Apr 15 Baxter Creek (again) and the Arcto-Tertiary Geoflora

Right in the Big Creek parking lot are these Yellow Trilliums. The parking lot sits on the site of Champion Fiber's kiln. Just prior to formation of the national park, a number of timber companies timbered the massive trees. Several of the trails in this area are on the railroad beds used by the timber companies.

One of the first cliff faces we encounter, has lampshade spider activity. The spider weaves a web which resembles a lampshade. 

Often hard to photograph, Bishops Cap, here is displayed against the moss of a tree.

The tree art on this basswood all occurred naturally. It is in this Basswood forest that our hike leader, Gary Walker delivered his Arcto-Tertiary Geoflora lecture. This is the name for the forest which has covered the northern hemisphere of earth for tens of millions of years. Darwin's "abominable mystery" was why did the flowering plants replace the conifers in such a short period of time. And why did this forest disappear from Europe. Darwin thought the forest appeared very abruptly in fossil records. Tens of millions of years, but who is counting. Flowering plants pushed the conifers out over a period of time, giving us the forest we see before us now. Reproduction was more efficient when you teamed flowering plants up with insects and birds than the reproduction occurring with conifers, naked seeds without an ovary. Well, maybe I missed some of Gary's lecture. As he continues, the forest here and in Asia had north-south mountain ranges. In Europe, the Alps are east-west. When the glaciation occurred, the plant and animal species moved ahead of the glaciers' advance and followed them when they receded. In Europe, the species were pushed to the Alps where there was nowhere to go and many perished. Today, we are left with a similar forest here and in Asia. We see many of the same species. Chestnuts are a great example. They survived in both North America and Asia but developed differently. When a blight brought from Asia, attacked our Chestnuts, they had no natural immunity and succumbed. We hear about many other Asian insects and fungi coming here, It does work in reverse too. Chinese people are very sensitive to Ragweed. They get upset that it came from here to annoy them. As Gary's lecture finished up, we were told that Hemlock disappeared from the fossil record about 10,000 years ago. They came back and now are dying off from the Hemlock Adelgid. Some trees are resistant, so thousands of years from now, they will re populate the area. In nature, some things take time.   

Apr 14 Long Bunk Trail

Carol Ann and Roger are back for a repeat performance, leading today's SWP hike on Long Bunk Trail. Our hike starts at Sterling Gap up the Mt Sterling Trail. Mount Sterling gets its name from a vein of lead found nearby. Lead looks like silver, apparently. On the walk uphill, we see many wildflowers. Once on Long Bunk, the terrain changes a bit. We come across a big oak tree which Roger measures. A long discussion continues as to whether this is a Chestnut Oak or not. Large diameter trees tend to have bark which looks the same.

Great grouping of Trillium on a log

When we get to a stream and follow it, Trillium fields take over. I've never seem more Trillium in one place.

Bellwort

Here was have a hybridized Trillium. This was found in a field of White Trillium Erectum with one red one. So this looks like it was a white which crossed with the red and now is crossing back to white. 

This annual polypore fungus grows on dead hemlocks. Thus we saw plenty over the course of the SWP. The yellowish ones are this year's new growth. I tasted one. It has a nutty flavor but a bit of a bad aftertaste. The large ones are last year's crop. 

As our hike ended, we passed a wonderful display of Trillium Grandiflorum. Some of which were being pollinated by butterflies.

Apr 13 Meigs Creek & Curry Mountain

Dwarf Ginseng among Trout Lilies

This SWP hike is led by Roger McCoy with Tennessee State Natural Areas, Carol Ann McCormick with UNC Chapel Hill Herbarium and Ed Lickey, botanist extraordinaire from Bridgewater College. It is a U shaped hike beginning at the Metcalf Bottoms picnic area and ending at the Sinks. Before we are out of the parking lot, a morel has been spotted and a few other flowers are viewed. Then it is up the trail. We wind our way upward but for quite some way, we are still in sight of the road. Finally we make the big turn and leave the sounds of the highway.

It is hear, I watch a few butterflies pollinate a Silverbell. We see Walking Fern in this area also.

Burls on a Black Locust

We sit in the hot forest at a trail junction for lunch. There are fence posts in the area with nails in them. These may be black locust posts as we see quite a view of the trees on this hike.

After lunch we visit a backcountry cemetery just off trail. Our pace is sluggish as we look and stop a lot. Finally we make it to Meigs Creek Trail and head down. It is along here we cross the creek 16 times, but who is counting.

The first few crossings could be accomplished as rock hops, but by the third or fourth, all hope of keeping boots dry was gone. I had worn sandals so I cooled off in the creek each time.

