Tow String 2.2n (getting to trail & on to car ~1.2)

For this hike my dear wife Meredith was a facilitator. First I drove SVC to talk with BZ Lane; BZ volunteers there on Saturdays and he is the one who has been so vital to my quest of completing all trails; we discussed my final hike of the 900 which is scheduled for April 4th. After that Meredith and I, and our Airedale Terrier Winston (when out of the car always on leash and never on a trail) proceeded to Smokemont. I got out of the car after we crossed the bridge at the entry to Smokemont and Meredith and Winston proceeded down US 441 to the Tow String road.

It was 10:30 when I crossed the road and turned left with the church on my right and proceeded down this trail that winds behind the campground. I reached a road and sort of fiddled a bit not exactly sure where I should be going; I then retraced my steps on Tow String as it veered left up a rise. I finally felt comfortable that I was on Tow String Trail. When I met a man and his daughter on horses, I felt most comfortable for they were the first ones that I had seen on the trail; the picture is one of the two that presented further verification.

I had told my wife (and dog) to meet me at the end of the trail; however, although Meredith entered the road to Tow String, she took the first right turn and actually went on the Indian Reservation. She returned to where the wrong turn was made and parked. This increased my hike a little more; my pedometer registered 3.4 miles for this 2.2 mile hike and it took me 1 hr. 20 min.

BP D-4: Lakeshore 76-74, 8.7n & 2.9pd, Noland Creek 1.0n & 1.0pd

After putting gel pads on my blisters, I followed Kirby’s advice and put duct tape around each forefoot (distal end of metatarsals). I then took off ahead of them (0850) on Lakeshore Trail because, after going through the tunnel, I was going to walk to the Noland Creek trailhead and then do an in-and-out on it.

Yesterday as well as today there were a lot of blow downs on the trail. Within the 1st mile I was enthralled by a cove of Lake Fontana and missed a curve; I then went up a fairly steep rise and returned to “my missed turn.” I placed an arrow for Kirby and Fran and then placed 3-log segments at the throat of the “wrong” trail. The trail is somewhat unique in that at times it follows a roadbed. By 12:43 I had completed the 8.7 mile section and arrived at Forney Creek (At this point I again treated water; although I had some, warm water just does not hit the spot.)

I was pumped up and made good time to Lakeview Drive. I did not remove my pack to get out a light for the tunnel as I had intended for that was too much bother; I hustled through the tunnel and arrived on the other side at 14:10 (by my pedometer the tunnel is 0.18 miles long). I then set out on Lakeview Drive to the Noland Creek Trail.

Started Noland Creek 1-miler at 14:34; there was one car parked in its lot. Although there is a little hill on the first section, it is kind of weird trail for at the bottom of that switchback there is sign indicating that there is still 1-mi. to go on this trail. Also, there is a road turning off of it, it was not marked but I did not take it for I knew that the end of the trail is where Noland Creek empties into Fontana so I obviously followed the road next to the creek. Eventually it was sort of like a beech; had not seen a sole so I left my backpack on a big rock and proceeded. Unfortunately my pedometer was attached to latter; I had wanted to present some evidence to back up my contention that the trail was more than 1-mi. Because the water is so low, the point where Noland Creek empties into Fontana is perhaps a bit further than it has been for some. (See pic) There were two couples on a rise about where I took this picture; I assumed that the car in the lot was theirs. After returning a fair distance, I saw Campsite 66.

At 15:33 I was back at the Noland Creek Parking Lot. I dozed a bit and was awakened by a child yelling; then 3 children and their mother came on foot from the Bryson City side of the parking lot. The woman was a little concerned about me; she asked if there were anything that I could do, offered me water, and then asked if she could call anyone for me. She called my wife (after she got nearer a cell tower) to tell her that it would be after dark that I would make it; that was extremely nice of her for my wife had expected me much earlier. My ride arrived about 6:00; although I did not worry as much this time as the preceding evening, I must admit I was concerned. We stopped in Bryson City and I got a Mountain Dew; it was so great to have something other warm water (or a warm electrolyte) to drink.

