Both Assistant Chief Ranger Harold Edwards, on the Tennessee side, and
Assistant Chief Ranger James Light, on the Carolina side, have driven us
all around through the interior of the park on fire roads—gravel truck
trails not open to the public.
We enjoyed these trips, yet as far as I can see, the most spectacular
views in the Park are available right from the cross-park highway, or
from the trails out of Gatlinburg.
A horse trail follows the backbone of the high mountain ridge from one
end of the park to the other. This is a part of the Appalachian Trail
which runs from Maine to Georgia. Each summer large groups come and ride
the whole 71 miles of this trail, camping out at night, taking a week or
more for the journey.
There is one place on this trail, called Charlie’s Bunion, which I have
not yet seen. It is a place where you ride or walk (or crawl if you’re
like me) across a narrow, wind-swept ledge where it drops straight off
for 1500 feet. There aren’t many such places in the Smokies, but this
one is a lulu.
Charlie’s Bunion is only a four-mile hike from the main paved highway
that crosses the Park. Some day, if my game knee ever gets fully
recovered, I’ll have to hike up there and peek over the edge. I hope my
knee never gets better.