This is a quick post. I need to get this blog up and running...
Well, we went on a vacation to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in June. The wife rented a beautiful two story cabin, complete with a game room, hot tub, jacuzzis in the bedrooms, a screened in porch and a lot of additional stuff.
We've been to the Smokies in years past, where we camped in a tent and did some cool outdoorsy stuff. My wife's brother and dad went with us, so we enjoyed the cabin and some more sedate activities, such as running around in town.
I was very pleased to see that some of the fire areas were starting to recover. With the exception of a few areas which were literally destroyed, everything is green with vegetation and small trees. Even trees with char marks on one side have grown healthy leaves and appear to be alright.
In talking to a ranger, I was told that it took a lot of work to start the recovery process. A lot of trees had to be cut out of the way--especially on the Gatlinburg Bypass and the area by the overlooks. I want to emphasize the dedication of the rangers, emergency workers and citizens, and the spirit it took to make this recovery happen. Just watching the news made me nauseous. The destruction, loss of human life and property; not to mention the animals that couldn't escape the fire is still very difficult to think about.
The road up to Newfound Gap had several areas where you could see the damage in the park. As it started in the Chimney's area, the rock faces had a significant amount of damage.
We explored a little of the AT at Newfound Gap. I might add that that area is uphill with lots of steps...
Hopefully, we can go back fairly soon. I'd like to spend more time doing nature stuff as opposed to going to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge again. As I'm a ham radio operator, there are several mountains that are part of the Summits On The Air (SOTA). It would be neat to activate them!
Until the next post, have a great time and stay safe!
