Cataloochee - Day Four - Another Walk Through History

Sunday, May 25: Mt. Sterling Trail/Long Bunk/Little Cataloochee/Pretty Hollow Gap - 11.1 Miles:

Stephanie was heading home on Sunday and Jessie and Taryn were my hiking buddies (good sports) for the day. Overnight I had decided that I needed to cleanse the car break-in scare and go back to the same trailhead, but with a different scenario. Nora and Ginger, our chef and camp comfort expert (have I told you how Ginger has every campsite luxury you can name in the back of her truck? Chairs, gazebo, lanterns, full-size propane tank, coolers!) were up for a hike as well, so out came the trusty maps and a scheme developed. We left a car and a truck at our terminus along Cataloochee Road near the Beech School and then Stephanie drove us all back up Cove Creek Road. First she dropped off Jessie and Taryn and me at the Mount Sterling Trail trailhead and then she dropped off Nora and Jessie at the Little Cataloochee Trail trailhead. The first group's hike would be 9.1 miles and the second group's hike would be 6 miles. Long Bunk Trail ends at Little Cataloochee Trail, so we would be trailing Nora and Ginger all day. Remember to click on photos to see full screen!

Those of you who are really interested can find all this on a park trail map. It makes a lot more sense with visuals!

We had just a half-mile to hike up the Mount Sterling Trail before turning left onto Long Bunk. This half-mile was a lung-buster. I don't even want to know what the elevation change is. We spent a short minute lamenting that we could not go on up to the fire tower, since it was such a gorgeously clear day, but time did not permit (our lungs thanked us). Long Bunk was delightful, gradually descending to the sound of gurgling water. Taryn did not have trekking poles so we shared my two, and she quickly learned how helpful they are for crossing creeks. At most creek crossings there was enough flat land to imagine a home site, and indeed folks once lived along Long Bunk Trail. Hiking Trails Of The Smokies, a guide that describes each Smokies trail in-depth, complete with elevation drawings and much history, advises, "While contemplating this trail, imagine the children of Mr. and Mrs. David B. Nelson, who lived one mile north of Mount Sterling Gap and hiked this route five miles to Little Cataloochee school arriving there daily at 10:00 a.m." Yes, in the snow, too...

Long Bunk Trail also afforded our best examples yet of animal tracks. There were muddy places, now somewhat dry, where we were able to distinguish deer and elk tracks, and one place in particular where the elk prints skidded as though the elk was running. We saw what we swear are bear tracks close by to explain the running. We also swear that we saw large cat tracks (I mean LARGE). So our story is that the bear was chasing the elk and the mountain lion was stalking the bear and...no, really...come on now...

My photography skills are still lacking, but here is a photo of a great American chestnut tree felled by blight in the '30s. The trail goes alongside it. I'm thinking the tree was there first.

Jessie showed me how to take flower close-ups! This is mountain laurel.

Just before the end of Long Bunk Trail we passed the Hannah Cemetery and then arrived at Little Cataloochee Trail. Taryn and Jessie elected to have lunch while I set off yet again to "tag" the eastern end of Little Cataloochee, a mile out and then a mile back in. (This would make 11.1 miles for me for the day). This end of Little Cataloochee is a gravel road maintained because of Little Cataloochee Church that we would soon be visiting. The road is opened once a year for a reunion at the church of former residents and descendants of Little Cataloochee Valley, where I am told that they ring the bell once for each person who has passed away that year.

After playing tag (I won) we set off. This trail has a couple of restored home sites, the first of which is Hannah Cabin, built in 1864 and restored in 1976
 using original construction practices.

After more elevation gain we arrived at the much- photo- graphed Little Cataloochee Church.

It is small, plain and lovely. There are tables set up out back for the reunion picnics.

 The cemetery for the church is close by. This simple round stone with the yellow flower was very touching. The inscription reads

"Rebecca Elwood, 1869-1909."

Miles to go and the tough climb is still ahead. Another home site along the way is the Dan Cook place. The Cook cabin has been restored similar to the Hannah Cabin, but the most fascinating sight is the ruins of the apple house. (Click on the photo to see the stone wall behind me.)

Gee whiz, it's amazing how much water one consumes on a warm hiking day! Taryn was running low so we decided to get water from the creek that followed the trail. We treated the water with my AquaMira drops (one solution purifies the water, the other takes away the yucky purifier taste). It does work, tastes just fine. You might not want to think about the fact that, unlike a water filter that removes the bad things, with water droplets the bad things are still there. They just can't hurt you now. But I did use this system on the backpack trip at Hazel Creek with no ill effects, so I'm happy with it. And Taryn is still alive!

