AT- Neels Gap to Blue Ridge Gap

Day One: Neels Gap to Whitley Gap Shelter 6.7 Miles
Parking to Neels Gap 0.5
Day Two: Whitley Gap Shelter to Blue Mt. Shelter 11.8
Low Gap Shelter 0.2 Miles
Day Three: Blue Mt. Shelter to Swag of the Blue Ridge 11.1
Tray Mt. Shelter 0.4 Miles
Day Four: Swag of the Blue Ridge to Plumorchard Gap 11.6
Deep Creek Shelter 0.6
Day Five: Plumorchard Gap to Blue Ridge Gap 1.2
Road walk 72 and down Upper Hightower Road 2.0
Total Miles: 46.1

Lora and I headed down to Georgia to Neels Gap where we left off our last AT hike. The trailhead parking is 0.5 miles before you get to Neels Gap. We had a light mist going on which turned into sleet the higher we climbed up Levelland Mountain 3900 ft. It is good to have a warm up at the beginning of the trail.

Day One:
Cowrock Mountain has a beautiful view, but no pictures due to the moisture. The views are wonderful as you descend down to Tesnatee Gap. The climb up Wildcat Mountain is tough, especially at the end of the day. There is a great view from the top as well. It was getting dark and we set up camp at the trailhead leading to Whitley Gap Shelter. The sleet and wind were both getting stronger. We cooked from the tent and ate in bed.

Day Two:
The wind blew like a Banshee according to Lora that night. We woke up to a white winter wonderland. It snowed during the night. We had breakfast in bed with the wind still blowing at gale force. We packed quickly and headed down to Hogpen Gap. We were surprised to see the amount of cars at every trailhead that we came to. Lot's of hikers out.

We saw our first person, who was packing up, on our climb out of Hogpen Gap. During our hike today there are wonderful views of the the surrounding mountains through the trees. You could see Mt. Yonah all day, which pokes up with a rock face.

We stopped at Low Gap shelter and visited with Keeps and his brother who were thru hikers coming South. We didn't even think about the Southbounders, but this is the time of year that they finish their six month hike.

From Low Gap you follow an old road bed up to Poplar Stamp Gap. We stopped and ate our lunch here. We passed another thru hiker who was hiking with Keeps and passed a message on for him. We saw another couple who were backpacking and a family group that were backpacking.

We saw a few more backpackers at Chattahoochee Gap, where the spring is actually the head waters for for the Chattahoochee River.

It felt like a twenty degree difference between the sunny side and shady side of the mountains. The snow has started melting on the sunny side. We continued the climb up Blue Mountain and stayed at the Blue Mountain Shelter. We had time to dry out the tent before we set it up and gathered firewood. There was a young couple that stopped by that were day hiking in from Unicoi Gap.

We sat by the fire and enjoyed a beautiful star filled sky.

Day Three:
The wind was blowing strong and cold when we got up. We pulled everything into the shelter and packed in there. As we ate breakfast a couple of backpackers came into camp. One had actually built the shelter that we were standing in. We finished the climb of Blue Mountain and started the long descent into Unicoi Gap.

Again there were many cars in the parking lot. From there we did the steep climb up Rocky Mountain. We met two more thru hikers that were hiking with the previous group. When we got to the top we stopped for a break. There were two young boys from Atlanta that had stayed out overnight here and froze. They found out that they were not prepared for this temperature. I had to take a picture of the fire ring here. It came up to Lora's knees. Why do people build such big fire rings? There were some great views from on top.

From Rocky Mountain you have a very long and steep decent into Indian Grave Gap. Here we met a couple of day hikers. One was from Appleton, Wisconsin, where my sister had lived. We ate lunch on our way up Tray Mountain. We met alot of people on our way up. We got to the clearing where a Cheese Factory had been located in 1840. NO cheese!

After a strenuous climb up Tray Mountain, we got some wonderful views. There were two guys and a dog hanging out at the top. We had lots of ice on the rocks during the climb. There are alot of blackberry briers all over this mountain. We saw alot of Galax growing all along this section of the trail.

We stopped at the Tray Mountain Shelter for water. There was an old man and a grandson staying here. From here we started the long descent down Tray mountain. There is a marked water source at Steeltrap Gap that is not noted on the map. The two guys and their dog from the top of the mountain were setting up camp here. We went on to Swag of the Blue Ridge to make camp.

The wood was wet and we had a cold fire. We were tired anyway and didn't stay by the fire long.

Day Four:
Kelly Knob was rough. They didn't waste any time making switchbacks here. Straight up. Good views and you could see Chatuge Lake to the East. After another deep descent we stopped at Deep Gap Shelter for some water. This is an old well built shelter that actually has windows in the loft.

We got spooked twice. Once by a Grouse and the other time by some day hikers as we were stopped for lunch at Wolf Stake Knob. They came up behind us and we never heard them till they were on us. We then spent the afternoon descending from Powell Mountain to Dicks Creek Gap. Another pile of cars here. We got out of site from the road and stopped for a nap in the sun.

There is a steep decent into and climbing out of Cowart Gap. It seemed like we climbed Buzzard Knob forever. Finally we started down to Plumorchard Gap were we spent the night. Another peaceful night by the fire with the stars shining from above.

The wind picked up that night. It woke us a couple of times hollowing through the night.

Day Five:
We got up and ate breakfast. We got our water from the spring and then headed up AS Knob. We got off the trail at Blue Ridge Gap and hiked down Forest service road 72 to meet our ride. We were early so hiked another mile down Upper Hightower Creek road to get to a phone service. We used Sam Duke 706-994-6633 again for our ride.

Pictures:

Rock Creek Trail- Little Frog Wilderness Area

Rock Creek Trail in the Little Frog Wilderness, Cherokee National Forest.

Lora and I cancelled our backpacking plan due to the forcast for rain. We decided to do a day hike instead. We headed out to the Little Frog wilderness area. We started at the trailhead just past the Ocoee Whitewater Center on Hwy 64.

The Rock Creek trail climbs up the moutain with views the whole way. The first creek crossing is Laurel Creek. It is a small creek with a campsite just off the trail. The trail then climbs up and through a saddle. You have great views of Big Frog and other mountain chains. Then the trail drops down into the Pressley Cove where the Rock Creek passes through. Rock creek is also easily crossable.

Due to the early sunset, we turned around at Rock Creek and headed back. You could do a loop hike if you continued to the Benton McKaye trail and head South back to Hwy 64. You could either drop a car there or hike 64 back to the trailhead.

Pictures:

Hobb's Cabin- TTA Hike

Craig, Paula, and Marco are members of the Murfreesboro TTA, Lora is with the Soddy Daisy chapter. Dad also joined us as well as Pam. This was Pams first backpack.

We got on the trail around 9:30. We took the day loop trail to see the Savage Falls and then head down the Rim trail to Hobb's Cabin. It was a beautiful day and we got some great views in. We met up with the Upper Cumberland Chapter lead by Margaret that were doing a day hike in the area.

After we got to Hobb's Cabin, George joined us for the night. He had hiked in the Connector trail.

The first real entertainment was setting up Pam's tent. Of course this was the first time she set it up. We got some laughs as the four of us tried to figure it out.

We were then entertained by Pam as she carefully picked out a rock, wrapped it up in tin foil and then placed it over the fire. We were all thinking that there are other lightweight meals with more flavor. She was thinking that she was going to warm up her sleeping bag with this. We explained the melting of fabric and she changed her mind. She made a good comeback with making smores for everyone.

There were stories told from pies to chickens and some cough medicine taken. Ranger light foot stopped by to visit as well. Lot's of laughs all night. We apologized to other campers in the morning for our wild behavior.

The next morning we hiked out on the Plateau trail. We took a good rest break at lunch and Paula waited until the last bit of the trail before she showed Pam the correct procedure to use while falling with a backpack on. Always the teacher.

We got in a total of 17.6 Miles.

Pictures:

More Pictures:

Ohio

Went to Ohio over Thanksgiving to spend time with our daughter and our grandson. We had a great time.

Pictures:

Signal Point Backpack

Nov. 19
Prentice Cooper to Signal Point
13.4 miles

Looks like a beautiful weekend for a backpack. I drove to Signal Mountain to meet up with Charlotte, Sara, Ann and Kim from the Boro. We left one car and then drove to Prentice Cooper to the Cumberland Trail parking area. There was a big group of backpackers already there and getting ready to start on the trail. They were headed for Mullen’s Cove. We started down the trail towards Suck Creek. The Indian Rockhouse and Stone Door are some of the interesting sights on this trail. There are pretty views of the Tennessee River and overlooks into the gorge all the way to Hwy 27. You better watch for traffic zipping up and down; the motorcycle riders like this mountain road. We hiked on another mile or so to the big suspension bridge and set up camp on the other side. There was plenty of room for our 5 tents and maybe room for a couple more. Good group site.

