Lonesome Pine

3/23/09 - Noland Divide Trail/Pole Road Creek Trail/Deep Creek Trail – 18 Miles

Lenny and I got an early start on our long day – 7:40 a.m. I was very excited about this hike because most of the miles were new to me and it completed the routes in the Deep Creek area. I tried not to think about the nearly 2,250-foot elevation gain coming in the first 3.5 miles. But there it was right at the beginning – the climb up Noland Divide Trail. The only sign of spring on this section of the trail was a single purple violet near the trailhead. After that, it was still winter, deep fallen leaves and no foliage peaking out.

But I grew to love this trail and it may well rank in the top five in the park. Still winter, so the southern views of Deep Creek Valley and even Bryson City were revealed at switchback after switchback. Acutely feeling my amateur status as a photographer, I kept snapping pictures in hopes that something would convey the scene.

As we climbed, the view opened up more and more. The fellow who put a red roof on his house (click on photo to full size and you’ll see it) wanted to make sure his house would be seen and he succeeded. When we reached the Lonesome Pine Overlook sign, Lenny continued on the trail but I could not resist taking the spur to the top. From there the vista is unobstructed, not quite 360 degrees – maybe 300? – and simply too big to photograph. I just stood and enjoyed. I’m telling you, if you want a great half-day hike, you can’t beat an out-and-back trip to Lonesome Pine. Take your lunch, but you’ll have trouble chewing with your jaw dropping open from the scope of the view.

Still many miles to go, so I caught up to Lenny and we continued on Noland Divide. The next section of the trail towards Pole Road Creek Trail leveled out and the walking was easy. There were chunks of quartz on the slopes, including this one beside the trail about the size of a refrigerator. Along the AT ridgeline we could clearly see Clingmans Dome and Mount Collins, but we couldn’t see the tower. I finally stopped and pulled out my glasses and could see a white line that is the parking area, but no tower. I guess we were just a little too low. Anyway, yet another vantage point in the Park from which I’ve seen the highest peak in Tennessee. I had that déjà vu feeling from when Don and I hiked on Thomas Divide in January.

At the junction we headed down Pole Road Creek Trail. I don’t have any information on how this trail was named – any guesses about the “road” part? The “brown book” offers no help – its description is rather short and limited to the flora on the trail. The trail began as a comfortable downhill stroll, then I noticed a roaring sound and hoped it was Deep Creek way, way down in the valley – but no, there’s that little matter of the “creek” portion of the name. Pole Road Creek was waiting for us. In total we had four serious crossings, two that I was able to rock hop and two that I had to wade. I took the time to change to Crocs for them both, and also zipped my hiking pants legs off as the day had warmed up quite a bit. One of the rock hops was actually the biggest challenge. The creek had overflowed so wide that it flowed along the trail for quite a ways, making it difficult to pick the trail back up. But hey, I’m here, so we must have figured it out, right? And as we lost elevation, the wildflowers began to emerge. Wildflower experts - is this Fraser's sedge?

At last we reached the end of Pole Road Creek Trail and the long bridge over Deep Creek to connect us with the Deep Creek Trail. I had that home-free kind of feeling, but, boy, was I wrong! We had nearly 7 miles to go. At Campsite 56 we saw two trail volunteers repairing the bear cables. Let me stress the word volunteer – these guys hiked 7 miles in and 7 miles back out to repair bear cables.

Did you know that every backcountry campsite has a name as well as a number? (Look on the $1 map.) As I mentioned in my post from my January hike with Don, Campsite 57 is called Bryson Place and was the site of Horace Kephart’s last permanent camp. In January we looked for the millstone without success. Well, Lenny and I spent a significant amount of time looking for it today but still didn’t locate it. If anyone out there can give me clues, I’ll have to go back and look again. The campsite is quite large and there was lots of forsythia blooming – also a bit of trash around the campfire ring. (Horace would not be pleased.)

The next 4 miles of Deep Creek was a surprise up-and-down – again, I should have paid more attention to the elevation profile in the “brown book”. This section was very tiring and made for a long drawn-out end to the hike. There was lumber deposited at intervals, I assume for extensive trail maintenance going on. Lenny and I leapfrogged each other along this part as one stopped for a rest break, then the other. We saw campsites along the way, some occupied, even though this was a Monday. This is an easily accessible and therefore popular section of the Park – go elsewhere if you are looking for solitude, but this is a happening place if you like company.

Lenny and I parted at Deep Creek Horse Trail, which he needed to hike as part of his Smokies 900. I walked the rest of the way along Deep Creek, pausing to sit on a couple of benches – my feet were hurting once again. I passed a dozen folks out for an afternoon walk or run along the last couple of miles of Deep Creek Trail. Can you imagine being a resident here, having a National Park so accessible that it’s like your everyday town park? It didn’t feel crowded, just felt like a fun place to be. I walked (okay, limped) through the hiker parking and picnic area to our cars at the trailhead (the horse parking area) right at 5:00 p.m. and waited for Lenny. He emerged triumphant from the Deep Creek Horse Trail about 20 minutes later.

Once again I began the long drive home and a feeling of sadness lingered with me, disbelief that this adventure is nearly over. I have one more multi-day trip and then my grand finale hike on April 11. As with every major event in life, whether it be a party, a reunion, graduation, a wedding, or just a big vacation, there is a let-down after the fun is over and the dust is settling, and the big question, “What next?”

I watched an awesome sunset in my rearview mirror and thought about that.

After a day's walk everything has twice its usual value. ~George Macauley Trevelyan

Walking The Camel

3/22/09 - Low Gap II Trail/Low Gap I Trail/Big Creek Trail/Camel Gap Trail/AT/Low Gap II Again – 16. 1 Miles

Today no one was waiting on me because I was hiking solo – and really looking forward to it. Remember last summer when the thought of hiking alone kept me awake at night? When I asked Marta how you get used to it, she simply said, “Repetition” and she was right. I feel comfortable with the safety precautions that I take and I’ve had some test experiences while with other hikers, so now the idea of hiking alone feels refreshing – especially on such a beautiful spring day.

Too bad the trail I was starting out on isn’t beautiful. By 9:00 a.m. I was staring Low Gap II Trail in the face again, this time looking up. My feet had not fully recovered from yesterday’s epic downhill, so I was determined to go slow and steady today. Not only was the hike plan (Hike #4 in the Big Creek/Cosby section of the "Day Hiker's Guide") to go UP Low Gap II, but the end of the day would see me going DOWN it – again. (Of all the hikes in the Park, I think I have been on Low Gap II the most times (4), along with the first couple of miles of the Lakeshore Trail.)

Low Gap II started out with a great show of wildflowers. Can someone name these white flowers? I’m guessing hepatica? And spring beauties were everywhere. Then a switchback took me away from the lovely forest and into the serious business – rocks, rocks and more rocks going steeply uphill. I concentrated on going very s-l-o-w-l-y.

After the first mile I met an AT section hiker going up, fully loaded and making slow progress. He was beginning a weeklong trek towards Fontana Dam, staying at Cosby tonight. The Cosby shelter is only about a mile from Low Gap on the AT and I wondered if he would get there and then decide to press on. When the weather is pretty it’s tempting to keep walking. As I continued up the trail I met four backpackers coming down, looked like high schoolers or spring breakers. They were moving fast, looking like they had cheeseburgers on their minds.

