Autumn Colors around Franklin

The colors have come sporadically to the Franklin area this year. They came in late and unevenly, but with great brilliance and apparently they will be short lived also, because days of rain are forecast in the coming week.

WAYAH TRAIL

Wednesday, October 17, 2007. My wife and I hiked the trail which is that part of the AT which winds down from the bald, about 5400 feet, to Wayah Creek CG, around 3500 feet. The hike is about 4 to 5 miles long, and usually brilliant with color in the middle of October. Not this year though - maybe later. Colors were mostly greenish-yellow with some bright yellow birch and basswood trees. Maples were red and green, mostly green. Lots of leaf cover and the mountains were predominately green.

FOREST ROAD 67
Saturday, October 20, 2007. Drove down Forest Road 67, south of Standing Indian CG. Only went down to Hurricane Creek. That was enough. The birch trees were brilliant gold, and with almost no leaf loss. The color was intense, and the evening light brilliant. Hard to get a picture because of the extreme contrast. Not much else in the way of color, lots of leaf cover.

CHUNKY GAL ROAD
Sunday, 21 October, 2007. This is that part of US 64W out of Franklin which runs up over Winding Stair Gap into Clay County, and on the the next overlook a little west of the Chunky Gal Trailhead. Again the color was overwhelming. Brilliant skies again, lots of leaf-lookers out, weaving all over the road (so was I). Birch trees brilliant gold, considerable leaf loss now compared to yesterday, probably due to some wind in unprotected areas. Sourwoods were providing some dark reds, summachs bright reds, and again maples were toying with some color.

BALL CREEK ROAD
Sunday, October 28, 2007. After four days of rain, Ball Creek is vibrant. Some birches left, lots of hardwoods turning now. The birch leaf loss in these heavy forests highlights the subsequent turning of the other leaves, enabling them to come forward in vision with remnants of gold dangling here and there. Now the hillsides are visible too and contribute their bright mixtures of red, green, yellow (no longer gold), and orange.