Uphillhike

Category: Southeast

  • Bote Mountain Trail Hike – Great Smoky Mountains

    Bote Mountain Trail Hike – Great Smoky Mountains

    Hike Route traced in yellow.

    Itinerary – Day 1

    11/17/2011 – 15.5 miles

    Chestnut Top Trail – 4.3 mi

    Schoolhouse Gap Trail – 1 mi

    Turkeypen Ridge Trail – 3.4 mi

    Crib Gap Trail – 1.6 mi

    Anthony Creek Trail – 3.5 mi

    Bote Mtn Trail – 1.7 mi

    Spencefield Shelter – Camping

    Chestnut Top trail had nice wintertime views of Thunderhead and at one point I could view the big 3, Clingman’s Dome, Mt. LeConte, and Mt. Guyot. At least I believed it was those three!

    I only saw one other hiker until I neared Cades Cove.

    Since the Subway Sandwich shop in Townsend wasn’t open and I had plans for a tuna footlong on honeyoat for the day’s lunch, my pack was short one meal. Detouring down Anthony Creek Trail to the camp store, I paid $9 for two veggie burgers and baked beans. Sitting on a bench in the warm sun, I ate as I gazed at a particularly large and brightly colored woodpecker that was drawing the aim of a tourist’s camera. I paused with my own camera, changed my mind and continued to eat.

    As I finished up, I noticed four backpackers starting out in the direction of my trailhead. As it turned out, I later caught up and passed them on the Anthony Creek Trail. This group was Chase, Eric, Brien, and Jerry. Hopefully, I remembered these names correctly. They were staying at Spencefield Shelter along with a guy named Joe (fellow Philmont veteran) and several others.

    Russell Field Trail – In the summer of 79 my brother and I hiked into Cades Cove via this trail for a resupply. Having only a little money, we bought a small box of Cream of Wheat (64 servings).
    Here I am at Spencefield Shelter.

    It was a cold night on top, but we had a nice fire going in the fireplace and a lot of fun exchanging trail stories. These included Mt Shasta whiteout stories, Mt Hood summits, bears and disappearing backpacks, extreme cold and frostbite at Overmountain Shelter, and near drowning experiences at creek fords. I counted myself lucky not to have encountered some of these extremes. I was also pleased to find others who had hiked Dolly Sodds Wilderness; a rare experience or maybe only a wonderful coincidence.

    11/18/2011

    Itinerary Day 2

    Bote Mtn Trail – 5.4 mi

    West Prong Trail – 2.7 mi

    Lumber Ridge Trail – 4.1 mi

    Meigs Mtn Trail – 1.9 mi

    I was on the trail before anyone else was out of their sleeping bags. Walking up on a tree where three turkeys were roosting in the pre-sunrise shadows, I enjoyed the show.

    On the descent, I soon noticed pain developing in my right knee. As it worsened, I began to notice shin splints. This was a new experience for me on a hike, although I had something like this while running the Atlanta Marathon about 20 years ago. I soon found myself consumed with worry as I imagined all kinds of possible long term impacts that usually included a shortened hiking career. The worst part was walking downhill through deep leaves with hidden stones that seemed to always move under foot.

    Lunch was at Tremont. I was surprised to find a store here. Having no money left and running low on food, I ate half my dried out rice and veggie packet. In any event, the store didn’t appear to have food items. Tremont has an environmental institute and dorm where one can stay and attend classes. I noticed several kids working around the property clearing out drainage ditches. I guessed that it was a service project of some kind that went along with classes.

    My knee didn’t hurt at all on the Lumber Ridge Trail climb out of Tremont. On the southeast side of the ridge it was quite warm. Large grasshoppers were sunning on low branches. They would whir off, flying long distances well beyond my reach. I remember thinking that it would take only a few of these monsters to feed one of those survival show actors.

    Perhaps this is Roundtop Mtn. Viewed from Lumber Ridge Trail. I was to hike Roundtop Mtn Trail, but bailed early on the hike.

    Original plans were to reach campsite 92 then do an 8 mile roundtrip out and back on Meigs Mountain Trail. This would have been a 20 plus mile day. With the painful knee and shin splints, it wasn’t a hard decision to stop at CS 92 at the early hour of 2 PM.

    Campsite 19 on Meigs Mountain Trail – it was a windy night.

    I built a campfire. Later after the sun set, the wind started up and embers began blowing with the gusts. The wind blew hard all night. I could predict the next gust as the wind gathered, loudly rocking trees farther up the mountain and moving toward my campsite. When it hit my tarp, the Tyvek draped over the opening billowed like a sail and loudly snapped near my head while the inside of the tarp seemed to inflate. Later, a nearly full moon popped up over the horizon. The bright light at first made me think the blowing embers had caught the woods on fire. At other times, I would awake in the bright glow, thinking that the sun was rising.