At the trail junction I crossed the AT and went straight onto Low Gap I Trail, which turned out to be more pleasant than expected, steep but winding open forest. I met two backpackers going up towards the AT. About two-thirds of the way down in a flat area I saw a long stone wall that bent inwards on both ends like a smile. Then the trail started going up and I saw a campsite far below on the left. I became confused because I didn’t remember the trail elevation going back up (need to pay more attention to that profile map) and I had a moment of hesitation but chose to keep going a few more minutes to see if I hit an intersection. Sure enough, the trail ended at Big Creek Trail as expected. But it seems to me that Campsite 37 is located differently than shown on the Park Map. Is it on the right or on the left?

Big Creek Trail ends and Camel Gap Trail begins just as a sign along the trail, not a true intersection. My walk on Camel Gap Trail was an absolute delight, following Big Creek on a gentle railroad grade most of the way. Doesn't this photo look like a crocodile head in the water? I was transfixed by the big water roaring over rocks, enjoying the solitude of this trail. The birds were more vocal than I’ve heard all winter and tiny lavender butterflies followed me. I was channeling Snow White walking through the forest (but the birds were definitely not imitating me when I sang.) I passed a couple of great camping spots (illegal, of course) and hopped across a few side creeks, saw lots of slimy stuff with eggs in it. At one spot a little creek tumbled in a small waterfall onto the trail, with these little plants sprouting. You flower experts out there – is it Brook lettuce?

At a switchback Camel Gap Trail begins its final climb to the AT, featuring big full views of the ridge of Balsam Gap Trail. I had that goosebump feeling again of looking at a ridge that I had recently walked on, in this case just two weeks before and covered in snow – seems so long ago. Time has a different feeling when you’re out in the woods. I paused for a snack at the junction where Carolyn and I had stopped on the last day of our snowy backpack trip. Here I noticed that along with the warm temperatures, wildflowers, butterflies and birds, the flying insects were also waking up and making their presence felt. Yellow jackets can’t be far behind, so pack the Benadryl and the epi pens again.

Back at the AT heading towards Low Gap II, I again walked this small section with awesome views and a great feel. It has narrow sections where the mountain drops off on either side of the trail and you can see Tennessee and North Carolina all around.

On a whim I checked in at Cosby Shelter, the only Smokies shelter that I had not actually laid eyes on, since Carolyn and I passed it by on our trek. The AT section hiker that I had met in the morning was there enjoying the peace and quiet, had the place to himself. We chatted for a few minutes and I learned he was from Spencer, NC, just up the road a bit from Charlotte. As I walked back on the AT I realized that we had never exchanged names.

At the junction with Low Gap II once again, I met three college break backpackers taking photos of each other and offered to do a group photo for them. They said they were heading to Cosby Shelter – so much for the section hiker’s tranquility! At least he had a few hours, and he seemed like the kind of guy who would enjoy company.

In spite of my care during the day, going slow, taking it easy on my feet and my lungs, the descent on Low Gap was painful as ever. When all is said and done, steep is still steep and 16 miles is still 16 miles. The wildflowers cheered me along, especially the yellow violets. I took the connector trail to the campground and walked through the campground to my car rather than going on the trail – probably the same distance but easier walking.

From Cosby I had a long drive to Bryson City where I was meeting Lenny for tomorrow’s hike in the Deep Creek area. In my hotel room I rummaged through my food bag for some supper and went to sleep early because tomorrow will be another long distance hike. What an awesome experience this has been!

Mount Sterling Fire Tower

3/21/09 - Big Creek Trail/Swallow Fork Trail/Mount Sterling Ridge Trail/Mount Sterling Trail/Baxter Creek Trail – 17.2 Miles

The night before this hike I was a guest at an event in Asheville hosted by Danny Bernstein as a thank-you to people associated with the creation of her second book, Hiking North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Heritage (okay, I accompanied her to scout one hike from the book, but it still got me in!) It was a most enjoyable evening with some well-known members of the area hiking world. And to think I met Danny quite by chance when I signed up for a random CMC hike to test myself for this hiking adventure – or is anything really random?

Early Saturday morning I drove from Asheville to the Big Creek campground to meet my hiking buddy for the day, Jeff (aka Ken, aka Mr. Wonderful) for a long trek up to the Mount Sterling firetower. As soon as I got to the parking lot, Jeff called to say he would be “a little late.” He had a good story involving solo backpacking in Pisgah and finding his campsite in the dark. While I waited I watched the parking area fill up with hikers for this beautiful, warm, finally-spring day in the Smokies.

Once Jeff arrived, we took off walking up Big Creek Trail, passing a few hikers and being passed by a few horse riders. Big Creek is a level trail and we were so intent on conversation that we completed the 5 miles in about 1.5 hours, so making up a little time. At the Swallow Fork Trail we turned left and began our big climb. We had a couple of average stream crossings. I saw some hikers farther up the trail, so I sent Jeff up ahead so I could take a “trail break.” Just a moment too early (too late?) I saw the hikers coming around the corner and Jeff quickly stopped to chat with them. Moral: be careful where you pee on a spring Saturday in the Smokies! Ya ain’t all by yourself out there!

In total we saw 17 backpackers/hikers on this hike – most of them headed for Campsite 38 at the firetower. Fun!

Jeff and I ate a quick lunch at the junction of Swallow Fork/Mount Sterling Ridge/Balsam Mountain/Pretty Hollow Trails (hey Jeff’s mom – he loves your homemade strawberry jam). I remember being at this intersection back in July with Carol when the weeds were as tall as we were and all I could think about was how many snakes I was going to step on. We turned left onto Mount Sterling Ridge Trail and continued to climb a little bit, glimpsing the Maggie Valley area to our right. (The white streak in the photo – could that be a ski slope? Any guesses?) While on this trail we heard and then saw two helicopters buzzing around, flying towards the AT ridge.

At the Mount Sterling firetower we climbed to the top to gawk at the clear blue sky and unlimited views. This tower felt much more stable than Shuckstack! (Click on images to see full screen).

Magnificent

Majestic

No words

Couldn’t resist taking a picture of Jeff taking a picture of the surveyor’s marker at the tower base.

We did not have an abundance of time to hang around so we started down Baxter Creek Trail, six miles of downhill in a bit of a hurry, which hammered my toes and feet until tears came to my eyes. Jeff, who had hiked 20 miles with a backpack the previous day, was not dancing down that hill either. Our dogs were definitely barking on this section! Still, we paid enough attention to see this awesome fallen giant on the side of the trail.

And what about this knotty thing? The trunk has been severed just above the knot. Kind of looks like a fist grabbing it, huh?

On the lower half of Baxter Creek, wildflower foliage became very prominent and colors were emerging – loads of spring beauties, Dutchmans Breeches, huge trilliums as big as my outstretched hand. By the time you all are reading this, the place will be a carpet of blooms. Get yourself out there! Look high up on the slopes and low down by your feet – it will be stunning. Be sure to tell me all about it!

Crossing Big Creek on the big bridge, we arrived back at the parking area right at 6:00 p.m. Heard later that one of my followers on this blog (hi Andrew) saw my car in the parking lot and wondered if it was me – I guess my bumper stickers give me away. So if you see my car around, leave me a note and say hi!

Felt good to sit down in the car and drive, felt bad to get out and walk to my hotel room in Gatlinburg. Can I really hike 16 miles tomorrow?

