Wesser Creek Trail – 1/21/18 – 8.6 Miles
A very cold day again, some of the weekend crowd opted out
and others opted in for a hike to the Wesser Bald lookout tower. More than one way to get there, but we
decided on an out-and-back up Wesser Creek Trail – shortest mileage and (the
deciding factor) lunch at Jimmy Mac’s in Bryson City: priorities.
Wesser Bald Lookout Tower is really a wooden viewing
platform on steel supports that replaced the working fire lookout of years ago.
The “bald” itself is tree-covered. In November 2016, a terrible time period of
forest fires in western North Carolina, the woods surrounding Wesser Bald were
engulfed by the Tellico Fire, but the tower escaped damage because flames were
low as they consumed the underbrush on the mountains.
As you can guess, Wesser Creek Trail traces Wesser Creek
upstream, crisscrossing several times before settling on the right-hand side to
hug the mountain. The going was steady
and steep, gaining about 2,700 feet in 4.3 miles on a pretty skinny footpath.
This trail was once part of the Appalachian Trail, but now it doesn’t see as
much use as its reroute along the ridgeline down to the Nantahala Outdoor
Center. [The NOC is a much better place to end the day than a remote gravel lot.]
Wesser Creek
Today’s conditions were icy and then wet. As the temperature
increased, the mud thawed, and I slipped several times. After one particularly close call, my
chicken-self took over and I slowed down and contemplated each step.
In shady areas the frozen seeps that may not have been
noticeable from a distance now glistened like white lace.
This cove and its normally small cascade was transformed
into a massive ice wall
At the junction with the AT, we turned south and kept right
on climbing to the Wesser Bald tower – in fact, the last few hundred yards felt
like the steepest yet. I was the last one up the ladder for a few minutes of
panoramic mountain majesty. Even in the depths of cold January the ridges of brown,
gray and blue are breathtaking.
After a quick group photo everyone retreated back
down the ladder.
I did not enjoy the return hike, struggling between walking
carefully down the muddy slopes and keeping up with my fellow hikers. I failed
on both counts, with two more slip-and-falls, and again I was the last to
arrive at the parking lot. All in all, we met our goals of hiking to the tower
and back AND enjoying a late lunch at Jimmy Mac’s. Glad I wasn’t driving home.
“Every mile is two in winter.” ~George Herbert
