"Spent most of the morning trying to find a pancake place in Pigeon Forge that didn’t have a half hour wait (daddy promises were made and I had to pay up). Then took the Blue Ridge Parkway out for a long haul to the highest mountain east of the Mississippi. Mount Mitchell was the highest mountain of the United States until 1845 when Texas joined the Union and Guadalupe Peak became the highest mountain of the USA. We cheated and drove to the top, then walked the 300 yards to the observation tower." — wiweasel • Nov 25, 2023

"Last big hike in the GSMNP started out around 8am. A little chilly and 3,000’ of climbing. Minimal whining from the kids. As we got on top of Cammerer the sun came out as we approached the fire watch observation tower and everything turned around. Soaked up the sun, fought off the hangries and enjoyed the panoramic views of the Smokey’s. Mount Cammerer is a mountain on the northeastern fringe of the Great Smoky Mountains, in the Southeastern United States. The mountain is situated on the state line between Cocke County, Tennessee and Haywood County, North Carolina. The Appalachian Trail traverses Cammerer's south slope and a restored fire lookout at the summit offers panoramic views of the eastern Smokies, Cocke County, and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Mount Cammerer was named for Arno B. Cammerer, Director of the National Park Service (1933–1940) and an instrumental figure in establishing a national park in the Great Smoky Mountains. Before its renaming, Mt. Cammerer was known as "White Rock," referring to the bright white rocks that burst through the treeline at the summit. On some North Carolina maps, Mt. Cammerer is called "Sharptop". At least one story tells of a lightning ..." — wiweasel • Nov 24, 2023

"“Rest day” today. 🤣 Drove out to Clingman’s Dome road in SMNP. Hiked the icy paved trail up to the observation tower with hundreds of folks. Picked up the AT to head down via Mount Buckley and snagged Andrew’s Bald before hitting the Clingman’s visitor center and motoring up to Pigeon Forge to catch Dolly Parton’s Stampede." — wiweasel • Nov 23, 2023

"Hiked gated service road from gravel parking on the Blue Ridge Parkway to the peak of Fryingpan Mountain, then climbed the tower next to the peak to the second highest landing (highest landing is closed). Nice breeze and views from the tower. Not much fall color here yet, but a good bit near the high point of the parkway. See my peak photo of Rough Butt Bald." — davidensley • Oct 3, 2023

"The gate was open, and we could have driven the car to the peak of Barnett Knob by straddling the deep rut, but we chose to park just outside the gate and hike the road. Gina turned back halfway while Andrew and I continued to the peak." — davidensley • Aug 1, 2023