Get Your Autographed Copy

Danny Bernstein, one of my hiking buddies, just published Hiking North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Heritage. (Milestone Press, 2009). In this guidebook, Danny covers 66 of the best hikes in the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, an area which roughly encompasses the triangle from Pilot Mountain State Park to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and down to Highlands on the Georgia border.

In addition to being a hiking guide, Hiking North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Heritage discusses the history and heritage of the trails. From Stone Mountain's moonshine past to the Art Loeb Trail, nearly every hike has its own story to tell. And for you Smokies fans, there’s a large chapter on the North Carolina side of the national park.

Danny will be signing books at Joseph-Beth in Charlotte on Saturday, April 4 from 11 A.M. to 2 P.M. The bookstore is located in SouthPark Mall, 4345 Barclay Downs Drive, Charlotte, 704-602-9800

If you’re close to Western North Carolina, join Danny at the official launch of her new book on Tuesday, April 7 at Diamond Brand Outdoors in Arden, NC, a little south of Asheville. Diamond Brand is located at 2623 Hendersonville Rd., Arden, 828-209-1501. She’ll be presenting a slide show program and Earth Fare will provide some great food. For every book sold that evening, Diamond Brand Outdoors will donate 50% of the proceeds to the Trails Forever program, which benefits the maintenance and improvement of trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Additionally, Diamond Brand Outdoors will offer a $20 gift card for anyone that registers to become a member of Friends of the Smokies at the book launch event. And you’ll also be able to buy the new Dolly Parton CD, written and produced especially for the Smokies 75th anniversary.

And It Was Raining

3/14/09 – Parson Branch Road/Hannah Mountain Trail/Rabbit Creek Trail – 14.3 Miles

Last summer and fall I focused on hiking trails that originated/terminated on park roads that are closed in the winter months. One gamble I took was the Hannah Mountain trailhead off of Parson Branch Road. The hike route is Hannah Mountain and Rabbit Creek Trail to Abrams Campground, a big shuttle hike, and I put it off until the spring. Well, I lost my bet with myself because Parson Branch did not reopen on schedule due to erosion problems from flooding. Once again we were faced with a Plan B – hiking four miles up Parson Branch Road to the trailhead. And it was raining.

The last time that Danny and Lenny and I tried hiking from Abrams Campground we had difficulty finding the place – Danny tracked it down while Lenny and I were on the trail. So on this day Danny led us to the campground entrance, where we left Judy’s car. Then Danny headed off to revisit some popular trails on the way to Sugarlands VC and the three of us drove along the Dragon’s Tail (Highway 129) in search of the exit end of Parson Branch Road. We were a little nervous about finding the right road, not knowing whether it would be marked, not having a lot of time for trial and error, having only a vague idea of mileages. We did find it, although there is no sign naming the road, just a “Do Not Enter” sign and a gate across. For those of you looking, it is at a green-&-white mile marker 4 on Highway 129. So off we went up Parson Branch Road. And it was lightly raining.

Within the first third of a mile we came to a place where Parson Branch flows across the gravel road. A concrete pad has been poured for the width of the creek flow, so no rock hopping here, and the water was several inches deep. Judy’s feet were immediately soaked, Lenny plowed through as usual, and I danced through on my heels clogger style and managed to stay relatively dry. We got to practice our methods 16 more times, some places deeper, some places shallower. And it was raining.

The road walk was okay, a bit steep in places, but a well-graded gravel road. I counted three places where repairs really were needed before I’d take a car on it. There was heavy equipment at the parking area for the Hannah Mountain and Gregory Bald trailheads. Hopefully repairs will be completed and the road will be opened soon. Still raining.

Hannah Mountain trail is truly a pleasure to walk on, few rocks or roots and plenty of pine needles. It’s a ridge walk with little noticeable elevation gain or loss. About 2 miles into the trail Judy found a tree to hug, a great-great-great-grandfather poplar tree with “warts.” We passed one hiker who told Lenny he was delivering supplies to a campsite for a friend. My guess was the supplies were beer or something consumable, or else the friend would have to carry it out again, right? We stopped time and again to adjust clothing, first warm, then chilled, always a little damp. Judy is adjusting something underneath her Packa, a combination poncho/raincoat/pack cover made of silnylon. And it was raining.

The rain was variable all day, light to moderate, and we had several quick snack stops. I watched the clouds drift between the mountains up close and far away, the peaks playing peek-a-boo in the mist. I took lots of photos, none of which really captured the mood. Even though we all prefer sunshine, the colors of the day, black, gray, white, silver, were lovely in their own way. Days like this are necessary for our mountains to be beautiful and alive. And all those pine trees? In one spot there was a fungus growing along the edges of the bark that gave the distinct appearance of snakeskin. And still it was raining.

Because of the brevity of our stops (who wants to sit in the rain?) we reached the junction with Rabbit Creek Trail quickly, turned left and began our one real climb of the day over Pine Mountain. The only thing of interest I saw along this portion of the hike was the abundance of pine cones, long, slender and slightly curved, looked like they were tipped with silver. I kept looking and looking, and finally could not resist arranging a group of them into a swirling star pattern. (Yes, I scattered them again after I took the photo.) And, yeah, it was lightly raining.

At the bottom of Pine Mountain we walked along Abrams Creek, passing obvious homesites in this bottom land. The trail was edged with thick daffodil foliage, that sure sign of past human habitation. And the daffs were nodding heavy with moisture because it was…raining.

At last we arrived at what I had been dreading all day – Abrams Creek. We knew from the Park’s trail cautions page (where the Hazel Creek bridge issue is now also posted) that the footlog across Abrams Creek was gone. (That note is no longer on the website so I don't know the current status.) Lenny had been here before and his recollection was that the crossing was perhaps knee deep but with a smooth bottom. Well, like raising teenagers, you can’t get around it, you gotta go through it…Lenny and I have developed a great system where he goes first and I learn from his mistakes and don’t follow him, but today it wasn’t too hard of a choice. The bottom was relatively smooth and we all waded across just fine. (But Judy and I will never face a creek crossing lightly again.) And it was gently raining.

Now we faced a shuttle to retrieve my car from Parson Branch Road on Highway 129 and a very long drive back to Gatlinburg (Judy clocked the trip at about 100 miles). We stopped briefly at Tribal Grounds coffee shop in Cherokee to revive ourselves. With java in hand and cruising through town, we saw what looked like an accident ahead, cars stopped on the road in both directions. Getting closer, we realized it was an elk standing on a wooded hillside (for those of you intimately familiar with Cherokee, it was between the Totem Pole gift shop and Boundary Tree Road). The elk was a young male just beginning to grow his antlers, and he was chewing and gazing and posing for photos. Dontcha just love wildlife?

We met Danny at Smoky Pines, my favorite hotel in Gatlinburg, and after a quick change of clothes we went for dinner at Ogle’s Pizza & Pasta – delish! Then we hung up things to dry and caught some ZZZZ’s before our next day’s hike. Still raining.

Postscript: We got up early the next morning and had breakfast at Shoney’s, watching the rain coming down even harder than yesterday. Judy and I made the snap decision that we did not want to walk another day in the rain. She headed for home, and I shuttled Danny and Lenny to set them up for their hike on Grapeyard Ridge and Baskins Creek, and then I turned towards Charlotte too. Got home in time to see my two younger kids on their last day of spring break before they went back to their respective schools. Rained all the way home.

