02/02/2023
Smoke; In My Eyes
Written by Josh Hill
I've been meaning to write some words for Smokey for some time now. After the past few days, I decided it was time. What could I say about this man that hasn’t already been said by so many fine people saying so many fine things. I will say this about the man though; Smokey was farmer. Not in the traditional sense but from the mud he made adventure. He cultivated that piece of land and grew relationships and tribes. We all reaped the rewards of the harvest. So instead of reminding you all of the many, many, reasons Smokey was the most interesting man in the world. I'd like to share all I have to offer......my perspective.
The land at the time was known as Caver Haven. If you were a caver, you could just go there. No fee. No notice. Just come. I was introduced to this property at the age of 15, in the year 1995, by my cousin Waylon Power . Son of the absolute legend that is Sam Power but I digress. I was a troubled kid going down a rough road. One day my Waylon took me caving. I had practiced all my rope work and knots. Could changeover and rappel with ease. I was ready for my very first cave, we went to Ellisons. I came face to face with Fantastic Pit. I screamed into the void. Afterwards, we came down from the mountain to this unfamiliar place. A dark road that winded on for what seemed like forever. We arrived at this little pond with sink, firepit and a stack of wood. You could use the wood, replenish before leaving. I slept that satisfied deep sleep and after having been presented with the fork in the road I so needed. It led to Walnut Row. I awoke to the most beautiful site, one we all know, the pond, all misty and beautiful. The dawn choruses. The fresh air. I was enthralled and wanted to explore but it was Sunday we had to head home. After all this I would return to High school where I was just that weird kid that few liked. I liked even less than that. I had a secret though. I was now a caver and I couldn’t wait to get back to my new home away from home. I returned many times in the next months and I had yet to meet this mysterious landowner only known by one-word.... Smokey.
One day Waylon, a phrase that has started many an adventure, asked if I wanted to walk up to Smokies. Gulp, yes please! He and I walked up what would become that old familiar road but at the time and unknown path leading to a legends house. I stood on his porch for a few minutes just taking it in. The bats. The signs. All the knickknack's and all those Swallow nests. It was all just so cool. That old screen door opens and out walks the man. The hat. The beer. The six shooter on his hip. That friendly, never meet a stranger, gift of gab having, beautiful man that was Smokey. I knew from that moment I wanted to emulate this man and at the time that meant two things: Corn Whiskey and Vertical Caving.
A little while later I found my hometown peoples and we all started caving. By the way, we call it caving. Smokey always said “cavers rescue spelunkers”. We would all spend so much time underground or bouncing pits. Come back all beat, bruised and muddy. Usually, right at sunrise and wash our gear off in the pond. Go for a swim and enjoy the land till dark and underground again. I think Smoke liked our vibe. We were wild like him. So, he would visit. Eventually, he would adopt us and we loved him for it. We felt like his kids. Smokeys wild ass kids.
Those wild ass kids. Really there is no way I can shout to all of them. It's just too many and too many stories. By now many of yall have met Paulding County Heads. Were a special breed. We are the product of a crazy town and just feral life at Smokeys. We had so much fun. We traveled in great numbers; given a huge space to just exist freely and do what we wanted. Smoke knew the importance of that basic human need. The freedom to roam. We did all the things young kids did, from chasing love to chasing altered states of mind. (Much to my chagrin I was far better at catching a buzz) We would swim day and night, jump of the docks, ride the trails. Jared Womack a would load us all up in the Bronco and we’d ride the trails. Hotboxing and listening to music. Watching Ian and him become some of the finest musicians I have ever known. Smokeys Angels, Tiffany Erickson , Courtney, Amy Barraclough Cooper and Jeanine., all crewed up rolling around with the man on his golf cart. He loved yall so much. All the shenanigans with Johnny Ashley Hughes , David McGuire Wayne Blond , Maria Lucia Londoño a, Justin Roberts , Heather Baxter and so many more. Love ya Hooper. Every now and then Smokey would come down see a bunch of saucer eyed kids, laugh and leave us to it. Often, he would give us advice on how to be wild safely or properly rig whatever crazy idea I had. Ziplines and swings and such. All the years later when we would talk, he would just chuckle and talk about the time Austin Reppin n, John Blond and I took our skateboard with oversized wheels on it, tied it to my Jeep with a ski rope and away we went. Ride that field all day long. High speed, dangerous AF. One day Smoke come down and with a grin, hands me a hang glider, knowing my ass is gonna tie it to my Jeep. So, there I was, holding a ski rope, behind a Jeep. “Hey Smoke” I asked. “Is this gonna work? He just shrugged and said “Hell, I don’t know. It, in fact, didn’t work. It did that kite twerk thing and I crashed and smashed the glider. We all laughed. I could go on with stories like this till my fingers fell off and I'm lucky for it. I wish I could remember them all and tell them all. It was an honor my friends. I love you all. I'm afraid I got ahead of myself and now I must jump back a bit. All this beauty as our future but in our present time, 1997, it was about to get interesting. A festival was brewing.
