2June2008 Great Smoky Mountains NP (II)

From Cherokee NC (at the southern entrance of the Park) we aimed to get to Gatlinburg (through the northern exit) by nightfall. Intent on getting many more National Parks under our belts in our ‘been there, done that’ mood, we were oblivious that this Park had a lot more to offer. In retrospect, we should have lingered longer to appreciate nature’s bounty.

It would not be right to see how the pioneers and homesteaders lived without seeing how the indigenous people harmonized with the environment. The visit to the Oconoluftee Indian Village dispelled some major misconceptions. Ever since I was old enough to know there were ‘Red Indians’ in the Wild West, all of them were supposed to live in teepees or wigwams. Also they waged war most of the time – thanks to all the films Hollywood churned out. Cherokees in fact lived in fixed dwellings which were logs lashed together by limber twigs and papered over with clay and grass. Cherokees were farmers, not nomads, and were not particularly warlike. They used wooden masks instead of feathered headdresses in their dances to thank spirits or to beseech them. Wow, traveling can be so educational!
The unexpected bonus of the day was the ‘medicinal trail’. Each tree or plant had a posting, which showed the ailment that it was good for. There was an herbal cure for almost every illness. For us from Asia, where herbal medicine has been practiced for thousands of years, this was compatibly interesting. If only a ‘Chinese doctor’ (‘herbalist’) was present to compare notes.


The short drive to Clingman’s Dome, the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains NP, was most enjoyable. From the parking lot, many trials branched off in different directions. The famous Appalachian Trail, the one that stretched from Maine to Georgia, was at its highest elevation here. But to attain the dome shaped summit which was 6643 ft above sea level, a 0.5 mile steep incline stood in the way; somehow it felt a lot longer than a half mile, especially when many hikers were seen taking breathers along the way. One cannot help but be ambivalent about the scenery; gains in elevation were offset by an increasing gloom that one was in a cemetery - for trees that is; dried up ‘skeletons’ of once robust tree trunks were scattered along the slopes, from far they resembled toothpicks strewn by some supernatural hand. The ‘dead’ were Fraser firs. These trees were native only to the Southern Appalachian Mountains. They had no natural defenses again an insect unintentionally introduced from Europe. Fortunately, this elevation was a spruce-fir zone and the spruce hung on doggedly. Still, the scene was forlorn and melancholy.

We were told to expect abrupt changes in weather at the summit of Clingman’s Dome. But it was a clear day and we could see for miles in all directions.


It was the Best Western Twin Rivers in Gatlinburg for the night. We ate at Bennett’s, a BBQ joint close by; I didn’t think much of the pulled pork but gosh, was the beef brisket good! The ribs were also most agreeable with the beer.

That night, stark images of piles of toothpicks followed me to bed! But the 1925 photo of the area, totally scarred and disfigured after the logging companies finished with it, appeared like a specter. So I consoled myself that Clingman’s Dome still looked a lot better now that the Federal Government owned it. We thought about the ‘School of Forestry’. How many more graduates were needed to protect the earth’s dwindling natural resources? What was needed to attract more bright young people to join the fray?

Distance traveled 60.1 miles


Basket weaving demonstration starts in the Oconoluftee Indian village


Basket weaving - results starting to show


Replica of a Cherokee home


Belt making


Canoe making from a huge log


Mask making


Meeting room of the tribal chiefs


A present day Cherokee Chief


He's a good ambassador for his people


A wild turkey, in the Clingman's Dome car park


A closer view




A close up with the dead Fraser firs and the living spruce


It was like bare tooth picks all over the mountain


The curved walkway up to the viewing tower at the summit of Clingman's Dome


How long can this spruce last without the Fraser firs?


Without the Fraser firs, the spruce have to withstand the winds alone, loosening of the soils without the firs hasten erosion, then the stability of the spruce.


The weather near the summit of Clingman's Dome can change very quickly. It was nice and bright just moments ago


The dark clouds passed momentarily and the sky looked a lot brighter!