The next batch of bonus points go to Gregg W, aka everybody’s favorite science guy! Well…maybe tied with Bill Nye? Anyways!
Note: I’m currently reading the word landscapes like land-sca-pes (like escape in “Finding Nemo”) so that’s fun!
I have intentionally stopped taking pictures of these beautiful places, not because I want to keep them a secret, but because the camera never captures these spots the way my brain does, so I’d rather remember them how I saw them, instead of how my camera tells me they looked (if that makes sense). The one exception to this, is this picture, which composition wise isn’t great, but is my favorite picture I’ve taken while on the trail.
So far the best landscapes have been down in the south. I was fortunate enough to hike through the Smokies last year a week or two before the devastating fires
Another note: if you plan on lighting fires, make sure you know how to properly put them out before you breakdown camp.
I remember hiking up and around Clingman’s Dome & trudging through the last of the winter snow as it mixed with spring mud, and thinking “man, being at a higher elevation is WEIRD”. There was this one point where I climbed up to a peak/ridge line & was battered by strong winds, but also amazing views of the valleys below. I was up in the clouds in the most surreal way, and from here it only got better. I turned a corner and saw the weird shape of the man-made, Bond villain HQ known as Clingman’s Dome & instantly recognized a familiar smell that I didn’t realize how much I’d been missing.
There was (and hopefully still is) a pine forest right before and right after the structure, and I was instantly transported back to hiking in the Whites with my family. That’s such a happy smell for me, that I actually carried a broken bough with me for the duration of the Smokies.
Hiking down from Clingman’s dome, I was greeted by some absolutely beautiful trees & moss covered everything. There were streams with the freshest/best tasting water I’ve ever had, and the air was just so clean. Honestly it was like living in a Bob Ross painting & if I could go back to that section, I would in an instant.
The Grayson Highlands were equally as amazing, but for different reasons. It was hilarious to see wild PONIES. Not wild horses, not mustangs, wild PONIES. Little Oompa Loompa type animals who could still beat you up, but who are maybe 3-5 feet tall, so you’d probably be okay. I spent about 2.5 hours just sitting with the ponies & soaking in the sun. Seeing the sunset and hearing whinnies and the clip-clop of tiny hooves on packed dirt, was magical.
The hike into the highlands was tough but rewarding with its panoramic views. This was the day when I got lost & had to jump over a “barbed wire” fence, and then crawl under another fence just to get back on the trail. Still, perfect day. There’s a bald part of the highlands where I hiked alongside a coyote for a couple of hundred feet, and then half a mile later saw a mare and her newborn foals. I also saw a long horn at a water source & was taken aback by the size of it, but also how sweet it was. I sat near it for a little while & just was in awe.
New Jersey has completely changed my image of what New Jersey looks like (same with NY so far). It feels so great to finally be near actual bodies of water, and to see these lakes and rivers just look like diamonds in the sun. I keep having moments where I’ll be on the trail & it will feel so familiar, like I’m right back in Hingham on one of the trails I frequent there. The Stairway to Heaven in NY/NJ was a tough climb (mostly due to the flies) but the view was one that I won’t soon forget. I’d argue that LeHigh gap in PA (the Superfund Site), while at points looking like the moon due to the smelting, is the best part of PA.
Why? Well because it’s a terrifying pile of shifting boulders/slate shards, but once you get past that point (think elephant graveyard in “The Lion King”), you enter an area where you’re reminded that nature will take over and bounce back/reclaim its space, and I think that’s a beautiful thing.
I’m sooo excited to enter MA & eventually VT/NH/ME. Nothing against Connecticut, but my heart is just set on finally climbing Greylock, hiking on the Long Trail, challenging myself with the NH peaks & seeing that view from the lake in Maine, where you can see Katahdin almost within reach.
I’ve come to the conclusion that hiking the AT ruins/spoils you. Once you see the beauty of a particular landscape, you’re constantly trying to top that in your brain. I try to stay present and grateful, challenging myself to find the beauty in any hike or whatever my surroundings may be, but it’s hard to maintain that when you go back to small hikes with no views.
I still miss the ocean, but I’ll get there eventually! I’m currently at the Bear Mtn recreation area/Hessian lake and it is soooo beautiful here! I have to make note of that, because I see so much, that I am constantly trying to remember all the beautiful places and not just the big places everyone remembers and visits (#hipsterhikerlogic?)
Harper’s Ferry was also a really cool little piece of history (looked like a movie set), I don’t remember specifics, but do remember hiking out of there past the river & thinking “woah, this place is pretty flippin pretty” (plus there were like, 1,000 butterflies that day so that was cool!)
I know there’s more that I’m forgetting, but there’s so much that has been covered! If it has moss, springs & pines (or any other cool looking trees), chances are I’ll love it! 🙂
Heading North 