In 1994 Smokey hosted SERA, a spelunker party. They built the bridge at the entrance that we all drove over for years. Thanks guys. Spelunkers are notoriously uptight. Like what do ya mean beer and extreme sports don’t mix? Safety meetings aren't safe? What? Matt Crawford can attest. We did TAG together a few times. They didn’t know what to do with Paulding County and our mystery, pressy, mushroom juice, love in a jug. Smokey already knew this and him and some friends started Cavestock. It immediately caught flack. The spelunkers said “Another event in the region would negatively impact the caves”. Smokey in response made a rule. No caving at the event; instead, we are gonna go pick a trashed cave or road to one and clean it up. We proceeded to fill many dumpsters for many years. Kegs and rock n roll bands. Absolutely massive bonfire. Some of the biggest I've seen to date. It was a hootin hollerin good time. We even had an area for “The Noisemakers”. Although, our cackling, trickster asses often went rogue. Ah yes this brings me to the noisemakers.
Calcium Carbide. If you ever heard the call of “fire in the whole” in the distance, (Hopefully in the distance) followed by the deep rumble and the feeling of the percussive wave against your chest, you know what I'm talking about. You know the one. The most wake you up, stop the party, wreck the convo, p**s off every hippy, give dogs PawTSD sound ya ever heard. Smokey could really let them rip. He loved them. He taught me the mix. I made a lot of them over the years. I wager I got your ass once or twice, reader. I was, always, tickled to death when he would bring me the ingredients to make one. I could really let them rip. After, he would say slyly and with a twinkle” Well, it didn’t suck”. I always knew what he meant and always felt he was proud of me. Good stuff.
Lots and lots of fires. Massive fires, little fires. Winter nights beside them. DW massive burns. Chaotic gnarls of wood in a hellscape that is a “burn it all bonfire "and slick geometric, artistic ones. We built them all. All you fire builders should be proud. Thank you for the heat
The Locals: Camille Pryor , Joshua Dodson , Lindsay Rose . I always had so much fun running into yall in those days. All the good times throughout the years to come. Love yall. It was just really amazing what we all got to share.
Big Breath....Ok.... ZOOKS. I love this man. Hes my buddy. I've put my life in his hands many times. I would do it again. Throughout the years we have done so much, just so much I can't even begin to convey, likely forgot half of it anyways. We were caving buddies. We spent hours underground. Him and I just dangling on one rope, little lights in the darkness, in the middle of a pit. Beside some raging waterfall, drinking a beer and smoking a doobie. It was heaven to me. The countless hours spent at your place playing chess, drinking coffee. Talking about absolutely everything and anything. Oh the whiskey and fires buddy. I love you dearly my friend. You did a wonderful job as caretaker and steward of the land. You were a catalyst of so much change that molded the property into what it became. I don’t think people realize the impact you had. Thank you, Zooks.
Don Wright. Fire builder. Climber. Wild ass. He was kind and generous. Hospitable and easy to talk to. I'll never forget his voice and his call of “fire in the hole”. I first met him he was shooting green Coleman tanks with a shotgun and drinking moonshine. We became fast friends. We did that a few more times throughout. We would go on to hang a lot of tarps together. I love you dearly D.W. Thanks for the good times and all the batteries. Speaking of tarps and the “other” event. The Phamily Reunion.
The Pandas. I had had my life changed a few years prior by the band PHISH and I wanted to give this hippy party my uncle went to a try. Uncle Sam had helped to introduce this group to the land and he helped me in happily. We had many sweet moments together. Thanks for all you did for me. Labor Day came and I went to a party in the pines and my life was forever changed. I had found my tribe. I felt seen for the first time. I wasn’t a weirdo or more like it was celebrated. My skills were appreciated. I was welcomed home. Once again, I can't even explain what it all meant to me. The sheer magic that is Ralph Roddenbery on a Saturday night, dancing with all of you. Bill Liggin Drum circles. Theme camps! Sweet Patch. All the shenanigans with countless folks. Leland F Myrtlegate , Linda, Aumdoc Clofine Mark Perrone Carol Leavitt Perrone, Fiddlin Faye Tovah Jacobson Shaina Reeves , Nir Abutbol , Scotty Leblanc Emerald Dove , Dave Aitken , one who would become a dear friend.. Holly Hamel .Helme and Mettie and all of Camp mediocre. So many more I can't tag you all. Forgive me if I left ya off. I love you all dearly. Although, I loved playing with yall at the farm more than anything; I'm glad to know we will gather again.
