Sunny Montgomery is a writer and editor for Chatter Magazine and Get Out Chattanooga. In 2018, she won third place in the Green Eyeshade Awards for her story covering autism in the outdoors. In addition to her magazine work, Sunny works on various digital products, and helped create and launch the popular newsletters Chattanooga Outdoor News and Good Day, Chattanooga! She is a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists, a certified Tennessee State Naturalist and an avid outdoorsperson. She moved to Chattanooga from central Kentucky in 2013, and most recently traded her suburban home for a small cabin, which she built with her partner, at the edge of Cherokee National Forest.
John Wiygul, at times in his life, has climbed seven days a week - a feat made easier by owning his own climbing gym.
by Sunny MontgomeryThe answer is no. Nathan Worthington and Cody Buell have never been bit by a turtle while noodling. Though, understandably, they get the question a lot.
by Sunny MontgomeryNature-lovers know the Southeast is a gem, worthy of protection.
by Sunny MontgomeryAt age 10, Jack Guin already knows his way around a canoe — and a number of local whitewater runs, too, including the Class IV North Chick, a steep creek in Soddy-Daisy that intimidates paddlers twice his age.
by Sunny MontgomeryAmid all that's surprising about asparagus, here's our favorite fact: The stalk vegetable makes a delicious soup.
by Sunny MontgomeryEric and Kaley Hayes dream of driving their Land Rover from Alaska to Argentina, following the 19,000-mile Pan-American Highway — regarded as the world's most famous overland trail.
by Sunny MontgomeryEach spring, the wood thrush returns to Tennessee — famished.
by Sunny MontgomeryGrief is like a supernova, says Ashley Jones.
by Sunny MontgomeryLast year, we were all forced to rewrite the script of our daily lives.
by Sunny MontgomeryDaisy Mae is like her name: cheerful - which will help her on the job.
by Sunny MontgomeryThe average white-tailed deer yields about 42 pounds of venison — or, to put it another way, about 168 bowls of venison chili. And for Tennesseans struggling with hunger, that is quite a bounty.
by Sunny MontgomeryFive years ago, Dale Weiler and Loti Woods met at an art show in Tryon, North Carolina, which neither of them had particularly wanted to attend.
by Sunny MontgomeryFor the past 15 years, the Head of the Hooch, one of the world's largest rowing regattas, has attracted thousands of competitors and spectators alike to the Tennessee River in downtown Chattanooga.
by Sunny MontgomeryMeet Erin Elizabeth Flettrich, local artist and climber.
by Sunny MontgomeryBefore Cash Daniels was born, his parents didn't recycle.
by Sunny MontgomeryEven on the days you cannot be in the field searching for new species to cross off your checklist, there are still ways to bird. This season, let your imagination soar by indulging in others' adventures — or misadventures, depending on who's telling the story. Birders, after all, are an offbeat bunch, which makes them always entertaining characters.
by Sunny MontgomeryAt the Chattanooga Market, dressed in her Sunday best, Meredith Garrett sat at her typewriter. Next to her, a small vintage trunk lay open, displaying crumpled bills and a wooden sign, which read "poet for hire."
by Sunny MontgomeryMichael Robinson thrives in chaos - likely a result of his upbringing.
by Sunny MontgomeryI recently participated in my first web-based seminar, or webinar, while visiting my mother in Kentucky.
by Sunny MontgomeryWhen introducing children to paddling, the younger, the better, says Zach Bopp, supervisor of experiences at Chattanooga's REI.
by Sunny Montgomery