Uphillhike

Category: Southeast

  • Forney Creek / Forney Ridge Hike – GSMNP

    Forney Creek / Forney Ridge Hike – GSMNP

    Friday, September 10, 2010
    Last January I began looking for a quick weekend hike in the Smokies. I remembered how beautiful Gregory Bald was in the snow and thought about hiking to Andrews Bald. It would a short drive for the Smokies and I could walk Forney Creek trail and return to the Tunnel on the Road to Nowhere via Forney Ridge trail. In the end, I didn’t want a repeat of my winter Eagle Creek experience with impossible fords of snowmelt swollen streams, so I decided against Forney Creek and the risk of crossing 4 times.
    I load up the van and drive to Bryson city after a quick stop at Captain D’s for the last civilized supper. I do my usual camping in the van at a parking lot on the Nowhere Rd. With windows cracked, sunroof open, and creek gurgling, I sleep with pillow and sleeping pad more comfortably than I sleep at home.
    Saturday, September 11, 2010
    18.2 miles – Tunnel Parking Lot – Tunnel – Lakeshore Trail – Forney Creek Trail – Forney Ridge Trail – Clingman’s Dome path & return, Forney Ridge Trail to Andrews Bald
    After a quick 8 – 10 mile ride back into Bryson City for a breakfeast Subway eggwhite sandwich and coffee, I return to the trailhead and stuff the last few items in my pack. I add the uneaten half of my flatbread egg footlong to my pack.
    The tunnel is darker than expected, but I don’t stop to retrieve my headlamp from the pack. I trust in my footsteps. The floor of the tunnel is absolutely cloaked in darkness; the dimest light tells me where the walls lie. My mind easily begins to wonder whether a deep shaft might have opened in the floor of this forgotten 1940’s era tunnel.  I would easily make my last step into oblivion.
    I’m on Lakeshore trail, easily the longest in the park. Today I hike it for only a mile or two. This is also the Benton McKaye trail. I’m adding a couple more miles to my BM mileage. The forecast is for rain. In fact, it had already rained a little while I slept in the van (forcing me to get up and close the sunroof). As an afterthought, I grabbed a small umbrella that happened to be in the van. As it rains harder, the umbrella goes up. I’m proud of the way I am keeping my upper half dry, but water streams off the back of the umbrella into the top of my backpack. It rains harder and the trail turns into a muddy stream. I see tarps in a campsite at the junction with the Forney Creek trail. Two guys are walking up to the tarps. I join them. They had been out for a couple of nights and are headed back to the car back at the Tunnel trailhead. They are also from Roswell. One tells me about a 70 year old woman they met that was on a 23 mile day hike with a single bottle of water and fanny pack.
    The Forney Creek trail has very few if any water breaks. Water runs down the trail until it hits the stream. The stream is chocolate brown. I can see why. With such a poor design surprises me that the trail isn’t a deeper ditch. I notice that the ridge trails without nearby creeks to muddy up are better engineered with plenty of water breaks and lateral slopes. It seems to me that the priority should have gone to those trails that follow creek banks. Rains would destroy these trails along with the creek.
    The creek is swollen with rain, but crossings aren’t bad. I have to wade through, but I don’t have to worry about being swept off my feet. An obvious highlight is a waterfall, which I will call Forney Creek Falls. It is a smooth rounded rock slide into a small pool. I climb further and find that there is more rock slide falls farther up. Each section probably rises 40 feet or so.
    The trail is steady gradual climb. Much of it is old roadbed with with switchbacks reinforced with high stacked rock walls. As usual, the CCC did a great job with this construction. The trail road occasionally dips up and down into a crossing ravine where there was obviously a wooden bridge in the CCC days.  It is midday, about 12:40 PM and it grows dark in the woods. Rain falls harder and thunder rumbles. I stop for a minute to play with the trail stream, opening a flow off the side of the trail and diverting water with a couple of rotten logs.
    Civil Conservation Corp built this wall at a switchback on the Forney Creek Trail
    I reach Forney Ridge and hike the mile to the Clingmans Dome parking lot. A few tourists are braving the rain and clouds to make the pointless hike to the top. I join them, but I don’t bother climbing the observation deck to see the 300 foot view into fog and clouds. Of all of the times I have been here I think that maybe once the sky was clear enough for a view.
    Clingman's Dome
    At the end of a long climb from Fontana Lake to Clingman’s Dome.
    Back down Forney Ridge and another 1.7 miles to Andrews Bald. The spruce trees are thick on this section and again it is dark and spooky.
    At the Bald, I set up the tarp in some large spruce trees on the east side (away from the wind). It is a cozy spot. I pull my sleeping bag out of the stuff sack inside a garbage bag. It is very wet. Not good, but their is still a nice hot supper to look forward to. I unload my Idahoan instant mashed potatoes and I set up my cat food can stove. My lighter doesn’t work. I retrieve my 2 “backup” lighters from their ziplock bag. They don’t work. Not good. Now I wish that I had that magnesium stone/flint. Cold tuna fish for supper. No hot mashed potatoes. I also eat some more of my almonds and raisins and gaze at my oatmeal and coffee and think about how good they would have been in the morning.
    September 12, 2010
    10 miles – Andrews Bald – Forney Ridge Trail – Springhouse Branch Trail – Nolan Creek Trail – Benton McKaye (Road to Nowhere back to Tunnel Parking Lot)  note::: I did not hike the last mile of Nolan Creek Trail to Fontana Lake.
    One of my lighters worked this morning! I was able to have my oatmeal and coffee after a very uncomfortable nights sleep in a wet sleeping bag. I had put on my fleece jacket and rain pants, but the lower half of my body stayed chilled with the wet sleeping bag. There was also a lightening storm and more rain during the night.
    I was up in the dark when the first peak of red was peaking through the heavy clouds down in the valleys and lower mountains. It was a beautiful sunrise with clear skies up on top and billowing clouds rising out of the valleys and rolling over all but the tallest mountains. I retrieved the food bag that I had hung between two spruce trees and after breaking camp, I was on the trail at about 8 AM.
    Morning View from Andrew’s Bald
    After descending from Andrews Bald, Forney Ridge trail is a nice level ridge walk with a good path. It is my favorite kind of trail. It feels so free and open on the ridge tops. I think I like these sections much better than the closed in creek trails.
    Upon reaching Springhouse Branch trail, I was again on trails that I had already walked. I enjoyed seeing my old campsite (from Sept 2008) at Mill Branch. It brought back memories of listening to radio shows on the MP3 player that described the financial crisis that was taking place at that time. It was kind of scary.
    From this point I followed the portion of Noland Creek Trail that I had never hiked. It was an easy road walk. Finally, I looked up to see the overpass of the Road To Nowhere extending above the tall trees. It was kind of wierd to suddenly see that man-made structure out in the middle of the woods.
    Forney Ridge Trail was a pleasant walk with some old growth oaks.
    Nolan Creek

