The Smoky Mountains National Park is all about mountains. It's centrepiece is Clingman's Dome. It rises 6643 feet and is the third highest spot east of the Mississippi. (and then it is only less than 100ft lower than Mount Mitchell, which is the highest). It is the backdrop to Pigeon Forge. As you drive down the massive strip mall, there is Clingman's Dome in the background. Sunday was a beautiful day, with sunshine forecast all day. We decided that this mountain had to be conquered. We drove up in to the Smokies (as they call the park round here). True to the day the sunshine made the countryside look fabulous. Spring flowers were in abundance and everywhere we stopped there was a carpet of flowers, purple violets and white violets, little blue flowers and some little white ones that had fringed petals. Every now and again you could see a much bigger white flower, almost like a lily. Each plant had a single large flower, which was framed by three large leaves. We found that this flower is called Trillium, very pretty.
The road ran alongside a mountain stream, which became narrower and faster as we climbed, until it became one long cascade, tumbling over rocks and through gullies. The road was well made and not too steep, just a long grind uphill. In one place the road actually spiralled round on itself. We stopped at the Newfound Gap to gawp at the awesome views. But as we had further to go, we took the little road off the main highway which led us as high as we could go by car. We found a place to park the car and took with us enough supplies to last the entire trip, our lunch that is. Now we climbed on foot (or motorised chair), following the steep path to the very top. It was about a half mile walk. The air was noticeably thinner, so I did take it very carefully. On reaching the top there is a large concrete viewing platform which rises above the wooded dome, which is accessed up a long sweeping ramp. Sally made it up about halfway before deciding that her fear of heights was more important than the view. She then returned to the base camp back on solid ground. I continued to the very top of the tower. Oh! Oh! Oh! the view was spectacular. In the foreground mountains were all around, with their 'balds', ridges and deep valleys. As the eye swept to the horizon to the north you could see Pigeon Forge, then the high lands away on the other side of the Tennessee river. To the south you could see nothing but mountains away to Springer Mountain in Georgia, which is the start of the Appalachian Trial, which passes within an mile of the Dome. To the East, the Blue Ridge mountains stretched away. The rounded hump of Pisgah Mountain could be seen and alongside it the broader dome of Cold Mountain (which we saw up close in October), which overlook Maggie Valley and Asheville in North Carolina. Then, by looking carefully, I could see faintly on the horizon the long rump of Mount Mitchell, which according to the map is 73 miles away. Today was a clear day. The mountains were definitely blue.
When I returned to the bottom of the tower, Sally was swapping life histories with Hobbit, an Appalachian Trail walker, who had left Springer Mountain some three weeks before (200 miles of walking) and was making good progress towards Katahdin, Maine, a further 1978 miles up the trail. (The name is assumed for the purposes of the trail walk). We walked back down to the car park in the lovely warm afternoon sunshine and then returned to our trailer. What a lovely way to spend Easter Sunday. God's amazing creation in all it's glory.
Since arriving at Pigeon Forge I had been trying to find some Bluegrass music. Well ,using MeetUp on Facebook I found a group in the Knoxville area. One of the people I was in touch with was coming to Pigeon Forge for the weekend, so on Sunday evening Sally and I took our instruments across for the evening and we sat round a camp fire, drank a beer, talked and played until about 10.30. A nice way to end a great day.
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