Last Tuesday, several fifth graders from Seymour Intermediate School braved the cooler weather of the mountains and ventured to Clingmans Dome. The classes hiked up the mountain and stopped along the way to talk about the trees and the insects that are attacking and killing them. The insects are known as the Balsam Woolly Adelgid and they attack the many Fir trees found in the forest.
Clingmans Dome rises to 6,643 feet. It is the highest point along the Appalachian Trail The area gets an average of 85” of precipitation per year, with March generally being the rainiest month. At the top of the trail you can see a 360-degree view of the surrounding mountains. Unfortunately this day, the clouds were so low there was no visibility.
The mountain was named for Thomas Lanier Clingman, a prospector, and later a Civil War general and U.S. Senator, who extolled the wealth of timber and minerals of the region.
Also located atop Clingmans Dome sits the highest site in Eastern United States for air quality testing facility.
The children were tired at the end of the day (the parents and teachers were probably even more tired) but had a great time during the outing.

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