Epilogue/Tidbits: Despite the blisters and the length of time, this was a fantastic 4-days for me. The new trails that I completed were (1) Jenkins Ridge—8.9 mi., (2) Bone Valley—1.8 mi., (3) Lakeshore 86 to 74—21 miles, and (4) Noland Creek—1 mi. I had hiked once with Marti and Fran previously but never with Kirby. I am so thankful that they asked me to go with them; it might have taken me a month to get all that I did get in these 4 days. In my only previous backpacking (3 days in length), I experienced extreme shoulder discomfort. My mentor BZ Lane had stressed the importance of keeping the belt tight on my hips and I had no shoulder problem (at times I lifted and held my pack off my hips as I walked--possibly I lack padding there). The second day Kirby had shown me how to use some of the nuances of my pack; he really enabled me to use my pack much more efficiently. Since I started my new weekly fitness regimen, my weight has stayed below 160 pounds (that’s lighter than when I started college). When I weighed in on my Tanita prior to going to bed, I was below 150 and all I got was an error message for my fat percentage. Backpacking, at least for me, is one way to lose weight. My one-person tent weighs less than 3 lbs; that is great but there is a trade-off. To fit the tent I have a tapered sleeping bag and pad. With my size 12’s I cannot turn over easily in my bag; moreover, I would have to cut holes in my bag and my tent to use my normal sleeping postures. I finally deducted that this is why in backpacking I only sleep in spurts; prior to backpacking again, I must at least buy a new sleeping bag and possibly a new tent.

BP D-3: Lakeshore (86 to 76, 12.3n)

On our 3rd backpacking day we left together; however, as per usual I went ahead again. When I reached the mini-cascade I was going to get fresh water and wait; however, I could not find my water purification tablets and decided to keep going. Certain sections of Lakeshore were once roads; in the first pic it looks like a Model A could not hold the curve and died there.

I took several pictures of Lake Fontana on the way. It seemed like getting to Campsite 76 was taking forever; the next pic is of my tent and the camp sign. Initially I concurrently was purifying water and “icing” my knee and soaking a blistered foot. I put 2 liters in my bladder and left it in the stream to stay cool. I then put up my tent and eventually ate supper; still no Kirby and Fran. I was getting worried about them. I thought about going back in search of them but (1) my blistered feet said otherwise and (2) I assumed if something had happened that they would set camp for the injured one and the other would come.

It was getting dark when they arrived. Kirby said that my point #2 above is the procedure that he would have followed. Part of the problem was that they had missed a turn and may have lost as much as an hour.

BP D-2, Bone Valley 1.8n, 1.8pd, Hazel Creek 1.3, 1.3, & 5.3pd

The Bone Valley trailhead is adjacent to Campsite 83 so we left our backpacks there. The four of us stayed pretty close together on this hike (Fran, Marti, & Kirby in pic); when we reached the first stream we put on our water shoes and kept them on for the remaining four (one was rock-“hoppable”). The Hall Cabin (see pic) is at the trail end and is on the National Register of Historic Places; the Park Service moved it ~200 ft. to its present location adjacent to the foundation of the Kress Lodge; the chimney in the next pic (Kirby & Fran) is in the middle of the house (it really must have been something). We also went to the Hall cemetery; it is very well kept.

When we got back to Bone Valley Trailhead I went with Marti and did the 1.3 mi. section of Hazel Creek (in & out) that she needed. We then packed and ate lunch and Marti and I took off, for she had to meet her boat at Campsite 86 at 3:30. I went ahead to ensure that the boat would wait for her and I arrived before it did. I was in such a hurry that I did not even think about parking my pack at 86 when I went by it. I “iced” my knee in the water there. Marti arrived shortly and although she originally thought that there would be one more with her, do not believe that she was given any static about this.

BP D-1: Lead Cove 1.8pd, Bote Mtn 1.2pd, Anthony Creek 1.7pd, AT, Jenkins Ridge 8.9n, Hazel Creek 0.8pd

This is the start of a 4-day backpacing (BP) adventure.

