Labor Day weekend means a Sunday hike this time. What a beautiful start it was at the Clingmans Dome parking lot
Today's destination will be Silers Bald via the Appalachian Trail. It will be an exhausting 10 mile hike that starts in the Clingmans Dome parking lot and travels west along the trail.
More views from the parking lot before I got started on my walk
More views from the Clingmans Dome parking lot
This whole day will be filled with views like this
More views
..and more
Believe it or not, I haven't even started the hike yet and already have about 10 beautiful view pictures
Ok, finally I'll start the hike.
The first sign of fall colors along the path
Along the Appalachian Trail.
From the AT
All kinds of stellar views were in store for me today.
Looking back from the AT after traveling up Clingmans Dome and over Mount Buckley
Looking at a bald from the AT
The Double Spring Gap trail shelter at about the 1/3 mark of my hike. I saw some deer at this stop. A few weeks after this hike the shelter was renovated to the new open style and the chain link fence is now gone.
Looking back at Clingmans from Silers Bald
Made it to Silers Bald. This is looking back at Clingmans from Silers Bald
The USGS marker on top of Silers Bald. The white blazes signify the Appalachian Trail.
The USGS marker on Silers Bald, at 5607 ft.
Another view from Silers Bald
More early indications that Fall can't be far away
The Silers Bald trail shelter
On the return trip, my typical trail sign picture
Some of the orange berries on the mountain ash trees
More views from the return trip
Loved this view at "The Narrows". Looking west toward Fontana Lake. This spot is aptly named because the ridge is only a few feet wide here. Big dropoff on each side.
Again from the Narrows.
Fontana Lake from the Appalachian Trail
Almost home, one more view picture. By this time I was just plain out of gas. It has been quite a summer, and I've traveled probably 100 miles by foot around these mountains. Thanks for enjoying the journey with me, this will be the last entry for Summer 2008!
