Sanctuary: Meditations From The Great Smoky Mountains National Park

by J. Greg Johnson

In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Greg Johnson takes readers to the high points of the Smokies - from Mt. Cammerer to Mt. LeConte to Gregory Bald - and some of his favorite places in between. In the backcountry of America's most visited national park, Johnson once again found refuge, hope and healing. His meditations in words and photos reveal his love for the Great Smoky Mountains and the Maker of the mountains and invite readers to walk into the wild. ~ A portion of the proceeds from "Sanctuary" will be donated to the Trails Forever Endowment of Friends of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park ~

208 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 2009

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This amazing book was written by my amazing husband. Not only did he re-hike all of these trails and write his observations each time, he also took the photographs, including the beautiful cover. Greg explored the mountains with one eye on his past, telling the story of how it brought him through immense pain and heartache. I am SO proud of him.

[Greg Johnson]

I wrote "Sanctuary" to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Would love to hear your thoughts on the book, and your stories about the Great Smoky Mountains. ~ J. Greg Johnson

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

All about hiking in the Smokies with God. An enjoyable read. Almost all the places were familiar to me, so it felt like home. I liked it a lot.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sanctuary: Meditations From the Great Smoky Mountains National Park by Greg Johnson (Flat Creek Publishing 2009) (917.6889). Author Greg Johnson grew up in East Tennessee hard against the border of the Great Smokies. This is a collection of essays written as he walked selected trails on the Tennessee side of the park. Each short essay is partly trail information and partly devotional guide. The entries do not contain enough detailed information about the featured hikes to be collectively called a trail guide nor do they contain enough overt proselytizing to be deemed a book of devotions. If the reader is looking for Smokies hiking recommendations, I commend them instead to one of the guidebooks written by Ken Wise or Johnny Molloy. If the reader is truly looking for a collection of outdoor devotions-lite, this may be the book for you. My rating: 5/10, finished 6/21/16.

[Clara Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up on a recent trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and found it to be just the kind of book I need - a book where the writer takes me on walks through beautiful natural settings and stirs my thoughts toward the presence and goodness of the Creator God. I can pick this book up and read a little at a time to relax and renourish myself. I feel that the book can be a healing and helpful read on one's life journey - I know it was helpful and meaningful to me during a time of grief in my own life. I enjoyed this book so much and felt I was right there on the trail under the sheltering trees of God's forest sanctuary. I felt very refreshed through reading these short 'meditative treks'!