Looking Towards the AT: Tennessee and North Carolina Between the D's

Section: Tennessee and North Carolina Between the Ds*.
Region: South
Miles of trail: 225.6
Highlights: Hot Springs, NC, Max Patch, Roan Mountain and it's related balds, Overmountain Shelter, Lake Watauga, Laurel Falls

AT marker in Hot Springs, NC. The trail along the town's sidewalks are marked with this symbol.

So you're at Davenport Gap on the northeast end of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Now what? Is it time to give up, considering you've just been through one of the most scenic places in the Eastern United States? Of course not!

Looking Towards the AT: Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Section: Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Region: South
Miles of trail: 70.1 
Highlights: Clingman's Dome, Spence Field, Charlie's Bunion, Mount Cammerer, Siler's Bald, bears, long periods in the rare spruce-fir zone of the southern Appalachians, salamanders

A bit more than 150 miles into the trail* hikers on the AT say goodbye to the Fontana Hilton, walk across the dam**, and go past a small sign welcoming you to the national park, with a white blaze on one of the posts telling you that you are heading the right direction. 

Journal of the Smokies: A Lack of Hiking Experience

Note: Journal of the Smokies is a new feature on this blog. The Great Smoky Mountains is one of the jewels of the National Park System, and the park visited by the most people each year. It's also the most visited park by Andrew, and one of Erin's most frequently visited. From visits long past and recent we'll be sharing some of our thoughts and pictures. This will be a cross platform feature, as we'll be sharing pictures and short posts in the series on our Walk With Nature tumblr as well.

Since I began hiking in earnest again in October of 2010, I've hiked hundreds of miles in states from Virginia to California, and Florida to Michigan. I've hiked to the top of the highest points in Georgia and Tennessee, hiked all 600 steps at Amicalola Falls, and went to the top of Blood Mountain along the Applachian Trail. I've a hiked a lot of miles, but very few of those have been in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Why Hello Again, Appalachian Trail!

Note: This started as a mere image post on our Tumblr, but became something more. As it became a full-fledged post, I figured I'd cross post it to here, as we've not had a post all week, and I kind of like it. My Hiking Training Plan recaps will return next week, unless a hectic work week pushes it off until the next week.

The picture is from my latest visit to the Appalachian Trail, at Newfound Gap looking Southbound across US 441. Sure, it's not exactly the hardest spot to reach, or the most strenuous of hikes, but it's still part of the trail. And also the first portion of which I ever visited, even though I'm pretty certain I wasn't aware of it at the time. I visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park with my family several times when I was growing up, many of which coming at a time when the Appalachian Trail was little more to me than a long winding red line going across several eastern states in the atlases I loved to read. On at least a few occasions we stopped at Newfound Gap, and at some point walked across the path of the Appalachian Trail as it crosses the large parking lot.

Since I've become an adult I've driven over Newfound Gap many times, and rarely have I done it without making a stop to view the sweeping vistas of the ancient mountains of Tennessee an North Carolina. Most of the time i make a point to walk to either the crosswalk heading south towards Springer, or the point where the pavement ends and the trails heads northbound on the much longer journey to Katahdin. Common sense has kept me from venturing forth in either direction without provisions, shelter, and proper hiking attire. Someday I fear it may fail, and I may find myself on an unexpected journey into the back of beyond.