Tree's and Colors

Dudes and Dudettes! Wow, Sunday I was doing some volunteer work in the GSMNP, and was unable to access the trail I was scheduled to work on until after 9am, due to all the blow downs from the high winds over the previous 24 hours.

Visitors were backing up at the SVC by 8am, wanting to know when the roads would open.
Crews were out early Sunday morning clearing trees and had most of the park open by noon! Great work.
These pictures are from some hikes I've taken over the last few days. Peak colors are likely in the next week to 10 days.

Sunday, 10/26/19,Trees Down and Many roads Closed

With high winds yesterday, Saturday 10/26/19, and overnight,  much of the Great Smoky Mtns. NP, is currently closed due to FALLEN TREES CAUSING road closures. Stay tuned to the GSMNP twiiter site which you'll find a link to on this page. Be safe.
https://twitter.com/smokiesroadsnps

Fall Colors in the Appalachian Mtns. and Great Smoky Mountains NP

TEMPORARY RESTRICTION ON CAMPFIRES IN THE BACKCOUNTRY CONTINUES IN EFFECT 

In the Great Smoky Mountains NP

Alert 1 , Severity ,danger ,,TEMPORARY RESTRICTION ON CAMPFIRES IN THE BACKCOUNTRY IN EFFECTDue to drought conditions, there is a temporary restriction on campfires in the backcountry. Use of backpacking stoves that utilize pre-packaged compressed gas canisters is still permitted. Carry extra water as springs may be running low or dry.
So….it's fall in the smokies! And with this time of year lots and lots of folks travel to the Appalachian Mountains to view the colors of the fall foliage. Peak colors for the area including the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is projected to be the last week of this month, October.
Trees and other plants have been affected by the hot and dry period this area has been in for most of the last month, until it started cooling off the first week of October and much of this area had some rain the 15th and 16th.
Trees are changing, and the guess that the last week of the month will be the peak is looking pretty accurate. Dogshead thinks so.

The fall mast crop is Plentiful

Dudettes and dudes! I have been on this trail several times over the last weeks and found the nuts and other fall crops that occur naturally in these mountains are plentiful! And with this full crop of acorns, hickory and beech nuts, as well as berries and stuff like worms, the bears come to fatten up.  I have seen lots of sign, some very recent, but have not seen any bears yet.
Nonetheless, my hikes up the Rich Mtn trail have been very pleasing, and as always, full of variances in shades of a color(s). Be it the differing shades of green in plants, leaves and trees, or the mosses, it is fun to notice the small changes in "green".