9/20 Thursday
Another flap of the butterflys' wings, and the August heat returns to Cherokee National Forest just in time for my first day on the trail, climbing 1500’ up Pond Mountain as temperatures rose and the wind died, and then descending 720’ on a western exposure. That smell of almost-burning flannel in the dryer? Yup.
Surprisingly, this little niche of Appalachia did not get much rain at all. The hostel owner mentioned how much business he had lost, not that I made a questionable choice in rescheduling or anything ... all his other guests for the weekend had done the same.
Walking through grove of towering trees and tunnels cut through mountain laurel thickets … must be even more beautiful in flowering season than it it now!
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| Pond Mountain Wilderness |
I limped up to the shelter overlooking Laurel Creek, which was noisily racing away its brief moment of stardom as it hurdled over Laurel Falls. Lots of butterflies! The shelter has seen better days, there's no room to set up a tent, and I had to haul water in up a half mile poorly built side trail. Still, it's home for the night.
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| Laurel Fork Shelter |
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