Lora and I decided to check out the new segment of the Cumberland Trail between Stinging Fork Falls and Hinch Road. We figured it would be a three day backpack to go both ways on this section.
We parked at the Stinging Fork Falls trailhead and then headed North on the CT. The trail drops down to cross Little Soak Creek and then climbs up the other side. You hike through a pine forest and then turn left on an old road and follow that to a clear cut section. From there you go down to Soak Creek and walk along the creek. You climb up out of the creek gorge and cut across the Little Soak Creek again. About four and quarter mile you cross a private gravel road and shortly afterwards is there designated campsite. After following the creek you will climb up out of the gorge where there are three small waterfalls from the bluff walls. From on top of the bluff you will cross several old roadbeds and tributarys of Sweeny Branch. At seven miles in you will drop off into the Soak Creek gorge and pass the 30' Keeton Falls. There is a metal bridge crossing Soak Creek. That is where we set up camp. It took us a long time to get to this point because we were picking up sticks and clearing the trail from all the branches that had fallen since they built the trail. We had a peaceful night under the light of a full moon by a campfire.
The next morning we contiued to clean trail. You climb out of the gorge and then cross many old roadbeds until at nine miles you drop down into the Pond Cove gorge. You cross over Pond Cove Creek and then at about eight and three quarter miles end up at side trail to 40' Pond Cove Falls. There is a tent pad set up at the falls. At nine and a half miles you see the pond and then Hinch Cemetery. You cross the gravel road to the cemetery and go down switchbacks where you get a good view of the Sequatchie Valley. All along this area the Bloodroot was at peak, and it covered the hillsides. Also Virginia Bluebells were starting to bloom. You cross a dangerous crossing of drainage and then hike along a bluff wall. One you pass the wall you go back to roadbed. We turned around about three quarters of a mile from Hinch Road being out of time and hiked back to our first campsite. Another beautiful night around the campfire. That night I woke up to the sounds of leafs shuffling. I turned on my headlamp and looked under my hammock to see a critter on it's back rubbing all over the leafs. I yelled it and it ignored me. It finally rolled over and was a raccoon. I kept yelling at it and it ignored me. Finally I hissed at it and it looked all around. I hissed at it again and it walked off. It never did get into anything.
The next morning we got up and headed out. We made a lot better time not having to clean up the trail. We ate lunch on the trail and was back at the car about 1:30.
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