Day 9, Clingman’s Dome to Poke Patch Campsite

With the help of my wife, Polecat and I returned to the Smokies to resume our hike today. She dropped us off at the parking lot near Clingman's Dome. We had to walk a half-mile to get back on the trail.

This is one of the most popular sites in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We passed many tourists on our way to the junction of the Appalachian Trail and the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

I'm sure everyone hoping for a view from the tower at the summit of Clingman's Dome was disappointed. Low clouds enveloped the mountaintop. Polecat and I didn't bother walking up the concrete ramp of the observation tower because there was nothing to look at from there.

The mountain is the highest point in Tennessee. It was named in 1859 to honor Thomas Lanier Clingman, a North Carolina U.S. senator who was expelled from office at the outbreak of the Civil War because he supported the Confederacy.

The Cherokee people say the mountain summit is a sacred place. In 2022, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians tribal leaders initiated a request to change the mountain's name to Kuwohi, a word in their language that means "mulberry place." Some Cherokee may have taken refuge here to avoid forced relocation to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears.

Note: The U.S. Board of Geographic Names officially approved the name-change request in 2024. I am referring to the mountain by its old name because it was in use when I hiked there.

A weathered sign near the observation tower marked the start of the MST. It followed the same path as AT for the next four miles.

This morning's weather was far different than the conditions we enjoyed two days ago. Instead of pleasant sunshine, low clouds hung close to the mountain ridge. The first few hours of our hike were cold and damp.

The trail was covered with rocks and roots, cutting through a dense forest filled with spruce and fir trees.

I always enjoy seeing the moss and lichen on trees and rocks at the high elevations of the Smokies. They make a rich textural landscape only found here and in a few other sections of the AT that stand above 5,500 feet in elevation.

The trail continued along a narrow footpath that followed a ridge between Clingman's Dome (6,643 feet) and Mt. Collins (6,188 feet). These are two of the 16 mountains within GSMNP's boundary that are above 6,000 feet.

We stopped for a quick lunch near the summit of Mt. Collins before completing the last section of the AT we would hike today.

The clouds had lifted from the ridge by now, though they continued to be thick and dark. There was no rain in the forecast, and weather conditions quickly improved.

By the time we reached the trail junction where the MST split from the AT, narrow rays of sunshine were dappling the forest floor. This was a short distance past a trail that went to Mt. Collins Shelter.

From here, we would remain on the MST to continue the Appalachian High Route's loop across high mountain ridges. Though we will eventually return to above 6,000 feet, for now, the trail made a long and steady descent. The next 5.6 miles dropped more than 3,100 feet.

Polecat and I crossed Clingman's Dome Road at 2:15 p.m. This was the road we drove this morning to reach the parking lot before we started hiking. Backpackers and day hikers met us coming up the trail as we continued down.

Two day-hiking couples stopped to chat with me and asked many questions about hiking. They were particularly interested in knowing what kind of shoes I wore.

Polecat continued ahead when I stopped to talk, and except when I caught up to him, I didn't see any other hikers until we reached our campsite.

The trail's condition varied as we descended on the MST, which was also the Fork Ridge Trail. Generally, though, the footpath was in good shape. I only had to crawl under or over a couple of downed trees.

Except for some creeping phlox, there weren't many wildflowers to see. Some, like trout lily, had already dropped their blossoms.

Polecat and I were heading to Poke Patch Campsite, which is also known as Backcountry Camp 53. Unlike our time on the AT, where our thru-hiker backcountry permits gave us the flexibility to stay at any shelter within a time limit of one week, we were now required to reserve campsites for each day.

Polecat waited for me at Deep Creek. This was the only water crossing of the day, but we knew there would be several tomorrow, and none had bridges. We brought water shoes for this section and put them on before crossing the wide creek.

Our campsite was a short distance away on the other side. When we arrived, we found two couples from Florida were set up there. Only six campers are allowed per night at this site, so we were at capacity, but there was plenty of room for us. We didn't have to pitch our tents close together.

It felt good to get back on track for our hike. This wasn't a challenging day, and the next two won't be difficult either. The distances between campsites and the reservation regulations forced us to decide between short or long mileage, and we chose short.

We can extend our miles between stops after we leave Cherokee in a couple of days.