Clingman’s Dome (Smokies, part 2)

We climbed Clingman’s Dome (or "Klingon’s Dome," as Don insisted on calling it) on Tuesday morning. At 6,684 feet, it is the highest peak in the Smoky Mountains. Don’t worry, we didn’t climb all the way up! You drive most of the way, up a steep, curvy mountain road that is closed in the winter. When we finally got to the parking area, it was FREEZING. It hadn’t occurred to me to bring a jacket, as it was a warm June day when we left our cabin. Nonetheless, we followed the ½ mile paved trail to the top. It is a constant slope, and made me realize how out of shape I was. I'm sure the altitude didn't help either. They had little benches to rest on every few yards, several of which I took advantage of.
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Almost there . . . here is the observation deck from below. This activity is obviously not for anyone who is afraid of heights.
We were right on the Tennessee/North Carolina border, so the state line would be here somewhere.
Unfortunately, we found out why they are called the "Smoky Mountains" – we couldn’t see too much. A friendly man did offer to take our picture though, just to prove we were there.
We took a few other pictures on the way back down (a much easier walk) as things began to clear up a little.
There were a lot of "serious" hikers around, many of whom are hiking the whole Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Guess I’d better get in better shape before I think about doing anything like that.