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

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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...

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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)

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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)

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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

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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.

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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.

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Editor's Note: I'm pleased to announce that Old Dan Walking will be featuring guest journals of three different friends on three different hikes in the coming days. In the recent weeks I've become Old semi-retired from walking Dan and I thank my three friends for filling in and providing stories of their wilderness treks. The first journal comes from longtime friend of my wife and I and former Florida flatlander Jodi Patton, now living full-time at 9200' in the Colorado Rockies. Jodi is quite the outdoorswoman and has enjoyed many treks around the high mountains of Colorado. Enjoy:

Thanks Jodi for the great journal and beautiful pictures! -Dan

August 2011 hike to Devils Thumb and Devils Thumb Lake, near Winter Park Colorado

Hi Everyone I am Jodi Patton and am a long time friend of Dan’s. I recently sent him some pictures from one of my hikes where I live in Winter Park, Colorado. He asked me to be a guest writer this week…..thinking you might enjoy a different perspective from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. 

Winter Park, Colorado is now considered the highest town in the US since we recently annexed The Winter Park Ski Resort.  The town sits at 9200’ and the ski resort rt peaks around 12,060’!

The Hike I did this past weekend is known as the Devil’s Thumb Trail. There are a few choices of trails to get there and I chose the one accessible from the Town of Winter Park, Colorado via Corona Pass Road.  Corona Pass Road is an unimproved non-maintained forest road that will knock your teeth out if you are not paying close attention to all hazards on the road. The road is slow going and takes about 45minutes of travel time to access the trailhead. This trail is approximately 8 miles round trip and follows along the continental divide on the western side before dropping down on the eastern side to a couple of lakes. The peak elevation during the hike is about 12,236’.

Devil’s Thumb – A Historical Note

According to local lore, Native Americans named Devil’s Thumb – a rocky outcropping that towers high above the town. As legend goes, after the warring Ute and Arapahoe tribes settled their differences in the Ranch Creek Valley, they buried the devil, but left his thumb exposed to remind them of the evils of war.

See the full gallery on Posterous

And YES! That is snow in the pictures. We still have quite a bit along the divide from our heavy snowfall this past winter. The views from the trail are spectacular and the wild flowers were in full bloom.  Of course don’t look to long at the flowers because you don’t want to loose your footing on the many steep ledges required to get there. 

And as always, I like to have a reward once I get to my destination. Here’s my catch of the day out of Devil’s Thumb Lake. Don’t worry I put him back so he can continue to enjoy that pristine alpine lake until the next angler comes lurking. 

A Colorado Cutthroat Trout

 Jodi's dog Nick takes a break and checks out the view

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No walks lately...so official trail mileage for July 2011 will be zero. I've been enjoying some down time with the family, including my first trip with the boys to North Carolina's Outer Banks. As fate would have it I brought record high temps with me to the beach, but it was still nice. Our campground in Rodanthe on the Outer Banks afforded the opportunity for the boys to see a rare treat from dry land in the US; the sun rising and setting over water on the same day by only walking a few tenths of a mile across the skinny island. Sunrise was about 50 yards from the campsite over the Atlantic, and sunset an easy walk to the other side of the island over Pamlico Sound. 

I'm sure I'll start walking on the mountain trails again soon, but I'm currently enjoying the break and am in no hurry to get back out there. When the weather cools and the air gets crisp and clear, you can bet I'll get the itch to walk again. But for right now I recommend you explore the archives of my previous walks by clicking on the "Hiking Journal Archives" tab at the top of my page. Live long, prosper, and keep walking -Old Dan

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

Noland Divide Trail(Opens in new window) 

7.4 mile out-and-back walk in the high country of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, not far from Clingmans Dome. The walk started and ended at the northern Noland Divide trailhead on Clingmans Dome Road – June 18, 2011

Noland Divide is one of the north-south ridges that form either the ‘arms’ or ‘ribs’ of the Smokies, depending on how you look at it. If you look at a terrain or relief map of the Smokies, the main ridge, comprised of most of the highest elevation peaks, the NC/TN border, and the Appalachian Trail and sometimes referred to as the ‘spine’, runs mainly west-east from the Fontana Lake area in the west to I-40 in the east. There are several ridges that intersect the main ridge nearly perpendicular. I walked two of those ‘arms’, Forney Ridge and Hughes Ridge, last year. Today I would walk Noland Divide Ridge, another of those ‘arms’ that starts way down in the low country at the Deep Creek Campground and ends at the Smoky’s crest very near Clingmans Dome, the highest point in the Park.

