Podcast
Park Predators
Delia D'Ambra cited the book to provide background on Jasper Mellinger's route and the hazardous terrain that contributed to his disappearance, noting familiar trails, steep rock faces, and dangerous gulches. It was used as a factual reference for the episode’s discussion of accidents in the park.
Episode: The Accidents
The book was used to explain Jasper Mellinger's journey and the discovery of his remains, providing context for the events in the Great Smoky Mountains.
In his book Death in the Great Smoky Mountains, author Michael Bradley explained that when Jasper made this trip, he would have tracked the backbone of the Great Smoky Mountains in the direction of the Elkmont, Tennessee area and Cherokee, North Carolina, which would have put him on trails he was familiar with and lessened the amount of elevation he had to climb.
According to author Michael Bradley's book, in September of 1905, two men named Bouse and Stuart O'NB, yes, members of the same O'NB family that Jasper Mellinger had stayed with, were on a hunting trip in the Great Smoky Mountains when they stopped at a natural pool they suspected game animals were using as a source of water.
Author Michael Bradley explains in his book that there were sheer rock faces, slopes, gulches, and even waterfalls along that route, none of which were particularly safe.