A spirit of adventure and a passion for the outdoors are what led Marcus and Jill Thompson to move to the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. This page, Along with our YouTube channel and blog, chronicle our life in the mountains and journey to write our own story and to live life on our own terms. Our History
We were drawn together as a couple for many reasons but what has kept us together
for so long is our interests and our love for the outdoors. Miles of deep forest, ponds and brooks were our playground. We traveled by foot and bike for miles and often times only returned home for a meal—especially during the summer. Without the aid of cell phones and GPS systems, we navigated through the woods by developing a sense of direction. We understood what to avoid; quickly learned that shiny leaves of three were trouble and that foxes, skunks, and raccoons are wild animals best observed from a distance. Our enthusiasm for the outdoors led us to develop other interests like learning to canoe and kayak, camping in the wilderness, trail running, cross-country skiing, snorkeling, and understanding wildlife. We were stronger, faster and healthier because of these activities and we developed an appreciation for our natural world. Both of us embraced the technology revolution during our careers understanding that there are strong benefits to being technically adept and that the internet is a tremendous resource. These changes improved the speed and accuracy of our work and have increased our ability to network. However, we soon realized that we were not content to sit all day long under artificial light with limited personal contact. Though there are tremendous benefits to technology, many recent studies have shown that people become restless and experience stress related health problems when they are isolated from nature and the outdoors. There’s so much to learn about our world that we welcome you to join us for a walk through the woods—wherever it may lead. Our Experience
Marcus has an accredited degree in chemistry with coursework in advanced environmental chemistry. He spent much of his earlier career working in an alternative energy research facility. In addition, he worked with many environmental testing companies in the US and abroad offering scientific support in the analysis of heavy metals and other pollutants. Throughout his career, he has been a proponent of corporate responsibility in the safe handling, storage and disposal of hazardous chemicals and environmental health and safety. For a good part of Jillian's career, she has supported non-profit organizations in their mission to educate the public about their programs. With a degree in English and a writing concentration, her career has always had a strong communications focus. Her early career included developing and offering training programs at the University of Hartford. Her strong aptitude for marketing and ability to write persuasively, led to other roles at the University in public relations, events management and communications. Jill has managed a corporate giving grants program including events management for a Fortune 500 company, and has additional experience teaching environmental education programs to adults and children.
