Hiking in the Smokies

I had forgotten just how hard a hike it is to see the beautiful Ramsey Cascade in the Smokies. It's just 4.0 miles, but the trail climbs relentlessly 2100 ft to 4250 ft, and the last 1.5 miles or so are very rocky. One must watch one's feet constantly to avoid tripping. It was a cool morning when we started, and after a heavy day of rain a day earlier, many of the wildflowers were still curled up and/or drooping. However, by the end of the day, when the sun finally came out, the flowers were beginning to look happier.

I had expected to see some fringed phacelia, due to the proximity of this trail to Porters Creek trail (where the fringed phacelia can be spectacular at peak), but I didn't even see any foliage. However, spring beauty was abundant on all the wooded hillsides, and still in bud, so I think the fringed, if there at all, had just not appeared yet. There were many white Triliium erectum all along the trail, at all elevations, as well as painted trillium (T. undulatum), witch hobble in full bloom, dwarf crested iris (Iris cristata), and many other wildflowers (see photo album for Ramsey Cascade).