The Smoky Mountain Hiking Blog: Newfound Gap Road Reopens to Thru Traffic

The Smoky Mountain Hiking Blog: Newfound Gap Road Reopens to Thru Traffic: Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced the completion of road repairs to Newfound Gap Road (Hwy 441) this morning. The road has been closed since the January 16th landslide that washed away approximately 200 feet of the road. At 10:00 am on April 15th, the Park officially opened the road to all thru traffic between Cherokee, NC and Gatlinburg, TN.

Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson, NC Congressman Mark Meadows, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Principal Chief Michell Hicks, and Federal Highways Administration (FHWA) Construction Operations Engineer Emmett Melton jointly announced the opening of the road this morning 30 days ahead of the scheduled completion date of May 15, 2013. The National Park Service, FHWA, Phillips & Jordan, Inc. (P&J), APAC Harrison Division, and all subcontractors worked cooperatively in the most efficient and expeditious manner possible to restore Hwy 441 to a safe byway for the traveling public, the gateway communities, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The primary repair contract was awarded to P&J for the submitted bid of $3,989,890.00 with the completion date set at May 15, 2013. The contract included a monetary incentive of $ 18,000 per day to the each day of completion prior to May 15, 2013, up to a maximum of $504,000 offered jointly by the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indian (EBCI) and the National Park Service.

"We recognize the economic importance of the road to our neighboring communities and are grateful that our partners at Federal Highways Administration and were able to respond efficiently to our need and work with the contractors to make the necessary repairs in less than 90 days," said Superintendent Ditmanson.

APAC Harrison Division completed Phase 1 of the reconstruction project on February 21, 2013 by developing the access road to the slide area, removing of debris, and stabilizing the slope above the work area. P&J mobilized equipment on February 22, 2013 to begin Phase 2 of the reconstruction project which included rebuilding the roadway and filling the area washed away during the landslide with crushed stone.

The final design includes over 200 feet of pipes to allow for the drainage of subsurface water flow along with 150 feet of side drainage leading to a culvert at the end of the slope. This drainage system and previous crushed stone material will further protect the road and park resources from future damage due to both overflow and subsurface water flow. The fill area was naturally sloped and planted with seed. In addition, erosion measures were put into place along the 900 foot debris field below the landslide which was also seeded.


Jeff
Hiking in the Smokies

Hike To Joyce Kilmer

The Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest along Little Santeetlah Creek is a rare example of an old growth cove hardwood forest, an extremely diverse forest type unique to the Appalachian Mountains. Although there are many types of trees in Joyce Kilmer, dominant species include poplar, hemlock, red and white oak, basswood, beech, and sycamore. Many of the trees in Joyce Kilmer are over 400 years old. The largest rise to heights of over 100 feet and have circumferences of up to 20 feet . The Slickrock Creek basin is coated primarily by a mature second-growth cove hardwood forest, although a substantial old growth stand still exists in its upper watershed.

The Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness borders the Citico Creek Wilderness, which lies within the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee.

Information board at Joyce Kilmer Trailhead

Dedicated July 30, 1936 by the U S Forest Service

Such a beautiful forest with lots of old trees and growth

This is a very well maintained trail great for kids and the elderly

Lots of trees snapped from a storm earlier in the year

Two more trees that was clipped by high winds

Poor trees took a beating from this storm

Amazing trees growing on top of the ground .Mysteries of the wildreness !

Joyce Kilmer - Soldier , Poet and Author of " Trees "

Some of the trees in Joyce Kilmer are 400-500 years old

And trees measuring over 100 feet tall

Twin giants in the trail .... so huge so majestic

Even trees walk in this forest on the trails

Almost to the end of the hike of the man who felt trees were so important that he wrote a poem about them

Trees

I Think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

- Joyce Kilmer

Hike To Mt. LeConte Via Rainbow Falls After 3 Ft. Of Snow From Sandy Pt.4

These are pictures that I took on a hike from Rainbow Falls via Mt. LeConte after Hurricane Sandy had dumped over 3 feet of snow on Mt. LeConte and The Great Smoky Mountains above 5,ooo feet . Such beauty in the snow covered mountains makes everything so pure , so beautiful and so mysterious ! I hope you enjoy all the pictures . Happy Hiking !

