Old Dan Walking

Twentymile to Sassafras Gap(Opens in new window)

11.2 mile lollipop walk from the Twentymile Ranger Station to the Appalachian Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The walk started and ended at the Twentymile trailhead in the remote southwestern Smokies and included Wolf Ridge Trail, Twentymile Loop Trail, and Twentymile Trail – April 22, 2012

Another April Sunday, another long drive north. I was half expecting the actual planned walk to be the lowlight of my 2^nd straight Sunday excursion to the Great Smoky Mountains. You’d think after 630+ miles of walking around those tranquil woods that I’d know better. As it turned out, and just as it always turns out, the walk in the extreme southwestern Smoky Mountains was just excellent. And here I was just looking for an excuse to test out my new-to-me ride.  

The Twentymile Ranger Station is on the opposite end of the Smokies from last week’s walk. To get here from the south, follow Highway 28 north along the west side of the Fontana Lake and continue north past Fontana Dam. The Ranger Station is tucked in a nice corner beside picturesque Cheoah Lake. It is not far from Cheoah Dam, famous spot where Harrison Ford did a “Peter Pan” to escape Tommy Lee Jones in the 1993 movie The Fugitive.

Just a quick 0.6 miles later I cross a solid bridge over Moore Springs Branch. Here the trail forks, with Wolf Ridge Trail traveling left and Twentymile Creek Cascades just a few feet further up the Twentymile Trail to the right. I will visit the Cascades at the end of my walk, but for now I go left and follow beside Moore Springs Branch up Wolf Ridge Trail.

The heavy flowing Branch is filled with cascades and provides many more photo ops. Large boulders line the trails right edge. After this, there are 5 crossings of Moore Springs Branch, all on footlog bridges. The first is a bit hairy for me, as it is high above the creek and has a damaged and outward leaning handrail. (I’m not sure what the bungee cord is supposed to do for you if you fall J)

Twentymile Loop Trail climbs past that intersection into a nice forest of large trees. Climbing is steady and the forest is pleasant. I laugh a bit about thinking the walk would be the ‘letdown’ on today’s driving tour. Soon a very nice footlog crossing with a nice 3 foot cascade flowing just under the bridge becomes today’s ‘album cover’ shot. Beyond the crossing the climbing up the side of Long Hungry Ridge continues steadily, with an explosion of wildflowers keeping me occupied. Yellow and Catesby’s trillium, foamflower, flame azalea, mayapple, and many others are in bloom. 

At around 2500’ I top Long Hungry Ridge and begin to descend into a forest of white pine and hickory. Just past a nice wide footlog crossing of Twentymile Creek and a large patch of Pink Lady’s Slippers, I ascend to Proctor Fields Gap and the three way intersection with Twentymile Trail and Long Hungry Ridge Trail. From here Long Hungry Ridge ascends north to Gregory Bald, Twentymile Trail ascends east to the Appalachian Trail, or a right takes you southwest and back to the Ranger Station via Twentymile Trail.

Twentymile Trail to Sassafras Gap and the Appalachian Trail

The difficult portion of today’s climb lies ahead on Twentymile Trail. I fuel up a bit and begin to climb up the former railroad grade for the Kitchen Lumber Company. A hawk is startled from his morning meal beside one of the stream branches and flies slowly overhead to rest in a fraser magnolia tree. Hog rooting damage is abundant at the trail margins. After a crossing the forest abruptly changes character to a dry variety, with pine, laurel, and blueberry. I am thankful for the cloudy skies, because the wide trail would be in full sun otherwise.

The climb up the side of Twentymile Ridge is constant yet manageable, especially with last week’s climb to compare against. I spook a Ruffled Grouse and it flies off through the fog. Views of Twentymile Ridge come into view to the south and east, but the ridge is shrouded in clouds so I cannot find Shuckstack Tower. Before too long a backward sign means I’ve once again reached the Appalachian Trail.

