This rally evolved a year ago when Tom and I went to Smokemont Campground in Great Smokey Mountains National Park for “The Rut”. We vowed to come back . . . and bring friends. In the early spring of ’21 I posted the “What the Rut” rally on Camp NOVA website, and early in April the window opened to make reservations . . . 6 Airstreams/11 people signed on. Later, more people would want to attend, but those Smokemont Campground reservations were all gone! Elk had been absent from the Southern Appalachian Mountains for over 200 years when 25 were reintroduced in the Cataloochee area of the Great Smoky Mts. National Park in 2001. Later another 25 were introduced, and now there is a herd of about 200. They all seem to have stayed in the area near the Cherokee Indian Reservation. Each year in September and October the males call their ladies and gather them into the low meadows and patiently watch over them as they come into season. Occasionally the big blokes fight off other mature guys and sometimes the younger boys lock horns and scuffle with each other. The cows lie around in the meadow resting and grazing and answering the Chief Elk’s commands to get on their feet and move around the field. All of this takes place within 5 miles of Smokemont Campground! Action is at its best just before dusk or in the early morning. This rally began with guests in our driveway Tuesday, October 6th – Larry & Mary. They joined us for dinner & a sleep-over, and at 8:00 this morning we paraded out of the driveway -- destination Cherokee, NC. Far on the South side of the GSMNP, there is just no easy way to get to Cherokee and Smokemont Campground. I was able to sneak a picture of Larry and Mary behind us in our rear-view mirror as we approached Smokemont Campground. Our site was on a wide end corner of the loop, and in the open with nice grass on either side. There was a narrow asphalt pad and no hookups! Across the street was a rushing river that I could hear through my bedroom window. Larry and Mary had landed in their site down the road from us in a bit more woodsy setting. They brought their supper down to share our grill. At 7:30 it was completely dark and we settled into the Silvermine, tired from a long day’s drive. Thursday, October 7 Thursday we woke up with a mission to scope out the details of the elk herd. We learned that it had gathered in the large field beside the Oconaluftee Visitor Center about two weeks ago. Since that time the bucks have been claiming does and herding them into smaller groups. During the early morning buck and does were amazingly strung out along the main road where they posed for photos and caused a jostling of cars as people slowed down and pulled off the road. Park volunteers had the thankless job of motivating cars to keep moving our pull off and park – but lengthy traffic jams often occurred. In the evening the elk hung out in two large fields off of the main road back by the Job Corps facility. The males bugled loudly and strutted possessively through their selection of does. We did not see any does that were interested! Sometimes the herds would be close to where we watched, and sometimes they were across the field in the tree-line. This was the daily timetable for the 10 days that we were there. Sometimes we headed out as one group with 11 people/four trucks, and sometimes individuals and small groups went on their own. Here are some of the pictures that I was able to get. Over the next few days Larry, Mary, Tom and I were joined by John and Suzie, Mike and Sue, Gary, and Jim and Alexa. By Sunday night we were all in place for a welcome dinner of Elk brats, Roosevelt beans, watermelon, cornbread (thank you Sue) and Lemon Cheesecake with blueberry topping (thank you Suzie!) The elk brats had a nice flavor, but were a bit "dense." We finished our dinner and left for our first elk viewing at 6:45. It was very successful, and Gary promptly scored this video of a large bull elk welcoming us with a bugle! We were all blown away by that -- especially Gary! All eleven trekked 10 miles to Bryson City for a shopping trip and dinner at a local brewery, where we managed to get a picture of the whole group. One morning I served sausage gravy and biscuits to everyone, and 5 left for a hike to a cascade waterfall. Another morning we drove into Cherokee for a Pancake House breakfast buffet. By 10:00 we were at the Cherokee Museum – touted to be one of the best “museum experiences” anywhere. It was good – but not THAT good! It was a lengthy, winding pathway with mostly exhibits on the walls to stop and read, and recordings to listen to. Most evenings we gathered for dinner, each in charge of their own meal, sharing grills, food, and our day's activities. Around a campfire we made tentative plans for the next day. On Thursday we all chipped in for a big breakfast and in the evening we had a pot-luck dinner with Tom cooking elk burgers. I had read the elk meat being so very lean, needed to have a little bit of fat worked into it. The suggestion was to make 1/4lb patties with a slice of butter in the middle. At that point, the rally was essentially over. Mike and Sue had left after breakfast and the rest were leaving in the morning, except for Larry/Mary who would be staying one more night. Many of us would be meeting up again at the upcoming Alumalina . . . in less than a week! We arrived home by 5:00 Friday, ready to spend 3 days restocking and cleaning for our last big rally of the season. . . . Alumalina. My only regrets about "What the Rut" is that I did not spend more time documenting the 10 days with more written details . . . and lots more pictures!
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October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |