HEARTBREAKER
Some
hikes have a reputation for difficulty that they can never live down. I last hiked Heartbreak Ridge in the fall of
1998, with Myron, Dorcas, Bob, Laura, and LL Bob. That climb, from near Andrew’s Geyser to the summit of The
Pinnacle, was so tough that I haven’t been able to talk anyone into going
back. A quick glance at the map shows
why. The trailhead, outside of Old
Fort, NC, is at 1900’, while the summit of The Pinnacle nearly reaches
5700’. By the time you factor in a
couple of extra ups and downs, you’re looking at an elevation gain in excess of
4000 feet. What’s worse, that gain is
stretched out over only 5 or maybe 6 miles.
Myron swears that the Heartbreak Ridge Trail refers to the wrong body
part.
So,
after 7 years, I decided it was time to go back. I had Wednesday off, and was looking for a good workout that
didn’t require a long drive. Heartbreak
Ridge seemed like the perfect destination.
Then again, I hadn’t been there in 7 years, and the trail certainly
isn’t heavily traveled. What kind of
condition would it be in?
I
made it to the trailhead in under 2 hours.
After passing Andrew’s Geyser, I continued up the road to a church. Just beyond the church, a dirt road heads
uphill. I pulled off there, and Saucony
and I began our hike. It was already
warm and humid at 9:20, and I was looking forward to leaving the lowlands
behind before the day turned hot.
We
walked up the road to the railroad tracks, where the road ends. We crossed over, and picked up the
Heartbreak Ridge Trail. The trail is
unsigned, but is blazed yellow and is generally well-marked. We followed the path into a dark forest,
passing a large camping area far below.
A few minutes later, we found ourselves hiking along Pritchard Creek,
which is well-shaded by dense rhododendron.
I rock hopped the stream, and reached a junction at a campsite. A trail continues from here along Pritchard
Creek to more campsites. Unfortunately,
the Heartbreak Ridge Trail leaves the stream all too soon in favor of switchbacks. The warm-up was over, and the climb was
about to begin.
The
switchbacks were steady but not steep, and I was distracted from the climb by
the beauty of the forest. The trail
tunnels through dense thickets of Great Laurel and Mountain Laurel, and both
were in bloom. White flowers were
everywhere. I felt like I was walking
through the scene of an Elven wedding as I continued to climb.
The
switchbacks ended at a gap on the ridge.
I was making good time, so I hiked a rough path down the ridge to an
overlook I remembered from 7 years earlier.
After 5 minutes, I reached the cliff.
I could see the railroad tracks I had crossed far below. Across from me, the green wall of the
Eastern Continental Divide marched up into the clouds, where The Pinnacle waited
for me.
After
a brief break, I returned to the main trail and began to climb the ridge. In short order, I passed a trail that
descends east toward Starr Gap and Camp Grier.
Then I began the climb towards Licklog Knob. After a few minutes, I heard something large rustling around in a
thicket just ahead. Could it be a
bear? The area I was in is thick with
them. Saucony ran ahead to investigate,
and something ran off, but the foliage was too dense to see it.
A
couple of minutes later, I passed an immense pile of bear scat in the middle of
the trail. I was really on guard when I
heard what sounded like a shotgun blast only a few feet away. My heartbeat returned to normal, as I
watched a grouse flopping around in the middle of the trail. It was making a whining noise, and
pretending to be injured, to lure me away from her nest. I actually spotted the nest quite easily, as
several baby birds bolted. I was afraid
Saucony might go after a baby or the mother, but she was oblivious, running
around in circles some distance away from both. I was relieved, but not too impressed with her birding skills.
Contrary
to the map, the trail actually skirts the west side of Licklog Knob, which
spared me some unnecessary climbing.
From this area, I had some additional views north and west. After a brief descent, I began climbing the
ridge again. The Mountain Laurel and
Great Laurel still crowded the trail with white flowers, but before long the
Rhododendron joined the show. Pink and
Purple blooms joined the white, and the next mile or so of hiking was like
walking through a garden. I was
surprised to see the Rhododendron blooming so early, but I was still at a
relatively low elevation on a south-facing ridge.
The
climb continued unabated, and I passed another good view from an overlook. Beyond were more switchbacks, as well as a
couple of springs and a small stream hidden in a thicket. Soon I left the blooming shrubs behind, as I
gained elevation. Finally I passed
another viewpoint, where I saw that The Pinnacle had emerged from the fog. However, dark clouds massing in the distance
told me that I’d better hurry if I was going to reach the summit.
Just
beyond this overlook I reached a junction with a primitive trail out Iron
Ridge. Here I found an old sign,
proclaiming that the trail had been adopted by Camp Woodsen. I’m not sure if this is still the case, but
the trail is in fine shape. It was
clear of obstacles and brush. More
importantly, it is a well-designed path.
Despite the considerable elevation gain, the trail never seems steep or
overly difficult.
From
the sign, I climbed along the ridge to a small clearing at an old
homesite. At this point, the Heartbreak
Ridge continues through the woods before descending to the parkway. I left the path there, in favor of an old
jeep road leading west towards The Pinnacle.
This route is very rocky and unpleasant to hike, but the many Painted
Trillium along the way made it more appealing.
Finally it ended at The Old Toll Road, where I found a spring, two old
RV’s, and a tremendous amount of trash.
This area is used by bear hunters, and was a bit of an eyesore after a
very scenic hike. Fortunately, the best
was still to come.
I hiked north on the Old Toll Road, passing
another RV and a hunting cabin. Just
beyond the cabin is a gate. I turned
off the road just before the gate, onto a faint path leading up the east side
of The Pinnacle. This is not the best
route. On my return, I found a clearer
path, which comes out on the Old Toll Road 100 yards or so farther north, near
a campsite.
I
will have to remember that in the future, as the bushwhacking was steep and
difficult. Eventually I wandered onto a
faint path, only to loose it amid fallen trees. I found it and lost it several more times before reaching some
minor cliffs below the summit. A bit of
mild scrambling got me around them, and a minute later I reached the top. It was a cloudy day, but the view was still
excellent. Mountains stretched away in
every direction, from the Craggies to Seven Sisters Ridge. Mount Mitchell and the Black Mountain Crest
occasionally emerged from the clouds obscuring the highest peaks. Dark clouds still surrounded me, but they
didn’t look too threatening.
I
had lunch, and reflected on the climb.
I’d started at 9:20, and reached the top at 1pm. I checked my notes from 7 years earlier, and
was pleased to discover that the same hike had taken us 90 minutes longer. It’s always nice to find that you aren’t
loosing your ability with age. In this
case, I had actually gotten stronger.
I
lingered for an hour before it was time to Ramble On. I hiked down quickly, as I was hoping to Bring It On Home in time
to have dinner with my wife. I made it
back to the car by 5, and was on my way.
I’m sure I’ll hike Heartbreak Ridge again. Hopefully it won’t take me 7 more years to get around to it.
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