This is Sassafras Gap, at 3600’ in elevation. The cold front is coming through and it is downright chilly. Sassafras Gap explodes in wildflowers: White and Catesby’s trillium, mayapple, and hepatica.

I look north and think about the thru-hikers I passed last week on their way to Maine. None pass me today. Looking south, only 0.2 miles of uphill would lead to Shuckstack Tower, but it would not be worth a visit in the clouds today. Lost Cove Trail descends eastward from this spot to meet up with Lakeshore Trail and Fontana Lake in 2.7 miles. Another loop for another day as I haven’t yet tackled that climb. I’ll choose a clearer day for that one and make sure to visit the tower.

Twentymile Trail and Twentymile Creek Cascades

The descent down the Twentymile Trail railroad grade is fast and furious. No need to worry about tripping over rocks and roots or jamming back, knees, and toes. Back in the lowlands I have the first human sighting of the day…3 backpackers from Columbia that had just spent a chilly night on Gregory Bald. I stop for a quick look at Twentymile Creek Cascades and then quickly finish the 11.2 miles at the now-busy Ranger Station. Although only 0.6 miles and 800 feet of overall climbing less than last week’s climb, there is no comparison in my physical and mental state…today I feel could almost run a marathon. Maybe next week? J

Low elevation on my 11.2 mile lollipop walk was around 1350’ at the Twentymile trailhead at the Twentymile Ranger Station and high elevation was around 3600’ at the Sassafras Gap on the Appalachian Trail. Shuckstack Tower is at 4020’. The walk included just over 3900’ in overall climbing.

Also includes a few shots from the Blue Ridge Parkway and Hwy 28 overlooks.

Twentymile to Sassafras Gap(Opens in new window)

Chestnut Branch Trail to Mount Cammerer(Opens in new window)

11.8 mile out-and-back walk to the Mount Cammerer Lookout in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The walk started and ended at the Chestnut Branch trailhead and included a tough climb along the Appalachian Trail – April 15, 2012

Last week’s return to the Smoky Mountains on a camping trip with the family stoked my too-long-dormant desire to get back on the trails again. Once you’ve spent time on her trails, just driving around in the high hills just won’t quite fit the bill. So I glanced at my hiking log and am shocked that is had been nearly 10 months since my last official walk. Wow…time to dust off the boots and get out there again. But the next time I have a bright idea like the one I had Sunday, somebody please feel free to knock some sense into me.

Note to self: The next time you decide to do one of those…drive 3.5 hours up from South Carolina, hike all day, drive 3.5 hours home - days, don’t chose one of the toughest climbs in the Smokies as your ‘hike all day’ destination. Particularly if it’d been 10 months since you’d last hit a trail. As those who’ve done organized sports or events can attest, there is a big difference between ‘practice shape’ and ‘game shape’. I’d ‘practiced’ minimal cardiovascular activity over the hiking hiatus, but there is no substitute for the ‘game’. Being April 15^th, it was fitting that I would be taxed to the max in climbing from the Big Creek area of the northeastern Smokies to the stunning Mount Cammerer Lookout.

Chestnut Branch Trail

The Big Creek Ranger Station has a large parking area that is on the outside of the gate that can close off the rest of the Big Creek area. It includes a kiosk that contains trail maps, information, and backcountry permit information. It helps if you don’t miss your exit like I did, being exit 451 to Waterville, NC. If you’re heading east toward Asheville, it’s the last I-40 exit in Tennessee. If you’re heading from Asheville toward Knoxville, the exit is seconds past the Tennessee State Line. Road work at the exit threw me off, leading to a 20 minute diversion to start my long day.

All of today’s mileage would be a repeat for me, as I had been on Chestnut Branch Trail on a walk to catch the northernmost miles of the Appalachian Trail in March of 2010 (story opens in new window). But today’s walk would have 10x the wildflower show as that day. It started right out of the gate, with yellow trillium and squawroot starting out the show. Later, as the creek leaves the trail, an incredible show of dwarf crested iris and wild geranium helped me forget the heat, lack of breeze, and steady climb. There was even a pink lady slipper sighting. As is typically the case, I felt pretty good so far…but it wouldn’t last.