As we gathered firewood for the night, a big group of hikers from the Plateau TTA Chapter came thru. It was good to see a lot of folks enjoying the Cumberland Trail.

As it got dark we were cooking supper, a screech owl talked to us as it swooped by the camp. We caught up on trail stories and enjoyed the campfire.

It didn’t get too cold that night and hiking up out of the creek gorge the next morning it warmed up real quick. Mushroom Rock was a cool photo op. This whole section of trail is so beautiful-all along the rim following the creek, stream crossings, seeing a couple of waterfalls. Then to Edwards Point for lunch. And right after lunch finding Edwards Point. Hmmm. There are so many rock formations to see along the rim; a natural bridge and the start of another one, I think. Just before dropping into the gorge we came to someone’s smoldering campfire from last night. Not good. Sara had some extra water and poured it on the log. We crossed the creek and started the climb out of the gorge up up up to the views of the beautiful Tennessee River at Signal Point.

A beautiful weekend and the rain didn’t start until we picked up the other car from Prentice Cooper.

Thank you Charlotte for the backpack trip!

Pictures:

Cloudland Canyon

Lora and I attended the 2011 TTA anual meeting at Lookout Mountain. We got there Friday evening and set up our tent. We did some visiting with old friends. Saturday morning we took the following hike. I had to work Sunday so we didn't get to spend the next day. We had a great time.

Cloudland Canyon State Park Waterfalls and Sitton Gulch Trail.
Rising Fawn, Georgia.

Hike Leader: Joan Hartvigsen, 7 miles strenuous. This Georgia park is located on the western edge of Lookout Mountain. The park straddles a deep gorge cut into the mountain by combined waters of Bear and Daniels Creeks. The Waterfalls Trail consists of gravel and 1,200 stair steps. Both waterfalls cascade off of sheer faces at 60 and 90 feet, and are among the most beautiful in the state. The Sitton Gulch Trail follows Daniel Creek through open, green hemlock groves and overlooks numerous small waterfalls cascading through limestone crevices. The autumn color is magnificent.

Pictures:

Cardwell Mountain- Cumberland Caverns

Saturday Ann Jacobs lead a group of seven hikers on a 5.5 mile hike at Cardwell Mt. Four chapters were represented on this perfect hiking weather day. Martin McCullough, Craig McBride and Ann from Murfreesboro, Robbie Benson and Joyce Chapman from Nashville, Stephanie and Michael Brice from Highland Rim and Lora McBride from Soddy Daisy, enjoyed the beautiful fall colors and sunshine. We stopped at the historic entrance to Cumberland Caverens ,just off the trail, on our way up the mountain. Ann told the story of Aaron Higgenbottom and his almost fatal exploration of a cervice in the rocks along the trail in 1810. We stopped at Balance Rock for a light lunch and then hiked on to Buzzard Bluff where we did see buzzards and a wild hog. A great time was had by all.

Pictures:

North Carolina AT- Fontana Lake to Nantahala OC

Day one: Hwy 28 to Cody Gap 8.8 Miles
Day two: Cody Gap to Locust Cove Gap 8.8 Miles
Day three: Locust Cove Gap to NOC 10 Miles
Total 27.6 Miles

Time for the annual Father-Son outing. We all threw out ideas and it came out to a vote to do some more of the Appalachian trail. North Carolina here we come. Steve came in and we all met at the ponderosa. We got to do the dragon twice as we dropped off the car at the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Wesser, NC. It is always fun to watch the motorcycles try to keep up to Dad's van. I think we even passed some in the curves.

The next morning we did it again as we headed off to do some hiking. We started at the Hwy 28 trailhead by Fontana Lake. As is family tradition we start out uphill. So we climbed for three miles at a heart busting incline to the top of High Top mountain. We were counting on the Yellow Creek Mountain Trail as a sign that we were almost at the top. Well, they don't mark any of the trails off the AT in North Carolina so we just got to the top. If you take a side trail, you better know where it is at.

We learned another family trait. We would pull out the map and study on the hike for the day. In a matter of twenty steps, non of us could remember what we were going to come upon next. So out comes the map, a study of just the next bench mark. Twenty steps.....nothing!

We stopped at the Cable Gap Shelter to do a water resupply. It is an older shelter made with some major sized logs. The spring runs right next to it which is nice. From there we hiked across Hwy 1242 and on to Cody Gap. The Gaps are all signed so you do know where they are.

Cody Gap has a campsite right on the trail. The Wauchecha Bald Trail heads out from there, which you also follow to get to the spring. The main spring was dry, but water was about twenty feet down from it. There is also a campsite right there so that is where we stayed.

Entertainment for the night was Dad hanging the bear bag. We watched as he tied a softball sized rock to the end of the rope. He wound up and pitched to see the rock sail through the air, with no rope attached. This was going to get good! Again the wind up, the pitch, the rock sailing through the air. We pictured either the rock going through one of the hammocks, or the rope actually staying attached to swing back and nail him in the **##@@. Through our tear filled eyes, we see him finally tying to a stick and scoring.

It was a peaceful night with stars shining while we sat next to the fire. We heard an owl and a tree falling through the night. Luckily not one that the hammock was tied to.

The next morning we got up and headed out. We started out with an uphill climb. When you get to Hogback Gap, there are two fancy benches made of logs. There is no view or anything else here, but there are two fancy benches. After some serious climbing, we earned our first clear views of the mountains just before you go down into Brown Fork Gap.

Brown Fork Gap is a steep down hill and steep uphill. We stopped at the Shelter here for a rest and some water. This is the first shelter that I have seen with a mote around it. Not sure why, but the floor does not come all the way out to the front of the shelter. There are boards here to lay down so you can get across. There is also a shelter machete for what? We got our water from the spring and met the first two hikers on the trail. The man and wife had stopped for lunch. They were from Florida.

We finished the strenuous climb and then took a serious down hill to Sweetwater Gap. We took a break at Stecoah Gap at Hwy 143 where they have some picnic tables next to the road. Then is is time to climb again. 600 foot a mile climb. By the time we got to Locust Cove Gap, we were ready to stop for the night.

At camp there were three bear hunters. They had been chasing bears all over this mountain with the dogs all day. They were ready to go home......Great! Tired, hungry, and mad bears to sleep with tonight. Just our luck. We left Dad in charge of camp and went in search of the spring. DRY! Down the creek bed we go. Climbing through the Rodedemdrum thinking about those mad bears. Finally finding a puddle of water. We filled our containers and headed back to camp. Coming into camp thinking about the hunters, so we were whistling and singing "We are not bears, we are not bears."

Dad did a great job. He hadn't moved at all. We set up camp and then we left him in charge again as we climbed back down to the water whole for more.

We got a fire going and watched the stars. Life was good. Early to bed tonight.

Rain woke us up in the middle of the night and it poured. It rained into the morning.

In the morning we started out with a good climb. Up 1500 feet in two miles. Up to the best view on top of Cheoah Bald. OK, it was in the clouds and the rain poured down on us. We thought "cool" and then started the eight miles down.

We stopped at Sassafras Gap Shelter for lunch. A dry spot. This is where I found out that the Friends of the Smoky's take care of the Appalachian trail in North Carolina. A little note in the privy told me so.

The Jump-up is a serious climb section of the trail or for us South bound folks a serious down. It will work your everything if you were wondering. At the NOC there is a restaurant that serves ice cream. There is one big scoop covered with granola, cranberries, butterscotch, chocolate, and powered sugar. SWEET!

The NOC also has a train stop, a rafting place, stores, and a bunch more.

This section is a very strenuous section of the AT. There are alot of major ups and downs along with rocky sections, with loose rocks. A very good challenge.