Noland Divide separates the Forney Creek watershed to its west with the Deep Creek watershed to its east. The trail that follows the Divide north or south, depending on your starting point, follows the Divide for about 12 miles and climbs or descends around 4500’ feet in elevation from one end to the other. This is a popular trail for those doing shuttle hikes, leaving one car at the southern trailhead in the Deep Creek Campground and shuttling another car to the northern trailhead on Clingmans Dome Road. I don’t typically do shuttle hikes, so I was going to grab just the upper 3.7 miles of the trail in an out-and-back starting at the small parking area beside Clingmans Dome Road. My starting point today was at nearly 6000’ in elevation.

What can you say about the Smoky’s high country? Just awesome. The upper few tenths of the Forney Ridge Trail are along an old roadbed, overgrown on both sides but easy walking to allow me to enjoy my walk in the beloved spruce-fir. Signs of recent storms are just a short distance down the trail, with three big spruce toppled over and ripping the forest floor up like a can opener, exposing the virgin soil underneath. Around a bend to the right I see the acid rain monitoring tower, also a victim of the big storms. Several large spruce have toppled directly onto the tower, hitting it high up and also at the base, destroying the chain link safety enclosure. It’s tough sledding up here in these high hills. The trail bends off to the left and then comes upon a spur to the right that used to be a service road to a pump station for the Clingmans Dome bathrooms. Thanks to those newly installed vault toilets now at the Dome, there will be no need to use this road anymore. I give a moment of silence for my old friends the flush toilets at the Dome. Vault toilets are the pits..literally.

Today’s wildflower show was noticeably broken up into zones. At the upper elevations of the walk, Christmas fern, Hobblebush, and lilies were everywhere. None of the lilies had blooms and most did not have their seed stalks, with the exception of a few bluebead lilies that had not yet turned blue. Trillium were abundant but all had already gone to seed. In the next quarter of the descent, it was the Fire Pink show, with a cluster of blooms every hundred feet or so. Fire Pink is a distinct bright red flower with serrated or ‘pinked’ edges.

For pics of this walk, click the link below:

Noland Divide Trail(Opens in new window)

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Happy Father's Day to all you great dads out there, including this site's most loyal reader. :o) We're blessed to still have the architect of our family with us and I'm very thankful for that. Have a great day Dad!

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Thank you for paying the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, so that our flag will always fly from coast (top picture, Brasstown Bald, GA) to coast (bottom picture, Nehalem Bay, OR).

God Bless America

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

Springhouse Branch Loop(Opens in new window)

16.9 mile loop walk in the ‘road to nowhere’ area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The walk started and ended at the Noland Creek trailhead on Lake View Drive (RTN) and included Noland Creek Trail, Springhouse Branch Trail, Forney Creek Trail, Whiteoak Branch Trail, Lakeshore Trail, and a road walk from the tunnel at the end of Lake View Drive. – May 21, 2011

I was a bit apprehensive about the loop I was going to tackle today due to its 6000 feet of overall elevation gain, 16.9 miles, and well above average temperature predictions.

Noland Creek Trail and a rare encounter

I get a good early start (7AM) for my long day. The trailhead for my first segment, Noland Creek Trail, is officially a mile south of Lake View Drive at Fontana Lake. Instead of starting there, however, I would start my loop from the large parking area beside the road.  The trail drops down off the south side of the Lake View Drive and then crosses back under the road on a wide gravel bed. I immediately cross Noland Creek on a wide bridge and am wowed by the mountain laurel flower show. Laurel was the definite star of today’s walk, with thousands and thousands of buds scattered on every trail and every elevation. Other stars included Squawroot, Speckled Wood Lily, Hepatica, Galax, Partridgeberry, and many more. Wood Betony was also very abundant but it looked like it was about a week or so away from blooming.

...or you can just click on the embedded video.

Springhouse Branch Trail begins climbing beyond the camp and crosses Mill Creek at a couple of times on pleasant rock hops. Mountain Laurel explodes in bloom all over the place. As I climb I the side of Jerry Bald Ridge I notice many flat areas with rock piles, sites of former houses and mills from the once thriving community. The trail turns sharply to the left and climbs steeply away from Mill Creek, then switches sharply left again into an area of large trees and abundant wildflowers. At another sharp switchback, this time to the right, I reach the ridgetop and the forest changes to laurel and rhododendron. From this point the climb is much easier and very enjoyable, through an area of dead chestnut stumps and logs with some new sprouts bordering the trail.

