I am walking up a steep hill and sweating like I'm mowing grass on the Fourth of July. The thick brush pulls at me as I stagger uphill and try to gain the high ground.

It's time for another episode of "Letters to the Outdoors Writer" from Larry Case.

Well, I am not sure how we got here so fast, but here we are again in early fall. For all of our deer hunters, this means the yearly obsession with the rut.

It's fall, and that means the stunning overlooks in the Chattanooga area are at their best.

For most dedicated bear hunters, it's all about the dog and the chase.

When Skye Moench competed in the 2017 Little Debbie Ironman, the physical demands of the triathlon caused her to walk the final 10 miles to the finish line. Sunday afternoon went a little differently for the Salt Lake City resident.

As you may recall from a few weeks ago, in our most recent episode of the intrepid gun writer, the writer (me) flew off into the wild blue yonder again after an exciting two days in the tropics of southern Florida. Well, I was ready for a cooler clime after that, and I got it.

Just as sure as the sun came up this morning, you need a good .22 rifle. Now, friends and neighbors, you should know I feel this is a statement of fact and not really open to debate.

I've been a squirrel hunter for most of my life. In some parts of the country, hunters think that is an odd statement because they didn't grow up hunting squirrels and it's not part of their hunting culture.

It's a Sunday morning, and I'm sitting in the airport in Charleston, West Virginia, with a little more than the typical travel jitters.

Let's just say I think many people have a less than realistic view of what goes on in nature.

All right, I know we are just going into mid-August, but hunting season is upon us, boys and girls. Don't think so?

I hope you will agree that I have always been honest with you. Everything in life is not sunshine and roses, and that includes the outdoors. We must recognize this and make the best of it.

I'm a hillbilly, and I'm proud of it.

Hunters can be very nostalgic and passionate about our sport and the equipment and tools we use when we tramp the wild places.

Ask most folks about their preferred paths to spiritual enlightenment and soul cleansing, and you'll hear of everything from yoga, to meditation, to a day at the spa. Then there's Sergio Bianchini.

How is it something you profess to love so much can cause you so much anxiety and grief?

"Hey, what kind of snake is that?"

OK, sports fans, just thought I would let you in on some inside information: Summer, the season that is the favorite for many of you, is almost here. As for my little neck of the woods in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains, we have had summer-like weather for about a week now.

Most of us would agree there is a lot of difference between a grizzly bear and a chicken hawk.

Well, it's finally over, and boy am I glad! "What is finally over?" you may ask.

Tim Morgan wasn't overwhelmed with worry. The grand poobah of enticing financially rewarding sports events to our city knows Chattanooga's greatest strengths, beginning with its citizens.

Brian Reynolds had never been to Chattanooga before this past weekend. But after winning Sunday's Sunbelt Bakery Ironman 70.3 in a time of 4:07.55, the 33-year-old Richland, Michigan, resident said he'd like to defend his title next year.