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 from 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 with no switchbacks. 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, lungs filled with 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

Palmetto Trail: Eutaw Springs Passage - Section 1

Palmetto Trail: Eutaw Springs Passage Section 1

Mac Daddy’s to Old Number Six Highway & Rocks Pond Road

3/8/24 – 11.1 Miles

“Red sky at morning, sailors take warning”

The campground was lively last night, as Thursday is the traditional first day of weekends by the water. The rain subsided, inviting folks to relax outside of their RV’s. Sunrise was a miracle, deep colors reflected over the water. Skies were overcast (again) so we donned rain jackets (again), ready for another day on the Palmetto Trail.

Carol and I had miles to walk, then a long drive home. We packed up, had another biscuit breakfast, and said goodbye to Angel’s Landing.

Today’s section called for road walking the first 7 miles, then woodsy with a chance of swampiness. We drove the road parts, deemed them doable and decided to do the wet part last. Foreshadowing: a good decision, or we might have bailed out altogether.

After parking Carol’s car at Highway 6 & Rocks Pond Road, we drove back to Mac Daddy’s, paid $5 to park a car for the day and set off. Early morning school buses were making their rounds.

We walked a combination of paved and gravel roads, making pretty much a straight line westward. The neighborhoods were hushed and we were on the lookout for home-guarding dogs, but there were no threats today. 

Hmmm…

At a paved road crossing, we stopped at a Marathon gas station for a bathroom break and a rest, sitting on the grass under the sign. The owner of the ABC store next door came out to see if we needed anything (are we vagrants?)

The trail map led us to Farm Hill Circle, a smooth paved road, but it seemed to go up a homeowner’s driveway. Assuming that was inappropriate access, we interpreted that we should go around.

Following the fence line at the back of the property, we found ourselves in a flooded area. Trail signs had disappeared (again), assuming they were on the fence posts which were now completely underwater. Did we learn nothing from the previous day in Grandpa’s backyard?? 

Before we knew it, Carol and I were in deep (literally) stepping from grassy clump to tree stump to downed tree, trying to get through the flooded area. Have you ever found yourself at a point where turning back was as bad as going forward? Problem solving wilderness Girl Scout mode took over.

We piled up downed branches to make a “bridge” over a stretch of water
 that was too far to step across

After several bridge-building scenarios, we surrendered and took the plunge into who-knows-how-deep water, sloshing until we reached the edge of the swamp and a lovely pine needle covered forest road - Hooray! 

Dear reader, we were NOT yet out of the woods. Deep ditches on both sides of the forest road, flanked by high banks. Soon the road was murky water. 

Just keep straight, don’t stop, don’t splash, and don’t look!

We emerged on County Line Road and were tempted to walk the paved road straight to our car and erase this day (and yesterday) from our memory banks. This isn't what we signed up for, right? But after an existential conversation on the meaning of life and doing hard things, we decided to stay on trail, today and to the end of the Palmetto Trail in the mountains of Oconee County, SC. 

Ride-or-Die

BFFs

Trail Friends4Ever

Palmetto Trail: Lake Moultrie Passage - Section 2

Palmetto Trail: Lake Moultrie Passage Section 2

Amos Gourdine Landing to Viper Road

3/7/24 – 14.8 Miles

Morning conditions: an overcast sky and squishy ground around our tents. Fingers crossed for the weather to improve. (It worked!) Today Carol and I tackled Section 2 of the Lake Moultrie Passage.

Before we left Angels Landing Campground, we stopped at the restaurant and asked Ray if he would mind being a contact person if we literally got in too deep around Springwood Road. This section could be swampy and we wanted a bail-out option. He said yes and gave us his phone number. I might have seen him shaking his head as we went out the door.

We parked a car where the trail crosses Viper Road near the campground, with the idea that if we finish the 12-mile section early enough, we’ll tackle the 3-mile road walk from there to the end of Section 2.

Starting from Amos Gourdine Landing again, this time westbound, we looked for Palmetto Trail signs pointing out which bridge to take across the diversion canal. First bridge, no signs. Second bridge, railroad. Third bridge, no signs, but we ran across it anyway (should have crossed on the first bridge.) Our confusion added 2.5 miles to our day.

On track at last, Carol and I were up on the dike again, enjoying partial shade and a pleasant breeze as we passed by piney woods and a wide canal bustling with wildlife. Two bald eagles circled overhead.

Loblolly Pine male yellow pollen cones and large brown female cones

The first time we heard a very loud splashy “plop” and saw a wave ripple across the water, we thought an alligator had snagged something to eat. After several more splashes, we deduced that our presence was startling gators sunning on the banks and, one by one, they slipped into the water. There were a lot of them!

Turtles on the move, some quickly crossing the flat top of the dike, some coming up from the canal, some going down the far bank

Unlike the endless straight miles walking on the dike on our first day, angles and turns helped us to feel progress. Still, taking bathroom breaks were tricky, either out in the open or amongst trees in standing water. 

Railroad tracks?

At midafternoon the dike walk ended. The trail descended into piney woods transformed into swamp by the recent rains. Not gonna lie, I was petrified, but I knew I had to suck it up, praying that (A) the water wasn’t deep enough to support a real alligator and (B) that snakes did not exist.  

