“Boondocking” in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

 

View from Clingman's Dome (6621 ft.)

I could write a book and still not say all there is to say about the Smokies.  Where to start?  I guess at the beginning.  As is our wont (but not our want), we got a late start from the farm.  What is it that compels us to drive up into the mountains in the dark???  As we drove along, debating where to camp, wondering how winding and steep the roads would be and generally sniping at one another, a call came in on my husband’s cell phone.  ”Probably a call from your prospective employer right now” I quipped.  It WAS a call from the prospective employer!   The kids and I silently held our collective breath while my husband took the call.  The upshot, we are still waiting for the legal rigamarole to get sorted out.  The call was assuring us that it is all still in the works and asking us to remain patient.  All in all, this is good news but it would be nice to have some more certainty in this area.

Campsite #59 - Cosby Campground

All these worldly cares soon melted away as we lost ourselves in the wilds of the Smokies.  ”Boondocking” is R.V. talk for camping without hookups.  We ended up in Cosby Campground, a beautiful and very secluded spot on the Tennessee side of the park.  There are 5 different forest biomes in the Smokies.  This campground was in a Cove Hardwood forest.  What that means is that we camped among towering Tulip trees with their leaves just coming out and much lower down flowering Dogwoods in full glory.   We could not have asked for a more beautiful spot or better weather (the Smokies are often wet and rainy).  The campground hosts, Bob and Shirley, were very welcoming and friendly.  The bathrooms were clean with flush toilets and cold running water.  The other campers quiet and courteous (well, except on Friday night when our neighbor’s kids were up half the night screaming). Our first day in the park we decided to hike up to Hen Wallow Falls, a trail that originated right in the campground.  

Climb Every Mountain, Ford Every Stream

The biodiversity in the Smokies is greater than anywhere else in the temperate world, thanks to an accident of geography.  During the last ice age, northern species fled south as the ice sheet advanced.  In Europe, this was a disaster for many species, they could not cross the Alps which run roughly East-West.  The Smokies, on the other hand, run North-South and so became the new home for hundreds of species of plants along with the birds, fish, insects, etc. that rely on those plants.  There are more tree species found in the park than in all of Europe, the Smokies are also home to many species of birds, fish, and notably salamanders, but we were here for the spring wildflowers.  On this first hike we saw and identified at least 10 different species.  It seemed that a new discovery awaited around every corner.  We enjoyed a late lunch at the bottom of the falls.    

Painted Trillium

  

Downy Yellow Violet

 

 

 

 

Squawroot (an important food source for Black Bears in spring)

 

 

Bishop's Cap

Another day we followed a nature trail through through a Hemlock forest.  The Hemlock forests are dark and mysterious with the tall Hemlocks reaching to the sky and the masses of Rhododendron below (the latter don’t bloom until summer).  Many additional wildflowers grew in the lush shady areas especially along the streams.  Bishop’s Cap, Foam Flower, Showy Orchis, Dwarf Iris, Blue Phlox, Stonecrop, Wild Geranium, Smooth Solomon’s Seal, Dog Hobble, and many others (can you tell I love the names?).  Along these hikes we also saw many gnome and fairy dwellings and discussed the busy lives of the various inhabitants.  

Hemlock Forest Fairy Palace

Showy Orchis

The Children Discover Blue Phlox

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The National Park Service offer Junior Ranger programs at many of their parks and we decided to try it out in the Smokies.  Each child got a booklet for $2.50 with information on various aspects of the park and questions and activities to complete.  Our three children were in different age categories so we had each of them working separately on their booklets.  All of them included a leaf hunt so the result was we all learned to identify a lot of tree species.  They also had to collect any garbage they found in the park and turn it in to the Ranger when they completed their booklet and they had to attend a Ranger-led program.  At this time of year, there weren’t too many Ranger-led programs but the movie in the visitor’s center was a good substitute. 

 

Repeat after me . . .

 

I promise . . .

The Official Junior Ranger Promise:

“As a Junior Ranger I promise to help protect the plants and animals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and keep the air, water, and land clean.  I will continue to learn more about the park so that I can help protect it for all the years to come.”

Advertisement