Jones Gap State Park Loop

Jones Gap State Park: Pinnacle Pass/John Sloan/Rim of the Gap Loop – 2/9/19 - 7.4 Miles

For someone who thinks she is “good at” geography, I do not have a firm mental map of the relationships of state parks and other public lands that touch each other at the mountainous NC/SC border. I can wave my hand in the general direction of Jones Gap State Park, but I can’t drive you there without consulting Google maps. Hmmm...is it really just south of Dupont State Forest? And what about Holmes Educational State Forest - NC or SC? I thru-hiked the Foothills Trail from Oconee State Park to Caesars Head State Park, but the details are fuzzy. And Mountain Bridge Wilderness – what’s that all about? I must do better.

Still working on my “60 Hikes” self-challenge, my wintertime options were determined by algorithms of good weather, reasonable drive time, daylight hours, and road openings. On this day, Jones Gap State Park fit the parameters, so off I went. And of course I was surprised (again) by how easy the drive is from Charlotte.

NOTE #1: Unlike NC state parks (free), the SC state parks charge a small fee, usually cash in an envelope at the parking area (small bills, no change for your $20). Also, the mountain area state parks do not have trash receptacles, so plan to carry your sandwich wrappers and Big Gulp cups home.

NOTE #2: Trail signage is a Forrest Gump practice in Jones Gap SP. Hikers, know your trail names, numbers and blaze colors. You never know what you’re gonna see!

A bright February day, temperature in the low 40’s, a nice clockwise loop of Pinnacle Pass Trail to John Sloan Trail to Rim of the Gap Trail and back to the visitor center, looks good on paper. I’m hiking on a Saturday and expect to see lot of peeps (surprise – not a soul on my entire route. Wake up, South Carolina!)

At 10:00 a.m. I crossed the Middle Saluda River on a wide bridge and started from the 
Jones Gap Trailhead. 

A trail closure – does that affect my plan?  A quick check of my trail map says nope.

About the length of a football field, a left turn onto the Rim of the Gap Trail (#6 yellow blaze); a few minutes more, another left turn onto Pinnacle Pass Trail (#20 white blaze), and we get serious. Pinnacle Pass is steep, a bit technical, many boulders. Very dry conditions today - I can imagine what it’s like after a rain or a freeze. I’m a little (lot) nervous at the thought of an injury on a very cold solo day, making yet another pledge with myself to get a personal locator beacon.

I don’t know the name of the creek that creates this slippery slope.  This is one place to be extra super-duper careful as the trail passes close alongside.

There was a short respite as the trail goes over the shoulder of the mountain, then another very steep climb on narrow track to what I hope is the summit. A side trail to the right with a chain link handrail took me to a rock outcropping and a firstclass view to the rock cliffs on the far side of the gap and beyond.

Near the center of the ridgeline in the photo is a small white horizontal line that is Pretty Place Chapel and YMCA Camp Greenville. I once attended a lovely wedding of two hiker friends there.

I stopped for lunch at an innocuous spot along the ridgeline trail, just me and my cheese and crackers in the stillness of the day. 

When you’re sitting near the ground you see things in a different way

White blazes were abundant on Pinnacle Pass Trail, never out of sight. I was the only sound, boots kicking up rustling leaves, no breeze.

The trail passed over a second bump (maybe that was Little Pinnacle?) and a third bump, then through a few hundred yards of mountain laurel tunnel before opening to a wide road bed.

What’s this all over the ground?

Some critter ripped big holes in the tree 20 feet high

I paused at the 6-20 Connector Trail (#22 purple blaze), interesting that the sign is chained to the tree (to prevent it from becoming a souvenir?).  I considered shortcutting over to Rim of the Gap Trail here, but continued on, fingers crossed that the next intersection would be as easy to identify (it wasn’t.)

                                                                                                                                                      

P1 campsite, looks like bring-your-own-water

I arrived at a wide clear space that looked like a trail Junction, but no signage.  I puzzled for a moment, turned 360 degrees and saw a small pink blaze on a tree on my right.  About 40 feet past it was a tiny trail sign for the John Sloan Trail connector (#21 pink blaze).  I could not have seen it from the intersection.  

No need to be annoyed – the John Sloan Trail was a beauty, 1.2 miles of easy-peasy. At the next junction, a right turn put me on the ROTG Trail that parallels Pinnacle Pass Trail at lower elevation and I hiked 2.5 miles back to the VC to complete my loop. I was quite surprised to see the poor condition of this trail, until I considered that winter always takes its toll and maintenance cannot happen everywhere at once.

Altogether the loop took me 4.5 hours, longer than normal but factoring in the rock scrambling and valley viewpoint and lunch and plain ol’ lollygagging on a solitary day.  I will visit again in another season (not summer) to compare.

Another great report of this loop hike here.

“As you sit on the hillside, or lie prone under the trees of the forest, or sprawl wet-legged by a mountain stream, the great door, that does not look like a door, opens.”  ~Stephen Graham

Linville Gorge: Pine Gap Trail and Bynum Bluff Trail In the Wintertime

Linville Gorge: Pine Gap Trail and Bynum Bluff Trail – 1/19/19 – 3 miles

 

Linville Gorge:  Grand Canyon of the East, rugged wilderness, wild forest.  On paper, a straightforward looking canyon cut by the Linville River, accessible by trails from both sides.  On paper, bridges that cross the river make a rim-to-rim hike a day’s adventure. Don't be seduced by a map - do some thorough research before you tackle it.

