I parked my car at the Missionary Baptist Church on the Cades Cove Loop road and walked about a mile down the road to the Cooper Road trailhead. I wanted to get that portion of road walking over with in the morning before the crowd became too heavy to walk along the road. Along the way I stopped to snap a shot of the fields and mountains across the Cove.
Soon after I started walking on the Cooper Road Trail I spotted a black bear sow and two cubs. She and I shared a few tense moments as I attempted to convince her that all I wanted to do was get past her and her cubs. No pics of the bears, I didn't want to risk her going crazy on the paparazzi.
Cooper Road Trail showed a bit of damage from the tornadoes that tore through the western edge of the park in 2011.
Luckily this giant survived the damage.
At the intersection of Cooper Road Trail and Beard Cane Trail, I turned right onto Beard Cane. I knew that the tornadoes had done a lot of damage to the area, but I wasn't prepared for the amount of devastation. The trail only recently reopened after a path was finally cleared through the mess.
The hill pictured should be covered in trees the size of the one leaning in the center.
The picture below shows what the area looked like below the damage. The three previous pictures should all look like this one.
At the end of Beard Cane I turned right onto Ace Gap Trail and followed it to Rich Mountain Road. I turned right onto Rich Mountain Road for a 100 yards or so and then turned left onto Rich Mountain Trail. Soon after starting on the trail I heard something moving in the underbrush. It sounded too large to be a squirrel, but to small to be a bear or deer. When I finally found the culprit, I was surprised to see a raccoon looking back at me. The word mountain in the name should have been a clue that I was about to do some serious climbing, but it still caught me off guard.
Luckily, there were several things blooming on the trail to stop and admire/catch my breath. Rosebay Rhododendron was blooming in several places.
Flame azaleas were also showing some life.
But the highlight was two, late Pink Lady Slippers. I was surprised to see them this late in the season.
At the end of Rich Mountain Trail, I turned right onto Indian Grave Gap. I had previously done part of this trail, but had some to finish up.
Sweetshrub was blooming along Indian Grave Gap.
A few breaks along the trail gave views into Cades Cove from above.
Blisters and all, I was still smiling at the end of the trail. Unfortunately, I still had over two miles of road walking to do along Rich Mountain Road.
Even road walking has its moments though!
If you look very closely, you can see the Methodist Church in the center.
23.2 total miles today, plus or minus a few tenths depending on how well I measured the road walking parts. In addition to the three bears and raccoon, I also saw three turkeys, two pileated woodpeckers, several deer and more squirrels and chipmunks than I have ever seen while hiking.
As always, I can't wait to get back in the woods!
