Post 900 Hike #158--Rhodendron Creek (a Manway)

For anyone not familiar with the term "manway", I think of it as an unmarked/unsanctioned trail that seldom if ever benefits from trail maintenance; it is usually used to connect hikers with "regular trails" (e.g., those appearing on Park maps or in Brown Book) or just a rarely used trail that has a feature or two that attracts minimal use.

Those that made our hike today are seen in the first figure with the exception of Frank March, the one who took the photo.


I had done a longer version of this hike with Bob Bolinger 6-weeks ago; Bob had been asked to come up with a hike that was somewhat near the site of our hikers Christmas party. As might be expected, this trail parallels Rhododendron Creek. Although there is one "rock-hopping" stream crossing, if one has trekking poles it is of little problem; however, those without poles were dependent upon others if they did not find a "viable" tree branch. Except for those hikes in which I was also doing trail work and had to carry a tool of some sort, of the hundreds of other hikes that I have taken on only one easy one did I not carry poles. If one knows how to use poles they can reduce compressive forces to the knee joint; they can also markedly reduce the chances of injury on stream crossings.

Because I had done this hike 6-weeks ago and my pictures were not that great, I did not take my camera. Thus Frank also took the second picture and I thought of including two more of his; at least for this trail Frank's pictures are far better than those that I have taken.



In part because of the delay that stream crossing caused and because we had to also cross it on our return to our vehicles, and because we did not wish to be late for the Margaret Stevenson Wednesday Hikers Christmas Party in Gatlinburg, we retraced our steps after the Rhododendron Creek trail ended at its junction with the Grapeyard Ridge Trail.

Our hike today was ultra short. When Bob and I did this trail 6-weeks ago, we continued on Grapeyard Ridge Trail, and just past the point wherein the steam engine could not make a switchback (i.e., it toppled over and all that remains are its wheels and boiler), we took the beautiful Injun Creek trail back to Greenbriar Ranger Station. (That hike was a little less than 5-miles; it is one that I plan to take some friends on in the next few weeks because it is a flat-out nice little hike.) We then walked ~1 mi. on Greenbriar Road to Bob's SUV.