Pictures:

Steve's Report and pics:

Georgia AT- Springer Mt to Neals Gap

Day One: 4.9
Parking to Shelter and back 1.7 miles
Parking to Three Forks 3.2
Day Two: 11.3
Three Forks to Gooch Mt. Shelter 10.8
Hawk Mt. Shelter 0.4
Gooch Mt. Shelter 0.1
Day Three: 12.75
Gooch Mt. Shelter 0.1
Gooch Mt. Shelter to Slaughter Creek Camp 12.4
Slaughter Creek to water 0.25
Day Four: 3.55
Slaughter Creek to AT 0.25
Slaughter Creek to Neels Gap 3.3
Total Miles: 32.5

Lora and I headed out to Springer Mountain for a few days. We were going to celebrate our anniversary with an Appalachian Trail hike to Neels Gap. We got to Springer Mountain at 2pm. We hiked to the Springer Mountain shelter from the parking lot because we didn't want to miss any miles from our last hike doing the approach trail.

We got to visit with some friendly folks at the parking lot before we headed back out to the Three Forks campsite. The trail was easy and the Benton MacKaye trail crosses over numerous times. We stopped and checked out the Stover Creek Shelter.

The Three Forks campsite is a very open campsite along the Noontootla Creek. Across the creek is USFS Road #58. We set up camp and collected fire wood. There were two men that set up camp in this area as well. We had a quiet night beside the campfire. The stars were out and we got to hear the owl.

The next morning we got up and headed out. We had ten miles to put in and wanted to enjoy it. Just up from camp we came across the first two water falls along the trail. Shortly afterwards we came to the blue blazed side trail to Long Creek Falls which is pretty. There was a man that had camped there overnight. We headed back to the AT and soon passed a few other folks heading the other way. The Benton MacKaye headed out for the last time off to our left.

We stopped at the Hawk Mt. Shelter for a snack and just to see it. There are not a lot of views from the AT until you get around Woody Gap. Just a lot of up and downs. Everybody hears about Springer Mt. and Blood Mt. I have never heard of Sassafrass Mt., but I know about it now! It is the hardest part of the 32.5 miles that we did. Both up and down! Talk about feeling out of shape. We did it, but it hurt. If you ever talk to anyone that has hiked this part, just ask them. They will remember. While we were taking a break on the way up Sassafrass, a father and son passed us. Craig and Noah. We met them again at Gooch Mt. Shelter. When we got to the top of the mountain, I finally gave in and wrapped the sore ankle that started bothering me the day before we left. We ate lunch here too.

We climbed two more mountains and then stopped at Justis Creek to fill up water bladders. We were tired and ready to camp, but decided that we would go on. While we were filling another guy stopped and said that this was the last water source for a while. On day one we passed some hikers that told us that water was low everywhere and we needed to fill up every chance we got. The next creek, Blackwell Creek had water as did the spring at Gooch Mt. shelter.

We set up camp, got water, and ate. After dinner we went up to the shelter and visited with Craig and Noah along with another hiker from North Carolina, Don. Craig and Noah were from Florida. We got to hear some owls that night as well.

The next morning we slept in a little then headed out. We started out with a climb like we like to do. Then another and another. The wind was blowing in Gale force today. Just before we got to Woody Gap we came across the first rock overlook of the trail. A man was camping just the other side of the trail from it. It was windy, but gave us a beautiful sight.

Woody Gap reminded me of Newfound Gap as far as the parking lots, paved road, and a million cars. This is where Hwy 60 crosses. After you get across the road and other parking lot you start a good climb up Big Cedar Mt. There is a large rock overlook just up from Woody Gap and then another overlook off the right side of the trail on a short blue blazed trail.

After coming down Big Cedar, we ate lunch in Dan Gap. A trail runner passed us while we ate. By the time we got to Jarrard Gap where there is a campsite, we had decided to stay at Woods Hole Shelter instead of going to Slaughter Creek campsite. We were running out of energy.

Well, when we got to Woods Hole shelter, there were two guys camping there. They said that they walked towards the shelter and found the creek dry which was supposed to be the water source, and never came across the shelter. They also told us that Slaughter Creek was dry as a well. Not good because we needed water. We decided to move on and camp at Slaughter Creek. We passed the trail runner again and she said there was water up ahead. So when we got to Slaughter Creek it was dry. We checked out the camping area, then headed down Slaughter Creek trail looking for water. About a quarter mile down, we came across a campsite next to the creek. There was a small amount of water there so we set up camp and had us a campfire.

Mr. Owl woke us up the next morning. My sore ankle was swollen this morning too. Not good! We packed up and headed back to the AT, then began our hike up Blood Mountain. The trail is good to us on the way up. A steady but easy climb. We came across the privy first then the rock shelter on top. The shelter is surrounded by boulders, which protect it from the wind. Good idea I must say. There were a few people there and more coming up from the Neel Gap side all the time we were up there.

Beautiful sights to see from the mountain top. After you pass the Shelter and head across the top of Blood Mountain there are rocky overlooks everywhere. We talked to a group of boys that said there was rain coming in this afternoon so we head down the mountain to Neels Gap.

The AT goes between the Store and Hostel at Neels Gap. We stopped and looked through the store. We called our shuttle and ate lunch while we waited. They have a bunch of hiking shoes that through hikers send back after they complete the trail. They hang them in the trees outside and all across the ceiling in the store.

Our shuttle ride picked us up and took us back to Springer where we picked up our truck and headed home. We used Sam Duke 706-994-6633
Pictures:

Gobbler's Knob Hike

DAY ONE:6.8
Gobbler's Knob Trail 0.8 Miles
Hatfield Ridge Trail 0.9
Hatfield Ridge Loop 1.0
Twin Arches Loop 3.1
Slave Falls to Charit Creek Trail 1.0

DAY TWO:11.6
Slave Falls to Charit Creek Trail 2.6
Slave Falls Overlook Trail 0.4
Slave Falls Overlook Trail 0.4
Slave Falls Loop Trail 1.1
Fork Ridge Road 0.7
Gobbler's Knob Trail 6.4
TOTAL MILES: 18.4

Lora and I headed out to Big South Fork for an overnight hike. We started at the Gobbler's Knob Trailhead off Terry Cemetery Road. Gobbler's Knob trail is a wagon trail as well as the Hatfield Trails.

We stopped at the Charit Creek Lodge which is a hike to or horse ride to lodge. They have a pretty cool set up that will feed you and everything. We did the tour.

The Twin Arches Trail is beautiful. It is also a very popular trail. There is plenty of water available. We checked out the twin arches and then hiked on to Jake's place which is really a pile of rocks where the chimney once stood on the side of a meadow. There was a large group of tents set up with campers on the side of the meadow.

We hiked down Slave Falls to Charit Creek trail and found a spot to set up camp along the Mill Creek. We ate dinner then got a campfire going. We waited for the stars to come out, but not before bed time.

When we got up to use the bathroom, the stars were shining. We even had a owl talking to us. Then the incident happened. We were getting comfortable and the headlamp was still on. I looked up to see an eight legged enemy on the inside top of the tent. I set off the alarm as practiced in the pass. My brave Little Outcast bravely stated that she had it. I watched expecting great things......then I saw the plastic container. Warnings went off in my head along with the great "WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DOING?" I later found out that she had intended to smash it with the container. I thought she was going to try to catch it. Anyway she swung, the spider fell, I screamed.....I mean I was going to take action, but had the headlamp in my hand. The enemy was crawling over the sleeping bag. She swatted with her bare hand....HER BARE HAND! She missed, I yelled, I mean told her she missed. She swatted again with a deadly blow. Success! She followed up with a Kleenex clean up. I cleaned up too.

Somewhere in the night, I finally got back to sleep. We woke in the morning to the owl singing a song. We got up, had breakfast and headed out.

We took both overlook trails to the 60 foot Slave falls. The Needle Arch is between the two overlooks. From there we hiked to the Sawmill Trailhead and took the road to the Middle Creek Equestrian Trailhead. Then we hiked Gobbler's Knob trail back to the car.

Great overnight hike.

Pictures:

Gregory Ridge Trail

I joined a fine group of TTA hikers, from the Sumner Trails Chapter, led by Anne Wesley for a backpack to Gregory Bald in the GSMNP. We were meeting at the Cades Cove Ranger Station coming from Nashville, Hendersonville, Monteagle and Dayton. Pulling into the Ranger Station, I watched a 6 point buck prance across the road in front of my car. Marietta was waiting in the parking lot, and the others pulled in shortly after. While Anne went inside to file our permit, we met Malcolm, Karen (the newbie backpacker), and Amy. Coming out of the Ranger Station, Anne was stopped by visitors asking questions…she did have a GSMNP shirt on. She COULD have been a Ranger…..

On the way around the Loop Road (nicely re-paved) we spotted a mama bear and cub feeding on acorns on a hillside. A little farther, traffic was stopped while 3 bear cubs played in the tree branches hanging over the road.

