| Charlie's
Bunion, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina - 207 miles down and 1961 miles to go |
 There
was a big storm that rolled through the Smokies just as I was
getting out of them. The trail crews will come out with
chainsaws and clear the path suprisingly fast considering they're
volunteers with other jobs, but if you get to an area a day
or two after the storm, you'll be climbing over or going around
"blow-downs" all day long. Squirrelfight took
this photo of trail over the Smokies after that storm. There
are more blow-downs here than there would have been at a lower,
less-rocky elevation. |
 I
inlude this photo of the North Carolina landscape a few days
north of the Smokies because it resembles that layered view of
the mountains that was a constant sight along the ridge. |
 This
is a photo taken a few weeks later, but it was before Damascus,
so I still had my first backpack here and no walking stick. Love
that big fleece pullover. |
 This
sign is where the trail breaks off to Charlie's Bunion. The
rocks jutting out at the peak of the ridge and the trail clinging
to the edge are a great example of the experience of the park. |
 Charlie's
Bunion. This is a blue-blaze trail less than a hundred yards
off the AT. It's just a few miles from New-found Gap as you're
crossing the Smokies on 441. Check it out. Be gentle
with any thru-hikers you come across. |
