Post 900 Hike #87: Low Gap--2.5, AT--4.7, Snake Den Ridge--5.3

Today’s hike was one that Vicki Watkins needed in her 900 quest (Low Gap 2.5, AT 2.4 & 2.3), and Snake Den Ridge (0.7, 4.6). I arrived at Cracker Barrel at 07:10; Theresa Yu was already there. The others trickling in were Dick Ledyard, Leslie Toney, and Vicki. Dave and Carol Anderson, along with Joy Kelly also met there; although they were doing Low Gap with us, they would then go on to Mt. Cammerer. Theresa asked me to drive her vehicle.

We started at 09:12 and I talked with Dave and Carole a bit on the first section of Low Gap; then I endeavored to put it in a higher gear and arrived at the AT at 10:26. I only got my HR to only 144 on this 3000 ft gain; this is telling me again that I should not do heavy leg-work in my weight lifting on the day prior to a hike. It was cool and I put on my hiking parka after arriving at the AT. As a group we started on the AT (with Dave, Carol, and Joy going East and the rest of us going West) at 10:51. I decided to bring up the rear since I had had my aerobic workout.

We stopped for lunch ~12:00 after finishing our first AT segment; from L to R my cohorts were: Leslie, Vicki, Theresa, and Dick.


We finished the next segment at ~13:50; this picture is one taken during this segment that I sort of thought was unique and hope to describe it more.


After completing this AT segment I went ahead on the 5.6 mi. Snake Den Ridge Trail in order that I could ice my knee prior to driving Theresa’s vehicle back to Cracker Barrel. The trail was quite boring; I was alone and the trail was ~as steeply down as was Low Gap up on our first trail in the morning. I forget exactly when I arrived at the Cosby Campground and Teresa’s car; however it was prior to 1600. I iced my knee and shortly after completion my cohorts arrived. The trip home was OK; however, since I was driving and Dick at my R does not hear in his left ear, my comments to him were probably heard better by the three in the back seat. This was not a problem but it was sort of clumsy. Fortunately when we arrived at our exit, one in the back seat and Dick in the front politely asked me if I was going to exit. Guess I was just getting used to driving Theresa’s Ford Escape.

Post 900 Hike #86: Huskey Gap, Little River, & a segment of Goshen Prong

I had planned to hike with Dick Ledyard as he completed his 900 today (AT 1.9 p.d., Goshen Prong 4.4 & 3.3 n., Little River 1.0 p.d., Huskey Gap 2.1 n. & 2.0 p.d.). However, my Airedale Terrier Winston captured some chocolate chip cookies last evening; although I gave him hydrogen peroxide to bring them back up, I had to monitor him a bit this a.m. prior to deciding to meet Dick et al. as they descended from the road to Clingmans Dome. In part because of heavy traffic in the GSMNP, I did not get on Huskey Gap Trail off U.S. 441 until 12:17.

Although Huskey Gap has ~1,300’ of climb in its first 2 miles, they are easy and it took me 47 min. without pushing it. The next 2.1 miles of it also took me 47 min., while the 1-mi. of Little River Trail took ~15 min. Dave Anderson was sitting at the junction of Little River with Goshen Prong; he and his wife Carol had also hiked in from U.S. 441 but she had gone ahead. Because I had figured to meet Dick et al. at least by then, I decided to proceed on Goshen Prong; I soon met Carol for she had started her return. I told her where Dave was near the vicinity of Campsite 21. At this time I thought that Dick et al. had really encountered a problem and I thought that I had better find them. After a short while I met Frank March and Charlie Bean; they informed me that there was a tough stream crossing that was unexpected (did not show on the map but we have had lots of rain lately). I then met Teresa Yu and finally Dick and Richard Ryburn plus one or two others (one woman I had never met).

I hiked with them; had a chance to talk with Richard Ryburn and get his advice from weed trimmers to servicing inboard/outboard boat engines. The others were waiting near Campsite 21 and all of us then proceeded on the first section of Huskey Gap. With the completion of this 2.1 mi. section of Huskey Gap, Dick Ledyard would meet the qualifications for The 900 Miler Association; the picture is of him after he completed this quest. Dick is a very strong hiker but he also has a serious knee problem for which he wears a very expensive and complicated brace (prescribed by Greg Mathien, an extremely top-notch orthopedic surgeon who used to help me teach a graduate class at UT) that redirects compression loads to those areas of the tibial-femoral joint more abundant in articular cartilage. I really admire Dick for hanging in there and completing his quest under the conditions he operated; I just have to ice my knee upon a hike’s completion—Dick has had to deal with much more serious problem.