  • Flats Mountain Hike – Citico Creek Wilderness Area

    Flats Mountain Hike – Citico Creek Wilderness Area

     

    View from Cherehola Skyway on morning of my start

    August 14, 2010

    I pulled the van over at Eagle Gap marked by a sign with the hiker/backpacker symbol and unloaded my mountain bike. I my collapsed hiking poles stuck out of the top of my day pack. I carried 8 oz bottles of water, homemade chlorine drops, a lighter, iphone, blackberry, fruit granola bars, and a mix of almonds, raisins, and dark chocolate covered almonds.

    Mountain Biking between trailheads and hiking back to car.

    It was a quick downhill descent for 4.6 miles on the Cherehola Skyway to the Indian Boundary turnoff. I was soon on unpaved forest service road where I continued the next 8 – 9 miles up and down past the lower Flats Mountain trailhead (marked with trail number 102 post) at Bee House Gap (elev. 2760 feet), Citico Creek, the right turn leading up Double Camp Creek, past the Mill Branch trailhead (96 sign post), and finally to the Crowder Branch trailhead (84 sign post). I hid my bike on a creek bank with a lock wrapped around a good sized tree.

    Early on I came upon a noisy rattling bush where I could spy some sort of furry animal. It had no regard for my presence and continued its activity. With such commotion it seemed to be a good sized animal, but I couldn’t get a good look. Suddenly two squirrels exited the bush and went streaking around trees and back and forth, then finally down the trail directly toward me as if I didn’t exist.  I considered the possibility of rabid squirrels I readied myself for defense as the approaching squirrels were about to land on me. Just before landing on me they sprung to an adjacent tree where they continued their mad chase farther away from me.

    Crowder Branch was a 2.6 mile walk that was always close to water to within a tenth of a mile at its high point termination with Fodderstack Trail. The upper portions at times it went steeply up and in and between rocky drainages or stream beds where it was difficult to discern the next piece of trail. It later leveled somewhat at the higher elevations where the rocky drainages more spread out and muddy courses.  There was a campsite in a large grassy clearing next to a barely flowing stream about a tenth of a mile from Fodderstack.

    I turned south (right) on Fodderstack and quickly reached the intersection with Big Stamp Gap trail (water can also be found down this trail within two tenths of a mile and to the right). I continued south past the intersection of Mill Branch trail to the right (again, water and a campsite is down a steep hill about two tenths of a mile). There is no water on Fodderstack trail itself for most of its distance.

    After a climb part way up Big Fodderstack Mountain, I turned right onto Pine Ridge Trail (99) and followed 35 miles. This was a very nice trail with a gradual steady descent and views into the south portion of the Citico valley. It soon began raining very hard and temperatures dropped. I had on raincoat so I kept moving to stay warm. About the time I reached Citico Creek the rain had eased off some.

    I followed forest service road 345 south to Bee House gap and the lower trailhead of Flats Mountain trail. This trail was overgrown in places. My bare legs were bleeding from tearing briers and blackberry vines. The trail had gradual switchbacks in places where one would typically expect a direct approach. With overgrowth and meandering switchbacks, the trail seemed longer than its six miles. I moved across narrow ridge lines quickly as wind picked up and thunder began to rumble.  Though wooded, much of this trail seemed exposed, but the storms were elsewhere.

    Back to my van, after side trips to retrieve my bike and to the Subway Sandwich shop in Tellico Plains, I drove farther up the Cherehola into North Carolina. I pulled over at Mudd Gap, where a sign indicated that the Benton McKaye led from this point to Whigg’s Meadow 1.5 miles away. Wearing my Chaco sandels with hammock and sleeping bag stuffed in my day pack, sleeping pad strapped to the outside and pillow in hand, I stumbled my way up the weedy, muddy, and rocky road-trail to this beautiful spot. When I arrived, I came upon a parking lot and a number of people with tents set up in the meadow. I could have driven here. I strung my hammock up between two trees at the edge of the meadow and I drank my red wine and enjoyed the view.

     

    Sunset at Whiggs Meadow (above)

    August 15, 2010

    I was awake as the sky barely began to lighten. It was still a long time before the sun would be over the horizon. In short order, I had my hammock and bag stowed in my day pack and I was hiking across the meadow and entering the darkened woods. 

    I pulled my van over to Stratton Meadows pull off where there were restrooms and picnic tables. I was able to spread out and prepare my oatmeal and Starbucks coffee (thank you Farley and Susan for the Starbucks 50th birthday present) while sitting at a picnic table. What a luxury to have a table!

    This time, I parked at Rattlesnake and rode my mountain bike mostly 2 miles downhill to Grassy Gap. There were great views to enjoy as I crossed a bridge that spanned a small gorge.

