On Top of Old Smoky

'Old Smoky' from that song (whose lyrics have been replaced in my head by a song about a meatball) is actually Clingmans Dome, the highest point in Great Smoky Mountain National Park (6643 feet).  This is the most-visited park in the country and also the cheapest: free thanks to a stipulation on a $5 million grant from the Rockefellers back when the park was being established.

 

As you can see, the views are amazing.  The trees had already started changing colors so it looked like a beautiful patchwork mosaic from the road through the park.  That is, until the "smoky" part of the Great Smoky Mountains set in.

View of Tennessee from the TN/NC Border

I'm convinced that if there were a supernatural power controlling the weather, that they've got an evil sense of humor.  There is someone that just doesn't want Nathan and I to see any cool mountain ranges.  We've been in the Grand Tetons and yet haven't seen them and Kilimanjaro was always covered in clouds, except for a few mornings during the climb where we got fleeting glimpses of the summit.  So it was with the Smokys.  We saw nothing above a couple thousand feet due to the rain and clouds.  Oh, the drive was still gorgeous because of the trees along the road, but we blew through the park pretty fast.

Creek in Greenbrier

Luckily, one of our friends from Theodore Roosevelt National Park recommended the Ramsey Cascades hike, an 8-mile up-and-back on the Tennessee side of the park.  Despite the rain, we pulled on our hiking boots and set off for what proved to be one of my top five hikes of all time.

This time of year, the trail was lined withe colorful leaves.  You hike up a total of over 2000 feet, but you're constantly walking through streams, over roots and rocks, and through unbelievably gorgeous forest.  Honestly, amazing - here are some pictures:

 

First of Two Precarious Bridges

A creek followed us almost the entire way up the trail

The falls are well-worth the trek and the sore legs you'll have the next day.

Ramsey Cascades

On the way back, I found 5 salamanders.  It turns out the Great Smoky region is the most diverse area in North America in terms of biodiversity, especially when it comes to amphibians.  There are so many salamanders in the park that, combined, they eat more meat in the parks than the 1600 black bears!  They are also incredibly cute.

Can you find two salamanders in this photo?

We stayed the night in our first Bed & Breakfast, the Buckhorn Inn.  I'd gone crazy and splurged a little since this was one of our last nights, so we ended up in a secluded cottage with a living room, jacuzzi, screened porch, and fireplace.  This may in fact be the best place we've ever stayed.  So serene, they had a nature trail, pond with swans (whose names were Penn & Teller), hot chocolate and cookies at all hours, movies, games and a lot more we could have done if we'd only known it would be so great.  Check it out - I highly recommend it over the dirty, loud, cramped, god-awful tourist deserts that are Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.

Cottage 2 Living Room

Cabins at the Buckhorn Inn