Pisgah 400: Thompson Creek Hike

 Pisgah 400: Thompson Creek Hike – 3/20/24 - 6.4 Miles

457 ft ele. gain, 2,112 ft ele. loss

Today is a special day: the first Wednesday of Jim’s retirement! What better way for him to celebrate than biking the Blue Ridge Parkway on a weekday? Double bonus points for me hiking while he’s biking. Luckily, the BRP runs right through Pisgah National Forest’s Ranger District. I’ll find something to do…

It’s easy to get excited about hikes to thundering waterfalls, towering rock formations, and grand vistas. Anticipation of a payoff for energy exerted pulls many people along the trail.

There are some of those thrills in Pisgah NF, but what appeals to me is trails rambling for miles and miles through deep forest. Solitude. Quiet. If you’re working on the Pisgah 400 Challenge, you’ll find yourself navigating remote trail loops, crossing a creek or two or ten and seeing very few fellow hikers. (Note: Be on alert on mountain biker trails, though.) 

Okay, a nice view from the Blue Ridge Parkway before I get started

Jim dropped me off at the Pisgah Inn, where the Mountains-to-Sea Trail passes by. We’d made our plan for a meetup point and time frame, since there may be no cell service. My hike route is not a loop, it's point-to-point: half a mile eastbound on the MST #440, right turn onto Laurel Mountain Trail #121, right turn onto Laurel Mountain Trail Connector #110, right onto Pilot Rock Trail #321, left onto Thompson Creek Trail #602 to its terminus at Yellow Gap Road (Forest Road 1206). Then I’ll walk on the gravel road toward paved Hwy 276 until Jim meets me.

GAIA track of my hike

I love following a rugged trail that maybe no one has been on for days, letting my imagination roam and asking myself questions aloud:

That sign – it’s different the others. Who put that sign there? How long ago?

I don't know!

That foliage – what flower will emerge? What bloom has already faded?
Galax foliage lining the trail above 4,000 feet - it will bloom late May through July

That building – what is it? I thought we were in a wilderness area
It's the Pisgah Inn on the BRP where I started, visible when the leaves are off the trees

That huge tree lying there – when did it fall? During a storm? Day or night?
 Did it make a sound? What happens to it now?

It becomes home for beetles, ants, mosses, fungi, mice and more,
maybe even as a "nurse log" for new growth

That flower – What is it? Ooh, I know this one!

Halberdleaf Yellow Violet

What animal(s) crossed this path 5 minutes ago?
What will cross it behind my back before I am out of sight?
None that I saw today, but I’m sure lots of critters saw me

That stream – how many snakes live there? (quick look around)

Headwaters of Thompson Creek

Thompson Creek Trail sign

Until now the hike has been easy, but now I’m going down, down, down. (Refer again to the GAIA track above.) The trail is one of the straightest lines on the entire Pisgah NF topo map, meaning it is S-T-E-E-P. It’s also overgrown, eroded in places, hasn’t seen maintenance in a while. I left off asking myself questions and concentrated on not skidding down slopes and busting my @%*.

Maybe one more question - How long is this downhill going to last?
About 2.3 miles, 1,600 feet elevation loss

Quads quaking, blue sky, wind in the treetops, breeze on my face, deep breaths of fresh air, what a great day to be outside!

Thompson Creek grew wider, tumbling over rocks and roots, yet still easy to cross. Imagine a heavy rain on these steep slopes and the entire trail could be part of the creek. 

Upper Thompson Creek Falls (a little bit off-trail) 

The end of the trail connecting to Yellow Gap Road

An alternative hike would be a short out-and-back from here up to the waterfall

I walked about 2 miles on Yellow Gap Road before Jim intercepted me. We were both hot, sweaty, dusty, in need of a change of clothes and an adult beverage. As we kicked back at Ecusta Brewing, he told me about his amazing ride on the BRP, surprised that there were few cars. Welcome to the land of playing on a weekday, Jim!

Cheers to Jim’s retirement!

“Often when you think you’re at the end of something,
you’re at the beginning of something else.”
~Fred Rogers