Spring Wildflowers in the Great Smoky Mountains

What a blessing retirement is!   We were able to go to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a Monday and Tuesday when the wildflowers were near their peak and the crowds were low.   I took 360 photos in two days and have selected 22 to share online.  Each photo shows a different variety of plant or flower, which will give you and idea of the diversity of blooms we found.   The one exception is a photo of a bear cub coming down a tree after an afternoon nap in the branches.

We hiked a trail we have driven past over a hundred times but never hiked.   The Chestnut Top Trail starts near the Townsend Tennessee park entrance.   We found the first half mile on that trail was one of the best wildflower trails we have been on.   After that, the flowers thinned out a bit, which was a good thing.   It probably took an hour to go the first half mile because I was continuously stopping to shoot the next flower.  We saw flowers along the entire length of the trail, including more Lady Slippers that we had ever seen before.   These were about a week from peak bloom.

Pink Lady Slipper

Fire Pink and Dwarf Crested Iris

Our destination was White Oak Sinks.  We've been there three times before, but we always took the shorter Schoolhouse Gap Trail.  This day we ended up hiking about 12 miles round trip.  Probably not the smartest thing to tackle as the first hike of the year and we were dead tired when we finished.

White Oak Sinks is a paradise for wildflower lovers.   We found it was a bit past peak when we got there.   Also, the park service has closed off the area around the cave and the waterfall to protect the bats from White Nose Syndrome.   I don't think the waterfall will be closed off all year.  Check with the park service before going.

We also visited several spots along the Little River Road and spent some time at the Chimneys Picnic Area, which is always a good spot for wildflowers.

Bear Cub After His Nap

On our way down from the Chimneys Picnic Area, we ran into a crowd of cars and people along the road.  Anyone who has been in the park knows that is a sure sign of wildlife near the road.   We stopped and found a mother and two cubs.   They were difficult to see because of the brush and trees but I was able to get one shot of this cub making his way down the tree.   He was sleeping high in the tree when we got there.   One concerned park visitor was afraid he was stuck in the tree and wanted me to use my zoom lens to check on him.  We told her that bears sleep in the trees and he was just having his afternoon nap.   I'm not sure we convinced her, but he did come down safely.

We had a great two days and am looking forward to spending more time in nature.

Be sure to check out all twenty-two photos here.
http://www.thesiggins.com/Recent-Trips-and-Photo-Outings/Smoky-Mountains-National-Park-/ 

Caution - Photo of A Bear Behind In This Post

I wonder how many more visitors I'll get to my blog with that title?  Kind of grabs your attention, doesn't it?

This day June and I took one of the buses from our lodge down the Denali Park Road to the Eielson Visitor Center.   We had heard about a good hike in the hills above the visitor center and wanted to give it a try.   It was foggy and rainy most of the way and the windows on the bus were caked with mud and water.  Occasionally someone on the bus would yell out that they saw something and the bus driver will stop, windows are lowered and we see what we can see.   On one of our stops we could see a Grizzly Bear on the ridge maybe 1/2 a mile away.

Ridge Top Grizzly

I hadn't brought my longest lens and made due with a 70-200mm with a 1.4 teleconverter, giving me an effective focal length of 280mm.   At this point it was still raining and foggy so I wasn't sure what kind of photo I could make from that far under those conditions.   These photos are cropped down to make the bear a reasonable size in the frame.

A Bear Behind

After a while we could see what looked like retaining walls holding the road up on the side of the mountain.  Most of the road is on the side of the mountain so this didn't seem unusual.   As we got closer the driver announced that we were arriving at the Eielson Visitor Center.  

The visitor center was built from 2004 - 2008, replacing an older facility.  A main goal of the project was to design a low-profile building that blends into the landscape. The steep slope enabled the designers to partially bury the building, which visually screens the structure from the Park Road. The roof is literally "green," as tundra mats salvaged from the construction of the site were relocated to planters dispersed on the roof terrace. These camouflage the roof deck, helping it blend into the landscape. The green roof also assists in storm water run-off reduction and thermal energy conservation.

The planning and construction of Eielson included strategies such as maximizing natural daylighting, selecting energy-efficient heating / venting systems, the use of renewable energies to power the building and thoughtful selection of recycled and locally produced.

The park implemented various renewable energy strategies at the site, including a hybrid generator system with photo-voltaic panels and a battery bank, installing a solar hot-water heating system for the restrooms, and constructing a small hydroelectric system in a nearby stream.   The end result is a beautiful building that blends into the landscape and uses as much renewable resources as possible.

Looking For Lunch

There was this yearling Caribou wandering around below the visitor center.  He seemed to be having a hard time knowing where to go.   Unlike his male human counterparts, he did read the map and asked for directions.  Eventually he went off down the hill and was gone.

Which path do I take to lunch?

Can you help me?  I can't seem to find lunch

We did do the Alpine hike we came to do.  It's a strenuous one mile up to the top of the ridge, gaining about 1,000 feet from the visitor center to the top.   Hint - photography is a good excuse to stop and catch your breath.

View From The Top

In the photo above you can see the visitor center from the top of the ridge.  Be sure to click the picture for a larger view.   It wasn't raining when we got to the top and the clouds were still above us so things were pretty pleasant.

June had packed us lunch for the day and we sat down behind some rocks, ate and enjoyed the view.

The terrain up there is similar to what we had seen before.  Rounded mountain tops with nothing growing over a couple inches high.  Without trees and bushes the fall colors show up in the ground cover making the hills appear to be painted.  

A closer look reveals an abundance of plants covering the ground.  Walking on this is like walking on a soft bed.

Painted Hills

Colorful Tapestry

Even the rocks were colorful

Before we finished lunch it started to rain, the fog rolled in and the wind picked up.   Time to head down the trail for the visitor center.

Where's The Mountain?

There is this window in the visitor center where you can look out and see the mountains, including Denali.   No luck this day.  

Past Weather

People keep a record of the mountain visibility by coloring in a picture of what it looked like each day.   There were a few nice days.  Remember, on average you can see Mount Denali 25% of the time.

Beauty in Rain

Even in cold miserable rain there is beauty.  This was grass growing along the side of one of the footpaths at the center.   Just have to look for beauty where you are.

I'm heading to a photography workshop this weekend and will have to take a break from the daily bogging.  I know, I just got home.  I've only got 1,700 photos from Alaska left to go through so I better get out and take some more.   I'll be back with a new blog on Monday.