I just read some very distressing news.
Jenny Bennett — off-trail explorer, Boer War and Rhodesia historian, has died. According to a post from her brother on her two blogs, “She was following her passion, hiking in the Smoky Mountains, and evidently she had an accident. She was located in one of her favorite hiking areas, Porter’s Creek / Lester Prong.”
I have corresponded with Jenny over the past year or so. She did outstanding work in areas that we shared an interest in, and I had tremendous respect for her.
She left behind some excellent pieces on the Anglo-Boer War, particularly dealing with the adventures of Deneys Reitz, and on the taking of Rhodesia. It would be a fitting tribute to her to keep that work alive and I encourage readers to explore her blogs and enjoy what she left us.
You’ll find links to her blogs Endless Streams and Forests and 1870-1918 in The Muster.
I raise a glass to her shade.
Keith West says
I hate to hear this. Please accept my condolences.
Paul McNamee says
Tragic. Sad for your and her family’s loss.
Lane Batot says
Gosh. I wonder what happened–that used to be my old stompin’ grounds–though I avoided the Park proper, roaming isolated National Forest areas with my canine pack where NO ONE(human) ever, or rarely went. A LOT of accidents seem to happen in the Smokies–I have a book by a ranger there on just that subject–enough for a BOOK! But I guess that’s probably true for all popularly utilized Parks…..
JimC says
Don’t know details. It’s rugged country and Jenny was an off-trail hiker. I suspect it may have been a fall. It’s a big risk.
Pat H says
It is a tragic loss indeed. I very much enjoyed her blogs and was saddened to read the news of her passing.