The Smokies

[xl_target]

After spending the weekend with Oleg (See my post HERE) and shooting a large number of guns, we bid farewell to Nashville and headed East to that hikers paradise; "The Great Smoky Mountain National Park".


We entered the park and it reminded me of the drive to Ooty. Curving mountain roads and beautiful scenery.
The only thing missing was the smell of Eucalyptus.



Elk on the Blue Ridge Parkway that runs through the Park.

The idea was to use the parks trail systems to access the famed Appalachian Trail. On the trail are log shelters for sleeping in so we did not bring a tent. When we got there we found that the trails that we had permits for were closed due to the (downed trees) tornadoes that they had a week before. Being on the Eastern end of the park, about 10 miles away from our proposed start-up point at 6:00 pm, we were unable to get back to the Ranger station to get new permits. Fortunately, we were able to use my daughter's phone and get on the Internet. We found a sporting goods store that was open late and a National Forest (Lake Powhattan) campground in Asheville, North Carolina (about 50 miles away).
We bought a tent and headed to the campground and camped out for the night. Thank You, 3G and GPS. That is the photo with the car in the shot and was a really nice place. It had a stream feeding into a lake and fishing was allowed. We watched people catching fish here. There was also a network of trails and one of them led to the North Carolina State Arboretum. We played a game of scrabble before dark and Danica won.



Lake Powhattan Campground

Next morning we went back to the park and visited the Clingman’s Dome observation area, the highest point in the Smoky Mountains. Here someone kindly helped us out by taking our photo so we could both be in it. We then had a talk with the Rangers there and decided to use one of the park’s trails and campsites. The Appalachian trail came close to the Dome area so we were able to go out there and put our feet on it. Our trail led away from the AT. These are primitive campsites with no amenities and usually just have a trail to get to them. The Trails start out pretty nice but the further away that you get on them, the smaller and more undefined they become. Being that Clingman’s Dome is the highest point, everything is downhill from there. We left the car at the Dome parking lot and put on our packs and headed down the trail. Going downhill was fine, even though the trail was only a few inches wide (with a drop-off on the other side) in some places. We reached our campsite in the valley below, a few hours before darkness, and set up the tent. The campsite was on the banks of a little rushing stream with two waterfalls at the upper end. Beautiful place! Dani made Pizza on her little portable stove and it turned out very well. Then we hung our food bag about 20 ft in the air so the bears couldn't get to it. After we ate and chatted for a while, it got dark and we went into the tent, set up and played scrabble (by torchlight) and I won this time.
We went to sleep with the sound of the stream right below our tent.



The way to the famed Appalachian Trail


From the viewing area on top of Clingman's Dome. You can see a part of this huge National Park.


The trail starts off well groomed and maintained


It gets progressively rougher


..and narrower


...and narrower


The goal!


Home, sweet home


Pizza!


Paradise! Our tent is behind that big multi-trunked tree on the top left


The next morning Dani fired up her little stove and made Blueberry pancakes for breakfast and we filtered, treated (Iodine) and boiled about four liters of water to fill our pack’s water bladders and our water bottles. I’m glad we did because it was a warm and humid day (at least for us northerners). Going back up was a little more difficult. I was sweating quite a bit and finished my water bottle and most of my pack’s 2 liter bladder by the time we got the the top. Being out of shape didn’t help much either. We had to cut our trip short by several days because I had to work on Friday (13th). We sadly said good bye to the park and drove out of it. On the way out we saw a Bear by the side of the road but the camera was not accessible so we didn’t get a shot. It was already 2 pm by the time we left so Dani started looking for a campground on the GPS in the car. We found one in Kentucky. We chose a KOA campground so we could get a place with showers. We cleaned up and then we played the tie-breaker game of scrabble and I won.... Ha, still the champion (just by a few points).

