Cataloochee

Long drive on interstate across most of NC we passed through Asheville and on toward the Maggie Valley. The obligatory stop at BiscuitVille to chomp down on a fried pork chop stuffed inside a biscuit doused in hot sauce left us feeling like you can imagine.
An hour or so later we left pavement and began a cris-cross switchback 3 mile road that tool us to the Cataloochee Campgraound in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.

What a beautiful little place!
Nice National Park Service campground (Make reservations online) with primitive campsites and running water and toilets. No showers.

We pitched the tent and then never used it at all. We have since stopped pitching tents at the campground. After a dinner of whatever we had we spent the first night sleeping in the Cobra Gunship. Carol & I both woke up well rested and ready to hit the trails.


Breakfast reduced to trail mix yogurt and a banana as the absence of a store and our lack of planning means we run out of food shortly. Not a bad thing for this man's diet.

Anyway we slogged 8+ miles around Boogerman (I kid you not) Trail & get back near the end of the day with wet boots, dead camera batteries and pretty sore. Maybe we should have started our forced marches with a few less miles. The forests in the valley were full of big mature trees of numerous species. If you dig eastern hardwood forests, this is the place. Just remember to bring your  waterproof boots as you will be fording streams. A few of the bridges just don't exist any longer.

Most people come to Cataloochee to see the re-introduced elk that roam the valley floor. I took many pictures of these critters as well as the wild turkeys. Here are a few photos.