    The hike was down Grassy Branch Trail to the South Fork Citico Creek trail (Maura and I had already hiked S Fork Citico), then upstream direction to Jefferey Hell Trail and back to my van. Grassy Branch was a mossy, boulder, and fern mountain creek with little spillways and splashes. It felt lush and green. South Fork Citico Creek was beautiful with the larger pools and bigger drops of water. The hike on the South Fork reminded me of how hard this trail could be. It ascended steeply from the creekside and crossed heavily overgrown areas. I couldn’t believe that I took Maura on this trail when she was around 12 years old.

    Jefferey Hell Trail was a little climb for a while, but quickly reached a road that for once wasn’t overgrown with stinging nettle and briars. This trail may have been the easiest hiking on the entire trip. I played with the GPS App on my Iphone as I walked this trail. The road appeared on the topo map and my track followed it to the intersection with the parking area at Rattlesnake on the Cherehola. Today was a nice day, but by the time I finished at noon, I could see clouds already forming.

  • Brush Mountain Trail Hike

    July 23, 2010
    Here is the plan. Rebecca and her three friends, Andy, Brady, and Mike, take my car to Beech Gap on the Cherehola Highway and I take the our van to Tapoca Dam at the trailhead for the Slickrock Creek trail. We hike toward one another’s vehicles via different routes. I arrive at Beech Gap and drive away the car; Rebecca and friends drive away the van at the other end. Rebecca’s route has more downhill. She starts at 4,490 feet elevation and ends at 1,160 feet. Rebecca travels about 17 – 18 miles over 3 days. I hike 27 miles over two days.
    Here I am at about midnight on a Friday evening at Tapoca Dam Slickrock trailhead, camped out in the back of the Sienna Minivan. It makes a great camper. I have the interior lights disabled with the rear hatch and sunroof open. The windows are rolled down most of the way. This van makes a great camper! I am sleeping on my regular pillow and using extra blankets and sleeping pads so I don’t have to unpack the backpack. I will be able to start early in the morning without having to repack or break camp.
    July 24, 2010
    Hike Slickrock Creek trail to Ike Branch (44), take Yellow Hammer (I first hiked this one in the snow earlier this year), finally take north section of Nichols Gap trail. This adds a couple of unnecessary miles, but I hadn’t ever hiked the north section of Nichols Gap trail. Soon before I reach my first top on Ike Branch trail, a Turkey loudly launches itself from a tree and crosses in front of me, slowly rising with pounding wings and cracking branches. It is already warm and without breezes, I am soaked.
    I head south (upstream) on Slickrock creek. I stop to swim where a slanted rock face dips into a pool of cool water. Later, I stop at Wildcat falls where I swim more and lay in the sun. I spell “Hi Rebecca” by arranging twigs on the ledge of the lower falls. I snooze on the warm rocks. The creek is way down. I can cross everywhere by rock hopping.
    Butterflies at Wildcat Falls
    Make the climb up Big Stack Gap trail, then a mile south on Fodderstack to Mill Creek trail.
     
