BIG PLANS

Christy had her spring break last week, and I was able to take the week off. Since we had the whole week off, we made big plans. After discussing many options, we settled on a 6-day backpacking trip in the Smokies. Because we have a dog, Saucony, we rarely get to visit the park. We made arrangements to have someone watch her, and I planned out an ambitious route. Our trip would take us to some of my favorite places in the Smokies, including Cabin Flats, Mount LeConte, and the Sawteeth; as well as some areas I’ve always wanted to visit, like Raven Fork Gorge. Once the planning was complete, I found myself looking forward to this trip almost much as my upcoming thru-hike of the John Muir Trail in California.

A week before the trip, everything began to unravel. First, Christy pulled her calf muscle during a triathlon. It didn’t take us long to realize that she wouldn’t be able to hike. I didn’t want to do the full trip solo, so I changed the permit to a 3-day trip. On Friday, I came down with a cold. I lived in denial all day, and it wasn’t until a trip to the grocery store for provisions that I conceded defeat. I staggered around the store for 30 minutes just to get 6 items. If I could barely walk around the grocery store, could I really manage nearly 30 miles in the Smokies? By the time I got home, I had a fever. The next morning I called the park and cancelled the trip.

After a miserable, grouchy weekend, I began to recover. On Sunday, I decided to try to salvage something from our vacation. After a bit of last-minute improvisation, Christy and I came up with a new plan. On Monday and Tuesday, I would do a solo backpacking trip. That would get me some much needed training for my 230-mile hike in the Sierra’s this summer. Then, on Wednesday and Thursday, Christy and I would canoe a stretch of the Lumber River. It had been a long time since we had canoed, and since Christy was still recovering from her injury, it seemed like the ideal choice. Unfortunately, our canoeing trips never go as planned. Would this one be any different?

ANOTHER BIG BUTT

With the last minute change in plans, I had to consult my handy little to-do list of overnight backpacking trips. At the top of the list was a loop hike in the Shelton Laurel backcountry area of the Pisgah National Forest. Shelton Laurel is remote, tucked into the mountains along the state line north of Asheville. It used to be hard to get to, before I-26 was completed between Asheville and Erwin. Thanks to the new road, you can now reach the trailhead with only about 10 miles of driving on back roads. Despite this, the area remains relatively unknown, and lightly visited.

I’ve car camped and dayhiked in the area several times, most recently in 2003. On that trip, Dave and I had hiked the Jerry Miller Trail (formerly the Whiteoak Flats Trail), the Appalachian Trail, and the Fork Ridge Trail to make a loop. Years earlier, I had done another loop in the opposite direction, combining the Green Ridge Trail, the AT, and the Fork Ridge Trail. Since the Jerry Miller and Green Ridge trailheads are a ¼ mile apart, it’s easy to combine these hikes into an overnight trip. I was looking forward to the hike, as it promised great views along the AT, and blooming wildflowers at the lower elevations. Plus, I knew that the climb up the Green Ridge Trail would provide an excellent workout.

I was still suffering the effects of my cold Monday morning, but I deemed myself healthy enough to hike. Unfortunately, Saucony was not of the same frame of mind. Saucony is 11 now, and is battling both cancer and arthritis. That morning, she had trouble getting out of bed. Once she was up, she was walking with a severe limp. There was no way she’d be able to join me on the hike. I carried her back to bed, so she could keep her mommy company. It was a little depressing having to leave her behind, as this was the first time she had ever been unable to go hiking. It didn’t even occur to me that she might be faking it. Christy later reported that she was moving around just fine after I left.

I made the drive to the trailhead in 3-hours. I got a late start, thanks to the after-effects of Nyquil, but I knew I only had to hike 8 miles that day. I parked at the Jerry Miller Trailhead, on Big Creek, near Carmen, NC. From there, I walked back down Big Creek Road for a few minutes, until I rock hopped Dry Creek. Just beyond the stream, I turned left on another dirt road, and hiked up past a small sawmill, a trailer, and the rusty remains of a handful of cars. After this uninspiring start, I entered the woods on an old logging road. Before long, I reached a gate, and a sign for the Green Ridge Trail.

I continued up the road, beyond the gate, through a garden of wildflowers. Wild Geraniums were profuse, and I saw more Bloodroot here than I’ve ever seen in one place before. Spring Beauties carpeted the ground, and many other varieties I couldn’t identify added color. The rushing waters of Dry Creek added to my enjoyment of the first part of the hike. During part of the year, Dry Creek goes underground in places. However, early spring is not one of those times. Quite a bit of water was rushing down the valley, thanks to the heavy rains that had passed through a couple of days earlier.

I turned off the woods road onto a yellow-blazed footpath. This junction is easy to miss, as the sign at the junction is now horizontal. I propped it up, but I doubt it will stay upright for long.

