Saying Farewell to Cumberland Gap National Historic Park

After three great days in Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, we are a little sad to be leaving. But we had one final hike on our last day, led once again by our new hiking friend, Jan. Again, we started early to beat the heat, and Mark took this picture as the sun was rising over the tree tops.

Today we were a group of four, as one of the other camp hosts, Tullo, was joining us. We appreciated the shade of the tall trees that surrounded us, as we started on the trail right at our campground.

We are heading up Lewis Hollow Trail, and the key word here is "up." Jan had told us this section was like being on a stair-stepper, and she was certainly right. We are pictured here taking one of many breaks on our way up to the ridge of Cumberland Mountain.

Denisa and Mark are both modeling towels around their necks for our third hike in this Virginia heat. We have learned from our experienced hiking friends this week that a wet towel is good for cooling off on a hot hike.

As we hiked higher into the mountains, we caught up with a blanket of fog. It was a cool and eerie sight to walk through the clouds on the top of the peak.

The 100% humidity turned this spider web into a lacy work of art.

We found a couple of these yellow spotted millipedes on the trail. A ranger had shown Tullo its defense mechanism, so she picked it up. It responded right on cue by excreting a clear liquid called hydrogen cyanide that interestingly enough, smelled like almonds. That would give this creature its second name--an almond millipede.

Mark tried to replicate the demonstration, but his millipede just excreted a brown substance known as poop. No almond smell here!

After two hours, we arrived at the main destination of our hike--Pinnacle Overlook. There are still some low-lying clouds, but we have a pretty good view of the mountains around us.

We can clearly see the notch that became famously known as Cumberland Gap. The town in the distance is Middlesboro, Kentucky.

Right below us the little town of Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. In the upper right hand corner of the picture we could see the highway as it cuts through the mountain into the Cumberland Gap Tunnel.

While the rest of us were content to stand at the railing to take in the view, Mark had climbed up on the highest stone wall of the pinnacle. For those not interested in a strenuous hike, this view can also be attained by driving a winding paved road to the top.

After leaving the pinnacle, the rest of the trail was downhill. We were glad that Jan was guiding us over a trail she knew very well, as we made turns down Ft. McCook trail, and then to Harlan Road Trail, and on to the Wilderness Road Trail. We were now on the Boone Trail, on the last two miles of our hike, when we came into this clearing filled with flowers.

After hiking all these miles in the shade, we realized what a little sunshine could do for the wildflowers.

Denisa's Garmin Vivo tracked this as an eleven-mile loop hike, that started and ended at our campground. Not far from home, Mark spotted a couple ears sticking up in the thick brush. The picture is a little blurry, but we had stumbled onto a fawn, following his Mother's instructions to stay in one place until she returned.

After 4.5 hours of hiking, all of us were tired, hot, and ready for some showers and lunch. It was a wonderful day on the trail! It was topped off by our generous next-door neighbor, who insisted on sharing his tomatoes. We found out that his home in Granger County, Tennessee, is known for their vine-ripened tomatoes. This summer we have been blessed with more beautiful tomatoes than ever in our lives. 

This evening Jan came over so we could help her set up a blogger account. She needs a way to chronicle her journey next spring when she starts that epic 1,100 mile hike on the Appalachian Trail. We will be excited to follow her blog entries!

We've had a great time in Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, and we're a little sad to be leaving after four days. But we have a new plan to travel a little faster in order to get further north by the beginning of the fall foliage season. Then we can wander our way south, trying to keep in step with the changing leaves. So for now, we will say good-bye to another of our favorite national parks with another picture of those glorious wildflowers.