Mount Cammerer

2/1/09 – Lower Mt. Cammerer Trail/AT/Mt. Cammerer Trail out-and-back/AT/Low Gap II Trail/ and all the campground connector trails – 17.2 Miles 

Today was a hike much anticipated and the weather was cooperating in a big way. Now that the days are a teensy bit longer, Judy and I chose to meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Cosby Campground since she was driving 90 minutes from her home in Fletcher, NC. Our planned route (Hike #2 in the Big Creek/ Cosby section of "Day Hiker's Guide") was about 15.7 miles so we could easily be done by 5:00 p.m. (Well, we put in a little more mileage than that, but we still finished by 5:00!) Looking at the elevation profiles and reading the trail descriptions, today was going to be a challenge, but the payoff was a big one – Mount Cammerer Lookout Tower.

But first we had to get there. From the hiker parking area we walked .4 miles on Low Gap II Trail through a fairy land of moss, boulders, bridges and flowing creeks that I can’t name (Cosby Creek?), and then we turned left onto Lower Mount Cammerer Trail. One of the best trail descriptions I have ever read is from “Hiking Trails of the Smokies”: “Imagine a giant cupcake plopped upside down. To hike around it, you need to go in and out of all those hills and valleys of the cupcake paper. The Lower Mt. Cammerer Trail dips in and out of creek valleys as it swings half way around Mount Cammerer to connect Cosby Campground with the Appalachian trail...” Isn’t that a fantastic visual image?

Temperatures were in the high 20’s as we started off and the frozen mud crunched under our feet. One particular hillside was covered in long frozen curls and we took entirely too many photos trying to capture the feeling. Before the day was over we would be hiking in short sleeves and squishing as the mud thawed. At about 1.5 miles we walked up the side trail to the Sutton Ridge overlook for this view to the northwest. I imagine it is fantastic during fall leaf season.

We paused at Campsite 35 for a little snack and then the trail began to rise more purposefully. At a gap that looked like a prime site for camping we actually discovered a cemetery with just a few graves, one of which had an engraved stone for a two-year-old boy. There is no mention of this site in the “brown book.” Later on I bought a book titled “History Hikes of the Smokies” and read that this place is called Turkey Knob and the cemetery is Phillips Cemetery. In cross-referencing sources for cemetery information, I am beginning to see that this is the tip of the iceberg and I am intrigued. I believe that the cemeteries were meant to be private, but I feel drawn to them and feel compelled to stop and pay my respects.

All along Lower Mount Cammerer Trail we rounded corners, stepped across seeps and admired icicles hanging from the rocks. Judy remarked how gentle this trail was compared to the AT. Here you can see by Judy’s foot how thick some of these icicles were.

A couple of miles later we reached the junction with the Appalachian Trail. This 2.3-mile section up to the Mount Cammerer Trail may as well have a sign that says, “Serious Hiking Ahead – No Whining,” a rule I would have broken. This section kicked my butt! It is steep and eroded and “improved” with steps for horses, I suppose, since the steps don’t match a human’s stride at all. The aura of the AT is still there and it definitely has a different feel than other trails in the Park. The temperature rose and I stopped to remove my long underwear. I stopped again to eat something. I stopped once or twice to wipe tears from my face and suck it up. Man, what a long 2.3 miles! Judy just smiled and kept going.
  After an eternity we turned right onto Mount Cammerer Trail, the real deal. The anticipation mounted until we finally rounded the last bend and the lookout popped into view. Magnificent! I read somewhere (but can’t cite it now) that the difference between a tower and a lookout is that a lookout is affixed to the ground and is only two stories tall, while a tower is much taller. Anyway, the original lookout was completed in 1939 by the CCC using local stone quarried and cut on-site by masons and timber cut near the site. It deteriorated after the 1960’s when more modern methods of fire detection were adopted, but in 1996 it was rebuilt. Judy and I had the place to ourselves and explored, climbing on the rocks, walking all around the catwalk and signing the notebook inside. We even ate lunch sitting out on the catwalk, looking east towards Max Patch and Jane Bald. This photo is of Mount Sterling through the catwalk railings. A clear blue, faultless, God-given day…

Eventually we said goodbye and walked back out to the AT and down to the Low Gap II Trail junction, which led back down towards Cosby Campground. There is nothing to recommend this trail except that it is the shortest way to get to Mount Cammerer. In fact, it’s pretty steep and rocky and my thighs were burning and my knees were creaking by the time we reached the bottom. Now, a word about our mileage: there are many connector trails from the campground to the hiking trails. Judy and I decided that since we were here and the time wasn’t too late, we should just knock them all out, so we ran around like rats in a maze to be sure we had covered all the spurs. There is lots of water here (Cosby Creek again, I guess?) and so it’s a pretty setting and fun to explore if you are camping here. Here is one particularly nice cascade on Low Gap Trail very close to the campground.

