Authorities positively identify hiker as Jenny Bennett, friends start memorial wall on GoSmokies

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials have positively identified the body found in the Greenbrier area of the Great Smokies as that of 62-year-old Jenny Bennett of Sylva, NC. She was reported missing by her brother Peter Bennett of Bozeman, Montana when she wasn't at home on the day she was supposed to be moved to Vermont.

Jenny Bennett (from her blog)

He believed she had been on a final hike before leaving on May 30 or 31. Movers were supposed to show up on June 1 and her landlord called her brother on Saturday, June 6, when she was officially reported missing.

Bennett was an avid off-trail hiker in the Smokies and was also a published author and blogger. One of her older blog sites is jennybennett.net, where she chronicled her off-trail hiking adventures in the Smokies, and more recently she published the hiking blog Endless Streams and Forests. She published a murder mystery, Murder at the Jump Off, set in the Smokies, and a contemporary fiction novel, The Twelve Streams of Leconte.

GSMNP Spokesperson Dana Soehn reported that there is currently no suspicion of foul play and said there were no obvious signs of animal attack. Bennett's vehicle was found at the Porters Flats trailhead Sunday night and her body was found about 9:30 Monday morning about a half-mile above backcountry campsite 31 off-trail following an intensive search. Her cause of death has not yet been released.

Bennett was a member of the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club and also an avid contributor to the GoSmokies blog site, where shortly before she went missing her posts were deleted. Her hiking friends have started a memorial site there to honor their friend and fellow hiker, Remembering Jenny Bennett.

You can read earlier reports on her disappearance by scrolling down to previous blog posts as events unfolded.

UPDATE: Mother and 16-year-old son missing in Clingmans Dome area of Smokies found at 2 p.m. today

UPDATE: Rangers at Great Smoky Mountains National Park have found a missing woman and her son from Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin who had been reported being lost in the park on Sunday, June 7.

Christy Barns, 40, and her son, Casey, 16, had sent a text message to family members on Sunday evening at 8:38 p.m. stating they were lost and needed help. Rangers were notified and were able to locate the individuals’ vehicle at Clingmans Dome. The ground search was initiated on Monday morning and the pair was soon found in good condition along the Forney Ridge trail a little before 2:00 p.m.

The park had mobilized an incident management team and deployed search teams to the trails surrounding Clingmans Dome. The search involved 30 National Park Services employees with 15 of those actively searching in the field. The initial search focused on trails which carried the highest probability of where the pair may have been located. 

We reported earlier:

A search is underway for a mother and her 16-year-old son from Wisconsin, who are missing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near the Clingmans Dome area. Dana Soehn, spokesperson for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, said officials believe the pair was day hiking but that no other information is available.

They were reported missing Sunday night at 8:30 p.m. when they didn't return from their hike. The search for the missing hikers began Monday morning. More details will hopefully be known later today, Soehn said. These hikers are not to be confused with hikers lost Saturday in the Roaring Fork area who were reunited with their party.

At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park's highest point. It is the highest point in Tennessee and the second highest point east of the Mississippi. It's a popular Park destination and is located in both North Carolina and Tennessee. The peak is accessible after driving Clingmans Dome Road from Newfound Gap, and then walking a steep half-mile trail. A paved trail leads to a 54-foot observation tower. The Appalachian Trail crosses Clingmans Dome, marking the highest point along its 2,144-mile journey.

Body believed to be that of missing hiker Jenny Bennett found in Greenbrier area of the Smokies

Investigators are being called in to positively identify a body that has been found in the Greenbrier area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park believed to be that of missing hiker Jenny Bennett, 62, of Sylva, NC. Her brother, Peter Bennett of Bozeman, Montana, had reported her missing on Saturday, but she had actually been missing since sometime before June 1, the day she was supposed to meet movers at her home in Sylva for an impending move to Vermont.

Jenny Bennett (Photo from her blog)

Jenny Bennett (Photo by
Joe Guenther)

At 11:00 today, when Park officials were holding a media briefing at Greenbrier, Peter Bennett reported on his GoSmokies blog, "A body has been found that matches Jenny's description in the area that they were looking for her.  A team of investigators is being sent in to positively identify the body and determine what happened."

Search operations began early Monday morning. At 9:30 a.m. a body was found behind back-country campsite 31. Rangers said they strongly believe the body to be that of Bennettt, although a positive identification has not yet been made. Based on clothing and the location of the body, rangers felt it was indeed Bennett.

The Public Affairs Department of the GSMNP released the following at 11:44 a.m. Monday: "Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers believe to have discovered the body of reported missing hiker, Jenny Bennett, 62, of Sylva, NC in the Lester Prong area of Greenbrier above campsite 31 on Monday, June 8. It was reported to park officials on Sunday, June 7 that Bennett was missing and possibly in the park. Her vehicle was located at the Porters Flat Trailhead later that evening. An area wide search operation of trained man trackers was underway when she was found by rangers."