The hike became more demanding after leaving the road. I continued to follow the creek up the valley, but I had to endure the occasional steep stretch. Before long, the entire grade was steep. My pack, which felt surprisingly light at the trailhead, seemed to have doubled in weight. My legs felt dead, and I realized that I might not have been ready for a demanding backpacking trip, after all. I pushed on though, as the creek tumbled over a rock face ahead of me. I figured that the trail must switchback up and out of the valley there, and hoped that the switchbacks would bring more gentle grades.

I was half right. At the rock face, I reached the first switchback. Unfortunately, the grade didn’t ease at all. If anything, it got steeper! I struggled up a few switchbacks before stopping for lunch. At that point, I decided to actually study the map. It turns out that the Green Ridge Trail gains about 2500’ of elevation in 3.5 miles. Considering that the first mile is only a gentle climb, the rest is rather demanding. I guess I should’ve actually looked at the map when I planned this trip!

After eating, I resumed the grind. A few switchbacks later, I finally crested the ridge. The grade eased, but the climb didn’t end until I reached the summit of Green Knob. From there, the trail dropped steeply down to an unmarked junction with the Appalachian Trail. Although most of the Green Ridge Trail is blazed, no markings are visible from the junction, and there is no sign. This was the primary reason why I chose to hike the loop in this direction.

From the junction, I enjoyed some gentle strolling on the AT. The AT follows an old road along the state line here, and the walking is quite easy. A few minutes later, I reached a small clearing. Here I found three civil-war era gravestones, charmingly decorated with colorful flowers. One of the gravestones is maintained by the descendents of Millard Haire. The interesting thing about that little factoid is that Millard was 13 years old when he was killed in the Civil War. Can you imagine having children, and being a soldier, before turning 14? That’s some fast living.

I took a break there, before moving on. The easy hiking continued, as I passed Gravel Knob before reaching a 4-way junction. My route here turned to the left, but I decided to explore in the opposite direction. My map identifies this area as The Ball Ground. I wandered out through a pleasant meadow. This was a nice place to stroll, but the views were limited, due to trees along the edges of the meadow. I pressed on, rising slightly to a knob. The knob is covered in heath, but a few views appeared over the tops of the shrubs. I continued out the ridge, but quickly reached a muddy, recently logged area. This was discouraging, and I headed back to the trail.

I followed the AT up to the summit of Big Butt. This Big Butt shouldn’t be confused with the Big Butt near Craggy Gardens, nor the Big Butt near Standing Indian, nor the Butt Mountain in the Smokies. Lots of hikers like to quantify their hiking goals. Some endeavor to climb the highest peak in every state. Others try to summit all of the peaks in North Carolina over 6000’, or all of the peaks in the northeast over 4000’. A friend of mine is well on his way to bagging all of the 600’ peaks in the Uwharries. I think my new goal is to climb all of the Big Butts. I’m going to get started on that, right after I finish visiting every Deep Gap in North Carolina.

A short side path leads from the AT to the summit, which is also referred to as Big Rocks. From there, I was treated to somewhat limited views. The surrounding trees have grown up enough to prevent clear vistas in every direction.

After a short break, I descended to rejoin the AT. I followed the trail through a rough, rocky area, before rejoining the ridge along the state line. With the challenging part of the trail behind me, I enjoyed more pleasant walking through woods and occasional meadows. A few additional views opened up, before I reached the balds of Coldspring Mountain.

At this point, I began to look for a place to camp. I knew I could continue down into the next gap, where there is a shelter and a spring. I thought the shelter might be crowded though, as the first thru-hikers of the season were reaching the area. Plus, I wanted to camp up high, where I could enjoy the scenery.

I reached a vast meadow, with fine views to the south. In the distance, I could see the fire tower on the summit of Camp Creek Bald. Here I found a passable tent site in the woods, on the edge of the meadow. A short distance away, I spotted a small seasonal pond, which would provide water. In between was a large tree. The base of it looked like the ideal place to cook dinner and enjoy the scenery.

I set up camp and spent the rest of the afternoon lounging around in the meadow. That evening, I tried out my new alcohol stove for the first time. The stove worked fine, as I cooked Thai noodles with stir-fried chicken and vegetables. Later, I enjoyed a pleasant sunset, while a couple of warm adult beverages helped ward off the evening chill. I stayed up long enough to enjoy the stars, which were diminished somewhat by the bright lights from Erwin, Tennessee.

The next morning, I cooked eggs and bacon on my alcohol stove. This led to a leisurely start. Despite this, I managed to get on the trail by 9:30. Before that, I saw the first hikers of the day heading north. This was a little startling, as I hadn’t seen a single person the previous day. I saw several more hikers before reaching Jerry’s Cabin shelter in the next gap.

A rocky climb out of the gap alerted me to the fact that my legs had not recovered from the previous day’s hike. Fortunately the climb was brief. I reached the signed junction with the Fork Ridge Trail, which leads 2 miles down to Big Creek. I knew my car was only 3 miles away at this point, but I wasn’t tempted to take the shortcut. I was looking forward to the rest of the hike too much.

