Hikers, campers, fishermen and anyone else who want to make the trek to the highlands of western North Carolina and Tennessee have a new aid to help them find just the right hike and know what to expect when they get there. A revised new edition of "Day & Overnight Hikes: Great Smoky Mountains National Park" can point them to the beauty and solitude that can found in the less traveled areas of the park.
Author Johnny Molloy hiked hundreds of miles to gather information on 31 day hikes and 10 overnight treks that rank among the best in the park. Hikers can choose from out-and-back hikes like Sutton Ridge, loop day hikes such as Smokemont, or overnight loops to places like Mount Sterling.
Each trail profile offers commentary on what to expect along the way and rates each hike for things like scenery, difficulty, solitude and other factors. Detailed trail maps, elevation profiles and clear directions make the guide user-friendly, but still leave plenty for the hiker to discover on his own.
While it is impossible to verify how complete and correct any trail guide is without visiting each area mentioned, you can spot-check by examining the notes on familiar places.
For example, in describing the Mount Sterling Overnight Loop, Molloy points out that the Walnut Bottoms backcountry campsite "is popular among both hikers and bears."
http://www.newbernsj.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=17127&Section=Sports
I can't find the listing of a new book on Amazon. There's a 2001 book listed.
But here's a list of Malloy's books:
http://xml-na.amznxslt.com/onca/xml3?t=americasroofoutf&dev-t=D33U9QUBB1LUSJ&KeywordSearch=Johnny%20Molloy%20&page=1&mode=books&type=heavy&offer=&locale=us&sort=+salesrank&f=http://americasroof.com/xml/store.xsl
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