Old Dan Walking

[caption id="attachment_1043" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The infamous tunnel"]

[/caption] To skip the chatter and go right to the pics of this walk, click the link below: Lakeshore and Goldmine Loop(Opens in new window) 7.8 mile inverted lollipop walk in the ‘Road-to-Nowhere’ area of the Smokies near Bryson City. The walk started and ended on the eastern trailhead for the Lakeshore Trail and included Goldmine Loop Trail and Tunnel Bypass Trail – December 28, 2009 Wow, I got up this morning with plans to write a normal post about my Monday walk on the Lakeshore Trail in the Road-to-Nowhere area of the Smokies, but an email I just received from another hiker I passed on the trail that day shook me up. It reminded me to be more careful about my casual conversations with inexperienced hikers I pass on the trail. After doing this Smokies walking thing for almost two years and reading many other hikers accounts of multiple 20+ mile days with no effort, I guess I take for granted that some of these short walks that seem to not be a big deal can be trouble for the inexperienced and unprepared. Particularly in the winter, where taking the wrong turn and getting lost means potentially dealing with a sub-20 degree night without proper gear. [caption id="attachment_1041" align="alignright" width="300" caption="The Road to Nowhere"] [/caption] Cutting to the chase, fortunately after some tense moments for this nice lady she was able to find her way out and did not have to spend a freezing night out in the woods. Thank God for that. She separated from her hiking partner on Goldmine Loop Trail, and he was able to find his way back to the parking lot, get a flashlight and some water and come find her. I try not to be too judgmental when I come across seemingly inexperienced hikers, because I started there too....and often I’ve found out that they have logged many more miles than I’ll ever walk. But thinking back on my conversation I can see that I made the Goldmine Loop Trail sound too inviting and easy, despite the fact that I had not walked it yet myself. I’d only read about it. I assumed a little 2 mile trail so close to the road would not be an issue, and probably said something like “it shouldn’t be bad”. I didn’t specifically say to take the trail, but didn’t specifically say not to either. As it turned out the trail is seldom used, and therefore can be difficult to stay on in the low winter evening light. Next time I’ll be more careful. I am very thankful it worked out ok. The inverted lollipop on Lakeshore Trail [caption id="attachment_1052" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The eastern trailhead for the Lakeshore Trail"] [/caption] My planned walk for today was to be in a shape that Smoky Scout aptly described as a ‘pair of eyeglasses’. But car trouble spoiled that plan, so after heading to two different auto part stores and fixing the issue, my plan had to change due to a noon start. So I started out at the end of the Road-to-Nowhere and headed toward the tunnel for some low elevation walking along Lakeshore Trail. The 365 yard long tunnel is much different in the low winter light, as it was lit all the way through and didn’t seem nearly as awful as usual. The only problem was that it was cold..incredibly cold. A stiff wind was whipping through and I swore I would freeze to death before reaching the other side. Thankfully sunlight awaited on the other end. [caption id="attachment_1042" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Fontana Lake from Lake View Drive"] [/caption] I trudged up Lakeshore Trail, quickly passing the Tunnel Bypass Trail and then the Goldmine Loop Trail intersections on the left. I would bypass the tunnel on my return via the Goldmine Loop Trail later this afternoon. The low elevation forest has nice views toward southwestern peaks through the pine and bare hickory and oak trees. The forest floor is clay and this area has a feel much like walking a north Georgia forest. Two climbs and descents take me creekside into a nice low area of rhododendron tunnels and eventually to the intersection with Whiteoak Branch Trail. This would’ve been the other lens of the eyeglass, but instead I continue west on Lakeshore Trail, passing a former settled area on the right and then around a bend and over Gray Wolf Creek on a bridge. Here a spur trail to the right travels a few hundred yards up a steep hill to the Woody Cemetery, which I’ll explore on the return trip. I continue on through white pine forest with the sound of Gray Wolf Creek on the left, eventually coming to the spot where Fontana Lake comes into