bearded man arrives at great smoky mountains National Park

After leaving Mammoth Cave on Sunday, The Bearded Man made the 4 hour drive SE to Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  On his way down he stopped in the town of Eighty Eight, Kentucky.  Famous for one day each 100 years (8.8.88), the town's entire population of 87 turned out to greet The Bearded Man.  He was presented with a key to the city, several 8-track tapes and a case of Ale 8. 

The Bearded Man will be staying at the LeConte Lodge, which sits atop Mt. LeConte, the park's third highest peak, at an elevation of 6,593 feet.  The lodge is only accessible by foot, requiring a 5 to 8 mile hike, depending on the route.  The Bearded Man has hired two displaced Sherpas to assist him in bringing his gear from the VW bus to the lodge. 

During The Bearded Man's two day visit, his planned activities include trout fishing a portion of the 2,900 miles of streams that protect one of the last wild trout habitats in the eastern United States.  He has also been asked to host the Tuesday night hayride through Cades Cove, an honor previously only given to park alumni Smokey and Yogi Bear.

On the road to Mammoth Cave NP with the bearded man

The VW van is gassed up and The Bearded Man is four hours into his eight hour drive from Shenandoah NP in Virginia, to Mammoth Cave NP, Kentucky - Where horses, bourbon and basketball form a three-headed king.  Kentucky is also home to over two million people with two first names.     

The first human entered Mammoth Cave about 4,000 years ago (this according to William Shatner who actually witnessed the event).  Since then millions of visitors have been humbled by the strange beauty of Cathedral Domes, Cedar Sink and the majestic uncut forests of Big Woods. The Bearded Man - a wildlife enthusiast and generous man - has been informed that the park is home to several flying squirrels.  He will be stopping in Lexington, Kentucky to purchase 12 pair of tiny goggles as a gesture of friendship.     

Bearded Man Heading to Virginia's Shenandoah National Park

After two days in Ohio's Cuyahoga Valley, The Bearded Man hit the road for his 325 mile drive SE to Shenandoah Valley NP in wonderful West Virginia.  He has a spot reserved in Loft Mountain campground atop Big Flat Mountain, where he can park the VW bus, relax and enjoy the beautiful views.  Early Monday, The Bearded man will hit the trails in search of the waterfalls of Big Run Wilderness.  

So far The Bearded Man has received requests from several forest creatures to have their photo taken with him. Among them - Richard the bobcat (leader of the widely feared bobcat gang), Manny the mole (who actually has a mole) and Thin Lips the coyote (no idea where he acquired the name).  Bobby the big brown bat sent his regrets - he claims to have bitten someone from Cleveland last month and has been feeling nauseous ever since.  Get well soon Bobby.

The Bearded Man Visits Cuyahoga Valley - Our Newest National Park

After a 924 mile drive from Acadia (14 hours and 23 minutes with only three pee stops), The Bearded Man arrived at Cuyahoga Valley, Ohio's only National Park and our newest (designated as NP in 2000).  The area from Sandusky Bay to Cleveland is described by Native Americans as "Kahyonhá:ke," which means "on the river" or "at the river" in Mohawk.  The Bearded Man was greeted by several park rangers,  a pied-billed grebe and a small family of skunks seeking autographs. 

Please Note:  The Bearded Man is not a fan of Buckeye football and would like to take this opportunity to apologize in advance for their upcoming dismal season this fall.  

The Bearded Man In Acadia National Park

The Bearded Man arrived at Acadia National Park in Maine today, the first stop on his summer tour of all 58 National Parks.  Your summer challenge is to spot The Bearded Man – at Acadia or wherever he may be - take his photo and DM us on Twitter or Instagram @TheMountCo or email us at Braden@TheMountCo.com.  All photos will be published on TheMountCo.com and at the end of his tour, one lucky photographer will win $200 of MountCo gear, a case of moon pies and an original hubcap from The Bearded Man’s VW bus.  So hop to it – chop, chop – get a shot of The Bearded Man and win.  Immortality – and moon pies – await!

The Bearded Man to Visit all 58 National Parks

In honor of The National Park Service turning 100, The Bearded Man has announced he will visit all 58 National Parks before August 25, 2016, the official birthday.  In a statement issued by his publicist, Uncle Tony, The Bearded Man proclaimed, "I just put fresh oil in the van".  Uncle Tony went on to say that The Bearded Man's first stop will be Acadia National Park in Maine, on Monday, May 30th.  He also called shotgun for the entire trip.  

The Second Most Interesting Man in the World

The Bearded Man was recently named The Second Most Interesting Man in the World, behind the spokesman for Dos Equis beer (stay thirsty my friends).  Third place finisher Donald Trump has asked for a recount.  "I finished behind some moon pie from Alabama and a foreigner?" Informed that The Bearded Man is actually from Mississippi, Mr. Trump commented, "Mississippi's a state?"    

The Bearded Man Releases His New Summer Vibe T’s. Fans Rejoice.

The Bearded Man resurfaces for the summer! Fresh off a third place finish at the International Moon Pie Contest in Clayhatchee, Alabama, The Bearded Man is pleased to introduce the new summer line of MountCo T's.  In the honor of his third place finish – in a contest with three contestants – Mr. Bearded Man insisted on calling the new line ‘The Moon Pie Victory T's”.  This was actually a better suggestion than his original idea of “Help Me Feed My Catfish T's”.  To settle the matter, we negotiated a compromise and are now calling it the “Summer Vibe T” (here we are required by contract to state that we love The Bearded Man). Naming rights aside, we hope you enjoy the new Bearded Man line of summer T's.