    11/19/2011

    Itinerary

    Curry Mountain Trail – 3.3 mi

    Short day. A short distance past the CS 92 on Meigs Mtn Trail there was a small cemetery on the left.  There are 151 known cemeteries in GSMNP.

    Knee and shin splints as bad as ever. Was to be a 16 mile day. Instead, I hiked 3.5 miles to road and hitched a ride back to my car. Thanks to the manager of Krispy Kreme and lover of Cades Cove who gave me a ride!

    11/20/2011

    I researched my knee and shin pain and came to the conclusion that I needed new boots. Excessive pronation caused by worn out arches could cause shin splints and knee pain on downhill walks. My boots are over 3 years old. I recall how high and firm the arches were when I first used these boots in Yosemite. Now the inside of the boots are as flat as a pair of Crocs.

  • Cold Miserable Rain – My Goshen Prong – Little River – Sugarland Mountain Hike

    Permit 95875

    Day 1 – Oct 28, 2011

    13.5 miles – Clingman’s Dome – AT Bypass Trail to AT to Goshen Prong – South on Little River Trail to Rough Creek Campsite 24. To Three Forks Campsite 30 and return to Rough Creek Campsite 24.

    It was 15 degrees colder on Clingmans Dome, than at Smokemont. I saw phosphorescence peeking out of the fog in the woods below the Clingmans parking lot. Dots like unmoving animal night eyes .  In the morning I had finished breakfast before first light. Scrambled egg whites with mozzarella and shallots. Black coffee.

    Took the AT bypass trail to AT. Although cold, I was soon shedding layers. Later on the Goshen Prong trail in the cold rain, I was adding back layers. For a brief minute I felt sleet mixed in the rain. It rained all day. A cool cave going about 40 ft through the rock was directly on the Goshen Prong.

    This cave on Goshen Prong extends about 40 feet and curves to the left. Absolutely dark in the back.

    I took a break from the rain and explored the cave and ate a sandwich. It was only 10 am. Saw 6 people today. L.J. Is camping  at CS 24 where I have set up my tarp. I reached campsite 24 by 12:30. Set up in the rain and put on dry clothes and climbed into dry sleeping bag. Ate snacks and warmed up.  Ground cloth is wet. Later, hiked to campsight 30 and back. Still before 4PM. Back in sleeping bag warming up again.

    Signpost for Campsite 30 Three Forks. This is the end of Little River Trail and Clingman’s Dome lies straight ahead.

    After a short break from rain, it soon started raining without letting up. It is a long night when you spend it in the sleeping bag from 4PM until 6:30 AM. This was the only way to stay reasonably, but not entirely warm and dry. The outside of the sleeping bag is a little wet, but the down is staying dry. Halfway through the night, the rain turned to big wet clumps of snow,

    Day 2 – October 29, 2011

    16.6 miles – Hiking North on Little River Trail to Elkmont Campground – Jakes Creek & Cucumber Gap Trail back to Little River Trail to Huskey Gap Trail to south Sugarland Mountain Trail to Rough Creek Trail and back to Rough Creek Campsite 24.

    The Little River Trail is a nice trail for hikers that don’t go for steep climbs. It follows a level path along a beautiful mountain stream. For a brief taste of climbing, a loop can be made using the Cucumber Gap Trail.

    Getting ready for 2nd night at Rough Creek Campsite 24

    The lower end of the trail passes interesting ghost resort town near Elkmont. To see more of the town, continue on Jakes Creek Trail. “Daisy Town” was first created as a hunting resort next to a lumber camp. Knoxville townsfolk used the lumber company’s railroad to travel to the resort. Later, when the lumber company had felled the area’s timber and wanted to move on, it secretly relocated the tracks in the middle of the night.

    During the creation of the park in the 20’s and 30’s, long term lifetime leases were given to owners. The last two leases expired in 2001. By then, it was felt that these structures might have historical value and some were placed on the National Register of Historic Places . Originally the houses were to be demolished and the land returned to its natural state; however as roofs cave in and walls fall over, the town now sits abandoned while the park service deliberates, ten years and counting.

    Some of these houses have an interesting architecture reminiscent of simple vacation homes of earlier generations.  The piled stone chimneys evoke Smoky Mountain getaways of long ago. The feeling is quite different from that given by the cabins of permanent residents who lived a hard and isolated existence in these mountains.

    My rain gear was still wet and my mittens were soaked. I had slept in my only dry socks, but wanting to keep them dry, I put them in the dry sack and pulled on my cold wet socks. I pried my frozen boots open and worked my feet in. With a flat trail, colder temps, and wet mittens it took nearly 7 miles for my hands to warm up. It was only after a few blue patches of sky appeared that I knew for sure that I wouldn’t have a second day of cold rain.