Earthskills Rendezvous: A Primitive Living Gathering had found a home at the farm. I as usual was camping out on the land. I was chilling on the porch one day and Smokey told me I could attend if I helped him out in the background. This bunch was great. It was humble, sweet and thoughtful. So much knowledge and reverence for the earth. It was also a hootin and hollerin, moonshine drinking, drumming, primal dancing good time. I had found another tribe. Akin to the Pandas but a little different flavor. Ironically, after all these years they ended up here at the very place I ended up. I've enjoyed them a lot and loved watching its evolution. Thanks for what yall did at Smokes. Love yall
I was a couple weeks in on a campout. Chilling in my tipi right beside the pond. Smokey had informed of a new group coming around. Roots Festival. Folks out of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Being unfamiliar with anything or anyone Chattanooga, I was excited to see what was coming. Little did I know I would find yet another tribe. These were some of my all-time favorite events that went on at the farm. Immediately what struck out was the quality of music. The Reggae and Ska vibes of Milele Roots. Jon Wimpee in anything really. He is one of those musicians that just plays with everyone and it was a pleasure to watch. Equally a pleasure to hang. Becky Ribeiro , you always had my full attention. You playing trumpet, singing and making Reggae and Ska music was so much fun. That Digital Butter was just fire. Eroc Russell Ares Davis .. Microdahts was just goodstuff. I had so much fun and would always get super excited when yall stepped to the stage. Backed with just the sickest drum beats in the S.E. by the lovely human Hunter White. You were an amazing human. Glad to know ya for just a small moment. All the hangs. Bonnie Hedgcroff and sweet Bart. Julia Marie and all the good vibe, good times and web hangs. The Craig Steele Carrie Franziska Steele s. Late at night this whole tribe would gather and set up two buckets opposite each other about 20 ft apart. A length of rope double that distance lay in between. The object try and pull your opponent off there bucket. Sounds easy? Think again. There is a ton of nuance and is absolutely a blast to play. All the while you have a live band cranking out the best game show music. When the inevitable fall came you were greeted by the mocking sound of wah wah by the trumpet. Hilarious. Radley Fricker you saved my bottle of liquor. Ada DiGiacco , I save you for last. I love you so much. Thank you. I had so much fun. Everyone had so much fun. One of my favorite memories is all of us out on that floating dock. Drinking tequila shots all day long and just existing. Talking s**t to all the people that wouldn’t swim out and take a shot. Thank you, Ada. Thank you Chatty. So much love.... Oh, and that one time my drunk ass got so excited, and likely egged on by a bunch of Red Bank folk, that I the Saturday bonfire on Friday. Whoops.
The circus came to town. AS per usual I was sitting on Smoke porch; looking out on a whole lot of hustle and bustle. Looked like my kind of people. I was immediately curious. “Who is that? I asked. Burners he replied. Burners? Alchemy: the Georgia Burn Ok? I went down and visited, explored this alien world like it was an episode of star trek. They have very weird practices here, checks gauges, but the atmosphere seems perfect. It would be a few years later before I officially attended. I won't go to much about burns or what goes on but I describe it as a counterculture circus; where you are made to feel very welcome. I found yet another tribe. I can confidently say that that event helped me become the artist I am today. All the grants and support. Yall were a beautiful addition to the land. Thank you.
Honorable mention. My dog Jett. She was there throughout most of these adventures. 18 yrs of it to be exact. She was raised there and had such a fun life. All the fetch and swimming. Launching off the dock and just being awesome. I love you sweet pup. You were the best. Sit. Stay. Good girl.
Well, here we are at the end. All things end. It’s the hard, inevitable, truth of life. I am so lucky to have spent 28 years of my life coming to this place. (28 is my lucky number. My Saturn returned on the property. The new way opens). There is no way I could ever mention everyone; nor describe the depth of love I have for this place and that man. I was molded by this place. My blood, sweat and tears are everywhere in that soil, forever. My point in all of this is that all of this is just my story, only a glimpse of it. There are thousands of people and thousands of stories of moments. Smokey spread love, community and connection throughout the South. I dare say the collective hole left in all of our hearts has got to be the biggest cave system ever. Smokeys grotto. You see him? Just dangling on a rope; way down in that hole.
Good bye Ropewalker. You saved many lives. You meant so much to me. My ally,My mentor, My Grandpa, My Dad, My Hero, My Friend. Thank you, Smokey. From the bottom of my heart, as deep as that fantastic Pigeon Mountain pit, Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
I've spent the last year dealing with the loss of someone really special and couldn’t find the words to say for this loss. In fact, I've been just watching, quietly, in abject horror at what unfolded. Im wounded very deeply. If you see me hug me. I really need it. Thanks for reading all of this. You are the true hero. I love you all.
A most honorable mention to Cathy Hopper . You are a hero in my eyes. The way you stepped up and went o bat for the land is nothing short of heroic. Thank you so much. I know it's hard. You did a wonderful job as webhost, badass and awesome friend to Smokey. Thank you.