Roger carries this tape measure which is used to measure the diameter of the tree by putting it around the circumference. It is in centimeters. This American Beech was 129 centimeter in diameter.

American Beech

Robin's Plantain

Wild Ginger Flower

Chickweed

Maidenhair

Bloodroot

Trillium Erectum

Apr 12 Baxter Creek

Today's SWP hike is led by Doris Gove. The planned route is from Big Creek to the firetower and back. The climb up is a massive 4240' in elevation gain. After crossing Big Creek and walking in the shadow of a wall of rock face, we enter some bottomlands. Obviously, inhabited at one time, the area reveals many relics from the recent past. Most notable is the 35' chimney on the banks of Big Creek. The Crestmont Lumber Company built this lodge years ago. The chimney has a mortarless look to it, with rocks jutting out in all directions, as below.

Young, tall and straight Poplar Tuliptrees populate the bottomland.

The first stage of our hike was peppered with wildflower stops. The display was as good as it gets. Purple Phacelia was thicker than I have ever experienced it.

After we made it through the first 2 miles, the trail entered a drier area and the wildflowers were left behind. We did see 2 lone Painted Trilliums here. As the hike wore on, 4 of the the original 10 dropped out. At the 4 mile mark I called it quits. I sat on a Chestnut log and ate a leisurely lunch, watching Teresa and Doris drudge by on there way to the top.

The largest Persimmon Tree I have ever seen.

Yellow Mandarin keeping a Sweet White Trillium company in one of the many rich areas along this trail.

Apr 11 Mount LeConte via Alum Cave Trail

To hike the Alum Cave Trail and park in a real parking spot, you need to begin your outing early as I did. The two parking areas were already filling at 8am. By mid afternoon and my return, parking along the roadway ways getting very creative.

The first 8 photos here, show the recent work of the Trails Forever Trail crew. Funded by the Friends of the Smokies, the Trails Forever endowment fund has raised $5 million for trail work. Already they have worked on the trail from Clingman's Dome parking area to Andrews Bald and Chimney Tops Trail, making them more sustainable trails. Now with the completion of Alum Cave Trail in November, another trail has been added to their accomplishments. Unfortunately, the Chimney Tops Trail will have to remain closed for years following the devastating fire last November. Alum Cave  is one of the most popular trails in the park and has suffered from overuse. A number of areas needed attention. You can see in these photos the wonderful work the trail crew did. The bridge below was rebuilt using two 40 foot long Black Locust stringers hauled up by mules.

The old stone steps going through Arch Rock has been completely reworked as seen above.

The stone staircase is in an eroded area just above Arch Rock.

As you approach the Bluffs, this staircase was built using Black Locust logs, airlifted here.

Previously, when you arrived at the Bluffs, there was a bit of a scramble which began to erode the whole area. This set of steps was also made from Black Locust. There was not sufficient rock in the area to built stone steps. Anakeesta does not lend itself well as a building material because of the way it crumbles in layers.

This staircase is beyond the Bluffs and looks like a staircase to heaven.

As I attain elevation, there is snow on the ground. It was pretty slushy so no ice to worry about today.

Nature's artwork - Is it rock or wood?

The stairway leading down to LeConte Lodge had a bit of snow. Guests had already left and the crew was busy readying the cabins for the next batch of guests.

At the very top of LeConte, 6593'; it is easy to remember that elevation. So many hikers sport the t-shirts sold at the Lodge. "I hiked it" , "Mt LeConte 6593". I turned on my Backcountry Navigator and held it, about 1 foot above ground, and it read 6594'. Pretty accurate! I sat in the pile of Anakeesta at the summit for about 45 minutes. The summit is wooded. It is a beautiful Spruce-Fir forest with a healthy growth of moss and ferns hiding the rocks and fallen trees.

When hiking this trail, you can easily see this arch. It is on a knife edged ridge, Duck Hawk Ridge. Officially this ridge is closed to scramblers. A manway exists to it just beyond the Bluffs. Signs are posted a little in along the walkway. Officially closed because of nesting Peregrine Falcons, I think the falcons have moved on and the park just doesn't deem this place safe for scramblers since it is so enticing. 

Apr 10 Chimneys Picnic Area Blooms

Sweet White Trillium

The Chimneys Picnic Area has always been a hotbed of wildflowers during this time of year. The Chimney Tops 2 fire began not far from here and roared past the picnic area on both sides.The fire reached into the nearby area and burned parts of the Cove Hardwood Nature Trail as seen below.

Grandiflorum

Dutchman's Breeches