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

A Kiss Under The Mistletoe!

According to Scandinavian and Greek customs, if a man and woman should meet under a sprig of Mistletoe they are obliged to kiss each other. Now where was all the mistletoe when I was a teenager? Ha! Ha! Well while this plant lends itself to a romantic legend, it is anything but. Mistletoe is actually a parasitic plant that lives off a host tree. Birds spread the seed from tree to tree through their droppings and also by seed sticking to their beaks and feathers only to be wiped off on a branch or limb. The seed contain a very sticky substance, viscin, which hardens when the seed is left on a new limb attaching the seed firmly to its host. It then taps into the host plant and derives nutrients and minerals from that plant. It can kill the host plant if it gets too developed on a single host and can attach and thrive on a wide variety of trees and shrubs. So by all means hang some Mistletoe around this Christmas but be careful what you do with it when you take it down as the birds may spread the seed to your yard trees.

"What is a weed? A plant whose virtures have not yet been discovered."
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882): American Poet, Author, Writer