view for the first time. Switching back right, I reach the end of my western trek today at Campsite #74, a total of 3 miles from the trailhead by the tunnel. Returning along the Goldmine Loop Trail [caption id="attachment_1044" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Forney Creek"] [/caption] Large campsite #74 sits directly beside Forney Creek, which is really roaring now as it empties into Fontana Lake just a few hundred yards downstream. It is neat to think that this ever-flowing water started downhill many miles away as a mere trickle high up on Clingmans Dome. It is wickedly cold here beside the beautiful creek, with the brisk wind whipping through the camp. Nobody is here but a tarp hangs from the bear cables and fresh wood is in the fire pit. After a snack at the picnic table I head back the way I came, turning left this time by Gray Wolf Creek to trudge uphill and visit the hilltop Woody Cemetery. The many infant graves are another solemn reminder of how fortunate we are to live in this time and place. Continuing on, I pause to speak to the aforementioned hikers and discuss my route back along Goldmine Loop Trail. [caption id="attachment_1045" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Old chimney"] [/caption] The 2 mile long Goldmine Loop Trail starts with a steep descent and I can tell already it is not heavily traveled. Soon the trail levels and travels beside a remnant fireplace and old flat homesite next to a small stream. The forest is closed-in with heavy rhododendron tunnels overhead and dog-hobble underbrush. Another homesite is across the creek with two large boxwoods and some artifacts scattered about. Then there are several muddy crossings and a sharp right turn at Campsite #67. I did not explore the camp today, but it is said to have a chimney and more artifacts. Continuing into a low and muddy section of the trail directly beside Hyatt Branch, I finally reach the finger where Hyatt Branch and Tunnel Branch empty into Fontana Lake. The lake level is way down, as is typical this time of year. [caption id="attachment_1046" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Fontana Lake"] [/caption] I switch away from the lake and make the steep and seemingly endless climb back up to the intersection with the Tunnel Bypass Trail, along the way thinking “I sure hope those nice folks didn’t take this route”. Gorgeous northwestern views of Welch Ridge help me forget the tough climb. After the intersection, a short 0.4 mile trek along Tunnel Bypass Trail brings me back to the parking lot and a warm car. I drive back to South Carolina unaware of the trouble my new friends are having due to a wrong turn on the Goldmine Loop Trail. [caption id="attachment_1047" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Views from the Goldmine Loop Trail"] [/caption] Low elevation on today’s 7.8 mile inverted lollipop walk was around 1700’ on Lakeshore Trail and high elevation was near 2400’, also on Lakeshore Trail. Despite the fact that there wasn’t much pure elevation gain, this tough little walk had a lot of ups and downs and included about 3010’ of overall climbing. For pics of this walk, click the link below: Lakeshore and Goldmine Loop(Opens in new window)

[caption id="attachment_1006" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Morning views"]

[/caption] To skip the chatter and go right to the pics of this walk, click the link below: Brushy Mountain Trail(Opens in new window) 10.4 mile (approx) out-and-back walk from the Greenbrier area of the Smokies. The walk started and ended on the Porters Creek trailhead and included Brushy Mountain Trail and a short excursion to the restored Smoky Mountain Hiking Club cabin – December 27, 2009 Lots of snow leftover from last week’s big storm remained on the roadsides and hillsides as I drove through Asheville and Waynesville Saturday on my way to base camp in Cherokee. I walked a bunch last winter but I can’t remember seeing this much snow a week after a storm. It was a beautiful sight but had created quite a mess for the locals, and it would foreshadow the mess that I was in for on my Sunday walk. As is typical the snow began to disappear just past Balsam Gap, and despite the cold temps there was no sign of snow anywhere from Balsam all the way into Cherokee. I rolled in to camp and turned in early in preparation for my first official walk of the 2009-10 winter season. [caption id="attachment_1008" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Porters Creek"] [/caption] You’ve heard this story before, but I just never get tired of seeing the westward views as I drive up and over Newfound Gap in