Smokemont Loop and the Bradley Cemetery

May 3^rd

There are many great hikes in the Smoky Mountain NationalPark and each has its own special charm or charms.  It may be obvious by now that one hike can lead to multiple blog postings such as the history, hike terrain, flora, fauna, or people.  We are truly blessed to spend a season so near this national treasure. 

Today’s treasure was the Smokemont Loop Trail which is a loop only because it combines the ‘C’ shaped Smokemont Loop Trail with theBradley Fork Trail and the campground road.  Truth be told, there are few loop trails in the Smoky Mountains, the trails are old logging or transportation trails.  Really, who in their right mind would create a loop trail in the 1800’s?  Folks needed point to point transportation trails and not leisurely loop trails. 

So, we start on the Bradley Fork Trail which appears to be a forest service road that runs along the creek.  The “creek” rushes rapidly down the mountain and qualifies as a small river in my books.  It is a beautiful walk with obvious road maintenance along the way.

As a child I recall my father speaking respectfully of wild hogs with the warning to climb a sturdy tree should one start an attack.  Guess it is the same in these hills as there are tales and songs of the wild hogs.  As we hike up the Bradley Fork we find evidence of hogs and the damage they canimpart on a meadow.  Luckily there are no hogs nearby because the trees are either too small or impossible to climb.

Evidence of Hogs

After a bit we change trails onto the Smokemont Loop Trail.  There is a lovely long foot bridge across the river and then the climb begins.  And the climb continues through beautiful forests, and continues past carpets of flowers, and on past butterflies sunning on the path, and on through the pines, and on… say, isn’t there a summit?  Not yet so it on the ridge we opt for lunch!

Looks good doesn’t it?  Fresh baked bread cranberry walnut bread bearing chicken salad with grapes, fresh baked garlic cheese biscuits, oatmeal cookies...  Not bad fare for a hike.  Be smart and stop at the Sassy Sunflower Café& Bakery in Cherokee before your next hike. 

The crest is not much further and we are rewarded with fantastic vistas, awesome trees, and fresh breezes.  One must get off the beaten path (road and auto) to enjoy nature at this level.  Well, what goes up must come down and so we descend for the next three miles back to the campground through the forest and along the rivers and creeks.  The vegetation changes gradually but there is a world of difference from the summit to the river basin 850 feet below. 

 

An old cemetery comes into view as we trek back into civilization.  This is the Bradley family plot which became national park property around 1930 and the newest marker is from 1925.  It is unclear if a Decoration Day is held in the Bradley plot to clean the cemetery, decorate graves, and honor the memory of those who have gone before them. 

 

 

Perhaps the lesson:  The time to hike a trail and observe the subtle changes is time well spent.  The hike reminds us life is cyclical and what we think is important may not be the least bit important.  Consider Decoration Day, an old tradition that changed as society changed.  Yes, hikes give us time to reflect on our lives and the lives of those who have gone before us.