Appalachain Trail

This part of the Appalachain Trail was hard to gain access too and also hard to find. The trailhead, which was not marked, started at an abandoned ski slope. The building and loft were completely gone and all that remained was the drive and some radio towers. The forest service called this area Jones Meadow, but the people in the area never heard of it. A hunter at the base road told us that the Appalachain Trail was up there, but he didn't know exactly where it was or how to find it. We search for over an hour before finding a side trail that lead right to it. This was a cool spot to get on the Appalachain Trail because you entered in the middle of nowhere. Our goal was to hike to Jerry's Cabin (an Appalachain Trail shelter) and back about 12 miles. A news story about a bear wondering into a camping area near the trail we were going to hike in the morning, caught our eye. We knew we would be hiking through one of Tennessee's protected bear preserves, and that story was on our mind as we left the trailhead the following morning. The Jack Russell Terriers seemed unconcerned.

The cliffs to the east were protected Periguine Falcon nesting areas in North Carolinia, to the west was a Tennessee Black Bear perserve, right down the middle was the Appalachain Trail. The really cool part was that on the way north to Jerry's Cabin, our right foot was in North Carolina while our left foot was in Tennessee. The return trip was just the opposite. The trail followed the ridge, dropping into gaps now and then. The climate was like a rain forest with wet warm air and thick vegetation. It was a fine hike in the middle of nowhere. At Jerry's Cabin, hikers told us that a bear had visited the area the night before, and Buzz confirmed that with his nose. We enjoyed lunch and returned hoping that we would not meet that bear from the night before. The Appalachain Trail is a place to meet all kinds of people who really enjoy hiking. On our return trip we meet a sixty-six year old lady who was hiking by herself throught the bear perserve on her way to Pennsylvania. It really made you think that hiking is an activity for all ages of Jack Russell Terriers or human beings. Tennessee is one of our favorite states to hike. The wilderness is very overwhelming because just forty miles away is civilazation. The vegetation is one of the thickest we've ever encounted. You could easily imagine that you were in an Amazon rainforest. This fact was of no concern to the Jack Russell Terriers who enjoyed every minute of the hike.