About this Episode:
We are joined by our special guest, Nancy East, a renowned Author, Program Director, Outdoor Survivalist, and Search and Rescue Expert, as well as a Record-setting Distance Hiker. A former Veterinarian, Nancy has hiked and led seminars and programs all over the United States, but her favorite trails are near her Haywood County home in the Great Smoky Mountains.
In this conversation, you will learn about some hiking trails and trips in Haywood County. Nancy shares with us some of her favorite regional hiking trails, from easy to strenuous. She also discusses her memorable tourism experiences, and suggestions for the best places to visit in the Great Smoky Mountains.
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SHOW NOTES
SEGMENT 1
In today’s episode Joseph and his guest, renowned Author and Outdoor Survivalist, Nancy East, talk about things for families to do. The first place Joseph begins talking about is down in North Carolina called the Cataloochee Ski Resort which is one of Joseph’s family’s favorite places to visit. Joseph talks about a few other places that he and his family enjoy visiting including a few foodie towns and some restaurants that serve what he calls “mountain heritage food.” Nancy begins to talk about how she ended up in Haywood County where she has been for twenty years now.
SEGMENT 2
At the beginning of the second segment Nancy talks about what drew her to Haywood County, and she talks about how she loves the natural beauty and the strong community. Nancy begins talking about one of her rescue stories in a crazy snowstorm, and how she and her team serve by saving others in some dangerous endeavors. Nancy begins talking about how she raised her kids to learn safety protocols whether that be skiing, dressing correctly, or using the proper equipment so that they won’t ever be in harm; in the same way she tells others to be cautious when they are planning a trip so that they will always have the right equipment as well.
SEGMENT 3
Joseph and Nancy begin talking about how to keep little kids engaged when they are on an adventure, and Nancy has some great ideas from her years of experience, such as a scavenger hunt, or using electronics to learn compass and mathematics. There are also some great places for you to take your children to hike such as Flat Creek and Big Creek; they are one-way hike’s which makes it super easy for the whole family. Nancy says that kids love water so any trail with a creek or a waterfall will keep the kids occupied. Nancy talks about a term she used in her book called Nature Deficit Disorder where Nancy explains that parents these days are so afraid of the woods. Nancy is aware that electronics are used more than outdoor time is allotted, but she isn’t fond of this, and definitely is a firm believer in the outdoors. At the end of this segment, Joseph and Nancy begin talking about her book, Chasing the Smokies Moon.
SEGMENT 4
At the beginning of the last segment, Nancy and Joseph talk about their memorable moments in the Smokies. One of Nancy’s first experiences was backpacking around the Smokies which she chose to do instead of getting a hotel, and this showed her how much she loves the outdoors, nature, and being in the mountains. These experiences that Joseph and Nancy are talking about, Joseph refers to them as “flashable memory experiences.” There are so many treasures to see in the mountains, and Joseph and Nancy both agree that there are breathtaking things to do and to see in all of these mountain resorts they talk about today.
TRANSCRIPT
00:02:53.370 –> 00:02:54.240 Joseph McElroy: howdy.
00:02:54.330 –> 00:03:04.710 Joseph McElroy: Thanks for joining us on this week’s episode of gateway to the Smokies, this is the second season of this podcast which focuses on life, culture, and tourism.
00:03:05.070 –> 00:03:14.190 Joseph McElroy: In America’s most visited National Park, the great smoky mountains National Park in the surrounding towns, this area is filled with ancient natural beauty.
00:03:14.580 –> 00:03:21.600 Joseph McElroy: A deep-storied history of stunning adventures and rich mountain cultures that we will explore with weekly episodes.
00:03:22.080 –> 00:03:33.930 Joseph McElroy: I am Joseph Franklyn McElroy a man of the world, but also with deep roots in these mountains my family lived in the great smokies for over 200 years my business is in travel but my heart is in culture.
00:03:35.490 –> 00:03:43.140 Joseph McElroy: In today’s podcast we’re talking about family adventures and outdoor experiences in the smokies, but first, let’s talk about our sponsors.
00:03:43.650 –> 00:03:52.860 Joseph McElroy: Meadowlark Motel imagine a place evocative motor courts of the past, yet moderate and vibrant with a Chic Appalachian feel.
00:03:53.490 –> 00:04:06.120 Joseph McElroy: a place for adventure and relaxation imagine a place where you can fish in a mountain heritage trout stream grill the catch on fire and eat accompanied by fine wine and craft beers.
00:04:06.630 –> 00:04:24.930 Joseph McElroy: Imagine a place of old-time music and world cultural sounds imagine a place with mountain heritage, food, and underground speakeasy there is no other place like the Meadowlark Motel in Maggie Valley your smoky mountain adventure starts with where you stay.
00:04:26.610 –> 00:04:31.380 Joseph McElroy: Another sponsor is smokies adventure.com that’s smokies plural adventure.
00:04:32.160 –> 00:04:42.960 Joseph McElroy: singular.com is a site for information and listings about the smokies hiking information wedding venues, books, trail maps resources.
00:04:43.260 –> 00:04:55.650 Joseph McElroy: The emphasis of smokies adventures on outdoor recreation outdoor life events like weddings and adventures, along with providing information on lodging family entertainment events conventions honeymoons, and more.
00:04:56.190 –> 00:05:01.290 Joseph McElroy: The goal of this site and its becoming, that is, become the leading information portal of the smoky mountains.
00:05:03.030 –> 00:05:13.590 Joseph McElroy: So we’re talking about family today and I have three-year-old twins and so we’ve experienced some things to do in the mountains with family and I thought I mentioned a few of the things that we do.
00:05:15.720 –> 00:05:30.180 Joseph McElroy: I don’t know if you know it, but North Carolina has the southernmost ski resort in the nation it’s a Cataloochee ski resort and there you can go skiing and snowboarding from essentially the end of November, until March.
00:05:31.680 –> 00:05:38.370 Joseph McElroy: And it’s it has a fairly lengthy snow season and also manufacturers its own so snow.
00:05:39.660 –> 00:05:51.000 Joseph McElroy: And the slopes are very good for beginners 44% of them are for beginners so that’s great for families to go to and in 39% intermediate so there’s very little advanced.
00:05:51.930 –> 00:06:01.710 Joseph McElroy: But there’s enough for one family member to go to the advanced stuff and then the rest of the family goes to the intermediate and basic stuff and they got great.
00:06:02.340 –> 00:06:13.020 Joseph McElroy: classes in the fact I took classes there when I was a kid and private lessons if you want and there’s also snowboarding up there, in fact, there’s great snowboarding sharp.
00:06:13.530 –> 00:06:28.980 Joseph McElroy: snowboarding shop at the foot of the hills recently, one of the X Games Gold Medal of gold medal winners was a snowboarder from Waynesville North Carolina to spend a lot of his time training on Cataloochee
00:06:29.340 –> 00:06:43.110 Joseph McElroy: So it’s a great place to go for winter adventures now at the bottom in the mountain right in Maggie itself is snow, to me, and they manufacturer the kitty slope of.
00:06:44.670 –> 00:06:57.390 Joseph McElroy: snow and kids can go up there and have just an incredibly fun time so let’s see sliding down on tubes almost the whole winter season is great for the entire family because they got these giant tubes that I could sit on.
00:06:58.710 –> 00:07:02.820 Joseph McElroy: And I’m a pretty big dude so it’s an unforgettable experience.
00:07:03.870 –> 00:07:07.980 Joseph McElroy: And you should book a time before you go, because it can get crowded, especially on the.
00:07:08.520 –> 00:07:19.830 Joseph McElroy: On the weekend now don’t forget to go winter hiking and smokies there are a lot of easy hikes you can look up online and they are sure our guests coming up, you mentioned a few but.
00:07:20.760 –> 00:07:32.070 Joseph McElroy: the beauty of hiking in the mountains as a couple in the winter is a couple one is it it’s not crowded like it is during the spring and summer in the fall.
00:07:32.550 –> 00:07:40.470 Joseph McElroy: And so you don’t have to deal with a lot of crowds but to is you might think losing all the leaves is a detriment, but.
00:07:40.770 –> 00:07:54.540 Joseph McElroy: What you get when you lose all the leaves his views you give incredible vistas that you get to look at and see so it’s something that you don’t get any other time of the year is this vast vista that you can see.