Amazing the amount of snow on all the trees

Even in the aftermath of the storm beauty can appear

“For the listener, who listens in the snow, / And, nothing himself, beholds /
Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.”
― Wallace Stevens



Is this the steps to LeConte or the snow slide ?



Hurricane Sandy dumped over 3 feet of snow on the mountains

Winter wonderland set down on the mountain in the fall

So peaceful and so quite when I got there

Snow drifts to the roofs on some of cabins

Dining Room and kitchen at Mt. LeConte Lodge

One of the cabins at Mt. LeConte Lodge

Hike To Mt. LeConte Via Rainbow Falls After 3 Ft. Of Snow From Sandy Pt.3

These are pictures that I took on a hike from Rainbow Falls via Mt. LeConte after Hurricane Sandy had dumped over 3 feet of snow on Mt. LeConte and The Great Smoky Mountains above 5,ooo feet . Such beauty in the snow covered mountains makes everything so pure , so beautiful and so mysterious ! I hope you enjoy all the pictures . Happy Hiking !

Getting closer to Mt. LeConte Lodge

I really love hiking in the snow

“Snow falling soundlessly in the middle of the night will always fill my heart with sweet clarity”
― Novala Takemoto,  

Only one-tenth of a mile to go to the lodge

“Every Autumn now my thoughts return to snow. Snow is something I identify myself with. Like my father, I am a snow person.”
― Charlie English

So different with it all covered in snow

I stepped of the side of the trail here and sunk down almost to my waist

Untouched snow such a pleasure to see while hiking

Finally made it to Mt.LeConte Lodge

Amazing the amount of snow in October 2012

Hike To Mt. LeConte Via Rainbow Falls After 3 Ft. Of Snow From Sandy Pt.2

These are pictures that I took on a hike from Rainbow Falls via Mt. LeConte after Hurricane Sandy had dumped over 3 feet of snow on Mt. LeConte and The Great Smoky Mountains above 5,ooo feet . Such beauty in the snow covered mountains makes everything so pure , so beautiful and so mysterious ! I hope you enjoy all the pictures . Happy Hiking !

Heading on up past Rainbow Falls

Awesome view of the snow on the mountain up close

That's Larry a very amazing man I ran into on the way up

Atti's Christmas tree in the mountains

Sometimes it seemed like you seen nothing but white !

Such beauty in the depth of the forest

Sometimes it was hard to see the trail ....lol

Looks like a scene from a Steven King movie ........ lol

This is snow blown art from nature

Nature don't have to photo shop it to make it beautiful !

GSMNP Fall Color Report

Fall color report October 26

Fall colors are now at peak at the lower elevations of the Great Smoky Mountains. Some of the best places to enjoy them right now are Rich Mountain Road (out of Cades Cove), The Foothills Parkway East (Cosby area) and West (Walland area), Little River Road, and the Deep Creek and Cosby areas of the park. Suggested hikes include Little River Trail, Deep Creek Trail, Abrams Falls, Smokemont Loop, and Hen Wallow Falls.

Elevations 4,500 feet and above leaves are falling off fast very fast !

Fall color season will soon be coming to an end, so don’t wait any longer!

Happy Hiking ,
Atti's Taxi
Matt

Fall Leaf Color Report In GSMNP

Fall Leaf Color Report October 12

Fall colors are now at their peak at the highest elevations of the Great Smoky Mountains. Birches, beeches, mountain maple, and other deciduous trees and shrubs are showing very good color above elevations of 4,000 feet. Good places to view the colors include Clingmans Dome Road, Newfound Gap Road, The Blue Ridge Parkway, and Balsam Mountain Road.

At the lower elevations the colors are coming on strong. Early changing species like blackgum, sourwood, dogwood, Virginia creeper, black walnut, and the sumacs are at peak. The birches and a few maples have also started to change. Little River Road is a beautiful drive right now. The peak of color at the lower elevations is predicted to occur in late October and early November.

Suggested trails and hiking destinations include the Appalachian Trail, Mt. Cammerer, Charlies Bunion, Sweat Heifer Creek, and upper Deep Creek.

