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64
september
october 201 3
Hike in high country
Forney Ridge Trail to Andrews Bald
(3.6 miles roundtrip; moderate)
Balds’Äîopen, grassy meadows on
or near the tops of mountains that
are normally tree-covered’Äîoffer
fabulous
vistas of the Smokies, even
more spectacular during the fall when
colors are at their peak. Andrews
Bald is the easiest of the park’Äôs balds
to reach, and it’Äôs also the highest in
elevation (at 5,860 feet).
The trail to Andrews Bald (the
Forney Ridge Trail, located near the
start of the paved path to Clingmans
Dome) recently received some long-
overdue maintenance, so if you’Äôve
stumbled through its rocky beginning
in the past, expect smoother stepping
these days. Look for the strange
circular patterns (most small, but
some a foot in diameter) that appear
to be carved into the rocks near the
start of the trail. They’Äôre concretion
circles, created by erosion.
Once you reach the bald, you’Äôll see big
boulders strewn around a field of wild
oat grass. For the best panorama, hike
to the highest spots of the field, where
youwill have spectacular views on three
sides if you stand in the right place. In
autumn, you’Äôre likely to find the tall
blueberry bushes here loadedwith fruit,
as well as plenty of fall wildflowers.
Take a hike back in time
Metcalf Bottoms Trail to Little
Greenbrier Schoolhouse
(1.2 miles roundtrip; easy)
Little Greenbrier School, a one-room
split-log building that dates from 1882,
is the destination of this family hike. The
route begins at theMetcalf Bottoms
picnic area and follows awide, fairly
flat trail that winds through thewoods,
passes awater tower, crosses the
streamon several small foot bridges,
and then leads you to a clearingwhere
you can’Äôt miss the schoolhouse.
The parents of schoolchildren
constructed the schoolhouse
themselves from four-foot-wide poplar
logs. The building was also used on
Sundays as a Primitive Baptist church,
which is why you’Äôll also find a cemetery
surrounded by a picket fence on the far
side of the clearing. The schoolhouse
was in use for more than 50 years’Äî
until 1935. If you slip inside, you can
take a seat at any of the well-worn
wooden desks and peer at the painted-
wood blackboard where students
learned how to read, write, and do
some math. Some walked as far as
nine miles to get here, althoughmost
attended for only three to five years.
If you’Äôre up for a longer trek
(totaling 3.4 miles roundtrip), head
up the hill behind the cemetery and
take the gravel road that leads to the
Walker sisters’Äô cabin. The park service
granted lifetime leases to the five
unmarried sisters living here when the
park was established, allowing them
to remain. The last one died in 1964 at
the age of 84.
Katy Koontz, author of
Family Fun in the Smokies
as well as the
Smoky Mountain Travel Guide
app
for smartphones, writes regularly about the Smokies
for
Cityview
.
The balds scattered throughout the Smokies
offer at 360 degree view of the surrounding
mountains. Fall foliage makes the vista even
more spectacular!
Kids and parents alike will enjoy
visiting the old church and
graveyard at Metcalf Bottoms.