Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Day 6 [Forney Creek Trail, Forney Ridge Trail, Andrews Bald]
Day 6 would be our final day in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. After packing up and cleaning up camp, our day of hiking would begin with a climb, of a little over 2 miles, on the Forney Creek Trail. Though we had arrived in the early afternoon, we camped in the lower portion of Campsite 68. We stopped briefly at the upper portion, next to the Forney Creek Cascade, and made a note that the upper portion was the better of the two options. As we made our way steadily uphill, the trail became at times rocky and at others was laced with tree roots. It was a departure from the road/railroad bed feel on the lower section of the trail. As the canopy above us began to thin, and we were able to catch an occasional glimpse of the surrounding mountains, we knew we were approaching the ridge that would take us to Andrews Bald. Upon reaching the intersection with the Forney Ridge Trail, we consulted the trail signs to verify the remaining distance we needed to cover. From this poin...