Cumberland Gap National Historical Park – 8/31/19
Pinnacle
Overlook/Tri-State Peak/Wilderness Road – 3.2 Miles –
White Rocks Overlook –
6.6 Miles
Laid out over the interlocking puzzle pieces of Kentucky,
Tennessee and Virginia, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park tells the story
of Native Americans and then westward migration of settlers through this low
spot of the Appalachian Mountains.
The park is spread out and deserves advance planning (i.e.
reservations for some sites/tours) and more than one day to appreciate its
offerings – alas, that’s all we had. The biggest surprise of all: the
town of Cumberland Gap, sequestered in its little valley surrounded by federal
land.
First thing Saturday morning, Jim and I entered the Visitor
Center seeking wisdom on where to start. The ranger said, “You should get in
your car right now and drive straight up to Pinnacle Overlook because the
clouds are pouring through the Gap and y’all want to see that. Then you can come back and figure
out the rest.” We ran out the door, map in hand.
Town of Cumberland Gap, VA-TN-KY, clear skies
View from Pinnacle Overlook:
Town of Cumberland Gap on the (left) eastern side
Cumberland Mountain stretching out through the center
A glimpse of clouds over Middlesboro, KY on the (far right) western side
Middlesboro, KY, in a bowl covered by a thick layer of
cotton
Clouds thinning and moving out
Next we drove to the Thomas Walker parking area (who named
the Cumberland River and subsequently Cumberland Gap) for a short loop hike
beginning with Object Lesson Road. Odd name for a trail? Let that be a lesson
to you.
Our goal was Tri-State Peak where the KY/TN/VA borders meet.
Just a few hikers on the trail, including one young guy who passed us,
then Jim passed him, and I passed him as he stopped to rest, and he said, "Look at you!" Yeah (I thought to myself) I may be old but I know how to pace myself. [Before the end of the day kharma would punish me for this snobbery.]
At the tri-point there is a gazebo structure, a survey
marker, and monuments for each state with its state bird, state flower, state song, capital city, and other important stuff.
Of course, you have to do a full plank to touch all
three states at one
We backtracked to the intersection of the Tri-State Trail
(aka Cumberland Trail) and the Wilderness Road Trail, marked by Indian Rock,
and we stopped to eat lunch. We turned left to walk on the Wilderness Road Trail
back to our car. Part of this section is the original wilderness road that
settlers took through the gap to a better life, preceded by Daniel Boone who
scouted it in 1769, preceded by Native American hunters, preceded by buffalo
and other game. Cumberland Mountain is a long stretched out mountain ridge, like many along the Appalachians, and this low point or gap was the only way across on the arduous journey.
Looking at the cliffs as we drove to it, I should
have realized that the trail would be straight up.
A poor photo, but you get
the idea – I wish I had.
The hike started from a full parking lot at Ewing Trail. We
started at 1:45 pm, later than I might have if I had known what was ahead. I mentally
kicked myself for not getting more specifics. Signage for mileage was iffy, not
complete, but all those cars in the parking lot couldn’t be wrong – right? So
3.3 miles, over 2,000 feet elevation gain, a ridiculously hot day, and I whined
like a champ because I was with Jim and not other hiking friends. I was a
strong hiker and we made very good time, but I did get way too overheated on
the steep, steady grind. The trail wasn’t scenic or interesting (perhaps my
memory is not objective). At 2.5 miles, we turned right onto the Ridge Trail,
and even that mile “on the ridge” required effort with some minor rock
scrambling. There are zero photos to document this part of the experience.
When we arrived at the first overlook, Jim went out to enjoy
the views while I stayed in the trees to try to cool down. When I finally
stepped out into the sun to join him, it was pretty awesome.
There was just one young couple there also, otherwise the
cliffs were empty, despite the full parking area. However, the Ewing Trail
splits at the Ridge Trail intersection, going left on a loop to Sand Cave, also
a highly recommended destination but even further distancewise for us. Maybe
that’s where everyone else was.
We had a brief conversation with the young couple and they
left ahead of us. A few minutes later we started back, too, and we
saw them stopped on the ridge trail. A young male elk was grazing on the trail!
Two hikers stood on the trail beyond him, said they had been cautiously
following it since the intersection. He had red tags (number 276) on both ears
and didn’t seem at all perturbed as we watched and took photos – and he didn’t
seem inclined to yield. Finally we began advancing, talking loudly, and Mr. Elk
turned nonchalantly and walked on back to the intersection.
The hike down was cooler but grinding on my knees, so I
generally had something to complain about the whole way. Which is worse, out of
breath or grinding knees? Whichever one you are experiencing. But the reward for
the effort was the town of Cumberland Gap, nestled in the palm of God at the
foot of the mountain (too verbose?) We walked up and down all three
streets, lamented that we weren’t staying at the sweet B&B (no vacancy),
and checked out the local businesses, including a café, two antique stores, a
blacksmith shop, and the Little Congress Bicycle Museum (!)
We landed on barstools at Angelo’s in the Gap. Chatting with
the very young bartender, we learned that the bar is in a former bank building
and they use the bank vault to store beer kegs. They had 28 beers and 3 ciders
on tap! The guy next to me introduced himself (as fellow barstool sitters do). He's retired from the military, worked for a few years with GSMNP and CUHA. He told us
about more trails in the park and gave us maps for next time.
Connected to the bar was a dining room with Italian fare. Jim
and I carried our adult beverages to a table and wolfed down a giant pizza
while listening to the former high school principal playing his guitar and singing
“Fire on the Mountain.” Ah, a good day after all.
“Let a joy keep you. Reach out
your hands
and take it when it runs by.”
~Carl Sandburg
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