00:07:55.050 –> 00:08:15.180 Joseph McElroy: So it’s a great time to come up, it can be very safe, and you know and some of those waterfalls get ice on them that just make them dazzling frozen spectacles, and now you can also find museums in the mountains and there are some great ones, I personally went.
00:08:16.830 –> 00:08:22.200 Joseph McElroy: With the cred the new museum of the Cherokee Indian a few years back, I went there and I was dumbfounded.
00:08:22.590 –> 00:08:31.620 Joseph McElroy: They had a hologram which doctor that followed you through the whole presentation every exhibition is holograms show up, and it was just.
00:08:31.980 –> 00:08:49.200 Joseph McElroy: Incredibly, engaging and it’s just it’s a really beautiful elegant experience explaining a lot of the Cherokee culture that I just can’t recommend highly more highly enough, and they have, there are also lots of arts and crafts there’s actually a big.
00:08:50.280 –> 00:09:03.780 Joseph McElroy: You know sort of facility near next right across from the museum that has lots of native American Cherokee Indian crafts, especially mask incredibly number of mass and I love that place.
00:09:04.860 –> 00:09:11.040 Joseph McElroy: You can also, the Meadowlark motels and actually put into Meadowlark smoky mountain Heritage Center where we have.
00:09:11.400 –> 00:09:18.000 Joseph McElroy: A little we have exhibits on like the Plott hound and the State dog North Carolina we’re actually installing.
00:09:18.990 –> 00:09:29.700 Joseph McElroy: regularly new exhibits right now we’re installing one for called them moonshine room and we’ll have openings for people to see you know the history of moonshiners in the mountains.
00:09:30.420 –> 00:09:35.310 Joseph McElroy: In a way, maybe you haven’t seen before, so, and of course the Asheville museum.
00:09:36.120 –> 00:09:51.780 Joseph McElroy: there are museums in Gatlinburg in Pigeon Forge so it’s and there’s lots of great art, you know the Asheville area was immersive arts, for most of its time and said some great writers great artists, you know the black mountain school with.
00:09:52.830 –> 00:09:54.120 Joseph McElroy: Jake about bears and.
00:09:55.470 –> 00:10:02.310 Joseph McElroy: Rauschenberg and those others of that period, all work the black mountain school and it was incredible.
00:10:04.110 –> 00:10:13.950 Joseph McElroy: Speaking Asheville is a foodie town, and I could recommend restaurants galore in Asheville is, I think one of the top three towns in North Carolina may be in the eastern seaboard.
00:10:15.150 –> 00:10:23.280 Joseph McElroy: And you can go there, but in terms of things in the area, Silva has some great little restaurants Gulu pays is fabulous.
00:10:24.360 –> 00:10:34.770 Joseph McElroy: Mexican restaurant Silva Waynesville have some really good ones like sweet onion or they have one of the top 10 Barbecue joints in the nation according to the really recent magazine.
00:10:35.010 –> 00:10:40.920 Joseph McElroy: called Hazelwood smokehouse, of course, Maggie Valley, we have a wonderful family restaurant called J Arthur’s.
00:10:41.280 –> 00:10:52.800 Joseph McElroy: It from its get-go over 40 years ago the earth was a family-oriented steakhouse where fathers could get a steaks kid could get good food that appeals to them moms could get a great big.
00:10:53.190 –> 00:11:01.650 Joseph McElroy: Famous gorgonzola salad if she wanted, but they also serve fabulous rainbow trout there’s a great Barbecue place in Maggie called POPs but on the creek.
00:11:02.970 –> 00:11:18.930 Joseph McElroy: And it’s just fabulous, of course, the Meadowlark is opening upstarts and crafts that’ll be coming soon and it’s gonna be a small place but focusing on a different take a mountain heritage food so look forward to that.
00:11:20.190 –> 00:11:28.680 Joseph McElroy: Other places to go and in the mountains is there’s a lot of greats shopping and there’s a Christmas shop.
00:11:29.010 –> 00:11:44.070 Joseph McElroy: You know there’s a there’s one called Nancy touch Christmas shop, but of course, in Maggie, we have a wonderful one called cabbage rose is very unique and it’s got an eclectic shopping Center I think it has over 2000 square feet of Christmas.
00:11:45.630 –> 00:11:53.520 Joseph McElroy: Experience and you know and displays and mannequins and trains and moving parts and things like that.
00:11:53.850 –> 00:12:07.560 Joseph McElroy: So don’t forget that also I really love and recommend people go to the Maggie Valley rock and rock shop and Jim mine is really great for kids I get to see all these colorful stones and you know and experiences.
00:12:08.310 –> 00:12:13.500 Joseph McElroy: That, I think, is worthwhile and of course, there’s the market square in Maggie Valley, it has a lot of.
00:12:13.920 –> 00:12:21.990 Joseph McElroy: gift shops that are got a lot of one of a kind things, and then the beginning of Maggie there’s a mountain now you mountain near crafts, which is.
00:12:22.500 –> 00:12:34.560 Joseph McElroy: Which is a is an institution in Maggie valley been there for 10,000 years and it’s just a wonderful place to take kids because there are all sorts of wonderful gifts and toys that kids can enjoy.
00:12:35.280 –> 00:12:39.690 Joseph McElroy: So anyway, some ideas about what you can do in Maggie valley there’s a lot more.
00:12:40.140 –> 00:12:50.160 Joseph McElroy: You can just search online ago family things to do in the mountains, you can find there are all sorts of amusement parks you got you got the polar express, which is railroads.
00:12:50.850 –> 00:13:00.450 Joseph McElroy: there are still some amusement parks like Sanchez land, of course, over and the gap that in Gatlinburg Pigeon Forge area there’s a tremendous thing like Dollywood and.
00:13:01.260 –> 00:13:09.840 Joseph McElroy: Things like that and worthwhile taking them kids and family to in general, you know you know if you go up in the cage cove and go look at the elk.
00:13:10.260 –> 00:13:16.050 Joseph McElroy: and take the kids up there there are things to do, besides just seeing the elks which blow them away but there are old buildings.
00:13:16.320 –> 00:13:24.180 Joseph McElroy: There streams there are things that just will tickle their imagination, even a three-year-old, we took him up there, and they were engaged the whole time.
00:13:24.990 –> 00:13:35.850 Joseph McElroy: So anyway person who might know about a lot of this is our guest Nancy East, Nancy is a renowned author hiker, and outdoor educator.
00:13:36.270 –> 00:13:42.840 Joseph McElroy: A former veterinarian, not Nancy is hiked and leads seminars and programs all over the United States.
00:13:43.290 –> 00:13:54.210 Joseph McElroy: But our favorite trails are near her Haywood County home in the great smoky mountains, where she holds the fastest known time for hiking over 900 miles of all the trails.
00:13:54.630 –> 00:14:05.940 Joseph McElroy: In the smoky mountain National Park, she has an outdoors blog where she writes about the outdoors and what are the possible adventures with children in the wilderness Hello Nancy.
00:14:06.390 –> 00:14:08.370 Nancy Mercure East: hey there glad to be here.
00:14:08.670 –> 00:14:22.530 Joseph McElroy: I’m glad you’re here, so I like one of your quotes that I saw that although all you’re not a native and Haywood county you got here as fast as he could and now resided here for over 20 years.
00:14:22.620 –> 00:14:23.790 Nancy Mercure East: I have something.
00:14:24.060 –> 00:14:25.410 Joseph McElroy: To where were you before.
00:14:25.860 –> 00:14:34.770 Nancy Mercure East: Atlanta so definitely a big departure from where I grew up but I welcome change I think I’ve always been a country girl at heart, who just happened to grow up in a city.
00:14:35.730 –> 00:14:39.330 Joseph McElroy: and your What was your skills and professional background in Atlanta.
00:14:39.960 –> 00:14:49.590 Nancy Mercure East: yeah so I went to high school, they are graduated from high school and I headed over to Alabama lived there for about eight years, while I was an undergraduate and veterinary school.
00:14:49.800 –> 00:14:59.580 Nancy Mercure East: And then I was lucky enough to land my first job right here in Waynesville downtown Waynesville and I’ve never left it’s always been home since and it’s where I’ve raised my family.
00:14:59.880 –> 00:15:04.950 Joseph McElroy: Great it’s a great place to live raise a family so that’s why you’re Haywood county that’s fabulous.