Bennett was an avid hiker in the Smoky Mountains and maintained a blog about her trips. She was a member of the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club and often liked to hike off trail in the park.

Her brother believed she went missing when she had taken one last hike prior to her move last weekend. Great Smoky Mountains National Park personnel found her red car at the Porters Creek Trailhead last night and have focused their search in that area, which is the in the Greenbrier area of the Park.

Bennett, an avid hiker, author and blogger, is well-known to the hiking community for her toughness, preparedness and her love of off-trail hiking in the Smokies. She chronicled many of her outings on her blog, Endless Streams and Forests. She had mentioned in her last blog entry on May 27 that she had been experiencing depression and a bum knee, causing alarm for her fellow hikers, family and friends.

Jenny Bennett (Photo by Dave Landreth)

Many of her hiking friends felt she might be attempting to pay tribute to her mentor, Charlie Klabunde, whose memorial is a short hike from the Lester Prong headwaters and accessed from the Porters Creek Trailhead. In her blog she mentioned that she had tried to make the trip before but her knee had given out and she had to turn back.

National Park Spokesperson Molly Schroer said earlier today that a search operation was indeed underway in the Greenbrier area and that further details would be available at the media briefing. More details will be reported as they emerge.

Peter Bennett reported in a blog post on GoSmokies.com on Saturday that Bennett's landlord called him Saturday regarding his sister's whereabouts. "I received a call from her landlord in Sylva yesterday (Saturday, June 6) morning. The Jackson County Sheriff was there starting to do his investigation. She was supposed to meet the movers at her house in Sylva on Monday morning (June 1) to start her move north, but when the movers arrived she was not there. My sister in Massachusetts was expecting to see her on Wednesday, but Jenny did not arrive."

Peter Bennett reported today on the Hike the Smokies Facebook group: "I would like to clarify how the situation with my sister Jenny unfolded. I knew that she was going to be moving from NC to Vermont starting June 1 and I was thinking about her in that regard last week. I did not hear anything from her last week, but that is not unusual because we normally only connect when something important has happened. I did not have an idea that she was missing until Saturday June 6 when I received a call from her landlord in Sylva. He told me that her belongings were still at the house in Sylva, some things had been packed up to move and other things were still unpacked. He told me that the movers had arrived on Monday June 1 and she was not there."

He continued, "I talked with the Jackson County Sheriff deputy who was there and he told me they were going to treat this as a missing person case and start searching for her car. I told him that she was a member of the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club and that she was probably up one of the trails in the area. I was told that the Sheriff's department was going to follow up and search the trail heads for her car. I gave the deputy my number and expected to hear back from them within a few hours. By the end of the day I still had not heard back from the Sheriffs department and I became more concerned. I contacted the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club through email and posted on the Go Smokies blog. It was only after I posted on the blog that people in NC and TN became involved and her car was eventually found at the Porter's Creek trail head."

More information will be reported as the investigation continues.

Missing hiker Jenny Bennett's car reportedly found at Porters Creek Trailhead in Great Smokies

Porters Creek Trail. (Photo from Meetup.com
Asheville Hiking Group)

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Rangers have reportedly found the car of missing hiker Jenny Bennett of Sylva, NC, who was reported missing after she failed to meet movers at her house on June 1. Her brother, Peter Bennett of Bozeman, Montana, believed that his sister had gone hiking in the Smokies on May 30 or 31 when she went missing.

GoSmokies.com blogger and avid hiker Mike Maples reported on GoSmokies that her car, possibly a red Subaru Impreza, has been found at the Porters Creek Trailhead Sunday night.

Peter Bennett reported in a blog post on GoSmokies.com that Bennett's landlord called him yesterday regarding his sister's whereabouts. "I received a call from her landlord in Sylva yesterday (Saturday, June 6) morning. The Jackson County Sheriff was there starting to do his investigation. She was supposed to meet the movers at her house in Sylva on Monday morning (June 1) to start her move north, but when the movers arrived she was not there. My sister in Massachusetts was expecting to see her on Wednesday, but Jenny did not arrive."

Bennett said he has filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the National Park Service so that he can get information and was "waiting to hear from the search party." 

Jenny Bennett is a freelance editor and avid off-trail hiker who writes the hiking blog Endless Streams and Forests, 

Here is a link to the earlier post on her brother's report of Bennett going missing. MISSING HIKER.

Porters Creeek Trail map.

Jenny Bennett, avid off-trail hiker, reported missing by brother after apparent hike over a week ago

Freelance editor and avid off-trail hiker Jenny Bennett of Sylva, NC, who writes the hiking blog Endless Streams and Forests, is missing following what relatives believe was a hike last weekend. According to a post on the Facebook group Hike the Smokies by her friend Eleanor Hail of Knoxville, Bennett has not been seen or heard from since going on the hike and no one knows what hike she took, so her whereabouts are unknown.