Finally made it to the trailhead. Malcolm passed around homemade granola bars his wife had made for the backpack. It started raining as we started up the trail. We saw a lot of huge trees on this old growth section of trail. We had 3 log bridge crossings and came to campsite 12 right by the creek. We had our choice of sites, no one else was here. We set up and inspected housing for the trip. Amy gathered firewood and started a fire. We cooked supper and enjoyed our wet firewood fire. Lights out, wow it gets dark here! More rain thru the night made me wish I had let Craig spray my tent with water repellent when he asked if it needed it. It was fine the last trip…which had been Easter weekend, no precipitation….

Got up Saturday morning to drips from the trees, and a cloud sitting on the mountain top. It’s gonna be a beautiful day! A squirrel playing in the tree tops by the creek was trying to pelt me with the remains of his breakfast. It was like little missiles raining down. I was just trying to get some water! As we climbed up the trail the sun was starting to peep thru the mist. When the beams started shining down, it was an incredible sight to see. Wow!

We got to the junction for Gregory Bald took the path to the stream to get water and take a break. When we got up to the Bald we took out our wet gear and dried it in the warm sunshine, then on to the campsite to set up. The water source at the camp is just a seep and it was so seepy, we used ziplock baggies to collect water. We carried our cooking stuff and food back up to the bald and had dinner and watched the gorgeous sunset. A big group of Florida U students were on the Bald and asked if they could share our fire at the campsite. We said sure! Met up with a Ranger carrying a rifle on the way back to camp…hog hunting. We got back to camp and watched the FU group try to keep a fire going with wet wood so they could cook their canned food: ravioli, soup, beans, baked potato. There were 15 of them -a great group of young people. Met some backpacking firefighters and a couple of other groups. The stars came out for a beautiful night.

Sunday morning light woke us up. Leisurely breakfast and pack em up and move em out.

Back to the Bald and back down the trail, which is always different in the opposite direction. We saw lots of bear scat on the way down, but no bears.

Ice cream back at the Ranger Station finished our trip.

Great group of folks, great backpack, Thanks to Anne and now Karen’s not a newbie any more!

Pictures:

Dale Hollow Lake - Big Goat Island

Lora and I decided to do a canoe camping trip at Dale Hollow Lake. We made reservations for campsite #8 Big Goat Island.

It was a beautiful day for being on the lake. We put in at Willow Grove boat ramp. The first place we paddled to was our campsite to make sure we knew where it was. They mark the campsites with an orange marker that is supposed to stand out. Basically you look for an outhouse and go with that. We found our orange marker in the middle of a bush on the beach. We checked out the beach with a little swim. After that we canoed around Big Goat Island and over to the main coast by accordion bluff.

There were alot of boats out and few operators that knew nothing about the rules of boating. We even had one ski boat do a loop around us.

We explored the coast and inlets and did a lap around Geiger Island which has campsite #13 on it. We headed back to camp after that.

We set up camp and gathered firewood. We had another couple stop by in their boat asking about the campsite. They were going to spend a few days here in a couple of weeks. After a swim, we enjoyed our dinner and then walked around the island to watch the sunset. After that we got our fire going and enjoyed watching the stars and looking at the full moon reflecting off the water.

We got up the next morning and after breakfast we headed out for a day of paddling. We went to Clark Island to check out the campsite #6 then went to Graveyard island and checked out campsite #9 and hike across the island. We had a house boat speed up so that they could pass in front of us. What is up with that? From there we went to Hendricks Creek and paddled into Kentucky. We checked out campsite #12 and were heading to #11 when we stopped for lunch.

During lunch we listened to the sound of waves and jet skis and thunder.....THUNDER? A black cloud was heading toward us. We headed towards an island and then changed coarse as the closest shoreline we could get up on was on the mainland. We got caught and our tiny ship was tossed. The only thought we had was what a lighting rod we were out in the middle of the lake in an aluminum canoe. We made it to shore and set up a tarp to watch the rain pass by and calm down the old nerves.

After the storm went by and after emptying out the canoe, we paddled back to the boat ramp. After loading up the car we took another swim. It was a great weekend on a beautiful lake. We got to see ducks, geese, woodpeckers, turtles, fish, eagles, vulchers, deer on little goat island, and got to hear a screech owl and horn owl at night.

We had to stop and get us a Sonic Blast after all that paddling.

Pictures:

Hiwassee Refuge Lake

Lora and I decided to go back to the Hiwassee Refuge and canoe the lake there. When we got to the inlet we found a dirt dam across the end of it. Off to the left side there was an access point between a metal section of the dam that you can canoe through. It is hidden through another inlet.

Once inside we had the entire lake to ourselves. It is a large lake and the wildlife is abundant. We saw all kinds of birds, including Cranes, Blue Herons, Red Wing Black birds, Crows, and all kinds of ducks. We saw numerous turtles, deer, and fish.

When we came around one corner there was a doe standing in the water next to a bush. Once she saw us coming she climbed out of the lake and headed up through the corn field. We tied off at a tree just down from where she was standing and ate lunch. Shortly after we heard a crashing sound and a buck came running out of the corn field. He walked down to within thirty yards of us and just stood there watching us while we ate. Finally he just disappeared with no sound.

We came around another point and a flock of red wing black birds came out of the tall grass. Numerous adults followed by many young. Around another bend flocks of ducks took off. It is a beautiful and peaceful place to take a water tour of.

Pictures:

Childers Creek

My hiking partner had to work so I went hiking with the East TN TTA Chapter in Reliance, TN on the JMT Recreation Trail. It’s been a while since I’ve been hiking; trying to make sure I had all the essentials. Craig said “don’t forget your first aid kit.”

The temps were cooler and humidity low, perfect day for hiking. It’s a pretty drive coming into the Cherokee National Forest. When I called Craig to let him know I was on the road, he asked about my first aid kit….oops….have a small one in the car, got it. Then came the other questions…did you bring???????

I got to the trailhead early and drove around a little in the area. Rosemary got there so I started to put my hiking shoes on and realized I had two different shoes. Oh well, at least I had a left and a right. Robby (hike leader) Karen, Gail, and Larry pulled in and we took a shuttle vehicle to the other end. Spray down with deet and off we go.

This is a beautiful trail, hiking along the river side. Lots of wildflowers blooming, some we knew, some we didn’t. Didn’t carry the wildflower book. Took pictures, feel free to identify them for me. I can’t find the white ones in the guide. Never seen them before. Somebody had done fine trail maintenance thru this area. Nice job.

We stopped for lunch at a real pretty camp spot by the river where I realized I didn’t pack my little sitting pad. At least I remembered food! Had to wade in to see how cold the water was. There was a little rocky beach area with several wildflowers blooming along side. Saw some spotted Jewelweed-pretty. As we were finishing lunch and getting ready to get back on the trail, someone said look where we were standing by the water. Wow, the water was rising fast! It wasn’t long till we saw kayaks and rafts coming down the river. Lots of folks out enjoying the river.

We hiked out to a parking area and there was our shuttle car. Oops, we didn’t park in the right place. Plan B. We all kept going and a little while later, 3 of our hikers turned back to get the car while the rest of us kept going. This part of the trail had not been maintained lately and we had to crawl under a tree across the trail and watch out for briar's. Our trail came out on the road to the powerhouse that releases water for the rafters and kayakers and the traffic was a little dangerous. When our shuttle car came by we jumped in and drove the ½ mile to the powerhouse.

This is a beautiful trail with lots of swimming holes.

Pictures:

Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge

Lora and I took the canoe out for a trip around the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge Island on the Tennessee River. It was a beautiful day with a wind that gave us a good test. The east side was protected from the wind pretty good so we had some smooth sailing. The west side kept us paddling pretty strong and the trip back to the boat launch was challenging.

We did get to see lots of Ospry birds and there were a lot of boats out on the water. Lora even got to see a black snake which she is always so excited to do.

Pictures:

Michigan 2011

Another wonderful and exciting vacation in Michigan. Marco joined us again this year for a week up at Elk lake. It was going to be different this year without Granny. She was thought of often throughout the week.

We got to the lake just before Deanna and McKinley got there, so I could rub that in.

Sunday morning we got up and got some stuff done before our trip to Lake Michigan to fish with Captain Ed.

The weather was beautiful and we were all excited about the limit of trophy fish we were going to bring back with us. Captain Ed was ready to go after the introductions of the new people in the group. We got to set sail in his updated boat for the first time.