    I picked a sunny spot on the Husky Gap Trail to shed a layer of clothing and have lunch. I took off my socks and squeezed out water. The water streaming from my socks was red. It took a confused moment to realize that the red was blood soaked up from my feet. An untrimmed toenail had torn into a neighboring toe.

    On Husky Gap Trail. A few trees at lower elevations still have color.

    Sugarland Mountain Trail was my favorite of the trip. It climbs a ridge with views into the Little River Valley to the west  and views of Gatlinburg and Mt LeConte toward the east.

    Having fun on middle portion of Sugarland Mountain Trail between Husky Gap and Rough Creek junctions.

    I saw plenty of other people all day long on this beautiful, but cold Saturday.

    Back at campsite 24, I found my tarp and sleeping bag safe and secure. Another group of 4 from Nashville, TN had set up tents nearby. I visited and enjoyed their campfire. I made a feeble attempt at my own campfire, but gave up quickly.

    The night was clear and cold with bright stars visible through treetops.

    View from middle portion of Sugarland Mtn Trail – Is that Thunderhead?

    Day 3 – October 30, 2011

    11.1 miles – Rough Creek Campsite to Rough Creek Trail to South on Sugarland Mountain Trail to Mt. Collins Shelter to AT to Clingmans Dome.

    Happy Birthday to Taylor. He is 22 today.

    I had coffee and breakfast in the dark and was packed up and on the trail at 7:34 am. This time I headed uphill on Rough Creek Trail and soon was shedding layers. Back on the Sugarland Mountain Trail, I picked up where I left off the day before. When the trail dipped to the west side of the ridge, it became bitterly cold with snow coating the trees and ground. By now, I was down to shorts, tee, and down vest. Once again my hands became cold.

    I am in good spirits after putting on my jacket. Shorts and tee-shirt alone are not enough for the cold west side of the ridge on Sugarlands Mountain Trail.

    At one point I came up on a grouse in the middle of the trail without flushing it out. I stopped and watched for a minute as it seemed unbothered by my presence,  its head bobbing as it alternately stepped and paused along the trail. I suddenly sprinted toward the bird. As it lifted off, another unseen grouse took flight from the growth just to my right. No, I didn’t catch either bird.

    The Sugarland Mountains trail continued to impress me with its ridge walk and occasional views across the Tennessee Valley and Mt. Leconte. In the southwest a distant sharp peak may have been Thunderhead.  I recommend this trail.

    I eventually reached Mt. Collins shelter where I met a southbound AT thru-hiker eating a jumbo bag of potato chips. Like all thru-hikers at this stage, he was very thin. Having hiked the AT to Clingmans Dome several times before, my plan was to hitch-hike from here, but it had warmed up some and since it was such a nice cloudless day,  I finished with a 3.5 mile AT climb up Clingman’s Dome.

    Campsite 24 elevation is 2860 ft and Clngman 6643 feet. It was nearly a 4000 ft climb for the day.

    Photo taken from Clingman Dome. The Sugarland Mtn Trail follows top of ridge in foreground. Mountain in background is LeConte.

  • Shining Rock Wilderness / Cold Mountain Hike – Sept 23 & 24 2011

    Sept 23, 2011

    Slept in the back of the van last night at the parking for the trailhead for Old Butt Knob trail. Rained all night. In the morning I cooked breakfast in the rain, but the rain cleared before I started hiking. Old Butt Knob trail is not as tough as Green Mountain trail, but it does have some very steep sections along
    a narrow rocky ridge. The sky became absolutely clear blue with a few clouds blanketing some lower mountains and valleys. Just as quickly the clouds moved in again. Took a long break at Shining Rocks enjoying a great view from the white quartz outcroppings. Having been soaked from wet branches and sitting in the wind, I needed my jacket during the break. Now I am on Star Mountain having red beans and rice for lunch. I have only seen a couple on Art Loeb trail. They were returning from a wet night on Cold Mountain. Now, on to Cold Mtn for me! Oh yes…my left knee is a little sore from the steep climbs.

    20110923-010606.jpg

    Mark on Shining Rock

    I am relaxing in my tarp tent near the top of Cold Mountain. Passing through the narrows required a lot of stepping up large rocks. I thought I had finished the hard part this morning. The narrows have great views from both sides. The ridge is so rocky and narrow there is very little room for a trail. I took my time and made detours to climb over some of the more spectacular rocks.

    I met a couple of guys, Drew and Taylor from Charlotte, NC, at the gap where the Cold Mountain trail intersects Art Loeb. They had started at Daniel Boone Scout Camp (north end of Art Loeb) and were hiking south, the length of Art Loeb. Taking a wrong turn, they had just come down from Cold Mountain. They pointed at another trail that they thought was Art Loeb and I told them that the trail they were pointing at might be a trail, but that it is not on the map. It took a little conversation before I understood that they intended to continue south on Art Loeb. I pointed out the trail that I had just come down and Drew said, “We wondered about that, you just appeared coming out of that overgrowth. Looking back at where I came out, I realized that it would be hard to see the overgrown trail. Drew had been so confused that he couldn’t point out Art Loeb in the direction that they had just come from.

