Dancing Bearfoot

12/21/2022

The next few days will be a challenge for many of us across the country. Here’s my prayer for safe travels.

05/19/2022

Recently a memorial came to town paying tribute to all the soldiers that have fallen in the war against terror since September 11th. The memorial "Remembering Our Fallen" moved me greatly, in fact it moved me to tears in many cases. I snapped a few photos, and then a few more and a few more. By the end of the evening I was touched by close to 100 photos of the soldiers and their families. Many of the photos were taken with tear filled eyes.

Every picture affected me in some way. From a cavalry soldier riding a rocking horse - Capt. Drew Russell, to the way only a mother holds her son -Cpl. Mark Kidd to Pfc. Melissa Hobart holding her 3-year old daughter Alexis, a funny face from 1st Lt Roslyn Shulte. Finally, SPC Lee Allen Weigand, I had to stand there and process what I was seeing in the photo and it broke my heart. That's the photo that finally broke me down from teary eyes into a sobbing mess. Ask anyone who knows me, I don't get this way but this memorial "Remembering Our Fallen" touched me in a deep way.

I was so upset that a Gold Star father came up to console me and asked me my story. I told him I didn't have one, I'm one of the lucky ones, my son came home from the war. We sat down on a bench and he told me his story. Actually it was his son-in-law that was killed. He deployed in September and was killed in November. They received two letters from him in that time frame. The first said all was okay and there was nothing to worry about, the second letter stated that this was a hell hole. They never heard from him after that until they were notified of his death. His daughter and granddaughter gave one of the keynote addresses at the ceremony that night. Just heartbreaking.

As I mentioned I took close to 100 photos that night but I didn't know what I was going to do with them so I put them all together and made a video. With Memorial Day being right around the corner the timing seemed appropriate.

For many Memorial Day is just a day off from work. Many other people confuse Memorial Day with Veterans Day. What really irks me is when people try to capitalize from Memorial Day; "In honor of our fallen soldiers pizzas are now buy one get one free!" I really hate that.

I will tell you for some this video is very moving (get the Kleenex) but it's appropriate for these Gold Star families. Please give these families 6 minutes of your time, they more that deserve that. If the "Remembering the Fallen" memorial ever comes to your area take some time and view the more than 5300 members of the military and their photos. This was the most powerful memorial I've ever experienced. I'm not a great filmmaker but I gave this my best shot. A Gold Star family's greatest fear is that their loved ones will be forgotten, please don't let that happen.

I do have one favor to ask, if you find this video worthy please share the link. If this moves a few Americans to appreciate our Gold Star families and all they've given up it's worth the effort. - Thank you.

04/04/2022

Ok, I depressed many of you with the pictures from the forest fire which was indeed scary for many. This picture was sent to me by the current owners of my old cabin. A momma bear took up residence in a den she made on the hill behind the cabin. This morning they caught a picture of Momma and her FOUR cubs up and about searching for food. Ok, warm fuzzies for everyone.

03/30/2022

Sending many prayers to all our friends in Wears Valley today. This is becoming a very dangerous situation.

Crews respond to wildfire in Wears Valley; mandatory evacuations issued
The Sevier County Emergency Management Agency is ordering mandatory evacuations for those in several areas around Hatcher Mountain.

The Sevier County Emergency Management Agency is ordering mandatory evacuations for those in several areas around Hatcher Mountain.

11/13/2021

We’ve all heard the saying “ It’s not for sale at any price”. Well, that was put to the test with us recently and what we thought we’d never sell….we sold. Our cabin, our business, the center of our world for the past five years is gone as of November 1st.

We took a neglected, ramshackle pile of logs and turned it into a thriving rental business. We’ve endured, a wildfire, woodland creatures, unexpected repairs and a pandemic along the way. No matter how many zeros we added to our net worth statement they will never add up to the memories we’ve shared in this cabin.

We are especially proud of our charity work. The night of the Gatlinburg fire I told God that if he spared our cabin I promised I would make it a catalyst for good. Our cabin was spared and we lived up to that promise. A portion of every guest stay was donated to charity; Appalachian Bear Rescue (ABR) and St. Vincent de Paul Society. We also made donations to Friends of the Smokies and The Great Smoky Mountains Organization. We donated nights to ABR to auction off at their annual fund raising event. This little cabin generated thousands in charitable donations.

Our charitable work caught the attention of the prestigious Star Throwers organization who recognizes socially responsible rental owners trying to make a difference in their community. There are only 8 properties in the United States that have that certification, we were #4. Our cabin was also part of the keynote closing presentation at the World Vacation Rental Summit in 2019 in Italy once again citing our efforts to make a difference for the wildlife, the people and the park.

It’s pretty amazing how many wonderful people we’ve met along the way, Jan & Daryl - we couldn't have built this cabin without you, Pat - you sound advice was always appreciated, , Tammy- you encouraged us to get into this business, Chastidyi & Ian at Chapel in the Hollow - you were great partners, it was only fitting that our last guest had their wedding at your venue.

So many others to thank from Sonia our cleaner, Will our repairman and the entire team at Natural Retreats. What an incredible collection of people that delivered finally the experience I wanted our guests to receive. You all are amazing!

We were very fortunate to have hundreds of guests and some extra special guests like Lillian who took great care while staying in our cabin. She was the true voice of the customer letting us know what items needed attention. We will miss all of them.

One fun tradition we had was our signing log. We encouraged each of our guests to "sign the log" and they did. We will cherish these logs forever.

The one thing I didn’t sell was the name “Dancing Bearfoot”. I just couldn’t let that go.

Sorry for the long post, it's not easy to say goodbye.

10/29/2021

Tis the Season! Our Dancing Bearfoot pumpkins for 2021!

10/27/2021

One of my favorite times of the year in the Smokies is when the trees are turning colors. The last two photos are taken from the we**am on Purchase K**b. You can see just how much the colors have changed in only 4 days. Looks like the peak of the colors will come in early November this year - we still have a few dates available.

09/11/2021

We’re coming up on our five year anniversary of opening Dancing Bearfoot Cabin. This cabin has come a long way in five years. Here’s a glimpse of then and now.

09/10/2021

Good Morning Smoky Mountains! When you stay at Dancing Bearfoot this is your wake up view taken from the king-sized bed up in the loft. So peaceful.

09/08/2021

Today we hiked the Middle Prong Trail in Tremont near Cades Cove. This is a big wide gravel trail that was previously a railway. This out and back trail has a fairly gentle slope which makes it great for families with small kids. This is one of the best waterfall hikes in the park.