We went about ten miles out to catch our fish. We trolled for a few hours with no luck. It wasn't the Captains fault as he had every line he owned in the water and fish were on the finder. I think it was the storm coming in. It felt a little like Gilligan's Island as a storm came in and our little ship was tossed. We did manage to catch one Salmon as we were reeling in all of the lines. We went through a major rain storm on the way in to the shelf. We set the lines out again, but the waves were getting bigger and bigger. Lora didn't appreciate the waves and got a little sea sick. We ended up calling it off as the weather was beating us down.

We slept in Monday morning for a little bit and then we got the chores done before doing the vacation relax thing. We went out on Elk lake and Marco caught his large mouth. We had a campfire that night and watched the stars.

Tuesday the girls went shopping and the guys worked on the dock. It was an overcast day with rain on and off. The dock had to be braced up and the bench repaired. When the girls got back we got into some Sequence games and then Smear card games into the night.

Wednesday was another relax day. We took a walk around the lake and then did some relaxing. We got the Corn hole game going. That night after dinner we went to the Ice Cream shop. They were not opened yet so we entertained ourselves learning to whistle with our hands and doing the snap clap dance. That evening the toilet backed up and it was time for another septic tank search. We found out that the drain field was going to have to be replace.

Thursday was the Canoe trip down the Manistee river. Betty, Steve and Kathy came up to join us. It was a great day on the river. It was hot enough that we did alot of swimming and did the picnic lunch. That evening we celebrated Betty's birthday with some banana splits. Another night around the fire.

Friday we had Mandy, Melanie, and Kim join us as well as Aunt Micki. It was a beautiful day at the lake. We went out for a fish dinner that night and came back for another campfire.

Pictures:

Granny 1917-2011

This post is in memory of my Grandma. She meant the world to me. She was a strong lady who stuck with her beliefs and never swayed. She didn't give up on life, her body gave up on her.

Virginia passed away Thursday June 30, 2011 at Brian’s House age 93 years. Daughter of the late Harry & Dora (Villaire) Hogan she was born October 14, 1917 in Bay City. She married Howard “Smokey” LaCombe June 11, 1938 in St. Mary’s Church. He predeceased her April 20, 1995.

Virginia was a member of St. Mary’s Church and the Altar Society. She was a former Miss Bay City, she enjoyed gardening, going to her cabin and was an avid Detroit Tiger fan. Virginia truly loved spending time with her family.

Surviving are three children; Carol (Jim) McBride, Linda (Rick) Stephenson all of Maryville, TN., Janelle (Greg) Hart of Bay City, ten grandchildren: Steven (Kathy) McBride, Lynelle (James) Moyar, Craig (Lora) McBride, Deanna (Dan) Brewer, Leslie (Chad) Wilbourn, Michael (Tawyna) Lindsay, Chad (Brandy) Lindsay, Austin Stephenson, Brad (Betsey) Hart, Jennifer Hart & her fiancé Charlie Warren, thirteen great- grandchildren and five great-great grandchildren. Also surviving are two sisters in-law; Joanne & Evelyn Hogan. She was predeceased by four brothers; Harry Jr., Ray, Larry & John Hogan, one sister; Marie Howell and her pet dog “Baby”.

Funeral Mass will be celebrated Wednesday July 6, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. from St. Mary’s Church. Fr. Craig Albrecht will officiate with burial in Calvary Cemetery. Friends may call at the Squires Funeral Home on Tuesday from 2 – 8 p.m. and at the church on Wednesday after 10:00 a.m. There will be a parish vigil service for Virginia on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. Those planning an expression of sympathy are asked to consider Brian’s House or the American Heart Association.

I have attached some pictures of the family get to gether.

Pictures:

Gregory's Bald

Day One:
Twenty Mile Trail 0.5
Wolf Ridge Trail 5.2

Day Two:
Gregory Bald Trail 1.2
Long Hungry Ridge Trail 4.6
Twenty Mile Trail 3.1
Total: 14.6 Miles

We did a special backpack this weekend. It was a Fathers Day hike with my Dad, a TTA hike with Sara and Lora, and an a wildflower hike to Gregory's Bald to see the Azaleas. This would be a first hike for Sara and Lora to Gregory's Bald and new trails for Dad and I.

Sara met me at the firehall after work and we drove home to get Lora. We were going to take The Dragon to the trailhead, which Sara was all excited about since she had never been on it. We stopped and picked up some Subway and then headed to The Dragon. When we got on 129 Craig said Wee, Lora said Wee, and Sara said STOP! I guess it wasn't too good on the stomach.

Well anyway, we met Dad at the Twenty Mile Ranger station. The trailhead parking was FULL! We finally managed to squeeze in a spot and a hiking we went. It was a beautiful overcast day. I guess it was about a mile from the trailhead that the rain began. As we all did the poncho deployment move, a gentle gale force wind started to blow. We heard a loud crack followed by more cracking as it seemed to be getting closer. I looked up in time to watch a large branch fall onto Sara, Lora, and myself. Luckily it hit me on the head and there were no more injuries. The rain came down and on we hiked. It turned into a drizzle for most of the afternoon.

We passed a lot of wet day hikers that were coming back down from the Bald. There were a variety of trash bags, a few ponchos, some rain coats, and lots of just wet people. Day hikers that were not prepared. Imagine that.

There were a lot of wild flowers along the trail. Fire Pinks, Sundrops, Buttercups, Indian Pipe, Spiderwort, Pippissiwa, Tassle Rue, Rhododendren, Flame Azaleas: Pink, Orange, White, Red, Yellow.

As we crossed Parsons Bald, we heard a loud Squeal, a few snorts, and then we got to see three hogs heading through the brush. That will get your attention!

When we got to campsite #13, which we had reservations for, there were plenty of tents already set up. We found us a corner and made camp. By the time we set up, collected water, got fire wood, and ate dinner, it was time to light the fire. After some good visiting we gave up and went to bed.

The next morning we woke up to the sound of thunder. The stars had been out all night, what is up with that? Now do you rush to pack up before the rain or do you sleep in through the rain? Well we didn't have to choose as all we got was noise. There were three deer that walked into the campsite and were hanging out by the other tents.

We packed up, ate breakfast, and then headed to the Bald. On the half mile walk to the top we walked into a cloud. So to see all the beautiful flowers we had to walk up to each bush. Needless to say the view of Cades Cove was not to be seen.

After the flower show we hiked on down the trail. Before you get to the Long Hungry Ridge Trailhead there is a side trail to Moore Spring. It is marked with a sign that says no horses beyond this point. We had never known that this was here, but found it in the trail description. So we had to check it out since we were here. It is a good strong spring. We got water here and then took the other trail from the spring that connects to the Long Hungry Ridge Trail. The trail description says that a cabin that used to stand here burned in the early 1970's. I don't remember it.

It was all down hill from here. We hiked down and took a break at campsite #92. This is a very large campsite and we explored it for a while since the description told of a three foot section of railroad track leaned against a dogwood. We never even found a dogwood.

Further down the trail we were talking about bears. Sara said that she had never seen a bear outside of Cades Cove. I told her that all she has to do is ask my Dad and he would schedule it for her. He has a track record. Sure enough on down the trail a black bear crossed the trail in front of us. All my Dad could say was "Anything else?"

We stopped at the Twenty Mile Cascades and took some pictures. After that the rain decided to kick in again. That is when Dad found that he had lost his poncho. Thinking that it was back at campsite #92 he declined the offer to hike back and get it. It quit raining right after that.

Another great hike with great company. This time on the Dragon, Sara said Wee, Craig said Wee, Lora said STOP! OH MY. We stopped on The Dragon overlook on the way back and then stopped to look at the "Tree of Shame" where they hang all the motorcycle parts of those that didn't make it safely down the Dragon.

Pictures:

TTA National Trails Day

We got to spend the day with the Soddy Tennessee Trails Association. They did a set up at the Rock Creek Section of the Cumberland trail and took hikers out on the trail and then fed them. It was a good time with some great people. Lora and I led a hike around the loop trail and then got some swimming in at the old swimming hole.

Pictures:

Citico Creek Wilderness Area

North Fork Citico Creek Trail #98 5.45
Cold Springs Gap Trail #149 3.2 Miles
South Fork Citico Creek Trail #105 8.5 Miles
Total Miles: 17.15

Trying to avoid Memorial Day crowds, we picked the Citico Creek Wilderness Area to hike in. We wanted creeks to keep cool in and it is somewhat close to the house. We have never been in this area.

