Searching the Smokies for flowers

Southern Living, Apr 2003 by McKinney, Wanda

The 53rd Annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage welcomes visitors to the mountains to discover beautiful blooms.

The couple, hiking sticks in hand, stopped when they saw me scanning the sides of the trail. "Have you been to Sugarlands?" the man asked conspiratorially.

"Uh, no," I said.

"Go to Sugarlands. Walk back beyond the dumping station. We found a yellow there," the man said. He and his wife smiled, then moved stealthily on, their footsteps fading away quickly.

"What language were they speaking?" I asked my biologist/botanist/ photographer husband, Bill, as he returned from a photo foray. He laughed. "Sugarlands is the main visitors center at Smoky Mountains National Park," he explained. "They were trying to tell you that they saw some yellow lady's slippers there."

Thus began my education in the exploration of wildflowers. And what better time than on the 53rd Annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in Gatlinburg? Lucky for me, the weeklong activities offer something for both experienced petal pushers and novices alike. There are more than 150 walks, indoor and outdoor programs, and lectures that fit most any ability.

We went to the Sugarland Visitors Center to pick up a hiking map. We found two good trails-Metcalf Bottoms and Roundtop Trail-rife with various types of wildflowers. In dappled afternoon light, I got my first look at pink lady's slippers. They hung delicately, looking like a pair of shoes ready for a pair of pixie feet.

Moving on to Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse, we ran into more flower enthusiasts. It was as if everyone was on a massive Easter egg hunt, only the brightly colored objects of desire were flowers, not eggs. Here we found more lady's slippers, yellow trillium, foamflower, and dog's hobble, as well as some toothwort. My husband spouted off the Latin names, while I struggled just to learn the common names of these delicate harbingers of spring.

"I think we should go to Bud Ogle," he said.

"Who's he?" I asked.

"It's a trail," Bill explained patiently. Sure enough, we found a single yellow lady's slipper there, dainty looking and the color of butter. On Twin Creeks Trail, we observed a plethora of squaw root, not to mention Indian cucumber root, small Jack-in-the-pulpit, vasey trillium, and false Solomon's seal. A trip to Newfound Gap provided a field of fringed phacelia near the rest area.

During this hunt for blooms, we saw deer and turkey and listened to 0 Brother, Where Art Thou? while driving from trail to trail. And as they say in that movie, I felt bona fide (another Latin word).

There were motorcyclists and teenagers, families and young couples, people who come here every year and delight in the search for these glorious blossoms, some of them only found in this part of the country.

At the Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse, a nearby cemetery holds the headstone of Earl Walker. His epitaph reads, "August 23, 1933-October 6, 1933. Budded on Earth to bloom in heaven." There's definitely a bit of heaven in bloom during the wildflower pilgrimage in Gatlinburg. WANDA MCKINNEY

53rd Annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage: April 21-27. For up-to-date information on classes, hikes, and programs, call (865) 436-7318, or visit www.wildflowerpilgrimage.org.