Past the Cook cabin the gravel road disappeared and became a true trail again and we found ourselves climbing a mountain. Then...we found ourselves going down a mountain. I think this is Noland Mountain and it divided Big Cata- loochee from Little Cata- loochee. This is where the children of the first settlers of Big Cataloochee went as they married and began families. Trying to get away from the in-laws? It worked! Many small creek crossings again, including an interesting use of a downed hemlock tree.

Eventually Little Cataloochee Trail ended. We turned left on Pretty Hollow Gap Trail and followed it .8 miles to our car on Cataloochee Road. Near the end we passed the horse camp section which is quite extensive. If you have horses, this is the place to take them!

Nora and Ginger had finished their hike ahead of us and were touring the Beech School and other restored buildings. Once we were all back at camp, Nora thrilled us with pizza cooked on the camp stove, complete with choice of olives and pepperoni. Heaven! Thanks once again, Nora. We quickly cleaned up and hopped in the car and truck to go to the drive-in, as I was the only one who had seen the "elk at dusk" feature. This being Memorial Day weekend, the crowd was big, and it was as much fun people-watching as elk-watching.

There were Park volunteers at the edge of the meadow answering questions and checking out the elk, as there were two pregnant females that were beginning to separate themselves from the herd, presumably to give birth. The volunteers were an absolute wealth of information, telling fascinating stories of life in Cataloochee. One story went that every year for several years the menfolk went over the mountain to Waynesville to ask the school board to build a new school for the growing community. Each time they were turned down, citing budget, etc. (some things never change, right?) This particular year the menfolk bought a bottle or two and "discussed the situation" around the campfire on the way back home. Then they went to the school, removed the desks and other things, and set fire to the school. A disaster for sure! A new one was built. The men promised to keep the secret and only the last man left alive would tell. And he did.

Back at camp after the elkfest and it's time for a Girl Scout tradition: a campfire and marshmallows. What's not to love about this life?

Cataloochee - Day Three - A Change In Plans

Saturday, May 24: Cataloochee Divide Trail/McKee Branch Trail/Big Fork Ridge Trail - 13.8 miles

6:00 AM comes early in a tent - I think Stephanie's watch was running fast. Maybe we should have slept in the car with seat belts fastened to get a few more minutes of sleep...We were on the road by 6:30 AM headed to Mount Sterling. The hike du jour was 17 miles from Mount Sterling to Balsam Mountain and Pretty Hollow Gap, ending in a parking area near the restored Beech School in Big Cataloochee. There is a small area for parking alongside Cove Creek Road at the Mt. Sterling trailhead. Our buddies were going to get up at a reasonable hour, retrieve our car and move it to the Beech School parking area. I'm telling you, having people move cars for you is an absolute dream!

In the first meadow we passed after leaving the campground there were three male elk munching on grass, passing the time, posing for photos. Early morning hours are even better for elk-gazing than dusk (less people). Stephanie demonstrated her NASCAR skills with tight turns as we negotiated the one-lane gravel road further into this remote corner of the Park. The distance is only eight miles on the map but it's hard to judge distance when going between 15-25 miles per hour. I was a little nervous about walking 17 miles, and we were going rather deep into the Park with only one bail-out point at about 3 miles in, but we felt we were giving ourselves plenty of time with a 7:00 AM start.

Coming around a curve we saw a car already pulled over at the Mount Sterling trailhead and the driver's side and back passenger door on the driver's side were open. I was looking for the driver ("why doesn't that guy close his doors?") when Stephanie said, "Sharon, look at the window, there's glass." The driver's side window was completely smashed, glass all over the ground - no people in sight. Inside the car, there were bed pillows pushed up against the front and back passenger doors as though people had been sleeping there. I could not see into the back seat.

We had not passed another car all morning and we were there alone...hopefully. Everything was very still and ominous. We decided very quickly that not only did we not want to leave our car there, but we did not want to walk up that trail. What to do? We turned around and headed back toward camp, where we tracked down a ranger and made a report. Apparently this trailhead has been notorious for break-ins and the situation is getting worse as gas prices have climbed. So more lessons learned: don't park at remote trailheads, ask a ranger where it's safe to park, and have a plan in case your car does get broken into. The owner probably backpacked in and was going to have a very unpleasant surprise. No cell phone service and no car and a few miles to walk to a bigger road.

A lot of excitement and nervous energy and it was only 8:30 AM! Still a beautiful day ahead of us so it's time to change plans. Our camp buddies were up and moving and we convinced Jessie to drive us to the trailhead for the Cataloochee Divide Trail. From here we would hike nearly 14 miles and end up at the same parking area that we started from on Friday (remember the Jethro's Johnnies?)

