We Meet Kristin and Travis at Clingman's Dome!

We drove over to Clingman's Dome today to meet Kim's daughter, Kristin and her fiance', Travis, who happened to be taking a few days holiday in Gatlinburg during spring break. We agreed to meet in the parking lot for the dome. Having to travel the longest distance, they were waiting when we got there, but soon were out of the car gazing into the trunk...where, you guessed it - the battery on the Saturn is located. Dead of course, 5 years old and having powered the radio and headlights for over a half hour (without the engine running). Oh well, a quick jump from the Dodge's heavy batteries and a charge and it's ready when we return!

So, now where were we?















Oh, yes, the hike to the top of Clingman's to enjoy those spectacular views. And as we started up the half-mile path, the stunning view back towards Fontana Lake (way in the distance) proved we had hit the mountain on one of its clearer days!
Up and up we go, but the cool weather and nice breeze make for less effort. We stop occasionally to admire the scenes to our left. Now you couldn't possibly tell these two are mother - daughter? (if not, get your eyes examined!)


Near the top we marvel at the amount of dead trees along the path, wondering what quirk of nature (or man) has caused all the destruction?



Perhaps the acid rain that the Smokies are known for???
What do you think?


We round a final bend and walah! There it is, the spaceship looking pinnacle that was erected fifty years ago on the highest point of the Appalachian Trail.
We spent about twenty minutes on the platform, enough time to enjoy the incredible views that span four states!
Our timing for the journey down was perfect, arriving back at the base just before a large neon-clad school group takes to the top!


We decided to drive back southward to the Smokey's Park entrance, where an old farm has been re-created by the Park Service as a museum of the past. The historic looking structure stood in elegant contrast to the beautiful green pasture behind. I enjoyed sitting by the freshly plowed garden, the smell of new dirt in the air!


Kristin found the likes of an old friend; Peepers - the rooster she had as a pet when she was a young girl. Great we got the chance to meet here in the mountains! Perhaps again next year?

AT Trail Days!

One of the most enjoyable parts of doing any hike on the Appalachian Trail is meeting a variety of interesting souls who are all out here with at least one thing in common...love of the trail!

Along with the hiking, the town of Damascus, VA sponsors a yearly event that brings together hundreds of hikers - especially large numbers of 'thru hikers' (hikers who hike the whole A.T. in one swoop). Vendors of specialized and lightweight hiking equipment, past hikers and writers, those just interested in the trail or hiking, and the folks who venture into this piece of American History.
Most are attracted to the numerous displays of gear, like the display of ultra lightweight tents and shelters. We spent the better part of two days wandering through the booths, watching demos, tasting meals and treats, etc.

And no festival would be complete without some good local music, and in Virginia that's bluegrass of course!



The highlight of the festival is the Hiker's Parade. It's amazing just how many folks line the main street of this small, sleepy community for this unique event.


Along with all the interesting folks we found a few other things that caught the eye.

The parade went on for quite some time with this year's thru hikers leading the parade. Following were the groups that had done thru hikes in years past, a reunion of sorts of old friends made on the trail.

Another highlight are the water fights. Yes, according to the townsfolk, this is an old tradition of the parade. A nice sampling of the squirt-gun action can be seen in this video clip on our YouTube site. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbf2v-m9S74

Educational talks were available all weekend. Perhaps the most interesting was Gene Espy, who was the second person to thru hike the Appalachian Trail. His talk focused on the difficulties facing the hiker in the earlier years, and included many humorous tales of his adventure.

Hot Springs & Max Patch

Kim found a fabulous setting just outside of Hot Springs, Rocky Bluffs Campground. The solitude of the area coupled with the fresh colors of Spring were a delight! Our site overlooked an open hollow, with beautiful tent spots below. If you're ever here, this small out of the way park is a must stop.











We also took a morning hike along Spring Creek, which runs through one side of the campground----



The town of Hot Springs has a couple of attractions. First of all the Appalachian Trail goes right through the quaint old downtown, following Main Street through a row of shops, including a great outfitter that caters to through hikers on the trail. Check out their website for some great pix of the many hikers that vist this place every year. http://www.bluffmountain.com/

The other major attraction is a natural hot spring located here, the only such spring known in North Carolina and in much of the southeastern United States. Thus, this area has long since been a destination for those looking for therapeutic relief from their ailments. Native Americans were the first to discover the 100+ degree mineral waters, and European immigrants settled the area over 200 years ago. It is reported that people were visiting the springs by 1778 for the waters' reported healing properties.


Lucky for us, the Spring wasn't crowded, and we were able to reserve the most sought after jacuzzi (#5) for an hour's pleasure that afternoon. The bath, fed by the warm spring waters, overlooked the conjunction of Spring Creek & the French Broad River. What a great way to relax!


After the soothing jacuzzi, we had a terrific panini sandwich along with some great acoustic music at the Iron Horse Station, another nice surprise from this quaint community. http://www.theironhorsestation.com/

While in the area, we took a day to drive east on Hwy 209 and managed to find Max Patch. This unique hilltop has quite a history, as you can read here....
The view from the parking lot was quite impressive,

as was looking out from about midway up,
at the top one can clearly see what was the old airfield, stretching out towards the west, plenty of room to land an old barnstormer!
and, those beautiful spring colors were so apparent on the other side! as we start our descent to the truck, glancing westward again, we can see how the AT rounds the crest of the giant hill, and, in the distance, a nice view of those colors again with a few AT hikers just cresting the far edge....what a nice view to finish our visit to "the top of the world"!

Bryson City, North Carolina

We left the Fontana Dam area heading Northeast to a small campground in Bryson City that Kim had found would offer us the 50% off Passport America Club rate for the next few days to sit out the impending rain. As we drove drove through the mountains beyond the Dam, we stopped for one last view of the beautiful Fontana Lake area!


We arrived at Ela Campground on the Tuckaseigee River to find a charming fishing camp, complete with rows of "permanent" trailers along the waters edge.





The rain had already started making it difficult to park our rig in the already soupy ground, but with a little jogging & effort, we made it!
We watched patiently as the rain came down for days, and the River continued to swell.
Along with the downpours came the wonderful rhodadendroms. Those pretty flowers, along with the nice folks at Ela, made the stay enjoyable. We found the area had many local small farms, and took advantage of the fresh corn, snapbeans, strawberries & cantelope...what a treat!

By day eight, the rains had ceased so we discovered that Smokey Mountain National Park was just up the hill from the campground. We took advantage of that first sunny morning with a nice brisk hike up the Thomas Divide Trail.

As we climbed higher along the ridge mountain laurel, iris & forget-me-nots signaled that along with the rains, Spring had sprung...


All-in-all, not a bad area to sit out a week's worth of rain. Kim caught up on her reading, we both worked on photos, and I enjoyed the new ham rig & antenna. We highly recommend Ela Campground to anyone wanting an inexpensive plave to just relax here in the Smokies.
http://www.elacampground.com/