I passed two puzzling signs here, identifying Andrew Johnson Mountain, which the trail passes on the North Carolina side. From the trail, Andrew Johnson Mountain appears to be wooded and rather non-descript. I have no idea why this mountain was deemed worthy of a special sign, as most of the peaks the AT passes aren’t marked in this fashion.

More easy hiking followed, and I passed a woods road leading down into Tennessee. There was a pickup truck parked here, so apparently the road is drivable. Before long, I began to climb. Then, I reached a sign at a fork in the trail. The sign indicated that the AT continued to the left, while the old AT, which is now a foul-weather alternate route, goes right. This was interesting, as this new stretch of the AT didn’t exist the last time I was here.

It was a nice morning, so I chose the scenic route. This option is certainly much more challenging, as I had to climb a series of boulders. It turned out to be worth it though. At the top, I reached the narrow ridge of Big Firescald Knob. The trail traces the spine of the ridge, which offers nearly constant views in almost every direction. The scenery was delightful, but the footing was tricky enough that I couldn’t enjoy it while walking. I paused many times through here to take in the views. The best vistas were to the east, back into North Carolina. Several ranges of mountains were visible, despite somewhat hazy skies. To the west, I was able to gaze out over the foothills of eastern Tennessee.

I passed several more thru-hikers headed north. These folks either got an early start, or were making good time. Statistically speaking, most of them will probably make it all the way to Maine. The majority of hikers attempting to cover the whole trail never make it beyond the Smokies.

The fantastic scenery finally ended with a descent into Bearwallow Gap. Here I found a signed junction with the Jerry Miller Trail, which was my route back to the trailhead. I wasn’t quite ready to head down though. I knew there more great views just ahead. I decided to check them out and have lunch before heading down the mountain.

I passed the signed junction with the Blackstack Cliffs Trail, but continued on. A few minutes later I reached the path descending to Whiterock Cliffs. I followed it to the end, where I found several more thru-hikers, and more fine views to the east. I chatted briefly with them, before eating lunch. Afterwards, I backtracked to the side trail to Blackstack Cliffs. This path led out to several viewpoints to the west and south. The best view here was to the south, across Jones Meadow towards Camp Creek Bald.

I enjoyed that view for a few minutes before returning to Bearwallow Gap. From there, I followed an old road down below Big Firescald Knob. This part of the hike wasn’t particularly interesting, but I made good time. My pace was only interrupted by a poorly marked section of trail just before Whiteoak Flats. There are numerous old logging roads in this area, and most are not shown on the map. Unfortunately, a couple of significant junctions are not blazed nor signed. Somehow I guessed correctly at each of them, and soon found myself in the open forests and wildlife clearings of Whiteoak Flats.

Whiteoak Flats is a delightful area. It would be a great place to camp, but I didn’t have the option of spending another night. I wandered through the clearings, and continued to follow the Jerry Miller Trail downstream along Whiteoak Creek. Before long, I reached the brink of a long, sliding waterfall. Kevin Adams’ briefly mentions this waterfall in his guide, but largely dismisses it. I rarely disagree with Kevin’s assessment of a waterfall, but I rather like this one. It wouldn’t be worth a special trip to see, but it certainly added to my enjoyment of the hike. Of course, I was there a few days after heavy rains. The stream is small, and the waterfall is probably insignificant during drier periods. Unfortunately, the sunny day eliminated any chance of taking a respectable photograph.

At the falls, the trail splits. Unfortunately, the junction is unmarked. The trail descending steeply along the creek is the old route, which comes out on private property some distance downstream from the official trailhead. The new route continues ahead, and contours around the ridge before descending on switchbacks to Big Creek. If I hadn’t known better, I would’ve guessed that the route along the creek was the correct one. I wonder how many people go the wrong way there, and discover their error when they come out in someone’s back yard?

The last stretch of trail was delightful, as the wildflowers managed to overshadow the ones I’d seen on the lower portion of the Green Ridge Trail the day before. Once again, I was treated to numerous Spring Beauties, Bloodroots, and Trout Lilies. I also spotted some of the first Nodding Trillium’s of the season. Most were just coming out, but a few were already in bloom.

A quick descent brought me to Big Creek, which I followed a short distance to a recently replaced footbridge. I crossed the bridge to the trailhead, where I found my car in the otherwise deserted parking area. I packed up for the 3-hour drive home, knowing that I had to unpack and repack for our canoeing trip that evening.

I’ll definitely return to the Shelton Laurel area in the future. The eastern part of the route, which includes Dry Creek, Green Ridge, the Civil War gravesites, Big Butt, and Coldspring Mountain, makes for a nice but demanding dayhike. However, the views on that part of the route pale in comparison to the western side. The scenery at Whiteoak Flats, Whiterock Cliffs, Blackstack Cliffs, and Big Firescald Knob makes the area worth returning to. I consider the dayhike on the Jerry Miller, Appalachian, and Fork Ridge Trails that connects these areas to be one of the “Best Hikes You’ve Never Heard Of” in North Carolina. Check it out.

Continue reading about this trip as we hike to Camp Creek Bald on the Appalachian Trail.

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