Great Smoky Mountains National Park--Mount Sterling Trail

Sign at a back entrance

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          It has been a while since I have taken a hike that was longer than a simple day hike. I've been able to get out a few times these past couple of weeks, but not like I been wanting to. Last Sat. the wife and I went up to Lake Keowee and paddled to a small sand bar, there we just hung out for about five hours, reading and doing a little swimming. it was nice spending a Sat. afternoon relaxing at the lake.The hot sunshine felt good, but made us lazy and tired. Of course I got sun burnt and my big old head looks like a  ripe red tomato minus the little green sprig.

          Away back in April when my friend Pete and I finished the Land between the Lakes N/S Trail, I returned to the Upstate of SC by way of I-40. This Interstate highway runs beside the Great Smokey Mountains National Park and I took a detour  to see what I could see! When I crossed into North Carolina from Tennessee the first exit is Exit Number 7 for Harmon Den. Coming from TN you would turn left after leaving the interstate and head toward Max Patch, but I turned right and the adventure began. I crossed the Pigeon River traveling on a road that looked like it didn't get used much, started in a headlong rush up to the top of a mountain. The name of the mountain, I don't know. The thrill of the drive; reckless, going into the unknown. This dirt access road snaked it's way all the way to a communication  tower on top of this mountain chain. Descending from the tower I made a left hand turn and followed the beckoning road deeper into the primeval forest. My thought was, as long as the road is drivable, I'll drive! Many twisty turns later I saw the sign for the GSMNP! I didn't go into the Park that day, but decided one day I would.

Tower

I-40 from top of Mt.

View from Mt. top.

         

Hereford calf.

          These are some pictures I took that day. I especially like the calf, here was a small farm hugging the side of this steep hill and this beautiful calf was standing there waiting for her picture to be taken!

     
. Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Over 9 million visitors each year with over 800 miles of hiking on the 150 official trails located in the more than 500,000 acres of land. That should keep me busy this summer! We started small; correction, I started small- no dogs are allowed on the trails in the Nat. Park. Just a reminder, Gracie looks like a dog-she acts like a dog-she smells like a dog,but she is my friend so she is not treated like a dog. One does not treat their friends like dogs! I know that y'all have heard--if it walks like a duck, if it looks like a duck, if it quacks like a duck, its a DUCK! Well that's talking about ducks. OK, we're talking about Gracie. Now where were we?  Yes, yes, yes GSMNP; getting ready to hike one of the many trails open for our enjoyment. I randomly chose the Mount Sterling Trail and just took off a walkin'. I gave no more thought to what I was doing than a chicken peckin' in the hen house. Of course as an experienced hiker I already had my day pack properly supplied [ plus a trail map and the guide book "Hiking Trails of the Smokies" ] and hiking boots on my feet. Both trekking poles in hand and an definite air of excitement about me. After all I am in the GSMNP and that is way cool to me. I hadn't hiked very long when it dawned on me that the only direction I was going was up. Duh!! the Mount Sterling Trail in the Smoky Mountains-- I'm climbing a mountain! Where is my friend Pete when I need him? if he was ah pantin' ah blowin' behind me soundin' like a razor back hog as he was on the LBL N/S trail, I could stop and rest waiting for him to catch up. Oh, well he's not here, I pretend to be looking at the view as I gasp for breath. The elevation at the trail head is at 3900 ft. The elevation at the top of Mt. Sterling is 5820 ft. This is an elev. change of 1920 ft. in 2.7 miles. I know that that is not much for all you young strong hikers, but all of us aren't young strong hikers. Some of us are more mature, well aged, and steady- almost senior citizens.

          The trail is well marked and easy to see, one part is covered in stones and rocks with grooves washed into the trail bed. My thought while hiking this section was I bet this is fun to hike down when it is raining.-Hold that thought!  The top of the mountain has a tower built on it, if you so desire you can climb to the top and get a 360degree view of the mountains. A younger couple was there and I ask them if they had been to the top and could they see anything? Yes, the girl had been to the top and no, the cloud cover was to great to see much of any thing. I started climbing anyway and got up about forty feet on the sixty foot tower and said to myself, "this is far enough, when the clouds blow away I'll come back!" I don't like heights and the lack of view was no motivation to go higher.  

Rocky Trail

Top of Mount Sterling

          I was halfway down the mountain when I realized that I had not taken a picture of the tower. There you go, that old age factor is slipping in again. I hiked back to the Mount Sterling Ridge Trail and followed it for over a mile, That was a nice hike, but still very little level ground. The wood land is  nice and free from a lot of underbrush. Saw no wildlife, just other hikers and they were all backpacking for one to three overnights. Turned around and headed back to the Mount Sterling Trail.as the rain began to fall, I got soaked!  Walking down to the trail head;I hiked on the trail with water rushing under my boots. Carefully stepped on the wet unsecured stones as I picked my way down the trail. Rain stopped, sun came out, I'm slowing drying and it is still a great day. The day in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park was a topnotch day.

Smoky Mountains

Hike

          On the water or in the woods,

          Turtle