About the Author

Joe Cuhaj at the summit of Smith Mountain (Hike 23).

Joe Cuhaj grew up in Mahwah, New Jersey, near Harriman / Bear Mountain State Parks. It is here, near where the first sections of the Appalachian Trail were built, that his love of hiking and the outdoors began. After high school Joe enlisted in the US Navy, where he met his wife, Maggie. The two moved to her hometown, Mobile, Alabama, and now live on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay in Daphne.

Joe spent many years in radio broadcasting before changing careers, becoming a software programmer for a local company where he still works by day. By night Joe is an author and freelance writer, having penned three other books, Paddling Alabama (FalconGuides), Baseball in Mobile, and Best Tent Camping: Alabama. He has also written many articles for magazines and online publications on a wide variety of topics ranging from the environment to political issues to the media.

The forest is lush and green along the TVA Nature Trail.