As temperatures neared 90 degrees on the sunny afternoon of Sunday, July 16, the forested Carolina Mountain Trail offered a shady respite for the 20 people joining Tom Southard for a 2.1-mile hike through the woods of the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville.
Southard, a volunteer with 13 years of experience leading walks at the arboretum, stopped frequently to tell the stories of the thousands of plant species responsible for the forest’s green, damp scent and cooling shade. He extolled the unique honey made from the blossoms of sourwood trees like the crooked-trunked specimen growing alongside the trail, discussed how to tell a white oak from a red, and explained where the water goes when it flows off the property.
He also told the story of the trail itself, built 30 years ago with the help of Carolina Mountain Club volunteers.
“We’re forever grateful for that,” said Southard.
That gratitude is what led the Arboretum to host a once-in-a-lifetime event: CMC’s 100th birthday celebration.
Read more here from The Smoky Mountain News.
The Great Smokies Welcome Center is located on U.S. 321 in Townsend, TN, 2 miles from the west entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Visitors can get information about things to see and do in and around the national park and shop from a wide selection of books, gifts, and other Smokies merchandise. Daily, weekly, and annual parking tags for the national park are also available.