    This reminds me of a sign at the Trailhead parking lot, “What to do if you are lost”. Among the advice is to go down a drainage until you cross a trail or road. I wouldn’t want to try that. This is the only time I have seen a “Lost” sign. Undoubtedly, many people get lost here with the many confusing unmarked trails.

    Finished supper and began to wonder whether I brought enough food. I didn’t really plan the meals like I usually do. I got lazy and threw some food in the pack. I might be a couple of meals short.

    Bears:
    Haven’t seen any. Just hung an awesome bearline. Usually I don’t go to much trouble to make a good bear line. Last trip i didn’t hang the food. I put it a little way from my tent. Just far enough so the bear wouldn’t need to crawl over me to get the food and just close enough that I could scare any bear that was getting my food; not that this method would work. Taylor (of the lost guys) had a big red can of bear spray. Some company is making some money selling that stuff. It was the 2nd person I have recently seen with bear repellant. I can imagine the salesperson…telling stories of bear attacks. The customer says, “I plan on hiking in Shininig Rock”. The salesperson says, ” Beautiful place, Did you hear about the bear attack there last week? … Tragic…If only the young lady had had bear repellant with her.”

    20110923-063429.jpg

    Rhododendrum Tunnel on Art Loeb trail just north of Shining Rock Gap

    20110923-063501.jpg

    Mark settled in on Cold Mountain. I made it an early day, knocking off at 5PM.

    20110923-063533.jpg

    My campsite on Cold Mountain

    20110923-063622.jpg

    Bear Bag is hung on Cold Mountain

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    View of Cold Mountain from the Narrows

    Sept 24, 2011

    My knee felt fine today. I slept warmly last night with the sound of occasional gusts of wind and  my tarp pulled all of the way up on one side. I was awake at 6:15 am, with bear bag retrieved and coffee heating up. By 8 AM I was descending Cold Mountain. I was surprised to see that someone had pitched a tent about a hundred yards down the trail from me. I walked quietly by as they slept. Descending section 4 of the Art Loeb trail toward the Daniel Boone Scout Camp, I passed one large deadfall that was causing a new trail blaze straight up the hill and around the tree. About a mile later, I met a group of trail maintainers hiking toward this deadfall. They carried a cross-cut saw. I asked them if it was a “bow” saw. I meant to say cross-cut saw, but it was too late. They took me for a novice and began to explain the technical requirements of their jobs with regard to Wilderness regulations.

    At Daniel Boone Scout camp, I made a mental note of the parking that was available for hikers. (There is plenty of parking on the roadside before crossing the bridge.) I ran into several others readying themselves for a day-hike up Cold Mountain. I continued up the road past the sign for the East Fork Trail and over the bridge. Trailheads for the East Fork and Art Loeb are both easy to find. East Fork was a nice ascending trail falling an old logging road. It followed the creek on the right bank, finally crossing and continuing up the road away from the creek and toward Shining Rock Gap. It is an easy walk. The creek had nice water cascades, pools, and slides. At one point I spied huge granite formations hidden in the woods on the opposite bank. The 3 – 4 story tall granite monoliths split into what appeared to be a large opening or cave. Hidden in the dark trees, it was difficult to pick out. Next time I need to check out these rocks. I continued over Beech Gap and had a late lunch on the Shining Rock Creek trail. Shortly after crossing a particularly tricky deadfall, I met a young man moving toward me with a quick pace. We stopped briefly as I stated what a tough deadfall he would soon be climbing over. We quickly recognized one another. This was the guy I met during a hike in the Citico Creek Wilderness a couple of years ago. He was the youngest person to have ever hiked all of the trails in the Smokies. By 3 PM, I was back to the car.

    I took this photo in order to attempt to identify this plant that was growing on Cold Mountain Trail.
    Water spills and pool in East Fork Creek

  • Middle Prong & Shining Rock Wilderness First Trip

    September 9, 2011 – Friday Night

    Along a dark stretch of road next to Lake Logan I slowed as I approached a car that had run into a ditch. I stopped to ask whether anyone was hurt and I quickly saw that the only “hurt” was the “hurt” that a bottle of liquor can put on a person. This guy and his girlfriend were otherwise okay. He obviously didn’t want 911 involved. I told him that I couldn’t pull his car out of the ditch and I moved on. Most cars that came along weren’t stopping.

