June 12 Gregory Bald Azaleas

Pink

My two previous hikes to see the the Gregory Bald azaleas were on the Gregory Ridge Trail and the Gregory Bald Trail. I chose to hike up from a different direction today, mainly to try something else and add mileage toward my S900 Challenge. The route from Twentymile Ranger Station can be done as a 15.6 mile loop. I started up Wolf Ridge Trail and came down Long hungry Ridge and Twentymile Trails. Hike bagan about 6:15am in fairly cool but very humid conditions. Coolness gradually wore off to warm and then hot and humid. I was drenched in sweat after just a couple miles. Wolf Ridge Trail is unrelenting for its 5 mile course. You do get a break upon reaching Parsons Bald. Here the trail is very narrow and with grass and other vegetation drooping into the pathway, my pants got soaked. I zipped off the bottoms and put on gaiters which I should have done 5 minutes earlier. Nevertheless, the gaiters worked fine from this point on. 

Flame

It is a short uphill walk from parsons Bald to the backcountry campsite at Sheep Pen Gap. The fog was so thick here I could barely see 10 feet. It was eerily quiet as I passed through this ghostly fog. I met three backpackers along here. They were doing the same route as I but over a 4 day span - how relaxing I thought. They did mention that it rained everyday and last night was very wet. Judging by the condition of the trail, I agreed.

There was no one at the backcountry campsite. Odd, this is azalea season and it should be overflowing with campers. Even odder, I met no one else on the bald or on the trail all day. I learned later, Forge Creek and Parsons Branch Roads were closed thus severing easy access to the bald.

The trail from Sheep Pen Gap up is very muddy. I saw what looked like a monster footprint in the mud. Actually, all the half mile up, I saw this bear's foot prints. As I reached the bald, a certain excitement fills the air. The show is about to begin.

Red

The wild azalea most associated with the Smokies is commonly known as Flame Azalea. It is the color of a burning flame and is often seen one bush at a time in the forest. You can often detect some slight color variations but basically it is orange. Here on Gregory Bald several other native azaleas have hybridized to display a broad range of blooms. Dominant are the reds and then the flame orange. These are found in many shades and folks have tried to color code them with all sorts of variants of orange, red pink etc. Throughout the bald you will occasionally see pink, white and other variations as you walk about. Today I did not find a yellow bush but have on a previous trip. I did see some white blossoms with yellow centers and salmon blooms with the same. It is a real treat to walk through the bushes for an hour or two and see the surprises. 

White with Yellow 

At 4949 feet, you are about 3000 feet above Cades Cove. The view, although not today, is spectacular with Rich mountain in the background. Gregory Bald is named for Russell Gregory, an Irish immigrant and Cove resident who tended cattle on the bald up to his death during the Civil War. He resided in a stone hut in the bald.

At that time there was over 20 miles of continuous bald. When cattle stopped grazing on the balds in the 1930's, the balds began to grow back. The Park Service is maintaining only 2 of those balds today. Gregory and Andrews are maintained by mowing the grass. A volunteer crew hauls gasoline up to the bald and mows with a self propelled mower a couple times a year.   

Candy Stripe

After traversing the bald, I head down toward Long Hungry Ridge. Shortly, I realize I am dehydrating and start drinking fluids. It is easy to refrain from drinking while walking downhill so I purposely stop every half hour or so and take on more fluids. When I reach Twentymile Trail, the final 3 miles is on a driveable road and the walking is easy. Somewhere along here I lose my longtime hiking companion - my walking stick. I'll need to make another.

Salmon with Yellow

Today's hike added 14.5 miles to my S900 Challenge.