Andy wanted to go to the Smokies to try to see some elk. Our original intention was to stay at a hotel in Maggie Valley which would give us easy access to Cataloochee which provides the surest opportunity to spot lots of elk. However, after I'd made the hotel reservations I discovered that Cataloochee is still closed off due to various factors which include road construction just outside the Park. There's another route in to Cataloochee, but for their own reasons the Park Service has also blocked off that route. I can't imagine why, unless they just enjoy not having pesky tourists around.
So, we altered our plans. Instead of a hike to see old growth trees in Cataloochee, we opted for the hike to the Bunion, and a stop at Oconaluftee to try to spot some elk since it's supposed to also be a reliable place to see them.
As things turned out, we had great weather for the hike, and we managed to spot elk at Oconaluftee. We had a final tally of five elk, but the opportunity for good photos were not as good as I'd hoped. Still, since I grew up in a South where there were no elk remaining at all, seeing even one is a treat.
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| Mount Kephart, which must be climbed to reach Charlie's Bunion from Newfound Gap. |
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| The trail that goes around the Bunion is not for those who are afraid of heights. |
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| The aptly named Sawteeth. If the Bunion is too crowded (as it was this day) you can head over to the Sawteeth which are just as spectacular, and usually without any people. |
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| I took this from the top of the main summit of Charlie's Bunion. You can see people down below on the sub-peak. |
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| They're not kidding. |
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| The first elk we saw on Monday. |
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| The last elk (a doe) that we saw as we were heading out of the Park. |
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| Yum! Grass! |
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| This doe was pretty big. In the early days of the reintroduction they all had radio collars. Now I see more elk with no collars. I've been told the herd is now in excess of 200 animals. |
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