00:15:05.100 –> 00:15:17.550 Joseph McElroy: yeah well um, we have to take a break now, I guess, I was long-winded on that first stuff so I want to talk about so you know what you learned about the region and then there’s some recent news we got to talk about.
00:15:17.640 –> 00:15:19.710 Nancy Mercure East: Alright sounds good.
00:17:34.800 –> 00:17:41.550 Joseph McElroy: howdy this is Joseph Franklyn McElroy back with the gateway to the smokies podcast and my guest Nancy East
00:17:42.570 –> 00:17:57.030 Joseph McElroy: So Nancy you came to the Haywood County and got raise your family, and you know to build a life here what’s, the most important thing you’ve learned about this real region, and so what it what are some of the qualities you enjoy the most.
00:17:57.600 –> 00:18:07.080 Nancy Mercure East: yeah gosh that’s a great question so anything’s to answer that one that we will what brought me here undeniably was just the natural beauty.
00:18:07.800 –> 00:18:15.990 Nancy Mercure East: It was just to me almost an unfounded treasure at the time, you know Wayne’s world has grown I’m sure as you’ve seen all your life, but just in the.
00:18:16.290 –> 00:18:24.900 Nancy Mercure East: Nearly 25 years that I’ve been here to it has grown exponentially, as far as just a minute ease and services and just people but.
00:18:25.470 –> 00:18:36.150 Nancy Mercure East: The people are what makes it so special to I love the sense of community I love raising my family here and having you know, a tight network of friends, but then a broader base.
00:18:36.420 –> 00:18:41.250 Nancy Mercure East: of just Community contacts everybody seems to want to help each other in Waynesville and.
00:18:41.550 –> 00:18:54.300 Nancy Mercure East: That means a lot, you know it’s hard to find that I think sometimes in a big city it’s a little harder to seek out and find anyway, so it felt like an instant connection when I moved here in that regard and has never let me down.
00:18:55.260 –> 00:19:01.440 Joseph McElroy: You know, when I grew up that I mean that was always the mountain hospitality or something we’re always proud of yeah.
00:19:02.400 –> 00:19:14.700 Joseph McElroy: Always there’d be a hitchhiker coming in the mountains and then my dad would stop and pick him up many times you find out there were students from somewhere like in German student once we put them up in a camper that we had on the property.
00:19:14.910 –> 00:19:17.910 Joseph McElroy: yeah it was like yeah that was important to just.
00:19:18.390 –> 00:19:19.470 Joseph McElroy: Be hospitable.
00:19:19.530 –> 00:19:21.870 Joseph McElroy: Right, I guess it runs in my blood that’s why I’m on.
00:19:22.050 –> 00:19:23.460 Joseph McElroy: hospitality guy now.
00:19:24.420 –> 00:19:25.710 Nancy Mercure East: There you go very fitting.
00:19:26.730 –> 00:19:38.040 Joseph McElroy: So you’re on the search and rescue team for Haywood County and there is some recent news that made the papers that were what a recent.
00:19:39.150 –> 00:19:44.430 Joseph McElroy: hiker got lost in the region snowstorm and shining rock Miller scenario.
00:19:44.610 –> 00:19:50.670 Nancy Mercure East: yeah yeah that was quite an interesting search, it was the day that the snow came in, you know the heavy snow we had.
00:19:50.670 –> 00:19:56.460 Nancy Mercure East: Last area yeah and I honestly I was walking back from my bedroom into the kitchen.
00:19:56.790 –> 00:20:04.470 Nancy Mercure East: And my husband said, you have a call out your phone just we have an alert that goes off on our phones and I really thought he was playing a prank I said yeah right he said no seriously you.
00:20:05.400 –> 00:20:10.260 Nancy Mercure East: And even still I thought this has got to be a practical joke nobody’s out in this weather, but they were.
00:20:10.650 –> 00:20:20.490 Nancy Mercure East: And it was a hiker or a backpacker rather who was hiking the art low trail, which is you know, is about a 30-mile trail that traverses through the shining rock wilderness.
00:20:20.910 –> 00:20:31.080 Nancy Mercure East: And that’s about when he called 911 was when he was upon the highest point near black balsam tenant mountain You know, as you know about 6000 feet in elevation.
00:20:31.440 –> 00:20:38.220 Nancy Mercure East: And he was standing, probably in about a foot of snow at that point and was in over his head as far as skillset gear.
00:20:38.580 –> 00:20:53.070 Nancy Mercure East: The whole bit he just didn’t check the weather, it was an innocent mistake that you would not believe, how many people may before they head into our hills and so he did the right thing, I applaud him for doing the right thing and calling for help because that’s what we’re here for.
00:20:54.150 –> 00:20:56.190 Joseph McElroy: fabulous but you guys breastfeed him right.
00:20:56.220 –> 00:20:58.770 Joseph McElroy: yeah your picture was in the paper I.
00:20:58.770 –> 00:20:59.760 Joseph McElroy: saw you right there.
00:21:00.180 –> 00:21:12.180 Nancy Mercure East: Was yeah so yeah we won’t do it on snowshoes and yeah that’s not that quick selfie of our team and yeah that thing just it’s been all over the nation, now it got a lot of media attention, for whatever reason, it was a fun picture.
00:21:12.930 –> 00:21:19.980 Joseph McElroy: So you knew the hiker personally he was a guest that he was like the father of somebody that’s a friend, with your kids or something like that.
00:21:20.310 –> 00:21:22.590 Nancy Mercure East: No, no, I didn’t know this particular hiker.
00:21:22.590 –> 00:21:23.790 Nancy Mercure East: I really because you were.
00:21:23.790 –> 00:21:33.030 Joseph McElroy: quoted as saying it fuels my fire to keep going out there for him, all I have to do is just look at my husband, the bed next to me and think it could be him out there.
00:21:33.390 –> 00:21:35.490 Joseph McElroy: because somebody that somebody love.
00:21:35.520 –> 00:21:37.020 Nancy Mercure East: dearly yeah.
00:21:37.380 –> 00:21:40.530 Joseph McElroy: I think that’s what drives us all, but what he didn’t know him.
00:21:40.650 –> 00:21:49.230 Nancy Mercure East: I did not know him but yeah to your point, though that’s all I have to do is to think of my child or my husband or my sister’s brothers anybody that I love dearly.
00:21:49.530 –> 00:21:55.950 Nancy Mercure East: Being the one that we’re going to help and it’s all I have to do to drop everything, even when it’s you know risking my own.
00:21:56.760 –> 00:22:06.180 Nancy Mercure East: You know, safety in the endeavor and that’s I think how our whole team feels you know we’d love to be outdoors we’re not going to lie we kind of enjoy getting called out in some of these crazy experiences, but.
00:22:06.480 –> 00:22:13.290 Nancy Mercure East: At the same time, what drives it for us over and over and over is the love of helping other people, you know just.
00:22:14.370 –> 00:22:16.290 Joseph McElroy: empathy for the family of the last.
00:22:16.290 –> 00:22:17.400 Joseph McElroy: that drives you right.
00:22:17.430 –> 00:22:18.510 Nancy Mercure East: Absolutely yep.
00:22:18.990 –> 00:22:23.520 Joseph McElroy: cool so as a father of three-year-olds I’m very interesting.
00:22:24.840 –> 00:22:30.330 Joseph McElroy: very interested in that family and do that and all the aspects of the family, you write about on your blog.
00:22:30.810 –> 00:22:35.460 Joseph McElroy: And I’m interested in having a great experience outdoor and I read on your website.
00:22:35.880 –> 00:22:43.860 Joseph McElroy: I’m an avid believer and Richard loves principles outline is popular book last child in the woods curing nature deficit disorder.
00:22:44.310 –> 00:22:58.260 Joseph McElroy: My goal is apparent is to raise my kids as stewards of the earth and with an understanding of how vital the natural world is for the mental health of happiness So how do you start teaching kids to be stewards of the earth and understanding the importance of the natural world.
00:22:59.160 –> 00:23:08.610 Nancy Mercure East: yeah So for me and for everybody that looks differently, but for me personally just from a young age, even as infants, it meant something as simple as.
00:23:08.880 –> 00:23:16.770 Nancy Mercure East: rocking my babies out on my front porch when the weather was nice or even when it wasn’t bundling them up, so we were prepared for those conditions and.
