She was found sitting in Porter’s Creek, off-trail in the Greenbrier area off the park. While hypothermia is the official cause of death, the autopsy showed a toxic level of diphenhydramine — a compound found in sleeping pills — which was “a significant contributing factor in her death and points towards an intentional overdose,” according to a press release from the park. 

“This is another very sad day for Jenny’s friends, family, and for the SMHC,” says a post on the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club’s Facebook page published after the report’s release. “At least we know now a little more of what happened,” the post continues. “We are relieved that the wait for the report is finally over.”

Bennett, 62, was an active and respected member of the club, well-known for her blog, www.streamsandforests.wordpress.com. She had also authored two books set in the Smokies, the most recent of which was titled The Twelve Springs of LeConte. 

Bennett had been on the verge of a move to Vermont to live closer to her sister, her apartment all packed up and ready to go, when she left to do one last hike at Porter’s Creek, a favorite place of hers and the setting of her novel, Murder at the Jumpoff. It was also the site of a memorial service for a close friend of hers held in the early part of the year. She was reported missing about a week later, when her landlord realized she had never moved out as planned. 

Her friends and family remember an adventurous, optimistic, one-of-a-kind person who is — and will continue to be  — heartily missed.

— By Holly Kays, staff writer