    View of the Hangover from Fodderstack Trail at around 1 PM. Rebecca later told me that she was on Hangover at that time.
    Mill Creek followed by Rocky Flats trail are two trails that I hadn’t yet hiked. Great camp spot with GIANT oak tree about 100 yards down Mill Creek trail from Fodderstack. There is a creek here. Note the water source for Fodderstack, with it being a somewhat dry trail.
    Giant Oak Tree at nice campsite at top end of Mill Creek Trail
    About 4:30 PM, while hiking Rocky Flats, I startle a very large bear. He runs up hill and the brief look at his side and hind quarters is enough to know that this is easily the largest bear I have ever encountered.
    Camp at horseshoe bend on Citico Creek where Rocky Flats trail comes out. As I spread my Tyvek and begin to collapse after this 18 plus mile day, I notice that my lower legs are covered with ticks. I pick off at least 10 ticks and I continue finding more ticks until I finally go to sleep. I cool off again in Citico creek. For supper I have mashed potatoes with olive oil and a box of red wine. Listen to some podcasts which helps to finish off my Iphone battery, become bored, and build a little campfire. The forest service road (59) is just on the other side of Citico creek. I sleep with the tarp tent pulled open on 3 sides. It is still hot. Wake up in the middle of the night with something wet and slimy on my face. It was a snail. After jumping up and slapping the slimy whatever from my face, I put on the headlamp, find the snail, pick it up, and hurl it.
    July 25, 2010
    Hike along forest service road 59, following Citico creek upstream. Reach the South Citico Creek trail and hike another mile as I look for the indications of Brush Mountain trail. Tim Homan’s book provides detail on how to find this seldom hiked trail. I was hoping for a sign or at least a numbered trail mark post. No post, no sign. Following Tim’s direction, I find the likely spot and cross S Citico creek, next to Ike Branch. There is a junky campsite on the other side, but no sign of trail. I walk around he campsite and deadend into Ike Branch on the downstream direction of S Citico Creek. I walk in the upstream direction (S Citico Cree) away from Ike Branch and come into another campsite. Looking back to the left, I see a trail that angles up the hill back toward Ikes Branch. Exactly as stated in the guide. Once the trailhead was found, this trail was surprisingly easy to follow. Hatch marks on trees and surveyor’s tape tied to branches led the way. The undergrowth had also been maintained. This trail was difficult with a steady climb and finally several steep up’s and down’s with no apparent reason.
    Giant Mushroom on Brush Mountain Trail (The Secret Trail)
    Close up of Giant Mushroom. It measured 28 inches in diameter.
    At the top, I followed Cold Spring and Fodderstack back to Beech Gap.
    Bee Balm (Oswego Tea) shown here and many other wildflowers, blackberries, and stinging nettle can be found on a former road that is now Cold Spring Trail.
    At Beech Gap and the Cherehola there was a sign strapped to the gate cable. It read “Dad, Car is parked in parking lot to the left. Rebecca”. Rebecca had parked the car about a quarter mile down the road, not knowing whether it was okay to park at the unmarked trailhead pulloff.

  • Hiking the Logan Turnpike

    Today was a beautiful blue sky spring day. Started my hike at Neals Gap at about 8:30 am. Still chilly at 48 degrees so I added a fleece jacket to my shorts. Good views toward Brasstown Bald and the Arquah (trail) ridge. Later had views all of the way back to Coosa Bald and Calf Stamp Gap. I would like to link all of this to the AT and hike a giant loop one day. There would be several miles of road walk around why 9 in order to get from the Arquah trail to the Cooosa Backcountry.

    Reached Testnatee Gap and turned at broken Logan Turnpike trail sign starting off in a stream bed. Rocky trail, but I have been on worse. John Muir hiked this on his walk to FL. It was a private toll road long ago. Located my Cannondale road bike where I had hidden it in the woods just off Kellum Valley Rd and biked back up why 129 to my car at Neals Gap. Ms Janet of Erwin, TN AT hostel fame was at the Mountain Crossings hostel. When I found out, I gave her the money I owed her for staying at her hostel 4 years ago. She didn’t want to accept it, but I said to consider it a donation. Her daughter was having a baby the night I showed up at her hostel, so I had no way to pay her at the time.

  • Hughes Ridge Trail Hike – Great Smoky Mountains

    Itinerary:

    Smokemont on Bradley Creek Trail to Chasteen Fork Trail to Hughes Ridge Trail to Pecks Corner.

    Return down Hughes Ridge Trail to Bradley Creek Trail intersection back to Smokemont.

    February 6th, 2010, Saturday

    At 5:00 AM I am in my car headed toward Cherokee, NC.. Around Topton, NC where US 129 turns toward Robbinsville, NC I begin to see the remnants from last week’s snowstorm on the side of the road. Descending into Nantahala gorge, a little mixed freezing stuff hits the windshield.

    My hike begins in Smokemont campground and climbs on the Benton McKaye (Bradley Fork Trail & Chasteen Creek Trail) most of the 3000 feet where Pecks Corner Shelter sits. Water streams down the middle of the logging road that snakes its way alongside Chasteen Creek. Soon, my feet are wet. A little while later, I am struggling with short inefficient steps on slippery snow slush. It is above freezing, mid-30’s, but lightly snowing.