Jenny Bennett (Photo provided by
Joe Guenther on Hike the Smokies)

According to the post, Bennett was supposed to meet someone at her home last Monday but never showed up. Hail said authorities had been notified. Hail noted that Bennett had mentioned she would be off the internet for a while, although she posted in her blog on May 27 about being in the Balsam Mountain area hiking. She has also mentioned that she will be moving to Vermont soon.

Her hiking friends have mentioned that she is an avid off-trail hiker. Mike Maples, an avid hiker and GoSmokies blogger, wrote, "One thing for sure, she isn't lost. She is the author of "Murder at the Jump-Off." Been hiking these mountains doing the toughest of hikes. Up the Bunion, up the Jump Off, up some of the most remote sections of the Park. Hope to hear something soon."

Bennett's brother Peter Bennett of Bozeman, Montana posted the following on GoSmokies.com:

Jenny Bennett
|Photo provided
by Joe Guenther on
Hike the Smokies)

Jenny Bennett of Sylva NC is missing. Jenny is an avid off trail hiker in the Smoky Mountains. She probably went on a hike on Saturday May 30 or Sunday May 31. She was supposed to be met at her house on Monday June 1 and was not there. She has not been seen since. Because she is an off trail hiker, it is quite possible that she was somewhere in the Smokies and had an accident. If you know Jenny and have an idea where she might have gone or if you happen to see her car ( a red Subaru I think ) please contact the Jackson County NC Sheriff as soon as possible.

I am her brother Peter Bennett and I live in Bozeman Montana.

In her most recent blog post, Bennett wrote of some physical problems and depression. "In the past couple of weeks, as I have been preparing for my move to Northern Vermont, I have been fixated on getting in one last expedition—despite the bum knee, despite the fact that I’ve allowed myself to get somewhat out of shape. I hope this doesn’t sound too personal: I absolutely believe it is the right thing to do to move to New England, mainly because I can be of assistance to my sister. At the same time, I have struggled with my loss of the Smokies. I have been dealing with depression, and have not kept up my regular exercise routine as well as I could," Bennett wrote.

Jenny Bennett (Photo by Dave Landreth)

Her hiking friends are spreading the word far and wide in hopes of getting some word on their friend and have expressed their concern that she could be injured on or off a Smokies trail.

Photo of Jenny Bennett from her blog.

The car she would have been driving, according to friends, was a red Subaru Impreza four-door like this, although some have identified her car as a Toyota Echo.

Calls to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Jackson County NC Sheriff's Department have yielded no new information as to Bennett's whereabouts or any information about her status as a missing person. If you have any information about Jenny Bennett, you may call the Jackson County NC Sheriff's Department at 828-586-8901.

Bear drags 16-year-old sleeping backpacker out of hammock, Park closes trails and campsites

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials have closed several trails and backcountry campsites in the Hazel Creek section of the park due to a bear incident occurring at approximately 10:30 p.m. on June 6. A 16-year old male from Ohio was pulled from his hammock by a bear and injured at backcountry campsite 84 which is 4.5 miles from the Fontana Lake shoreline near Hazel Creek in NC. The father was able to drive the bear off from the area.

Immediately following the incident, the young man and his father hiked to the lakeshore where they were transported across the lake to Cable Cove boat dock by campers at backcountry campsite 86 who had a boat. Graham County Rescue EMS transported them to a landing zone where the injured party was flown by Mountain Area Medical Airlift (MAMA) to Mission Hospital in Asheville, NC at approximately 3:00 a.m. this morning.

The young man received multiple injuries including lacerations to the head. He remained conscious throughout the incident and is in stable condition at this time.

Park rangers and wildlife biologists are responding to the backcountry campsite area to investigate the scene and to clear the area of other campers. Hazel Creek Trail, Jenkins Ridge Trail, Bone Valley Trail, Cold Spring Gap Trail and backcountry campsites 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, and 88 are closed until further notice. Derrick Knob shelter along the Appalachian Trail has also been closed to camping until officials can determine whether recent bear activity at the shelter may also be related to the same bear.

“While incidents with bears are rare, we ask park visitors to take necessary precautions while hiking in bear country and comply with all backcountry closures,” said Superintendent Cassius Cash. “The safety of our visitors is our number one priority.”

The father and son were on a multi-day backpacking trip in the Smokies. Both campers were sleeping in hammocks approximately 10 feet apart and had all equipment, food, and packs properly stored on aerial food storage cables.

For more information on what to do if you encounter a bear while hiking, please visit the park website athttp://www.nps.gov/grsm/naturescience/black-bears.htm. To report a bear incident, please call 865-436-1230.