    At the Starburst campground/picnic area I attempted to locate the trailhead. There was no sign and no sign of a trail; only woods and undergrowth. I met the campground attendant as she was closing the gate at 10 PM. She explained the location of the trailheads, although she only recalled the Green Mountain Trail after much reflection.

    Instead of paying $13 for a campsite, I took the forest road on the right just before the bridge. Immediately after fording a creek, I pulled into a camping spot on the left. The next morning, I used my camp box and Coleman stove to cook a breakfast of eggwhite’s on tortillas. I parked at the picnic area and payed the $6 two night parking fee by dropping an envelope in the pay station.

    September 10, 2011, Saturday

    Note on how to find the trailhead..

    The Green Mountain Trail is only a few feet beyond the bridge on the right side of the road. The roadside is overgrown and there are no signs so you just have to plunge into the woods in order to see the trail. The trail immediately turns left and heads very steeply up the hill for the next three quarters of a mile. There is also a trail that continues straight along the creek. The creek trail isn’t the right one.

    Well Hidden Trailhead for Green Mountain Trail…..

    Green Mountain Trail continues along the ridgeline for it’s entire length. If you veer far from the ridgeline, then you have gotten off the trail. After the first three quarters of a mile, you get your first short break, but not for long. The trail continues ascending steeply, but not with the “near crawl up the slope” steepness of the first part.

    Wrong Turn:

    Name: False trail
    Date: Sep 10, 2011 11:56 am
    Map:
    (valid until Mar 13, 2012)    		 View on Map
    iPhone/iPad Map: Maps Application
    Location:
    Zone: 17S
    Easting: 325319mE
    Northing: 3911858mN
    Altitude: 5,800 ft

    Near one of the mountain tops, I continued straight on a trail as the Green Mountain trail veered a little to the left and uphill. Although harder to follow, this trail continued with a worn path, descending then turning further to the left and away from the ridgeline. After a quarter mile, I stopped to examine the map. I figured out how to use GPM Easting and Northing coordinates with map & GPS by reading the instructions given on the map and going to “settings” on my GPS Iphone App to change coordinates to GPM. This confirmed that I was off course so I backtracked up the mountain to regain the trail.

    (I found a slow water seep during the detour. It might be dry at times.)

    Name: Water Seasonal
    Date: Sep 10, 2011 11:41 am
    Map:
    (valid until Mar 13, 2012)    		 View on Map
    iPhone/iPad Map: Maps Application
    Location:
    Zone: 17S
    Easting: 325729mE
    Northing: 3911779mN
    Altitude: 5,622 ft

    There were no other people on this trail and it had a generous portion of rock outcroppings, narrow ridges, and open balds that made nice viewing and camping areas. The hidden trailhead and wicked first mile of the trail made it a little used paradise.

    With no signs and hard to follow trail, I already distrusted any apparent path. At about 5 miles by GPS, I knew that I should be picking up the Mountain to Sea Trail. Finally, I made a left turn on the MST and covered about a mile to a stream where I filled my 2 Liter.  After filling the 2 liter, I hiked the wrong way nearly the entire way back to the Green Mountain Trail.

    Just before the Green Mountain Trail intersection I encountered my first person. Scott was thru-hiking the MST and was headed in the opposite direction. He asked whether he was going in the right direction. We soon discovered that we both intended to hike toward the Art Loeb trail.  One of us had to be wrong. I checked my GPS App track and saw a double line that indicated that I had been backtracking. I had already been here! I couldn’t believe it. We got out the maps and I finally convinced myself that I had lost my mind. This was the first “wrong way” for me. I began backtracking my backtrack and the GPS trace began drawing the third line across the same section of trail. Scott and I hiked together most of the way. The MST had some nice cliffs along this section. I camped a couple hundred yards up the Art Loeb Trail intersection. Art Loeb and MST share a trail at this point.

    September 11, 2001 – Sunday

    My back was sore and I was tired so I was a little slower than usual in getting started. After coffee and a large oatmeal I headed out on the MST the wrong way. This time I only walked about 200 yards before coming to the signed Art Loeb/Mountain to Sea trail junction. Seeing the sign, I turned around and headed in the right direction.

    I began seeing large camping groups and borrowed water from first one group, then a second group I found car camping at a road crossing. With my 2 Liter filled again, I didn’t need to worry about finding water sources. I was soon in open bald areas that looked down on the distant Blue Ridge Parkway. I could see the Parkway bending as it ascended the mountain range. It was something to think that in June I had been riding my bicycle up that long climb. There were many people on this section. I summited Black Balsalm Mountain and Tennent Mountain before the crowds began to thin somewhat. This area has great wide open views with elevations at or above 6000 feet.