A Little Something For Everyone

3/13/09 - Bote Mountain Trail/Lumber Ridge Trail/Meigs Creek Trail Plus Crib Gap Trail – 14 Miles

I spent the night at Danny and Lenny’s home and we left early for the long drive to the Tennessee side of the Smokies. The forecast was for rain today and tomorrow, a hope of not-rain on Sunday. We met Judy at the Sugarlands VC, dropped two cars at the Sinks, and drove to the Bote Mountain trailhead. Danny has finished all of the Smokies 900 now and I needed the Lumber Ridge section of today’s route. Judy needed to cover everything but Meigs Creek (she and I did that trail together in January) and Lenny needed nearly everything, I think. Anyway, an easy to moderate hike plan for today. And although it was overcast, it never really rained.

We headed up Bote Mountain, chattering along, and quickly reached the West Prong intersection. Danny and I sat down while Lenny and Judy went .3 miles further to tag up with Finley Cane Trail. Then we all headed down West Prong, a densely wooded trail that winds down to Campsite 18, where we paused for “elevensies.” Resuming our walking, we startled two white-tailed deer (and vice versa). Was this near the place where I thought I saw two bears back in October when I hiked this trail with Mike?

As we neared the end of West Prong Trail we saw a couple of well-worn side trails, and I thought I saw people at a campsite, although there is not one shown on the Park map. This was one of those days when I had not read the trail descriptions in “Hiking Trails of the Smokies.” We quickly clued in that we were looking at flowers and therefore a cemetery. We followed one of the side trails and indeed it is a large cemetery enclosed by a fence and a gate, obviously well maintained and often visited. In addition to the photos here, there were many infant graves and a couple side by side with headstones marked “Mama” and “Papa”. This cemetery is just a short walk from the trailhead on Tremont Road, so even if you’re not a hiker, take the time to go check it out, and be sure to read the fascinating narrative about Vannie Cook in the “brown book” . Whenever I pause at a cemetery in the Smokies I feel as though I am visiting my parents’ gravesites.

We stopped briefly at the Tremont Institute gift shop. While Danny chatted with the employees, the shop was suddenly overrun by middle school children and Judy and I escaped outside. There we met one of the adults attached to the school group that was there for a field trip for several days. Hey, my school never took us to the Smokies! All we got was Myrtle Beach for the senior class trip (and there is a pact not to confess anything…)

Funny, I don’t remember much of anything about the long, slow climb up Lumber Ridge Trail. Maybe I was just looking forward to the challenges of Meigs Creek Trail again…and it did not disappoint. The 18 creek crossings were still there, about the same as when we hopped them in January. As you can see, Danny and Lenny are not the rock hopping type, preferring to avoid wobbly and slippery rocks and just get wet. This was the first time we were facing moving water since our Hazel Creek adventure and Judy was a little apprehensive, but she sucked it up and hopped them all.

At the end of Meigs Creeks Trail, of course, is the Sinks. Danny and Lenny went on to our motel in Townsend, while Judy and I drove towards Cades Cove so I could pick up a loose thread trail called Crib Gap. We parked one car at the Turkeypen Ridge parking area and then started from the Cades Cove picnic area on Anthony Creek Trail, picking up Crib Gap Trail after only a short distance. For all you critics who think we just churn out the miles, it is near here that we stopped to smell the flowers!

I must report that Crib Gap Trail is a boring horse trail (well, we did see one old chimney a few hundred feet away but did not investigate). It crosses Laurel Creek Road and continues to be a boring horse trail, always within earshot of traffic. The only interesting fact noted was that the decaying leaves seemed to glow like a silvery carpet, perhaps because of the late afternoon light. When we reached the intersection with Turkeypen, we opted to follow the unnamed horse option that passes through a tunnel under Laurel Creek Road, then turns right on Finley Cane Trail and goes back to the parking area by the road.

So much for Crib Gap Trail! Now…what’s for dinner?

If Barney Fife Were A Backpacker

AT Backpack Weekend – Day Three – 3/8/09 – Appalachian Trail/Snake Den Ridge Out-and-Back/AT/Low Gap II Trail – 12.7 Miles

Turning the clocks forward an hour made getting up a little harder. The ridge runners were moving around first and our group began moving about 7:30 a.m. We had plans to get to the car at Cosby Campground by various routes. Jeff was again leaving early to do some side trips on the AT and then going down Snake Den Ridge Trail to the campground. Judy and Carol were also taking the AT and Snake Den Ridge. Carolyn and I were taking the AT further to Low Gap II Trail and down to the campground, and since our route was the longest we left before Judy and Carol. First we had our photo op (from left): me, Jim, Judy, Susan, Carol, Carolyn.

Every trail from a shelter seems to go up, and we began climbing up Mt. Guyot. According to “Hiking Trails of the Smokies,” Mt. Guyot is “the fourth highest peak in the eastern U.S. and the second highest peak in the Smokies. It holds the distinction, however, of being the highest mountain in the East that has no trail or road to its summit…few people enjoy the splendid isolation afforded atop Mt. Guyot.” Well, we stayed on the trail, but Jeff bushwhacked to the summit to have himself some of that splendid isolation.

Nearly three miles from Tricorner Knob, the AT passes through a big clearing at Deer Creek Gap, not a true bald but a field that resulted from a wildfire in 1924 that burned up to the summits of Mt. Guyot and Old Black. The area is grassy and edged with berry bushes, and in the middle of the trail there are two large V shapes made of asphalt. This is a helipad used for emergency medical evacuations along this area of the AT. Ridge runner Jim told us a story last night about rescuing a diabetic backpacker last year who could not walk. A horse carried him from Tricorner Knob to the helipad site and he was airlifted out. I’m not sure, but I’m assuming the ridge runner was there and met the guy in trouble and was able to radio out for assistance. Anyhoo, an interesting spot on the trail. Oh, yeah, and the view from Deer Creek Gap? Not too bad!

At the junction with Snake Den Ridge, Carolyn and I dropped our packs and jogged .7 miles down the mountain to the intersection with Maddron Bald Trail. (It’s steep and without the packs our feet barely touched the ground.) We were here at this intersection on a very rainy day back in July 2008. About halfway back up to the AT, Judy and Carol passed us on the last stretch of their hike, and so we knew we would be an hour or so behind them in arriving at the campground.

The next 4.7 miles on the AT consisted of view after awesome view. If you ever get the opportunity, you’ve got to hike the AT through the Smokies, folks. It is truly inspirational.

I love this photo of me passing a white blaze on the AT in the Smokies – I think I’ll have it framed!

The day warmed up to short sleeves temperatures. Carolyn and I paused at intersections, but we still made great time, and the last AT section was steep going down to the Low Gap Trails. At that junction we met a group of young spring break guys who were day hiking up to the Mt. Cammerer tower. It was amusing to tell them we were backpackers – I felt like a female Barney Fife with my thumbs in my pockets saying, “Yeah, just out for a little weekend trip, you know, something us big strong backpacker women do all the time.”

Low Gap II Trail is a relentless downhill and I could not keep up with Carolyn, whose long legs were pulled along by gravity at lightning speed. Eventually the trail eases up and joins Cosby Creek with some wonderful cascades.

And we saw the first wildflowers of the season – spring beauties!

At the first intersection we turned left because I thought it was another approach trail that I had yet to cover. At the end of the .4-mile trail there was a sign designating it as the Cosby Horse Trail – so I didn’t have to do it after all! But it put us near the campground and on our way to the hiker parking area. At the car, we were happily surprised to see that we were the last to arrive at 2:30 p.m. The parking lot was buzzing with hikers, some just there for the day and some obviously coming out from weekend trips. The sky was blue, the temperatures were warm and spring was almost here!

