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Western Carolinian Volume 61 Number 01

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  • June 15,1995 Western Carolinian 12 Sp orts Reporter Hits the Trail by Tony Castleberry StaffReporter Our most recent backpacking adventure began at Clingman's Dome, the highest peak in the Smokies. Cloud cover kept us from seeing the magnificent views atop the mountain, but we didn't have much time to look around anyway. We had to hike 22 miles in 2 1 /2 days, so we hit the trail. Our journey began on the famous Appalachian Trail. As we descended, the skies opened up and we were able to snap a couple of great mountain photos. The trail was splendid with trees, wildflowers, and grasses all in full bloom. After about four miles, we reached our first camping site at Siler's Bald. Eight other campers were also staying at this sheltered site. My friends and I are used to staying in the backcountry, so this sheltered, populated scene was a unique departure from our usual ritual. During our stay, we were visited by a large whitetail deer that was tame enough to let us take his picture a few times. We woke at 7:30 Saturday morning and were on the trail by 8:30. We had 10 miles to go until our next stop, Campsite #82. We descended down Welch Ridge Trail 1.8 miles until we reached Hazel Creek Trail. Tall poplars, hemlocks, oaks, and silverbells mixed with numerous ferns and wildflowers made for a very pleasant walk through the woods. Cascades and waterfalls from Hazel Creek escorted us almost every step of the way. We reached our second campsite at around 2:30 Saturday afternoon. We had made excellent time, seen gorgeous wilder ness, and the weather was ideal. Our trip had been almost perfect, then we heard the clap of thunder. Rain can ruin a backpacker's weekend if he/she does not come The View From Clingman's Dome Photo By Tony Castleberry prepared. Luckily, we all had raingear, but the wet stuff came down virtually uninterrupted from about 9:00pm until 5:30 in the morning. The ground was soggy and the river was rolling with some added force when we rose Sunday morning. Our 8 mile hike to Fontana Lake was spectacular. We observed a family of whitetail deer, stunning rapids, cascades and falls on Hazel Creek, and remains of the vanished logging community of Proctor. Ruins of cemeteries, old homesites, and other buildings are scattered alongside the trail. As we reached our destination and strode onto the banks of Fontana, I was filled with a sense of accomplishment and utter joy for all the things Nature allowed me to see. We had descended over 5,000 feet during our trip, but at that moment, I was on top of the world. at W E S T E R N Enroll now for 2nd Session Summer School! Registration & Night Classes Begin July 4 For more information contact your Departmental Office or come by the Summer School Office in 440 HFR or call 227-7397.
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Object’s are ‘parent’ level descriptions to ‘children’ items, (e.g. a book with pages).