Appalachian Trail – Newfound Gap to Fontana Dam, TN – September 20-22, 2014 – 41.5 miles

Come join me for a gorgeous stroll through the Great Smoky Mountains on the AT! At least the southern half of the Trail through there.

Forgive me if I don’t journal most of the pictures as I usually do, there are just so many! All I can say is: Come take a walk with me through the grand Smokey Mountains of TN! This was a 3 day backpacking outing, 41.5 miles total, temps ranged from probably mid 70’s the first day, to mid 40’s the second night into the last morning. Rained for a few hours end of the second day. The last day was a gorgeous fall like weather day!

Next journal? The northern half of the Smokies!

Started at Newfound Gap and walked south. This was about 7:45 a.m. Saturday morning Sept. 20th. At this high of an elevation the forest was more what is known as “coniferous” — trees bearing cones i.e. pine trees. My understanding is they are being destroyed by a certain type of beetle, as you will see in the pictures that follow. Where I started is basically then middle of the AT that goes through the Smokies and I hiked to the southern end.

I might have walked 10 steps and this was my first view of the day — it was going to be a GOOD day!

Clingman’s Dome is the highest peak on the entire AT — 6,655 ft. above sea level. Although I was already starting off at a pretty high elevation so the climb up truly was not too bad — the views more than made up for it!

Huh? Is this what they mean by “water source?!” 😉

The word that kept coming to mind as I hiked this section of the Trail was “magical.”

Isn’t it just so cool looking?!

The next picture will describe this — all I got to say is I’m glad I didn’t run into any wild hogs! Give me a bear any day!

As you probably know by now I just love coming up on an open field. Unfortunately this wasn’t very deep in the wilderness — it was actually a pull over spot along the Great Smoky Mountains Parkway!

Getting a little closer to Clingman’s Dome!

I wondered if this was one of the Trail of Tears Trees but my friend Jennifer who told me about them seems to think this tree looks too large.

Everything was covered in moss in this section! There were so many downed trees, I’m guessing as a result of the beetle infestation. Wait til you see the root system of some of these…

Check out the root system of this tree! It was HUGE! I wish I could have had a picture of me standing in front of it for a perspective of the height of this — it was easy 2 stories high!

While living on the coast I took a ton of pictures of tropical flowers, in the mountains it’s the mushrooms!

This was taken in the middle of the day but it looks like night time — I think my flash even went off!

Check out the bolder this root system was wrapped around!

Lots of really cool looking fungii!

This is what I’m talking about — water, straight out of the rock! You better believe I filled up here!

Stop for a minute and breath in deep and imagine the freshest cut Christmas tree you ever smelled…times 100 — that is how it smelled up there for miles! Heavenly!

The majority of this 41.5 mile hike was ridge walking — meaning there were almost always views on either one or the other side, if not both sides of the Trail. I was hardly ever deep in the woods on this hike — hence all the pictures!

Look at the shadows from the other mountain ranges!

While a lot of these pictures have no captions, it’s like walking through an art museum, not everything needs explaining.

The next few pics are views from atop the tower at Clingman’s Dome, and no they were not photo shopped! Alot of the time there are no views from here! LOL!

You don’t get too much higher than this on the East Coast!

The ramp going to the top of the tower — there is a parking lot not too far from the base that people can drive up to. Way too many people there for me — I couldn’t wait to get back into the wilderness! I had my lunch there and then hit the Trail again.

Clingman’s Dome observation tower

looking down on the dead trees from the observation deck

Starting down the other side…

Some more gorgeous ridge walking views!

I love sections of the Trail like this!

HOme sweet Home for the first night! This is Silers Bald Shelter. The shelters I have seen on the AT in the Smokey Mountains are very nice. Very spacious, they have an outside fire ring as well as a fireplace inside the shelter. Almost mouse proof too! The shelters were truly quite clean as well — I was impressed!

My handsome and very gentlemanly shelter mates, brothers Derick and Chance Ard — thanks guys for the great company! Hope to hike with you again some day! Starting out Day 2: Hiked 12.5 miles first day. Today I will hike 15.5 miles. Destination Russell Field Shelter. Highlight of this section will be Rocky Top Mountain.

Another fungii

They come in so many shapes, colors and sizes! Unfortunately, if I fell off the edge of a cliff into a patch of mushrooms — I wouldn’t know which ones could heal me and which ones would kill me!

Never saw these before either — and no, they are not blueberries! I believe they are actually poisonous.

Day 2 was one of those uneventful days. It was overcast and breezy all day. Saw only 3 people in 15.5 miles, so it felt lonely as well. It was one of those days where you go “why am I doing this again?” I had several climbs of significance (of course it’s all relative!). My last climb was up Thunderhead Mountain to Rocky Top. I really had to adjust my thinking. I gave myself a full hour just to climb 7/10th of a mile. I powered up with an energy bar and headed up.

Approaching the top of Thunderhead Mountain…The following pics were my reward!

There is just something so surreal about being at the top of a mountain, all socked in, with no one else around — it’s amazing!

The wind was just blowing away, blowing the clouds across the top of the mountain – so cool!

Selfie…

It’s amazing how I will go wherever a little white patch of paint tells me to!

Ahhh…

The top of Rocky Top

Maneuvering across Rocky Top…

If you look closely you can see Fontana Dam in about the middle of the picture again.

Next came a series of little grassy fields, which I just loved! I just wanted to go and lay down in them, pitch my tent in them and stay there forever!

Shortly after this it started raining for my last 2.5 miles. When I got to the Russell Field shelter there were 4 guys who got there shortly ahead of me. Fortunately they had the foresight to gather some firewood before it started raining and they built a fire in the fireplace. It was wonderful! A cold front blew in that night and we woke to a fairly chilly morning — probably low to mid 40’s? But it was a new day, and a sunny one at thea Clear Carolina blue skies all day!

Day 3: I found this to be an interesting rock outcropping — and there was no mention of it in the guide book. All of a sudden I felt like I was in the desert

The steep, rocky mountain side is on the left and pretty sheer drop off to the right and the Trail runs in the middle. It’s almost like this was the transition point going from the more alpine feel, back down into what is called the deciduous type of forest — your oaks, beech and maple trees.

I also found this quite interesting — a little cactus in the Smokey Mountains!

This is looking straight up the mountain side! Just look at that sky!

Starting down into Fontana…

Mountain range, upon mountain range, upon mountain range…

Stopped here for lunch — it was just soooo PEACEFUL! Again I was in awe that I was the only person around in the middle of this great big woods! The sun was warm, the day was bright and I only had a few more miles to go before another section was completed. Life is good!

Getting closer to Fontana Dam!

Trail marbles! Accident waiting to happen! Yiikes!

I came out of the woods and then the Trail followed alongside the road and over the dam for another mile.

Picnic area between the road and the dam

Fontana Dam

That’s me! 🙂

This dam is soooo HIGH!!!

“A cloud the size of a man’s hand…”

And there is the mountain top where I just came from. The End!