Wednesday, November 20, 2013

I'm on a roll with hiking.

Sunday, I went to the Smokies with a friend for another hike.  It was just a little cool and misty, and the beginning of the hike followed a creek.
I mentioned that it seemed like there ought to be gnomes in these mountains and we got into a discussion about how woodland gnomes would dress differently than garden gnomes.
 The ground was sodden in places and I was thankful for my waterproof hiking shoes.
Since the Smoky Mountains are a temperate rainforest, nearly everything sports a little moss.
Part of the trail involved a steep stone stairway. It was worse walking back down it.
It was pretty socked in at some of the overlooks, and the temperature was dropping.
The layers I'd peeled off got added back on.
 We stopped here for lunch. And as soon as we stopped moving, I started shivering.
A storm was brewing and we turned back after we'd walked about four miles.

Eight miles in all, much of it in cold rain.
As we drove back to where I'd left my car, I got an out-of-focus shot of this bear up in a tree by the road. Another bear was nearby, also in the branches.

24 comments:

  1. wow what a capture of the bear....i need to get out hiking more...i did this last weekend a bit...your bull headedness is amusing....

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  2. That looks like fun, even in the rain. I have never seen a bear (besides the zoo) and had no idea they sit in trees like that. Must be a really strong branch!

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    1. It was - cold, but fun. I wondered about the strength of the branch, too.

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  3. You got some great shots, especially of the bear, WOW!

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  4. Great photos. Thanks for taking us along for the hike.

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  5. WOW...these photos are spectacular! I especially love the ones with the mist. Just from looking these photos, I could actually FEEL what it was like that day - the temperature, the sounds, the whole ambiance.

    Also, I love the shot of the stairs. WAY cool shot!

    And that BEAR!!! As Bijoux shared, I didn't realize bears sat in trees like that!?!

    Thanks for sharing this hike. Enjoyed!

    X

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    1. Thanks! I looked up those stairs and knew walking back down them would be a little scary!

      Bears often run up into trees when they are feeling threatened.

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  6. Oh, you know how I love bears! Amazing. As the others said, the photos and your descriptions really made me feel the damp coolness around you as you hiked. New guy sounds like he has a good sense of humor and is also quite gentlemanly.

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  7. Wonderful scenery yet again. I also didn't realise bears could climb trees - I always assumed they were too big and clumsy to do that.

    I'm the same with umbrellas. I refuse to admit I need one until it's chucking it down and then I sheepishly dig the umbrella out.

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    1. Oh, bears are frighteningly agile! That's why you can't climb a tree to get away from them.

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  8. You have a great eye for photography. Beautiful!

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  9. Wow....a bear in the tree!!! The pictures are all so lovely. I need to push myself outside and go for a walk. Have a nice weekend.

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    1. It has been so lovely that I hate to see winter coming.

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  10. cool a bear in the tree!
    I like the pic of the stone stairs.

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  11. I feel cold just looking at your pictures. Are the bears going to fly soon?

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    1. Hope not - then you'd never be able to get away from them!

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  12. Our Western Ghats in the monsoon are very much like what appears here in your photographs. There was a time when I would go on treks but alas, now I cannot.

    (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Ghats) I live at the foot hills on the plateau side at an elevation of 560 mts above msl. I can see the ranges from my home.

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  13. Good days in spite of the weather...nice.

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