Greetings, outdoorspeople!
- Weekend forecast: Saturday; high 87, scattered thunderstorms/Sunday; high 88, partly cloudy
- Recommended adventure: Celebrate outdoor adventure with a cold one. Copperhill Brewery, located just outside Cherokee National Forest, will host a soft opening this Saturday. Get the details here.
- Most interesting thing we’ve learned about nature this week: A bluebird’s color is actually an optical illusion. Its feathers, made of bubbled keratin, refract sunlight and reflect that brilliant blue color. If you were to take a single bluebird feather and grind it up, the color would disappear.
Happy Wednesday!
Years ago, I was hiking at a small nature preserve in Kentucky when I stumbled across the skeleton of a box turtle. It was partially tucked beneath a large decomposing log, sun-bleached and perfectly intact – from its skull to its toes. I still regard that as one of my coolest finds on the trail.
What about you? What’s the most interesting thing you’ve come across while hiking? We’re collecting stories for our fall issue. Share yours by responding to this email!
– Sunny Montgomery, smontgomery@timesfreepress.com