Ten short weeks until Carol and I start our thru-hike of the Tahoe Rim Trail – time for a gear test shakedown backpacking trip in our favorite place – Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Car camping at Deep Creek the evening before our trip (using a different tent and sleeping bag so my backpack is ready to go)
We met our shuttle pickup at 7:30 a.m. at the Noland Creek trailhead on Lakeshore Drive. As the van turned out of the parking area, I saw a bear’s hind end cross the road and melt into the trees on the mountainside. A good omen?
Next, the driver picked up four guys in Bryson City wearing shorts and small water bladder daypacks. They were planning a trail run from Clingman’s Dome down through Deep Creek and to their hotel (20+ miles). We wished them well as they stepped out into the chill air at the Dome.
The driver took a starting photo op of Carol and me when he dropped us at the Noland Divide trailhead. A typical June morning in the Smokies: wearing long pants and rain jackets, knowing we’ll soon take them off when we get below the ridge.
Noland Divide Trail descends steadily to Sassafrass Gap. Hiking Trails of the Smokies, also called “the brown book,” describes the trail as it “follows the crest of Noland Divide among never-logged and second-growth trees, including Eastern hemlock, various oaks and maples, and Juneberry. American chestnut stumps, fallen trunks, and saplings abound.” A shady summertime delight, wildflowers showing off all the way:
At different points along the way we met two pairs of hikers going up Noland Divide. I think we were having more fun than they were. At Sassafras Gap we turned right onto Noland Creek Trail, a very different character than its sister trail that was a dry ridge. Creek means wet, which means creek crossings.
[Backcountry campsites are designated by numbers on the trail map, but they also have names. Some local horse folks told me once upon a time that they only know the sites by name, not by number. So I'm including both for reference.]
We careened down a crazy steep mile to Campsite 61 (Bald Creek), where Bald Branch and Sassafras Branch join Noland Creek. We had a little trouble finding our way through the campsite area spread out in high vegetation with water on all sides. GAIA was confused, too.
I am fascinated by cemeteries in the Smokies, reminders of human history. Finding information about those deep in the backcountry is not easy. Many are not acknowledged by the Park, but sometimes there is a “No Horses” signpost that indicates a cemetery within a reasonable walking distance (usually uphill) on a narrow path. Various sources give differing accounts of who is buried where and often the cemeteries have multiple names, combining location and local resident surnames.
The Jerry Flats/Wiggins Cemetery is near Campsite 63 (Jerry Flats) on Noland Creek. I read one account that “Jerry” is a mispronunciation of the word “cherry” referring to large stands of cherry trees in the Flats area in pre-logging days. The land here was owned by Jim “Ute” Wiggins. Two children of Jim and Lillie Wiggins are buried here beneath old headstones and granite markers placed later.
Past the campsite, Noland Creek Trail widens and bridges appear – no more wading!Campsite 64 (Mills River) is a large camping area for both backpackers and horses at the intersection of Noland Creek and Springhouse Branch Trails. There are stone picnic style tables for Decoration Day events when family members visit cemeteries along Noland Creek. Carol and I were spending the night here.
We had our choice of sites bu couldn’t set up tents yet because we needed our hiking poles for the next segment of our plan: hiking up Springhouse Branch Trail to Forney Ridge Trail and back. We dropped our backpacks on a spot by the creek, leaving the sites with fire rings for others to use.
I carried a string bag with water, a snack and a rain jacket for the out-and-back. Even with so little weight, the hike was a serious 2.8 steep miles up to the junction with Forney Ridge (1,500 feet in the first 2.2 miles). Having already hiked 9 miles with a loaded pack, my legs were weak and the heat took its toll. Carol and I were marching and not talking much. But, hey, more pretty wildflowers and mosses!
We met a woman who was headed to Campsite 64. She was solo backpacking, working on the Smokies 900 and vlogging about it. If we make it back to camp alive, it will be fun to chat with her.
the last time we were there less than a year ago (in a downpour) and how badly I bonked.
Our descent back to camp went (too) quickly, probably will hurt us tomorrow, but we were glad to finish this hard-to-reach trail. Yes, Smokies 900 map hikers are a little bit nuts.
Across the creek from Campsite 64 are remains of the Rust homesite/former ranger station. While Carol settled herself in camp, I walked up the hill from the homesite to Upper Noland Cemetery, the resting place of 35 souls who once called the Noland Creek community home.
Back at camp, I set up my space and prepared for the next day. More folks were arriving and settling in. A group of 3 guys showed up and took the site with the fire ring, which they immediately set ablaze. Another man came in with a hammock, said he was supposed to go on to another campsite but he’d had enough for one day. Last in was another single man who was hiking the Benton MacKaye Trail in big mileage days. He was a minimalist with a bivy-type tent and a small backpack.
I’m trying out a Bare Boxer bear canister for the TRT trip. It is quite small, ideal for weekend trips, but anything larger won’t fit in my backpack and I’m not willing to buy a new pack. We are planning to hit resupply every third or fourth day (three nights max) so I think for each segment I can carry the first day’s food outside the canister and the rest inside.
The literal “water under the bridge” where we collected and filtered waterWe cooked and ate supper at a picnic table with solo backpacker Cindy. She drives down every couple of months from Indiana, concentrating on the Smokies 900 miler, and she vlogs on YouTube “to keep herself accountable”. I told her it’s a great thing to make a record, she will enjoy looking back at it and so will her kids someday. We suggested our concept of backpacking in to a basecamp and hiking in loops, which was new to her.
I am usually leery of a lot of people in camp, but we were a nice mix, serious about our hikes, good conversation and early bedtime (even the campfire crew). It was still dusky-dark at 9:00 pm when I crawled into my tent. I left the flap open most of the night (screen closed). At one point I noticed blinking lights, opened the screen and stuck my head out – synchronous fireflies! You don’t have to book a time slot at Elkmont to see them – just go out into the backcountry.
As I drifted to sleep, I pondered how to alter our hike plan for tomorrow, because after the day we’ve had, hauling loaded packs halfway up Bear Creek Trail seems overwhelming.
Deep in the night, I was awakened by howling coyotes, not very far away.
“Let children walk with Nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star, and they will learn that death is stingless indeed, and as beautiful as life.”
~John Muir
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