BUT…we had to drive through Gatlinburg. We made a brief bathroom stop at Sugarlands VC and as we were walking back to our car, a couple passed us carrying a box of Krispy Kremes and some cupcakes heading for the (shriek, gasp, horrors!) trash can. I couldn't stop myself - I blurted out something sophisticated like, "We've been backpacking all weekend and can we have your doughnuts?" My first Yogi score! The doughnuts were delicioso.

We returned Jeff and Judy to their cars at Newfound gap and then Carolyn and Carol and I made our way through Cherokee and the long way back to Charlotte. We rolled into my driveway at 8:00 p.m. I left all the dirty clothes and gear in the car and headed for my comfy bed.

“I’ll think about that tomorrow…after all, tomorrow is another day.” ~ Scarlett O'Hara

Ridge Runners and Ocean Waves

AT Backpack Weekend – Day Two – 3/7/09 – Appalachian Trail to Tricorner Knob/Balsam Mountain Trail Out-and-Back – 15.5 Miles

During the nighttime the moon was so bright that no headlamp was needed for the inevitable bathroom trips. You know, once one person gets up to go, everyone else has to go too! And those of you who have stayed in shelters know – that privy is way too far away in the middle of the night, so why try to get there? There’s probably bears and boars and bobcats along the way – oh my!

Jeff’s plan was to leave earlier than the rest of us so he could bag some summit peaks along the AT, including Mount Sequoyah, Mount Chapman and I don’t know what else (Jeff is a GPS nut). Before 7:00 a.m. I cracked one eye open and looked on the upper bunk – there sat Jeff, fully dressed and ready to go, looking like a kid on Christmas morning waiting for the signal to go downstairs to see what Santa brought! The rest of us got moving, a little cold but not too bad (upper 30’s), ate breakfast, put on dry socks and wet shoes. Thru-hiker Primitive left wearing just a short-sleeved tee shirt…ah, youth.

But Primitive had the right idea because the day really heated up. Judy, Carolyn, Carol and I hiked along the AT ridgeline, marveling at the views that are constant along this part of the trail. This photo is from Eagle Rock (I think). Soon after this we met two hikers who introduced themselves as ridge runners, Jim and Susan. They would be staying with us at Tricorner Knob Shelter. Hey, a chance for interesting conversation, some good stories and learning about ridge running!

We caught up with Jeff on the trail after he had summitted Mount Sequoyah. He told me that it was an easy summit, just 40 feet up, and I started through the brush to find it. I immediately realized that I am lost even five feet off the trail if I don’t have a map and a reference point, and I have few compass skills, so I came back to the trail. Jeff asked me if I really wanted to go up…well, I have learned to take people up on their offers out here in the woods, because who knows if/when we will be here again? So I said I’d go if he was willing to take me, and we summited Mount Sequoyah together. Jeff now has yet another trail name: Mr. Wonderful.

Continuing on the AT, how about this photo? Are they mountains or ocean waves? And how many shades of blue can you name? For an abundance of fantastic photos, click here for Jeff’s and Carolyn’s contributions to the Carolina Berg Wanderers’ page about our trip.

By 11:00 a.m. we arrived at Tricorner Knob Shelter, the Smokies shelter that is the farthest distance from any road and our home for the coming night. There we ate, resupplied our water and dumped everything possible from our backpacks, keeping only water and rain gear and some food to take with us on our out-and-back jaunt on Balsam Mountain Trail. (Here Judy is collecting water to be filtered.) We spread out wet clothing to dry on the hillside in the strong sunshine. The four women started out around noon, leaving Jeff eating his lunch, as he was going to do several more off-trail summits along Balsam. Carol was taking it easy and turned back early, and Carolyn and I got to talking and moving pretty fast. Walking with near-empty packs was absolute heaven! Judy caught up to us and we slowed to a more reasonable pace and enjoyed the trail, very easy walking at first. Then…we reached a section that crossed steep slopes, a narrow path still in the shade, lots of deep snow, which took all our attention. We could see the Mount Sterling ridge and even the Mount Sterling fire tower. Still, we reached the junction with Gunter Fork Trail, nearly 5 miles, in about 2 hours. (Judy and I were at this Gunter Fork junction back in November.) Then we turned around and walked back, with Carolyn in the lead and soon out of sight. Along the way we passed Jeff’s pack on the trail at an impossibly steep and overgrown section and we hoped he would make it out okay. We also passed this brave little tree trying to grow from a big old stump. I wonder if it will make it?

We were glad to get back to the shelter. The ridge runners were there and three additional hikers had arrived. Four more were scheduled to be there that night, a full house (they never showed up, though). Cooking is not allowed in shelters so as to keep the food smells away from the sleeping area, a rule that not all hikers follow especially on cold and rainy days, but with the ridge runners there we were on our best behavior. In fact, the sun was still shining bright and we set up cooking out on the ground underneath the bear cables, enjoying the warmth and relaxing after a good day’s exercise. (I am always grateful to have a healthy body that allows me to get outside and walk and walk and walk.)

Ridge runner Jim's full name is Jim Mowbray and his reputation preceded him, as I had read and even saved an online article about him. Jim hikes the AT year-round as a volunteer and in 2007 he was given the Partnership Award as Volunteer of the Year by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Jim told me he was amazed at how many people he meets that have read about him. I told him he was the equivalent of a rock star in the Smokies hiking world.

Ridge runner Susan told us how she was in training this weekend and would then be a ridge runner herself until November. She was an AT thru-hiker in 2007 (trail name Kentucky Blue). Most interesting to me, she was a camp counselor at a Girl Scout camp in Ohio for several years as a teenager and it was there that she first saw a presentation on thru-hiking the AT. With that experience, her path was set (no pun intended) and her love of hiking and the outdoors grew. Now her avocation is also her occupation. Her story is an affirmation of why I’m doing this: expose kids to the outdoors and they may discover a lifelong passion, a career, and at the very least a respect for conservation and the environment.

Tonight was daylight savings time, so I set my watch and it was suddenly almost 7:30 p.m. Where was Jeff? He turned up soon after, looking very tired and not saying much. He had run out of water and was also very hungry. The rest of us were almost ready for sleeping bags, but I sat outside and talked with Jeff a little while he ate (Judy joined us too), and eventually we all settled down, very tired from a good day’s exploring. The moon and stars came out again for another perfect night high up in the Smokies. Sigh…everyone should get to see that.

“The shadow from the starlight is softer than a lullaby…Rocky Mountain High” ~ John Denver

A Word From Our Sponsor

Just a brief interruption and then I promise I will finish my posts of the AT Backpack Adventure. Check out this site called Postcards From The Smokies to see a feature on yours truly. This is a great website all the time about interesting people and places on the NC side of the Smokies, but of course I am especially excited to see me!