We got up at 7 am the next morning and looked for a Post Office so Dani could mail some post cards and then we hit the road. 18 hours later, we were back in Minnesota.
After the balmy 70-80 degree F days down south, it was a rude welcome back to the frozen tundra as it was in the 40’s here.

Back to work now, I guess, sigh!

[timmy]

XL: Thanks for the pics! I've never been there and it looks very beautiful! Looks like a great place to hike.

[Baljit]

Yes , indeed its looks very beautiful , xl thank's for the picture

Baljit

[prashantsingh]

Wow.
Beautiful snaps and a nice write up XL.
Does the stag in the third snap have a radio collar around his neck?

[xl_target]

Wow.
Beautiful snaps and a nice write up XL.
Does the stag in the third snap have a radio collar around his neck?

Tim,
It was absolutely gorgeous and warm, compared to MN at this time of year.

Prashantsingh,
Yes, and tags in his ear. Apparently a very large effort has gone into trying to bring the Elk back to the park. We saw another buck and it had tags in both ears. I don't believe there are any natural predators left in the park, except the Black Bears and I don't believe they are fast enough, big enough or stealthy enough to take on a full grown Elk. When I say "park", I'm not talking about a small patch of greenery. The park is very large. It encompasses 814 square miles (2,108 km²).

The park's Black Bear is quite small compared to his northern cousin and not as experienced either. We have a large number of Black Bears on the Minnesota/Canada border (called the BWCA-Boundary Waters Canoe Area) and they can be a real nuisance. Generally a hiker ties up his/her food items with a rope strung between two trees. Here (in the BWCA) the bears will climb the tree, jump on the pack and when their weight breaks the rope, they will abscond with the pack. With the southern Bears, just keeping a food pack out of their reach is often enough, according to the rangers.

[timmy]

The elk are both bad news and good news. When Europeans came to the New World, they almost completely wiped out this magnificent animal from North America. In the Southwest, the subspecies Merriam's Elk was wiped out, and in the East, the Eastern Elk subspecies was totally wiped out as well.

The good news is that the Rocky Mountain subspecies, which some once feared for survival as well, were used to repopulate the Southwest and, more recently, areas in the East, which is what XL has shown us in his fine pictures.

This is just my opinion, but there is no more majestic, royal, or beautiful animal in the USA than the elk (or, more accurately, the wapiti. Elk is a word Europeans use for the animal that we call the moose here in the USA, but it is a magnificent creature, too!)

[Rajat]

Wonderful narration and great pictures XL. Good to see that both father and daughter had a wonderful time together. Thanks for sharing with us and wish both of you the best.

[prashantsingh]

I had the black bears in mind when I first saw that fragile little tent you had put up in the (third last) snap.You've explained it before I could ask.

The other predators I can think of in this Park are the mountain lion and wolf. The only animal (I assume) which could actually bring down an adult Wapiti (as Timmy has mentioned) Stag would probably be a pack of wolves.

[Vikram]

Lovely pics,XL, and nice narration. That picture of the little stream looks so inviting to cool oneself after a hike in the mountains on a warm day.Thank you so much for sharing.

Best-
Vikram

[xl_target]

I had the black bears in mind when I first saw that fragile little tent you had put up in the (third last) snap.You've explained it before I could ask.

The other predators I can think of in this Park are the mountain lion and wolf. The only animal (I assume) which could actually bring down an adult Wapiti (as Timmy has mentioned) Stag would probably be a pack of wolves.

The Rangers claim there are no Mountain Lions in the Park though there have been claimed sightings. Coyotes would be more of a problem but apart from isolated incidents, they seem mostly to avoid humans. There might be Bobcats but they are very shy and avoid humans too. The bear problem, in this part of the country, is not a big issue as far as attacks on humans go. Black Bears here tend to generally be timid and they are only after food, especially this time of year. So as long as you don't have any food in your tent, you're OK. Keep in mind that this park is a huge hiking destination and thousands of people go there every year. I can't remember hearing of anyone getting mauled in the park. These bears are not aggressive like the bigger northern Bears or Grizzlies. There were some trails and campsites closed due to Bear activity but that's probably because a mother and her cubs were sighted in the area. According to the Rangers, there are only about 1500 bears in the whole park. The problem is that people insist on feeding the bears and that can cause them to lose their fear of humans.

