CHARLIES BUNION
We drove from the Smokemont
campground back up to Newfound Gap. The Appalachian Trail
crosses there, and 4 miles down the trail is a unique rock formation called
Charlie's Bunion, which was Bill's goal.
The trail was foggy and had
few other hikers, so the hike out through the trees was an almost mystical
experience.
The fog began to clear during the last mile, first to the north,
then to the south. Charlie's Bunion is a rock knob on a steep rock face, so the
drop-off is a bit scary, but the fog was gone and the 270-degree views were
spectacular.
The hike back south was
sunny and had lots of northbound Appalachian Trail
thru-hikers.
ON THE WAY TO THE FALLS
Afterward we wanted to hike
to Grotto Falls. In order to get to the trail we
had to drive down the West side of the mountains to the busy and kitschy town
of Gatlinburg
and then back out on a very twisty road.
On the way we saw evidence
of last November’s Chimney Tops 2 Fire. Strong winds fueled the fire and pushed
it into Gatlinburg, Tennessee where it killed 14 people and
destroyed 2,013 homes and 53 buildings. It eventually burned over 17,000 acres
in and outside the park.
GROTTO FALLS
We were lucky to get a
parking spot at the trailhead as it was a beautiful Spring weekend day and lots
of people hiked the trail. The 2.8-mile round-trip hike was just right for
Barbara who liked the moderate uphill climb.
Campground: Smokemont
Campground in Great Smoky
Mountains National Park
