A new adventure
We're always looking for something new and exciting, but that can be hard to come by within a couple of hours of Charlotte. Last weekend though, we stumbled across a new adventure that was unanticipated. The plan was to hike at Mackey Mountain, a roadless area outside of Marion. Mackey Mountain is easy to get to, and has considerable old growth forest, but is often overlooked. We had been there once, several years ago, and it was time to get back there.
Christy, Dave, Saucony, and I met Bob, Laura, and Joel in Old Fort Sunday morning. From there we headed up Curtis Creek Road to the gate just before Hickory Branch Campground. We hiked up the road to the campground and wandered around looking for the trail. Eventually Bob found it, and we started with a steep climb to the top of a minor ridge. From there we dropped steeply back down to Hickory Branch. I have no idea why the trail didn't just go upstream along Hickory Branch, which would have been easier. We hiked upstream, crossing it twice. The path was somewhat primitive, with numerous fallen trees to negotiate. We passed 2 small waterfalls before leaving the creek on switchbacks. The climb became fairly serious, but we made it to the ridge crest without too much trouble. From the top we hiked south along the ridge, and then headed down the trail towards Mackey Creek. We found a good lunch spot and settled in.
Our planned route didn't go down to Mackey Creek, but I really wanted to explore it. While everyone else relaxed and enjoyed lunch, Dave and I headed down into the valley. The path dropped steeply on switchbacks. We were doubting the wisdom of our choice as we descended into the gorge. The sound of rushing water encouraged us though, and soon we were by a clear, fast flowing mountain stream. Dave relaxed by the creek, while I headed upstream. The map didn't show a trail, but there appeared to be the remains of an old road. I passed a flat area that would make a good campsite and reached a small cascade and a nice swimming hole. From there, a faint path continued up a fork of the stream, heading towards Mackey Mountain itself. I wanted to keep going, but we had to get back to the group. Reluctantly, I returned and got Dave moving in the right direction.
The descent of nearly a mile had taken 15 minutes. The steep climb out took considerably longer. We reached the rest of our group at 1. They had finished lunch and were enjoying various states of unconsciousness. Little did they know the real hike was just about to begin.
We backtracked along the ridge crest and continued north towards Buckeye Knob. The trail seemed ok at first, but it quickly became brushy. Soon we were fighting through thick stands of rhododendron, thickets, and brambles. After only a short distance the only sign of a trail was the occasional ribbon. We hacked and cursed our way through the jungle. Nobody was having fun, but we didn't want to turn back, either. Surely it would get better.
Actually, not. Up until this point the trail was level. Soon though we began the climb to Buckeye Knob. It was extremely steep without the benefit of switchbacks. We plowed our way up the mountain, and eventually the brush began to recede. We reached the top and decide to regroup. Joel had planned to turn back after Buckeye Knob, but he wisely reconsidered. Nobody knew what lay ahead of us, but it had to be better.
We hiked on, alternating between decent trail and total bushwhacking. Some time later Christy found a slip of paper from a fortune cookie. It said that "contentment was just around the corner". She took it to mean that the road was just ahead. That wasn't the case, but we did stumble out of the brush onto a cleared trail. Apparently somebody is clearing the route from the north, and we had reached the end of the progress they had made.
We reached a huge oak tree, which arched over the trail. We stopped to wait for Joel, and Christy couldn't resist climbing it. After that photo opportunity, Joel caught up with us. We hiked on and finally reached Curtis Creek Road. Unfortunately, we were exhausted, but still had to go 4 miles down the dirt road. It was gated though, so we didn't have to worry about traffic. The walk back was long, but at least there wasn't any brush to fight through. We reached the primitive campsites along Curtis Creek, and had fun along the way picking out the best ones. A little over an hour later we reached the cars. We helped ourselves to Joel's beer while we waited for him. It was a nice hike, though I don't think any of us are in any hurry to do the part without a trail again. Maybe I'll go back if they finish clearing it out. Maybe. On the other hand, I will definitely return to Mackey Creek. That looked like a great place to relax and explore.
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