Met Marti Smith, Kirby and Fran Dupre at 7:00 at the Lead Cove Trailhead. We took it easy on this 1.8 mi. trail and finished it in 58 min. I went a little ahead on Bote Mtn. and finished this 1.2 mi. section in 31 min. My cohorts arrived simultaneously as a father and his teen son arrived from Anthony Creek; the latter two got between us as we chugged up 1.7 mi. of Anthony Creek. I turned around once and noted that they were gaining on me so I pushed it and the space increased (HR went to 156). It was not until I hit the AT in 43 min. that I realized that the father-son duo were only wearing day packs; I talked with them a few minutes and then waited for my cohorts. At least three groups of AT backpackers arrived while I was waiting. I should mention that (1) Fran recently had surgery for spondylolisthesis (for this condition it is usually L5 slipping anteriorly over the sacrum—in her case both L4 & L5 had to be fused with sacrum) and (2) Kirby’s backpack weighed ~10 lbs. more than mine; both of those factors are obviously a detriment to speed.

The pic is in the 1st mile between Spence Field and Derrick Knob (if you look closely you’ll see a through hiker on the 2nd bald; although not visible, Jenkins Ridge Trail begins into NC off the AT near the center of the picture. Marti asked me to go ahead to ensure that we could get at least one bear hook at Campsite 83. Jenkins Ridge (8.9 mi.) is far from being a jolly trail; fortunately our campsite was only 0.8 up Hazel Creek at the end of JR and I arrived there at 4:23. (At one time another hiker and I were planning on following this same trek, then going over to do an in-and-out on Bone Valley, and then rushing to catch a boat at Campsite 86 at 3:30; this may not be physically possible.)

A crew of ~8men (ranging in age from the 20’s to 60’s were at Campsite 83); they came by boat and pulled a big wagon for provisions. They were a nice crew; I had peach cobbler and coffee with them. One was from my home state of Iowa; he also went to a Lutheran college and is also Norwegian.

Mt. Sterling 2.3pd, Mt. Sterling Ridge 1.4 & 3.9pd, Balsam Mtn 0.9pd, Gunter Fork 4.1n, Camel Gap 1.0pd, and Big Creek 5.8

On March 13 BZ Lane called to see if I was interested in doing Gunter Fork instead of going to the annual Wed. Hikers Chili Lunch. Gunter Fork can be hellacious in wet weather, and because we have had quite a dry spell, BZ thought that the time was opportune and I agreed. I then called Bob Bolinger and he too wanted to go. I met BZ (~60 min.+ drive for me) and Bob at Exit 440 at 8:00 a.m. I then followed them to Exit 451 and we proceeded to Big Creek Campground; at this point I moved my gear into BZ’s vehicle. We then proceeded on a gravel road to Mt. Sterling Gap, ~10 mi. South.

We started on Mt. Sterling Gap at 9:00; this trail is mostly climb and we took it easy and covered this 2.3 miles (map says only 1.8 but my pedometer and Brown Book say 2.3) in 73 min. By 12:47 we had had a 15 min. lunch and completed Sterling Ridge (3.9 mi.). By 1:10 we completed the 0.9 mi. section of Balsam Mtn Balsam Mtn trail. At this point I took a pic of BZ and Bob at the trailhead for Gunter Fork (this trail was my objective for the day—BZ of course has completed all trails but for Bob all trails that we covered today were new ones for him). Prior to getting on Gunter Fork there were numerous warnings about not taking this trail in wet weather (Swallow Fork suggested). In part because of water concerns, and possibly because upper part of Gunter Fork is very narrow, this trail is not heavily traversed. The second pic is the cascades ~1.8 mi. from the finish of this trail. From this point on we had, as stated in the Brown Book, "many unbridged stream crossings." However, except for very last one (which was crossing Big Creek—prior ones were crossing Gunter Fork), we were able to rock hop ~6 and put our water shoes on for the last one (that was Big Creek itself which Gunter Fork feeds into). In my prior rock-hopping experience I doubt if the rocks were anywhere near being that large. The last pic shows BZ and Bob standing at our completion of Gunter Fork Trail.

