We were headed for our first campground in the NP called Smokemont, just north of Cherokee. This stop was our first real glimpse at the incredible biodiversity around us. Here there are more tree species than in northern Europe, 1,500 different flowering plants, dozens of native fish, over 200 bird species and 60 mammals. It is also an International Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site. Established in 1934, this was among the first of the national parks assembled from private lands. The states of Tennessee and North Carolina, private citizens and groups such as schools, contributed money to purchase these lands and then donated them to the federal government for the establishment of the park. Everywhere one looks there are reminders of the vast amount of work the CCC did to develop the roads, walls, bridges and accommodations. This year is the 75th anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corps. We are always grateful to those hard working men and the legacy they left for our enjoyment. If I had a hat I’d take it off to those guys!
First thing the Ladies went to see was the operating grist mill called Mingus Mill. This mill was originally constructed in 1886 and was one of the first turbine mills in the area. Turbines were much faster and more powerful than water wheel mills so there was an adjoining lumber mill attached to it, too. The mill still grinds corn into meal and wheat into flour for sale in the Visitors Centers. The beauty of this spot with its old log mill race, the pegged beam construction, pathways and mosses, falling water and the soft sweet smell of corn meal made a soul just want to linger forever!
One of the mandates of the National Park Service is to preserve an area, including its history and artifacts. So early on it was decided to save as many of the original log structures as possible. Many buildings have been moved, piece by piece from various locations within the park to the Mountain Farm Museum. This is a reconstruction of a large, prosperous farm of the 18th and 19th centuries with all of the special use log buildings in place. It is the largest collection of original log structures in the US.
Oconaluftee Visitors Center Mountain Farm Museum.
Farm House
Blacksmithy
Bee Hive
Corn Crib
Smoke House
Sorghum Mill and Furnace
Barn
Hog Pen
Spring House
Apple House
Our next day trip was over to an area called Deep Creek. Now this old doggie’s heart beat just a little faster with the prospect of some creek being a bit deeper than my left rear hock. I hadn’t had a good bath for quite a while now and my fur needed a rinse or two. Well, shoot, wouldn’t you know this was one of those danged places where decent four legged gentlemen can’t go due to those stupid bureaucratic rules about dogs, so I just stayed in the Pod and pouted!
Juney Whank Falls
Tom Branch Falls
Indian Creek Falls
In Smoky-speak a “dome” is a “rounded mountain or ridge top.” Back in the CCC days the troops constructed a large wooden tower on Clingman’s Dome, the highest peak in the park and third highest point in the Eastern US at 6,643 feet. After the wooden tower decayed the Park Service built this interesting 45 foot circular construct in1960 and it gives one a 360 degree view of five states. The half mile, really steep walk up to the top is worth the effort but unfortunately the haze of pollution has now diminished the longer view by as much as 80% in the summer and 40% in the winter. The actual natural blue haze here is not pollution, (that’s yellowish), but rather a form of condensation that rises from the vast, damp hardwood forests as a mist. The Cherokees described these mountains as shaconage, meaning “blue, like smoke.” One of the unsettling things here is the death of over 70% of the Fraser Fir Trees. You become very conscious of the hundreds and hundreds of acres of dead trees in your view from atop Clingman’s Dome. The firs are dying due to the accidental introduction of the Balsam Woolly Adelgid, which literally sucks the life sap out of them. Of course the Fraser Firs are endangered now but the Park Service is trying to find a biologically safe way to try to fix the situation before all the trees die. We hiked down off of ‘the top of Old Smoky’ and headed out for another high point and view.
Talk about vistas! Newfound Gap was certainly one of the best. This long view of the Smokies was stunning and definitely made us want to return here in the fall to try to capture some of the colors of this majestic area. The Appalachian Trail crosses here at the top of Newfound Gap. This is the hiking trail that traverses the entire Appalachian Mountain range and is one of the premier hiking experiences in America. There is also a memorial here for the 1940 dedication of the park by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
More Smoky Mountains to come!
