Hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) 2018

Dudes! and Dudettes!, Over the past month the Rhododendron's have begun to bloom in full, the flame Azalea's have pretty much come and gone, though I saw some still scattered along a trail I hiked yesterday, and the busy season for the GSMNP has begun.
Wow, it's pretty dry at my house in the foothills right now. 
Though there has been scattered rains throughout the region over the last few weeks my immediate area has been missed, and regionally, with that lack of consistent rain some of the backcountry watering holes may be dropping.

 So plan your hike with alternative routes and destinations in case there is an unexpected crowd of people, a trail closure or weather event you have to make adjustments for to find some peace. Remember to hydrate! Drink water.
Sodas and other caffeine based drinks are not good for this purpose. They are diuretics and thus tend to remove fluids and other things our bodies need when exerting ourselves in hot humid weather.
For the most current information in the Smokies check the twitter account at https://twitter.com/gsmnp, or call the Sugarland's Visitor Center at 865-436-1297.
My friend Dave, from Nashville took this photo OTG from a trail we hiked a couple of weeks ago and those pics in the following post describing some other trails we hiked on his visit.