Once Again, Rain in the Smokies

The rain has been really good for the mountain laurel.

Morning mist on the trail to Sutton Ridge, Great Smoky Mtns. Natl. Park, TN

Every time we visit the Smoky Mountains, it seems we bring torrential rains with us. Our main reason for stopping here on our way north is to finally complete the Ramsay Cascades trail. We first attempted the trail in 1982, but were forced to turn back near the top due to heavy fog, rain, and an insufficient supply of water -- really embarrassing for us as hikers. We returned in 2000 to conquer Ramsay, but two days of heavy rain washed out the bridge leading to the trailhead. So, we have returned in 2012 to get this trail off of our list of "must do's" before we die. After 2 days of steady rain, it looks like we'll make our third attempt at the trail tomorrow. We'll let you know how it turns out. In the meantime, we did a short hike to Sutton Ridge today, in the rain, of course. At least the mountain laurel is in full bloom.