Smoky Mountain Springtime




April 11, 2009


I'm at it again. After a drive from New England on which I encountered snow flurries on the Hudson and daffodils through Virginia, I'm headquartered in Newport, TN. 

I'll be hiking the Tennessee-North Carolina state line northward.

On my first day, I finished the last stretch of the Smokies and crossed the Pigeon River. Here's the Trail along State Line Branch, plunging down to the Pigeon River (and I-40).

 Now I'm starting up the Bald Mountains - the first hike to the top of Snowbird Mountain was socked in with low-hanging cloud cover. 



These funky trilliums (if I remember right, they're called "toad shade") are blooming in damp places.



Further up the slope, trailing arbutus are blooming along the trailside. 

You can see how foggy it is here.

1 comment:

ssprince said...

I was hoping you were seeing flowers and lots more greenery than we have yet. Looks like.