Danny Bernstein’s succinct description from Hiking North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains might make a hiker pause: “The Linville River starts at Grandfather Mountain and flows through high valleys into Linville Gorge. Here, the river snakes for 12 miles, slashing through the canyon and ending in Lake James …The gorge is 2,000 feet deep in places and is so steep and inaccessible that the forest within it has never been logged. The Wilderness Area itself, encompassing more than 11,000 acres of protected land, is a solitary world filled with the roar of the river.” 

On every hike in Linville Gorge I’ve learned lessons, most times painful ones. From getting lost in the fog to heat exhaustion (never alone, always with other hikers), time and again we have overestimated human abilities and underestimated the ruggedness of the Gorge. A reliable 2 mile per hour pace for me anywhere else is not possible here. A 10-mile day is going to take all day and you’re going to feel it. Navigation skills are required and still you may question your location because the pace you are used to doesn’t apply.

An invitation to visit Cathy in her mountain hideaway near Linville Gorge sounded just fine. I was very much looking forward to a short hike on some new trails to help me gain confidence. Cathy, her son Patrick, her new four-legged Plott hound, Ellie, and another hiking friend had hiked in an enchanted dusting of snow in the Gorge earlier in the day. Over dinner they relayed a tale of Ellie catching a scent and tearing off into the thick forest. For an anxious half-hour they searched and called for her until she suddenly reappeared.  Hmmm…let’s try going into the Gorge again tomorrow with Ellie, keeping her on a leash.  I wonder how that’s going to work…

Morning was crisp and clear, blue skies and a brisk wind served up with a leisurely breakfast by Patrick, the resident chef: venison sausage, eggs, grits and toast. Yes, I’d love a second cup of coffee!

We drove along gravelly winter-worn Kiestler Highway on the western rim of the Gorge. Our hike plan was a loop: Pine Bluff Trail down to the river, then a short stretch on Linville River Trail to Bynum Bluff Trail, back up to Kiestler and a road walk back to the car – 3 miles. (Note: Pine Bluff Trail is #231 on the Forest Service map of Linville Gorge Wilderness and the Linville River Trail is also #231...)

Traces of snow were lingering on in the shadows (which was just about everywhere). Everything else was slippery wet. Ellie wore a red harness on a leash, but that lasted about ten minutes, as it wasn’t at all practical to hold onto the leash of an enthusiastic dog on slick rocks and steep terrain. We give credit to Ellie as she stayed with us. We attempted to keep her between the first and last person and the red harness was easy to see. Pine Bluff Trail is surprisingly level and benign for short stretches, but don’t get complacent, especially in icy conditions.

We slid down this on our behinds

 

At a four-way intersection, Patrick led us left to drop down to the river’s edge. A breathtaking scene: enormous boulders, thundering water flow, wild and deserted (though surely it’s crowded in summertime, multiple campsites and fire rings, a great swimming hole – I don’t think I would like camping here with a crowd.)

Ellie likes the water so Cathy kept her on leash

We couldn’t walk too far downriver because of the high water level and it was too cold to sit down on anything, so after the photo ops we retraced our steps up to the 4-way intersection.

At that point Cathy suggested extending the hike, but I stood my ground to hike up Bynum Bluff Trail and road walk back to the car as planned – I was determined to complete a Linville Gorge hike without regrets.  I knew they couldn’t resist going further into the Gorge. I offered to drive to meet them at another trailhead, so they opted to continue on the River Trail and back up to Kiestler Highway via the Babel Tower Trail. Caution:  if I can’t drive on the rough road, they’d have to walk the road back to me.

We parted ways at 12:30 p.m., me alone to hike up Bynum Bluff, Cathy and Patrick and Ellie to Babel Tower. They thought they would be finished by 2:00 p.m.

Did I mention that none of us had a map so all distances and time frames were estimates? Apparently we have learned nothing from Gilligan and the others.

Bynum Bluff was an excellent trail, a brief steep ascent and then a long gentle ridge walk with many viewpoints towards the Gorge, Hawksbill and Table Rock clearly visible most of the way.

Hawksbill and Table Rock

Hawksbill and the Linville River

I reveled in the solitary walk in the woods, the chill temperature, noisy leaf litter, bare trees. Because the conditions were so good, I felt a teeny bit of regret at not going along with my friends – BUT I was happy and didn’t want to become unhappy.

Taking my sweet time, I returned to the car around 1:30 p.m. and drove towards our rendezvous trailhead, but the washed-out gravel road was too rough and rutted to safely continue.  I pulled over to wait, knowing that it would add about a mile of road walk for them. I was delighted to find cell coverage, so I ate my lunch, checked email and FB, edited photos.

Cathy and Patrick did not return by 2:00, or by 2:30, or by 2:45.  At 3:00 I began walking to meet them, and they came around the corner after just a couple of minutes.  Turns out the route they hiked was longer than they had estimated.  What a surprise! But they were happy with their choice as well.

Only three miles for me, but a win all the same.  Thanks, Linville Gorge! Back to Cathy’s place for another great Patrick-inspired meal, an adult beverage and a campfire.

“In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration.” ~Ansel Adams