{"product_id":"mountain-days-a-journal-of-camping-experiences-in-the-mountains-of-tennessee-and-north-carolina-1914-1938-9781469651842","title":"Mountain Days: A Journal of Camping Experiences in the Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, 1914-1938","description":"In 1974, Paul M. Fink published \u003ci\u003eBackpacking Was the Only Way, \u003c\/i\u003e a memoir of exploration in the Smoky Mountain backcountry that is long out of print. The basis of the book was a journal kept from 1914 to 1938, combined with evocative photographs that Fink compiled into a manuscript he called \u003ci\u003eMountain Days.\u003c\/i\u003e The manuscript is now considered to be a unique and insightful first-person account of the region. Containing rare historical accounts of the manways, camps, and cabins once used by adventurers exploring the mountains before the advent of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, this is the first widely-accessible publication of \u003ci\u003eMountain Days.\u003c\/i\u003e This edition features a new foreword by Ken Wise, professor and director of the Great Smoky Mountain Regional Project at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville's John C. Hodges Library. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn open access edition of \u003ci\u003eMountains Days\u003c\/i\u003e is available from the Hunter Library at Western Carolina University.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePaul M. Fink (1892-1980) was a lifelong resident of Jonesborough, Tennessee. The official historian of Washington County, he was a prime mover in the Historic Jonesborough restoration program. His research into the history of the town and county has been included in numerous articles in publications of the Tennessee Historical Society, the East Tennessee Historical Society and elsewhere. He served as vice president of the Tennessee Historical Society, the Tennessee Archaeological Society, and the Tennessee Folklore Society. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlso keenly interested in mountaineering and conservation, Fink was a leader in the movement that led to the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In 1977 he was honored by the Appalachian Trail Conference as \"the guiding influence\" in establishing the trail in Tennessee and North Carolina in the 1920's. The Tennessee Conservation League gave him its highest award, the Z. Cartter Patten Award, in 1973. He was author of many articles on campcraft in such magazines as \u003ci\u003eField and Stream\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eOutdoor Life.\u003c\/i\u003e His book, \u003ci\u003eBackpacking Was the Only Way, \u003c\/i\u003e is based on his journals of early explorations in the Smokies.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKen Wise is a professor and director of the Great Smoky Mountains Regional Project at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville's John C. Hodges Library.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Western Carolina University Hunter Library","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50510406320402,"sku":"9781469651842","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_60c53f4f-5bb4-4824-a71e-ed72b22caab8.jpg?v=1730924443","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/mountain-days-a-journal-of-camping-experiences-in-the-mountains-of-tennessee-and-north-carolina-1914-1938-9781469651842","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}