Post 900 Hike #4: Balsam Mtn In/Out, 10.1 & 10.1

This is a hike that Lowell Reid, Jim Harb, Bob Bolinger, and Dennis McAdams needed for their 900; Cecil Rowe needed it for his 2nd map. This was Lowell Reid’s hike and it is a second way to do Balsam Mtn. When I did Balsam Mtn. last fall we started out at Smokemont, worked our way up to the AT via Bradley Fork and Hughes Ridge; we then did Balsam Mtn and ended up with Beechgap I for a total of 25.6 miles. In Lowell’s scheme the hike is just a little over 20 miles; however, the driving at least in our case was longer.

I was at Jim Harb’s house ~5:30; we then proceeded to Cecil Rowe’s house. Cecil thought that he should drive for he could take 7 passengers and most of our vehicles hold only 5. We proceeded to Cracker Barrel on I 40 and picked up Lowell; we then proceeded on I 40 and picked up Bob Bolinger and Dennis McAdams at the Cracker Barrel in Newport. From there we went into NC and went through Maggie Valley and proceeded North from Soco Gap and hit Heintooga Ridge Rd which led us to Balsam Mtn Rd.

We started hiking at 8:30 on Balsam Mtn trail and went its 10.1 mile distance until its junction with the AT. By this time our group was kind of spread out; Dennis and I went to Tricorner Nob (on the AT) so we could eat our lunch in a shelter for rain was imminent. The rest of our group ate on Balsam Mtn trail. We then retraced our steps; a bit of our time was in the rain. Prior to the hike I had agreed to move Cecil’s van to the end of Beach Gap I; since Dennis did not need that trail he went with me. At 2.3 miles from our start the rest of our group proceeded on Beech Gap I; I decided that I wanted to get it over and went ahead of Dennis. I reached Cecil’s car at 5:30 and iced my knee; when Dennis arrived we drove down the circuitous Balsam Mtn Rd ~3-4 mi. met the rest of our crew.

Since Balsam Mtn Rd. is only one way in a SW’ly direction at this point, we went on through Cherokee, and then through the park on US 441. Because Dennis and Bob had left their cars at Newport, we had a few miles to go in the opposite direction of home. Jim and I estimated that Cecil drove ~250 miles that day; I arrived home at 10:30, 18 hours after I had left it.