The Appalachian Trail gets quite narrow and deep along parts of the balds near Roan Mountain. The rhododendrons here were at a lower elevation than the ones at the gardens and had already finished blooming.
The result of thousands of hiking boots on this section of the Appalachian trail has resulted in considerable damage. The smooth, higher trail on the left is a newer one made by people trying to avoid the deeper, rocky older trail. In time, it too will become hard to walk on and a new trail we be trampled down. We saw areas where up to 3 older trails were visible.
is on display in the Visitor Center Museum at Roan Mountain State Park. "Corn squeezins" (a.k.a. "moonshine") were a source of extra income for some mountain families. There are a few diehard mountain men who continue to distill the corn mash. A fellow named "Popcorn" was recently arrested in Cocke County, TN for making it! The museum also has other artifacts from the early mountain people.
