2010 Smoky Mountains Natural Biology Adventure

This is one of the most crazy adventures Kevin Tracy ever went on and had the least business being on. In 2010, Kevin was working feverishly to graduate college and maintain his perfect 4.0 GPA (see his college papers here). As Kevin Tracy's college career progressed, he discovered that 300-level courses were significantly easier than 100-level courses. As a result, Kevin started taking as many high level courses as possible, even when they weren't necessary.

As part of his undergraduate program, Kevin Tracy was required to take a Biology course. So, he went to his college advisor and asked if he "could take a 300 level biology course over the summer instead of Biology 101" so that he would have more advanced courses in his transcripts for when he applied to grad schools. The only 300-level Biology class available over the summer was a Natural Biology class that would require students to travel deep into the Smoky Mountains National Park for an advanced service learning project. His advisor was concerned a 300-level biology course without the prerequisites would be difficult to even get permission for, let alone pass. However, if Kevin could get permission from the professor and the head of the science department, he would be allowed to take the class.

Luckily, the head of the science department was actually the professor for the class. Even more luckily, the class was on the verge of being cancelled because there weren't enough students taking it! The professor, desperate to save the class, was thrilled to let Kevin Tracy into the course.

The trip was absolutely miserable and seriously tested his physical endurance with a 14-mile death march up a mountain (literally the entire trip was uphill), but Kevin Tracy did as he does and made the most out of the opportunity, inspiring and befriending his classmates and a partner class from the University of Georgia, rushing people to the emergency room, and still earning a A in the course!