Author

John Quillen 30 posts 0 comments

John is a self-described orophile whose mountain addiction has taken him across the globe in search of fresh peak experiences. After completing all the Smokies trails, he sought high points both obscure and well known. With two remaining, he hopes to become the first Tennessean to complete the global Seven Summits.

Outdoors

Out on the AT

John Quillen 0
Experiencing the Appalachian Trail hiking culture in Virginia I was fine with skipping the road walk and interstate noise, but Frank Whitehead insisted that we do the extra mile across I-81 in Groseclose, Virginia. That is where we…
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Outdoors

The Crag

John Quillen 0
At home on the rock of Knoxville’s climbing pit ALL CLIMBING LEVELS | IJAMS PARKING: 2514 ABERDEEN LANE CLIMBING ROUTE HEIGHTS: 30 to 60 FEET FIND THE CRAG: Walk ¼ mile along first trail to the right out of the parking lot. Take…
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Outdoors

Bullhead

John Quillen 0
Mt. LeConte's trail tises from the ashes, sprouting new growth and life Difficulty Level: Moderate-Hard Trailhead coordinates: 35.67396, -83.49322 Length: 11.8 miles | Elevation Gain: 3,200 ft | Style: Out…
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Outdoors

Frozen Head

John Quillen 0
Challenging terrain speckled with stories of icy escapes On June 13, 1977, a handful of inmates from Brushy Mountain scaled the wall and melted into the Cumberland Mountains surrounding beautiful Petros. On their heels were every…
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Online Only

Obed Trail Days

John Quillen 0
For 20 years, volunteers have amassed at the Obed Wild and Scenic River to don leather gloves, grab mattocks and hoes and disappear into the backcountry to give back to the climbing and hiking community. It is Trail Day, and there is…
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Departments

Black Mountain

John Quillen 2
A mystical peak that offers hiking for all levels An hour west of Knoxville rises a place lost in the folds of geographic time. Lightly boot-kissed paths disappear maze-like, labyrinthine, into thinning air. Sandstone spires jut…
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