Appalachian Trail

Our trip began near the summit of Clingman’s Dome. With an elevation of 6,643', Clingman’s Dome is the highest point in the park and on the entire Appalachian Trail.

Slightly less than 3 miles into the hike we arrived at Double Springs Gap shelter. Situated in a flowery meadow of Crimson Bee-Balm, Green-Headed Cone Flowers and Common Dodder it even includes a privy (our ultimate mountain luxury). I noted with interest that incorporated in the stone fireplace inside the shelter was a lintel shaped like the state of Tennessee–perhaps one or more of those CCC boys was thinking of home when this was built.

Welch Ridge forms a long rib off the spine of the main range of the Smokies, separating the Hazel and Forney Creek drainage. It provides access to a secluded area of the park. One highlight of this trail was the view at High Rocks (although it came at a dear price). High Rocks is at the end of an overgrown jeep road once used for access to a fire lookout tower placed there in the 1930's (removed in the 1980's). Al swatted through dense, thorny, blackberry brambles with his hiking poles and although he was just several feet in front of me all the way, I could barely see him through the dense foliage. We suffered numerous cuts and scratches on our hands, arms and legs.

There was severe trail damage for long stretches on Welch Ridge Trail, probably from foraging hogs. Al had remembered a spring along Mt. Glory on this trail and had suggested we’d refill our water bladders when we got to it. Upon our arrival, we found the trail and area around the spring were so disturbed that we thought the water quality might be compromised; we didn’t replenish our water supply there.

"High Rocks, at an elevation of 5,188', was the site of a fire tower removed many years ago. The tower’s foundation and the lookout’s cabin remain. The Park Service typically removed these cabins when the lookout towers were disassembled, with this exception. The rough-hewn timber are chinked with clay (notice the native quartz pebbles in it), largely hidden by hand cut chestnut shake siding. The old green paint on the window frames is still visible. A cistern which once collected rainwater for drinking is at the rear of the cabin and still holds water." Source: Hiking Trails of the Smokies (Great Smoky Mountain Association).  The old cabin on this day was in very poor condition.

We enjoyed many lovely wildflowers along Welch Ridge Trail today.

Cold Spring Gap Trail

What is steep, badly eroded, rocky, mostly wet, is only 3.5 miles in length and has only one Pink Lady’s Slipper remnant on it?   Yep, it’s Cold Spring Gap Trail.

The trail follows Cold Spring Branch for most of its length, crossing it numerous times for over one mile without the luxury of footbridges. Hiking this steep, slippery trail made us wish we’d both brought our trekking poles and a small point ‘n shoot camera instead of our larger Nikon. The trail was such that it was almost impossible to put even one foot down and not touch a wet rock or be immersed in the creek that frequently ran down the center of the trail.

Hazel Creek Trail

This was the third time in as many weeks that we’d found ourselves traversing the Hazel Creek Trail.

Just past the Bone Valley campground, we discovered a botanically rich area dotted with orchids: Green Adder’s Mouth Orchids (a first for us!), Pink Lady’s Slippers and Yellow Fringed Orchids were briefly abundant for about 1/8 mile.

We reminded each other that we had to continue putting one foot down in front of the other and not tarry. We’d begun our hike at 6:10 a.m. and were to meet the Fontana Marina boat shuttle personnel at 6:30 p.m. at Proctor (campsite #86). We did enjoy this portion of our trek though, taking photographs of White Fluted Helvella and an unusual shape Amanita mushroom (gray?). All the while we continued our 2.5 mph pace toward the boat landing area.