I don't think Wolves have percolated as far south as Tennessee yet. They seem to be mostly a Northern US thing so far. Wolves were practically wiped out in the US and with their protected status (now) and re-introduction in the North have been slowly expanding their range. The only place that I have ever seen a wolf was in Northern Minnesota. It was very early in the morning and its mate had been hit by a car and it was sitting on the side of the road by it.

The tent, while it looks flimsy and weighs a mere 4 lbs, is a Marmot tent and is a surprisingly adequate and weatherproof shelter for two people (and their gear).

[dr.jayakumar]

wow!did you carry a gun for your safety?handgun or rifle?you never mentioned.i was looking around your goods and your pants to find one awesome gun.............bit disappointed.

[xl_target]

LOL Dr. sahib, you would have been disappointed. I did not have a handgun with me, only a knife and a high decibel gas powered horn. Firearms are prohibited in National Parks. The exception is if the state allows permit holders to carry in National Parks within their boundaries. These laws vary state by state.

While I could have carried a handgun because Tennessee recognizes my Minnesota permit, North Carolina does not recognize it. The Tennessee/NC border runs right through the park and I cannot carry in the North Carolina part. The CZ P-06 stayed in the trunk of my car. Seriously though, the biggest threat in any national park is from criminal human elements and not wild animals. The part where we were took so much effort to get to that you won't find many criminals there. They usually look for the easy way out. Except for the Rangers, no one lives in the park full-time.

If you take common sense precautions, you won't be bothered by animals in the wild.

Lovely pics,XL, and nice narration. That picture of the little stream looks so inviting to cool oneself after a hike in the mountains on a warm day.Thank you so much for sharing.

Vikram, the water was crystal clear and ice cold. Very refreshing.



If any of you happen to visit the US, please take the time to visit some of the state and National Parks close to where ever you are. The US has a huge number of areas set aside for the enjoyment of outdoor recreation. Minnesota, with a population of only about five and quarter million people, has about 75 State Parks available. For example, Itasca State Parks, the source of the Mississippi River has 32,000 acres and over a 100 lakes. There are campsites and hiking and biking trails maintained is most of these parks. A small fee gets you a State park sticker that allows access to all State Parks. Canoeing and kayaking are allowed in most parks and some have horseback riding trails.

My parents might come over this summer and I am looking forward to taking them to some of these fantastic resources available to us. If you would like to look at some of these parks, here is the MN State parks page: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/list_alpha.html.

Another fantastic outdoor resource available in MN is the Boundary Water Canoe Area in the Superior national Forest. It is one millions acres of an extremely beautiful and unspoiled area of lakes and islands. It also borders on the Canadian Quetico Provincial Park and Voyageurs National Park. I've been to the BWCA twice and into Quetico Twice and every time was an unforgettable experience. We didn't see a soul for seven days. They also do not allow aircraft over-flights over the area so the solitude is absolute. Once you have heard the call of the Loon, that abounds in this area, you will never forget it.

[srswamy]

@xl_target,

Wonderful write-up and pics. Thanks a lot for sharing. The water, as Vikram claims, is clear, still. I'm sure it is lot better than the "bottled" mineral waters available in this part of the world. The stream however reminds me of a waterfalls called Agasthiyar falls in the southern part of Tamil Nadu, India.

[357 S&W]

xl_target, Nice pictures and write up.
Reminds me of my trips to my favorite destination, Yosemite National Park. I simply love that place, its about 3 hour drive from my place and I go there in every season, every year. I have already been there twice and plan to go again this Saturday for the long weekend. My parents and the family love it.

[drifter]

WOW nice pics, thanks for sharing.

regards,
drifter.