Chestnut Branch climbs 2 miles up from the Big Creek area to meet the Smokies main crest at the Appalachian Trail. The area had many homesites in the pre-Park days, and there are occasional artifacts along the path. The creek comes and goes from beside the trail and thins to a trickle as the climbing gets tough near the top. Chestnut stumps are alongside the trail in many areas, reminders of the former dominate tree of the forest that gave the branch its name. The mid-20^th-century blight wiped the behemoths off the map.

Appalachian Trail – Thru-hikers galore

The last few tenths of Chestnut Branch Trail are a pretty stiff climb, and I was relieved to see the backward sign at the intersection with the Appalachian Trail. Ah, back on the AT again. As I rested, the first thru-hiker of the day whipped by me on his way northbound (NOBO) to Maine. The friendly but hurried 6’7” man didn’t break stride as he whipped past me at 100 mph, but did fire back his trail name… ‘Squatch’. He also said “I’m doing 30 (miles) today”.  

I started southbound along the AT towards the tower, and that was when the flood of thru-hikers starting coming. If you’re on the AT in the Smokies in April, northbound thru-hikers are a common sight. Most start at Springer Mountain in March and all are in great spirits at this point in the journey, roughly 250 miles into this 2200 mile trek-of-a-lifetime. I was not graced with the gene that gives this plethora of folks the desire to walk north for months. But they all seemed very friendly and driven, some pausing to talk, others more interested in keeping going. Trail names I picked up were ‘Squatch’, ‘Bunny’, ‘Loops’, ‘Mr Incredible’ and his female companion..you guessed it..’Elastigirl’. Another thru-hiking guy at the lookout said “I’m just Joe for now”. He didn’t want to name himself. I dubbed him “Just Joe”, but I doubt it will stick. J Best of luck and Godspeed to all on the journey to Katahdin.

Mount Cammerer Lookout

The 3.3 mile climb up from the Chestnut Branch Trail to the Mount Cammerer Trail intersection is pretty brutal. There are some views of ridges both to the south and to the north, but truthfully there isn’t much of interest to take your mind off the tough climb in most stretches. There were a few patches of wildflowers, star chickweed and more iris, and also a few large trees beside the trail. One huge dead hemlock is particularly impressive. I pause briefly at the Lower Mount Cammerer Trail intersection, remembering the long loop out of Cosby in 2009 (story opens in new window) that included this trail and my first near-miss with an impressive timber/canebreak rattlesnake. Amazing it was almost 3 years ago…wow.

I also pause at the impressive area of boulders at the base of Mount Cammerer…the views are much better today than they were on that August day. The heat is really draining me, as there is no real relief from the sun on this exposed section with a constant climb. I’m rationing my water and contemplate turning back, but the change to the spruce forest, occasional talk with a day-hiker, thru-hiker, God, or myself, helps me keep going. I’d never been so relieved to see the double-blaze indicating I had finally reached the intersection with the Mount Cammerer Trail. 0.6 up-and-down tenths brings the impressive lookout into my view for the first time in 3 years. As exhausted as I am, I’m feeling certain that this is the last time I’ll see this place.

When I visited the lookout perched atop 4929’ Sharp Top (now Mount Cammerer) in 2009, I knew I wanted to come back and visit. First, the views from this vista on the northwest corner of the Smokies are incredible. Second, with me being an acrophobic, it is one of the few lookouts that I can handle easily. Mount Sterling and Shuckstack are the type of tower lookouts on the opposite extreme. I say no thanks on those. That leaves the only problem being the difficulty in getting here. Be ready for a taxing experience, with many miles and thousands of feet of climbing to get here. But if you come, your return on the taxes will be worth it.