    The Snowy Trail

    The trail is a good one, mostly logging roads and well graded switch backed trails along the entire weekend’s route. At a little higher elevation, I begin the snow crunch and the post holing. My feet break through the upper frozen crust, then sink 3 – 6 inches. This is extremely exhausting. I move slower. I reach Hughes ridge trail and continue slowly as the trail goes ascends and descends, but mostly maintains a plus 5000 foot elevation. I count the tenths of a mile as I pull the trail info from my pocket to locate myself on the elevation profile. I have plenty of time to make the shelter, even if I were to go 1 mph. I try to pace myself and I take frequent breaks as my legs turn to rubber and my lungs begin to struggle. Nobody has broken trail. As far as I can tell, nobody has been up here for at least a week if not longer

    .

    I finally spot Pecks Corner Shelter. Untidy. A tarp hangs across the entire length of the front. Trash piled in the chimney. Junk, broken lantern, poncho, rope, sleeping pad, blanket, etc. lay stacked in the corner. Smoky Mountain National Park back country reservations told me that there was only one space available after mine. I am alone. With the closure of 441 over Newfound Gap, the easier hiking routes via the AT aren’t possible. This and the snow must explain the no-shows.  The exertion killed my appetite, but finally I get motivated to prepare Spicy Ramen Noodles with Chicken for supper, although I eat them without real hunger. I listen to podcasts, read Tarzan of the Apes on Itouch, and I stay warm in my sleeping bag. It continues to snow.

    February 7th 2010, Sunday

    I waken about 6:30 AM. It is still dark, but I think that it wouldn’t hurt to start my water for the oatmeal and climb back into my sleeping bag. I reach for the hood portion of my sleeping bag as I begin to pull myself half out of the bag. I reach out into space over the edge of the 5 foot platform and begin to feel myself grasping air as the weight of my upper body extends over the edge of the platform more than counterbalancing the lower half still in the sleeping bag. Like a seesaw slowly changing direction, I slowly flip over the edge headfirst, landing 5 feet below on my upper back. I remember thinking, “don’t let me get hurt bad enough to make it impossible for me to get off the mountain”.

    It was a great landing. No broken bones, no pain, rather it felt like a friendly whack on the back. The excitement awakened my adrenaline and I no longer wanted to crawl back into my sleeping bag. It is amazing how a flip off a 5 foot platform can warms you up and get you going in the morning!  I step outside the hanging tarp to find a few stars lingering just before daybreak. In a few minutes, a cloudless sky was revealed

    .

    Here I am early in the morning, ready to head off the mountain after an acrobatic dismount from the sleeping platform!

    The snow was nicely frozen and easy to walk on without punching through. A half inch layer of powder cushioned each step. I doubled back down Hughes Ridge trail, this time turning down Bradley Creek trail. Bradley Creek trail was nicely switched back. A fairly even down sloping trail with an undisturbed snow cover, it would have made a perfect ski slope. If only I had skis; I could have zipped down the winding trail.

    Farther down off the mountain, Bradley Creek trail became a road that followed the creek gorge. Nice bridges were at every creek crossing. I began to notice more animal tracks. Turkey, squirrel, bird, rabbit, raccoon, razorback pig, coyote, and bear were just a few of the more interesting tracks. One set of tracks seemed to drag a claw in a straight line between prints. According to the tracks, a coyote had made its long way up the road that morning. Another animal had reacted and scurried away. The coyote peed at one point and a earlier in its journey it had left its droppings containing matted animal hair.