Time once again for the long drive back home. We waved goodbye and I put in my CD’s to sing along. I wonder when I’ll finally just move here?

One Awesome Day

1/31/09 – Huskey Gap Trail/Little River Trail/Rough Creek Trail/Sugarland Mountain Trail/Huskey Gap Trail – 14.8 Miles 

Plans to hike this route with Chris at YourSmokies fell through when he decided to be all responsible and get work done, so I decided to go solo with a tentative plan for Chris to hike in later and meet me on the way out. The trailhead for Huskey Gap is only a couple of miles from Sugarlands VC and I got an earlier start than I had told Chris because who can sleep when the sun is shining?

The temps were in the high 20's and if I was raring to go. The primary point of interest on the first half of Huskey Gap is the proliferation of grapevines. There were no leaves in January, of course, but I imagine at other times of the year this trail has a very closed-in jungle feeling, similar to Meigs Mountain Trail. This photo shows an extremely thick grapevine draped across the trail; there were many of these.

I paused for a moment at the intersection of Huskey Gap and Sugarland Mountain Trails. About five minutes away from this point on Sugarland Mountain Trail is the spot where Carol and I scared a mama bear and her cubs (and vice versa) last August. Funny, I have never seen a bear when I’ve been hiking alone, but I have seen ten bears when I’ve hiked with other people. ..and ten more from the car…

The second half of Huskey Gap Trail descends gently towards Little River. Less than half a mile from the end was a brand new sign for backcountry Campsite 21 and a sign for water, which had me scratching my head because my map said that Campsite 21 was located along Sugarland Mountain Trail. (Later I read that this was one of the recent campsite relocations.) At the trail junction I turned left onto Little River Trail and followed the boisterous river up to its intersection with Rough Creek Trail. I was here back in October with Danny and Judy.

Usually I read up on the trails for each hike in both “Day Hiker’s Guide” and “Hiking Trails of the Smokies” at least twice before I do the hike, once a few days ahead and once the night before. To be honest, I don’t retain every detail but I try to be aware of creek crossings and big points of interest. Well…I must have skipped the Rough Creek description, maybe because I had hiked it before and didn’t think there was anything remarkable except that it is steep and I needed to take my time. So imagine my surprise when I came to the first crossing of Rough Creek.

The water was high but there were enough exposed rocks to step across on – and the rocks were all covered with ice. I spent a good ten minutes walking up and down the creek, trying and then abandoning routes because of the slippery rocks. I had a stern conver- sation with myself that I was here alone and that falling and breaking something would not be fun to blog about later. Thank goodness once again for hiking poles to provide balance. I made it across with only one heel slipping in and getting wet. There were two or three more crossings like this as I made my way up Rough Creek.

At the Sugarland Mountain intersection I breathed a sigh of relief – let the fun begin! The upper portion of Sugarland Mountain Trail from the AT to this point was great fun back in the fall, and I will tell you that today’s section was also a delight. I had a smile on my face all the way to the end of the day. What an awesome trail! Looking over the right shoulder, I had grand views of a frosty Balsam Point. The only hikers I met today were on this portion of the trail, and one of them pointed out the tower on Clingmans Dome (over my left shoulder). All my squinting was not helping me to see it, but after she pointed it out I put on my glasses (hey!) and there it was.

There are sections of huge boulders along Sugarland Mountain, rocks as large as houses and cars. This photo shows the trail going through a huge cut in a boulder. If you climb the boulder on the left you will be treated to an amazing view across the Little River valley. You can even climb up on top of the rock that’s on top of that rock!

