March 19, 2011 hike along Big Creek to the Gunter Fork trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Yellow Trillium in late March below Mouse Creek Falls in the Big Creek valley.

Typically one of the first blooms of spring in the Smoky Mountains, the yellow trillium emerges while plenty of the thin early sunshine is still available. Later in the season, the heavy overstory in the forest will be blocking the light from the forest floor and flowers will only be found in some of the open areas.

Mouse Creek Falls, about 2 miles upstream from the trailhead. The second shot of the falls was taken in December of last year following heavy rain that brought in kayakers from around the area to run the Creek down to where it joins Pigeon River at Waterville.

The bridge at Walnut Bottoms, site of a very popular backcountry campsite in the Great Smoky Mountains. Years ago, there were hooks beneath the bridge that allowed you to hang over the side of the bridge to hang your pack, securing it (hopefully!) from bears. Another system tried here was a tall steel pole with hooks on top that you'd climb on a short attached ladder to hang your pack, then lower the ladder, putting the packs out of reach. That was pretty effective. Cables are now used and work pretty well, though some bears learn to jump from overhanging limbs to snag the packs, or they'll pull and shake the cables until something falls off of the hooks.

Big Creek below the Gunter Fork Ford.

Above Walnut Bottoms, the path winds alongside Big Creek as it approaches the Gunter Fork Ford.