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About the Authors
Liz Etnier
Mike Etnier
Spring
Wildflower Hikes in the Smokies
Gregory Bald
Roundtop
Schoolhouse Gap
Chestnut Top
Defeat Ridge
Return to Hiking in the Smokies
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Recent
Hikes
Chestnut Top – March
12, 2008
–This is one of the earliest places where one can see spring wildflowers. The
first ½ mile of sunny banks provides an enormous array of wildflowers,
usually beginning in mid-March.
However, this year has seen a lot of very cold nights and days in the Smokies, and on this particular day we saw very few
flowers blooming. Indeed, as we started up the trail, the bank of wildflowers
had frost on it, and most foliage was wilted. We did see a very few Hepatica, chickweed, and spring beauty
blooming. Most of the seersucker sedge along the way was in full bloom, but
they were limp with the cold.
 
 The trees are still bare, providing some
wonderful views of Thunderhead Mountain as you hike a couple of miles up the
trail.
 There are several banks further up the
trail that are covered with trailing arbutus, and once again, this is about the earliest
place in the Smokies to see the arbutus blooming.
However, I only saw a few buds, and two plants that had open blooms.
Based on my notes from previous spring
hikes, it appears that a large array of wildflowers were
seen on March 28, 2007. Time will tell
if this spring weather will induce the flowers to bloom earlier or later on
Chestnut Top.
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