Benton MacKaye Trail: Smokies Backpack Day 2 - 3/17/19 – 9.8
Miles
At 7:40 a.m. Lane said, “Is anybody going hiking today?” We
were all reluctant to get out of our sleeping bags. The Florida guy had decided
to cut his trip short because of the cold.
He was up and out at 6:00 a.m. to hike 19 miles back to Smokemont. I
wondered if that was feasible for me, decided it wasn’t, and I’d have to tough
it out another night. I had all day to plan how to stay warmer.
Chris announced that it was 25 degrees. We all cringed
putting on cold boots. The young woman from TN was hiking out to Cataloochee
today so she was happy.
Lane and Nancy enjoying a frigid al fresco breakfast
While others heated water, I found that I had brought a
hard-boiled egg to pair with my Clif bar. It was almost 9:00 a.m. when we started
out on Balsam Mountain Trail and I was intentionally last. The moderate uphill
warmup to Balsam High Top helped my frozen fingers thaw; then the trail
continued downhill to intersect the high end of Beech Gap I Trail. [Note:
The midpoint trailhead for the two sections of Beech Gap Trail is a place
called Round Bottom, at the intersection of two gravel roads – Balsam Mtn Road
and Straight Fork Road – thus the confusing names of Beech Gap I and Beech Gap
II Trail. This probably doesn't help without a map in front of you.]
Cold start
Anyhow, Beech Gap I was 2.5 miles down, steep enough that I
couldn’t get up any speed, and surprisingly I felt my left leg IT band
twinging. The trail was littered with
branches and some blowdowns, making me think that the horse people hadn’t been
out yet for spring cleaning. Under a stellar blue sky, though, I warmed up
enough to take off layers and gloves. No wind, no rain, no clouds, a beautiful
day in the Smokies.
At Round Bottom, the end of Beech Gap I Trail, I walked across
the hefty steel bridge spanning Straight Fork (a note of gratitude that the
bridge exists – not too long ago the creek flowed across a cement automobile
ford). The gang was stopped at the Beech Gap II trailhead but about ready to
move on.
This trail was the thing to conquer today – 2.8 miles, almost
2,000 feet elevation gain. Nancy and Chris and Lane continued on as I sat down
to eat another bar and psyche myself up. I started out hiking slowly,
determined not to get out of breath, but my lungs were not the problem – my legs
were weak from yesterday’s climb. I sang aloud, I hummed, I counted my steps to
1,000, then rested for 30 seconds. Near the end (is there an end?) I switched
to counting to 300, then resting for 30 seconds. I knew it wasn’t going to get any better and
was very discouraged, dismayed that age was affecting my stamina – or was it? Is
there such a big difference between 50 and 60? (yes) Or could it be my lack of
training? Was it the extra weight of the backpack? If I did this every weekend
for six weeks would it be as hard? But I couldn’t reason it out in the moment,
could only keep trudging uphill.
I reached the gap intersection with Hyatt Ridge Trail and was
encouraged to find Nancy and Lane still there.
Lane was finishing a snack and Nancy looked cold like she’d been there
long enough. It took me about 1 hour 45 minutes for the climb and Lane said it
took him about the same, and he stopped for a few one-minute breaks. That made me feel better. As before, they
left as I took a break.
Hyatt Ridge Trail was a respite, a combination of flat and gentle
downhill grade, one little bump that still felt hard but manageable. I turned
onto Enloe Creek Trail, a one-mile steep slide down into Raven Fork Gorge to
Campsite 47, now feeling good in the home stretch, and it was early afternoon. [Hiking
Trails of the Smokies contains an in-depth description of Enloe Creek Trail’s
geology and the namesake family’s history.]
Enloe Creek Trail crosses over a sweet cascade
A massive steel bridge crosses Raven Fork Creek. I don’t know
in what year, but the bridge was built after a backpacker drowned trying to
ford at this point during high water. The creek is powerful here, several
thundering waterfalls, not tall, but wide and pounding. We won’t hear any
animals during the night. Not sure if that’s good or bad…
My first hike across this bridge with Jim
during my Smokies 900 adventures in 2008
Campsite 47 is on the far side of the bridge, very small,
room for five or six tents. Before 2:30 p.m. we were all set up and stretched
out in the afternoon sun, so unusual to be at a backcountry site so early. Felt
strange but then luxurious as we talked and lazed around. The morning’s cold 25
degrees was gone.
Around 5:00 p.m. we each prepared our own meal, ate, cleaned
up. The afternoon glow on the surrounding mountaintops was lovely, but all
warmth faded with the sun. Remarking that it takes him an hour to warm up to
start going to sleep, Lane opted to turn in for the night. Nancy built and
tended a small fire (I think as a treat for me) while Chris and I stood around
talking with her and not helping at all.
If it had been 20 degrees warmer it would have been a laid-back
campfire, but we doused it before full dark and headed to our sleeping bags.
Campsite 47 is at 3,500 feet (2,000 feet lower than Laurel
Gap Shelter). How cold will it get tonight?
"The
wise man knows that it is better to sit on the banks of a remote mountain
stream than to be emperor of the whole world." ~Zhuangzi
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