Balsam Trail

I wondered if I made a mistake taking the Balsam Trail off the Mt. Mitchell trail...cause I just kept on going and going. Lots of other hikers were going or coming so I felt safe. I vaguely remembered at least a while after reading the description that it looped back to the south parking lot. 

 I did forget that it was 3/4 mile.  And when a guy went running down the trail, I asked him where it went!

Looking back up over the deadwood, I could barely make out the observation deck.

He said 6.5 miles to the campground, the restaurant, and something else.

Well it was well beyond my tired thinking, so I turned around. I had really been looking for the spring that I vaguely remembered.  But the great news is that while really taking it easy going back, it was surprisingly much shorter than it had been coming down.  That must be a law of the universe which really should be looked into by science!

Some picnickers near one of the many educational signs.

So then I went on my way, but not before checking the other end of the Balsam trail where it comes out/goes in from the South Parking lot!

Today's quote:

We all have bad days and within these days is usually a gem of a gift waiting to be opened. Madisyn Taylor