Sugarland Mountain Trail became gentler and flatter as the woods opened up. I passed the original Campsite 21 (still didn’t know what the story was) and eventually I arrived back at the intersection with Huskey Gap Trail. I turned right to retrace the last two miles to the trailhead. About halfway there I heard a voice coming around the bend, and it was Chris on his cell phone, walking in to meet me. I was more than an hour ahead of schedule, so it was a short hike for him as he did an about-face to return with me to our cars. We chatted in the parking lot for a while (Chris has so much information and knowledge, it’s hard to stop) and finally we parted ways, me going back to my cozy hotel and Chris to squeeze in one more short hike for the day. I needed some serious beauty sleep because tomorrow I will tackle Mount Cammerer.

Snowflakes and Solitude

Tow String Trail/Bradley Fork Trail (?) – 1/30/09 - 4.4 Miles 

  My edition of the “Day Hiker’s Guide” was published in 2006 and "Hiking Trails of the Smokies" latest edition is 2003. The Park’s $1 trail map is revised every year, so there are a couple of new trails I must figure out for myself. Tow String is one of them. It’s a horse trail originating from the Tow String horse campsite off of Newfound Gap Road between the Oconaluftee Visitor Center and Smokemont Campground. Danny hiked this trail last fall and gave me the scoop, so I took my limited memory of her description and some direction from the staff at the VC and set out for a walk on a late Friday afternoon.

I was not particularly looking forward to this trail, expecting another muddy, rocky ditch used mostly by horses. I tried to make my car as unobtrusive as possible in the parking area that was obviously made with horse trailers in mind (although I was the only vehicle there – but who knows when those horse folks will show up?) and then began walking in the direction the sign pointed. Snowflakes were beginning to blow around and the temperature was 31 degrees. Fun! My first hike while it was actually snowing! Within the first tenth of a mile I came to a three-way fork in the trail. To the left the sign said “Concession and Hikers only”…hmmmm…to the right the sign said “unmaintained trail”…hmmm…the middle sign said “Tow String Trail.” Well, so far I give kudos for the signage people. Robert Frost would have chosen the unmaintained trail, but (mixing poems here, Bob, so sorry) I had miles to go before I slept, so I went with Door Number Two (or Tow…I’ve got a million of ‘em, folks!)

Another 50 feet up this trail and I saw one of the intriguing picture signs of a horse with a red circle and a line across it -- “no horses” -- and an obvious side trail. Experience has taught me that this almost always means a cemetery is located nearby, so I walked up the very steep hill less than .2 miles and, sure enough, on a pretty little knoll was a cemetery with about 19 marked graves (and more unmarked, I’m sure). Most were marked with plain flat rocks set on end, small ones at the foot and larger ones at the head, but three graves had carved headstones. Buried side by side are Robert Collins, who died in 1867, and his wife Elizabeth, who died in 1876. I couldn’t decipher the third stone.

Now, today was the second anniversary of my mother’s death and yesterday was the six-month anniversary of my father’s death. Both had been particularly heavy on my mind all week. I did not go back to my hometown to visit their graves, and here I was at a remote cemetery in the mountains looking at a married couple side by side. I remember the day of my mom’s funeral, we stepped outside of the church and snowflakes were blowing. I stood and thought about things.

After a while I moved on back to the main trail and continued to watch the flakes swirl. It didn’t last very long, maybe 15 or 20 minutes, but it was beautiful in the slanted afternoon light. One point of interest on the trail was a car-sized rock with ferns sprouting along the top of it, like a full head of hair. Tow String Trail turned out to be a nice surprise, not rutted, just wide, and I quickly walked to the intersection with Bradley Fork Trail. Now here is another deviation from the “Day Hiker’s Guide” and also an ambiguous section of the Park’s $1 map. I got out my USGS map to determine the best way to get back to my car. I could backtrack on Tow String, or I could walk part of the way back on…was it Bradley Fork? The trail sign says that Bradley Fork Trail is the gravel road back to Smokemont Campground. But there is another trail here labeled “Smokemont Stables Trail, Hikers and Stable Horses Only.” Another intriguing detail was the Benton MacKaye Trail sign attached to this, so I chose this route. Hey, the Benton MacKaye Trail is important, right? (Turns out this trail WAS rocky and rutted…oh, well…) It paralleled the Bradley Fork Trail for the very short distance to the campground and then continued alongside the campground drive (although 20 feet above it – I could have spit on cars if any had driven by) and eventually passed the Smokemont Baptist Church. This is a lovely white building, typical of Smokies churches, and hidden back in the trees at the T where you either turn left to the campground or right to the stables. I’m sure most of the people who come to the Park have missed this church.

