Day 16: Great Smokey Mountains National Park - Appalachian Trail

Day 16 consisted of two short walks, both in the Great Smoky Mountains Park.  The first, I started from the Visitor Center and walked through the historic site and along the river.  The dogwoods are in full bloom here.  I can't get enough of them.

And for my second walk, I couldn't resist the Appalachian Trail.  It was a very busy section and a perfect day to experience why they named these the "Smoky Mountains"; the trail was shrouded in mist.  It's rockier than I expected.  I met two thru-hikers.  One was a woman my age, who only does 5 or so miles a day.  Her trail name is Broken Arrow.  She had just loaded up with food for the next 70 mile stretch.  It looked like it was going to be a long hike.