Appalachian Trail in NC – 7/24/13 - AT/Lost
Cove/Lakeshore Trail Loop – 11.5 Miles
My last hike of the ATC
Biennial: If I don’t like the looks of
these participants, I plan to bail out and go home. Thus had the slow-motion fest inured me to
the hiking-with-strangers concept.
Good news, karma believers! As I waited at the meeting spot, several
participants from yesterday’s hike came by to say hi, offer condolences and
thank me for taking on the responsibility of the slow hiker so that the group
could continue. I was very surprised and
appreciated them seeking me out. Two of
them were signed up for today’s hike!
Everyone showed up ahead of time and
looked well prepared, seven hikers including myself. The hike leader gave a description of the
route, multiple creek crossings, wet feet, and everyone was okay with
that. I decided to stick with it but
drive my car separately so I could leave directly for home. Besides, the hike was a loop in my beloved
Smokies, so if I got stuck once again at least I would be in heaven.
Our loop started on the AT as it
crossed Fontana Dam and entered the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The participants were multi-sport, also into
biking, half-marathons, paddling. Two were
involved in their home state’s AT maintainers’ club. Karma instructing me once again: this group was fast from the get-go. Again I was the sweep and I had to hustle as
the AT ascended 2,100 feet in 3.25 miles.
No talking for me, I stayed far enough back where they couldn’t hear me
gasping. What a difference from 24 hours earlier!
The mountainside was covered in a
cloak of midsummer flowers, yellow sundrops, white flowering spurge, blue tall
bellflower and purple phlox. The steady
breeze foiled attempts at photographing the display other than this tall white spike
of…galax? Snakeroot?
A short, steep side trail took us to the Shuckstack lookout tower, constructed in 1934 by the PWA and used for fire
detection until the 1960’s. The tower
has fallen into disrepair. The stairs
are rickety and missing a handrail and some steps. I climbed four of the six flights of steps
and lost my nerve to go higher. The
chimney and cistern are all that remain of the tower-keeper’s cabin.
Looking down from Shuckstack
We backtracked to the AT, continued
on to Sassafrass Gap and made a right turn onto Lost Cove Trail, a fun interior
trail that few people get to. Combined
with the AT and the Lakeshore Trail, I think it makes for one of the best loops
in the Smokies. Lost Cove Trail careens
roller coaster steep downhill. The group
was still moving at a fast pace but my knees were not a problem. After the first mile, Lost Cove Creek appears
and braids back and forth across the trail 13+ times. I do love a good rock hop challenge and I
managed to hop them all, but the other three women put on their water shoes for
this section. I will admit, on a hot day
it looked like it felt good to just wade in the water.
A mushroom as large as a punchbowl
Being last in line on a summer hike
has its advantages. I heard yelling and
saw trail dancing ahead, which meant that someone had disturbed a yellow jacket
nest. Two people got stung several
times. The last three of us in line
backed up quickly and made a wide detour up the hillside to avoid the nest.
We stopped for lunch at Campsite 91, a
former homesite, a broad level area with room for plenty of tents and also
accommodates horse campers. A lumber company railroad spur once ran up alongside
Lost Cove Creek past this point from the confluence of Eagle Creek and Little
Tennessee Rivers (prior to the creation of Fontana Lake).
Rattlesnake plantain bloom
Rattlesnake plantain foliage
Chris crossing Lost Cove Creek on a
high log. The crossings got wider and
deeper as we followed the trail down.
We turned right onto the not-flat
Lakeshore Trail and began a series of rolling ups and downs with glimpses of
the lake edge through the trees. Highlights
of this section included two bears up in the trees, another hornets’ nest (two
more people stung, still not me) and a garter snake that Chris picked up for us
to examine.
Chicken-in-the-woods in abundance
along the Lakeshore Trail
The entire Lakeshore Trail runs 35
miles along the north shore of Fontana Lake and passes multiple home sites,
town sites and cemeteries. It is an
excellent multi-day backpacking trip to explore the evidence of days past before
Fontana Lake was created. Parts of the
trail were once Route 288. In the last two miles of our hike we passed old 1930’s
cars. I’ve heard that during the early
days of WW II when rubber was in short supply, cars were abandoned where the
tires blew out.
All in all, this hike was an
excellent antidote to the previous day.
The group blended together like peas and carrots, lots of stories and
laughter, and more than once someone would stop to comment on how great the day
was. Fun folks, a lookout tower, snakes,
bears, yellow jackets, beautiful flowers, stream crossings and old cars, all in
the Great Smoky Mountains. It just doesn’t
get any better.
The cherry on top: taking a shower at the Fontana Dam Visitor
Center to be clean for the long drive home!
“What day is it?”
“It’s today,” squeaked Piglet.
“My favorite day,” said Pooh.
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