I Love the Balds

 Big Hump Mountain in the Roan Highlands.  (Photograph courtesy of Beth Hemann.) 

From Jane Bald along the Appalachian Trail to Gregory Bald in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park (GSMNP), I love hiking to the balds. 

What is a bald? Balds are mountain summits covered primarily by thick vegetation of native grasses and shrubs which are found primarily in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States. Normally a heavy forest growth would be expected in such an area. There are two types of balds in the Appalachians: grassy and heath. Grassy balds are blunt summits covered by a dense expanse of native grass. Heath balds are normally along narrow ridges and mountains crests where the soil is highly acidic and there is heavy drainage. Click here for more information on the origin and dynamics of the Appalachian balds. 

Why do I love hiking to the balds? Typically, it is a challenging hike due to the elevation gain, and once you've reached the summit, a spectacular 360-degree vista of the surrounding mountains. Here are some bald hikes I recommend:

Three balds in one hike:  Round Bald, Jane Bald, and Grassy Ridge Bald, also known as the Roan Balds.  

This 5.1- mile "in and out" hike begins at Carver's Gap on the Tennessee/North Carolina border.  Two of my favorite blogs, Appalachian Treks and brendajwiley.com, include more information and directions to Carver's Gap. 

After walking through a dense forest of hemlocks, you reach Round Bald at 5,825 feet elevation.   

Jane Bald, which is the second bald on this hike, offers a great view of  Round Bald and the trail you just completed at 5,820 feet.  

The view of Round Bald and Jane Bald  from Grassy Ridge Bald at 6,189 feet.  Both Round and Jane Balds are on the Appalachian Trail (AT). However, the AT veers to the left before reaching the summit of Grassy Ridge Bald. 

If you're lucky enough to visit these balds in mid to late June, the flame azaleas and rhododendrons should be in full bloom. Nearby to Carver's Gap is Rhododendron Gardens, offering more scenic views of flowers and mountains.   

Baatany Goat Project is helping to maintain the natural beauty of the Roan Balds: 

A major problem currently facing the grassy balds is woody plant encroachment. Over the last century, 75 percent of the grasslands have been lost. The Baatany Goat Project hopes to reverse these trends by using Angora goats as an experimental management tool. Goats like to eat the invading woody plants and they are good at these high elevations. They are grazed in moveable paddocks, and once the the desired grazing results have been achieved, the goats are moved to another area of the balds. The goats are sheared, treated for parasites, quarantined, and fed a seed-free food to keep them them from bringing weed seeds into the project area. The project area is about 79 acres lying along 1 mile of the Appalachian Trail corridor from Jane Bald to Grassy Ridge. Click here to learn more about this project. 

Adopt a goat and help save Roan Mountain's grassy balds.  

You can also adopt a Great Pyrenees guardian dog which protects the goats. 

On a recent Roan Balds hike, I ran into a Baatany Goat Project volunteer who was hauling supplies to Jane Bald in advance of the June 25th arrival of the goats. I had the pleasure of chatting with him and learning more about the project. Because I love to hike these balds, I hope to sponsor a goat. (Photograph courtesy of Patricia McAlpin.) 

For more information on the Roan Highlands, Rhododendron Gardens, and Roan Mountain State Park, click here.  

Andrews Bald and Gregory Bald are the only balds in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park currently maintained by the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service. 

The 2.4-mile "in and out" hike to Andrews Bald  is on the Forney Ridge Trail which starts at the Clingmans Dome Parking area.  (The Clingmans Dome Road is closed December 1 - March 31st.) 

Flame azaleas on Andrews Bald display their natural beauty from mid-to-late June. 

Andrews Bald was named for Andres Thompson (slight spelling change) who was born in 1823 and herded cattle up to the bald in the 1840's.  (Photograph courtesy of Patricia McAlpin.)

You can learn more about the azaleas of Gregory Bald by clicking  here.  (Photograph courtesy of Patricia McAlpin.) 

The clear vista from Gregory Bald onto Cades Cove. 

Little Hump and Big Hump Mountains in the Roan Highlands are also considered grassy balds: 

The summit of Big Hump Mountain is 5,587 feet in altitude.  I've hiked the 8.4-miles "in and out" from Roaring Creek trailhead to this summit three times.  Does this prove I love the balds? 

I hope my next visit to Little Hump and Big Hump Mountains will be on an Appalachian Trail section hike in the Spring of 2015. (Photograph courtesy of Patricia McAlpin.) 

