Bartram Trail: Wine Spring Gap to Appletree Campground

Bartram Trail: Wine Spring Gap to Appletree Campground – 11/4/23 – 12.5 Miles

Wind blew through the treetops all night. Falling leaves and acorns sounded like rain pitter-pattering on my tent. Around 2:00 am I heard a truck drive past our hideaway site (late night visitors to the fire tower?)

I heard Jeff stirring in his tent before 6:30 am and thought, well, we may as well get up. Daylight was a long way off but we could set up our shuttle, place my car at Appletree Campground, then eat breakfast and prepare for the hike there rather than up on this dark and windy mountainside.

Who cares about these details? A weird subset of folks in the hiking universe who like logistics. 

Appletree Campground closes for the season on October 31, but there is parking outside the gate. Once we got organized, we drove Jeff’s truck back up to our campsite/parking spot to start the day’s hike near the Bartram/AT intersection. 

Déjà vu except today we're turning left/west/northbound towards Sawmill Gap

Looks like it’s going to be another gorgeous day

Always wear orange so you'll show up in the photos (and the hunters will see you!)

For the first couple of miles the terrain was easy, moderate ups and downs. We passed through three open fields that until recently had been covered in tall grass and thickets of blackberry brambles. We appreciated the recent mowing, not taking for granted that volunteers and forest service staff maintain these public lands for us.

Prepared with a new peak bagging list for today, Jeff stepped off trail to summit McDonald Ridge. I took this opportunity to eat a snack and then kept going at a leisurely pace. He quickly caught up to me.

Hornets’ nest

Sawmill Gap – can you see the moon?

At Sawmill Gap we crossed Wine Springs Whiteoak Road and a large parking area where horse trailers unload. (This is a trailhead for the Wine Spring Loop Trail which also passes the Wine Spring horse campsites.) We hiked up towards Jarrett Bald, and Jeff went off-trail to the summit while I wandered ahead, lulled into a false sense of security by the moderate terrain, everything deafened by the ever-present sound of rustling leaves.

And then…the descent to Nantahala Lake. Two steep miles of slippery leaves, with a short stint of narrow ridge littered with boulders hidden by the slippery leaves, followed by even more downhill (is that possible?) on slippery leaves. I slid a hundred times, most often catching myself with my hiking poles. Jeff’s strategy was sliding his feet along the ground in order to stay on dirt, but that meant his boots catching every rock and root. Like the day before, I vowed I would never hike at this time of year again.

At Nantahala Lake we had a short walk on Wayah Road, around a sharp bend with guard rails and very little shoulder. We had to hustle while listening and watching for vehicles. 

At the small inlet at the curve, we sat for our lunch break. Judging from the shoreline, it appeared that this spot was normally underwater but the current water level was pretty low.

Break time is over: get back up, stretch those sore muscles, and get back on Wayah Road for about half a mile to where the trail turned left up an old paved road (seldom used, from the looks of the undisturbed leaf cover and the old truck). 

The trail undulated off and on old forest roads. Jeff headed off for his final peak of the day (unnamed?) and I had an hour to continue around the base of the mountain. Mercifully, the trail was well graded again, pleasant walking. At one point there were no trail signs at all at an obvious turn, so I plopped down, spread out my rain jacket and laid down to wait for Jeff. Just 20 minutes later, he showed up.

But...the last quarter mile of descent in this section was super steep (again!) and I fell hard, bouncing from my back to my front, trying to avoid hyperextending my knee. No serious injuries, but I was very sore for a few days afterwards.

We crossed the concrete ford where the Nantahala River flows out of the lake. The ford is not passable in high water but was very low today. (Note: as you’re planning to hike this section, research the current stage of the river in case you should take an alternative route.)

Two final boring miles on an unpaved road to the intersection of Junaluska Road and Old River Road, where Appletree Campground is located. 

Stats: 12.5 miles, 1.280 feet elevation gain, 3,652 feet elevation loss

Sore knees and a long drive home, but two days of fine weather walking in the woods with an adventurous friend – this is the life!

“The acoustics of this season are different
and all sounds, no matter how hushed,
 are as crisp as autumn air.”
 ~Eric Sloane

Bartram Trail: Wine Spring Bald to Wallace Branch

Bartram Trail: Wine Spring Bald to Wallace Branch – 11/3/23 – 14.5 Miles

A hiking adventure with my friend Jeff, long overdue! Finding something that’s new for both of us took some thinking, until we found that we have the Bartram Trail in common. Jeff has hiked the Georgia section and I’ve hiked some miles on the North Carolina end.

We settled on the 23-mile section in Nantahala National Forest between Wallace Branch and Appletree Campground in NC. Considering Jeff’s penchant for peak bagging, this stretch was especially enticing to him.