00:23:17.100 –> 00:23:27.660 Nancy Mercure East: just getting them outdoors and not being scared to face certain elements as long as we are prepared to instill that confidence in them from an early age really to.
00:23:28.320 –> 00:23:38.250 Nancy Mercure East: get to the zero such things as bad weather just improper clothing and gear are kind of my mantra and it’s I think a Swedish proverb that that comes from that says it much more eloquently than that but.
00:23:38.550 –> 00:23:44.490 Nancy Mercure East: Just from yeah their infancy I’ve really just tried to expose them to as many opportunities as I can, through.
00:23:44.790 –> 00:23:52.680 Nancy Mercure East: hiking backpacking skiing we’re very outdoorsy as a family, so, whatever their energy wants to be channeled into.
00:23:52.920 –> 00:24:02.070 Nancy Mercure East: We seize on that and just take advantage of it and it changes all our kids are teenagers now so it’s a completely different realm than what you’re in and he tells you it’s not going to get any easier, but.
00:24:04.500 –> 00:24:12.360 Joseph McElroy: I keep seeing these tik tok videos and videos of three years old skiing down the mountains like it’s nothing how likely it is I’m gonna be able to teach back its.
00:24:14.220 –> 00:24:14.700 Joseph McElroy: Old.
00:24:15.870 –> 00:24:25.620 Nancy Mercure East: yeah I’m not a skier so my husband’s on ski patrol in Cataloochee actually so yeah so where they’re well versed in skiing but their mom I would rather cross country ski if I’m going to ski.
00:24:25.950 –> 00:24:26.910 Joseph McElroy: OK cool.
00:24:27.690 –> 00:24:38.070 Joseph McElroy: So if, as a parent, I’m worried about taking my children out in the wilderness, what is the best advice you can give me to keep my children, safe and not last.
00:24:38.460 –> 00:24:52.890 Nancy Mercure East: Oh, I love this question prepare yourself don’t ever forget to pack, you know really what’s between your ears your brain that most importantly, but fill that brain up with the knowledge, you need to stay safe, most importantly.
00:24:53.460 –> 00:25:02.190 Nancy Mercure East: Think almost in a negative fashion before setting out and think what could go wrong, what if somebody gets injured and we can’t walk out and have to wait out help.
00:25:02.490 –> 00:25:11.370 Nancy Mercure East: What kind of weather is going to come our way in the next few days that’s a very common mistake, just like the backpacker and shining rock did not check the weather forecast beyond the day of their height.
00:25:11.820 –> 00:25:18.510 Nancy Mercure East: And then, all of a sudden they’re stuck in a snowstorm or drench will rain without the proper gear to endure that or clothing.
00:25:19.110 –> 00:25:24.750 Nancy Mercure East: So just empower yourself with knowledge, but also and it’s all on my website if people want to look it up.
00:25:25.230 –> 00:25:30.750 Nancy Mercure East: carry those 10 essentials it’s a very common kind of a buzz phrase in hiking and mountaineering
00:25:31.050 –> 00:25:38.640 Nancy Mercure East: These 10 essentials and they don’t have to weigh you down you don’t have to feel like a pack mule but it’s just basic things that will keep you safe.
00:25:38.880 –> 00:25:49.170 Nancy Mercure East: Should you need it and also might just enhance your experience, even if you’re not in an emergency situation if you just want to have a fire in a back country campsite while you enjoy your lunch or whatnot.
00:25:49.710 –> 00:26:03.600 Nancy Mercure East: You know, having those fire-making materials is a good thing to have for that, too, so not a big deal to do all these things, but people tend to think just don’t know what they don’t know and then they go out and realize what they don’t know when they need it, the most.
00:26:04.230 –> 00:26:19.380 Joseph McElroy: We know when I take them into a city Park, you know kids parks it’s like Oh, maybe 100 feet long 50 feet wide got some swings and things like that I have two three-year-olds right and it luckily, it has a.
00:26:20.370 –> 00:26:26.490 Joseph McElroy: fence, all the way around it, but I can what I’m them can distract me from maybe one second.
00:26:27.030 –> 00:26:31.230 Joseph McElroy: And then I’ve lost the other one now what would that be a big problem if I take them out.
00:26:33.300 –> 00:26:34.530 Nancy Mercure East: You might want to leave.
00:26:37.050 –> 00:26:41.160 Nancy Mercure East: No, but seriously, you know yours are kind of on the cusp of understanding.
00:26:41.730 –> 00:26:49.290 Nancy Mercure East: What could happen if they run off for mom and dad, but it is important, even from their ages and especially as they get older to really instill.
00:26:49.530 –> 00:27:00.720 Nancy Mercure East: Just some basic safety measures if, for some reason they did get separated from you, you know there’s the old boy scout adage of just hug a tree and that’s a good thing to teach a kid just to stay good.
00:27:00.960 –> 00:27:01.860 Nancy Mercure East: yeah yeah.
00:27:02.400 –> 00:27:06.720 Nancy Mercure East: that’s you know you don’t want to make kids think about too many things if they get lost but.
00:27:07.020 –> 00:27:17.370 Nancy Mercure East: I do one thing I used to do for my kids when they were younger and could read packed a little note I did make them carry their own backpack with just a few basic things like a warm coat.
00:27:17.730 –> 00:27:22.380 Nancy Mercure East: Ring gear that type of thing if they do get separated from me they at least had some basic survival.
00:27:22.980 –> 00:27:30.240 Nancy Mercure East: clothing items that they could put on, but I also stuck a note in there and just wrote down little bullet points of what they should do because.
00:27:30.450 –> 00:27:40.200 Nancy Mercure East: As you know, whenever we’re panicked and scared in a situation we don’t always think rationally and kids don’t either, and so, if they have just that little love note, you know, obviously with some just words of.
00:27:40.590 –> 00:27:52.380 Nancy Mercure East: You know affirmation and just hopefully comfort for them if they were ever in that situation, but also, you know sit down eat the snack and your backpack take your stuffed animal out and talk to it just really.
00:27:53.490 –> 00:27:59.250 Nancy Mercure East: keep them to stay put because really internally that’s The worst thing I can do is keep running away and trying to find you.
00:27:59.610 –> 00:28:02.790 Joseph McElroy: wow, what do you, what do you tell them to do if I see a bear.
00:28:04.050 –> 00:28:11.250 Nancy Mercure East: yeah that same thing I tell adults do not run stand your ground, you know get a little bit higher ground if possible.
00:28:12.210 –> 00:28:18.990 Nancy Mercure East: One of the things that work, the best for me honestly noise-making noise hasn’t always worked to drive them off, especially if they’re habituated.
00:28:19.290 –> 00:28:32.760 Nancy Mercure East: But waving my hiking Poles above my head that always scares them they run off it seems like every time if I do that, so it just makes me look bigger it’s as simple as that, but just giving yourself, even just those hiking Poles, the height of that it tricks them.
00:28:33.930 –> 00:28:47.160 Nancy Mercure East: yeah but do not approach the bear that’s another thing just bears have become, as you know, I’m sure so habituated in this area and it’s easy to think I can go up and pet this little cuddly bear cub or mama and obviously that’s not going to lead anywhere good.
00:28:48.000 –> 00:28:59.790 Joseph McElroy: And you know my wife was interested in a couple of questions you said what if she’s very much into natural stuff right and not buying like insects spray and things what are some natural things you can do to protect them from bugs.
00:29:00.060 –> 00:29:08.970 Nancy Mercure East: that’s yeah I tapped into a really great resource and it’s actually made here locally from hazelwood soap company it’s called both be gone and it’s a lotion.
00:29:09.240 –> 00:29:15.540 Nancy Mercure East: That has just a proprietary blend of you know citron ella and probably lemon grass I’m not sure what they put in it.
00:29:15.930 –> 00:29:29.700 Nancy Mercure East: But it’s just a bunch of just natural products that they put into a base of lotion and you just rub it on like sunscreen and it really does a great job I was skeptical my best friend used to own this company and she sold it, but I was skeptical but it works.
00:29:31.410 –> 00:29:36.150 Joseph McElroy: And then my wife, want to know is, if the track is a track is a tracking device advisable impossible.
00:29:36.810 –> 00:29:41.850 Nancy Mercure East: yeah no it’s a great thing I don’t have mine with me, but something like a satellite device a Garmin.