Slip-Sliding Away

AT Backpack Weekend – Day One – 3/6/09 - AT/Hughes Ridge – 14.9 Miles

Cast of characters for the big adventure:

Sharon (Smoky Scout) – Closing in on the Smokies 900
Judy (Heartfire) – Also working on Smokies 900
Jeff (Ken) – Working on SB6K Challenge and any other named peaks
Carol (needs a trail name) – Gear testing for AT thru-hike in 2011
Carolyn (Nanuck) – head cheerleader and jackrabbit hiker

Carolyn, Carol and I drove to Gatlinburg on Thursday afternoon, had a great meal at Ogle’s Brick Oven Pizza, and checked into Smoky Pines, my favorite hotel. Then I met Jeff under cover of night at Cosby Campground to leave my car and then back to Smoky Pines for a good night’s rest. Don (wearer of Old Glory) had to back out last-minute because of illness and we missed him terribly. He was also the second vehicle in my master plan, so we made hasty arrangements on Thursday with A Walk In The Woods for a shuttle ride on Friday morning to our trailhead. (I can highly recommend them.)

Friday morning we ate a big breakfast, loaded up on the shuttle and were deposited at Newfound Gap where Judy was waiting for us. Snow and ice were piled up in the parking lot and we hoped that was all we would see (wrong). And off we went, headed not for Katahdin but just for Peck’s Corner shelter. Jeff, our weatherman, had promised blue skies and very warm temperatures, 60’s at 5800 feet, and to emphasize his confidence in the forecast Jeff did not bring rain gear or gloves. Jeff, Jeff, Jeff…

The clouds rolled in and the temperature did not climb as we climbed. We passed this charming pirate snowman (one-eye) and began to dig into the icy white stuff. Judy, Carolyn and I put on our YaxTrax and got good traction, but Carol didn’t have them and had to pick her way more carefully. Jeff just put his (gloveless) hands in his pockets and kept moving. (BTW, would you believe we found a pair of thick fleece gloves laying on the trail that day? What luck!)

We walked in the clouds to Icewater Springs Shelter where we stopped for a bite to eat and were surmising that we would skip Charlie’s Bunion – no point if there’s no view, and it might be too icy anyway. A thru-hiker arrived at the shelter for a food break, a 20-something young’un who introduced himself as Primitive. His trail name derived from the fact that he had started his thru-hike about a week after the idea came to him, bringing along a tarp and a wool blanket and little else. Somewhere around Neal’s Gap he decided to get outfitted to continue. A week ago his hiking buddy had gotten off the trail for a break because of the rough weather, so Primitive was traveling alone for now. He said he was headed for Tricorner Knob Shelter. We told him we were headed to Peck’s Corner and he could take that as either an invitation or a warning. He was kind enough to take a group photo of us before he took off.

We drew closer to Charlie’s Bunion and…wait, what is that?? I can see…I can see mountains…I can see sky! We were out of the clouds. Yippeee! We dropped our packs at the spur trail and walked out to the Bunion for that jaw-dropping view. The summit of Mt. LeConte was wreathed in clouds but everything else was clear. Here is how it looked from where I sat.

Okay, back on the AT, now known as the Appalachian Snow Fields, the Appalachian Ice Floes and the Appalachian Slushee. The snow was melting and we learned that slush is as slippery as ice. When you’re carrying a loaded backpack, you don’t just step in the slush, you stomp in it, and our feet were getting wetter and wetter. I had neglected to wear gaiters so my pants were wicking moisture all the way up to my knees. It looked like we were in for three days of this slip-and-slide. Meanwhile, Carol was meeting the challenges of a tall backpack and blown-down trees on the trail.

Peck’s Corner Shelter is about .4 miles off the AT, down on Hughes Ridge Trail, and we sloshed our way down. The privy is the first thing you come to, sitting right on the trail, begging for photos. And guess who was at the shelter? Our thru-hiker, Primitive! Was he nuts? Judy talked with him a good bit during the evening and said later that she thought he was lonely and looked forward to our company.

Judy and I, working on that Smokies 900 map, still had some miles to put in and the rest of the crew joined us in hiking down Hughes Ridge Trail for 1.8 miles to the junction with Bradley Fork Trail. This is where Jim and I were about a month before. We turned around and sloshed back up to the shelter, still struggling with the snow everywhere. Snow makes a nice contrast for photographing plant life, though. Even spent blooms look lovely against the white backdrop.

The day’s hiking ended around 6:00 p.m. and we hustled to cook and eat and get organized before dark. No other hikers arrived, so the six of us had room to spread out. Primitive had gathered some wood (very little available and most of it covered in snow) and was attempting to build a fire, but we never truly got it going. With the temperatures dropping and no backcountry TV to watch, we climbed in our sleeping bags and it was lights out and quiet at 7:30 p.m. And the moon and stars came out to shine as we snoozed high up on top of the mountains.

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares drop off like autumn leaves.”John Muir

Guest Blogger, Danny Bernstein, Has Finished the Smokies 900

From Danny Bernstein:

I finished hiking all the trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and became the 248th member of the 900 Miler Club. Though the club is called 900 Miler, there are now only 800 miles of maintained trails in the park, as shown by the GSM Trail Map. But you need to walk a lot more than 800 miles to do them all – some say 1,500 miles.

And this patch is the only thing you get - and bragging rights, of course. Logistically, it’s the most complicated hiking challenge I’ve done. But physically it was not difficult. The Smokies are maintained so well that you can get really spoiled. Mile for mile, the Smokies are easier than the surrounding national forests.

I’m writing this on Sharon’s blog because I met Sharon when I led a Carolina Mountain Club hike in September, 2007. It was a Wednesday hike and there were only four of us so Sharon and I talked for over 12 miles. She told me she was exploring this Smokies 900 project for the Girl Scouts. I thought it was wonderful and was sure she could do it. Of course, I had the luxury of being several hundred miles ahead of her with no real time crunch. She then helped me scout a hike in Cataloochee which I needed for my new book, Hiking North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Heritage, which comes out in a few weeks.

When I moved to Asheville, I had already done the Appalachian Trail, including 71.4 miles of it in the park. I was thrilled to live so close to the Smokies. I then hiked a lot of easy miles on the perimeter of the park - what I call the top of the pops: Ramsey Cascades, Porter Creek, Deep Creek/Indian Creek loop, Hemphill Bald and the Mt. LeConte Trails.

I then did some obscure and fascinating hikes that only a 900 mile aspirant would do including Brushy Mountain with its good view of Gatlinburg, Hannah Mountain Trail and up to Gregory Bald from Twentymile Ranger Station. She and I did Grapeyard Trail. I went to the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, several times and got a lot of pesky miles off Little River Rd. One year, they organized a long shuttle from Clingmans Dome on the Sugarland Mountain Trail. About that time, I finished the South Beyond 6000 (SB6K) which gave me the Balsam Mountain Trail. That’s the trick with this project. You need people who can help you with shuttles.

The two watershed backpacks were from the Fontana Marina: the first was Eagle Creek and down Jenkins Creek and Hazel Creek and the second included Welch ridge and down Hazel Creek. I felt that if I could get those out of the way, I would finish.

This second backpack was on Sharon’s birthday (April 11, 2008) and the start of her project. But after those backpacks, I looked at the map yet again and it seemed even more impossible. I set up backpacks and people canceled. It rained and others canceled. Then I realized that I could do 18 plus miles a day by myself and it was no big deal. The last three months, I hiked 120 new miles. I finished on the Indian Creek Motor Trail, a minor trail on the North Carolina side.

I will never know the park as well as I do now. It is important to keep hiking the obscure Smokies trails or the park will decommission them. Even with the Trails Forever program, the park is putting its money and work on the most popular trails.