My plan: This could be a straightforward backpacking section, but since we will have two cars, I concocted a complicated scheme of shuttling, dayhiking and car camping. This involved more time moving vehicles, but it meant we could start from the high point both days (Wayah Bald) and hike downhill to the end points with light packs rather than killing ourselves (i.e. me) hauling a loaded backpack uphill.

Jeff’s extra plans: he wanted to summit six off-trail peaks on the first day’s hike. Also, starting from the Wayah Bald parking lot was too simple – let’s start from a more obscure point where the AT crosses Wayah Road and climbs northbound to intersect the Bartram Trail.

Camping is off limits at Wayah Bald Fire Tower, so Jeff studied maps and satellite images to find a suitable (free) site close by.

We met at the Nantahala Ranger Station on Friday morning and dropped my car at the nearby Wallace Branch parking area. (There are campsites there, but too close to civilization for us).

From there we drove up the forest road towards Wayah Bald, checking out Jeff’s camping options along the way. We chose one at a bend in the forest road, a pull-off wide enough for two vehicles. We could place our vehicles to block view of our tents from the road (hoping no one would be on the road after dark anyway). The site was a short walk to our starting point in the morning.

Done. It was 10:30 am, time to get moving. We walked a short distance back down Wayah Road and turned northbound onto the AT. I stumbled going up the steps, landed flat, which I’m sure gave Jeff pause as to whether I would be a liability on this adventure.

So happy to be outside on a crisp late autumn day, talking with my old buddy, blissfully naïve to what awaited me! The short climb up Middle Ridge got our blood pumping. We hit the AT/BT intersection sooner than expected, made note of the designated campsite and water source there.

The AT and the Bartram Trail run concurrently for a few miles, white and yellow blazes

We took the spur trail to Wine Spring Bald, Jeff’s first peak of the day and home of unattractive communication towers. Here we sat down in the sunshine to eat an early lunch.

Comms towers on Wine Spring Bald

The view from Wine Spring Bald

Moving on from bald, we hiked about two miles to Wayah Bald, encountering a few backpackers and dayhikers. From the fire tower, the wide open view of layers of blue mountains blending into blue sky was sublime. We didn’t linger long, miles to go.

Wayah Bald Fire Tower

The rest of the afternoon was a descent (let’s just call it a slide) of epic proportions, mostly focused on my balance, or lack of it.

What looked like a simple downward trend on the elevation profile map in reality is stretched over such a long distance that there is not much relatable detail – meaning the little bumps and dips aren’t little at all. In fact, they were roller coaster steep with no switchbacks. In addition, last week’s colorful leaves in the trees were now brown dry leaves on the ground, deceptively deep on the trail and slippery as all get out. 

A rare handrail in the backcountry - there must be steps under here somewhere

Ankle deep in leaves

Jeff walked ahead of me and, although we tried to talk, it was pretty hard to hear conversation over the clamorous rustling we stirred up. Not for the last time, I questioned this “lifelong hobby” of mine.

By the time we reached Harrison Gap, I realized that we were moving slower, had more miles to go than expected, and would be finishing this hike after dark. Jeff did not disagree with me. Fortunately, the peaks he was interested in along this stretch (Wildcat Knob, Wilkes Knob, etc) were short off-trail walks. He disappeared and reappeared while I trudged along the BT.

The temperature and darkness were also descending. The last mile down to the Wallace Branch trailhead was a challenge in the fading light, but we triumphantly walked off the trail without headlamps at 7:00 pm.

My GAIA track recorded 14.5 miles, 2,038 feet elevation gain, 4,907 feet elevation loss. WHAT???

We drove my car back up the forest road to our campsite. It was cold, pitch dark, and the first thing Jeff did was build a small fire in the existing fire ring. We rarely take time for campfires, but tonight it felt good to get some heat and light going to pitch our tents and prepare food. (We kept the fire low and had gallons of water for extinguishing the flames.) 

With hot tea and a hot meal, we caught up on life’s changes. Since we last hiked together, I became a grandmother and Jeff became a dad! The two of us hold different views on some issues (guess who’s the liberal one) but our common love of hiking and the peace of the outdoors make us hopeful for the world that our little guys will grow up in.

By 9:30 pm the fire was out and so was I, curled up tight in my sleeping bag, listening to a breeze high in the trees.

“Is it too late to turn back? Asking for a friend.”

~Anonymous

World's Edge at Chimney Rock State Park

World’s Edge at Chimney Rock State Park – 10/29/23 – 4.5 miles

Did you know …

…that the World’s Edge is in North Carolina?
…that until about 2006 the World’s Edge was privately owned?
…that the efforts of Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy (now Conserving Carolina), other land conservancies, the state of North Carolina and private individuals preserved this gem of the Blue Ridge Escarpment from development?