00:29:42.210 –> 00:29:51.000 Nancy Mercure East: In reaches what I carry and it has an SOS button, so if I’m ever in a situation where I truly need help and I don’t have cell service, which would be more common than not.
00:29:51.210 –> 00:30:02.250 Nancy Mercure East: All I have to do is push a button and obviously you want to reserve that for a true emergency but it’s a great thing to have if you can afford one before the subscription and all that I always encourage it, but a lot of people it’s cost-prohibitive.
00:30:03.300 –> 00:30:10.470 Joseph McElroy: cool well you know we have to take another break now, but when we come back we’ll finish up talking about a little bit more about the little ones, and then we’ll talk about your book.
00:30:10.890 –> 00:30:12.030 Nancy Mercure East: All right, thank you.
00:32:17.730 –> 00:32:32.490 Joseph McElroy: howdy this is Joseph Franklyn McElroy back with the gateway to the smokies podcasts and my guest Nancy East so Nancy got a couple more questions from my wife and me, my wife is a city girl and her idea of camping is with the Butler and.
00:32:34.410 –> 00:32:35.670 Joseph McElroy: And it really fancy dead.
00:32:37.800 –> 00:32:52.740 Joseph McElroy: So, but okay I’m working on her to say we got to get kids out there and experience what I experienced the mountain so she wants to know is, you know yeah engaging little ones, what can you do in the woods, that really engages little children.
00:32:53.370 –> 00:33:04.020 Nancy Mercure East: yeah I think the two things that came to my mind immediately when you ask that one would be a scavenger hunt of sorts, something that is educational but fun.
00:33:04.350 –> 00:33:13.080 Nancy Mercure East: To look for something you know your kid’s ages, you said three they’re both true yeah I mean that would be like really like looking for a brown leaf or.
00:33:13.560 –> 00:33:22.650 Nancy Mercure East: pink flower, you know really keep it simple but as they grow to make those questions, a little bit more advanced maybe play on some things that they might be learning in school.
00:33:23.400 –> 00:33:31.260 Nancy Mercure East: You know, or just something that you want to teach them and have interest in anything from navigation looking at distant peaks you know even using I’m.
00:33:31.650 –> 00:33:39.480 Nancy Mercure East: I used to be really opposed to using technology in the woods, with my kids and I really started to bend the rules when I thought they’re going to have more fun if I let them.
00:33:39.720 –> 00:33:48.330 Nancy Mercure East: have this phone or an iPod or whatever it is to take a picture and try to identify a wildflower or use an APP to identify a distance.
00:33:48.330 –> 00:33:48.660 p.
00:33:49.680 –> 00:34:00.990 Nancy Mercure East: thing, so I use it to supplement I also teach the map and compass skills and you know, interestingly kids really love that stuff if you do it in the way in a way that engages them and empowers them.
00:34:01.350 –> 00:34:15.360 Nancy Mercure East: More times than not they will actually get into it, they may be resistant at first, but if you just get over that little hump of getting them out there, usually they have a much better time than they act like they will before you leave home, at least in my experience.
00:34:15.630 –> 00:34:18.930 Joseph McElroy: that’s great now that’s some good ammunition for me to take back home.
00:34:20.130 –> 00:34:22.350 Nancy Mercure East: Again, the other thing I was gonna say is games.
00:34:22.350 –> 00:34:30.420 Nancy Mercure East: file names that you know alphabet games, you can look online and Google hiking games, but my kids love to play games, or they did their teenagers so.
00:34:30.840 –> 00:34:34.620 Joseph McElroy: I love anything version of you know I spy with my little lie.
00:34:34.920 –> 00:34:40.920 Nancy Mercure East: yeah exactly no that’s the perfect one, for their ages yeah yeah really gets them interested.
00:34:41.280 –> 00:34:47.190 Joseph McElroy: Now, is there any special gear, besides the technology like electronic technology for little ones.
00:34:48.240 –> 00:34:57.390 Nancy Mercure East: You know they make specific backpacks and sleeping bags and all that type of thing if you wanted to take them on more backcountry pursuits if you’re just going to go car camping.
00:34:57.600 –> 00:35:04.050 Nancy Mercure East: I think what you probably already have at home for sleepovers and you know just grabbing blankets off of the bed is probably fine too.
00:35:04.680 –> 00:35:21.090 Nancy Mercure East: But yeah you can go crazy with a budget, and you know, there are many, many options, but I like to usually advise people to start simple see what they like, and then work up to pricier maybe just better-made things that might suit them as they grow cool.
00:35:21.300 –> 00:35:24.030 Joseph McElroy: Well, I can guarantee I’m not starting out with that.
00:35:28.890 –> 00:35:30.390 Joseph McElroy: have to be at least 10 plus.
00:35:32.370 –> 00:35:33.690 Nancy Mercure East: You may need a camper van.
00:35:37.860 –> 00:35:41.070 Joseph McElroy: So what are some great places to hike in the smokies for children.
00:35:41.910 –> 00:35:50.670 Nancy Mercure East: yeah there are so many fun places it brings back so many memories when people ask me this question and they’re still interestingly, the places I returned with my kids as teenagers.
00:35:51.000 –> 00:35:54.090 Nancy Mercure East: Just off the top of my head, some of my favorites in the park.
00:35:54.780 –> 00:36:00.600 Nancy Mercure East: Really, my top one of my top favorites for myself or with children is a flat creek which is off the Blue Ridge parkway.
00:36:00.960 –> 00:36:10.170 Nancy Mercure East: On I guess it’s up near mile-high campground and the balsam mountain campground it’s a one-way hike and you can either shuttle cars or just have a parent.
00:36:10.440 –> 00:36:15.570 Nancy Mercure East: backtrack I think it’s only about a two-mile trail backtrack to the car and drive down to the other end.
00:36:16.290 –> 00:36:18.510 Nancy Mercure East: Big creek is another family favorite.
00:36:18.810 –> 00:36:29.220 Nancy Mercure East: You can either go all the way back into walnut bottoms which is five miles one way, so that’s a little bit of a track for younger kids but even if you just go to mouse creek falls, which I think is about two miles in.
00:36:29.490 –> 00:36:33.930 Nancy Mercure East: that’s a great turnaround spot and have a picnic lunch come back out call it ago.
00:36:34.080 –> 00:36:38.040 Joseph McElroy: Three and a half old I could see it about a mile and a half I’m putting them on my back.
00:36:38.310 –> 00:36:42.030 Nancy Mercure East: yeah my two little now you’re still on the carry on the back.
00:36:42.030 –> 00:36:42.360 Things.
00:36:43.740 –> 00:36:45.780 Nancy Mercure East: you’re not far off though you’re on the coast.
00:36:46.560 –> 00:36:48.870 Joseph McElroy: Of about a half mile right now, maybe.
00:36:50.130 –> 00:36:54.360 Nancy Mercure East: ya know you can look at Cataloochee device that’s another one that I really, really love.
00:36:54.600 –> 00:36:57.690 Nancy Mercure East: Just because it’s an easy one to access from Haywood county.
00:36:57.960 –> 00:37:06.690 Nancy Mercure East: And you can go as far as you like you’ve got those big rich top views from the trail kids really like that, but really, what I find kids especially younger kids like the most is water.
00:37:06.870 –> 00:37:16.950 Nancy Mercure East: If you can find a creek that’s not flowing too strong that becomes a hazard, you know, give a kid a creek and they’re happy all day looking for salamanders and crawl it adds all that kind of stuff.
00:37:17.940 –> 00:37:18.870 Nancy Mercure East: Our data creek.
00:37:19.470 –> 00:37:32.310 Joseph McElroy: Well that’s what a lot of people with families like to come to the Meadowlark we have that Nice Jonathan creek in our backyard and then we have like the not we have you know the side that serious has gotten out of the rapids and things making a splash around and things like that.
00:37:32.580 –> 00:37:35.850 Nancy Mercure East: Absolutely yeah they never want to leave yeah no that’s a great spot.
00:37:36.450 –> 00:37:44.190 Joseph McElroy: Now, what term you used in your in that title of that book and I just wanted you to explain it real quick, is what is it nature deficit disorder.
00:37:44.880 –> 00:37:55.950 Nancy Mercure East: yeah nature deficit disorder so Richard Lewis, as you mentioned earlier coined that phrase and wrote an entire book, I even brought it since we had talked about it earlier it’s a big fat thick book, I mean it’s it became, though.
