5 CHAPTER ONE LAND OF THE BLUE SMOKE It is evening in Great Smoky Mountains National Park The sky has turned a pale pink Trees blanket the mountains Fog settles along the treetops A sea of gold red and green autumn leaves slopes down the mountainside A male elk paws at the ground in the Cataloochee Valley below His breath steams in the cool air He approaches a female elk He tilts back his antlered head A high pitched screech An elk's bugle call echoes through the mountainside of the Smokies
issues from his throat It warns other male elk to stay far away Scenic Views More than 10 million people visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park each year This makes it the most popular US national park It stretches across the border between North Carolina and Tennessee Its 522,427 acres 211,419 ha of land are divided almost evenly between these two states The western section of the Appalachian Mountains crosses through the park This segment of mountains is called the Great Smoky Mountains 6 Protecting Wildlife A male elk’s bugle call signals the start of fall in Great Smoky Mountains National Park But it signifies more than the changing season It also reminds visitors of the park’s commitment to protecting wildlife Overhunting and habitat loss eliminated the region’s elk population in the mid-1800s But the National Park Service was committed to bringing them back It began reintroducing elk into the area in 2001 Now these animals thrive along with more than 400 other animal species
or the Smokies These peaks are some of the tallest in the Appalachian Mountains chain Fog often hugs the peaks of the Smokies This fog looks similar to wisps of smoke Trees produce hydrocarbons Hydrocarbons mix with moisture in the air This creates a blue fog Cherokee Indians who once lived in the area called the mountains Shaconage This means Land of the Blue Smoke 7 PERSPECTIVES Park Ranger Bob Miller Bob Miller has been a park ranger for more than 20 years He describes the strangest thing he has ever seen We had a bear turned loose This bear acted just like a big dog licking people’s hands rubbing against their legs and just plain begging We couldn’t take a chance on leaving him up there for fear he’d either injure somebody or would himself be a victim of aggression by another bear So after umpteen phone calls we were able to find an accredited wildlife park in Ohio that would accept him
