Practice Appreciation

As the walk began, before I left the parking lot I heard children in the woods on a trail I was considering for a short 2ml loop so I decided to start the loop from another direction. About 100 yards along the trail were two ladies sitting and talking and I thought they chose a great spot and day to do this. Sitting in the shade with the Middle Prong sounding busy across the road. Turns out they were there to ensure that none of the kids went beyond them on this trail as the kids were learning how to use a compass.
Along my walk I could here someones domestic dog barking up on the West Prong trail and I wanted to scream!! For those readers who have a dog and come to the GSMNP, your Dog is NOT ALLOWED on trails. See The Sign at the beginning of Every trail?
This is a safety issue and a Federal regulation.
Twenty or so minutes later as I approached the West Prong trail from the loop I heard very close by, a large animal moving through the thickening underbrush and I hoped it was not pissed because of the dog or scared enough to act a fool! Whatever it was.
These local, state, and federal parks do not belong to me they belong to us and so I should be considerate of other folk's safety and how my behavior affects another's day in the woods. Be it practicing "Leave No Trace" camping and hiking or reading about the parks policies before I bring my ass to this place. Uuuugh!
I tried to create good out of this learning opportunity and think I just succeeded. Peace

Blooms and Snow Along West Prong

Wow, what a great day to spend part of in the mountains! The blooms along this trail are just increasing with more Flame Azalea, Trillium, and various other flowers and colors! Here are few that are new along this route to me anyway.
As I almost reached my halfway point, 3 mls, a frozen precipitation began to fall on me and it did not appear to be hail but rather sleet or a heavy wet snow. This was above 3000', late in the afternoon, and in the Smokey Mountains. I experienced this frozen moisture for a few minutes on top of Rich Mtn. and again briefly as I began my descent from campsite #5. Days like this are when I'm glad I was a Cub Scout and my brothers were Boy Scouts so I learned to "be prepared" because I had grabbed some work gloves out of my trunk and put on a jacket as I prepared to start the hike.










The jacket tucked under my shoulder strap of my bag and the gloves went in the jacket pockets when not in use. Though both items became very useful several times along this 6 ml. walk.
From what little I know about specific wildflowers I can say this with confidence and that is there will be blooms of various sorts along the West Prong for several weeks. Peace

West Prong Blooms

This afternoon was a wonderful time for walking! As I made my way about a mile into this walk I was overcome with a flood aromas from blooms, new plants and moist soil from yesterdays rain. The flavors that arrested my sense of smell were powerful and caught my attention more than once along this 4.5 ml hike. I guess you'll have to see for yourself if you're in the area in the next few weeks.










A strong wind was diminished by the terrain making it a cooling pleasant breeze full of spring smells on the trail. With it's smooth sound through the trees the wind was also very soothing as my eyes noted the varying shadows and contrast in each view along the route.
The Crested Dwarf Iris was still prominent in places with numerous other blooms occurring or on the verge of doing so. I saw the back end of a bear as it tried to remain unseen by quickly dashing into some cover about a mile out of #18 on my return trip. What a wonderful day!

Blooms and Bears

Todays afternoon walk which took me up the Rich Mtn. trail on a great day to be appreciating the wild life was altered just before the half way point. This mother and cub were on the trail just before the final turn bringing you to campsight #5. They didn't move except the cub started up the tree beside them a few times only to come back down after climbing up a few feet.
I saw only blooms and these bears along the trail. Peace

Enjoy Greenways? Prefer Clean Drinking Water?

The Forever Green initiative is for everyone in the state of Tennessee who drinks water, enjoys walking on their hometown Greenways or likes taking the kids fishing. Click on this entry title and check out what you have to lose then call your state representative.

Blooms Along The Trail

Blooms along Chestnut Top trail that is and mostly along the first two or three hundred yards up from the Townsend 'Y'. It was a great day with light rain and a late afternoon start I saw only two folks as they were making the final descent back to their vehicle.
This being the case the trail was quiet except for raindrops and my occasional laughter from the joy I felt walking in the rain over the next 2 hours. With the flatness of sound from the steady rain and my breathing times like this are exceptional opportunities to utilize ones visual awareness and practice looking off the trail frequently and into the trees for wildlife.










This is a practice to which I attribute a large part of the visuals I have put on bears and other animals. If I am staring at my feet for 5 miles I'm wasting opportunity's to see the lizard on the log or the bear quietly moving off the trail to avoid being seen. Saw neither today...seems they had a enough sense. The trail is currently loaded with various wild blooms here are a few. Peace

From Park Headquarters

“Reward Yourself – Hike the Smokies Challenge” Launches
on Sunday, April 25, 2010

Do you need a little motivation to get out and enjoy the great outdoors? A new program, “Reward Yourself - Hike the Smokies Challenge” in 2010, in Great Smoky Mountains National Park will help visitors reach individual milestones. The Park is distributing mileage record books for free on Sunday, April 25, at Sugarlands and Oconaluftee Visitor Centers between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. and at the Cades Cove Visitor Center from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. After April 25, the pocket-size booklets will be available at the three visitor centers for $1.00.
The challenge is to keep track and record the mileage from each trail excursion, even if it is the same trail day after day. As a recreational benefit, when a person has “hiked” 100 miles, 250 miles, and 500 miles, he/she can bring their mileage record to one of the three visitor centers to receive a mileage pin and be recorded in the “Hike the Smokies” 2010 web records.
A video podcast, Day Hiking in the Smokies: Expect the Unexpected will also be launched on April 25th at:
http://thegreatsmokymountains.org/hike_smokies_challenge. This 3-minute video podcast will help visitors prepare for the weather extremes that can be found in the Smokies during a day hike. Two additional video podcasts are being developed in this series for release this summer and fall that will provide additional tips on hiking safety in the Smokies.
“Day hiking in the Smokies is a good way to get exercise while also discovering the beauty of this area,” said Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson. He continued, “With over 800 miles of scenic trails to choose from, the possibilities for day hikes are endless.”
Well Heck! I need to get me one of them mileage keepin' books.