Dr. Jay Desvaux loves what he does — at work and play.
When he's not drilling, filling, bonding and whitening teeth, the Knoxville dentist often escapes to the mountains to brighten his day with hiking.
He's close to completing all 900 miles of the official trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, both in Tennessee and North Carolina. Even more impressive: This is his second go-round.
Desvaux became a proud member of the Great Smoky Mountains 900 Miler Club in June 2011. About 200 trekkers had achieved bragging rights before him. He celebrated over a bottle of champagne with two of his hiking buddies.
'Once you finish, the only thing you have to do is start again,' reasons Desvaux.
So here he is again, heading to the hills every month to work on his mileage. In between jaunts to the Smokies, the 63-year-old husband and father of two stays in shape walking, biking, and working out with machines and weights at the gym.
'You get compulsive about doing these trails; that's all you think about,' Desvaux admits. To that end, he knows rabid hikers who are steamrolling through their sixth round. 'I decided to slam on the brakes and not be in a hurry. Because I'd just have to do it again!'
The scenery, solitude and serenity provide their own reward. Desvaux, who often hikes with a friend or two, including Ralph Herbert, Bob Hawthorne and Dave Annand, especially enjoys camping and fishing.
'I'll go in and do a two-night backpacking trip and knock down 40 miles in a weekend.'
As if the hiking isn't challenging enough, many trails are hard to reach. Sometimes Desvaux has to walk 10 miles just to get to the specific part of a trail he needs to hike to mark it off on his map.
Some trails are prettier than others, but they all provide an outing and a sense of purpose. His favorites include Baxter Creek with its historic fire tower, Gregory Ridge ablaze with azaleas, Deep Creek tucked in a hardwood forest, and Hazel Creek with its historic house and beautiful cascades.
According to Elizabeth Etnier, author of 'Day Hiker's Guide to All the Trails in the Smoky Mountains,' there are 158 maintained trails in the Smokies. Her book efficiently lays them out in 76 easy-to-follow day hikes, ranging from a few miles to more than 20.
Trail maps are available at the Smoky Mountains Visitor Center for $1. The map lists trail names and distances between trail intersections, and also provides valuable safety tips.
Desvaux advises others who may want to take on the 900-mile challenge to obtain a copy of the map and start slowly. 'Pick out trailheads and start doing small hikes, then you evolve into more. When I started, I used to think a 5-mile backpack was horrendous. Now it's nothing to do 10 to 15 miles with a 45-pound pack on your back. The more you hike on some of these trails, it's interesting how your perspective changes.'
He also suggests joining a hiking club, which provides hikes of various lengths and people going at different paces.
For more information about the 900 Miler Club, visit the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club webpage http://900miler.smhclub.org. As of June 17, there were 468 members of the 900 Miler Club, founded in 1995 by 'Louisiana' Lou Murray.
[Published in the Knoxville News Sentinel, June 29, 2016]