I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earths sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
So Wrote Joyce Kilmer in 1913. Yesterday was a banner day - crisp, clear, cool weather, so we took a road trip to a forest named in Kilmer's honor. This valley just south of the Smokies was never logged, and it is possible to glimpse what the original forests were like in this region (although missing are the many mighty Chestnut trees that once made up about a third of the forest before the blight came, and now the Hemlock trees are dying off). The glory of this forest is the Tulip Poplars, on the order of 400 years old. They are interspersed among many other smaller trees.
We drove the Cherohala Skyway to get there, and the Dragon's Tail on the return.
View from the Skyway
One of many trees
And another. My son is 6 ft tall.
The trunks rise high into the canopy.
And more
A stream in the valley. Cold, clear water.
I have camped in this valley before, and along the ridges that surround it. It is a wonderful area. But in a forest like this you need to take care where you sleep - look up to see if there are widowmakers hanging high above, ready to come down in a storm.
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earths sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
So Wrote Joyce Kilmer in 1913. Yesterday was a banner day - crisp, clear, cool weather, so we took a road trip to a forest named in Kilmer's honor. This valley just south of the Smokies was never logged, and it is possible to glimpse what the original forests were like in this region (although missing are the many mighty Chestnut trees that once made up about a third of the forest before the blight came, and now the Hemlock trees are dying off). The glory of this forest is the Tulip Poplars, on the order of 400 years old. They are interspersed among many other smaller trees.
We drove the Cherohala Skyway to get there, and the Dragon's Tail on the return.
View from the Skyway
One of many trees
And another. My son is 6 ft tall.
The trunks rise high into the canopy.
And more
A stream in the valley. Cold, clear water.
I have camped in this valley before, and along the ridges that surround it. It is a wonderful area. But in a forest like this you need to take care where you sleep - look up to see if there are widowmakers hanging high above, ready to come down in a storm.
