My route from Round Bottom (off map in lower left) to Mount Sterling (elevation 5842')
The elevation profile for today's 20.4 mile walk (outbound direction only, reverse for inbound)
Beech Gap I Trail - Getting ready to start my long day....I really need to get a tripod. :o)
Beech Gap I Trail at the Round Bottom area
The start of Beech Gap I Trail
Beech Gap I Trail
A big oak grows out of huge boulder on Beech Gap I Trail
Mountain Laurel on Beech Gap I Trail
Beech Gap I Trail - This is near the area where I saw the bear on the return trip
Beech Gap I Trail - Fraser Magnolia
Beech Gap I Trail - Looking up the Fraser Magnolia
Beech Gap I Trail - The picture doesn't do justice, but this was a huge oak that fell and took out another huge oak on the way down.
Beech Gap I Trail - Huge oak that fell across the trail
Beech Gap I Trail - This was the other tree taken out by the windfall
Beech Gap I Trail - The big blowdown
Beech Gap I Trail - views appearing near the top
Beech Gap I Trail - The forest changeover happening near the top of the trail
Beech Gap I Trail - Big trees up near the top
Beech Gap I Trail - nearing the gap after a long climb
Beech Gap Trail - Balsam Mountain Trail intersection at Beech Gap
Beech Gap
The nice flat area on Beech Gap
Leaving Beech Gap and heading up Balsam Mountain Trail
Balsam Mountain Trail
Balsam Mountain Trail - Lots of overgrown areas on this trail
Balsam Mountain Trail - Spruce-Fir forest
Balsam Mountain Trail - Bluets along the trail
Balsam Mountain Trail - Blackberries beginning to bloom.
Balsam Mountain Trail - Cresting Balsam High Top in a beautiful spruce-fir forest
Balsam Mountain Trail - views from Balsam High Top
Balsam Mountain Trail - There were lots of muddy areas with walking planks to get around them on this horse-traveled trail.
Balsam Mountain Trail - More mud bogs
Balsam Mountain Trail - Rhododendren along the trail
Balsam Mountain Trail - Another muddy section
Balsam Mountain Trail - Catawba Rhododendren beginning to bloom
Balsam Mountain Trail - Approaching pretty Laurel Gap
Balsam Mountain Trail - Laurel Gap and the Laurel Gap backcountry shelter
Balsam Mountain Trail - Horse tie-ups at Laurel Gap
Balsam Mountain Trail - The Laurel Gap shelter, one of two Smokies backcountry shelters not on the AT
Balsam Mountain Trail - Laurel Gap backcountry shelter still has the old chainlink style enclosure
Balsam Mountain Trail - Crypt-like sleeping quarters inside the Laurel Gap shelter. The newly renovated shelters are much nicer
Balsam Mountain Trail - Laurel Gap shelter. Do you want a upper or lower floor crypt?
Balsam Mountain Trail - Intersection with the Mount Sterling Ridge Trail at Balsam Corner
Mount Sterling Ridge Trail - 4 miles of nearly flat walking to Pretty Hollow Gap, then an uphill to the intersection with Mount Sterling Trail
The beginning of the Mount Sterling Ridge Trail
Mount Sterling Ridge Trail - Views and pretty fraser firs
Mount Sterling Ridge Trail
Mount Sterling Ridge Trail - A nice crossing early in the trail
Mount Sterling Ridge Trail - stacked logs, remnants of the old logging operations from the 1920s
Mount Sterling Ridge Trail - The first 3 miles of this trail are the flattest walk in all the Smokies.
Mount Sterling Ridge Trail - A Rhodo tunnel
Mount Sterling Ridge Trail - Deep ruts courtesy of our friends the horses
Mount Sterling Ridge Trail - Another nice crossing area
Mount Sterling Ridge Trail - Beautiful thich spruce-fir forest on this 5500 ft. elevation ridge walk
Mount Sterling Ridge Trail - More Catawba Rhodo blooming
Mount Sterling Ridge Trail - The thick fraser forest
Mount Sterling Ridge Trail - This sign seemed to be in the wrong place
Mount Sterling Ridge Trail - I ran into a fun-loving group of riders at Pretty Hollow Gap
Pretty Hollow Gap - Newlywed Donna asks if I want some beenie-weenies.
Pretty Hollow Gap
Pretty Hollow Gap - Three trails intersect at this pleasant gap
Pretty Hollow Gap - Big uphill from here towards Mount Sterling
Mount Sterling Ridge Trail - This dead fraser looked like fall colors
Mount Sterling Ridge Trail - A grueling uphill just after Pretty Hollow Gap
Mount Sterling Ridge Trail - huff...huff..
Mount Sterling Ridge Trail - Big Frasers along the trail
Whew..reached the intersection with Mount Sterling Trail
Mount Sterling Trail
Mount Sterling Trail - Now the 0.4 miles up to the tower at Mount Sterling
Mount Sterling Trail - Looking up a big dead Fraser
Mount Sterling Trail - nearing the tower, the fog and clouds start to appear
Mount Sterling Trail - Horse tie-ups
Mount Sterling Trail - Backcountry campsite #38
Mount Sterling Trail - The Mount Sterling fire tower
Mount Sterling Trail - Weather equipment on the Mount Sterling fire tower
Mount Sterling Tower - A little bit of view started to appear, but it wouldn't last
Mount Sterling
The USGS marker on Mount Sterling
Weather station on Mount Sterling
Climbing the tower, but no views
Mount Sterling - no views today
At the Mount Sterling fire tower after 10.2 miles. Still have 10.2 to go.
Mount Sterling Trail - I talked with these nice folks at the tower (Leslie and ??)
Mount Sterling Trail - A lichen covered boulder
Mount Sterling Ridge Trail - Somebody is going to need this tonight and wonder where they dropped it.
Mount Sterling Ridge Trail - A big Beech standing on its roots
Mount Sterling Ridge Trail - near where I saw a huge salamander
Mount Sterling Ridge Trail on the return trip
Mount Sterling Ridge Trail views
Balsam Mountain Trail - Back at the Laurel Gap shelter - 4.5 miles to go!
Beech Gap I Trail at Round Bottom - Whew, the end of the walk. 20.4 miles and I still have a bit of daylight left!
Blue Ridge Parkway - Wow views on the Friday night drive
Blue Ridge Parkway