After work I headed home and picked up Lora. We headed out and was on the trail a little after noon. Lots of people on the Cherohala Skyway and in Tellico. Even lots of people in the Indian Boundary area, but after a mile on the trail we had the mountains all to ourselves.

We used the trail description from "Wilderness Trails of the Cherokee National Forest" by Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock, and Haw Knob. Yes, you need trail description for all trails in the Cherokee National Forest because the trails are not blazed. There is a sign post at the trail intersections.

We parked at the #105 trailhead and hiked the .97 miles to the North Fork Citico Creek Trail. This trail follows the creek to the Cherry Log Gap of the Unicoi Mountains. It's a very pretty trail and you have many creek crossings, water falls, and cascades. We stopped at a forty foot water fall to take a break and cool down in the creek.

We took the Cold Springs Gap Trail #149 across to the South Fork Citico Creek Trail. This is an old road bed which was overgrown a bit. It cleared up a little bit when you get to the Benton MacKaye section. One section worked us over with the Stinging Nettles which burned our legs. Later, on the trail as the wildflowers and undergrowth was knee high, Lora screamed out "Jesus!" I looked up to see the glory as I myself have never seen him in person. With out seeing anything I looked down at a rabbit who had obviously never seen Jesus himself as he was looking up as well. Oh, I guess the rabbit must have scared Lora.

We hiked to the South Fork Citico Creek Trail #105. It descended quite steeply down the mountain side. I showed Lora a couple of advanced sliding moves including the hooking one leg on tree as you butt slide by it. Nothing really for an old pro.

When we got to the first flat area by the creek we made camp. It was 1.5 miles down. We got to watch the fireflies as we sat next to the campfire. The stars were out so we got to watch then all night.

We got up the next morning to another beautiful day. We had a rabbit in camp pulling up ferns and eating the roots. Lora didn't yell a name at him.

There was one place on the trail that was heavily overgrown with wild grape vines and blackberry bushes. It did have some good views here when you could see. We climbed the rest of the way down the mountain to the creek and took an afternoon swim. There were more creek crossings, waterfalls, and cascades. It is a beautiful place to hike.

After we got off the trail we explored the campground across the creek and the campground by the lake at Indian Boundary. It's a nice area. On the way out we stopped by Bald River Falls to check it out.

Pictures:

Grand Canyon

Day One: 9.3 Miles
Day Two: 11.5 Miles
Day Three: 9.3 Miles
Total Miles: 30.1

Well, neither of us had been to the Grand Canyon. We did the research and planning. We got turned down twice on our permits and finally they gave us the go ahead. You basically hike when they tell you to. The first time we put in, they said that 800 other people put in the same day.

We left after work and flew out of Nashville. Our second flight out of Dallas, they waited until we were all on board to tell us that we were on a maintenance delay waiting on a part. Good ole airlines! A little late, but we made it to Phoenix Arizona. We were just talking about the cactus and Lora had said that she has never seen the old western stand up cactus other than on TV. Well, she had to wait until we got to the airport before she got to see one. They were everywhere in Phoenix. On the bus, we sat next to a guy from Phoenix. He said that the people here were alot less friendly than we were used to in Tennessee. Everyone we met was friendly.

We got in our rental car with a sweet 92 degrees outside and headed North. The further North we went the higher the elevation and cooler the temperature. We stopped in Flagstaff for dinner. A little later we stopped again. This time because one of those friendly policeman wanted to talk to me. Something about the speed I was traveling did not match that of the speed limit sign that I passed. He let me off with a friendly chat and a warning.

The last fifty miles from Williams to the Grand Canyon felt like eternity as we were waiting in anticipation of the Great View. After we went through the gate of the park and finally made it to the visitor center the sun was getting ready to set. We hurried to the rim as you cannot see the canyon until you are literally standing at the rim. WOW............WOW.........WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As far as you can see, the canyon just keeps going. There is no end or other side. It's like looking over the ocean. Then you look down. WOW! As the reality sets in, you notice that you are incredibly small and insignificant. You also wonder how the hell you are going to be able to hike down to the bottom of this mammoth hole. We scanned the cliff walls for any sign of trail. None! You could see tiny ant sized trails running down at the bottom of the canyon, but nothing on the walls. We stood in awe as the sun set down over the rim.

We found our campsite in the Manther campground and set up camp in the dark. The stars were wonderful and the night was only interrupted by the other people making noise in the campground. The next morning as soon as we saw a sign of light we were up and packed. Talk about excited and nervous. What were we going to see?

If you have a permit you can drive to the trailhead of the Hermit trail. They never gave us the code to get through the gate so we waited until a bus was coming and got the code from them. When we got to Hermits Rest, the trailhead, we met some people from North Dakota. They were actually from Minot so I got to do some reminiscing with them about the great Air Force days. They took our picture for us before we headed down the trail.

The Canyon was nothing like you would imagine. There was green everywhere with plants growing all over the rocks and flowers of every color growing everywhere. We saw a million lizards. We saw squirrels, chipmunks, Birds of ever kind, and lots of cactus of different types.

The trail dropped very steeply for the first mile then went along the canyon wall. You could only see the trail in front of you for about thirty yards tops at a time. It curved around the walls and there was a surprise around every corner. Sometimes you would catch a glimpse of it along the wall across from you or below you. You were walking anywhere from five to twenty feet from the cliffs edge as you wandered. That safety distance was steep down hill as well. The drop offs were anywhere from 500 to over 1000 foot drops. You could see the Tonto trail level of the canyon way out in front of you, but when were we going to go down?

We came to a shelter at Santa Maria Spring. It's a little hut in the side of the cliff with a trough that the spring ran into. Good resting place for the climb back out. There was one spot on the trail that I looked everywhere and we had a clear shot of the trail. I told Lora this was a good spot to use the bathroom. She got behind a bush and I was going off the side of the cliff. I looked down the cliff and a guy was looking back at me. The trail switched back under us. Oops! I told you that you couldn't see the trail.

The next major downhill drop was at the Cathedral Stairs. Steep switch backs and we dropped and dropped. Then the trail winded down to the Tonto trail. Everyone we passed were friendly to us and everyone spoke English. Up on the rim you couldn't find an American if you had too.

Finally we got a glimpse of the Colorado river. The Colorado river was in a canyon of its own. It's 950 feet down to the river off steep cliffs. If you were rafting, and we did see rafts, you would never see the whole canyon unless you did some hiking.

The next two and a half miles to Monument Creek on the Tonto trail was more like rolling hills. The heat started beating us during this section and there was no place to go for shade. We did find one spot where two rocks were leaning on each other with a shadow that we took refuge in.

The trail dropped into the creek gorge and we got to see the Monument of Monument Creek. A large stone tower that stands in the middle of the river gorge. From here it was right close to camp. There were two girls in camp already that were hiding in the shade of the canyon. There was a three seated toilet at the campground that was interesting. We set up our tent and I put my tarp over it to try to get some shade. We cleaned up in the creek which felt really good and relaxed for the evening. There was only one other group of campers that came into camp that night. The night cooled off and we got to enjoy the stars. No campfires allowed in the canyon.

The next morning we left the tent set up and hiked down to the Colorado river. It had a nice sandy beach and with the rapids right there it made waves come up on the shore. Yes, we had to get in. It was cold. It was very pretty down there at the river, like a little paradise. After we got our water fix we hiked back up to camp and then took the Tonto trail further East.

The day warmed up, but the wind kept us cooled off. Sometimes it almost blew us off the trail, but most of the time it was a gentle breeze. We headed past the Cedar Spring campsite which wasn't hitting on much and on to Salt Creek campground. The Salt Creek Gorge is beautiful and rugged. We ate lunch in that area and then hiked on to the furthest edge of the Salt Creek Gorge. We decided that this was far enough for one day and headed back to camp. On the way back we got to see some white and orange spots on the river below which were rafts.

When we got back to camp we got to relax in the gentle gail force winds. Later that evening there was another group of four that came in and camped on the other side of the campground. That night we got rain off and on all night long.

We got up the next morning and headed out. About the time that we got to Hermit trail it started to rain, but didn't rain long. It was breezy and cold on the hike out. Some of the hikers we passed were telling us about the snow and hail they had on the rim. Sure enough we got snowed on. The last mile out of the canyon we had to step it up because we could hear thunder and didn't want to get caught on the side of a cliff in a storm. After we got up to the rim it cleared up and we could look down into the canyon and see where we had hiked. We did the tourist thing and then headed back to Phoenix for the night.

The next morning we flew back to Nashville and drove home.

