On our last day in Cherokee we decided to take the drive up to Clingman's Dome, elevation 6,643.
When we got to the top it was all fogged in, so I checked out the lichens on a tree for a few minutes and then we decided to go ahead and risk the 1/2 mile walk up to the summit and hoped that the fog would clear by the time we got up there. We got a few peeks at the surrounding mountains and made a new friend from Massachusetts who was wearing an Acadia National Park t-shirt. The climb was paved...but STEEP with a gain in elevation of 330 feet! Our hearts pounded the whole way, and even though it was foggy and 50 degrees I had to take off my jacket and I was still sweating as we climbed up! But, eventually we made it...and saw absolutely nothing due to "t'ick o' fog".
We did learn a lot about the wooly balsam adelgid who is responsible for the destruction of 70% of the park's mature Fraser fir population. Those darn non-native insects! We also enjoyed watching the dark eyed juncos flying around at the summit...but we did NOT enjoy the hike down. Our poor knees demanded repeated doses of arthritis strength Tylenol as well as repeated applications of ice when we got back to the RV. No pain, no gain, right?
A trick that John and I learned when we were riding our bikes on long, steep inclines was to go up or down at a diagonal. We tried it on a walk in Death Valley and it worked. Much easier on our knees and not so muchh huffing and puffing either.
ReplyDeleteGlad you got up to Clingman's Dome, but sorry there wasn't a view. That's pretty common in the Smokies, though. It is so sad to see all the dead fir trees. Continue to enjoy the GSMNP.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the warning about the Dome hike. I'll try to remember the diagonal idea if I make it there.
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