C L I N G M A N S   D O M E

Great Smoky Mountains National Park
North Carolina/Tennessee Border

More up and up. I tell ya, I couldn't ask for a better November day.

God, this is a pretty steep trail. I think if I was much older I'd be having problems about right now.

Yup, the trail is taking its toll on the older folk. Good thing they have benches to sit on along the way. I wonder, do they have heart defibrillators stashed alongside each bench? As I pass by this poor guy, it looks like he's on the verge of needing one. He's all sweaty and pale looking.

Okay, no more slacking, the clock is ticking.

Left, right, left, right.

Finally, I've reached trail's end. Wow, that's a pretty odd looking observation tower. It looks like a UFO! Rising more than 5-stories skyward, access to the top is via a spiral cement walkway.