Finishing any challenge is bittersweet – grateful I’m done and sad that I don’t have to get out there anymore. But Sharon hasn’t quite finished, though she’s getting there by leaps and bounds and I’m helping her. And my husband, Lenny, caught the Smokies 900 bug and he has 200 miles to go. Lenny and I will both be at Sharon’s last miles on April 11, 2009.

That Is One Beautiful Car

Fontana Backpack Adventure – Day Three – 3/1/09 – Lakeshore Trail – 10.4 Miles

With a gray sky lightening up, we got up, had some hot tea, gathered and packed all of our stuff. This is hopefully the only time our packs would weigh more on the last day of a trip than on the first day. ((Clothes were still damp and heavy.) We put on rain pants over our long johns and said goodbye to our bed-and-breakfast. The daffodils were blooming in the yard, nodding heavy from the rain but blooming still.

We started walking west along the Lakeshore Trail towards Fontana Dam and Judy’s car that we had parked so long ago. I felt fine this morning, the anxiety was gone. What was that all about, anyway? Definitely frustration at having plans go awry, fatigue from the pack, stress from rushing to meet a deadline (no more shuttles at the end of hikes for us), disappointment at not getting a shower, a good meal and a warm bed - but it was also just plain being scared at the realization that Judy and/or I could have not made it back out of Hazel Creek. It ended up as a good story for the campfire, but still a cautionary tale.

But here we were with Willie Nelson, on the road again. A plus for the day – this section of Lakeshore was new miles for us! Yay! (We were supposed to do a long loop hike today in Deep Creek with members of Carolina Mountain Club – turned out they canceled because of the bad weather forecast, so we did come out ahead for mileage for the weekend.) A half-mile from the Calhoun house we passed the Proctor Cemetery, nearly 200 graves, and took the time for a quick visit. Click on the photo to read the inscription here about the original residents of Proctor.

The rest of our hike out was small ups and downs. The rain had stopped and a couple of times we saw brief bursts of blue sky. We crossed the intersection with Eagle Creek Trail, remembering the fun we’d had back in December on all the creek crossings, and rejoicing now that there was an intact bridge to cross here. The last mile of Lakeshore seemed long, as does the last mile of every hike. And finally, there she was – a picture is worth a thousand words.

As we drove towards Bryson City, cell phone reception came around and I listened to voice mails from family and hiking friends who had expected to hear from us the night before. (The hiking buddies had guessed that the shuttle forgot us.) It was a relief to talk to be back in touch.

We weren’t home free yet because a bad snowstorm was already closing in, and we drove through a bit of it going to Judy’s house, but had no problems. I transferred my stuff from her car to mine as quickly as I could, waved good bye and headed for Charlotte before the snow could catch me. I beat it home by about an hour.

There’s no place like home! And next weekend I get to go backpacking again!

(Postscript: I talked with Ronnie at Fontana Marina later and he informed that there should have been a sign posted at the Hazel Creek/Lakeshore intersection to take Ollie Cove Trail to the temporary boat shuttle pickup because the bridge at the usual site was out. Hey – Ollie Cove Trail is suddenly very important to know about! There was no sign, of course, and I suggested that Ronnie should tell every person who reserves the shuttle about the exact pickup spot rather than relying on a sign out in the woods. In this case both Ronnie and I assumed that I knew where it was and we were both wrong. I also communicated with the Park Service that this relo should be noted on their trail cautions page, which they agreed to do. I didn’t tell them that we had enjoyed the Calhoun House!)

A Not-So-Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Boat Shuttle

Fontana Backpack Adventure – Day Two – 2/28/09 – AT/Jenkins Ridge Trail/Hazel Creek Trail – 14.9 Miles

Woke up this Saturday morning to the sounds of the Florida fellas packing up. My thermometer said 37 degrees – great temperature for inside a Smokies shelter in February. (The one good thing about rain is that it means warmer temperatures.) Judy and I ate and packed up while listening to the rain coming down. If we were thru-hikers, she said, we would wait a while to see if the rain slowed down, but we had a date with a boat shuttle at 3:30 p.m. down at Hazel Creek so we had to get going.

Amazingly, as we left the shelter the rain stopped. The wind was brisk and the clouds were still thick, but at least we weren’t get soaked right away. On top of Spence Field we stopped to remove fleece jackets (we never learn, we always start out wearing them and then take them off after 15 minutes when we heat up) and admire the view. The mountains are stunning in any weather.

We turned right onto Jenkins Ridge Trail and an ominous soundtrack of organ music began playing in my head. This trail is infamous for its difficulty, and I can attest that its reputation is well-deserved. The brown book, “Hiking Trails of the Smokies,” gives a great description. It is probably the roughest trail I have experienced in the Park. It starts out rocky and quite overgrown; we whipped through shoots of blackberry and other thorny stuff sometimes taller than we were and had to be careful not to get our eyes poked. There were numerous blowdowns, none too difficult, but frequent enough to be annoying rather than amusing. But still…it wasn’t raining and we were walking gently downhill and going to be sleeping in a hotel tonight….Ahhh…

Since Jenkins Ridge is such a long trail without intersections, I brought copies of the “brown book” pages and followed our progress carefully so we’d have an idea of how far we had come. There was a steep ascent to Haw Gap which got our attention, then a steep descent without switchbacks, then a ridiculously steep ascent up Cherry Knob and another killer descent, then a steep ascent up to Woodward Knob and…well, you get the picture. The “brown book” sums it up: “Depending upon whether one is going up or down, this stretch is a lung buster or a knee breaker.” Nice, huh? Tell me again why I’m doing this…

At Pickens Gap the trail abruptly leveled to a graded roadway (built by the CCC in the 1930s) that carried us two more miles down to the junction with Hazel Creek Trail. The one photo I took on our Jenkins Ridge journey was along this portion – this is an old engine laying in an open area beside the trail. Pickens Gap is noteworthy both as the site of the Adams-Westfeldt copper mine and as a dwelling of Horace Kephart in the early 1900s (he lived in a former caretaker’s cabin at the closed copper mine). During the past week I have been reading Kephart’s most famous book, Our Southern Highlanders, so I was very excited to be at this spot. Farther along Jenkins Ridge we passed a cemetery that I later kicked myself for not stopping at when I realized that it was the Higdon cemetery. Will I ever be there again?

At the Hazel Creek junction we turned right and began the long walk to the Lakeshore Trail, enjoying boisterous Hazel Creek flowing alongside us the whole way. Isn’t this a cool photo of the holes in the rocks and the rocks in the holes? And this is a concrete river gauging station on Hazel Creek.

We walked through the now-nonexistent towns of North Proctor and Proctor and got a glimpse of the kiln house and the Calhoun House and barn, rare buildings that were not torn down by the Park. All in all, an extremely interesting section of the Park.

Crossing the Proctor Bridge at Lakeshore Trail, we noted a brand new trail sign that included Ollie Cove Trail – interesting, I’ve never heard of this trail before and it’s not on any of my maps. Have to check that out when I get back home. We continued down the spur trail past Campsite 86 – saw a tent set up there, another crazy person out in this weather - and down to the lake where our boat shuttle was to pick us up. We were 45 minutes early and feeling good to be ending our 14 miles with backpacks on.

But coming around the bend, something wasn’t right. When I caught the shuttle here back in April, the lake came up to the bank – now there was no lake in sight. There was Hazel Creek flowing like crazy around the next bend…and pilings that once supported a bridge…and a long wooden bridge slammed up against the mountainside. (Sorry, not thinking about photos right about now.)

