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Injured Hiker Rescued in Great Smoky Mountains

Donald Lawrence from Tennessee was hiking down from Mt LeConte  in the Great Smoky Mountains near Gatlinburg on Wednesday 11/27 about 11:30 AM when he slipped on ice, fell and broke his leg. He was rescued later that day by a team of rescuers that removed him from the mountain. He was taken to an area hospital about 10:00 PM after the team got him to an area where an ambulance was waiting. He is reported to be in stable condition.

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Cataloochee Ski Area Open!

Cataloochee received 4” of snow and is open with a base of 32- 50″. The Cataloochee Ski Area website reports “On Thursday, we will be skiing from the top of the quad down on nine out of seventeen slopes with three aerial lifts and one conveyor lift operating on a base of 32-50” and a machine groomed surface. On Thursday we will offer one session of skiing, day skiing from 8:30am until 4:30pm with a morning or afternoon half day rate also available.” “Tube World located in Maggie Valley, across from Ghost Town in the Sky, four miles from the ski…
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Table Rock Fire Fully Containd

The Table Rock fire is finally fully contained-17 days after the fire started. The recent rain and snow helped but the winds still caused hot spots. The fire covered almost 2700 acres and required over 200 firefighters at its peak. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but officials believe it was manmade. The fire started near the Table Rock picnic area on Nov. 11. A man driving a white pickup truck was seen in the area and may have information concerning the wildfire. Courtsey of  William Mauney on youtube

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Tourism Back Up in the Great Smoky Mountains

A recent study on tourism in Sevier County shows the first part of 2013 there was an increase in tourism in the Great Smoky Mountains area. The study also confirms the government shutdown did negatively affect tourism the first 2 weeks of October during the shutdown but after reopening the Great Smoky Mountains National Park  tourism recovered. The holiday season is a great time to visit the Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and Gatlinburg areas because of the Christmas decorations, lights, holiday shows and the Smoky Mountain Christmas at Dollywood. The cold temperatures and chance of snow make a December trip to the…
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NC Western Wildfire Update in Linville Gorge

Rent rain has helped control the wildfire in Linville Gorge in the Pisgah National Forest but the fire is still yet to be under control park officials report. The fire covers nearly 2,275 acres and has taken about 200 firefighters to work the wildfire. To battle the spread of the fire firefighter try to contain the fire by building containment lines and removing forest  under brush. The rain from last weekend was of some help but now with a cold front coming bringing wind and low humidity worries are the wildfire will take several more days before being brought under…
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Butting Head Elk in Cataloochee Valley Put Down

The famous elk that recently made the news butting heads with the photographer in the Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains has been put down (euthanized)  because of the animal’s aggressive behoviour. The Great Smoky Mountain National Park website writes “Last Friday park wildlife biologists made the difficult decision to euthanize an elk. The decision to euthanize an animal of any kind in the park is never made lightly”. The website continues by writing “The elk had likely been fed by visitors and had lost his instinctive fear of humans. It associated humans with food and had been approaching…
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Wildfire in Linville Gorge Spreading

The wildfire in western North Carolina mountains near Table Rock in the Linville Gorge area has grown to cover about 2,600 acres. The fire started more than a week ago and has been difficult to control. US Forest Service officials report the fire is about 40% contained. They also report the smoke from the wildfire could possible cause hazardous driving conditions on roadways in the area due to poor visibility. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The weather forecast calls for rain in the area tonight and Monday hopefully helping the situation. Courtesy of Tony Lee Glenn

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