Read here about the twists and turns and financial sacrifices to permanently protect World’s Edge and make it part of Chimney Rock State Park. Read more here about how to get to World’s Edge and what you'll see.

Wow!

So that’s how, on a fine morning in late October, I was able to walk on the edge of the world.

From Edneyville, NC, driving along many miles of country road, the leaves were showing their colors and I missed my turn at Ottanola Gap. Oops!

World’s Edge Road ends abruptly at a gated forest road and a private driveway on the right. Mine was the only vehicle this morning, starting my hike around 9:30 a.m.

The hike begins walking on a narrow forest road with various side paths to the cliff edges. If you want to see what’s at the end of the forest road, keep walking about 1.5 miles further to an intersection at Judes Gap. More on my misreading of that later.

The cliffs face east and the bright morning sun was not ideal for photos, but I tried. I advise hiking here past midday with the sun behind you. And remember, just enjoying the experience with no photos at all is pretty cool, too.

I turned on my GAIA app in case I needed help navigating back to the entrance, but the area is pretty straightforward. The side paths are obvious, leading to rock outcroppings that open up to the world at your feet. Slippery slopes, so don’t try to get close to the edge. The cliffs drop 2,000 feet down to the valley! Appreciate what you can view safely and live to hike another day.

I found that the side trails were linked via a narrow trail paralleling the forest road, so I didn’t need to retrace steps between viewpoints. Some outcroppings looked too precarious, but in total I found three places where I felt comfortable going out on the rocks for the broadest views.

The autumn hues were just past their peak, a lush carpet laid over the peaks and valleys. The real color show, though, was walking on the trail and looking up, down, and all around. There were intense reds and yellows and oranges and the path was strewn with glorious multi-colored leaves. Nothing man can do compares to what nature does every day.

Past the cliffs section, I continued on the forest road as it descended, using GAIA to track my progress. I got to Judes Gap and thought it was time to turn around…until I read the instructions more closely and saw that the end of the route was at Judes Gap Road. Well, how much farther is that?

I kept going as the descent became steeper and the path (no longer an old roadbed) became more rutted and overgrown. When I reached the point where weeds were as high as my shoulder and the path was narrower than my feet, I decided that was enough – turnaround time.

Back at my car, I was surprised to see two men who had ridden up on motorcycles for a quick walk out to the cliffs. One fellow started a conversation, asking how far I had walked. Turns out he lived for many years on Judes Gap Road and, as young boys, he and his friends used to ride bikes all over those old forest roads. What a treat to hear his story! And very touching that he returns from time to time for a walk on the World’s Edge.

“Love the trees until their leaves fall off,

 then encourage them to try again next year.”
 ~Chad Sugg

Moses H. Cone Memorial Park: Rich Mountain

Moses H. Cone Memorial Park: Rich Mountain Summit

(4,246 feet) - 9/7/23 – 9.5 miles

Sometimes what you need is an easy walkabout with a good friend and a surprise ending. Wildflowers and a pretty lake make it a 10/10 day.

Cathy and I started our hike from the Moses Cone Manor House, passing through the tunnel underneath the Blue Ridge Parkway. As soon as the trail emerges from the tunnel, it splits right toward Flat Top Mountain (a fine hike for another day) and left toward Rich Mountain. The trail surfaces are gravel, wide carriage roads in pleasant shade.

We crossed Flannery Fork Road near the southernmost end of Trout Lake. Local folks were out walking their dogs and, of course, we had to stop and pet them all (dogs, not people).

We walked along the eastern side of the lake,

a light breeze creating a shimmery reflection of green on blue

Jewelweed

White snakeroot bloomed in abundance

The carriage road began its winding ascent. We passed two fellow walkers who told us the resident cows were on the trail and they could not get past them to reach the summit. Cathy and I took our chances and passed through the gate. 

As we left the wooded slopes behind, we spied cows relaxing in the shade. In cheerful sunshine, we continued up the trail as it spiraled around on its way to the top, passing through meadows filled with flowers.

Blanket flower

Ironweed

Ironweed

Joe-Pye weed

Purple lobelia

At the summit, a rock wall surrounds a space the size of a small yard. There is a big rock that appears to be the high point but I couldn’t find a surveyor’s marker. We sat down for a snack break with a view.

Clouds were beginning to gather and we retraced our steps back to the parking lot, reaching the car just as the rain arrived. We decided to skip the rest of the day’s plans and retreat to Cathy’s cozy cabin.

At the cabin, Cathy turned her phone on to find a string of text messages from her son: he and his wife, expecting a baby any day now, were at the hospital. Cathy was about to become a grandmother! What a wonderful day!

Read more about Rich Mountain here.

“Being a grandmother means you
get to be the fun one.”