Day #155 – Fighting Creek Trail

Gatlinburg TN

Today was a slow day – the first we’ve ventured outdoors since the last blogging marathon.

Our first stop was the outfitter for socks. When you take only a few pairs of socks on the road, and use laundromats, they wear out pretty quickly. Kelly decided she wanted to switch from cotton to wool. Along the way to the sock department, she found some camp chairs and I found several necessary additions to the first aid kit. We definitely stimulated the local economy.

Next stop was the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm) Sugarlands Visitor Center. No shopping here. We headed directly for the Fighting Creek Trail. This 1.5-mile self-guided nature trail wanders up and down a mountainside that was once the home of several families. The settlers couldn’t decide where to build their school, hence the name “Fighting Creek.” 

The first settlers arrived in the early 1800s and began cutting down trees to build cabins and clear fields. By 1935, when the park acquired the land, there was a community of 25 farmsteads, plus a school, church, post office and store, grist mill, and saw mill. We learned that tuliptrees and pines are indicators of formerly open areas. Non-native plants, such as yucca and boxwood, indicated a homestead. Yards were small to allow maximum space for gardens and fields. Corn was planted on all but the steepest mountainsides. The steepest land was reserved for pasture. Because of the terrain, wagons weren’t of much use. People used sleds to haul materials and harvests. Beans were interplanted with corn so the corn stalks would support the bean vines. Fences were made from rocks that had been cleared from fields.

This area is gradually returning to its original state. New forest growth has taken hold, making it hard to see the remains of buildings and fields. White and pitch pines came back first, followed by hemlocks and hardwoods. As the forest developed, it became more shady, making it difficult for the pines to live. Oaks and hickory trees are taking their places. The wildlife has returned, too. Deer were very scarce by 1920, but have returned. Bear had retreated to higher ground to avoid human contact, but can now be found at all elevations in the Smokies. Birds in particular have changed over the years, based on the types of trees and shrubs available for nesting.