Great Smoky Mountains National Park 1

The family and I arrive at Cosby campground around four-ish after having a nice traditional southern meal at Carvers Applehouse in Cosby Tenn. We set up camp and start out for a smallish day hike, and to hopefully see the synchronized fireflies along the Porters Creek trail.

We have shelter reservations and a shuttle that will put us in the backcountry for 6 days, and a leisurely 50 miles of hiking. Starting at the Alum Cave trailhead and ending in Greenbriar.


The trail starts as a graveled access road, switching to single track up by an old cantilever barn and the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club cabin built in the 1930's. We pass an old graveyard and explore the ruins of an old truck left for parts on the mountain some years ago. Porters Creek is a raging cascade of large and small boulders and the aural background for the entire hike.


We continue up the trail to Fern Branch Falls, planning on returning down to Porters Flats just in time for the firefly show. We round a corner on 3 white tail, and later another, learning that the deer really don't care about us. As long as we stay on the trail they mosey on about their business. After Nolan takes one small step off the trail one becomes only mildly nervous.


Everyone is fairly un-nerved by a creek crossing that has a narrow zig-zagging half log bridge with a railing that is angled way out to the left. "Do we have to do this with packs on??" I'm asked nervously.

We spend little time at the falls. An underwhelming dribble down a 40ft face, oh well, the hike was pretty enough. We make too good time returning down to Porters Flats. With 2.5 hours remaining til nightfall we hope we'll catch the fireflies later in the trip and return to camp.

Our neighbors at camp are man and his 2 sons from Cincinnati on an overnight up to the AT and back. Why is it when I leave Ohio I'm surrounded by Ohioans.


The next morning we break camp and meet our shuttle a little before 9. Vesna from awalkinthewoods.com was a boon of information, and put the boys on a salamander quest for the week. They tried their best to find as many of the 32 species in the park as they could. I believe the final tally was 6. We start our voyage just before 10:00 paralleling the beautiful Alum Creek. Rhododendron blooms abound, and walking through them will be a theme of the week.