Pisgah 400: Lollipop Hike At Turkeypen Gap– 8/24/18 – 6
Miles
South Mills River Trail/Pounding Mill Trail/Squirrel Gap
Trail/Mullinax Gap Trail/South Mills River Trail
The orthopedist said the cartilage in my right knee is now
just a memory and my running days (pain free) are over. Hiking and backpacking, however, are still
thumbs up. Fresh from a cortisone shot,
I tried a short hike in Pisgah National Forest on a hot August Friday
morning.
I chose the short route out of caution for not overdoing my
knee, but also because I still don’t trust Pisgah – hiking there is wonky sometimes when my map doesn’t match real life. Yadda yadda yadda, I’ve said it many times
before. Going anyway.
Turkeypen Gap trailhead was new to me and I’m glad to make
its acquaintance because many loops start from that point. I met an older guy
in the parking lot also getting ready to hike. He expressed mild surprise that
I was hiking alone, but when I asked him if he was alone he said yes. I did not
express surprise. Two questions: why the
difference? And should I have told him?
He may have been up to no good. Which answers question #1.
I started out on wide South Mills River Trail (hiking/biking/horses),
which drops down to a large swinging bridge across the South Fork. [Note: "drops down" means "uphill" on the return.] On the far side of the
bridge I encountered the first confusing intersection of the day. I quickly figured
out that there is a horse option to crossing South Fork, then a sharp elbow
left turn to continue on the SMR Trail (directed by an old wooden sign). I also
noted the T-intersection with Mullinax Trail where my clockwise loop
begins/ends.
Still on the South Mills River Trail, another intersection
and a horse camp, no signage. My first
instinct was to turn left to stay close to the river, but the trail to the
right looked significant too, so I followed it and saw a faint blaze. The trail
eventually swings left and back to following upriver, now flowing deep in a
gorge. It eventually becomes level with the water again at a rock outcrop that
invited me to pause.
Intersection with Poundingmill Trail, hikers-only, and I see
by the topo that it goes straight up a draingage to Poundingstone
Mountain. The trail was slim and surprisingly not too overgrown, very
enjoyable, orange blazes in all the right places. I crossed Poundingstone Branch 13 times, all
rock hops but not one-steps. The last
quarter mile was quite steep.
Doll's-eye
I felt energized and not yet in need of a break, but the
junction with Squirrel Gap Trail invited hikers to stop. (Question: what happened to the "S" in Squirrel on the signpost?) As I ate my apple, a lone hiker came through
with a fishing pole sticking up out of his backpack.
Squirrel Gap Trail (hiking/biking/horses) followed the
ridge, another enjoyable trail, signage at the next intersection. My wariness
of Pisgah was fading as I skipped merrily along. Then I came upon two large
campsites at Mullinax Gap and was reminded: stay on the trail, don’t go through
the campsites, or you will get confused and miss the intersection. By now I
knew to nose around all the options for a few minutes. I found my correct turn
onto Mullinax Gap Trail.
Running cedar, aka fan clubmoss, reproduces by spores
Mullinax Gap Trail (hiking/biking/horses, emphasis on mountain bikers) descends to
the river
Thumbnail size pieces of mica rock caught my eye in the
dappled sunshine, then I noticed flecks of mica in the sandy soil like diamonds,
silver glitter, a long stretch of mica dust. A year or so ago on Spencer Branch Trail in Pisgah NF I discovered an enormous hunk of mica rock. A reminder that
when you’re hiking, be sure to look up, down and all around – you’ll be amazed!
At the intersection of Mullinax Gap Trail and South Mills
River my loop was completed and I was back in familiar territory. I turned left,
crossed the swinging bridge again, and began the moderate uphill.
About a hundred yards from the parking lot, I came upon a
mother carrying a very tiny infant in a Snuglie and two little girls (3 or 4
years old) walking in the same direction, so obviously they had ventured a
little ways out. One of the girls was fussy. I shouted hello from a distance so
as not to startle them as I approached. Mom said they are discussing their
favorite desserts (cupcakes) to distract them from the difficulty of the walk
and the heat. Kudos to Mom!
All in all, a long drive for a short hike, but a triumph on
two fronts: my knee felt fine and I chipped away at my intimidation of hiking
in Pisgah. I’ll take the win! If only returning to Charlotte was easy…
“I have
two doctors, my left leg and my right.” ~G.M. Trevelyan
No comments:
Post a Comment