Descending Big Hump and looking onto Little Hump Mountain during my second trek to the Roan Highlands in July 2013.  (Photograph courtesy of Beth Hemann.) 

The mountains are calling: 

Flame azaleas at the Roan Balds. (Photograph courtesy of Patricia McAlpin.) 

This picture captures a few of the reasons I love to hike the balds--the peaks and valleys of the mountains, the colorful flora and fauna, and the intensely beautiful sky. Gaze at this photograph for a few moments and perhaps you'll understand why I hope to return to the Balds and "Keep On Hiking."  

Special thanks to several hiking friends who helped  make these hikes and photographs a reality:  Wayne Chambers, John Rowland, Bob Butterfield, Beth Hemann, and Patricia McAlpin. 

Shirt Tales and Happy Trails

From hiking shirts to hiking boots, every hiker has their favorite gear. Columbia's Silver Ridge Short Sleeve shirt is my favorite hot weather hiking shirt. According to Columbia's website, the Silver Ridge is a "clean and classic go-anywhere short-sleeve shirt, loaded with ray-repelling features like UPF 40 sun protection, a flip-up collar and strategic venting to ensure that you stay cool and comfortable during everyday adventures or active outdoor excursions."  Here is more information from Columbia on the Silver Ridge.

The Columbia Silver Ridge is offered in solid colors and playful plaids.  Who wouldn't look smart and fit in this classic shirt?  

Here are a few of my happy trails featuring Columbia Silver Ridge shirts as well as other hot weather hiking shirts that I recommend:

My first Columbia Silver Ridge hiking shirt at Benton Falls near Ocoee, TN.  

Featured trail: Benton Falls in the Chilhowee Recreation Area of the Cherokee National Forest. Here is more information. 

A small checked Silver Ridge which looks like a solid color at Raven Cliff Falls.

Featured trail:  Raven Cliff Falls in the Chattahoochee National Forest near Helen, Georgia. Here is more information.

This versatile v-neck North Face short-sleeve tee delivers excellent moisture management.  This shirt can easily go from the gym to the hiking trail.  Photographed at the House O' Dreams. Here is more information on the v-neck tee. (Photograph courtesy of Patricia McAlpin.) 

Featured trail:  Berry College's House O' Dreams atop Lavender Mountain.  Here is more information on the hiking trails at Berry College. 

Short or tall, solid or checked, the Silver Ridge is cool and comfortable along the trail at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield near Atlanta, Georgia.   

Featured trail:  Little Kennesaw and Big Kennesaw Mountain trails.  Here is more information. 

The white Silver Ridge is perfect for a day of kayaking.  (Photograph courtesy of Patricia McAlpin.)

Outdoor recreation outfitter, REI, has their own brand of hiking clothes.  I like their short-sleeve hiking shirts, too. 

Featured trail:  Carver's Gap to Grassy Ridge Bald in the Pisgah-Cherokee National Forest near Roan Mountain, Tennessee. Here is more information. 

I love the classic fit of the Columbia Silver Ridge.  I recommend trying one on to make sure you get the perfect size. 

Featured trail:  Bear Creek at Cloudland Canyon near Rising Fawn, Georgia.  Here is more information. Please note one must register with the ranger station before hiking this trail.  


Stay cool and comfortable this summer by dressing appropriately, so you can "Keep On Hiking."





Note:  These recommendations are based on my personal preference and not on any compensation from the companies mentioned. 

My Story

Since I've asked other hikers to share how they started hiking, I figured it's time to share my story.

 1964

I grew up in northwest Georgia on a farm near Lookout Mountain; walking the woods and pastures with my parents was a weekly pleasure. While it was fun for me, it was an opportunity for my father to check the pasture fences to make sure all was okay. We also walked the country dirt roads near our home, and one time in particular, I talked my parents into letting me bring home a stray dog that I named Buffy. Such was life in the country.

1968

As the youngest of four children, I played in the woods with two older brothers, built "forts" in the woods with neighbors, and tried to stay out of my sister’s bedroom to avoid being a bratty sister.  My daddy loved the outdoors and when he wasn't working on the farm, in the garden, or at his job, he would take my two brothers on hunting trips or hikes in the woods or mountains. Sometimes I was able to tag along on a hike to Lookout Mountain near Cloudland, Georgia.

With the "Big Guy," April, 1976

As luck would have it, I met the son of another farmer.  Together we enjoyed a hike on the farm every now and then. We fell in love and got married.  Out first home was on a farm and we frequently hiked in the afternoon after work through the woods and pastures to a beautiful knoll.  Progress called so we moved to Atlanta, started new jobs, worked, had two children, worked some more, and one day decided to move back to our roots--the mountains of northwest Georgia. 