Pictures:

Smokemont

Day One: 3.6
Bradley Fork 1.25
Chasteen Creek to Campsite #48 2.4

Day Two: 8.2
Chasteen Creek to Enloe Creek 2.0
Enloe Creek to Hyatt Ridge 3.6
Hyatt Ridge to #44 2.6

Day Three: 8.0
Hyatt Ridge to Beech Gap 0.9
Beech Gap to Balsam Mt. 5.3
Balsam Mt. to Laurel Gap shelter 1.8

Day Four: 11.7
Balsam Mt. to AT 6
AT to Pecks Corner 5.3
Hughes Ridge to Peck's shelter 0.4

Day Five: 9.1
Hughes Ridge to Bradley Fork 1.8
Bradley Fork to Smokemont 7.3

Total Miles: 40.6

Well we again went from plan A to plan B. We had a five day hike planned starting on Thursday. Wednesday on the way through Woodbury going to work, I had waves coming down the road at me in the heavy rain. The water was getting deep and the radio was saying that Rutherford County was having the worst storms. It just happens to be where I was heading to. This was only the beginning of a long day. The storms were going to get worse.

The most tornadoes to hit in one day in history......wow! After working storm damage at work I headed home the next morning. The last conversation with Lora was when I told her it was all clear on the radar. The phone wasn't working at the house that morning. Finally I got a call from her telling me she didn't know how I was going to get up the mountain as the tornado damage has blocked the way I usually come up the mountain. Four people had died less than a quarter mile from our home and damage was massive. Lora had visited the basement while this was going on, but had no idea that the tornado had hit so close and so much damage had occurred. She found out when she drove down the road to get a cell signal. I got another call from her just before I got to the mountain and the police had told her they had cleared enough road to get one car at a time up the mountain.

I got the generator running as Lora grabbed food from her Mom's and sisters houses. With no damage at home other than replanting a couple of bushes, we loaded up some saws and headed out to help the neighbors. Most of them were waiting for the insurance people. We ended up just collecting belongings from fields and bringing what ever we thought was important back to the people it belonged to. Afterwards, since we didn't have any power and it would be days before we got it back, we decided to go ahead with our hike. We took our generator and food to Lora's parents and headed to the Smokys. On the way, Lora looked at her phone and said "What? 5:30pm already?"

We registered at 8:11pm. We left out of Smokemont. We had planned on hiking the Smokemont Loop today, but since it was now dark we hiked the 3.6 miles in to campsite #48. It was a beautiful night and the stars were shining so we left off the rainfly and slept under the stars. We woke up with the splashing of water in our faces. AHHHHH it's raining. I got up, grabbed the rainfly, and deployed. The rain had stopped before I got the rainfly strapped down. Oh well.

The next morning we got up ate breakfast and headed down Chasteen Creek going towards Enloe Creek. Lots of uphill this morning. We saw a black bear just up hill from us digging at a fallen tree. He turned and looked at us, then walked up to the trail above and ran off. When I took a step forward a turkey flew off. He was about twenty feet downhill. It's going to be a good day. These are some beautiful trails.

When we got to Hyatt Ridge trail we saw four Yankees at the junction. We knew they were from the North when they didn't return our "hello's." When we got to campsite #44 there was already a tent in the premo site, so we had to set up at the group site. Campsite #44 is a pretty site with a spring flowing through it. After we set up the tent, cleaned up, and collected firewood, the two guys who had the other tent showed up. They came up from the creek and had been fishing all day. No, we didn't see any fish. Later on one other backpacker showed up. He collected water and went back down the trail. Lora and I sat by the fire and enjoyed the stars.

The next morning we hiked down the Beech Gap trail where we took a lunch break at the Straight Fork river and aired out our tent and bags. After lunch we past our first hiker of the trip as we started the steep climb up to Beech Gap. On the way up we passed three Benton Mackaye hikers that were hiking the Smoky Mountain section.

When we got to Beech Gap we took a well deserved rest in the meadow. We saw a group of seven backpackers come up that were heading to Laurel Gap shelter as well. At the shelter we ended up with ten people from North Carolina, Indiana, and Florida. Here we also made the rookie mistake of leaving our food in the shelter while all these people were around as we fetched water and cleaned up. When we got back we found that a mouse had attacked the food bags. Not too much damage luckily.

We did kick up a Grouse on the way to the spring and heard more the next morning. Our time at the shelter was spent socializing with our many backpacking brothers. One even had a guitar and played some songs for us. He didn't know "Rocky Top."

We did have fun with their "Fire Master." He broke out the old flint, shaved some off, got a spark, and was blowing like hell. In between he asked how I started one. I told him with lint and a lighter. He gave me that surprised look and ask the golden question; "You have a lighter?" After saying yes, one of his fellow hikers said that he had one too. Mystified he asked his partner why he didn't tell him this the night before. "You didn't ask!"

The next morning after saying our good byes, we hiked the easy Balsam Mt. ridge to the Appalachian Trail. We got to see some Juncos flying from their nests on the trail. Once we hit the AT we met backpackers. Three Ladies just hiking the Smoky Mountain section and eighteen thru-hikers heading to Maine. This is just on the 5.3 miles that we hiked. We enjoyed the views as always. This is what I consider the most beautiful part of the Smoky Mountains.

When we got to Pecks Corner shelter there were three hikers there already. These men were from Kentucky and one recognized the "Outcasts". He had read our hikes on the Sheltowee Trace. By dark we had ten hikers total, two of which were thru-hikers. Some of the hikers had also climbed Half Dome like Lora had. We had some wonderful conversations throughout the evening and in the morning as well. We did get a phone signal that night up by the privy that one of the hikers tip us off to. We had gotten power back the afternoon before.

After saying our goodbyes we headed down the Hughes Ridge trail and took the Bradley Fork trail back to Smokemont. Talk about a wildflower hike. These are some great trails.

Pictures:

Ladies Spring Backpack 2011

Diane planned a three day weekend trip in the Smokies and 5 ladies said “I want to go!” I met up with all of them in Crossville at the Cracker Barrel. They drove from Nashville (Diane, Sue, Gloria Dale, and Nancy) and the ‘Boro (Sara). My sweetheart drove into the parking lot just before we took off. He was heading to Maryville to spend the weekend with his mom and dad, and I needed a hug before hitting the trails. We all took off for the mountains.

We stopped at the Subway at the Sevierville exit and then joined the millions of cars heading into the Smokies. Diane whipped out the road map and found 416 to Greenbriar. Yeah! No driving thru Pigeon Forge!!!! We got off 416 onto 321 just outside the road leading into the Porter’s Creek Trail. Lots of folks were along the river enjoying the pretty weather and holiday weekend. Lots of cars at the trailhead. We jumped out and sat down to eat our Subway sandwiches; then off we went.

Porter’s Creek Trail is one of the most popular trails well known for spring wildflowers and there were bunches! We saw so many different kinds: Yellow Trillium, Showy Orchis, Dwarf Crested Iris, Pink Lady Slippers, Phlox, Wild Geranium, violets, one of the violets has two different blooms on it; one purple, one white. So pretty. The Pink Lady Slippers drew quite and audience, fancy cameras and tripods set up waiting for the light to be just right. More flowers: Sweet Cecily, Toothwort, Fringed Phacelia, Squaw Root, Brook Lettuce, Torch Grass, and Frasier’s Sedge.

We checked out the old cemetery and saw the remains of a rusted old car. We passed Fern Falls, I got a picture of the falls waiting for everyone to cross the slippery rocks. We hiked to the campsite at the end of the trail and took a short break. It’s so cool to look up at Charlie’s Bunion looming over you. This is a great campsite and pretty. There were Painted Trilliums blooming close by. We were reading the trail description and some wanted to know where Fern Falls was; I told them we passed it on the way up and would make sure they saw it on the way down. We spotted Umbrella Leaf coming back down the trail.

Back at the trailhead we drove back to 321 and went to Greenbriar Island Campground to set up for the night. Sara brought a six person tent and it worked out perfect for our crew.
Watched the stars pop out and got a good night’s sleep.
Day one 7.2 miles


We got up early packed up and took one car to the Bullhead Trailhead, and drove back to Porter’s Creek. Looked at the wildflower show again on the way to the Brushy Mountain Trail. We stopped long enough to check out the old SMHC cabin built 1934-1936, a big barn and the spring house. Lot of history here. Then it was up, up, up the trail. And it started getting WARM. We noticed lots of piles of rocks on both sides of the trail, left from old settlements. We saw more wildflowers that we didn’t see yesterday: golden ragwort, chickweed, and lots of buttercups. There was an old washtub and a collapsed chimney at an old homesite.

