Wilderness Wildlife Week hikes showcase culture, history of the Smokies

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WVLT) - For more than 30 years, people have had the chance to get a free lesson on the culture and history of the Great Smoky Mountains.

It’s part of a week of hikes and talks in Pigeon Forge. On a cold and snow flurry Thursday morning, a group of hikers set off into the mountains to learn more about the people and the land.

“It’s a biologically diverse place, it’s geologically diverse, but also there’s just a great human history that goes back 12,000 years,” said Charles Maynard, a hiking guide. “It’s a chance for people to connect, not just with the outdoors, but also with the original history. So like in this particular hike, we stopped at the Walker Sisters Cabin, Greenbriar School, so we talked about the history, the human history, as well as the natural history.”

Beyond nature, the people who lived here were very interesting. The Walker Sisters Cabin was a part of the journey as they told the stories of how the five women lived off the land.

“They made a living there; they grew their own cotton and grew their own sheep and use the wall they, you know, they made a life there. They got very little from, from anywhere else,” said Maynard.

Maynard and fellow tour guide David Morris have led this hike for more than 30 years as part of the Wilderness Wildlife Week experience.

While the main event is at The Ramsey in Pigeon Forge, you can go beyond the exhibits and see the Smokies up close and personal.

“Enjoy connecting with the people, but we also enjoy and educating them somewhat about the smokies and what a diverse area it is and opportunities they have to enjoy here,” said Morris.

Moriss and Maynard hope to connect people on tour with people of the past who worked the land and made a simple life we all can imagine in the Great Smoky Mountains.

“Well, I think there’s a simplicity to that lifestyle. And you know, they lived here well into the 60s, so they lived after the park was created. They continue to live here,” said Maynard.

Wilderness Wildlife Week continues through Saturday at The Ramsey. These guided hikes are part of the free program, but they do fill up quickly.

More information can be found here.

The sisters lived and worked the land until the 1960s. — The sisters lived and worked the land until the 1960s.(Great Smoky Mountains National Park)

Five sisters began to establish their life on the farm. They fed and clothed themselves, raised... — Five sisters began to establish their life on the farm. They fed and clothed themselves, raised livestock, and maintained their mountain homestead for over forty more years.(Great Smoky Mountains National Park)

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