  • Hiking from Winfield Scott with Dan, Kathy, and Taylor

    January 2, 2010 –
    8 AM Condition:
    Temp at Trackrock: 16 degrees.
    Temp at  Lake Winfield Scott: Considerably Colder
    Winds: Blowing hard, maybe 20 mph gusts
    Out of the car, we see a couple of snowflakes. We didn’t expect that. We quickly wrap up with the remainder of our jackets, hats, and gloves, but  too late for the quick chill of cold winds whipping across the lake.
    It is not too hard to get moving in order to beat off already numb hands and frozen ears. We move over the footbridge and on to the 2.7 mile Slaughter Creek trail with all of the appearance of the procession of an artic expedition.
    At first we believe that the few snow flakes are a couple of strays blown in from the stiff gusts, but as we gain elevation we enter into swirling storms of flakes and our boots begin losing traction on the now snow coated leaves. I wonder just a little whether this was the best idea. It looks rough and we are still distant from the exposure of the higher elevations around Blood Mountain.
    As we work harder, we occasionally make adjustments to layers, but for the most part we climb without shedding. My hands finally warm. Taylor says that he is warm. I don’t see how. I am layered in upper and lower silk longjohns, hiking pants, rain/wind pants, athletic shirt, tight woven fleece jacket, 850 down fill jacket, windbreaker, mittens, and a fleece hat. The windbreaker hood is pulled over my head. I have a down vest in the pack.
    Dan is brave enough to occasionally stop to take photos. No need to worry about him. He can somehow manage the camera without taking off his gloves.
    the 0.
    I finally get brave enough to remove mittens in order to snap a photo. Taylor is breaking in a different pair of boots. He is warm enough to unzip his jacket. Not me!
    We reach the Appalachian Trail junction much sooner than I expect. I had hiked Slaughter Creek trail several times, but I was thinking that it was a 4 to 5 mile trail and I was also remembering  a steeper trail. With memory, it must have grown in difficulty. We follow the AT for about 2.9 miles.
    Taylor – The Mountain Man
    Taylor is reviewing photo taken with his cell phone.
    Another short climb and we enter the frosted white top of Blood Mountain. There is a small crowd here. Though only mid-day, some are already camped out in the shelter with tents and hammock filling out the back room. One of them has just built a fire with leaves and twigs. Right in the middle of the floor of the first room. Smoking leaves fill the room with smoke. Taylor and I enter for a look around and quickly leave. We all wonder why anyone would begin camping this early in the day when it is so miserably cold. There would be nothing to do, but lay in the warm sleeping bag all day. Better to be moving and hiking until day’s end. The winter nights are long enough.
     
    Taylor outside Blood Mountain Shelter – It is warm and smoky inside. Camping? Anyone?
    Down the other side we step carefully to avoid patches of ice covered rocks. We reach the Freeman trail and turn toward the south. It is warmer in the wind sheltered sunny side. The cloud covered top gives way to some blue sky. At Flat Rock Gap we begin following the Freeman trail 0.7 miles around Blood Mountain and back to the AT.
    We had planned to lunch at the Blood Mountain shelter, but not being fond of smoke our new plan is to dine at Woods Hole shelter. As soon as we reach the AT, we are back to the windy ridge. Temperatures drop and wind chill plummets. I regret not having added layers back before moving off the Freeman trail. We hike the 0.5 miles down the shelter trail. I speed ahead in order to get to the shelter where I can add layers while out of the wind.
    We are all cold by the time we reach the shelter. Lunch is fast in these temps. We want to get moving again. We take a nice photo of the group at the shelter dedicated to Roy & Tillie Woods. A plaque commemorates the event and lists Jerry and Minnie Bowden as contributors to the shelter.
    Lunch At Woods Hole Shelter
    Taylor and I enjoy sun dried tomatoe turkey sandwiches. I eat a hard boiled egg. Dan and Kathy share their brownies. I also eat a blueberry muffin that Maura had baked.
    Another half mile back up the Shelter trail, we hike the AT about a mile and a half toward Gaddis Mountain. Winds hammer the ridge, but we finally get relief as we switch toward the leeward side of Gaddis as we begin descending toward Jarrad Gap.
    We enjoy a pleasant walk down the gravel road on the return to our car at Winfield Scott. I am thankful that I settled for a day hike over going solo on a Forney Creek/Forney Ridge hike over Andrews Bald and Clingman’s Dome.