The Great Smoky Mountains
On Wednesday, I woke up on South Holston Lake, Tennessee. In the morning, I met the camp hosts, who both Tennessee natives. They were surprised to learn that I had come all the way from New Jersey! I guess they don’t get too many tourists at that campground (Little Oak Campground in the Cherokee National Forest). Afterwords, I took my time making breakfast and enjoyed said breakfast right next to the lake.
After breakfast, I drove southwest to Cataloochee, which is in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park (GSM). Normally, if you want to camp in the GSM, you have to reserve a campsite weeks in advance. Luckily for me, I found a primitive campsite available on top of Mt. Sterling and reserved it the same day. In order to stay at that site, you need to backpack in. This means carrying all of your supplies with you at least 2.5 miles and up a 2000 ft vertical climb. The hike in was definitely not an easy task, but I was not alone in this adventure.
I met a man named Yanmu, who was vacationing in the Blue Ridge Mountains and GSM. Originally from China, he moved to the United States seeking a more comfortable life. He suggested that I hike up to Black Balsam Knob and camp there overnight. Later on, I looked up the hike, and it appeared to be shorter and easier than Mt. Sterling. Something to look into for the future… I also met a man named Ian, who was also hiking alone, like me. Ian now lives in Philly, but grew up in Tennessee. He told me he had hiked the GSM since he was five years old and that he likes to camp up on Mt. Sterling because there are fewer crowds and the view is comparable, if not better, than Clingman’s Dome, which is a world-renowned view. After he told me this, I had high expectations for Mt Sterling.
Once we reached the top, my expectations were surpassed.
That evening, we watched the sunset from the top of the fire tower.
And in the morning, we watched the sunrise.
I could not have imagined a better way to start this journey. Mt Sterling was an absolute 10/10 in my book and I highly recommend it to anyone willing to put up with the hike in.
Later that day, I also visited Clingman’s Dome. Clingman’s is easy to get to. You can drive right up to the top, where you are greeted with a beautiful 180 degree view right from the parking lot. I hiked up the 0.5 mile paved path to the observation tower and was met with another amazing 360 degree view. When I reached the observation deck, I overheard a young girl exclaim, “This view was NOT worth the walk!” Sassy! Obviously not everyone handles a little physical activity well.
Overall, my time in the Great Smokey Mountains has been an incredible experience and there is no doubt in my mind that I will make it back there in the future.
Recent Comments