Cataloochee Divide follows the Park boundary for 6.4 miles and offers long views of the Park to the west and the NC mountains to the east. After hiking under the tree canopy the day before, it was wonderful to see the blue Smokies lined up row after row. The first couple of miles is bordered by an old wooden fence originally built by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) in the 1930s. Clouds flirted with the mountaintops and we felt some light raindrops but not enough to pull out the rain gear, and eventually the day brightened. Perfect hiking weather once again.


At one point we met a fellow studying a slope with several trilliums and he told us that soon we would pass a place with an abundance of them. Sure enough, around a curve there were trilliums everywhere! For those of you who know these things, there were white erect trilliums, Catesby's trilliums, Vasey's trilliums and purple wakerobins. If you can explain the difference between those last two, please tell me. All I know is there were white and purple flowers everywhere...what a treat! (Let me state here that I am NOT a good flower photographer.)

At Purchase Gap, the junction with McKee Branch Trail, we paused. A right turn would take us 5.5 miles down the mountain to our car, but I needed to go 1.8 miles further to complete the Cataloochee Divide Trail, then backtrack to this junction. We decided that I would go ahead and Stephanie would do a portion of this section at a more leisurely pace and we would meet back up at the junction. This part of Cataloochee Divide goes past The Swag, a scrumptious inn that will be happy to host you if the price is right. The views and accommodations are heavenly. You be the judge!

Back together, Stephanie and I ate and relaxed and then set off down the McKee Branch Trail. We soon concluded that the only good thing about this trail was the fact that it was dry on this day. It's a horse trail that goes straight down (1,800 feet in 2.3 miles) and in places it is worn down so deeply that we were walking in a ditch. Constantly stepping down into deep holes filled with dry leaves was very disconcerting. Even near the bottom where the trail levels out with evidence of former home sites, we were too worn out to enjoy it. Swear words are allowed on the McKee Branch Trail. We have a pact to never see that trail again.

At the end of McKee Branch we crossed Caldwell Fork (hey, this looks familiar - our lunch stop yesterday!) and started down Big Fork Ridge Trail, not quite so steep. By now Stephanie's knee was talking and she was not. Every time I asked her how she was doing she smiled and said, "Fine," and I realized that she would say that with her last breath. What a pal! (By the way, her knee was fine after a day's rest). An interesting fact about Big Fork Ridge: about a mile from the end (or beginning if you're coming the other way - ha!) is the area where the elk were kept before they were released into the park. There is an enormous fenced area and a chute that the elk were put through to get into the pen. You can climb up on the platform and look in, but watch your step! This is not a maintained facility and boards are loose and missing. Don't know what the future is for this structure - maybe more elk?

Wait -- I think I see a road! Can it possibly be? Yes! And there's our car! And there's the cooler with the Diet Coke! Across the last footbridge to drop off packs and poles and then back to sit creekside and toast our accomplishment - 13.8 miles on a different trail than we planned when we shut our eyes last night.

Back at camp, our friend Taryn had arrived and was ready to kick back and chat. Nora was making so much linguine she finally had to toss it in a dishpan. Nothing tastes better than food that someone else has cooked for you while you walked your fanny off. As we enjoyed our dinner we made plans for the next day...reminded now that plans are always subject to change.

Cataloochee - Day Two - Now We're Hikin'

Friday, May 23 - Rough Fork/Caldwell Fork/Boogerman/Caldwell Fork - 15 miles

I am choosing my hike routes based primarily on Elizabeth Etnier's book, Day Hiker's Guide To All The Trails In The Greaty Smoky Mountains. This book is invaluable to me starting from scratch but is also meticulously written for any hiker. I have tried several times to outsmart her but have had no luck yet. The lady has done her homework! Anyway, Stephanie and I had one car until friends were scheduled to arrive later in the afternoon, so to maximize our time and minimize our repeated trail miles or off-trail miles, we chose a hike that ended nearest the campground but began a couple of miles away at the dead end of the road in the Cataloochee Valley. For those of you playing at home, this is Hike #4 in the Cataloochee section of Etnier's book. The theory was that our friends would arrive at camp by the time we would be ending our hike and they would give us a ride to pick up the car. Two miles is entirely too far to walk on a gravel road, especially after walking 15 miles in the pretty woods.

Camp life seems to move slower, which is a good thing if your goal is to sit in a chair by the creek, but we had miles to go before we slept. We at a quick breakfast of oatmeal (yuck) and bagels (yum) and finally left our car at the trailhead at 8:20 AM. After using the modern facilities (who can resist Jethro's Johnnies?) we set off on the Rough Fork Trail.

