Pictures -- Tennessee
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A near 180-degree panorama from the top of Big Bald, at 5,516 feet. There is quite a story behind this mountain. From 1802 to 1834, a hermit by the name of David Greer inhabited the summit after a love relationship went sour. He claimed himself sovereign and actually killed a man who approached his property; he was acquitted on grounds of insanity. Greer himself was later killed by the local blacksmith who was never charged for the crime. Soon after, the name of the mountain changed from Greer Bald to Big Bald.
A view of the Nolichucky River from the south ridge.
The trail crosses the river in Erwin, TN, home to the most famous hostel owners on the trail -- Uncle Johny and Miss Janet.
The top of Unaka Mountain seems a bit out of place in Tennesse, which is dominated by balds and non-coniforous trees. The pine grove at the top is quite similar to what I encountered in the northern states of VT, NH, and ME.
There was frost on the ground the morning I summitted Roan High Knob, the last 6,000-foot mountain on the trail until Mount Washington in New Hampshire. The night prior I had slept at Ash Gap, 1,000 feet below the summitt -- yet ice had still managed to form in my Nalgene bottle during the night.
The stretch between Roan Mountain and Big Hump Mountain was one of the most beautiful on the entire trail. The weather certainly played a part in forming this opinion: after days of near-freezing temperatures, the weather on this day finally broke -- by Big Hump, I was wearing just shorts and a t-shirt. But it also had much to do with the scenery: there is Roan, then five balds all over 5,000 feet, and Overlook Mountain Shelter -- perhaps one of the most revered on the trail.
Overlook Mountain Shelter can be seen in this shot: it's about a third of the way in from the right, and almost in the middle horizontally. The shelter is a converted barn that opens up into the valley's pastures.
Soaking up some sun and some views on Little Hump Mountain.
The view of Big Hump (5,587-feet) from Bradley Gap, which separates Big from Little Hump. From a distance, it looks as if someone took a lawn mower up there. Almost...
Instead, the Forest Service has cattle -- with very big and sharp horns, mind you -- graze up there. I am not sure if the USFS leases the land or if it owns the herd.
View from Big Hump.
The man-made Watuga Lake, a few miles away from the don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it town of Hampton, TN.
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