could use the help this Christmas.

When Loveday first began working at the center, she deemed it more necessary to find people who would purchase things like clothing and personal hygiene items for teens instead of Christmas toys.

According to her, the center receives numerous calls this time of year from parents, grandparents, nurses, guidance counselors and school principals asking for clothing and hygiene items. The need has ballooned so much that whereas she helped 30 teens in her first year, her list has grown to almost 300 this year.

The Sevier County Family Resource Center is reliant solely on community donations and sponsors who feel the need to help during the year. One stat that was offered up about a sole teen is that $75 usually covers the cost of one’s clothing needs.

Loveday said that it’s not just providing them with clothes, it’s providing them with new, clean clothes which in turn improves their self esteem which is at a premium, especially during those formative years.

The Sevier County Family Resource Center is still looking for sponsors for a number of teenagers. If you’re interested in sponsoring one, contact Loveday at the family resource center at 865-428-7999 or by e-mail at sevierfamilyresource@yahoo.com.