We crossed Rough Fork Creek several times on foot bridges. (After Hazel Creek I was very grateful for these!).

At 1 mile we had our first stop to check out the Steve Woody Place. The main house and a small springhouse are all that remain of a large farm. The trees have reclaimed the fields and there is no sign of the barn, chicken house, tool house, wood shed and other buildings that were once part of family life.

We left the Woody Place behind and passed Campsite 40, one of the backcountry campsites where folks are allowed to camp in the Park. Camping is limited to these sites and the nice Park Service people have provided cable pulley systems at all of these sites to hang your food, etc. out of reach of animals (read: bears). Some of the backcountry sites are rationed and must be reserved, but Campsite 40 is first come, first served. Nice place, easy access to water, and a pretty short walk out.

Past #40 the fun began as we gained 1,000 feet in elevation in a mile-and-a-half. We did not talk much, just tried to listen to the bird calls (read: breathe). We turned left onto the beginning of the Caldwell Fork Trail and headed back down again, a very gentle and extremely pleasant walk. Huge hemlock trees are numerous because they were not commercially valuable when these woods were logged - sadly, the hemlocks are dying because of an invasive insect. As the other trees are leafing out it is evident that the hemlocks are perishing. They looked ashen, as though someone had burned each one individually.

One species of tree that is doing well is tulip trees or poplars and there is an area along Caldwell Fork Trail marked indicating "Big Poplars". We stopped for a snack and marveled at the size of these giants. The last time I was here I walked around the largest tree and saw that some people think it makes a good bathroom stop - toilet paper everywhere. All together now: Gross! Fortunately there was none on this day.

Eventually we met a fellow hiker coming up the trail. I find that hikers are always happy to stop and chat for a moment, where are you going, where did you start, have a good day. This fellow told us that he had seen two bears, one about an hour earlier and one about 20 minutes earlier. Stephanie's goal was to see a bear without losing control of herself, so after this meeting we were on the lookout. No need to skip ahead - we did not see a bear today.

We stopped for lunch at the intersection of Caldwell Fork and McKee Branch Trail and then went on to turn right onto the Boogerman Trail. Keep in mind that most of these trails are named for people who once lived here. Much of this property here was owned by Robert "Booger" Palmer (not to be confused with the recently deceased artist who brought us "Addicted To Love" and my personal favorite "Sneaking Sally Through The Alley").

Up to this point the trails had been wide because they are used by hikers and horses, but the Boogerman loop is just for hikers, so the path narrowed. The Boogerman Trail is a 4-mile horseshoe-shaped trail that, when combined with Caldwell Fork from the parking lot, makes a terrific 6.6-mile lollipop hike. On this trail you find evidence of past lives, including an incredible stacked stone wall that is 100 yards long and 2 feet wide. A great photo op is a huge tree that has been burned out on the inside - wonder who and why?

Soon we were back at Caldwell Fork Trail, where a right turn leads .8 miles to the road and the end of the hike - for most people, including Stephanie. For Smoky Scout, though, I had to turn left and go up Caldwell Fork for 1.9 miles to close the loop where we had left off for the Boogerman Trail. For this section of trail I was interested in time so I moved fast to see how well I could do. I covered the 1.9 miles in about 35 minutes, pretty good considering we had been going about 2 miles an hour all day while taking pictures and enjoying sights and sounds. This was a horse trail again, with foot bridges, and I was glad it was not muddy. I learned a lesson, though: I met one couple simply standing in the trail and when I did slow down to say hello they pointed out a huge display of pink lady slippers (flowers, you know) on the side of the trail. I would have glided right past them.

Back at camp, our friends had arrived soon after Stephanie did and her car had been retrieved. They were in the process of erecting the world's biggest blue tarp over our campsite. I believe it could be seen from space. One friend, Nora, had begged to be the camp cook for the weekend and we grudgingly (NOT) agreed, and before we knew it we were sitting down to a feast of a chicken/raisin/water chestnut/cashew dish that I had more than one serving of..and still managed to polish off three servings of a chocolate chip cake thing with peanut butter melted over it.

Tired, stuffed and sluggish, Stephanie and I prepared for Saturday's 17-mile hike for which we planned an early start (leave camp by 6:30 AM). Little did we know...