00:37:56.250 –> 00:38:02.370 Nancy Mercure East: My Bible really is, I was raising kids to give me ideas and validation that what I was doing wasn’t crazy.
00:38:02.790 –> 00:38:08.520 Nancy Mercure East: Because honestly what I found as a young mother is that people seem to fear the woods mothers fathers even.
00:38:08.910 –> 00:38:16.110 Nancy Mercure East: Were fearful of taking their kids out thinking you know there are parents out there there’s venomous snakes all these things that could hurt my children or me.
00:38:16.560 –> 00:38:23.850 Nancy Mercure East: And it’s such a disservice to our children to raise them like that, in my opinion, because if we can empower them with knowledge and.
00:38:24.240 –> 00:38:33.840 Nancy Mercure East: teach them how to mitigate those situations because sure all those things are out there there are 100 different things that most people worry about the wrong things are worried about the bears when they should worry about the ticks you know the tick.
00:38:35.610 –> 00:38:45.870 Nancy Mercure East: Well, you know that his whole just mo what that book was to get people outside again because his big kids became more connected to digital devices.
00:38:46.230 –> 00:38:49.620 Nancy Mercure East: They became more disconnected from the natural world and.
00:38:50.220 –> 00:39:02.310 Nancy Mercure East: You know, again we’re fearful of it just doesn’t it doesn’t foster stewardship of it if they don’t appreciate it and we’re just raising a generation that won’t care for it like it needs to be cared for and protected if we don’t get them out there.
00:39:02.610 –> 00:39:14.430 Joseph McElroy: And it’s really seriously not that dangerous I mean my parents would send us walking two miles down through wooded gravel road pick up the bus before was even light of day.
00:39:14.640 –> 00:39:29.610 Joseph McElroy: And we were, six, seven and eight years old train trip is traipsing through the woods and the mountains now and then coming back from school three o’clock we were out, I would go miles away from fishing ponds seven years old.
00:39:30.000 –> 00:39:30.990 Joseph McElroy: Nobody around.
00:39:31.020 –> 00:39:32.160 Joseph McElroy: No things like that.
00:39:32.340 –> 00:39:34.770 Nancy Mercure East: Absolutely yeah nobody had to tell us to go play.
00:39:34.770 –> 00:39:38.460 Nancy Mercure East: outside his kids yeah this day and age it’s a little tougher I.
00:39:38.460 –> 00:39:39.180 Nancy Mercure East: find so.
00:39:39.930 –> 00:39:43.140 Joseph McElroy: If I fell in the pond I had to figure out how to save myself and I did.
00:39:44.130 –> 00:39:45.900 Nancy Mercure East: Learn by the school of hard knocks.
00:39:45.990 –> 00:39:46.440 Right.
00:39:48.030 –> 00:39:53.670 Joseph McElroy: Now, do you have any you know any sort of programs for our programs for kids is aware of any.
00:39:54.090 –> 00:39:59.400 Nancy Mercure East: yeah I’ve worked with some local schools for sure, in the past, but I haven’t done as much of that lately.
00:39:59.460 –> 00:40:07.920 Nancy Mercure East: I work more with adults, these days, but I enjoy working with anybody who wants to learn and I’ve got some young nephews who are the age, a little bit older than your kids but.
00:40:08.190 –> 00:40:17.910 Nancy Mercure East: They are very inquisitive and curious and are being raised to really appreciate the outdoors and so that just speaks my love language all day long but yeah I treasure working with kids.
00:40:18.030 –> 00:40:30.660 Joseph McElroy: Oh, Bob Bob wanted me to give you a nudge and say hey we’re wanting to do some kids stuff and then lark are you interested in doing some things that are outdoor activities for kids and the future.
00:40:30.930 –> 00:40:43.530 Nancy Mercure East: Absolutely yeah I’d love to talk more about it and find a way to work together and do that because I think it would be a really tremendous resource to offer your guest, you know to learn together with parents and children it’s a great way to spend an afternoon.
00:40:43.860 –> 00:40:57.450 Joseph McElroy: I think, so I think that I really liked the idea of you know summer camps, you know that take advantage of hospitality, but you know that can do families can come with both great for the family and for the kids so.
00:40:57.540 –> 00:40:58.740 Joseph McElroy: Absolutely alright.
00:40:59.040 –> 00:41:04.620 Joseph McElroy: So now, you have a book called chasing the smokies moon I love that is this your first book.
00:41:04.890 –> 00:41:10.920 Nancy Mercure East: It is my first book, yes, I used to think it was my one and only but I’ve already got too many ideas in my head now, so I don’t think it will be.
00:41:11.490 –> 00:41:13.440 Joseph McElroy: Oh no yeah you should use.
00:41:13.800 –> 00:41:16.110 Joseph McElroy: The reviews are great I’m seeing people love that book.
00:41:17.850 –> 00:41:19.200 Joseph McElroy: So, how did it come about.
00:41:19.770 –> 00:41:31.950 Nancy Mercure East: yeah so it came about and kind of a multi-faceted point in my life I was on the verge of turning I think 48 at the time and feeling kind of middle-aged feeling like if I don’t do something big.
00:41:32.220 –> 00:41:40.650 Nancy Mercure East: athletically I may not be able to do it, which is kind of silly because I knew I had plenty of years left but I always wanted to pursue something that really tested by limits of endurance.
00:41:41.040 –> 00:41:48.060 Nancy Mercure East: Simultaneous to this phase of my life with my search and rescue team, we were involved in a search in the National Park at the Clement stone.
00:41:48.420 –> 00:41:58.380 Nancy Mercure East: For a woman by the name of Susan Clements she was here on vacation with her daughter and got lost on one of the most popular trails less than a mile from her car at the trailer.
00:41:58.890 –> 00:42:09.780 Nancy Mercure East: yeah it was yeah highly publicized and so she Paris she died of exposure or hypothermia where her core body temperature was no longer sustainable with life and.
00:42:10.110 –> 00:42:14.940 Joseph McElroy: It really because it was like 40 and 50 degrees, I really didn’t understand it at the time.
00:42:14.970 –> 00:42:21.450 Nancy Mercure East: yeah well but wind and rain came in and I’d rather be in 30 degrees in snow than I would 40 degrees and rain and.
00:42:21.840 –> 00:42:27.270 Nancy Mercure East: burnt, you are absolute yeah so it wasn’t surprising any of us on search and rescue that she died, but.
00:42:27.630 –> 00:42:34.500 Nancy Mercure East: It really impacted my life, and so I wanted to start that that was really a pivotal point in my life, where I wanted to retire from veterinary medicine.
00:42:34.800 –> 00:42:41.730 Nancy Mercure East: And do more intentional work with the outdoor community to educate them to stay what I like to call safe and found and so.
00:42:41.970 –> 00:42:53.400 Nancy Mercure East: I decided to merge this middle you know midlife crisis, if you will, with a fundraiser to try and raise money for the part to implement search and rescue or preventative search and rescue programs and so.
00:42:53.640 –> 00:43:08.640 Nancy Mercure East: I thought I gotta do something flashy I can’t raise $30,000 just by saying hey you know I think this is a great idea, so I teamed up with one of my best friends and we chased the speed record for hiking all the trails and the bark to draw the attention to the cause.
00:43:09.450 –> 00:43:10.710 Joseph McElroy: And you want you got the.
00:43:10.710 –> 00:43:11.160 speaker.
00:43:12.600 –> 00:43:25.770 Nancy Mercure East: was more surprised than me my friend, is a natural athlete is that a lot of really big things and it’s like that, politically, whereas I had never done anything except run a marathon so it was a stretch, for me, but yeah I got through it and we were successful.
00:43:26.040 –> 00:43:31.410 Joseph McElroy: Well, I read that there was also a human-bear tragedy that happened at the same time as that.
00:43:32.400 –> 00:43:41.220 Nancy Mercure East: It was terrible I mean there have only been two fatalities in the park in the history of the part from a bear, and this was the second in our story became interwoven in that one.
00:43:41.430 –> 00:43:52.650 Nancy Mercure East: Not in the sense that one of us or anybody we knew was attacked and was this person involved in this vitality, but it impacted our hike we had all our routes planned out in advance and we had to.
