Tennessee Tempest

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

I've always figured I'll die with my boots on. Honestly, I'd prefer it that way. I want the last thing I see to be something beautiful, or at least natural. In July of 2012, I very nearly met my demise floating on a kayak, barefoot and dozy on a hot summer afternoon. Not exactly what I had in mind, but we don't get to choose. On the day I will describe here, a violent, relentless storm that claimed two lives in the Great Smoky Mountains caught me off my guard and unprepared. I learned some important things that day, and picked up a terrifying yet beautiful memory that I'll carry for however much longer I've got on this planet…

Sean Sparbanie shares this story of his experience in a kayak during a thunderstorm in the Smokies, read the article below in Issue 23:

Tennessee Tempest: Surviving an Unexpected Battle

Issue 23 Page 1