From there I walked on the gravel road toward the Smokemont Stables, past the gate and eventually all the way back to my car. (I am making an educated guess at my mileage for today.) Still no horse people in the parking lot. I guess they’ll all be here tomorrow. As I drove on Newfound Gap Road, the wind was blowing more forcefully and the temperature was definitely dropping. I was glad to get to my cozy little hotel in Gatlinburg where they turn up the heat and leave the light on for me.  

Postscript: The next day I spoke with a ranger at the Sugarlands Visitor Center and asked about the cemetery. She had an "Answer Book" full of wonderful things, including several pages listing cemeteries in the Park. The name of the cemetery on Tow String Trail is the Chambers Cemetery, 20 graves.

A Run-In With The Law

Whittier Weekend – Day Three – 1/25/09 – Goldmine Loop Trail/Lakeshore Trail/Forney Creek Trail/Whiteoak Branch Trail/Lakeshore Trail/Tunnel Bypass Trail and Noland Creek Trail Out-and-Back – 13.2 Miles

Carol, Stephanie and I packed up and waved goodbye to our getaway cabin and drove one last time towards Bryson City, this time going out Lakeview Drive to the Tunnel. As some of you know from the last time I was here in September, I don’t like the tunnel because it’s just plain creepy. Today that would not be a problem because I planned to avoid the tunnel all together. The hike route was fun to plan, shaped like a pair of eyeglasses – go ahead, get out your map and see if you don’t agree with me.

As we got our boots and packs together, a group of men arrived with a horse trailer and began unloading their horses. I chatted with them, got them to take a photo of us, and asked if their horses would go through the tunnel. They said sure. Well, good for them! Now in addition to Stephen King-type monsters I would also be avoiding horse poop in the dark.

We stepped onto the Goldmine Loop, a narrow 2-mile trail that descends to Tunnel Branch and then Goldmine Branch and then back up towards Lakeshore Trail. The best I can tell, the name has no significance other than per “Hiking Trails of the Smokies,” “probably expresses the hope of an early settler rather than the presence of a mine.” We saw this hog trap near the bottom alongside Tunnel Branch. I’ve seen several of these traps in my hiking year and on most trails there is evidence of the hogs rooting around and tearing up the ground. They were originally brought to the area to provide game for a hunting group and they have so far proved quite difficult to eradicate (that means it’s hard to kill ‘em all.)

Further on we arrived at the point where Goldmine Branch reaches this small finger of Fontana Lake, behind Carol and me in the photo. Doesn’t look too inviting, does it? Evidence of the drought conditions still plaguing the mountains. We did not take the opportunity to check out Campsite 67, but I’ve read that it has a chimney similar to this one that we passed. There were a dozen or so families that lived along Goldmine Branch at one time.

At the end of the trail we turned left onto Lakeshore Trail and followed it in search of Forney Creek or Bear Creek Trail. My little $1 Park map is a little ambiguous on this junction, so I always carry my National Geographic map too (note: while the Park map is not as detailed in its drawing, it does always have the campsites marked on the correct side of the trail, while the NatGeo has been wrong a couple of times, so always carry both!) We found the junction (it’s Forney Creek, and Bear Creek is .4 miles further up Forney Creek) at Campsite 74 and decided to have a lunch break at the picnic table. Campsite 74 is quite large and Forney Creek roars alongside it on its way to Fontana Lake.

Past Bear Creek going off to the left, we continued up Forney Creek Trail. The creek was fabulous today, lots of cascades and looking quite cold. Every little waterfall caught my eye. On the right side of the trail, icicles dripped and refroze, dripped and refroze.

Carol and I got a little bit ahead of Stephanie and when we arrived at the intersection with Whiteoak Branch Trail we discovered that Whiteoak Branch WAS the trail. We found a way across without getting wet and waited with cameras ready to see what Stephanie’s solution would be. She made it with a smile, of course!

