TOPIC: Trip to East TN (Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Dollywood).

My boy Cole is 12 now and this past Thursday, Friday and Saturday I went with him on a Honors Club (smarter than the average 6th grader) trip for his 6th grade class. 7th and 8th graders were on the trip too.

For those that may not know - this is in East TN, in the Smoky Mountains. Oh man those mountains were especially beautiful this time of year.

I was with a big group (several hundred kids and a few teachers and other parents), and on a gray line bus, and they did a lot of fun stuff, dixie stampede, comedy barn, dollywood (a theme park), downtown gatlinburg, etc...

Some of you over in East TN - no doubt have been there and done all of that a few times.

In the Dollywood park, over there where they have the Eagles inside the large enclosure, and just above the little Chapel (in the crafts area).... man all along that hillside there is cohosh, bloodroot and some really nice patches of maidenhair fern (and lots of other companion plants).

There were thousands of folks there walking by... and I was the only one over there looking intently at that hillside trying to spot some ginseng !

I bet some of you East TN folks (Hugh ?) have looked hard at that hillside from the park trail too. It is a real beauty.

One of the other kids Fathers and I were talking some and he is a big deer hunter and of course I said something about ginseng and he said he has been wanting to learn how to find it. He is in on a big hunting lease in a area that I found some really good ginseng in near 30 years ago. I told him I would be glad to go with him and hunt that area a little and teach him how to find it. He agreed we would do that this fall.

That is how I get in on a lot of the places I hunt - just talking it up with folks and offering to show them how.

TNhunter

TN,
I'm glad that you got to make that trip with your son and especially glad that he is a part of the Honors Club. Congrats to Cole. What you were seeing is a scene that I have looked at a thousand times in a thousand places as I did guided fly fishing trips throughout the Smokies. It never gets old. Sad to say, it was only 15-16 years ago that I began to pay attention to all those plants that grow along the roads and hollers in Sevier and Cocke County. I can remember when I first started trying to identify ginseng plants and I sure was fooled by Jack in the Pulpit berries many times.
I have a great trip lined up for tomorrow in Greene County and I have spent some time recently in North Carolina doing some scouting. Last week I got to re meet some clients that live in the edge of the Pisgah National Forest. They showed me some beautiful ginseng and Goldenseal growing on their property. I'll try to take pictures tomorrow and show you what a beautiful area this is. You'll have to come up to Morristown sometime and we'll go over and help Billy Taylor find some nice Kentucky ginseng.
Hugh

TNhunter,
Fall is good also but I love the mountains and woodlands in the Spring. Congrats to your son for being a smart, hard working little fella.

Hugh,
I may get you to take me and my son fishing up there before long if you would be up to it. We both would be newbies at fly fishing so we would definitely need some guidance..

Hillhopper

Hill,
I don't guide professionally any more ,but that doesn't mean that we could not fish together, and I could show you what you need to know about fly fishing. You can come up whenever you want to.

I just got back from a scouting trip to the Tenn. N.C. line in Greene County and I'll post a report in a few minutes after I edit the pictures. It was beautiful at 4,800ft. altitude.

Hugh

I have the report up on my website with lots of pictures. Enjoy it.
http://www.smokymountainflyguide.com/Choosing%20places%20to%20grow%20ginseng2.htm