"Yep...Beans Again!"
It is the 4th of July.
Or as Dave, my buddy in the UK, likes to say
"Happy TREASON Day, you lot!"
Found something amazing to mix with my trail-ready powdered eggs this morning.
Lightweight...trail stable...tender not chewy like jerky...and oh-so-delicious!
On our way to Clingman's Dome (about 2 miles) and then getting a ride into Gatlinburg (virtual Zero Days...good hot food...shopping and a movie...and a soft bed & bubble bath). A well-deserved 3 day weekend!
Our destination is the highest point in the Smoky Mountains. Elevation: 6643 feet.
Unknown to me...this is a small part of the trail I have actually done (real time). I was a child and had no idea it was even part of the Appalachian Trail...although it must have surely been brought to my attention, at the time.
I do remember the hike up...which seemed forever.
Up to Clingman's Dome
https://youtu.be/wn8temvaGqs
The view from the top
On the way up...the enormous Eastern Hemlock trees seem to have been decimated by pests. There are a huge amount of dead and dying trees. Skeletal against the few live remaining.
A ranger reveals that they are the victim of the woolley adelgid...a non-native (Japanese) insect.
They are a particular aphid which would eventually kill all of the hemlocks in the area without treatment.
The Cherokee name for Clingman's Dome was Kuwa'hi...and means where there are mulberries.
Unlike the name I had been formulating in my mind for
"Holy-shit that is a long way up"
The new name was given in 1959 when the observation tower was built is in deference to General Clingman who spent years exploring the mountain extensively.
The trek down seems much shorter...and faster...lol
A hike out to 441 in Newfoundland Gap and a travel-thumb
and a return to civilization (...and all its amenities) for the next three days!
After the relative peacefulness and calm tranquility of the AT...a return to the hustle and bustle (light, crowd and noise) will be an assault on the senses... by Monday we will be happy to return to our (virtual trek)...but for tonight there is hot food, a soft bed and a bubble bath!
later,
"Beans"
(...did I mention a bubble bath!!!)