Not a good feeling. Several expletives came to mind.

There were footprints and we followed them down to the creek’s edge (actually, creek is not an accurate word at this point – raging river works better). There were multiple prints and clearly people had forded the creek here, so the boat shuttle pickup must be on the far side of the creek and around the bend where we couldn’t see. We couldn’t continue walking along the edge on our side because the bank became quite steep. Well, we’ve crossed a lot of creeks, so we could do this. We scouted around, chose a path, unbuckled our packs and plunged in.

Almost immediately the water was up to our butts, and Judy slipped and fell in, and we watched her hiking poles get swept away. Time to get back to the bank and rethink this! Now Judy was soaked from head to toe and the bottom half of me was wet. The water was too deep and swift and crossing was not safe, so we needed to formulate a new plan. We decided to walk back and talk to the campers we had seen at Campsite 86, and I began to have a meltdown as the gravity of the situation sunk in.

We learned that the campers (a man and two teenage boys) had come over on their own boat and the footprints we saw on the creek bank belonged to them. They admitted that the water was swift and they’d had a rough time crossing. We knew we were not going to try again and that the only way out was to hike out via Lakeshore Trail to Fontana Dam – 10.4 miles. We had already hiked 14 miles today and it was now late afternoon. Judy had a tarp tent (now wet) but I had no tent at all.

But for all this bad luck, there was very good luck for us – the Calhoun House. We could see it from the campsite and decided to check it out. If we couldn’t get inside, we could at least sleep in the old barn, which Judy reminded me was just like sleeping in the shelter. And God is indeed good, because the house was wide open, with intact windows, no leaks, plenty of room and even a sofa on the front porch.

We moved in, unpacked, hung clothes to dry, found enough dry clothes to put on, cooked dinner, made hot tea and then sat on the front porch and watched the creek flow by. Judy was absolutely wonderful to me as I continued to struggle with tears and frustration over the circumstances. Her extensive backpacking experience had taught her much about flexibility and she decided that this was a wonderful adventure. I had to admit that although we were not where I wanted to be, we were dry, fed and safe. We were experienced hikers, we were prepared and we were smart. We sat on that porch and played the alphabet game: “I’m going to Hawaii and I’m going to take an Abacus…I’m going to Hawaii and I’m going to take an Abacus and a Bathing suit…” and I eventually calmed down.

The Calhoun House - B&B for us!

Front porch with Hazel Creek flowing by

Judy making tea and the best of it

Hanging clothes to dry - again

First class

Boiling water for some grits for supper

Hanging out on the front porch - I look like a caterpillar

We finally went to “bed” at 7:00 p.m. and began our long night together. We could hear critters scurrying around in the attic (squirrels?) and even in the other rooms of the house (squirrels again?) and Judy turned on her headlamp as a nightlight that we kept on all night. I know I dozed from time to time, dreaming, and then would wake up to thumps in the attic. We talked on and off during the night, planning an early departure at first light for our 10-mile hike to Fontana Dam and wondering if anyone was wondering where we were.

Some Rain and Some Pain

Fontana Backpack Adventure – Day One – 2/27/09 – Appalachian Trail - Fontana Dam to Spence Field Shelter – 16.1 Miles

The plan for this outing was an ambitious backpacking trip beginning Friday. We would cover two long trail sections in the Smokies via an overnight loop ending back at Fontana Lake for a boat shuttle pickup time around 3:30 p.m. Saturday. The weather forecast was not good but I chose to ignore it. After all, we were going to be on the AT and we were just going to do what every thru-hiker does, right? Judy and I left her home at 6:00 a.m. Friday headed to Fontana Dam. The forecasted 80% chance of rain began around Waynesville. 8:45 a.m., at the trailhead we both let out a big sigh and began the uphill trek as the rain came down. Judy turned around and said to me, “I am a really good friend.”

There was a single point along the first section of the AT where we had a view, both awesome and ominous, but for the most part we trudged along in the gray mist, passing the spur trail to Shuckstack with just a glance and pausing at the Lost Cove Trail junction to eat a snack and rearrange packs. About five minutes past this point I heard a voice cheerfully call, “Hello” and turned to see a fellow in gym shorts and trail running shoes. He said, “Is the Shuckstack tower coming up soon?” Hmmmm….well, you’ve passed it. “Well, what about the Lost Cove Trail?” Well, you’ve passed that, too. The guy was out for a quick trail run, obviously for the first time on these trails, and without a map. We directed him back to the junction – have a nice day! And on we trudged.

At the Mollies Ridge Shelter we stopped and put the packs down for a little bit and eat. It felt so wonderful to put that pack down! Mine weighed about 28 pounds and I was feeling every ounce. How was I going to do this? I just do not love backpacking. I added up the hours for the entire trip and told myself that it was only 30 hours, and 10 of those would be spent sleeping in the shelter, so it was really only 20 hours, and 3 of those would be spent eating and getting stuff packed/unpacked, so it was really only 17 hours, etc., etc. Ah, if only it had worked out that way…

Now I know that the AT is a magical trail and that on a sunny day it is glorious. I know that. But on this day the only noteworthy sight other than trail signs telling us the mileage was this tree, broken across the trail but still high enough for us to walk under. Kinda looks like it's doing a back bend with one leg kicking up in the air, doesn't it?

Spence Field Shelter, our home for the night, is one of the newer renovated AT shelters, nicer than most because it actually has a privy. For you Smokies trivia buffs, inside the privy there is a sensor under the floor mat that is wired to a box that monitors use for all kinds of interesting studies. Judy and I were here in November when we hiked down Eagle Creek Trail. (That day there was snow everywhere.) Like all the AT shelters during the winter months, ours had a big tarp across the front that is not too attractive but serves the purpose of keeping out the wind and keeping in some heat. (Sorry, forgot to take a photo of it.)

We arrived around 5:00 p.m. - I could not believe we had still traveled at two miles per hour even with full packs and mostly uphill. The motivation to get out of the rain and dump those packs was intense! We had company for the night, two fellows about our age from Florida and two 20-something guys from Ohio. I laughed and said, “You guys saw the weather forecast and you still drove all that way?” Well, what can you say? When you plan a trip to the Smokies, the weather doesn’t really matter. I told them about my hiking project and that my trail name was Smoky Scout. One of the Florida guys said his trail name was Chainsaw and that I would find out what that meant when he fell asleep.

There were clothes and gear hung and spread out everywhere to dry. The young’uns claimed a Boy Scout background and promised to get a fire going in the fireplace, which they achieved despite all the wet wood within a 50-mile radius. Their efforts kept me entertained and the fire was very comforting, although very smoky. We had dry clothes on, cooked a hot meal, had a cup of hot tea (thanks to Judy). I felt very cozy and not at all cold. Judy crawled into her sleeping bag by 6:30 or so, but I stayed up until the unbelievable hour of 7:30, talking with the guys and watching the fire.

Chainsaw wasn’t kidding – he was a champion snorer, but at least he was rhythmic, and the rain splattered on the tin roof. I did not expect to sleep well in a shelter anyway, but at least I was warm and dry. (I had a brand new Mountain Hardware Phantom 15 sleeping bag – toasty!) At some point during the night I woke up and did not hear any snoring. I worried a little whether my Florida friend was okay, but he eventually began cutting down the rest of the forest.

Midnight…only 15 more hours to go…ah, if only it had worked out that way…