    At Ivestor Gap, I re-entered the wilderness where there was once again a total absence of signs. I soon took a wrong turn as I crossed Grassy Bald. Somehow I ended up on the Big East Fork trail, covering 45 minutes of hiking (2 miles and beyond Grassy Gap) before realizing that I was on the wrong trail.  I backtracked uphill to Ivestor Gap and took the flat road trail on the west side of Grassy Bald. I think the original Art Loeb trail leads past an erosion control sign (only sign in wilderness) and straight over the top of Grassy Bald.

    At Shining Rock Gap there was another major intersection with multiple trails and no signs. Other hikers told me that the Art Loeb went straight ahead up to Shining Rock. This was wrong. Actually the Old Butt Knob trail starts off by heading from Shining Rock Gap to Shining Rock. I became very lost in the Shining Rock area and walked past the rock and farther down the Old Butt Knob trail before backtracking and wandering around through mazes of false trails on narrow paths cut through shoulder high hedges of thick laurel. After a late lunch break on the Shining Rock I started back toward Ivestor Gap. It was past 3 PM and I knew I wasn’t going to complete my original plan to hike to Cold Mountain and back. All of the backtracking had worn me out and put me off schedule.

    I explored  a short way down each trail leading from the Shining Rock Gap trail intersection. Soon I was sure that I could identify each trail. I took the Art Loeb Trail on the return hike to Ivestor Gap. After passing a good water source a few yards from the gap and crossing over the top of a couple of peaks, the trail was blocked with a pile of sticks with a diversion to the east side of the ridge line.  This must have been the other side of the erosion control section of the trail. It wasn’t long before I recognized this diversion trail. I had been on this portion when I had become lost somewhere on the Big East Fork Trail. I recognized narrow waste deep trenches running down the middle of the trail. I continued to follow this trail until I came back out at Ivestor Gap. I still have no clue of how this route could have put me onto the Big East Fork. That will remain a mystery.

    My next big concern was in finding the Fork Mountain Trail. Everyone I had spoken to had never seen it, though several had looked for it. Following the continuation of the Equestrian Road/Bike Path from Ivestor Gap, I followed the map and looked carefully for the trailhead. Following this road/path about a mile beyond Ivestor Gap toward the Blue Ridge Parkway, it finally intersected with a ridgeline that led north. Here was an overgrown trailhead.

    Standing at the trailhead, was a guy named Seth. I asked him whether this was the Fork Mountain Trailhead. He said yes and told me that it had been some time since he had hiked on the trail and that would come along with me part way.

    We parted the branches and entered the trail. It was completely overgrown. Seth walked in front, moving quickly; crashing through the undergrowth. The trail more or less followed the ridgeline, dropping a little off to the left (west) at times. Seth began talking and the growth became thicker. Pretty soon, Seth was far enough ahead that I couldn’t see him through the undergrowth, but I could still hear him talking. The loud noise of me moving through undergrowth kept me from being able to hear what he was saying. After about a mile we descended into a large open gap. I set up camp here. Suprisingly, there was already a man and a dog already camping here.

    I had Idahoan Instant Potatoes mixed with left over lunch rice and vegetables. It was hard to eat it all, but I didn’t want to leave any for the bears.

    There was a full moon for the 2nd night. The night sky was bright as soon as the moon rose. It rained a little during the night. I listened to podcasts of “The News from Lake Wobegone” and I wondered how hard it would be to follow tomorrow’s trail.

    September 12, 2011, Monday

    There was a little over 5 miles remaining; however, without signs and a little used and overgrown trail, I was concerned about becoming lost again. I had downloaded the GPS track for the Fork Mountain Trail before the trip. This time, I used my Iphone App “Follow Track” feature to keep me on course. This feature kept track of my position as I accurately following the downloaded track.

    The trail followed a narrow ridgeline with several spectacular outcroppings that provided good views of the next ridgeline where the Green Mountain Trail runs. The last of the bad overgrowth was behind me and the trail was much easier to follow. There were a few places that required search and thought, but I had the GPS track to follow so I could be sure not to stray too far off the path. Soon I made it back to Starburst without getting turned around or lost; a first!

  • Smoky Mountains – Deep Creek to Newton Bald Loop Hike

    July 15th 2011 – Friday

    In order to get an early start on Saturday morning, I drove to the Fontana Hilton trail shelter late Friday evening. It was just after midnight when I arrived. I parked, grabbed my sleeping pad and bag, and walked down the path to this double-wide shelter. A lady told me that a Boy Scout troop and others were there. Some had dragged their sleeping bags out into the gravel area around the shelter and were sleeping under the clouds. It looked like a good chance of rain so I took up the one remaining spot in the jam packed shelter. Just as I climbed to my spot on the top level, my neighbor let loose the first of his rafter shaking farts. I wondered that everyone in the shelter didn’t wake up. This was not as I had imagined it. I had guessed that there might be one or two others or perhaps nobody else in this shelter. Instead there were about 28 people here. The bathroom was disgusting. I walked right back out, nearly gagging. Some kid had a problem and after a loud argument that the leader ended by saying, “You will sleep here or else!”, he settled down outside the shelter and began making upchuck sounds. The kid must have been sick. Lot’s of noise for after midnight. I eventually slept some and was gone the next morning before daylight.