the mornings on my way to a north face trailhead. It will be one of those things I miss the most when I finally abandon base camp in Cherokee soon. I won’t miss the driving, but I’ll definitely miss the drive. The deep snow at the top of the Gap added additional glimmer on this first Sunday morning of winter. Destination today was my second walk out of the Greenbrier area, a formerly thriving settlement just east of Gatlinburg. Back to Greenbrier and up the Porters Creek Trail [caption id="attachment_1017" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Old car remains on Porters Creek Trail"] [/caption] Last time I headed up Greenbrier Road to Ramsey Cascades I turned left at the bridge over the Little Pigeon River, but this time I continued straight to the large parking area for the Porters Creek Trail. I was the first car in the parking lot despite the fact that it was already 9:40 AM. Porters Creek Trail starts as a nice uphill stroll along a wide flat Jeep road beside very picturesque Porters Creek. Soon evidence of the former settlement appears in the form of scattered boulders and piles of rock lining the right side of trail. After a nice bridged crossing of Long Branch several rock walls are noticeable and the rock staircase for the Ownby Cemetery appears on the right. I’ll check the cemetery out on my return trip this afternoon. After an easy mile I reach the traffic circle at Porters Flats. This area has one of the few remaining mature and healthy hemlock forests, a beautiful sight that has now become very rare thanks to devastating effects of the Hemlock Wooley Adelgid. The close proximity of the forest to the flat Jeep road means these trees are probably treated regularly by the Park Service. [caption id="attachment_1009" align="alignright" width="300" caption="The John Messer barn"] [/caption] At the traffic circle Porters Creek Trail branches off to the left and eventually ends at Campsite #31, 2.6 miles due south. At mid-circle is the Brushy Mountain trailhead, my destination for today. But first I’ll branch off from the right side of the circle and follow the short spur over to see the restored John Messer barn. This is an excellent example of a cantilevered barn and according to the sign was built around 1875. [caption id="attachment_1010" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="SMHC cabin"] [/caption] Beyond the barn is another excellent piece of history, the restored log cabin and spring house built by the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club between 1934 and 1936. I take a few minutes and explore the cabin and the area around it, which includes an old millstone, a two-sided chimney, sleeping bunks, and a two-seater outhouse. Abandon on Brushy Mountain Trail I backtrack to the trailhead for Brushy Mountain Trail and begin the trek up toward Brushy Mountain. On the way I pass another rock wall and a shallow crossing of Long Branch, then another chimney and old washtub further up on the right. Around a bend there is another flat area with the scattered remains of many chimneys and foundations. Here I would see a couple wild turkeys rushing past on my return this afternoon. It seems the animals like the flats too. After this point the climbing gets constant and before long views begin to appear of the Smokies main crest. At one point the trail swings around to the southeast and passes through a jumbled area of heavy vine underbrush where trail workers had cleared a gorgeous view of the Porters Creek drainage and Porters Mountain. [caption id="attachment_1012" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Views"] [/caption] Climbing higher, it is noticeably colder in the shaded coves. Snow starts to appear scattered along the ground. The other thing that begins to appear is debris, and lots of it. Every few yards I have to content with downed branches, broken rhododendron, or felled trees, victims of the recent high wind, snow, ice events. Not enough debris to cause me to abandon my climb, but just enough to be a pain and cause me to slow down considerably to crawl over, around, or through the obstacles. I ramble on, and soon begin to see the sides of Mount LeConte and Brushy Mountain through the barren trees. Sun-loving Table Mountain Pine are apparent as the trail swings to the south, and I stop for a break on Love Rock, a large stone in the middle of the trail with a heart shaped indention in it from which you can view the sides of LeConte. I continue on and eventually reach a very nice crossing of Trillium Branch, pausing to listen to the creek tumbling down the slope. [caption id="attachment_1013" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Snow