, located on the border between Tennessee and North Carolina. It was established in the early 19th century when the U.S. National Park Service wanted to establish a park in the eastern United States. Even though Congress had authorized the park in 1926, there wasn’t much federally owned land to dedicate to the cause. There was no money available either. Thankfully, many individuals donated to get the plans off the ground. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. contributed $5 million, the U.S. government added $2 million, and private citizens from Tennessee and North Carolina pitched in to assemble the land for the park, piece by piece. Over time, homesteaders, miners, and loggers were evicted from the land. The park was officially established on June 15, 1934.Some 100 species of native trees find homes in the Smokies, more variety than anywhere else in North America or in all of Northern Europe. Almost 95% of the park is forested, and about 25% of that area is old-growth forest. This is one of the largest blocks of deciduous, temperate, old-growth forest remaining in North America. Over 1,500 additional flowering plant species have been identified in the park. Th
e park is also home to more than 200 species of birds, 66 types of mammals, 50 native fish species, 39 varieties of reptiles, and 43 species of amphibians. Mollusks, millipedes, and mushrooms reach record diversity here. In recognition of the park's unique natural resources, the United Nations has designated Great Smoky Mountains National Park as an International Biosphere Reserve. Unfortunately, the park has recently come under attack from a tree killing insect-the Wooly Adelgid. This invasive species was brought from overseas- either Japan or Europe- by way of firewood and transplanted stock. The wooly Adelgid has now killed countless Hemlocks at the lower elevations in the park, and almost 90 percent of the Fraser Firs on the higher elevations. There have been recent attempts to control the damage by introducing predators to the Adelgid, using chemical treatments, and other tools. So far, the costs of these measures have limited their use, and their effectiveness. Nevertheless, this forest remains arguably the best in the east.This trip was a life lesson on investments and returns. We invested a lot of hours on the road, but in return we received incredible trails, campsites, and perfect weather. Our original plans involved a loop hike up Mount Laconte, but a
fter some convincing recommendations from a ranger at the backcountry office, we reconsidered. Laconte is always very crowded, and camping was restricted-you can only stay at the summit shelter, along with handfuls of other hikers. Never mind that the mountain has the largest base to summit elevation east of the Mississippi, and we had barely slept in almost two days. The alternative suggested to us was a quiet loop hike mostly following ridgelines, located towards the southern end of the park. There were still considerable elevation changes involved and we could spend the night at one of the best campsites in the park –site #52, located on Newton Bald. We took her suggestion and drove a half hour from the office near the Gatlinburg entrance to the trailhead. As soon we got to the parking lot, we knew this park ranger had given us a “best kept secret". 
Our car was the only one in the lot, and the park had been packed thus far. Once we were on the trial, we forgot about the distance we drove to get there. We were walking through huge hemlock forests that resembled the redwoods I had seen years ago more so than eastern woods. It was absolutely silent- not even a rustling of leaves or bird chirping for hours. It was such a surreal experience to hear nothing, while seeing so much. The trail lead through thick patches of rhododendrons while winding along ridges. I have never enjoyed the walking aspect of backpacking as much as I did here. We reached our campsite with plenty of daylight left. Site #52 was home to another camper or two, but there was more than enough space for everyone. We found a place for a tent about 50 yards away from that group at a higher point that was recently cleared as an alternative site. It was incredible. This site also had a spring on top of the mountain, an unusual luxury. Newton Bald turned out to be not so bald. It was less densely forested, and years ago was actually exposed, but had since grown in. Since the leaves had mostly fallen, we had seen m
any views already. We realized later there are no exposed campsites in the park. No worries though, the plush hiking and campsite more than made up for that. We cooked an awesome dinner and made a campfire. Our lack of sleep sent us to bed early, but we played some cards first. The next day we hiked out and noticed it was much noisier that the day before. There were woodpeckers hammering away, and an amazing amount of wildlife in the open. We must have seen a dozen chipmunks and even more birds. At one point a chipmunk ran into a hollow tree right in front of us. I poked around but couldn't flush him out. We hiked a few hours and made it back to the car in the early afternoon. We must be getting stronger legs, we made great time hiking on this trip. We took advantage of the time saved checked out Clingman’s Dome before heading home. Clingman’s dome is the highest point on the Appalachian Trail, and the highest point in the park. There is a small concrete watchtower erected on the summit, where hikers can appreciate 360 degree views of the area. On the way up, the damage to the Fraser Firs was obvious, but it was no less photogenic. We seemed to glide up the steep trail to the tower, since this time we didn’t have our packs on. It was an amazing view, with a trip to match. This experience more than made up for the last time we were in the area, when the snow had closed the park. Many thanks to the helpful lady at the office.