We headed down Whiteoak Branch back towards Lakeshore Trail (the nose part of the eyeglasses) and here we parted ways. My plan was to take the Tunnel Bypass Trail while Steph and Carol stayed on Lakeshore all the way back through the tunnel. (The Tunnel Bypass Trail was designed by some smart person who knew that if the tunnel was the only way to get to all these trails, these trails would just not be gotten to.) The trail is just barely a goat path, very narrow, and I have a hard time believing horses can use it as it is on a steep slope most of the time. There were some great views of the ridge line in the distance, but I was hustling to the end so that I could meet my friends as they came out of the tunnels, so (again) I owe this trail more attention another time. I made it to the car, dropped my poles and pack, and was beginning to walk up to the tunnel entrance when one of the Park’s fine rangers drove up and began to walk along with me. He was interested in some “young folks” who were at the far end of the tunnel. As we got to the entrance, Stephanie and Carol walked out and had a good laugh that I had brought the law with me.

My day was not yet over, as there was the matter of the last mile of Noland Creek Trail to be explored as it passes under Lakeview Drive and continues on to Fontana Lake (I had hiked the rest of Noland Creek back in October). Carol chose to go with me while Stephanie opted to keep the car company. The walk to the end of Noland Creek is notable only for its four wooden car bridges crossing the creek. I confess, I didn’t find the campsite at all appealing, even though this “whirlpool” nearby looks like it would be great in the hot summertime. Carol and I walked back to the car and we got our stuff together to drive back to Charlotte.

My son had made several CD’s for me of about 75 of my favorite songs in my life and I play them on long drives (back and forth to the mountains) to keep me awake and happy. The mix is personal to me, most of the songs have a special meaning or remind me of a special time and they are in totally random order so I am constantly surprised at what comes next. It is awesome how music can change a mood every three minutes and it’s crazy to hear the theme song from M*A*S*H (“Suicide is Painless”) and then Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and then Blues Traveler’s “Runaround” and then Meatloaf’s “Paradise By The Dashboard Lights.” I know, I know…Anyway, we played my CD’s and screamed along the whole way home. What a fun time! Join in now: “In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight…”

Hazards of Backpacking

Whittier Weekend – Day Two – Deep Creek Trail/Indian Creek Trail/Martins Gap Trail/Sunkota Ridge Trail/Loop Trail/Deep Creek Trail – 13 Miles

As I mentioned last summer, Carol is contemplating a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2011 and my Smokies hikes are good opportunities for her to train and test equipment. Although not fully loaded, she carried her Kelty backpack for our hike today to get used to its size. Here Stephanie is helping her get the right fit, tightening up her hip belt just to the point of passing out. (We were dressed for rain but after about 15 minutes of sprinkling the clouds parted and we had sunshine the restof the day. Carol said I owed her a dry day since every hike with me has been in rain.) Then we strolled up Deep Creek Trail once again, this time turning right onto Indian Creek Trail and passing Indian Creek Falls. (I was here back in November with the Bernsteins.) Today the falls were more robust. Check out the huge “popsicle on a stick” in the middle of the falls.

Indian Creek Trail is a flat, easy road walk for hikers and horses, and along here Stephanie found her lucky horseshoe. Indian Creek Trail passes several homesites that are hard to pick out now as the forest continues to reclaim the land. The Park’s $1 map is not detailed enough to tell it, but this trail ends not at the Deeplow Gap intersection, but a mile further up at a circle turnaround. Don’t be alarmed if you get to Deeplow Gap and see signs that tell you that Indian Creek Trail keeps going. Once we reached Martins Gap, we almost immediately crossed Indian Creek on a footbridge and spotted this chunk of ice looking like blown glass. Martins Gap Trail climbs up Sunkota Ridge in classic Smokies fashion, a narrow, winding, climbing trail. The temperatures were in the 40’s and climbing warmed me up enough to get down to my short-sleeved shirt. At last we reached the intersection with Sunkota Ridge, where we were surprised to meet two hikers who had spent the night at a nearby backcountry site. I guess I was surprised because I so seldom meet hikers this far from a parking lot, but over the course of this hike I learned that Deep Creek is quite popular and well used. A little too well used, in fact, because mountain biking is permitted along a bit of Deep Creek Trail, yet we saw distinct tire marks along Martins Gap Trail too.

