Category: Smoky Mountains

Adventures in the Smokies

Driving Through the Smokies

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View from Newfound Gap
View from Newfound Gap

If you get a chance, drive up to Clingmans Dome in the Smoky Mountains. It will be worth it, I promise.  Well I dont promise, because if it’s raining or cloudy (which is really possible since the name of the Smokies comes from them being so “smoky”) you wont have the awesome views.  But, arrive at the Dome when you do have the awesome view you wont be disappointed. Between that and the view from Newfound Gap the entire drive is worth making.  There are spots along the road where you can pull off and snap pictures because the National Park Service has correctly guessed that cars would be stopping regards of a small sign that says “no stopping.”

The drive on US 441 was carved out of the side of the mountain in different places. If you are taking your time and stopping at various places along the road, take some time to consider how early settlers managed to get through this area. No cars, no roads, and a dense forest to navigate. Since humans started settling the area we’ve managed to kill of plants and wildlife that were native to the area – including trees.  That’s right, we managed to kill an entire species of trees. Go us! (to be fair, it was an Asian spore that some trade ship most likely brought over)  The drive through the park takes about an hour without stops. However, I suggest giving yourself more time

The Great Smoky Mountains (part 2)

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Rocky TopRock Top is the summit of a mountain in the Smokies.  It sits just below it’s big brother, Thunderhead Mountain.  The views from Rock Top are worth the grueling hike to get there. At 5,440 feet, Rocky Top isn’t the highest mountain on the Appalachian Trail, but it emerges from the woods allowing you to see just how spectacular the mountain range is and will give you a better appreciation of just how steep a climb you just made.  So after taking in the sites and eating a quick lunch, I snapped a few photos and prepared to head back.

The decent down from Rocky Top was both satisfying and tiring.  I really didn’t realize how much I had pushed myself until I started to walk downhill.  When you switch from going uphill to walking downhill something major happens to your feet.  You’re no longer walking on the balls of your feet, instead all your weight is now hitting on your heel.  You really need to make sure you step with purpose or your feet will pay the price. On the way down I ran into people, unlike on the way up.  One of the great things about hiking is when you run into other hikers, everyone is friendly. They will all give you advise if you ask for it and do so in glee.  Unlike the rest of the world, when you run into a hiker and ask a question, you usually get an answer with a smile.  It’s one of the things I really love about hiking and backpacking.  I chatted with a doctor who went to Duke, a woman from Wisconsin, two college age boys who were trying to make it to where I had just gone (one of which looked like he’d rather be anywhere else but where he was), and two older women taking a lunch break.  All of them were friendly and stopped to chat briefly before I or they continued on. Continue reading “The Great Smoky Mountains (part 2)” →

The Great Smoky Mountains (part 1)

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I set out on the 10 hour road trip early in the morning – and by early in the morning I mean 8am.  By the time I had arrived I blew through Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee.  There’s not a whole lot to do on a road trip through corn fields other than listen to the radio.  Since most of my driving time was spent in Kentucky and Tennessee, that meant you had country, sports talk, christian talk, or conservative talk radio.  As best I could I picked the sports talk radio.  The trip to the Smokies was long and uneventful. Last year the Coin Flip Road Trip made driving actually exciting.  This drive was the opposite.

I got to the national park just in time to check in with the ranger station, set up my campsite, and drive back into a small town to pick up a few things I realize I needed.  My plan of car camping at an established site the first two nights really came in handy when you realize your dead tired after doing nothing but driving all day.  So at the extremely late hour of 8pm, I crawled into my tent and broke out A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson.  If you are a hiker or backpacker or just enjoy being outside, I HIGHLY suggest this book.  You will find yourself laughing and nodding along with everything he does during his prep and hike of the Appalachian Trail.  Not to give away too much, but he’s clearly afraid of bears and hillbillies – two things the Appalachian Mountain range have plenty of. Continue reading “The Great Smoky Mountains (part 1)” →

Prepping for the Great Smoky Mountains

I try to take one major camping trip a year. This year I settled on Tennessee to visit the Great Smoky Mountains. Everything I had heard and read said I was in for some amazing views.

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I try to take one major camping trip a year.  This year I settled on Tennessee to visit the Great Smoky Mountains.  Everything I had heard and read said I was in for some amazing views.  The other motivation was I had 8 states left to visit in the US and North/South Carolina happened to two of them.  This trip I’d be able to stay in NC and drive down to SC to knock that state off my list.

After spending some time researching the best hikes (shout out to http://www.hikinginthesmokys.com/), I settled on the Cades Cove area as my “base” for the trip.  When you’re backpacking (or camping in general) in a national park it’s important to select a region ahead of time.  Look at topo maps, talk to park rangers, visit the park’s website, etc all to inform your decision.  What you’re looking for are dangers. Is there increased bear activity or a potential for flooding?  Knowing these little things in advance will go a long way to make your life easier out on a trail.  For me, the major concerns of the Smoky Mountains centered around bears.  The website and park rangers warned about increased bear sightings.  Specifically black bears – the ones that love to climb a tree to eat your food.  Grizzly Bears are the more frightening of the two major bear species of the US, but they mainly hang out in the west (think Yellowstone).  Grizzlies can grow up to 800 lbs on the high end of the scale – all from 1 lb at birth – and really don’t like humans roaming around their kids.  Black bears on the other hand max out at a cuddly 500 lbs.  All bears (and wildlife generally) will defend their cubs if they think you’re a threat.  You think you love your child? Get between a momma bear and her cubs and you’ll discover just how little your love seems compared to theirs.  But I’ll come back to bears later. Continue reading “Prepping for the Great Smoky Mountains” →