Low elevation on my 11.8 mile out-and-back walk was around 1640’ at the Chestnut Branch Trail trailhead at the Big Creek Ranger Station and high elevation was around 4966’ at the Mount Cammerer Trail intersection. Mount Cammerer Lookout is at 4929’. The walk included a grueling 4730’ in overall climbing, a taxing day under normal circumstances but particularly challenging in the heat of this Sunday and after a 10 month hiatus from the hiking ‘game’.  

For pics of this walk, click the link below:

Chestnut Branch Trail to Mount Cammerer(Opens in new window)

Most drive right by without noticing the explosion of white trillium on the roadsides, but they are everywhere.

Chickweed

Squirrel corn

Raven Fork

Just kidding…but hey, at least I got your attention. J

Park spokesman Bob Miller cited a whole bunch of reasons why Great Smoky Mountains National Park attendance was down 4.8% in 2011, but somehow he skipped over claiming my hiatus from hiking as a major reason. Strange, huh? J He could’ve also cited the fact that super-blogger Smoky Scout had finished her Smokies 900 and was off discovering eastern North Carolina on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST) with Danny Bernstein. Smokies super-bloggers Al Smith and Janice Henderson also finished their 900s and weren’t writing as often. Strange coincidences?…could the combination account for 4.8%? J

Read the real reasons Bob Miller cited here. (Opens in new window)

While I was in heavily into hiking in the Smoky Mountains in 2009 and 2010, quickly returning home from weekend trips to immediately write detailed website journals, I often wondered if my stories and the stories of other bloggers I followed had any impact on those that read them. I wondered if anyone was motivated to get out to the Smokies and walk? I sure hope so…and that’s why I need to return to Smokies soon so I can take full credit for the attendance upturn. Coincidence?...I think not. J

You ever have one of those brilliant ideas that you know right away will make you a zillionaire, only to find out that somebody else beat you to it? Nope, this time it wasn't the Snuggie.  

Yesterday my son Thomas and I took a little walk around Dreher Island State Recreation Area, a small park on Lake Murray just a few miles from home. While we were walking I picked up a leaf and was trying to figure out what it was when my tech savvy 13-year-old son said, "hey, there should be an App that can do that for you." I thought Thomas' idea was brilliant...

So Thomas immediately got on the phone with his Uncle Joe, an Apple App writer by trade, who burst our bubble by informing us that the University of Maryland, Columbia University, and The Smithsonian Institute were already way ahead of us. The App is Leafsnap (opens in a new window), available currently for Apple devices and soon for the Android.

I will certainly enjoy using this App, but bummer...I guess we'll have to wait a while longer to be zillionaires...

Christopher Burnette (handle XtremeKatfishn) is a co-worker who has recently been hiking all the miles of South Carolina's Palmetto Trail. He has a wealth of informative videos taken from the trails that you can follow on this site:

XtremeKatfishn (opens in a new window)

Chris will be leading a hike on December 18th on the Awendaw Passage, the coastal terminus for the 425 mile mountains-to-the-sea Palmetto Trail. (not to be confused with North Carolina's Mountains-to-Sea Trail, or MST)

Contact Chris if you'd like to join in on the fun. I may have to dust off my hiking boots for this one.

The Palmetto Trail Conservancy (opens in a new window)

The Awendaw Passage (opens in a new window)

To skip the chatter and go right to the pics of this walk, click the link below:

It’s pretty easy to tell I’ve been on a long hiatus from walking in the mountains this year. Being so busy around town with my boy’s events I simply don’t have the time for the 8 hours of up-and-back driving that typically are necessary on a hike weekend. The hiking legs and lungs I worked so hard to build since May of 2008 are long gone. I’ve missed my favorite time of year in the Smokies for the first time since moving up to South Carolina. So all I can do is look back at nice Fall walk from 2008.

