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Tennessee/North Carolina Border

Turning my attention away from the beautiful, yet troubled scenery, I spy more placards. This set talks about the general characteristics of the park, the active role played by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s that shaped the current offerings of the park, and the history surrounding the parks creation (John D. Rockefeller, Jr. donated a good portion of the money required to buy the park's land) and eventual dedication in 1940 by President FDR.

It was atop this platform that FDR performed his dedication duties. I climb the short stairway to the top to check out the view. Ummm, it's not much different.

One last placard, I missed this one earlier. This is interesting, I'm standing alongside the Appalachian Trail. One of the longest, continuous footpaths in the world, it winds more than 2,150 miles through 14 states.

There she is. So, whadda think? Should I just bag this road trip of mine and strike out on the trail? My first milestone, Sweat Heifer Creek Trail, is only 1.7 miles away. I mean, really, how hard could the Appalachian Trail possibly be?