The balds weren’t farmed...They were grazed in the summers...The balds are natural...They didn’t have stands of trees, but just brush and grasses...The cattle kept them smooth...They came up from the farms in Cades Cove and were brought back down in winter...
I’m from Townsend, TN and the back edge of my mom and dad’s farm was the Park border...I was raised all over the Park...Hiking, fishing, camping for over 55 years...never had a problem with a bear...Saw plenty, but never a problem....
ok grazed, got it. Still the author objects to let them return to nature because hikers like them, but he also acknowledges the need to keep the trail pristine.
As for bears, unlikely a black bear attacks but when they do playing dead doesn’t work.