getting thick"] [/caption] [caption id="attachment_1018" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Ownby Cemetery"] [/caption] After the crossing the going begins to get tougher as the snow is getting thick. My tracks are the first ones in the area as I crunch uphill, sometimes sinking over my ankles in the icy snow. The trail then switches back on itself and rounds a corner with today’s destination, the summit of Brushy Mountain, in full view. But that’s as far as I would go today. Just around another bend I am stopped in my tracks by a massive fallen hemlock stretched across the trail. I survey it for a while, sit and have a snack, look for ways around the steep banks…but ultimately decide to turn around. Had my car been at the trailhead on the other side I may have risked it, but I did not see an easy/safe way over or around this huge tree and decided I would have my first-ever abandon due to trail conditions. I returned to my car somewhat dejected that I did not reach my goal, but already planning that God willing I’d reach the summit from the other side via the Trillium Gap Trail some other day. [caption id="attachment_1015" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Time to abandon"] [/caption] Low elevation on today’s (estimated) 10.4 mile out-and-back walk was around 1900’ at the Porters Creek trailhead and high elevation was approximately 4300’ on the Brushy Mountain Trail. The Brushy Mountain summit, planned destination for today, is around 4900’. Had I completed the walk it would have included about 3500’ of overall climbing. For pics of this walk, click the link below: Brushy Mountain Trail(Opens in new window)

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year. I have but one virtual gift to give....the greatest 1:17 in the history of television: Merry Christmas! "God Bless Us, every one." -Old Dan DeSetto

[caption id="attachment_992" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="From Purchase Knob early Saturday"] [/caption] Looks like it was quite a winter event up there in the Smokies and it may still be going on. Now is a good time to check out some of my favorite webcam links on the right side of the page to get a view of the winter wonderland. For me, I'm not quite done with making my list and checking it twice, so my only option is to live the wonderland vicariously through the webcams and accounts of eyewitnesses. If you're up there walking around in it, send me a note and let me know how bad it is. Thanks -Old Dan

[caption id="attachment_970" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="An early season snow closed Newfound Gap Road"]

[/caption] To skip the chatter and go right to the pics of this walk, click the link below: Deep Creek Loop(Opens in new window) 6.2 mile loop walk out of the Deep Creek area of the Smokies. The walk started and ended on the southern trailhead for the Deep Creek Trail and included Loop Trail, Indian Creek Trail, Stone Pile Gap Trail, and Thomas Divide Trail – December 5, 2009 I have mentioned in previous posts about how the Smoky Mountain weather can change your plans in a hurry, and on this early December Saturday I would get a taste of just that. Prognosticators were calling for 3-6” of snow in the higher elevations, with 1-3” at the lower elevations. The rains came first though around 3 AM at Cherokee base camp, with the switchover to snow occurring around 8:30. I’m here to tell you we had nowhere near 1” however, because by 10:30 the snow had stopped and by 10:31 all traces of it were gone. I rolled out of camp hoping to catch a walk on the Tennessee side, but unfortunately Newfound Gap Road was closed. I waited around for a while to see if it would open back up but gave up around 11 AM and headed for Deep Creek and Plan B. (Does anyone know if Newfound Gap Road stayed closed?) [caption id="attachment_971" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Tom Branch Falls"] [/caption] Today’s late start and the limited sunlight of the late-Autumn days meant I had to choose a short walk, so I decided to take a loop walk out of Deep Creek and catch some short segments I hadn’t walked before. Plan was to cruise up Deep Creek Trail, head over Sunkota Ridge via the Loop Trail, then climb to Thomas Ridge via the Stone Pile Gap Trail, then return to the car via a Thomas Divide Trail and a road walk on Tom Branch Road, a total of 6.2 miles. Returning to Deep Creek Trail and the Loop Trail [caption id="attachment_974" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Pretty views of distant snow-covered ridges today"] [/caption] Obviously it had just