WE AT THE HAPPY HIKER GET HUNDREDS OF QUESTIONS EVERY MONTH, AND WHILE WE TRY TO HELP AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, WE MAY NOT GET BACK TO EVERY QUESTION. SO, THERE MAY BE SOME QUESTIONS YOU CAN FIND THE ANSWER TO HERE.....SOME ARE HELPFUL AND MINDFUL. AND OTHERS ARE SILLY AND EVEN SCARY! BUT ALL TRUE.......SO LOOK AROUND AND FIND SOME ANSWERS. AND MAYBE EVEN A LITTLE LAUGH.

SILLY BUT TRUE WHICH MOUNTAIN IS THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAIN WHAT KIND OF RIDES ARE IN THE PARK? WE HAVE BEEN COMING TO GATLINBURG FOR 20 YEARS, SOMEONE JUST TOLD US THERE WAS A PARK HERE..WHERE? WHEN DO THEY TURN ON THE WATER FOR THE WATERFALLS? WHAT TIME DO THEY LET THE BEARS OUT? ARE YOU ACTIVE AS THE OWNER OF THE HAPPY HIKER? HOW OLD ARE DEER WHEN THEY BECOME ELK? (asked by a visitor to a ranger) A WOMAN STOPS AT THE CAMPGROUND REGISTRATION OFFICE THAT USED TO BE AT SUGARLANDS VISITOR CENTER AND STICKS HER HEAD IN THE WINDOW AND ASKS "Is there a place to turn around at the top?"... MEANING THEY WERE DRIVING UP 441 TOWARDS NEWFOUND GAP :) A COUPLE AT NEWFOUND GAP GETS OUT OF THEIR VEHICLE IN THE EVENING AND ASKS US "When are they going to have that thar eclipse?" (Visitors were showing up there and at Clingmans Dome to view a lunar eclipse...) :)) HOW MUCH DOES IT RAIN IN THE GSMNP? Do You Have Them North Facing Jackets (asking about the brand The North Face) QUESTIONS ARE THERE ANY HIKING CLUBS AROUND HERE? DO YOU RENT ANY GEAR THERE?

SILLY BUT TRUE WHICH MOUNTAIN IS THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAIN  All of them! :) WHAT KIND OF RIDES ARE IN THE PARK? It's not that kind of park...It is a biosphere reserve. That just brought more confusion : WE HAVE BEEN COMING TO GATLINBURG FOR 20 YEARS, SOMEONE JUST TOLD US THERE WAS A PARK HERE..WHERE? I explained where the Park was and the reply was...Oh, we just thought that was woods. Answer: Yes it is the woods. It's the Great Smoky Mountains National Park! :) WHEN DO THEY TURN ON THE WATER FOR THE WATERFALLS? Well, that depends. Did the Park pay the water bill on time? No, most of us know that nature determines the flow of the water! WHAT TIME DO THEY LET THE BEARS OUT?  This is not a zoo, contrary to some visitors belief! The Smokies are a protected wildlife area. So, the bears do as the please whenever and wherever they want to. ARE YOU ACTIVE AS THE OWNER OF THE HAPPY HIKER?  YES....I am Involved In All Aspects Of The Happy Hiker...Including Day To Day Operations, I work in The Store And Am There More Than Not...No Absentee Ownership Or Breeze Thru Ownership Like Some Outfitters...I Am There To Answer Questions, Fit Boots And Packs And Give Trail Advice And Share My Excitement For The Smokies....As A Smokies Native I have A love For My Home That Is More Than Tourism And Financial Gain....I am Here Because I Want To Be Here Not Just To Make Money :) HOW OLD ARE DEER WHEN THEY BECOME ELK? (asked by a visitor to a ranger) As We All Know Deer Will NEVER Be ELK :) A WOMAN STOPS AT THE CAMPGROUND REGISTRATION OFFICE THAT USED TO BE AT SUGARLANDS VISITOR CENTER AND STICKS HER HEAD IN THE WINDOW AND ASKS "Is there a place to turn around at the top?"... MEANING THEY WERE DRIVING UP 441 TOWARDS NEWFOUND GAP :) Yep, there's a big parking lot at the top to turn around in! A COUPLE AT NEWFOUND GAP GETS OUT OF THEIR VEHICLE IN THE EVENING AND ASKS US "When are they going to have that thar eclipse?" (Visitors were showing up there and at Clingmans Dome to view a lunar eclipse...) :)) Well, I guess when they turn the lights out in the Park!! HOW MUCH DOES IT RAIN IN THE GSMNP?   In the Smokies, the average annual rainfall varies from approximately 55 inches in the valleys to over 85 inches on some peaks–more than anywhere else in the country except the Pacific Northwest. During wet years, over eight feet of rain falls in the high country. The relative humidity in the park during the growing season is about twice that of the Rocky Mountain region.  Do You Have Them North Facing Jackets (asking about the brand The North Face) Jokingly: No Maam All Of Our Jackets Face South :)  Needless To Say She Never Got It..... :):)   QUESTIONS ARE THERE ANY HIKING CLUBS AROUND HERE? Smoky Mountain Hiking Club. http://www.smhclub.org/ DO YOU RENT ANY GEAR THERE? We do not, however A Walk in the Woods does rent gear. Click on their link to the left here or call them at 865-436-8283. They only rent gear, not any type of clothing or boots.