Kephart was fascinated by the crest of the Western Smokies, which in the early 1900s was a giant grassy bald.
12.
It has an elevation of above sea level, making it the highest grassy bald in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
13.
The grassy balds were perfect summertime pastures for sheep and cattle, and hogs could roam and forage in the dense forests.
14.
Since the early 19th century, Euro-Americans were using the grassy balds along the ridges surrounding Cataloochee to free range livestock.
15.
How and why a summit develops into a grassy bald is unknown; they represent " an ecological enigma and a conservation dilemma ".
16.
Traversed by the Appalachian Trail, the mountain is topped by a grassy bald, allowing a 360-degree view of the surrounding mountains.
17.
Other grassy balds include Oak Knob ( a subpeak of Huckleberry ), Hooper Bald, and Bob Bald ( a subpeak of Stratton ).
18.
The origin of grassy balds in southern Haywood county is a result of extensive clear-cut logging and locomotive fires in 1925 and 1942.
19.
The grassy balds have a higher biodiversity than the dense rainforests, because they are home to birds and rodents not found elsewhere in the forest.
20.
While there is evidence that Gregory Bald was a natural grassy bald, the National Park Service must currently work to prevent the summit from becoming forested.
