CHANGING SEASONS
The North Carolina mountains
got their first snow recently, and I didn’t want to miss it. I have Thanksgiving week off, so I decided
to head up there on Tuesday to check it out.
The funny thing is, I just did my last fall foliage hike only a couple
of weeks ago.
The snow was mainly confined
to the higher elevations along the Tennessee state line. After some debate, I decided to visit an
area I hadn’t been to in years. Max
Patch is a natural grassy bald, and is considered to be one of the most scenic
summits in the southeast. Its location
just north of the Smokies provides great views of those mountains, the Black
Mountains, the Balsam Mountains, and more.
I hadn’t hiked there since sometime in the ‘90s, so a visit there was
long overdue.
The first challenge with
hiking Max Patch is finding a suitable route.
A dirt road comes close to the top of the mountain, so a hike from there
is extremely short. The Appalachian
Trail crosses the summit, so hiking options from other trailheads do
exist. I did a bit of research, and
decided to try a new trail. The Cherry
Creek Trail starts in the Harmon Den area and climbs along a stream to join the
AT a mile from the peak. This trail
promised an adventure in a new area, as well as relatively easy access to the
peak. Even better, the trailhead is
only a few miles off I-40.
I drove thru Asheville and
took I-40 into the Smokies. From exit
7, it was a short 4.5 mile drive along a good dirt road to the trailhead. Parking is limited at the trailhead, but
it’s not a heavily traveled trail. When
I arrived, I was surprised to find a pickup truck there.
I left the trailhead at 10am
under partly cloudy skies. It was
chilly, with temperatures hovering around freezing. Flurries fell on occasion, although the falling snow may have
just been blowing out of the trees.
There was only a dusting of snow at the trailhead, but it got deeper as
I climbed. I headed up the trail,
following in the footsteps of a solo hiker.
After a ½ mile or so, the tracks left the trail to climb up a steep
hillside. I continued ahead, walking
through a couple of inches of untrammeled snow.
The Cherry Creek Trail
passes through a nice area featuring some impressive hemlock trees. Unfortunately the trail itself was a slog. Much of the path was muddy, but the fresh
snow hid most of the mud holes. I
plunged into several of them before I learned to recognize the unstable ground
hiding under the powder. Even then, it
was tedious trying to avoid the bad areas.
It was actually a relief to climb out of the valley on switchbacks.
I reached the AT on a ridge
at 11:30. My research for the hike had
revealed some conflicting information.
Allen DeHart’s guidebook stated that the trail was 2.5 miles long. However, the National Forest website claimed
that the trail was only a mile and a half.
Although I was hiking uphill in the snow, I’m pretty sure I was doing
better than 1 mile per hour. Believe it
or not, it appears that the DeHart guide had the correct information.
The snow in the valley had
been pretty, but the ridgeline forest was gorgeous. Snow and rime ice was still clinging to all of the tree branches,
creating a forest scene right out of a fairy tale. I stopped for a minute to appreciate the stillness of the snowy
woods before resuming the hike.
A few minutes later I
crossed snow-covered Max Patch Road.
After a brief descent, I began to climb again towards the peak. A few minutes later, I crossed a horse
trail. Just beyond the trees gave way
to shrubs covered in rime ice. I
climbed on towards the summit, which was still lost in low clouds. The morning’s forecast had promised some
clearing before more clouds arrived in the afternoon. I wasn’t sure if the clouds obscuring the summit were from the
initial storm, or the next one. I could
only hope that they would clear off before I had to leave.
I climbed through deeper
snow to the top of the ridge. From
there, it was a long but gradual climb to the summit. The wind was fierce up here, so I didn’t spend much time on the
actual peak. In fact, as soon as I
reached the top I did an about-face and started back down. There was no view in the whiteout, and I was
mildly concerned that I might loose the trail in the fog. Fortunately I was able to follow my own
tracks back down.
I descended until I was out
of the wind and stopped for lunch. Warm
soup from my thermos was definitely one of the highlights of the day. While I was there, the clouds broke up a
bit, revealing some limited views across the next valley. By the time I finished eating, the clouds
had reformed. It was cold just sitting
there, so I decided to head down. There
was no telling when, or even if, the clouds would blow off. As I packed up, a solo hiker passed by on
his way up. At first I thought he was
carrying a ladder, but it turned out to be just a large tripod. He seemed confident that conditions were
improving. I couldn’t wait around any
longer though. I wanted to take a
different, longer route down.
I backtracked to the
junction with the Cherry Creek Trail but continued ahead on the AT. My plan was to follow the AT almost 3 miles
to Browns Gap. From the gap, I’d walk
2.5 miles on forest roads back to the car.
The hike along the AT was
uneventful, but the ridge walk through hardwood forest was enhanced by all of
the snow. A long descent ended at
Browns Gap and another dirt forest road.
It was only 2:45 though, so I decided to extend the hike. My AT guide mentions an overlook ½ mile
beyond the gap, so I decided to check it out.
A moderate climb led to a
blue-blazed spur trail. I followed the
side path out to the Hawk’s Roost, which provides a limited winter view of Max
Patch on the far side of the gap. The vista
wasn’t anything to get excited about, although it was interesting to get a look
back up where I’d just been. At least
there was some view. If I’d been there
a few weeks earlier, before the leaves had fallen, there wouldn’t have been.
I backtracked to Browns Gap
and descended on the forest road. 25
minutes later I reached the main road, and followed it back uphill to my
car. As I hiked, I noticed that the
clouds had finally blown off. In fact,
there was nothing but blue sky overhead.
I was a bit annoyed about this, until I had a brilliant idea. I decided to drive back up to Max
Patch. From the road, it was less than
a mile to the summit. I still had
enough daylight to check out the 360-degree views and take some photos.
It seemed like a good idea
at the time. By the time I reached Max
Patch Road, conditions had worsened considerably. At first I was comfortable driving through the snow, but it got
worse as I climbed. I was trying to
maintain forward momentum, but a particularly sharp curve forced me to slow
down significantly. Just beyond was a
steep hill, and the next thing I knew my wheels were spinning. I backed down the hill and tried getting a
running start, but it was hopeless.
There was a sheet of ice under the snow here, and I was beginning to
doubt the wisdom of my plan. Clearly, a
car more weather-worthy than my Corolla would’ve been handy.
I couldn’t turn around, so I
backed slowly down the mountain. This
was fun! I hadn’t realized how icy the
road was coming up, but I knew now.
Going down in reverse was a different thing altogether. Finally I reached a place wide enough to
turn around. A few minutes later I
reached the junction with the road I’d come up. Originally I thought about continuing ahead on Max Patch Road,
which would ultimately deliver me to I-40 farther east. However, that route didn’t appear any
shorter, and the road actually climbs again before descending. I headed back the way I’d come, and it was a
relief when I left the snow and ice behind.
The drive home was
miserable. First I hit Asheville at
rush hour. I survived that traffic jam,
only to run into heavy rain north of Spartanburg. The drive up I-85 in early Thanksgiving traffic in a downpour was
a horror. Next year, I hope I remember
this before I plan a pre-Thanksgiving hike!
I’ll definitely be back to
Max Patch sometime soon. The view there
is one of the best around, and it was a shame that I missed it. Next time, I’ll be sure of clearer weather
before I go! In the meantime, I’m
looking forward to my next snow hike. I
suspect that there will be plenty of opportunities to enjoy those conditions
this winter.
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