00:43:53.190 –> 00:44:01.950 Nancy Mercure East: shuffle the deck a little bit and we’re sending our team into the exact same back countryside of the exact same time this was happening so it was a little sobering.
00:44:02.400 –> 00:44:14.310 Joseph McElroy: Wrong so this I mean you basically survived a grueling endeavor with lots of things stories, I became intertwined so this really set you on a track for a new life hmm.
00:44:14.640 –> 00:44:23.040 Nancy Mercure East: It did yeah really was a turning point, but a very positive one, I loved veterinary medicine, I truly love my career and helping animals but.
00:44:23.310 –> 00:44:33.360 Nancy Mercure East: I was just feeling like it was time to move on and do something different I’ve always been a little mercurial in nature and like to just I don’t know I go where the wind takes me so that’s where it took me.
00:44:33.990 –> 00:44:40.650 Joseph McElroy: So what would you say the arc of that book is if somebody is reading it, what are they gonna walk away with in terms of experience.
00:44:41.100 –> 00:44:55.200 Nancy Mercure East: yeah I think a sense of empowerment if they doubt themselves would be a pretty big one, I certainly am the worst about second guessing myself and my abilities and, more often than not, I prove myself wrong if I set my mind to something and really.
00:44:55.920 –> 00:45:04.470 Nancy Mercure East: channel my energies to a goal and a purpose and typically not always but certainly motivated to finish, and do, but.
00:45:05.070 –> 00:45:16.080 Nancy Mercure East: As I would say that it will also teach people just safety for hikes I interweave a lot of search and rescue stories in it and I try to teach by example, so people might take a step back and say wow.
00:45:16.530 –> 00:45:26.100 Nancy Mercure East: I’ve never thought about that, and maybe I should prepare a little better before my next height, so I don’t become you know in this earth find myself in the same situation is this person did.
00:45:26.610 –> 00:45:38.340 Joseph McElroy: wow so it’s a great book for somebody who wants to live vicariously or that somebody wants to actually experience it themselves that’s a double whammy I like they get this on Amazon and places like that.
00:45:38.640 –> 00:45:45.510 Nancy Mercure East: They can print quality on Amazon, to be honest, it’s not great if they do their own printing and they kind of print it as people buy it but.
00:45:45.780 –> 00:45:53.640 Nancy Mercure East: I have had a bunch of them printed from a printer that does a much better job was the quality of the paper, the print quality everything about it so.
00:45:54.990 –> 00:45:55.440 Joseph McElroy: So.
00:45:55.470 –> 00:45:56.400 Joseph McElroy: Where is that so that.
00:45:56.460 –> 00:46:02.610 Nancy Mercure East: that’s on my website just my website, yeah and I match amazon’s price, so there they all get free shipping so.
00:46:03.330 –> 00:46:04.350 Joseph McElroy: We sell some books.
00:46:04.350 –> 00:46:08.130 Joseph McElroy: To say we should you should talk to Bob and sounds like a wonderful book, we could promote.
00:46:08.190 –> 00:46:10.680 Nancy Mercure East: yeah sure no I’d love to sell it there yeah.
00:46:10.740 –> 00:46:11.160 Nancy Mercure East: yeah.
00:46:11.220 –> 00:46:12.240 Nancy Mercure East: Like a fun keepsake.
00:46:12.870 –> 00:46:18.570 Joseph McElroy: All right, we’re going to take a break and then we’re talking about come back and talk about some wonderful experiences you recommend it.
00:46:19.590 –> 00:46:20.340 Nancy Mercure East: sounds good.
00:48:21.270 –> 00:48:30.720 Joseph McElroy: howdy this is Joseph Franklyn McElroy back with my guest Nancy East on the gateway to the smokies podcast so.
00:48:31.470 –> 00:48:42.300 Joseph McElroy: You know, we always talk about here at the gateway and the Meadowlark of memorable tourism experienced this is actually an academic study, but we were more practical about it and it’s um.
00:48:42.750 –> 00:48:57.360 Joseph McElroy: You know it’s about experiences that are flashbulb memories that people have right from things they do by traveling or hiking or going out or doing things and it relates to you know.
00:48:58.080 –> 00:49:05.790 Joseph McElroy: A lot of emotions and sensory perception, or you know refreshment they get from seeing new art or.
00:49:06.090 –> 00:49:14.190 Joseph McElroy: You know, the mystic moment of diving into the cold water under a wall of the waterfall just the physical you know experience or.
00:49:14.520 –> 00:49:33.600 Joseph McElroy: You know or meeting local characters or having an event with loved ones, so you know this kind of things, create these flashbulb memories so I’m just gonna put you on the spot and Nancy and say what is your most memorable flashbulb experiences if you hadn’t the smoky mountains.
00:49:34.500 –> 00:49:46.680 Nancy Mercure East: um gosh there are so numerous that’s hard to pinpoint but probably one of the first ones that popped in my head was when I first came to interview here 25 years ago about.
00:49:47.010 –> 00:49:57.630 Nancy Mercure East: And I had this interview all set up for obviously business hours, but instead of getting a hotel I’m a poor college student loans and I don’t want to keep accruing, and so I went out and backpack.
00:49:57.990 –> 00:50:01.500 Nancy Mercure East: and actually got a little turned around if I’m telling the truth and.
00:50:01.830 –> 00:50:10.320 Nancy Mercure East: had to really figure it out, it was my first experience with not really knowing where I was and having to draw and the knowledge that I had learned with mapping compass, and all that but.
00:50:10.710 –> 00:50:20.400 Nancy Mercure East: It really, even though I was a little mixed up and wasn’t sure how to find my way back, and I look at that trail now, and I think yeah I can see how I got lost so many people still get lost there but.
00:50:21.180 –> 00:50:30.960 Nancy Mercure East: It was really one of those flashbulb moments, where I thought, even though I’m scared I know I’m going to figure this out and I love it here, this is going to be home and I can’t wait to come back.
00:50:31.440 –> 00:50:35.580 Joseph McElroy: Well, that is, that is that’s a feeling of self-knowledge right.
00:50:35.820 –> 00:50:48.510 Joseph McElroy: yeah so you find out something about yourself, and you know you can really find that out in the mountains, you know when you go out of doors, you can really discover things about yourself that create permanent memories, for the rest of your life.
00:50:49.050 –> 00:50:54.570 Nancy Mercure East: yeah absolutely the bad ones, you know can sometimes turn into the most meaningful experiences.
00:50:54.600 –> 00:51:04.290 Joseph McElroy: isn’t one of the emotional factors that measure these academic studies is negative experiences actually can make them memorable and create revisit intention.
00:51:04.800 –> 00:51:07.110 Joseph McElroy: So it’s an interesting.
00:51:07.170 –> 00:51:16.350 Joseph McElroy: concept that I’m really thoroughly enjoying, but it also creates a depth of understanding of human beings I’m really enjoying too.
00:51:16.680 –> 00:51:27.030 Joseph McElroy: yeah so, can you think of other places and smokies that you think somebody could have a one of those like flashbulb memory experiences.
00:51:27.300 –> 00:51:30.840 Nancy Mercure East: yeah for sure so many of them, I would say.
00:51:31.320 –> 00:51:42.300 Nancy Mercure East: places like Cataloochee Valley, you know, I was such a treasure just to go down if you can get there early in the morning before the sun rises and be there when the outcome down off the hills just to.
00:51:42.630 –> 00:51:52.020 Nancy Mercure East: graze in those meadows before they go back up I don’t like the heat so they’ll go back up, there are some wonderful tour companies actually in Waynesville one that I work for so I’m a little biased but.
00:51:52.860 –> 00:51:54.300 Nancy Mercure East: yeah Cataloochee valley tours.
00:51:54.570 –> 00:52:03.630 Nancy Mercure East: Esther Blakely the owner does a wonderful job of taking people into the valley to see those elk in the fall when they’re in the rut you know part of their life cycle.
00:52:04.530 –> 00:52:14.790 Nancy Mercure East: synchronous fireflies that’s another tour she leads that’s quite the experience, but even just going it doesn’t have to be anything elaborate just going on a simple hike to a place like a big creek or deep creek.
00:52:15.390 –> 00:52:17.490 Nancy Mercure East: flat creek which I mentioned earlier.
