Friends of the Smokies recently sponsored an equestrian Leave No Trace training clinic in conjunction with the Back Country Horsemen of Big Creek. The clinic was designed for backcountry horse packing was held in the Big Creek area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in Haywood County, NC.
Photo courtesy of Friends of the Smokies
The Leave No Trace program lays out guidelines for protecting the wilderness while still enjoying it and taking in its natural beauty. Students are taught how to pack mules and horses in the safest, mot efficient manner possible. The course includes an overnight trip, during which students can practice their newly acquired packing skills.
“Leave No Trace is about preserving our privilege to use stock on public lands by learning to minimize our impacts as much as possible,” said Bob Hoverson, a professional horse packer for more than 40 years who taught the clinic.
For more informational about horse-oriented Leave No Trace presentations, call Christine Hoyer at 828.497.1949 or Melissa Cobern at 865.436.1264.
The Settlement at Thomas Divide in the Smoky Mountains of NC 