Forney Creek Trail, Whiteoak Branch Trail, and Lakeshore Trail

Campsite #71 is a large flat area beside Forney Creek that is the site of an former CCC camp. The large chimney still remains. Here I spend several enjoyable minutes talking with one of the campers, Dr. Tom Warren of Hickory, NC. He is here trout fishing with friends and has caught several nice rainbow trout. We talk for a while and I admire his catch before heading southbound on Forney Creek Trail for the 5 mile trek back to Lake View Drive. It is blazing hot now and the gnats and flies are getting to be a nuisance. I’m happy I brought a lot of water today because I will use every bit of it. There are few spots to view boulder-filled Forney Creek and stop to take a couple of pictures.

I

i’ve done the remaining two miles along Lakeshore Trail two other times, but not this time of year. Although it’s not my favorite Smokies area it was nice with Mountain Laurel blooming and the trees fully leaved.  I don’t appreciate the two climbs in the heat though, and am relieved to reach the tunnel for a chance to get some cool shade. I complete my loop with a road walk along Lake View Drive, finishing the 16.9 miles in just over 9 hours. This is much faster than I expected to finish and I make it home before the sun is down, completing another glorious May walk in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Low elevation on my 16.9 mile loop walk was around 1800’ near at the trailhead on Lake View Drive and high elevation was around 4100’ on Springhouse Branch Trail. The walk included about 6000’ in overall climbing.  

For pics of this walk, click the link below:

Springhouse Branch Loop(Opens in new window)

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Green Knob Fire Tower Trail(Opens in new window) 

5.7 mile out-and-back walk to the Green Knob fire tower on the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Pisgah National Forest. The walk started and ended at the Green Knob trailhead at the Black Mountain Campground near Forest Service Road 2074, a short distance off of the Blue Ridge Parkway (milepost 348) – May 1, 2011

In my own little world on the hiking trail, I was unaware of how important Sunday May 1^st would be for America and our Allies, with the news of Usama bin Laden’s death making big headlines soon after I got home. Celebrations went off around the country like V-J day. Unfortunately, there was no country manning up and laying down their arms..but that’s a story for another day. Remember I said I wouldn’t get controversial because you get enough of that? Let me just say God Bless our country and our brave men and women that have toiled and sacrificed for far too long against an ‘unconventional’ enemy!

Uphill to the tower

If you’re coming from Asheville along the Blue Ridge Parkway, the dirt road that is designated Forest Service Road #2074 is about ½ mile north of milepost #348. You’ll turn left and descend through an area of campsites in Pisgah National Forest land. When the road comes to a triangle intersection, stay to left and you’ll hit the Black Mountain Campground on the banks of the South Toe River. There is a large parking area near an information kiosk, just before the entrance to the campground. The trailhead for the Green Knob Trail (#182) is yellow blazed and begins just behind the kiosk.

I continue to climb southward up Lost Cove Ridge, struggling against the congestion and sinus junk I’ve been fighting this week. The ridge thins in a laurel patch, and here I can begin to see the adjacent ridge and mountain off to the north and west, which I believe were Whiteside Ridge and Higgins Bald. In a few spots the climb gets intense, steep and then flattening again in a dense forest with blooming Fraser Magnolia. I stop to catch my breath and notice my reflection in the shiny mica on the trail bed. Further up a couple of large trees stand like sentinels, with the trail passing between them. I see the first little spruce tree growing beside the trail, unknowingly marking the beginning of the spruce-fir zone.

Low elevation on my 5.7 mile out-and-back walk was around 3000’ at the trailhead at the Balsam Mountain Campground and high elevation was 5080’ at the Green Knob fire tower. The walk included about 2310’ in overall climbing.  

For pics of this walk, click the link below:

Green Knob Fire Tower Trail(Opens in new window)

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Sunday I got a tough six mile walk in...so check back in a couple of days for the story and pics.

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These canals were just steps from our campsite

There are even walking trails, but I didn't have time to check those out. But there was plenty of walking on the concrete trails, I can promise you that.

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So today, on the 150th anniversary of the first shots of the Civil War, I get as close as I'll get to controversy. The topic of the Civil War is polarizing. But ever since I was a young kid for some odd reason I've been fascinated by the brutal conflict that split the country and took 620,000 American soldier's lives, and more than 1 million American lives overall. Such incredible loss and suffering...

Tomorrow's generation will likely not visit the places where this awful drama was played out. Not only is it a period the country seems to be trying to forget, but standing on a former battlefield that is merely a mowed field with some old silent cannon can't compete with a good game of Halo or Ultimate Fighter. But for me, standing on the same ground where so many fell is an unforgetable experience. So just as my parents did with me in my childhood, last August I took my boys to see the battlefield that is considered the turning point of the war in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. I hope they remember this trip as I did mine. 

