Baskins Falls! A Beary Great Day!

On a recent trip to Great Smoky Mountain National Park, we were going to hike a short 1 1/2 mile trail to Baskins Falls. Little did we know that on the very pleasant drive to get to the trail head we would have one of those chance encounters that really adds that something extra to an already beautiful day.

Just a mile or so before we arrived at the trail head this mama black bear jumped out right in front of our car. Needless to say, I didn't have my camera ready but managed to quickly grab it and point it in the general direction of the bear. I had my focus set on auto and trying to shoot through the windshield of the car made the pics a little blurry but was still very glad to get off this single shot before she crossed the road and went out of sight.

But little did I know that as I sat fussing about only getting one shot instead of paying attention, here came two little cubs scooting across the road in hot pursuit of mama. I flipped the camera on again and pointed it in time to take these two shots(sorry for the blur) through the windshield again.

They wasted no time as they quickly followed mamas trail and out of sight. This was really exciting and they were also headed into the same area that we intended to hike in just a few minutes.  

Well on to the trail head and the hike at hand. We walked the 1 1/2 miles to Baskins Falls and we were torn between excitement from seeing the bear and cubs to a little nervous about being in the same woods as they were, hoping to see them again but at the same time hoping not to see them again in the wrong situation.

Baskins Creek Falls is a beautiful water fall that is very much overlooked in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It is located toward the base of the western slopes of Mt. LeConte originally known as the Bear Skin area. It was once prized among the early settlers for the amount of bear in the area and was a prime hunting spot for black bear. Somewhere along the way the name got changed from Bear Skin Creek to Baskins Creek and Falls.

We saw a family or two on the hike to the falls but we had the entire falls to ourselves when we arrived. The hike was moderate in nature and the trail was very good with only one moderately steep portion that descends down to the creek and falls.

Needless to say, it is still a prime area to see bear also. We didn't see the mama bear and cubs again, which was ok, but we were sure glad to have spent a little quality time in their woods.

"The woods were made for the hunters of dreams,

 The brooks for the fishers of songs,

 To the hunters who hunt for the gunless game

 The streams and the woods belong."

             Sam Walter Foss ( 1858-1911): Librarian and poet

A Walk in the Woods

"My father considered a walk among the mountains the equivalent of churchgoing."

   Aldous Huxley (1894-1863): English writer and novelist

On this quite trail in the Smoky Mountain National Park, I dropped behind my brother and sister-in-law and snapped this shot of a quiet "Walk in the Woods." One cannot help but feel a little small when walking a quiet mountain trail through a forest of giants.

To The Far Blue Mountain

You really don't realize just how accustom to the creature comforts you really are until you sling on a backpack loaded with a few meager possessions, water, a little food, minimal clothes and walk away from your vehicle up a rugged trail into the wilderness. Immediately you ask yourself, am I sure about this? Do I really want to do this? Is it going to be worth all the risk and hardship?  Unsure of the day ahead, uncertain if you are capable of the task you have set forth, and feeling a little defenseless in a often formidable environment are a few feelings that hit you quickly after you leave sight of civilization. But, ah, just the sight of the first beautiful view gives you relief and immediately you know this is going to be a good trip. This is a view off the Appalachian Trail looking East, Southeast toward Cherokee, N.C., a little over a mile and a half into the hike.

"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts."
Rachael Carson (1907-1964): American Nature Writer, Marine Biologist

Dark-thirty At The Trail Head

Why is this picture so dark, you ask? Because it was dark! We arrived at the trail head at Newfound Gap about 30 minutes before 1st light. We wanted to get an early start to be able to take advantage of the coolness of the early morning(July) and also experience the mountain as it comes to life. Newfound Gap is located on the road going through the Smoky Mountain National Park from Gatlinburg, TN to Cherokee, N.C.. The gap is actually on the state line and the high point on the road. The Appalachian Trail(AT) follows the crest of mountains that cross the gap and run from northern Georgia all the way to Mt. Katahdin in Maine. We are going up the AT 2.7 miles to hook up with the Boulevard Trail and then on to Mt. LeConte Lodge. This trail to the lodge is about 8 miles total distance.

"An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day."
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862): American Author, Poet, Naturalist, Philosopher

Mt. LeConte, A Walk In The Woods!

The summit of Mt. LeConte at 6593' is the 3rd tallest peak in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This is a shot of the peak as seen from Cliff Top, a favorite place to hike to and watch the sun set from the top of Mt. LeConte. In the coming weeks I will post a series of pictures taken of a hike my brother and I completed up Mt. LeConte for an overnight stay at the lodge. If you have never been up LeConte, and have any interest in hiking, I strongly suggest you give LeConte a try. It is not easy, but not too difficult either. There are several trails leading up different sides of LeConte, each with their own good and bad points. This particular trip, we will go up the Appalachian Trail to the Boulevard trail to the LeConte Lodge and back down the Alum Cave Trail. Hope you enjoy the shots.

"Be master of your petty annoyances and conserve your energies for the big, worthwhile things. It isn't the mountain ahead that wears you out-it's the grain of sand in your shoe."
Robert Service (1874-1958): Scottish Writer and Poet