We then completed 1.0 mi. of Camel Gap Trail at 3:00 and 5.8 miles of Big Creek Trail at 5:15. The latter trail was probably an old logging road; it was very boring but easy. However, for the end of a long day and ~19.4 mi. hike (my pedometer indicated 19.2), the easiness was truly appreciated.

Had BZ drive my car so I could ice my knee; the ~10 miles to his car on this windy gravel road seemed ultra long this time. On the first part of the road that is out of the park, some homes are kind of rough and some are nice summer ones. A little long-haired white sort of chased us and BZ was careful to avoid him; on the way back as I followed BZ and Bob, the little white dog was there again. If I did not own Winston (my Airedale Terrier), I would have picked him up for apparently he was abandoned; how can a human (perhaps an infra-human in this case) be so cruel? I followed BZ and Bob to Carvers Restaurant (the establishment that grows and sells many types of apples, plus other things, the store part being a frequent stop for hikers) near Cosby; we had a very nice dinner. After a few cups of coffee, I had a 90 min. drive back to my home.

Rough Fork 2.9n & 3.5n, Rough Fork 3.5pd & 2.9pd

Picked up Jim Harb at 7:15; we then proceeded on US 129 and I-40 and picked up Joel Morris at Cracker Barrel at 7:35. We then set out on I-40 again and arrived at the truck stop at Exit 440 and picked up BZ Lane at ~8:25. We then drove to Exit 20 in NC and proceeded on the backroads (outside & inside GSMNP) that include 5 m.p.h. switchbacks. What is somewhat unique is that you are on so-so gravel roads and eventually reach a concrete one but then finish up on gravel (and finally the road ends at the Rough Fork Trailhead).

We got started on Rough Fork Trail at 9:45 and completed the 2.9 segment (Caldwell Fork trail junction) at 10:53. At this point I led for I wanted to get a good aerobic workout; I covered the 3.5 mi. section that ended at Polls Gap in 73 min. The 6.4 miles for the two segments of Caldwell Fork were mostly up (2,000 ft plus); however, the climb was really modest. Although the sun was out there was a bit of wind at Polls Gap and I put on my vest; normally I would have retraced my steps to get a little shelter from the wind for lunch; however, the others had to reach Polls Gap too. I ate my lunch and debated on doing first aid for what I perceived to be a plantar wart at the base of my 5th metatarsal. (My running Buddy Craig Wrisberg and my wife Meredith had described it to me 3/5 & 3/6, respectively, for I could not see it; in running or hiking it felt somewhat analogous to a having a small pebble in my shoe.) However, I did not make the diagnosis until I was in the solitude of the solo part of our hike. Rather than take my boot off and put a new donut pad over it, I decided to just lump it. After the others had completed lunch I took the first picture at Polls Gap; from left to right we have Joel, BZ, and Jim. Again, this is a nice and relatively easy trail with the biggest climb near the middle.

At 12:41 we started retracing our steps; the trip back to my vehicle was obviously mostly downhill. In 71 min. we arrived at Caldwell Fork (3.5 mi.). In the last segment of our return trip (2.9 mi. in 62 min.) I took the picture of BZ and Joel at the Steve Woody place. This home began as a one-room cabin in the middle 1800's. Not sure when Mr. Woody acquired it but he continually enlarged it as his family grew (last enlargement was made ~1910) One story is that he was a widower and then married a widow with a family; for his time I think that he was a pretty good architect and builder. To the side of the home is a spring house. This house, as well as one closer to my vehicle, are painted white. (There is a story that the latter house was inhabited by the Wild Man of Cataloochee who was last purportedly seen by a ranger in the middle 1970's.)

This was really great day weather wise and hike wise; by completing this 6.4 segment of Rough Fork I have completed all of the Cataloochee-area trails (to do this one required more than 200 mi. of driving). I must thank my hiking mates but particularly BZ Lane. BZ is the only one of our group today who has completed all of his trails; he in essence scheduled this hike in his quest to help me complete all 900 miles of trails too. After I complete all trails, I hope that I can be as helpful to someone else as BZ and others have been to me.