    My route is shown traced in orange on map, below.

    Hike route traced in orange.

    July 16th 2011 – 9.6 Miles, Deep Creek to camp at Newton Bald.

    After a long breakfast at the Subway in Bryson City, I began hiking Deep Creek Trail to Indian Creek Trail to Stone Pile Gap Trail which led to Thomas Divide Trail. There had been rain and cooler temperatures so the forest was dripping wet. I climbed around 3300 vertical feet to just over 5000 feet at campsite 52, Newton Bald. I was a little wet and chilled from the moisture I picked up from undergrowth. Traveling light, I had no extra dry clothing, only some rain gear and a sleeping bag. I was at camp by noon, having covered, 9.6 miles. I filled water bottles at the spring, ate lunch,  and set up my tarp. After very little sleep the night before and a lot of climbing I rolled out my sleeping bag and took a nap. A Ridge Runner came by while I was asleep and collected the lunch trash I had left out. I had no idea that he came into camp and only figured this out when other campers later told me about the Ridge Runner. Five young guys from the University of Tennessee arrived shortly after I woke up and they set up camp nearby. Late in the evening I explored behind my campsite with the hope of discovering an opening large enough to view the sunset. Instead I spied a bear quietly making his way up the hill about 100 yards from my tent.

    My Tarp Tent on Newton Bald. Ready for afternoon nap.

    July 17th 2011 – 10.9 miles

    Returned to car via Sunkota Ridge Trail. Good mushroom bloom both days. Saw no other hikers until I reached the Loop Trail. Nice morning. Hungry. Back to Subway for footlong sandwich and cookies.

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  • Elk and Views – Cataloochee Hike

    Elk and Views – Cataloochee Hike

    Friday, December 3, 2010

    Thursday night I slept in the van parked at an overlook near Cove Creek Road. Cove Creek Road was as I remembered it from the time 33 years ago when my brother, John, and I spent a dark night negotiating this winding narrow road for 30 plus miles; a prelude to a Smoky Mountain thru-hike via the Appalachian Trail.

    I was up early Friday morning, munching on a half disk of cold spinach quiche while driving back up to the Cataloochee Divide to cache my backpack (hidden near the trail) and food bag. After some effort I managed to toss my bear line over a limb. These items would be unattended for couple of hours while I positioned the van at the Caldwell Fork trailhead and returned by bike on a 1200 foot climb over 4 miles.

    I passed a couple of large Elk along the side of the road as I descended to the Caldwell Fork. Returning uphill on bike, I came upon an Elk positioned in the middle of the road. As I approached, it walked, then trotted and stopped and turned. I continued pedaling and as I grew closer I was forced to slow. Just as I was slowing to a stop the Elk turned and disappeared over the guardrail.

    The weather was fine; cool with passing clouds. The Cataloochee Divide followed the park boundary marked most of the way by a split rail fence that extended for miles. The rails were wrapped onto posts by thick strands of rusty bare wire. A lane or dirt road often followed the trail alongside the opposite side of the fence.

    Here is the Cataloochee Divide Trail.

     

     

    Here is Taylor’s Turnaround and a barn cabin with a great view.

    Occasionally, I passed by vacation houses and cabins. One in particular that was under construction was placed so close to the park boundary and trail that I could stand next to the fence, reach over and nearly touch it. In my opinion, placing your house 3 – 4 feet from any property line is really obnoxious, particularly when it is National Park with a trail along the line. The views of the valley, towns, I-40, and other roads made this walk interesting in its own way.

    Other than a couple sitting at Purchase Gap Nature Trail and the sight of a few cars and sounds of construction workers I was by myself these 2 days. There were no other hikers.

    Here are open views while walking along the park boundry.

     

    Cataloochee Ranch with Hemphill Bald and the view of Maggie Valley was a point of interest. Maggie Valley’s north facing ski slopes were covered with man-made snow. The wide ski trail looping toward the south was waiting for natural snowfall. This slope need only wait a day to be covered in slushy white as well as its neighbor. Hemphill Trail also followed the park boundary which was marked with split rail fence as well, however, it soon began short divergences into the interior of the park.

