TOPIC: Saturday Oct. 19th

Hawkeye wrote:

I've heard that they are doing that. I went on a hike, not a scouting trip, in the Smokey Mountains a few weeks ago and spotted the biggest 4 prong I've ever seen. The berry pod was bigger around than a golf ball. I couldn't believe all the berries it had. I wanted to snap it off and plant the berries so someone else wouldn't poach it.

I know what you mean about big seng in the Park! When I was a kid and didn't know better, me and a friend would hike 10 or more miles back into the Park and dig seng. One of these days, I plan to make a trip to the Big Catalooche to see if the big fields of Ginseng still grow there. The Settlers raised seng there and when they were moved out, the seng was left behind to grow. The Rangers have had to guard to fields ever since from poachers. If there is any place where one would find an 8 prong, it is there and I hope to get pics of it or more!


Frank

That would be incredible Frank.

Thank both of u 4 ur service guys. hawkeye I live in lafollette have 4 last 11 years but am from dutch valley over in anderson county. I bet u hav sum big mtns. to hunt n,huh? I hate to say it but i would have got that berry pod! I've always wanted sum seed from Smokies. Hope u have good kuck this morn, take care of that back Frank!

Frank,
Would love to see pics of this forgotten spot. Would make a heck of a story.
Latt

bawhite40 wrote:

Thank both of u 4 ur service guys. hawkeye I live in lafollette have 4 last 11 years but am from dutch valley over in anderson county. I bet u hav sum big mtns. to hunt n,huh? I hate to say it but i would have got that berry pod! I've always wanted sum seed from Smokies. Hope u have good kuck this morn, take care of that back Frank!

bawhite40,

Thanks! I received my' Draft Notice in November of 1972 and signed up for the U.S. Army three days before I had to take the Physical. They would not end me to Vietnam since I am the sole surviving son of my mom and dad, so I spent most of my time in the Service in Germany and my last 7 1/2 months at Fort Sheridan, IL.

I try as best I can to take care of my' back but nowadays, sometimes it only takes bending or turning the wrong way or picking something up and a disk or my' pelvis shifts. I then spend the next week or so in horrible pain. I have a friend (Lloyd) who is a retired Chiropractor and I may go to see him for an adjustment. Sometimes it helps and sometimes it takes mutiple adjustments. I once had a rib get out of place and man did it hurt bad in the middle of my' back. The rib had been out of place so long that it took Lloyd 6 months of occasional adjustments to get the dang thing back in place. When it finally went back into place, it sounded like a rib broke into but man did it ever feel so good to not have the pain.


Frank

Latt wrote:

Frank,
Would love to see pics of this forgotten spot. Would make a heck of a story.
Latt

Latt,

I have never been to the Big Cataloochee or seen the fields of Ginseng. I have friends that have and heard the many stories about them. I don't know if they still do but for many years, the Park Rangers had to patrol the fields 24/7 when the Ginseng was up and I believe that they even had to patrol the fields even when it was down. They may have moved the Ginseng but due to the Laws and Regulations regarding plant life in the Park, I doubt that they would have. Maybe I can make it over there next summer and if the fields still exist, take some pics. After that, maybe we could get some folks together for a tour to show them truly big Ginseng. I wonder if someone volunteered to go out and place dye on the roots of Ginseng, place tracking chips in the big roots and plant the seeds, if they would allow this person to keep 10% of the seeds for planting their' own beds??!! It doesn't hurt to ask and I just might do that.


Frank

Hawkeye, do you drive an older model chevy without a tailgate?

Hey Frank my Dad was stationed in Germany in 66 I think or 67. He told me his sarge went down the line pointing at people to go to nam and guys on both sides of him got picked. They were also killed over there. Makes me glad to know that I may not be here if weren't 4 them u know. Hope ur back gets better man and hope u enjoyed a gr8 season!

bawhite40 wrote:

Hey Frank my Dad was stationed in Germany in 66 I think or 67. He told me his sarge went down the line pointing at people to go to nam and guys on both sides of him got picked. They were also killed over there. Makes me glad to know that I may not be here if weren't 4 them u know. Hope ur back gets better man and hope u enjoyed a gr8 season!

I know what you mean! I lost quite a few friends in Vietnam and when I signed up, I asked to go but they would not send me. The Recruiter then asked where else I would like to go and I said Germany. Well, they like to have never ran me out of Germany and I spent 4 years and 4 months over there. I am also quite lucky to be here as my dad fell off of a Freight Train (rolled out of the tarp box under a Freight Car) when he was 18 years old (that was in 1928). He was torn up really bad, in a coma for 6 days and crippled in his' right hand for the rest of his life. Trauma does some weird stuff to your body and my dad who was more than 1/4 Cherokee, had a full head of Coal black hair when he fell off the Freight Train at 18 years old and by the time he was 21 years old, he was already partially bald.


Frank

Frank count me in.
Latt