NPT001: Inspired by Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 1997. I made what felt like a breakthrough observation a few days ago that one of the earliest songs that I ever wrote and recorded was actually inspired by a National Park and should be included in this project. I wrote “Into the Wild” at a time when I was frequently camping and backpacking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The title was definitely influenced by the 1996 book by Jon Krakauer, which I had read around the same time but part of why I found the book fascinating was that it hinted at the allure of the outdoors that drove me to want to visit the first park that I became familiar with as an adult. Continue reading “Into the Wild”