snowed so you it goes without saying that it was a chilly start as I headed up Deep Creek Trail around noon. Don’t count on the typical Smokies trail warm up as you walk the lower section of Deep Creek Trail, because this first 1.2 mile section is a road walk next to wide Deep Creek and only rises about 200 feet in elevation. I had to break out the gloves, which again is unusual because I typically take off layers as I start walking, not put them on. I stopped for a quick look at the two nice falls on the lower section, Tom Branch Falls and Indian Creek Falls. It was nice to see a reasonable water flow on these two pleasant falls because the past couple of years of drought had reduced them to trickles at times. After passing Indian Creek Falls it began to sleet, lightly at first and then picking up some gusto a bit later. I thought about breaking out the rain gear but I could tell from the breaks in the clouds that it wouldn’t last. A short time later there was nothing left but clear and beautiful Carolina blue skies. After passing through the lowland hemlock and pine forests and occasionally stopping for pictures of Deep Creek, I reached the Loop Trail intersection. [caption id="attachment_986" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Indian Creek Falls in February 2009"] [/caption] [caption id="attachment_972" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Indian Creek Falls in December 2009"] [/caption] From this point north Deep Creek Trail becomes more of trail and less of road as it makes it way up into the high country and an intersection with Newfound Gap Road. I look forward to walking those miles someday, but for now I left that challenge behind and turned right for a decent little ascent up and over Sunkota Ridge on the 1 mile long Loop Trail. This trail isn’t a loop, but it can be combined with other trails to make a loop, such as the one I’m doing today. As I climb nice views of snow-covered distant peaks begin to appear through the bare trees. The calendar may say late-Autumn, but it is without a doubt Winter here in these parts. When I was on this trail in February, which was the first journal I put on the website, I was downhill on this section. I was surprised at how difficult this short climb was…must be the revenge of the turkey, gravy, and pie. 8) I rested at the Sunkota Ridge intersection and admired the remaining snow on the white pines and the views through the trees, before heading downhill to complete the trail and intersect with the Indian Creek Trail. [caption id="attachment_973" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Deep Creek"] [/caption] The second half of the loop A short and muddy 0.3 mile walk down Indian Creek Trail brings me to the Stone Pile Gap Trail intersection. Here I turn left and immediately descend a bit to parallel Indian Creek before crossing it on a nice footbridge. Shortly after the trail crews have put a nice log-section bridge over a small feeder stream. Spent beech and poplar leaves littering the wet and rocky trail make the climb a bit tricky, and again I’m surprised at how tough this little climb up Thomas Ridge is. I see no stone piles other than the stones all over the ground. Sheltered coves still have a bit of snow on the ground, and it also clings to the white pine needles. After a nice 0.9 mile climb through the switchbacks I finally reach the intersection I was at 3 weeks ago with the Thomas Divide Trail. I turn right and return to the car via a quiet 1.1 mile downhill on Thomas Divide Trail and then a 1 mile road walk along Tom Branch Road. Another nice workout in the Smokies completed, now it’s off to Anthony’s Pizza in Bryson City for some post-walk fuel. Brooklyn-style pizza and bonus Christmas parade in Bryson City, life is good! Young kids in pajamas were everywhere too waiting with great excitement to ride the Smoky Mountain Railroad’s Polar Express special. I think of the good times waiting on the train with my fast-growing boys. [caption id="attachment_975" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Views in Bryson City"] [/caption] If you’re looking for a short loop that packs a decent punch per mile, this one should do the trick for you. Low elevation Deep Creek is a good bet in the unpredictable Winter months when you never know which areas will be closed due to snow and ice. Low elevation on today’s 6.2 mile loop walk was around 1800’ near the Deep Creek trailhead and high elevation was near 2580’ atop Thomas Ridge on the Thomas Divide Trail. The walk included about 1800’ of overall climbing. For pics of this walk, click the link below: Deep Creek Loop(Opens in new window)