The First Shot monument, start of the deciding conflict of the Civil War

This is the "High Water Mark of the Confederacy" monument at the Copse of Trees. After 2 years of success on the battlefield, General Lee and the Confederate States would be turned back for good here.

The site where Pickett's Charge was repulsed by General Meade and his Union troops

The Angle, where the rebels briefly broke the Union line.

The views from Little Round Top, a site of key Union defensive position that ensured victory, the end of slavery, and the re-unification of our great country. God Bless America!

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Schoolhouse Gap Loop(Opens in new window)

15.2 mile lollipop walk in the Cades Cove area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The walk started and ended at the Schoolhouse Gap trailhead and also included Scott Mountain Trail, Crooked Arm Ridge Trail, Rich Mountain Loop Trail, a bit of road walking, Crib Gap Trail, and finally Turkeypen Ridge Trail – April 2, 2011

In May 2008 I officially became a crazed fanatic of walking on the trails in the Great Smoky Mountains after finishing a short but tough 4 mile out-and-back on beautiful Kephart Prong Trail. I’d been on Smokies trails before, but for some reason that walk signaled a transition in me from tourist to Smokies ‘resident’. Since that time. I walked the trails in my beloved Park every chance I got, never going more than a few weeks between visits. Fast forward to today….and it had been 6 months to the day since my last visit, an early-Fall stroll on the Cataloochee Divide Trail. I was long past getting the itch to return.

Woo-hoo, it’s Friday night and I’m FINALLY going back! The first weekend of April’s weather forecast was better for Sunday than Saturday, but I couldn’t let that deter me. I screamed up I-26 and the long drive didn’t even phase me, making it to the brand-spanking-new Oconaluftee Visitor Center past closing time, but still officially on opening day. A couple of pictures to mark the occasion and it was off on the long, dark and winding drive to Townsend, TN for the overnight. In a few hours I’d be back on Smokies ground for the first time in a long time…Praise God!

Schoolhouse Gap Trail starts at a small parking area directly beside Laurel Creek Road, 3.7 miles west of the Townsend “Y”. I was biting off a pretty big chunk today by walking 15.2 miles after so little walking during the Fall and Winter, but Schoolhouse Gap Trail’s gentle grade and wide, flat road-like surface would be much appreciated later in the day when I returned to the car worn out. The trail is part of a roadway system that was originally planned to give Townsend an over-the-Smokies-crest hookup with Hazel Creek in North Carolina in the 1840s, but the project was abandoned when the NC side was not completed. The roads that were completed on the Tennessee side are now trails, but none are very trail-like, including this one.

Laurel Creek comes in on the right side of the trail, flowing under a picturesque bridge. Wildflowers are immediately seen popping on the left and right trail edges, with trillium being the most dominant. Most of the trillium have not yet open. As great as the flower show was on this entire walk today, I think it will be even more spectacular in a week or two. The trail climbs slowly beside tiny Spence Branch, a tributary of Laurel Creek. Climbing is easy right now, but not so later on today.

I reach the Turkeypen Ridge Trail intersection at Dorsey Gap in 1.1 miles.  Here I talk with a nice couple from Walland that are on their way to unofficial spur trail to Whiteoak Sink, a lowland area of caves and a ‘blowhole’ that is just west of the trail. The spur trail is just beyond the intersection and marked with a “No Horses” sign. Beyond there the climbing is a bit tougher, up into a nice white pine forest, with western views of Scott Mountain beginning to appear and stiff, cool breezes whipping through the trees. Ah…I’m back in the Smokies again.

The Chestnut Gap Trail intersection appears on the right, just 0.2 miles from Schoolhouse Gap and the end of my first segment. There is no schoolhouse here but there is a private residence just feet from the Park boundary. The name of this gap apparently came from children following this route to school in Townsend.

I really enjoyed the 3.6 miles of Scott Mountain Trail. It is a big contrast from Schoolhouse Gap Trail. This is a real, albeit very narrow, trail that follows the Park’s northern boundary westward towards Cades Cove. The mountain itself drops off dramatically on the north side and there are views in both directions, at least during this time of the year. I’ll get almost half of my total elevation gain for today on this one trail.

