Out On Trail

We awoke early (around 5:00AM) on a Thursday morning to make the drive from our AirBNB, in Knoxville, to Clingmans Dome, where we would begin our adventure. After a stop, a detour, and some road construction in the park, we arrived to the parking lot for Clingmans Dome just before 8:00AM. If you want to enjoy the views without too much interruption, we highly recommend getting to the parking area in the early morning hours. The contrast between the relative serenity of starting our hike in the early morning and the bustling scene we returned to, several days later, in the middle of the afternoon, was a bit surreal. Arriving early also allowed us our choice of parking, and we chose a prime spot, within view of the Clingmans Dome Information Center. If the road construction is still in ongoing when you read this, definitely allow for extra time when traveling outside of the early morning and late afternoon hours.  A few voices droned and an occasional car door slammed shut as we pul...

  We began Day 3 with a visit to Garfield Pond. The setting was serene, but knowing that the weather was supposed to turn, we decided not to linger too long. We got an early start on the relatively short hike, along the Garfield Ridge Trail, to the summit of Mount Garfield. We were glad we did, as we were rewarded with clear views from the summit.              After we left the summit of Garfield, the weather began to deteriorate rather quickly. The temperature was in the low to mid 40s. The wind picked up significantly, and by about 10:00AM, a steady rain had begun to fall. The steady rain would remain with us throughout the day and through much of the night, with occasional stronger downpours.  When we approached Galehead Mountain, we were faced with a difficult decision. The Twin Brook Trail would be our final opportunity to descend from the loop before another exposed ridge. Tom made a quick run down the side (Frost) trail to the summit a...