Sometime back in 1987, I went on a hiking excursion to the Alum Cave Bluffs trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with a friend. I had climbed the trail before, but this time we had an additional mission. Another friend had told us of an off-trail adventure not far past the bluff where the trail leads on to Mount Le Conte.
Before I go any further, I must warn you: going off-trail in the park is generally ill-advised, especially if you lack experience. And this particular place is now, in the decades since, strictly off limits, and you can catch a hefty fine if caught venturing there. Forewarned is forearmed:
The rocky ridge adjacent to the Alum Cave Bluff area, commonly known as: “Eye of the Needle,” “Little Duck Hawk,” and “Raven’s Roost” is closed to public access. The closed area is a narrow rocky ledge that runs in a north/south direction. Closure signs will be posted approximately 100 yards from the junction with Alum Cave Trail along a manway leading to the mentioned ridge. This closure is to prevent disturbance of nesting Peregrine Falcons. The success of Peregrine Falcons in raising their young is significantly decreased by human disturbances. Successful nesting has been observed. — GSMNP Superintendent’s Compendium
Back in 1987, there were no nesting Peregrines. There also wasn’t a manway (at least not one we could see) out to Little Duck Hawk Ridge. We made our way along what could best be described as a hog trail through a laurel hell that opened up to some gigantic boulders to walk across down to the jaggedy ridge. I recall climbing through a tree to get from one boulder to the next.
Little Duck Hawk Ridge (Photo: Thompson Brothers – McClung Collection)
We marked our way like Hansel and Gretel, tying off a bandana here, an extra sock there, etc., to make sure we found our way back up since there was no official trail. We climbed to the top and waved across to all the folks over at Alum Cave. There were some other adventurers who’d arrived ahead of us as well. It was a spectacular experience.
We picked our way back up the mountain, taking our makeshift markers with us. We left no trace, we did not litter, we didn’t take a dog with us on a trail where they are forbidden, we didn’t harass or feed any wildlife. We took lots of pictures and left with a wonderful memory.
I was reminded of this day while perusing the Thompson Brothers’ Great Smoky Mountains Photograph Collection available here through the McClung Historical Collection. Among the nearly 300 digitized photographs was one of Little Duck Hawk Ridge, date unknown, but likely before the park was officially a National Park. Jim and Robin Thompson’s work documenting the beauty of the mountains prior to 1930 helped sell the creation of the National Park in our backyard. I highly recommend you spend some time perusing them.
Hand tinted photo of Newfound Gap Overlook (Photo: Thompson Brothers – McClung Collection)
The park was authorized in 1929 and officially established in 1934. Over the next five years, the Civilian Conservation Corps (providing much needed jobs during the height of the Great Depression) constructed campgrounds, roads, bridges, parking lots and hiking trails. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park was dedicated on this day 85 years ago by President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the Newfound Gap Overlook. Let us continue to honor and protect one of our greatest treasures.
Beth Kinnane writes a history feature for KnoxTNToday.com. It’s published each Tuesday and is one of our best-read features.
Sources: McClung Historical Collection-Knox County Library, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Follow KnoxTNToday on Facebook and Instagram. Get all KnoxTNToday articles in one place with our Free Newsletter
A framed copy of the Roosevelt dedication hung in my grandparents’ house in North Knoxville. When asked, they would talk about being in that crowd and how exciting it was to actually see (perhaps meet) a United States President in person. The Thompson’s, Knoxville’s go-to source for anything camera/photo/film were friends of our family, so perhaps that was their source of their photo. When I was about five years old, my grandparents took me to Newfound Gap and told the story once again. Years later, I visited the site and became very emotional remembering my grandparents and the trip we made to this historical site.
Your 1987 adventure sounds terrific, Beth, and I wish I had been with you. Venturing into the ” unknown” has brought me some of the best adventures of my life.