My next two trails are repeats of an October 2009 walk, but this time I’m traveling downhill. Going this direction Crooked Arm Ridge Trail is much more pleasant, dropping 1300 feet to the floor of Cades Cove in 2.2 miles. At the top it plummets through pine and oak with views to the west of the bright green fields of Cades Cove. Further down it comes upon Crooked Arm Branch, flowing much stronger than my previous visit. Crooked Arm Falls puts on a nice display near the bottom.

Anthony Creek and Crib Gap Trails

The wind is blowing strong through the Cove, carrying with it the sweet aroma of the horse camp. But just a 0.5 mile east and I’ll be dealing with a different, albeit much more pleasant aroma. I have to walk to the far end of the Cades Cove picnic area to reach the trailhead for Anthony Creek Trail. The smell of burgers and steak grilling after 10 miles of walking with nothing but a Nature Valley granola bar to eat is tough to take. J We hikers are a tough lot, so I press on.

Anthony Creek is another road that is called a trail, at least for the 0.3 miles of it I saw before reaching the Crib Gap intersection. Anthony Creek flows beside it and I leave the sweet smell of glorious charbroiled protein behind. Crib Gap is described in the book as a “short and simple 1.6 mile” trail. If it wasn’t for those other 10 miles I might have agreed with the book. But this little horse trail climbs a bit toward Crib and Incline Gaps beside Laurel Creek Road before finally intersecting it. I was over the climbing for today and my dogs were barking. The trail intersects the road at a diagonal, so you have to cross the road and then walk a few yards up before rejoining on the north side.

On the north side the trail descends through former homesteads, but the only visible remains are piles of rock common where foundations once stood. Bears are supposed to be frequent visitors here, but they are still sleeping this early in April. I’m ok with that. I stop and empty my bag looking for ‘vitamin I’, but to no avail. I must’ve taken it out of my pack to use at home..rats! I’ll have to suck it up. (we hikers are a tough lot, so I press on J) A bit later I reach a 4-way intersection. To the right in 0.2 miles is Laurel Creek Road, officially part of Turkeypen Ridge Trail. Straight ahead is the Finley Cane Trail in 0.1, officially part of Crib Gap Trail. As is often the case for me, I’ll have to come back and hit those tiny segments if I ever want to officially be a 900-mile club member. Doubtful. I head left for 3.4 miles on Turkeypen Ridge Trail.

All the literature I’d read about Turkeypen Ridge Trail had glowing remarks about what a pleasant walk it is. Again, if it wasn’t for those other pesky 10 miles I'd already walked I might have agreed with them. Although never exceeding 2105’ in elevation for its whole length, Turkeypen adds another 1000’ of climbing to my tired extremities in a series of ups and downs. But it certainly is pleasant, climbing and descending through pine forest with ridge views on either side. There is a small crossing soon after the intersection that might get your boots a tiny bit wet as it did mine. Another crossing of Pinkroot Branch about half way is easier to stay dry. After the crossing I decide to slow down and quit worrying about the 4.5 hour drive home, and low and behold all my pain vanishes and I feel like $100 climbing the ridges again. I’m relieved to see the backward sign for Schoolhouse Gap Trail at Dorsey Gap, where I was several hours earlier. I skip easily down the trail to complete a fantastic and challenging day, at long last back in God’s Country. The 4.5 hour drive is a piece of cake.

Low elevation on my 15.2 miles of lollipop walking was around 1630’ on Schoolhouse Gap Trail and high elevation was about 3300’ near the Crooked Arm Ridge Trail/Scott Mountain Trail intersection. The long day included more than 4000' in total climbing, a good way to knock off some winter rust. It was great to be back in the high Smokies life again, and I’ll try not to wait 5 months to get back.  

For pics of this walk, click the link below:

Schoolhouse Gap Loop(Opens in new window)

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Update 4/3/2011 - It was dark, the building was closed, and the festivities were long over, but I got this picture as proof that I was at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center on opening day. :) (Picture taken Friday, 4/1/2011 @ 8:25 PM)

I also FINALLY got back on a Smoky Mountain trail after a 5 month absence! Check back later in the week for the update on my gorgeous Spring walk.

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The brand new Oconaluftee Visitor Center grand opening is tomorrow. Paid for with funds largely from the Great Smoky Mountains Association, the facility is supposed to be quite a sight. While hiking regularly in the Smokies in '09 and '10, I watched the building take shape and the elk grazing near the tall construction keep-out fences, probably wondering what the heck is going on.

Unfortunately I will miss the big event, but you can bet on Danny Bernstein being there providing a comprehensive report on the festivities for those of us that couldn't make the trip. Thanks in advance Danny!

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