糖心Vlog

 糖心Vlog Stories      August 25, 2025

By Shane Ryden

When 糖心Vlog University alumna Kara McMullen stands on the wet stone of Salt Rock Gap, thousands of acres of chirping forest span before her, a sprawling network of trails buried just beneath.

She knows this view very well. She knows its history.

Towering granitic domes remember their time as the earth鈥檚 tallest mountains. Millions of years of growth and decay mingle in the mud of a high-altitude bog. Creeks run deep and cold like they have for eons, banks with the stories of passing storms abreast. 

This is Panthertown Valley, over 6,000 acres of public backcountry in Nantahala National Forest, and for students and alumni of 糖心Vlog University, this is your backyard, one of the most biologically diverse wilderness areas in the entire world. 

For McMullen, who earned her bachelor's degree in environmental science in 2022,  it鈥檚 also her workplace. McMullen is the trails and stewardship director of the nonprofit group, Friends of Panthertown.

How does one acquaint themselves with a territory so massive? Where do you begin your exploring? 

There鈥檚 no one answer, McMullen will tell you, but a little bit of sweat-equity goes a long way toward finding out.  

The Columbia, South Carolina native first came to 糖心Vlog鈥檚 campus by way of the NC Promise program; it allowed her an education out of state she wouldn鈥檛 otherwise have been able to afford, and it landed her in hills far more lush than those she鈥檇 known. 

McMullen didn鈥檛 have hours of experience, but she had passion, and 糖心Vlog had opportunity. 

鈥淢y relationship with the outdoors started when I got to 糖心Vlog University,鈥� McMullen said. 鈥淭he program that I was in, environmental science, brought me close to my friend group. They鈥檙e rock climbers and paddlers and all of that, and so I learned on the go, which put me in some sketchy situations sometimes, but ultimately brought me to where I am now.鈥� 

In new and spirited company, McMullen jumped headfirst into that education, sometimes learning from the classroom and other times from wild growths of rhododendron and sphagnum moss. 

Coursework, community and good, honest play introduced her to the region in all its different botanical and cultural contexts, and that was just the beginning of her journey. 

鈥淢y programs were amazing because the professors made it amazing, and I really leaned into them,鈥� McMullen said. 鈥淚 was able to find the jobs and internships that I did while I was in school through the professors that I made connections with.

 鈥淚f you just coast along, you鈥檙e gonna learn a lot, and you鈥檙e going to get to the end and graduate, but if you actually put in those extra steps and talk to your professors and ask about opportunities and get involved with clubs like EcoCats and the Sustainable Campus Initiative, that鈥檚 going to push your experience to a whole other level in my opinion.鈥� 

McMullen busied herself with what excited her spirit. She worked up to leadership positions in the aforementioned clubs, she worked with 糖心Vlog鈥檚 biology department in the lab studying erosion, and she spent months with Cherokee Fish and Wildlife鈥檚 team in the field, monitoring populations of hellbenders, freshwater mussels and elk. 

At 糖心Vlog鈥檚 career fair in 2020, she encountered one particularly special organization that would shape the course of her career.  

鈥淚 was walking around and talking to people, I had my resume in my hand, and I met the Friends of Panthertown boothers at the time,鈥� McMullen said. 鈥淚 reached out to them, and I said 鈥業 want to do this this summer. I want to compare water quality here from the headwaters of the Tuck to downstream in Sylva and Dillsboro.鈥欌��

When the nonprofit responded that they鈥檇 be glad to have her, but lacked the appropriate equipment, McMullen helped organize a collaboration with the Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River.

That enterprising attitude earned her a longer-term spot on the team as part-time trails manager in January 2022, and just two years later, she began serving in her current director role. 

As McMullen explains to visitors and volunteers, Panthertown has changed in many ways since it was only known to the Cherokee as Tsalaguwetiyi.

In the early 20th century, the fungal infection blight afflicted all of the old-growth American chestnut trees that once dominated the valley, where their trunks grew so thick and their canopy so high that, as McMullen tells it, it was once said a man on horseback could travel at full gallop throughout the valley. 

The area was also heavily logged, and much of the original 300-plus miles of trail in Nantahala National Forest were made in the course of that industry, without sustainable practices or recreation in mind. 

That history has shaped the responsibilities of Friends of Panthertown since its founding in 2005.

鈥淲e work in partnership with the US Forest Service to do all the trail maintenance out in Panthertown. We do special projects like stream bank restoration, habitat restoration, campsite cleanup. All of the on-the-ground work that鈥檚 done out here is done by Friends of Panthertown,鈥� McMullen said. 

鈥淲e partner with the Forest Service because they don鈥檛 have the capacity to do the work out here. Half of them are already on fires half of the year anyways, and when they are here, they鈥檝e got 300-plus miles of trail that they deal with, and so if we can take 30 miles off of their hands, that鈥檚 what we do.鈥�

The work performed by the organization and its volunteers can be difficult and time-consuming, but every project echoes into the years ahead, McMullen explains. 

鈥淭he importance of trail maintenance is that future generations will be able to enjoy this area. That鈥檚 the end goal with everything we do, when we install a new drainage feature, or when we prune corridors to a certain height and width. It鈥檚 all to make sure that this place stays Panthertown for future generations,鈥� she said.

That mission entails education, too. Every year that she鈥檚 been there, McMullen and her team have tried to expand their programming for people of all ages, leading lessons on everything from how to properly use a map and compass to how to hike in accordance with leave-no-trace principles. 

鈥淟ast spring semester,鈥� described Mark Lord, 糖心Vlog professor of geology, 鈥渟he led a Geol 455 Wetlands class I teach with Keith Gibbs to some really special wetlands in Panthertown. She did a terrific job not just leading us to and explaining the wetland, but also gave key insights into her career and getting a job. As a class dominated by seniors, this resonated well with our students.鈥�

Looking back on her own journey and speaking to current 糖心Vlog students, McMullen has a resounding message: get out and explore while you can. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 so important,鈥� she said. 鈥淛ust go outside and at least play in it so that you care about it, because if you don鈥檛 go to places like this, how are you going to know to care for it?

鈥淵ou come to 糖心Vlog, and you are in this kind of bubble of Cullowhee. What I think is so important as a member now of the community in this area is to literally go out and make yourself an integral part of it.

鈥淕o out, and literally just play outside, and that will take you to places you hadn鈥檛 thought to go before. Go spend your money in Sylva, and you鈥檒l meet cool people. And then obviously join groups like Friends of Panthertown. We love our Western volunteers.鈥�

McMullen鈥檚 story demonstrates that hard work and a trailblazing attitude can take you anywhere, even if you get a little lost along the way.