The Trail of Tears

The Eastern Cherokee Reservation is a bona fide Native American reservation. It was mostly Cherokee that were forced out of their homes and the forced migration known as the Trail of Tears. We asked our guide if there would be any issues with us taking a little detour onto the reservation, telling him I was beyond interested in paying it a visit. He told me that reservations are private land, just like anything else, and if we were caught trespassing then we would be arrested by tribal police. But he also explained that if we were respectful and maybe even called ahead, we might be able to get ourselves an informal pass to hike through the reservation and maybe even spend the night there. An officer Toy