Hiker has ‘no doubt’ he encountered Brian Laundrie on Appalachian Trail

Thanks for more info. Interesting. I remember that a lot of Scots from that area fought in the Revolution. They’d had enough of the British pushing them around. The areas history certainly explains current reality around there. A friend told me some in the area are warm and helpful unless you get too nosy or deeper in the mountains.

Nah, blue Ridge parkway criss crosses the trails...here a local wrote a song about it..lol..pickups dirt roads, God and country, until Christ country..yea appalachia

https://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=14259063

Wasn’t Popcorn supposedly in spartanburg county? shows i saw looked more like ashville - wnc area i have doubts bout the show and shine cuz there aren’t many dry counties anymore

He was born and lived at least part time in Maggie Valley and had a business there. He died at his home in Parrotsville,TN in Cocke, Co. What would have really hurt the moonshine {non taxed} is the fact many companies are now producing moonshine which is a different process than aged whiskey. You can go to any liquor store in east Tennessee and buy Ole Smoky Tennessee moonshine made in Gatlinburg. The Apple Pie taste pretty good. So I've heard LOL. But Jack Daniels is still the good stuff also made in Tennessee and in a dry county :>}

Thanks for that info, funny thing i’ve always been a JD fan. also have a moonshine distillery here in my hometown.(still sold in mason jars) i’m in upstate SC. Now that i’ve googled it looks that Josh and Bill were the ones supposedly from spartanburg...Guess i must have crossed that AT as i’ve visited Maggie Valley,Fontana,Cherokee and driven thru the park to Gatlinburg/PigeonForge....

I live close to Maynardville, Tn near Thunder Road as it was called about three ridges over towards Knoxville LOL. I've made maybe a dozen trips up to the area the article is talking about over the past 60 years. I go in via Newport, TN. I know right outside of town from Newport going towards Del Rio was this horrid bridge off to the left you had to take to go to Mosheim, Bybee, and Parrotsville I think.

I also remember over 50 years ago closer to 55 years there was a bad train derailment outside Newport that sent boxcars into the river. Del Rio is real close where the story Katherine Marshall "titled "Christy" actually took place a story about where her mother taught school. Also the area I mentioned earlier Max Patch at one time was a resort before The Great Depression I think.

Those mountains have changed several times over since man came in. Great Smoky Mountain National Park's trail system is largely abandoned logging train railroad tracks before the park was bought. There is a place off the AT in the park called Spence Field right on the AT half way over the mountain between Cades Cove & Fontana Lake. I've hiked into what is called Eagle Creek several times on fishing trips with my dad. The trail from the field going down along the creek was a railroad bed. Actually to get there from Cades Cover you follow an old rail line all the way from the picnic area.

He will be camping rather than hiking this time of year in that area. Like I was saying, after the liberal Hot Springs/Ashville area, he would do well to bypass the Smokies by hitchhiking down to Fontanna Damn. He could resupply every 3 days at places like Franklin NC, the NOC, GA-NC area, and continue to head south.

Actually, if he had a brain he would hit the East-ward Carolina Coastal-Mountain trails and go over to the Wilmington area.

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