It may not be too late

It seems like yesterday that I did the tough little out-and-back along the Appalachian Trail to the Shuckstack Tower. At that time my walking obsession was in the early stages, and I was trying to get one last walk in before the all of the leaves were gone and Old Man Winter set in. I was pleasantly surprised by all the late season color I saw on this day in early November. I have no idea what the colors look like this year up in the Smokies, but if you think you are too late to enjoy the colors, you may want to try the southwest corner and see if the explosion of reds, yellows, and browns is still in force.

Low elevation on my 8 mile out-and-back walk was around 1850’ at Fontana Dam and high elevation was around 4000’ at Shuckstack Tower. The walk included about 3000’ in overall climbing.

For pics of this walk, click the link below:

Appalachian Trail to Shuckstack Tower(Opens in new window)

Summer 2011 was one of the hottest on record here in my hometown, and I can't say that I'll miss it now that our first real front of the season has finally come through and cooled us off dramatically. It's time for me to find time to get out on the trails again.

One of my favorite spots to go in the Smokies when the weather cools is the Cataloochee area in the Park's southeast corner. The elk 'rut' is in full swing and there are many great trails to explore.

Click these links to revisit two of my favorite walks in the Cataloochee area: (both open in a new window)

Big Fork Ridge Loop

Cataloochee Divide Loop

I also enjoyed the popular Boogerman Trail, but I walked it before the website was created, so there is no journal.

See you out there soon. -Old Dan

Editor's Note: For guest journal #3 we head back out West for another look at the grand Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Co-worker Jeremiah Schwartz spent a day during a recent visit to his relatives in Colorado climbing around the tree-less heights of the majestic Rockies, bagging three separate 14,000' peaks, known to those tough enough to conquer them as 14ers, in one hike. Enjoy his description and pictures from a day spent above the clouds:

Thanks Jeremiah for the excellent journal and pictures! -Dan

Triumvirate of 14er’s

Greetings! When Dan is not out wandering the hills, he is my taskmaster in the real world (yes, he has an actual job! :-). Thanks for the opportunity to share my latest hike with your readers Dan!

The access road from Alma as viewed from the summit of Mount Democrat

I was out in Colorado for a family reunion, and we started our day very early so as to avoid the afternoon thunderstorms. We had intended to get to the trailhead at first light, but the drive up the access road was slow going due to the above average rainfall washing out parts of the road this year. The access road originates in the quaint town of Alma where I hear they have replaced country music with reggae at the local bar. Alma, population 179, is on state highway 9 a little ways out from Breckenridge. Having engaged my 4-wheel drive I was feeling pretty rugged and manly until I discovered the Mustang and Mazda 3 already waiting for us at the trailhead.

 I had climbed Mt. Lincoln three years ago, but there had been low-lying clouds that time around. The net result was not all that different than if I had stuck my head in a bucket full of dry ice for a few hours (all while climbing a steep grade at high altitude of course). Thankfully we had clear skies this time, and the views were awe inspiring. Our plan was to climb Mt. Democrat (14,148 ft) and then a few of us brave (or foolhardy?) souls would continue from the saddleback up Mt. Cameron and from there on to Mt Lincoln (8^th highest peak in the state at 14,293 ft). Mt. Cameron, by the way, weighs in at 14,239 ft. The saddleback between Cameron and Lincoln does not swing sufficiently low, however, for Cameron to be considered a true 14er in its own right. But hey, it sounds better to say we climbed three 14ers in one day, so I’m going for it!

Kite Lake at the Trailhead to Mount Lincoln and Democrat

Kite Lake provides a scenic start to the hike, nestled in the amphitheater created by Democrat, Cameron, and Bross. Bross, at 14,172 ft, constitutes the third (true!) 14er of this triumvirate located in the Mosquito Range. We did not get around to Bross this time, opting instead to save that one for our next reunion. The trailhead follows a stream that feeds Kite Lake for a stretch on the way up to the saddleback between Democrat and Cameron. After working up a good sweat, we met with a very chilly wind blowing over the top of the saddleback. I am pretty sure some ice crystals formed on my brow while waiting for members of our troop. The moral of the story is to dress in layers because it is necessary to add and subtract along the way.