When we got to the trail junction for Trillium Gap we took a long lunch break resting from the climb. 5 of us went on to the end of the Brushy Mt. trail while 1 watched our packs; she had already hiked this part before. The view from the top was of the towns below and sand myrtle was blooming along the way. Then up Trillium Gap. We found Ramps, nice oniony smell, lots of Spring Beauty, Trout Lily, and Bead Lily. We have now walked from late spring back into early spring wildflowers. We had great views of Brushy Mt. and Mt. LeConte going up. This is the trail the llamas are used to take supplies to and from the Mt. LeConte Lodge. We found evidence. I think they are trained to all go at the same spot on the trail. One poops, they all poop.

We made it to the top by 4 pm and found the shelter. Oh no! The door to the privy was lying on the ground. Anyone at the shelter can wave at you while you potty.

We walked back down to the Lodge and pumped our water. Rested for a while and then Yoga time. Stretch out those muscles. Thanks Diane and Nancy for Yoga class. We walked up to Cliff Tops to see the sunset with all the people from the Lodge. It was windy and sort of cloudy; the sunset was beautiful and made pink and orange swirls.
Day two 10 miles

I woke up sometime thru the night to look at the stars. Seems like you can reach up and touch them. I woke up at daylight and jumped out of my sleeping bag; I wanted to see the sunrise from Myrtle point. I hiked maybe ¼ mile past the shelter and there’s the sun! It rises earlier on the mountain top? It was cloudy on the horizon so the sun was shining thru the multi colored clouds. What a glorious Easter sunrise!

Back at the shelter everyone was up and cooking breakfast. The Easter Bunny showed up with treats for all and hopped along the trail with us the rest of the day.

We started down Bullhead Trail and down it is. Lots of pretty views going down. We got to the Pulpit and took a short break studying the trail description so we wouldn’t miss seeing the head of the Bull. Found it. Well, a couple of the ladies found it and spent some time trying to help some of us see it too. I think I saw it. Then on down we hiked to a rock house and stopped for lunch.

Just around the bend was another rock house, more room for sitting, and not as damp inside. Oh well. We finally made it back to level ground and to the parking lot. Picked up the other car at Porter’s Creek and headed back to I 40. Back in Crossville we ate supper at the Cracker Barrel and then headed for home.
Day three 7.6 miles
Total miles 24.8

Six Wild Wacky Wonderful Women Walking in the Woods, Watching for Wildflowers!

Pictures:

White Oak Sinks

I wanted to spend some time with my parents over Easter weekend. I was off Friday and Saturday to I went to the Ponderosa after work. We spent the day cleaning up brush from several trees that my parents had to have taken down. We got quite the fire going as we hauled piles of limbs over to burn. That night after a good dinner of fish from a local restaurant we had a serious game of cards, which Granny and myself won two out of three games.

The next morning we head to the mountains and did a five mile hike in and out to the White Oak Sinks. It is not on the official trail map but is off the Schoolhouse Gap trail. There is a water fall and cave in the sink area and this time of year all kinds of flowers.

After we got back we had a wonderful Easter dinner before I had to head home. Happy Easter to all of you out there.

Pictures:

Sugarland Mt.

Jakes Creek 0.6 Miles
Cucumber Gap 2.4
Little River 0.4
Husky Gap 0.3 Campsite 21
Husky Gap 0.3
Little River 1
Goshen Prong 2
Little River 1
Husky Gap 0.3
Day One Total: 8.3 Miles
Husky Gap 1.8
Sugarland Mt. 4.1
Rough Creek 2.8
Little River 4.6
Day Two: 13.3 Miles

Lora and I headed out for an overnighter. We hiked out of Elkmont in the Smoky Mountains. We parked a car at the Little River trailhead and hiked to the Jakes Creek trailhead.

It was a beautiful day and after the rain the day before, the rivers and creeks were swollen. We ended up wading about five times over the two days.

We saw people out on Jakes trail and Cucumber Gap trail checking out the wildflowers. They were all warning us about the water crossing on Cucumber Gap. Lora said the water was below freezing, but I didn't see any ice. She does a cute dance trying to get the feelings back in her feet and legs after each crossing.

When we got on Little River trail the river was running like I have never seen it before. Wow, what a current. When we got to the bridge there were four kayakers getting in the river. We had to stop and watch them as they headed out. It would be a wild ride for sure.

We had a bit of confusion on Campsite #21. When we got to Husky Gap it said it was 0.3 miles up the trial. According to the trail description it was supposed to be on the Sugarland trail which would be another 2.5 Miles down the trail. Well, we set up camp and then did a day hike up Little River and the Goshen Prong trails.

When we got back to camp we ate dinner and enjoyed an evening by the campfire. There were four other people that camped in the same campground.

The next morning we got up early and got to hiking. The weather was great and we got some good views going up Husky Gap and on Sugarland Mt. After we got on Sugarland Mt. trail we found the other campsite #21. It still has the bear bag cables and fire pits and is marked 21. Oh well.

Lora did teach me and a couple of other guys on the trail about Tea Berry. A little red berry that is eatable and taste pretty good.

On the other side of Sugarland Mt. we got some great views of Mt. LeConte and the Chimney Tops. We started down Rough Creek trail when we stopped for lunch in a sunny spot.

Rough Creek drops down in the valley and is a beautiful trail. We did a few crossings of Rough Creek which cooled the old feet down. We came out of one crossing and we walked through some mud. There was a small ditch full of water running next to the trail, so I got Lora's attention and said lets wash off the mud here. As I stepped off the trail I noticed that there didn't seem to be a bottom to this ditch. Actually my foot sunk a little over a foot deep in the mud. As I looked down the trail for my sidekick that is always there ready to help me, I didn't see her. I looked down and thought at first that she might have tripped. Then I noticed the tears in her eyes were not tears of pain. As she was holding her sides and rolling on the ground a distinct sound of laughter came to my ears. Seeing that she was in no condition to help me I pulled, and I pulled, and I pulled, until finally my foot came free. Lora was trying to breath at this time and I slowly collected up my pride that I had spilt on the ground. We continued on.

There were a couple of people at campsite #24 as we hiked by. Of cource as we got closer to the trailhead we saw more and more people out looking and taking pictures of the wildflowers. Here goes the list: Yellow, pink, and painted Trilliums; Showy Orchis; Wild Geraniums; Star Chickweed; Wild Ginger; Foam Flower; Bishops Cap; Fringed Phacelia; Bellwort; Trout Lily; Spring Beauty; Bluets; Purple and Yellow Violets; Squaw Root; Blue Cohosh; Brook Lettuce; Frasier Sedge; Toothwort; Wild Brue Phlox; and Tea Berry.

Pictures:

Trail Maintenance

Sunday 4/10 Trail Maintenance
Nance Jo scheduled a work day for the Soddy TTA adopted trail section so after church I drove to Hotwater Road to join the work crew. I started up the trail with a rake, hand saw and clippers. A lot of this section had already been raked by the Soddy crew; last Sunday was when I saw Nance Jo raking. Walking up the trail to find the others, I got to see the wildflower show. Yellow trilliums, bluets, violets, phlox. and what I thought was really early honeysuckle. Later I was corrected by Caroline who told me that was pinkster. Alrighty then. Then I found a few fire pinks blooming by the trail.
When I caught up to the others, I had smelled the fresh dirt for a while and could see how hard they had already been working. Nance Jo, Cat, and Caroline were raking up a storm. I found a spot and got busy realizing quickly that forgettin to bring your work gloves wasn't very smart. Oh well, I did have my first aid kit so I wrapped my thumb with moleskin and kept on raking. Someone told me once that blisters build character. Hmmmm. Caroline didn't like the looks of a dead tree by the trail and started trying to push it over. As it waved back and forth the top broke loose and bopped me on the noggin. I must be hard headed cause it didn't hurt. I did pick up the broken pieces and get them off the trail. Think I'll get up ahead of Caroline and work the other way. We found a good stopping spot and Nance Jo marked our progress. Start here next time. We clipped as we hiked back toward the trailhead stopping long enough to saw a fallen tree and drag it off the trail.
When we got to the trailhead Caroline spotted a dwarf crested iris on the bank right behind the vehicles. So pretty hiding there all by its self.

I know the Soddy crew appreciates any rakers that show up to work. Come out and see the trail sometime!