 

In addition, bear, elk, and wild turkey are very conspicuous. Visitors should never approach or harass park wildlife. Approaching elk or bear closer than 50 yards is illegal and punishable by substantial fines and imprisonment.

Information by : The Smoky Mountain Association

Why Leaves Change In The Fall

Why Leaves Change
Every autumn we revel in the beauty of the fall colors. The mixture of red, purple, orange and yellow is the result of chemical processes that take place in the tree as the seasons change from summer to winter.

During the spring and summer the leaves have served as factories where most of the foods necessary for the tree's growth are manufactured. This food-making process takes place in the leaf in numerous cells containing chlorophyll, which gives the leaf its green color. This extraordinary chemical absorbs from sunlight the energy that is used in transforming carbon dioxide and water to carbohydrates, such as sugars and starch.

Along with the green pigment are yellow to orange pigments, carotenes and xanthophyll pigments which, for example, give the orange color to a carrot. Most of the year these colors are masked by great amounts of green coloring.

Chlorophyll Breaks Down

But in the fall, because of changes in the length of daylight and changes in temperature, the leaves stop their food-making process. The chlorophyll breaks down, the green color disappears, and the yellow to orange colors become visible and give the leaves part of their fall splendor.

At the same time, other chemical changes may occur, which form additional colors through the development of red anthocyanin pigments. Some mixtures give rise to the reddish and purplish fall colors of trees such as dogwoods and sumacs, while others give the sugar maple its brilliant orange.

The autumn foliage of some trees shows only yellow colors. Others, like many oaks, display mostly browns. All these colors are due to the mixing of varying amounts of the chlorophyll residue and other pigments in the leaf during the fall season.

Other Changes Take Place

As the fall colors appear, other changes are taking place. At the point where the stem of the leaf is attached to the tree, a special layer of cells develops and gradually severs the tissues that support the leaf. At the same time, the tree seals the cut, so that when the leaf is finally blown off by the wind or falls from its own weight, it leaves behind a leaf scar.

Most of the broad-leaved trees in the North shed their leaves in the fall. However, the dead brown leaves of the oaks and a few other species may stay on the tree until growth starts again in the spring. In the South, where the winters are mild, some of the broad-leaved trees are evergreen; that is, the leaves stay on the trees during winter and keep their green color.

Only Some Trees Lose Leaves

Most of the conifers -- pines, spruces, firs, hemlocks, cedars, etc. -- are evergreen in both the North and South. The needle- or scale-like leaves remain green or greenish the year round, and individual leaves may stay on for two to four years or more.

Weather Affects Color Intensity

Temperature, light, and water supply have an influence on the degree and the duration of fall color. Low temperatures above freezing will favor anthocyanin formation, producing bright reds in maples. However, early frost will weaken the brilliant red color. Rainy and/or overcast days tend to increase the intensity of fall colors. The best time to enjoy the autumn color would be on a clear, dry and cool (not freezing) day.

Enjoy the color; it only occurs for a brief period each fall.

 

Fall Colors Report For The GSMNP

September 28, 2012

Almost overnight, fall colors are showing up all over the Great Smoky Mountains. At the lower elevations, early changers like black gum, dogwood, Virginia creeper, sumac, and sourwood are displaying rich reds. At the mid elevations, yellow buckeyes are shifting to gold while yellow birch, American beech, and some maples are showing good color.

At the highest elevations, fall has arrived. American mountain-ash has changed to orange or yellow and witch-hobble has gone to burgundy. Mountain maple and berry bushes are also turning. The peak of color at the high elevations should last into the first week of October.

At the lower and mid elevations fall color is likely to peak in late October or early November.

For the most part, 2012 has been a wet year in the Smokies and the deciduous trees appear to be holding onto their leaves quite well. During drought years some trees have already lost many of their leaves by the end of September. Recent rain showers should improve the chances of an extended color season this year.

Recommended hikes include Forney Ridge Trail to Andrews Bald, Road Prong, Thomas Divide, Mt. Cammerer Tower, and Gregory Bald. Good drives are the Blue Ridge Parkway, Balsam Mountain Road, and Clingmans Dome Road.

By : The Great Smoky Mountain Association