Sad news. Smokey (Steve McElreath) passed to the beyond Thursday night. He was a good friend to hikers and a great humanitarian to all. His passing was unexpected. While he has not posted on whiteblaze for years, he was a frequent poster from 2002-2011. His posting habit has continued on facebook. He was a native of Atlanta but moved to Alaska to be close to his son and to be free in the great outdoors. He loved hiking and homesteading. He was a true environmentalist who lived his beliefs. He built a small cabin near Fairbanks, later added a greenhouse. I met him on the AT and we hiked together for awhile. He slept cowboy style on the trail, and carried a French Press and frying pan to make coffee and pancakes. He was a disciple of Edward Abbey. He lived a full life and has many friends. I will really miss him.