We had a quick lunch at this intersection and then turned left onto Sunkota Ridge Trail, with a little more climbing before a long, slow descent back to Deep Creek. The sky was sparkling blue and we passed this magnificent but deceased hemlock tree up on the ridge. Over our right shoulders we spotted Clingmans Dome yet again and Carol was excited to be walking along looking at the AT running beside her. Unfortunately, she learned one of the hazards of carrying a big pack and being unable to always see what is under your feet, because a branch on the trail reached up and tripped her and she landed (gracefully) flat on her pack. She was okay, and the biggest danger of injury was from Stephanie busting a gut laughing.

At the end of Sunkota Ridge Trail we intersected the middle of the Loop Trail (you know how I feel about trails named “loop”…) and I needed to hike all of it, meaning up and down one way and then out the other way. This trail is short but steep, and when we reached the bottom at Indian Creek Trail, Stephanie informed us that her knees had called it a day and she would meet us back at the car. So Carol and I huffed and puffed back up to our starting point and then down the other side to Deep Creek Trail. From there it was a casual road walk home stretch.

Once again we were starving. Taryn had left a phone message that she was not going to join us at all this weekend, so we went to Bryson City in search of pizza and fettucine alfredo. Then we hightailed it back to Bear Necessities to watch the sunset from the hot tub, eating chocolate cake, more pizza, more chocolate cake…what a great day…

Living It Up

Whittier Weekend – Day One - 1/23/09 – Deep Creek Horse Trail/Deep Creek Trail/Juney Whank Falls – 4 Miles (I Think) 

  After a few hundred thousand emails, plans were made between Carol, Stephanie, Taryn and me for a hiking weekend in the Deep Creek area of the Smokies. Now, before I describe the hiking, let me say that the highlight of the trip was our accommodations. Until now I have used Smokies campgrounds and inexpensive hotels, but with the four of us it was time for some high living. Through a hiking friend on Trip Advisor’s Great Smoky Mountains forum, I splurged on a cabin called Bear Necessities in Whittier, NC. While it’s a little bit of a drive to and from Deep Creek, take a look at the website and you’ll see why it is so special. Two words: HOT TUB.

At the last moment Taryn was feeling under the weather, so Carol, Stephanie and I left Charlotte on Friday morning. Our first order of business was to locate the cabin in daylight. We wound our way up a snowy road to a majestic ridge and dumped our stuff at this fantastic spot, noting the view that we would have to hurry back to. Then we headed for Deep Creek.

The hiking agenda was an easy walk with difficult-to-calculate mileage. There are multiple short trails to access Juney Whank Falls and I tagged them all. We started out on the Deep Creek Horse Trail, walked down to the bridge in front of the falls, and turned back and continued on to the end of the horse trail. A red-tailed hawk flew alongside us for a time, going a hundred feet or so ahead of us through the trees, stopping, then taking off again as we passed, stopping again. It did this four or five times before finally sailing out of sight. We took it as a good sign for our weekend aventures.

Deep Creek Horse Trail is nothing to write extensively about, just a good warm-up for this day and something for us anal-retentive map completers to walk on. Icy leaves crunched under our feet and we did have to watch our step. Here Carol demonstrates a slip-and-fall technique (foreshadowing for tomorrow?)

At the end of the horse trail we turned right onto Deep Creek Trail, heading back towards the parking area. Tom Branch Falls was looking frosty today. Before the parking area there was another side trail to Juney Whank Falls, so we took this, went over the bridge to the falls again and then back on the horse trail again back to our car. (The next day I saw yet another side trail to the falls and ran up it and then back down it to make sure I had completed them all.)

We had a phone message from Taryn that she still was not feeling well and would get back to us in the morning as to whether she felt up to joining us. We went into Bryson City looking for some dinner and finally found it at Jimmy Mac’s. I had the best chicken sandwich with mushrooms and melted cheddar that I have ever had in my entire life. Then we found our way in the dark back to our first class cabin on the mountain, where we jumped in the hot tub, cranked up the bubbles and looked at the stars up above and the human lights down below. Now this is the hiking life!

We Aren't In The Smokies Anymore

Kincora Hostel – 1/23/09-1/25/09 – Appalachian Trail – 9 Miles

My friend Daniel with the Carolina Berg Wanderers posted a weekend trip that was not in the Smokies but sounded like too much fun to miss, so I signed up for some fellowship and good times and a little Appalachian Trail hiking in Tennessee. Boy, did we get plenty of that – in an unexpected way!

