These photos were taken on a hike in mid-May along a stretch of the Appalachian Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains west of Clingmans Dome. On this day, I walked the AT from the Clingmans Parking area to the Miry Ridge trailhead, about 7.6 miles further west. Conditions were near-perfect for the high country ramble. It seems that in the past when I've done the hike, it was either bitterly cold, snowy, or drizzly. Finally, I nailed the perfect time. Nearly the entire distance was lined with a carpet of wildflowers, primarily the little spring beauty, a tiny wildflower that grows so thickly in early spring that it can make a mountainside look as though it's dusted with snow from a distance.

The top photo shows the view from the top of 5,607 ft. Silers Bald, looking back towards Clingmans Dome, about 4 miles east. Clingmans Dome and Mt. Buckley make up the large hump standing high against the horizon.
The lower photo shows the view from the western slope of 6,550 ft. Mt. Buckley, looking west towards Silers Bald. Silers Bald is the 'little' brown peak just left of the old snag near the center of the photo. The long ridge running off to the right side of the photo behind Silers is Miry Ridge, my destination for the day.