Tramp finally meets his match – a giant German Unimog travel machine shares a view in the Smoky Mountains

The Appalachian Mountains are the dominant range of eastern United States, running from Canada all the way to Alabama near the Gulf of Mexico.  They are not high in mountain terms, nor do they have deep glacier-carved valleys or high jagged peaks.  But the Appalachians have some of the most rugged land anywhere and the mountains dominate the history, culture and economy of the towns and states that host it.  After a month of being flatlanders in the southern states we were ready to explore this famous mountain range.

From western North Carolina we jumped on the Blue Ridge Parkway, one of America’s most famous drives, 469 miles of road specifically built to highlight and celebrate the beautiful rolling mountains of the southern Appalachia.  We drove the southernmost 75 miles of the Parkway, stopping frequently for the grand views across the layers of green forest carpeting the mountains around us, and finally arrived at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  This well-loved park has an added connection to our family as it is where my parents spent their honeymoon many eons ago.

We all made it to the top and were rewarded with grand views in all directions

We walked into Tennessee before we drove there

We drove the winding road up the mountain to reach Newfound Gap which marks the boundary between Tennessee and North Carolina.  Following this ridge is the famous Appalachian Trail, the first and arguably most famous long distance walking trail.  The trail dates back to the 1930’s and stretches 2,190 miles from northern Georgia all the way to Maine.  It roughly follows the spine of the Appalachia Mountains and provides walkers with infinite opportunities to test themselves and enjoy these special mountains.

Okay, we’re not doing the whole Appalachian Trail but we did tick off a very pretty section on the North Carolina – Tennessee border

For 20 years or more I have had the dream of walking the entire length of the Appalachian Trail, an accomplishment few walkers can claim each year and a challenging journey that can take up to seven months to complete.  I probably won’t get there now but Julie and I did almost the next best thing and headed off on the trail for a six mile return trip north along the high ridge that separates the two states.

As always, there seemed like more up than down…even on the way back

The Appalachian Trail was no picnic with a lot of up and downs over rough terrain

This was a beautiful walk, challenging at times with the steep climbs and very uneven surface but we were rewarded with grand views of the valleys below and conversations with many of the ‘through hikers’ who are attempting this amazing end-to-end journey.  Our turnaround point was one of the shelters that are provided on the trail for walkers to spend the night.  Very cool.

We did stop occasionally to smell the spring flowers

One of the shelters on the Appalachian Trail – I suspect a bit dark, crowded and smelly

A pretty woodpecker joined us for breakfast one morning

After camping down in a valley of the park near a beautiful little creek, and enjoying the sounds of the running water all night, we headed off again the next day for more walking in the park.  We followed a well-used path up to Laurel Falls and a little further along the road stopped to explore some of the old buildings that were used by people who lived in these remote valleys before the park was proclaimed.

The old school room in a remote part of the park dating back about 130 years ago

Julie sits on the front step of the school room which also doubled as a church with the old cemetery in the foreground

In particular, we walked back to the log cabin home of the six Walker sisters, who were granted permission by the park to live in their remote hideaway until they died.  These sisters grew their own food, hunted for what they needed, made their own clothes and led a fascinating life away from civilisation.  The last Walker sister died in the 1960’s and their home and associated buildings were preserved for people to visit.

The old log house of the Walker sisters – they were totally self-sufficient in an extremely remote location

As it happens, we have some very good friends who live in nearby Knoxville Tennessee.  Julie and I had been looking forward to visiting George and Jane for some time and we had a fabulous time staying at their place for the weekend.  Tramp had some minor repairs done, we caught up on our washing and explored this pretty town in eastern Tennessee.

Our good friends George and Jane rolled out the red carpet for us and also acted as tour guides during our time in Knoxville

Knoxville is very proud of their ‘Skysphere’ which was built for the 1982 World’s Fair

But mostly it was a time for catching up with old friends, sharing stories from our current travels, reminiscing on times past, having a few laughs, meeting some locals and enjoying some loving hospitality.  And after 33 straight days of camping Julie and I didn’t mind the soft bed and other comfy touches of home!

We only drove by, honestly – we didn’t go in

But the mountains were calling.  We drove through the town of Pigeon Forge and incongruously passed a long string of tacky tourist attractions, including the Titanic, Jurassic Park, many wild river rides, elaborate miniature golf courses and the biggest drawcard of them all – Dollyworld, created and named after Dolly Parton who was born in this town and put it on the map in a way never imagined.

We followed a beautiful winding single lane dirt track through the deep mountainous forest of Smoky Mountain National Park back into North Carolina and visited some amazing homes that were built from the 1860’s for the original settlers of the Cataloochee Valley before we set up camp.  The highlight of the afternoon was seeking elk grazing in the mountain meadows near these old homes, blissfully indifferent to a few tourist cars which stopped for a gawk and a snap.

Some of the back tracks of the Smokys include old narrow bridges

A female elk, or cow, complete with tracking collar, grazes in a field at dusk

The park has done a great job of preserving some of the original old homes from the 1870’s

No settler could survive without a strong barn to store goods, food, livestock and feed

We kind of had a thing for these old barns

The Smokies delivered on their reputation – beautiful mountains, great hikes, fascinating history plus a chance to reconnect with part of our family’s story.  And the special bonus was a great weekend with friends in Knoxville to top it all off.

Lunch in another great spot