00:52:18.030 –> 00:52:24.510 Nancy Mercure East: Even down into Cherokee they’ll call me lefty river trail is such a great one with the young kids you can even bike that one.
00:52:24.750 –> 00:52:35.940 Nancy Mercure East: and take your dogs you can’t take your dogs on any other trail, except that one and there’s one in Gatlinburg that you the Gatlinburg trail but otherwise not allowed to take the dog so Those are some of my family favorites.
00:52:37.050 –> 00:52:42.450 Joseph McElroy: Well, and then, besides the smoky mountains there are actually lovely little towns around the smoky mountains.
00:52:42.540 –> 00:52:46.110 Joseph McElroy: Yes, you live in the Waynesville where you live in Waynesville right.
00:52:46.530 –> 00:52:58.710 Joseph McElroy: yeah I, like you know we only have a few minutes, but I, like our guests, to tell us what would be a little nice itinerary for a day in Waynesville yeah breakfast what to do, lunch what to do, dinner.
00:52:59.040 –> 00:53:04.530 Nancy Mercure East: that’s a great question yeah I would actually probably start the day in Maggie I would go to POPs place that’s.
00:53:04.530 –> 00:53:04.980 Joseph McElroy: All you’re.
00:53:06.450 –> 00:53:07.740 Nancy Mercure East: Doing is great too, but.
00:53:07.770 –> 00:53:17.220 Nancy Mercure East: yeah POPs I have a little stronger preference for personally so that’s where I would probably start my day and then maybe meander around Maggie but I love downtown Waynesville.
00:53:17.730 –> 00:53:24.450 Nancy Mercure East: Even hazelwood is got some just wonderful shops, and these are with soap company that place that I mentioned before, Robin blue.
00:53:25.140 –> 00:53:37.260 Nancy Mercure East: there’s a coffee shop downtown lots of fun little three stores if people are into drifting that is just really well organized and not just a hodgepodge of stuff they really try to categorize things and thoughtful way.
00:53:38.370 –> 00:53:52.590 Nancy Mercure East: Great bookstores you can certainly find my book and a couple of them and then I would probably have lunch, it can be nice That would be my top pick on North main in Waynesville my daughter actually works there, so if you do go there you got to get a big good because she’s making she’s.
00:53:53.700 –> 00:53:55.350 Nancy Mercure East: Very talented bakers so.
00:53:55.350 –> 00:54:01.680 Nancy Mercure East: She who will make your Brown and your cake, or whatever you decide to get, but it really is a great restaurant.
00:54:02.850 –> 00:54:16.410 Nancy Mercure East: yeah and then for dinner that night gosh so many choices I probably have a beer I’d want to go and sit by the creek and have a beer so bear waters, maybe over in canton or naggy or frog level down in downtown Waynesville
00:54:16.470 –> 00:54:18.600 Joseph McElroy: be another time they all increased by that’s pretty.
00:54:18.600 –> 00:54:19.740 Nancy Mercure East: cool yeah it’s.
00:54:19.800 –> 00:54:27.570 Nancy Mercure East: Very yeah opportunistic places to have a brewery with live music and the water it’s just a great atmosphere So those are my topics.
00:54:27.960 –> 00:54:39.300 Nancy Mercure East: And then for dinner, it would just depend on the mood I’m in I probably hit up while Tommy if I were interested in something Asian I love dope boys pizza particularly their salads and have great salads.
00:54:40.440 –> 00:54:46.620 Nancy Mercure East: If I wanted something a little swankier maybe frogs leap and yeah that would probably wrap up my.
00:54:48.450 –> 00:54:50.310 Nancy Mercure East: Line yep on the parkway or something.
00:54:52.440 –> 00:54:56.340 Joseph McElroy: So how can people find out more about to contact you that sort of thing.
00:54:57.030 –> 00:55:01.950 Nancy Mercure East: yeah that website really is the best place because that channels into any social media I’m not.
00:55:02.010 –> 00:55:13.830 Nancy Mercure East: The greatest with staying engaged on social media, but my blog has a wealth of information about everything and anything that we’ve talked about, and then some I’m becoming more intentional about posting articles about safety and outdoor to.
00:55:14.040 –> 00:55:15.540 Joseph McElroy: Give the URL for your website.
00:55:15.720 –> 00:55:20.580 Nancy Mercure East: Sure yeah it’s just my name NancyEast.com East like the direction com.
00:55:20.640 –> 00:55:22.110 Nancy Mercure East: So all of its there.
00:55:22.320 –> 00:55:24.870 Joseph McElroy: I don’t you have another one hope something or.
00:55:24.960 –> 00:55:26.790 Nancy Mercure East: yeah they all go to the same place.
00:55:26.790 –> 00:55:27.660 Joseph McElroy: I read.
00:55:28.410 –> 00:55:31.710 Nancy Mercure East: The book yeah it’s one of those things somebody professional told me to do.
00:55:33.660 –> 00:55:34.380 Joseph McElroy: com
00:55:34.710 –> 00:55:35.130 Nancy Mercure East: yeah.
00:55:35.220 –> 00:55:37.710 Joseph McElroy: Well, and then get to everything else, they need to about you.
00:55:37.950 –> 00:55:39.150 Nancy Mercure East: Exactly it’s all their.
00:55:39.450 –> 00:55:43.980 Joseph McElroy: social media channel that you posted that as a lot of good information that you like you you’re proud of.
00:55:44.340 –> 00:55:50.160 Nancy Mercure East: yeah I’m probably more active on Facebook and I’m Instagram I’m old enough to think facebook’s a little cooler than Instagram but.
00:55:50.520 –> 00:55:51.330 yeah.
00:55:52.800 –> 00:55:56.010 Nancy Mercure East: So, but I’m not a tiktoker or anything like that I’m not that cool.
00:55:57.420 –> 00:56:08.310 Joseph McElroy: Well cool, thank you for being part of our show, and hopefully, we’ll have you back again sometime talking about all the other wonderful things you do you’re incredibly talented and diverse and once you do so, I look forward to that.
00:56:08.370 –> 00:56:11.010 Nancy Mercure East: Well, I would treasure it Thank you so much for having me.
00:56:11.010 –> 00:56:22.380 Joseph McElroy: cool so um this you can find out more about this podcast gateway to the smokies dot fun, which actually now forward to our smokies adventure slash.
00:56:23.070 –> 00:56:33.840 Joseph McElroy: gateway to the smokies site, we also publish this on Facebook.COM slash gateway to the smokies podcasts where you can actually see the live broadcast streaming.
00:56:34.890 –> 00:56:44.130 Joseph McElroy: we’re part of the talkradio. NYC network, which is a network in New York that broadcasts, a lot of live broadcasts.
00:56:45.930 –> 00:57:01.380 Joseph McElroy: Every day of the week with lots of different shows, ranging from travel to self-help to finance the business, I actually have another podcast on this network called wise is content creates wealth, because I’m a content marketing expert.
00:57:02.400 –> 00:57:04.710 Joseph McElroy: And so you can look that up as well.
00:57:05.820 –> 00:57:11.850 Joseph McElroy: And I recommend you stick around for a show after this, which is about New York, and I think you enjoy it.
00:57:13.290 –> 00:57:14.040 Joseph McElroy: You can.
00:57:15.060 –> 00:57:27.090 Joseph McElroy: I want to mention that the meadowlark motel is having a special right now, which is you know weekday special come stay 3nigths of those nights free if you bring a kid you know.
00:57:27.630 –> 00:57:40.290 Joseph McElroy: met the Cataloochee has a kid ski free promotion during the week as well, so you can get a free night and a free ski ticket for your child So hopefully, we’ll see you there’s lots of snow lately lots of.
00:57:41.580 –> 00:57:48.630 Joseph McElroy: fun times and this the tubing is great, and we also have you also do winter fishing and in the mountains and it’s very good fishing.
00:57:49.620 –> 00:58:02.880 Joseph McElroy: So you can fish in our backyard is a thing, of course, we have fire pits and fireplaces speakeasy to get all company with after you do your mountain adventures so come on by so I’ll see you next week.
00:58:04.050 –> 00:58:24.360 Joseph McElroy: We will have Boyd Burton, who is actually the manager of the motel we’re going to talk about finding a lot of comfortable and enjoyable hedonistic things in a good sense that, in the mountains, to enjoy yeah so thank you very much, see you next week Tuesdays from six to seven bye.