Smokies 900: Addendum

Actually, Stephanie and I did poke around the valley area a bit before settling into our campsite for the night. If you love history, you will love this area. Before the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created more than 1,200 people called Big Cataloochee (and Little Cataloochee, over the mountain where we would be on Sunday) home sweet home. After the government bought up the land, the National Park Service burned homes and buildings for fear the former residents would sneak back in, but some buildings were saved from this mindset and are preserved where they were originally built, including two homes, a church and a school. Brochures for a guided auto tour are available near the campsite entrance, but it's not hard to find things - it's just one road! We explored the Caldwell House and barn and marveled at all the butterflies covering every damp patch of the gravel road. When we walked, they fluttered all around and then settled back down at our passing.

A unique feature of the Big Cataloochee meadows is the elk, reintroduced by the Park Service after reaching extinction before the Civil War. The elk are unrestricted and hopefully will eventually spread over the Park. In the early morning hours and at dusk the elk seem to magically emerge from the trees and wander in the meadows, practically posing for photos. During our visit the first calf of the season was born and many more were expected. The hope is for all females to be born this year, as the ratio needed for the population to thrive is 6 females to 1 male and that has not yet been achieved. While the elk are majestic, dignified and awe-inspiring, the humans that turn out to watch the "show" are more comical. The cars line the edge of the meadows as if at a drive-in movie theater, canvas chairs are set up, blankets laid out, fried chicken picnics produced as they wait for the stars to come out. I can imagine the elk sitting back in the forest laughing and pointing as in a Far Side cartoon before they come out to take the stage.

Before heading back to camp we found the trailhead for our first hike and made our plans for the following morning. Then headlamps out and it's good night, John Boy!

Please Please Please Let There Be A Campsite

My entire plan for the weekend hinged upon scoring a campsite in the Cataloochee campground since it is no reservations, first-come, first-served. It is not possible to pick up the phone and call your favorite park ranger about availability. Most FAQs are answered on the website, but you can email specific questions and they are pretty prompt at answering. My back-and-forth with the ranger was discouraging, as this was a big holiday weekend and there are only 27 sites in the campground. So...Plan A was Cataloochee, Plan B was Balsam Campground (also no reservations and even more remotely located), Plan C was Smokemont Campground (reservations but probably full), Plan D (go to Maggie Valley and hope to find a commercial campground) or Plan E (sleep in the car?) Why didn't I just go with Smokemont and make reservations? Because you pay in advance and you can't get your money back and I wanted to be in Cataloochee (insert photo of toddler stamping foot here).

Stephanie and I left Charlotte on Thursday shortly after noon on a mission: a Cataloochee campsite or bust! We are pretty sure we did not harm anyone along the way. As soon as we got off at our exit from I-40 we stopped for gas and beverages, as we would be leaving modern conveniences after this point. I saw a suspicious vehicle at the pumps - it was full of children and camping gear. I hustled Stephanie back to our car and we sped off up the twisty-turny gravel Cove Creek Road to the sign that says:

Funny thing about Cove Creek: It is paved, then gravel, then paved, then gravel. I'm sure it made sense to someone.

After many suspenseful hours (okay, 30 minutes) the campground appeared and we turned in. I could see the campground host lady at the sign-in board. As I approached I asked if there were any sites left and the answer was, "Well, I believe there is just one left." Cue the Hallelujah chorus! I whipped out my checkbook and filled out the paperwork.

I have not seen my checkbook since that moment. Steph, if it's in your car, give me a call.

Stephanie drove to our site and we set up a small tent for us and a larger tent for our buddies coming in the next day. We finally broke out the canvas chairs, sat back to breathe, and Stephanie says,

"So...what's for dinner?"

Cataloochee Weekend

I am back at home after five days/four nights in the picture-perfect Cataloochee area of the Great Smokies. We hiked Friday, Saturday, Sunday and a tiny bit on Monday for 33.3 new miles, a total of 41.8 miles. Weather was made-to-order wonderful for our entire stay. We had a lot of laughs, good food, 'smores, a disconcerting discovery and many four-legged wonders. Details coming this week as I do the laundry!

Is She Ever Going Back To The Smokies???

Yes, I am leaving tomorrow headed back to the Great Smoky Mountains! I will be camping and hiking with a great group of Girl Scout adults in a fantastic part of the Park (which I won't tell until I'm back because it's not smart to advertise your location on the internet, ya know). I will be putting miles on my boots for four fun-filled days. Can't wait! In the meantime, please consider sending in your donation for our worthy cause, outdoor programs for Girl Scouts (see right). It would be grand to come back from this Memorial Day weekend and see the donor list growing longer and stronger! (Remember, it takes a few days for me to get updated donor lists and totals to put on the blog) Also, feel free to give encouragement by commenting on the blog. It keeps me going! Thanks for your support!