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Recent
Hikes
Spence Field
– October 3 – Several of us hiked up to Spence Field via
Lead Cove and Bote
Mountain
trails. The hike is 10 miles roundtrip. You can find directions and a hike
description in my Day Hiker’s Guide.
 East
Tennessee has had very little rain for the past 5 months,
and it was evident on the hike with all the rhododendrons curled and drooping
(see photo), and the ground dusty and dry. It was a sunny, warm day when we
started out, but by the time we hiked the 4.7 miles up to the Appalachian
Trail, it had clouded over and started
to sprinkle. The rain was welcome, but the wind picked up, and we were cold
when we sat on Spence Field eating our lunch. The bald has grown over a lot
since I was first up there in 1997. At that time, it was quite large, and
there were good views down to Fontana
Reservoir from anywhere on it.
 Now,
there was just one spot between the grown up trees where we could see the
lake. The foliage was just beginning to turn, and we saw some beautiful reds
on the sourwood and red maples trees.
 We also saw purple swallowtails everywhere, and their
brilliant turquoise spots on the underside of their wings were beautiful as
they reflected the light.
They seemed to be attracted to the goldenrod.
 After we had lunch and relaxed on the bald, we hiked over to
see the new renovated Spence Field shelter on the AT. The addition of skylights
and seating areas outside have greatly improved the shelters, and hopefully
made them less attractive to visiting bears.
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