Pretty, huh? Especially so after a drenching rain shower.

As you climb higher up the Palmer Creek drainage, you reach my favorite stretch of the path. The grade is moderate and passes through rich stands of flame azalea and mountain laurel. Higher up, there are some pretty good stands of yellow lady slippers, something rarely seen in the Park. I was a little late for them this year. I used to see a lot of them along the trail, but many have been dug up by poachers who mistakenly believe that they can get them to grow in their home gardens. Now you have to get away from the path to find them. I only know of two other spots with healthy populations of the yellow variety of ladyslippers. The biggest, with hundreds of plants spread out over about an acre of streamside forest, is in Pisgah Forest.

Good walking regardless of the season, the Palmer Creek trail is mostly smooth and beautiful as it climbs to the Round Bottom Road.

I stopped to take an apple break at the intersection of the Palmer Creek trail and the Round Bottom road. While I was there, a group of friendly horseback riders stopped to join me for a break. It was amusing to watch the Smokiy Mountain 'cowboys' pile off their steeds and whip out their cell phones to try to get a signal - "Can you hear me now???"

Round Bottom Road, a one-way road that runs from the Balsam Mountain campground down to Round Bottom at the end of the two-way Straight Fork road out of Cherokee.

Usually, by the time I get into the final mile or so of a long hike, I'm eager to 'head for the barn'. Not so today - I found myself dreading the trails-end. I'm doing this one again sometime soon. Man, what a great day!!!