    Hemphill Bald is half bald. The Cataloochee Ranch side of the divide is open while the National Park side is completely wooded. Cataloochee Ranch placed this land into a conservatorship of some sort. It provides tax advantages, allows continued use by the owners, and prevents the land from ever being developed. The land can even be sold, but the conservatorship follows the property meaning that the land cannot be developed by new owners. The Smoky Mountain National Park only maintains 2 balds, Andrews Bald and Gregory Bald. I have stealth camped on the first and camped at the nearby campsite on the second. The remaining bald areas in the Smokies that can be seen along the Appalachian Trail are not maintained and will disappear in a few more years; however, the half bald of Hemphill will be maintained on the Cataloochee Ranch side. When 16 and 17 years old, John and I found expansive balds on the AT Smoky Mountain section.

    I hadn’t mentioned that the legs felt an extra degree of strain right from the beginning. This was due to the early morning ascent by bike followed by immediate and continuous hiking. The ridgeline hike was followed by miles of gradual descent then steeper descent making it much easier than my typical mountain hike, but by the time I reached Campsite 41 on the Caldwell Branch Trail it was nearly dark (5:30 PM) and my legs were long since ready for relief. I skipped the “Big Poplars” so that could get into camp with a little light still left. After Joyce Kilmer and Yosemite, those Poplars don’t seem so big anyway.

    I replenished with much needed water. I only had 48 oz all day. It was a ridge walk. There were plenty of cabins, but no streams. I chose not to leave the trail to hunt water at one of these residences.

    Here were some of the nice points of the hike…..

    Really cool! A map sign with bearing and profile of mountains that could be seen from Hemphill Bald. I was able to pick out Standing Indian (major cool) and Mount Pisgah with its giant antenna. You could track the mountains along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Other spots that supposedly could be seen included a who’s who of all of the important places I had been in the Southern Appalachians. Beauty Spot (Camped there in the snow.), Max Patch (my favorite bald), Mount Mitchell (Rode bike in Century to top.), and Roan Mountain (I climbed in the snow).

    Christmas Ferns and Icicles Hanging on ledges along southern end of Hemphill Trail.

    Lots of Elk poop on Rough Ridge Trail. (It looks like black jelly beans)

    Saturday, December 4, 2010

    Here are Christmas Ferns and Icicles on Hemphill Trail.

    Exhausted from the long day, I listened to podcasts of Prairie Home Companion and ATHiking Southeast (Lenfoot Lodge Episode). I was probably asleep by 7:30 pm. I remember a brief light sprinkle of sleet or rain hitting the tarp roof at 4AM. It was overcast in the morning and not too cold. Breakfast was the usual coffee and homemade oatmeal with raisins, walnuts, brown sugar, and some crunched up Heath Bar.

    Since I was hiking a loop of the Caldwell Fork Trail – Big Fork Trail – Rough Ridge Trail – Caldwell Fork Trail, I left my tarp in place with my sleeping bag stuffed in a plastic bag and placed under the tarp. I put my food bag on the bear cables. My pack was lighter, but I still carried my lunch and all of my rain gear and warm clothing. After a couple of hours of hiking, it began to sleet and rain. The weather gradually worsened and grew colder. By the time I started climbing to a little higher elevation up the Rough Ridge, snow had coated the ground and I was sloshing around in mud. My raingear was soaked on the outside, but I was relatively dry. Earlier I had changed my clothing around as I warmed up and as it later started to rain. Now I was in raingear without much other layering. By the descent on Caldwell Fork back toward camp I was cooling down. By the time I reached the tarp I was a little chilled. I scraped the snow and slush from the drooping tarp and opened the side of the tarp with hiking pole and stick to form a sort of lean-to. This gave me more area and more importantly headroom needed to change into dry layers. Once changed, I felt better, but I had gotten a little chilled and I couldn’t shake it. I had retrieved my food bag, but had forgotten to resupply with water before I had changed into dry clothes. As luck would have it, it started raining very hard preventing a trip to the stream without getting wet again. I was reluctant to put wet raingear over my dry clothing, but I was thirsty. Eventually, there was a slight lull and I quickly filled a couple of bottles. Now, I could make hot tea and eat hot Trader Joe’s spiced soybeans. Finally, I was warm. In fact, I was charged up and thoroughly energized. Amazing!

    It was only about 1:30 PM and the idea of sitting around all day in camp didn’t sound good. The idea of hiking the next leg back up to Purchase Gap 5000 plus feet elevation was even less appealing when I considered the likely snow and weather. I was only 4 – 5 miles from the car via the lower elevations of a flat Caldwell Fork trail, so I decided to hike out to the van and return to Roswell. It seemed that the weather would only worsen once colder air moved in behind the front. I was right. There were snow showers for the following two days with lows at 10 degrees F.

    The Caldwell Fork section north of the Big Fork turnoff must set the record for number of split log footbridges. I didn’t bother counting. The book says that the longest split log footbridge in the Smokies is on this section. There were a number of fairly long log bridges. If you enjoy these bridges you need to hike this section. After I started hiking again, the rain backed off and didn’t begin to return until I was nearly to the car.