The Beauty of Ramsey Cascades
Deep in the heart of the Smokey Mountains, Ramsey Cascades is located about 4 Miles away from Gatlinburg. It is known as one of the more tedious hikes in the Smokey’s because of its rapid change of elevation, “The trail to the waterfall gains over 2,000' in elevation over its 4 mile course and the 8-mile round-trip hike is considered strenuous in difficulty” (Ramsey Cascades 1). It is very popular with most hikers and can be done easily in one day. “This waterfall in the Greenbrier area has gone by two different spellings. Historically, the park used to spell the name as "Ramsay". However, in more recent publications, and on their website, the park is now spelling it as "Ramsey". The revised version properly reflects the correct spelling, since the cascades are named after the Ramsey family that once lived in this area” (Ramsey Cascades 1). It runs next to the Ramsey Prong, and slopes up the side of the second highest mountain in the National Park, Mount Guyout. It is about 8 miles round trip and, at the end of the trail; there is the largest waterfall in the park.
When you first walk on the trail it takes you down you about 1.5 miles down the remains of an old gravel road. Then, this is where the actual beauty of the trail starts. During you’re first half mile or so, you will notice a lot of greenery, especially in the spring and summer months. Wildlife is somewhat common, and you will see many hikers, because of how popular the trail is. Once you approach the Little Pigeon River, and cross the bridge there, is when this trail gets more rugged. “At about the 1.6-mile point to the 2.25-mile point, the elevation nearly changes 500 feet” (Ramsey Trail Ways 1). During the time that you cross the bridge ...
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...l, that’s why it is highly advised no to try to be a daredevil and then fall to your death. That being said, as long as you don’t climb the waterfall, you will have no issues whatsoever
Ramsey Cascades is truly one of my favorite trails, and I will continue to hike it for the rest of my life. Ramsey Cascades is one of the most beautiful trails in the park, and holds endless fun and excitement for any hiker.
Works Cited
Ramsey Cascades - Ramsey Cascades Trail in the Smoky Mountains." Ramsey Cascades - Ramsey Cascades Trail in the Smoky Mountains. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014
"Ramsey Cascades, Ramsey Cascades Trailhead, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina." ProTrails. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014
United States. National Park Service. "Ramsey Cascades." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
Kamiak Butte is one of the few areas near Pullman that reflect the many geologic terms learned in class. This area is an example of an area that is extinct to the surrounding landforms. This butte is located in Whitman County, in between the cities of Colfax and Pullman, Washington. With an elevation of 3, 641 feet above sea level, Kamiak Butte has one of the highest elevations in all of Whitman County (1). The county park covers about 298 acres, and consists mainly of woodlands. Once one has climbed to the top of the butte, the sights become endless and breathe taking. To the north is Steptoe Butte, and southeast is Paradise Ridge and Moscow Mountain. Surrounding the top is endless views of loess dunes, and Blue Mountains that can be seen far into, to the southeast. The breath taking views, and short ten-minute drive from the Washington State University campus, make for Kamiak Butte being one of the most visited hikes in Whitman county (3). The hike offers the option for both those wanting to take a leisurely walk through nature, or a more rigorous adventure. The first hiking trail, that only consists of one mile, opens into a 3.5-mile trail that leads to the ridge of Kamiak Butte.
United States. National Park Service. "Katmai National Park & Preserve (U.S. National Park Service)." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 19 Feb. 2014. Web. Feb. 2014.
The 'Standard'. Mountains Beyond the Mountains. New York, NY: Random House Publishing Group. Popple, P. R., & L. Leighninger. (2011).
To add to the difficulty of the trails is the extreme elevation changes. The re are ironically enough thirteen climbs which result in more than 10,000 feet of climb per loop. This is obviously accompanied by an equal amount of descent. One runner described it as climbing 100 floors of stairs in your first mile, going back down on second mile and continuing this for twenty miles. The course amasses an average grade of over 20% and between 50 and near 100 percent grade on the abandoned trails and bushwhacking sections. The grade is the reason that the trails have been abandoned or not built in the first pace. Each climb bears a unique name which in many cases gives a good idea of their nature.
To start, these names are the names of two big volcanos, both in Washington State, both deadly, but on different scales. Mt. Rainier’s last eruption was 150 years ago. Yellowstone’s last eruption was 640,000 years ago. Yellowstone’s reputation of being the ultimate super volcano versus Mt. Rainier, the most dangerous volcano in the country. The difference between these volcanos is looks, damage, stability and tourism.
When Meriwether Lewis and William Clark first explored Montana in the early 1800s, they were awestruck by the open plains and delighted by the wide range of animals that roamed the land. After reaching the Great Falls, which is on the Missouri River in what is now Montana (Av2 books). Lewis wrote in his journal that it was “the grandest sight” that he had “ever beheld.” Today much of the landscape the Lewis and Clark crossed remains unchanged. The dense forest, rugged mountains, and rushing rivers are still abundant with fish and other wildlife.
Lassen Peak, also known as Mount Lassen, is the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range. It is part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc which is an arc that covers southwestern British Columbia to northern California. Located in the Shasta Cascade region of Northern California, Lassen rises 2,000 meters above the surrounding terrain and has a volume of 0.5 cubic miles, making it one of the largest lava domes on Earth. It was created on the destroyed northeastern side of now gone Mount Tehama, a stratovolcano that was at least 1,000 feet higher than Lassen Peak.
Located in the popular Yosemite National Park, Yosemite Falls is the tallest waterfall in California. Every year, mother nature’s breathtaking beauty attracts millions of people from around the world. People hike for three long and fatiguing hours in anticipation of witnessing forceful water rushing down the steep mountain from 2,425 feet above. Last summer, my family and I backpacked through the Yosemite Falls Trail and I came to learn what a truly exhausting experience it is.
The Andes Mountains. (n.d.). - Windows to the Universe. Retrieved November 25, 2013, from http://www.windows2universe.org/geography/andes.html
Proposed Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina-Tennessee. Map. S.l., 1926. Mapping the National Parks. Lib. of Congress. 15 March 2010.
The mountain range in this picture is the Elk mountains. The Elk mountains are a range of dome mountains. These dome mountains are batholiths which means a large intrusion of magma bulged up into the earth crust and bushed up a bunch of land to create a mountain range. When dome mountains erode, things like cuestas, hogbacks and flatirons are formed.
The skies were clear and a very bright blue. We unpacked our gear from the car and started hiking on the trail. Walking on the rocky trail was hard and tiring but the views were great. There were areas that were very grassy and green and others that seemed very dry. Our trail wasn’t on the green side.
Many parts of the Appalachian Mountains are pleasing to the eye. The Great Smoky Mountains are one of a kind mountains. I was on the top of one of the mountains and the view was breathtaking
"Mount Shasta." USGS: Volcano Hazards Program - Mount Shasta. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2014.
After a great night of sleep we headed out to the world renown mountain of Jackson Hole. It is known for being the steepest mountain on which a ski resort is set up. It is also know for having a great view of Grand Teton, one of the highest peaks in the Rocky Mountains. We could not have asked for a better day of riding. there was a fresh 14” of snow under our boards and after a little bit of exploring we found some great out of bounds and woods riding.