Typically, each fall, I have the chance to venture to the western part of our state for work. It gives me a great opportunity to see the mountains in their autumnal glory.
Not this year. So, alas, I must rekindle memories of trips past.
One trip, several years ago, led me to Robbinsville, and to the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, named for the "Trees" poet. (You know the one: "I think that I shall never see/A poem lovely as a tree...")
Within the Joyce Kilmer forest are Yellow Poplars that rise up to 115 feet, making them the largest trees east of the Mississippi and the third largest trees in the United States (behind the Redwoods and Sequoias).
Natural Adventures in the Mountains of Western North Carolina by Mary Ellen Hammond and Jim Parham is a book that every North Carolinian should own. It it, it features a chapter on Joyce Kilmer forest.
"A two-mile loop trail winds its way through a virgin forest where trees reach over 20 feet in circumference," says the book. "If you have enough people, see how many it takes to link hands and stretch around the largest of the trees. You'll be amazed as you find yourself dwarfed by one after another of these monsters."
Although, "monster" is probably not the right choice of word. These trees are magnificently beautiful giants.
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