With special friend, Mary Patrick, atop Albert Mountain on the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina. 

Before moving from Atlanta, I met Mary Patrick at a Berry College alumni event.  She was a lifelong hiker and shared wonderful stories about hiking trips with her late husband as well as current hikes with a hiking club in the northeast Georgia mountains.  She was very knowledgeable about trails, hiking gear, and has served as my mentor.

The Roman Ramblers

It's important for me to have social outlets because I work from home. I began hiking frequently in 2011 after becoming acquainted with a ladies group in Rome, Georgia that hiked weekly on the trails at Berry College. I enjoyed these weekly hikes:  being outdoors, socializing with others, and getting some great exercise. I wanted to hike more than once a week so I searched the internet and located meetup groups and hiking clubs that were hiking all over north Georgia, northeast Alabama, and Tennessee: Chattanooga Hiking Meetup, Tennessee Wild Meetup, Hike Georgia Meetup, Mountain High Hikers (Blairsville), Georgia Appalachian Trail Club, and Chattanooga Hiking Club.

At the intersection of the Miegs Mountain and Jakes Creek Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

These groups and clubs connected me with others who shared the same interest and passion for hiking. Here it is three years later, having hiked hundreds of miles with many new friends, explored countless new trails, and hiked in the snow in the Great Smoky Mountains.  Little did I know what a wonderful hobby it was and how it would benefit my physical and mental health.  If my schedule allows, I love to hike three times per week.

Carver's Gap in the Pisgah - Cherokee National Forest 

Of course, I didn't start out hiking three times per week.  This type of schedule will help you accumulate some mileage, but may also affect your body. Beware of foot, knee, and leg problems (plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, and heel spurs) which can quickly sideline any hiker.  I had to rest my feet for three months due to plantar fasciitis in early 2012 after becoming too zealous for mileage. There's no easy cure for this common ailment to many hikers and runners.

Descending Big Hump Mountain in the Roan Highlands.  

Staying at a healthy weight improves stamina and endurance.  There's nothing worse than huffing and puffing along the trail and realizing you shouldn't have eaten that cheeseburger or slice of carrot cake. Physical and mental health contributes significantly to a good quality of life. Recognizing the physical benefits of hiking is easy: cardiovascular, weight management, flexibility, balance, blood pressure, and stamina. However, I can't stress enough how therapeutic hiking is for me. Like anyone in their "middle ages," I've had a few regrets, but hiking has helped me place them in the proper prospective.  When you're on the trail, all your cares and troubles melt away.  You're concentrating on the next step, the next climb, or conversing with fellow hikers. Reaching the summit of the mountain or seeing that beautiful waterfall or vista is my mental "high."

Climbing Big Hump Mountain in the Roan Highlands. 

One of my favorite hiking trips was a 2013 trip to Roan Mountain, Tennessee with the Chattanooga Hiking Club. Ten hikers enjoyed an 8-mile trek on the Appalachian trail in the "Roan Highlands."  Little Hump and Big Hump Mountains are grassy balds with a 365-degree view of the surrounding mountains.

Abrams Falls near Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains.

My favorite region to hike is the Great Smoky Mountains.  Fortunately, I have several hiking friends who also love this area and are willing to share their time and knowledge with me by leading group hikes on a regular basis. It is helpful to surround yourself with others who have more knowledge than you.  For example, one of my more experienced hiking friends suggested I purchase a trail map of the Smokies and mark the map whenever I've completed a trail.

My advice to anyone who wants to start hiking is to seek out others with the same interest. Perhaps there is a hiking club in your town, a meetup group, or better yet--start your own group with friends and acquaintances. Everyone has to start somewhere and surrounding yourself with other like minds helps keep you focused. Don't worry about purchasing all that fancy gear at one time--it takes months and years to accumulate.  Your local outdoor recreation outfitter can help select proper footwear which is the most important item for beginning hikers.  (Here is a previous post entitled "Be Kind to Your Feet.")

On a sunset hike to Sunset Rock on the west brow of Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga. 

If you're looking for a new hobby and you enjoy traveling, meeting new people, being outdoors, or just looking for a new adventure, I strongly recommend hiking.  It is difficult to put in words how hiking has enriched my life.  It can also enrich yours!  I hope you've been inspired and motivated by my story.

"Keep On Hiking."