Boardwalk soon disappeared. With great skills in tricky sidestepping and slight bushwhacking, we made our way until we reached a chain link fenced backyard that was the domain of a small but ferociously barking dog. The racket drew the attention of a little boy that lived there, who ran to get his grandpa. Carol and I stood looking at the deep black lake that, according to GPS, was the Palmetto Trail.

Welcome to Hammonds Landing, the end of Springwood Road.

Grandpa splashed through his yard to say hello and suggested we walk around to the dry side of his property and follow the road through the neighborhood “and the trail is right there.” 

According to GPS and our two sets of eyes, the trail was not, in fact, right there. We’d heard about a “beautiful high wood bridge” that spanned across this swampy area, but we never saw it. If you’ve read my blog for a while, you know there was some moaning and groaning on my part right about now.

We thought about calling Ray for rescue but decided that we can do hard things. As we splashed around in the pines we noticed yellow blazes, decided that was all we had to go on, and pinged from one to the next until we got to higher ground on a forest road parallelling Bulltown Ditch. Soon we emerged onto Viper Road. What felt like hours was about 45 minutes.

Carol and I agreed not to spend the rest of the day walking the remaining 3 miles on Viper Road and Highway 45 to complete Section 2. Both roads were very busy with trucks, including a large bridge over the canal connecting Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion. There were no road shoulders to walk safely and the risk was not reasonable.

Instead we took our chances at Mac Daddy’s, a fish camp overlooking the water. Not a fancy place, but they sure know how to fry stuff! Delicious catfish bites, sweet tea and the best hushpuppies I think I’ve ever eaten.

“Bonfire burning on the banks of the river

All the girls come running when they smell the fish fry

Barefoot dancing when we dip in the river

I’ll be loving this river ‘til the day I die.”

~”O Cumberland River” Old Crow Medicine Show

Palmetto Trail: Eutaw Springs Passage - Section 2

Palmetto Trail: Eutaw Springs Passage Section 2

Old Number Six Highway to Eutawville, SC

3/6/24 – 10 Miles

For the two Palmetto Trail sections in South Carolina that Carol and I were tackling on this outing, we’d planned 4 days of hiking, but not necessarily contiguous miles (big word). Each day we checked the weather, the trail maps, and ground conditions so we don’t go swimmin’ with gators.

Carol checking for critters

After a night of steady rain, we woke up to a lighter drizzle in the morning. The forecast swore it would increase to a steady downpour and then…Aha! Clear skies by afternoon.

We’d spent 2+ hours looking at maps for alternative access to Section 2 of Lake Moultrie Passage.  After a breakfast of possibly the best biscuits ever made, stuffed with eggs and cheese and…yeah, I’ll take the bacon, too…we set out in both cars, going down several roadways that looked okay on paper but were impassable.

Plan B: Eutaw Springs Section 2. We drove the route as far as we could from the intersection of Old Number Six Highway and Rocks Pond Road to Gardensgate (be patient, someone like us is reading these details because they need them). Nearly all pavement and dirt roads, lots of water-filled potholes, but better than wading in the swamps near Lake Moultrie.

When we finish those 8 miles or so, we’ll see if we have time for the remaining couple of miles to complete Section 2 in Eutawville.

We started at Gardensgate Road on an easy footpath following a fence line, graceful trees dripping with Spanish moss, bucolic views to open pastures.

Carolina jessamine

Turning onto unpaved Battlefield Drive, we walked through a small community that we had driven an hour earlier. After a quick lunch break, we joined Old Number Six Highway, stopping briefly at Belvidere Cemetery. From this website: “Many African-American graves were moved from Belvidere Plantation to this New Belvidere Cemetery in preparation for the flooding of the plantation and the creation of Lake Marion.”

Unpaved Fredcon Road crossed a finger of Lake Marion

We walked two more miles of straight dirt road, noticing that the water puddles we’d seen earlier had been quickly absorbed by the sandy soil. We met a local man walking his dog. He said he called this road “Gator Road” and saw an uncommonly big one just last week. Huh.

Here there be gators

In the same stretch we paused at a heartfelt memorial to a young man who was an avid duck hunter. He died at 2018 at the age of 17, but the memorial looked very recent, lovingly maintained.

The remainder of the road walk featured swampy areas with cypress trees and knees, a juvenile brown snake, and an armadillo carcass.

We arrived at Rocks Pond Road with time to reposition our cars and knock off the rest of Section 2. The stretch was all road walking from “downtown” Eutawville to Gardensgate Road. There was a sidewalk on one side, along with aggressive dogs protecting their houses, so we had to cross to the opposite shoulder (no sidewalk). 

This last bit on a busy road got us thinking about another stretch of road on Lake Moultrie Section 2 (tomorrow’s route). It’s 3 miles on Highway 6, including the diversion canal bridge, lots of traffic and not much shoulder. The Palmetto Trail is designated on roadways when dirt tread is not possible, BUT good judgment tells us not to walk every inch if it doesn’t feel safe.

All in all, a successful day! Back at camp, we discovered that our tents were now surrounded by water. No other tent campers, so we moved to dry ground wherever we could find it. A shower, a meal, and recharging power banks while we plotted tomorrow’s adventure.

"A bend in the road is not the end of the road...

unless you fail to make the turn."

~Helen Keller