After congratulating Dick on his quest, I took off for there was an outside chance that my wife would get delayed in checking on Winston; Dave accompanied me on this last segment and we had a nice conversation--talked quite a bit on X-C skiing. In my car and on the way out of the Park to my surprise I could reach my wife in Metcalf Bottoms; with my prior cell I had to either be at elevation (e.g., Clingmans Dome) or get well into Townsend.

Post 900 Hike #85: Middle Prong plus Indian Flat Falls

It was raining today and hikes were canceled or quite iffy. On my way to our meet-up at Food Lion I learned via phone that the 2nd Mt. Cammerer Hike was canceled due to rain; I wanted to ensure that those who might be waiting there knew of this. Two cars were there but only the occupants of one (Ann Phillips & BJ Perlack) wanted to hike; I decided to join them. BJ drove; I think that Chestnut Top was first mentioned and then Middle Prong. Ann favored Middle Prong; it did not matter to me. We were on the trail ~09:00.

This trail is on what was a track bed for a logging train in the first part of the 20th century; for the most part it is fairly wide although I do not know how far the track extended in its logging days. The rushing stream that is adjacent to it is augmented by several streams and presents a couple of small waterfalls. My cohorts described an off-trail waterfall (Indian Flat Falls)~2.5 mi. from our start; I had never hiked to the falls (nor even heard of them) for it is not on our trail map nor is it required to attain certification for The 900-Miler Association. Perhaps the reason for this "secrecy" is that one should have a good concern for safety before going off trail to see the falls.

The picture is of BJ and Ann in front of the the falls; the other pictures that I took in the rain were as clear as this one.

Post 900 Hike #84: Cataloochee Valley

Arrived at Cracker Barrel 15-20 min. prior to our meet-up time of 07:00. Several different Cataloochee area hikes were to be undertaken; two vehicles left for the Cataloochee Valley and two other vehicles left from another meet-up at Cove Creek Gap (the most Eastern point in Cataloochee) and Polls Gap. The first picture was taken by Dick Ledyard of those who rode with him just prior to our start on Fork Ridge at 09:05, from L-R are Carol Anderson, Steve Edwards, Joy Kelly, Dave Anderson.



I had chosen to hike with Steve to help him close in on his 900. Because Steve (a young man and a very strong hiker) and I were doing an 18+ mi. hike, we took off at a fairly good pace and completed the 3.2 mi. section of Fork Ridge at 10:15. Then it was N on Caldwell Fork (0.5), then Boogerman (3.9) and Caldwell Fork to the road (0.8); on the trail I estimated our pace was ~3.5 mph (unfortunately my notes are not clear). Then it was Caldwell Fork to Rough Fork (6.3); just prior to Hemphill Bald we met Dick and Joy going the opposite direction. Since Steve’s and my hike was ~4 mi. longer, we wanted to see them prior to stopping for lunch. Carol was waiting for us at the Hemphill Bald trail junction; we stopped longer for lunch than we should have (I took time to change my socks and repack my bag—think I doodled too much).

Carol, Steve, and I then did the last section of Caldwell Fork (~750’ gain in 1.75 mi.); I pushed a little and Carol stayed right with me (Steve did a sojourn to see the big poplars). As most of our trails for the day, there were exceptionally muddy stretches since most are used extensively by horseback riders. Then it was Rough Fork (~2,000’ of down in its first 1.5 mi. section—this I did slowly); then the trail was very level in the last 1.4 mi. to Cataloochee road. The last picture is of the idyllic Woody Place; it is one of the few structures left standing in the GSMNP. It started out as a one-room cabin in the mid 1800s; it was enlarged periodically with the last additions added between 1901 and 1910.



We arrived at Dick’s van at 16:20; he, Joy, and Dave had finished a little earlier than we had anticipated. As per usual Dick had cold sodas for us; this really hit the spot. We arrived back at the Cracker Barrel at ~1800.