Our destination was Kincora Hostel in Hampton, TN, which all thru-hikers will recognize. It is run by Bob Peoples, a unique man with a thousand stories and a big heart, who lost his wife, Pat, this past summer to cancer. You won’t find a website for Kincora on the internet, just some grateful mentions by hikers. Bob requests a donation of $4 per night to stay at his rustic hostel that he has built onto the back of his own cabin, a two-story structure with three bathrooms with showers, a living area with a fully equipped kitchen, a bunk room downstairs, an “executive suite” room with a double bed, and a second story dormitory style room that sleeps 10-12.

My route to Kincora Hostel took me through Boone, NC where my son, Brett, is a student at Appalachian State, so I stopped to have a meal with him and a trip through the grocery store. (I’ve noticed that college students, unlike high school students, have learned to eat cheaply and are grateful and frugal when you go with them to the store. I actually had to urge Brett to get stuff! But that’s another story…)

When I arrived at the hostel at about 7:00 p.m. there were a couple of people ahead of me and Bob was cranking up the wood stove (the only heat source). Here’s Bob (left) and Daniel (right) in front of the stove. Seems Bob thought we were coming the next day, so the hostel was a little chilly. The high temp for that day was 9 degrees! While we were gathered around, the temp was about 0. Most of us had foolishly assumed that the hostel would be a cozy little place with real heat and a fireplace for ambience…and did not bring sleeping bags, etc., for the cold. I’ll admit, I freaked out a bit worrying about being too cold sleeping (this is a theme with me, isn’t it?) As the rest of our group (12 in total) straggled in, we greeted the new arrivals with cheers of “Come on in, it’s up to 15 degrees!” and piled on the clothing and blankets and sleeping bags. I cannot positively identify the people in this photograph.

 After several hours the wood stove’s fan kicked in and the temperature truly began to rise (got all the way to 25 degrees inside that night, and the low temp outside was a minus 8 degrees – the lowest in 45 years.) The last people arrived around midnight and by 2:00 a.m. we knew we had to head for the bunk room to try to get some sleep. The activity of getting prepared for bed warmed us up a little, and I will concede that I slept warm enough that night. Getting out of bed the next morning….Yikes! All the pipes were frozen except for one bathroom where Bob had placed a space heater, making it a room you wanted to hang around in, if you know what I mean, but it meant a constant line to serve 12 people. And breakfast – well, would you want to eat this frozen hard-boiled egg?

Hiking on the AT on Saturday was our warm-up activity for the day. There were several routes and several groups, and Bob Peoples shuttled everyone to their trailheads. Our group hiked 9 miles through the Pond Mountain Wilderness in Cherokee National Forest overlooking Watauga Lake and along Laurel Creek back towards the hostel by way of Laurel Falls. And what an outstanding day for hiking it was. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves:

Watauga Lake

Snowy on the AT

Icebergs in the river

Very cool bridge

Water rushing under the ice

Me at frozen Laurel Falls

Back at the hostel, Bob and Daniel had stoked the stove all day and our home-away-from-home was a wonderful 45 degrees. We all managed to prepare and devour a potluck supper and enjoyed each other’s company. What a great group of people! Everyone was flexible, found the humor in the circumstances, and knew that we were sharing a special experience that we would always remember. Since the kitchen pipes were frozen, dishes were washed in the bathroom shower and sink. That night when we crawled into sleeping bags, we talked and laughed well into the night, and promised never to confess what the jokes were about.

Sunday morning we planned to shuttle in the other direction and hike 10 miles back to the hostel again, but the weather was not cooperative. Sleet was coming down and the roads were icy and nobody was going anywhere. Neil had gotten up early and cooked an unbelievable breakfast to fortify us, bacon, eggs, grits, juice, doughnuts, and anything else that wasn’t nailed down. Then we sat down to wait and see if the temperature would rise enough to melt a little bit of the stuff on the roads. Finally, about 11:30 a.m., we snaked our way down the mountain road, and when everyone had arrived safely we took a group photo to commemorate our triumph. I had planned to go on to the Smokies for a Monday hike, but the major highways were closed and all the roads around and through the Park were closed, so I made my way back to Charlotte.

If we had known what the cold conditions were, we would have all bailed out on this weekend. Instead, we had a grand experience and a great story to tell. And I look forward to visiting Kincora Hostel again, maybe in thru-hiker season…For more photos and tales of our weekend, click here.