Mount Bross as Viewed From the Spine Leading to Mount Cameron

From that first saddleback we went on to a brutal ascent up Democrat. Near the end you crest a rise that previously looked like the summit, only to find a relatively flat section leading to the true summit. Once you have reached the “false summit,” however, the remainder of the climb is tame in comparison.

Mount Lincoln as viewed from Mount Cameron

The climb from that first saddleback to Cameron and then to Lincoln is longer than the climb of Democrat, but also more gradual. For anyone planning to do both in one day, I recommend they conquer Democrat first and then move on to Lincoln (or, alternatively, Bross, which is also on the opposite side of Cameron from the first saddleback). Otherwise, plan on crawling on all fours at the steepest part of the trail up Democrat. And speaking of all fours, there were quite a few little rodents, called picas, which greeted us along the path. We also saw a few marmots about the size of tomcats. Alas, I did not get a good picture of the marmots to share.

Pica along the way to the first saddleback

According to my cousin’s GPS, the entire trek was about seven miles. Toward the end we saw and heard the thunderstorms off in the distance, but we only encountered a few stray raindrops where we were at. We were good and worn out when we arrived back at the trailhead, but with that great sense of achievement that always accompanies an excellent hike.

Editors Note: My second guest journal is from back east in the Smokies and comes from the 13-year-old veteran outdoorsman Zachary Ott. Zachary is the son of my co-worker Randy Ott, who has appeared on Old Dan Walking before. Randy and Zachary often camp at the Smoky's highest elevation frontcountry campground, Balsam Mountain Campground, where I hear Zachary prepares some mean foil pouch pineapple upside-down cake over the fire. On a previous trip they'd walked nearby Flat Creek Trail, and since I missed that opportunity to have Zachary describe his day on the trail, I didn't want to miss his take on his most recent Smoky Mountain adventure. Enjoy!

Thanks Zachary for the great journal and pictures! (you can click on any picture to enlarge it) -Dan 

Newfound Gap to Charlies Bunion

Round trip: 8.1 miles 

My name is Zachary Paul Ott, my dad and I hiked a trail his boss, Mr. Dan DeSetto, recommended to us. That weekend we had camped at Balsam Mountain Campground above Maggie Valley, NC. It was an hour long drive to Newfound Gap through many tunnels. We finally got there, and in the middle of road was a sign saying:

I couldn’t believe we had come this far, so we parked and got packed up and ready to go. We had a hard time trying to find the trail, it wasn’t on a sign.

So we started off on Boulevard Trail, (editor's note - actually it was the Appalachian Trail)  it was all uphill for the first two miles, it was torture. We saw some grouse, but they were too quick to take a picture of. I kept asking how far we had come, my Dad kept saying “don’t think about it” 

( I had a hard time with that, heh heh).

We came to a sign that said we had come 1.7 miles and Ice Water Spring Shelter was 1.3 miles away. We found a lot of backpacking campsites, and planned a backpacking trip to Maine when I was in college. That only gives me five years to train!

After a while we came to the shelter it was a crude stone shelter, but hey… it was a shelter. About a fourth mile later we saw Ice Water Spring; a thin plastic pipe had water bubbling out of it. It was correctly named… burr! There were some crossroads and we got lost.

Soon, we saw some great overlooks through the trees.

We finally got to Charles Bunion, it had an amazing view.

It had a small cliff to climb,

…so far we had come 4.05 miles and climbed 1600 feet. 

The way back was painful. I fell on a rock and hurt my knee, which made us go two miles per hour slower than we could have, not to mention the uncomfortable rash and the blisters on my feet. Every one and a half steps it was, hurt, burn, squish … hurt, burn, squish. When we finally got back, I felt like passing out.