ME & THE BOBS

Bob emailed me several weeks ago, with news that some of the largest Yellow Poplars (actually Tuliptrees) in the southeast had been discovered in the vicinity of Laurel Knob. After some initial confusion as to which Laurel Knob this referred to (according to Topozone, there are 4 Laurel Knobs and 4 more Laurel Mountains in NC alone), I determined that it must be the one near Green Knob in the Black Mountains. This Laurel Knob is on Snooks Nose Ridge, which descends from Green Knob to Curtis Creek, near Old Fort. I knew there were some large trees on Mackey Mountain, which is nearby. Plus, I thought I remembered seeing some large trees on a hike up Snooks Nose Ridge several years earlier.

We were both free last Sunday, so we decided to visit the area. It had been 6 or 7 years since I’d been there, and I remembered it being a nice hike. At the very least, I knew we’d be in for a workout. The trail from Curtis Creek Campground to Green Knob climbs 3200’ in 4 ½ miles. My other hiking buddy named Bob, who I’ll refer to as Bob J to minimize confusion, was looking for a good workout, and decided to join us.

I met Bob S at the Wal-Mart in Belmont, and we met Bob J near Hickory. From there, we made the easy drive past Marion. One of the best things about the Curtis Creek area is that it is easy to get to. The campground and trailheads are only a few miles off the interstate. Once on Curtis Creek Road, we were delayed for a few minutes when Bob S spotted a whole field full of wild turkeys. We both spent a few minutes taking photos. It was the most turkeys I’ve ever seen in one place. I’m guessing there were 30 to 40 of them there.

Those weren’t the only birds we saw. A mile up the road, we spotted a Great Blue Heron in Curtis Creek. Later, on the way up Snooks Nose Ridge, we spooked a grouse. On the hike down, we spotted another turkey. Those birds should probably be keeping a low profile, with Easter coming up.

Curtis Creek Campground is closed during the winter, and the road is gated just before it. We parked just before the gate, and started hiking from there. It was just after 9am when we continued up the road towards the actual trailhead.

Just before the entrance to the campground, we reached the signed trailhead on the left. We climbed up away from the road, following an old logging road. Before long, we rock hopped easily across Slick Falls Branch. Just upstream from here is the base of a long, sliding waterfall. We decided to check it out on our return, if we had time.

An extremely steep climb ensued. There are some switchbacks, but even those are steep. The steepest stretches are intermingled with more reasonable grades, but it is still a tough climb. It was a relief when we finally reached the top of the ridge.

The hiking here was easier, and we followed a path through tunnels of Rhododendron, Azalea, and Mountain Laurel. This trail would be particularly attractive in May and June. Even though it was only March, it had some nice moments. One of them was at Snooks Nose, where we found the first views of the day. From here, we were treated to nice views east to Mackey Mountain and Dobson Knob. In the distance, we could just make out Table Rock in the Linville Gorge Wilderness. In the other direction, we could see Seven Sisters Ridge, capped by Greybeard Mountain and the Pinnacle. Waves of mountains extended to the southwest, highlighted by the distant pyramid of Mount Pisgah.

After a short break, we continued on towards Laurel Knob. We passed over the summit of that peak, but didn’t see the large trees we’d come for. Apparently, the big trees are down in the coves on the east side of the knob. Finding them requires some intense bushwhacking, which we weren’t prepared for on this day. We’ll have to return another time for that adventure.

Beyond Laurel Knob, we descended to a minor gap. Here we found a prominent trail, blazed orange, descending steeply towards the valley to the west. I hadn’t noticed this trail on my previous hikes here, and it inspired my curiosity. I decided to check it out.

I descended an incredibly steep trail, following occasional blazes and ribbons. Eventually the grade eased, and I reached a small mountain brook. The trail continues, following the creek downstream. At the time, my guess was that this trail ends on Newberry Creek Road. It wasn’t until we were on our way back, long after leaving Snooks Nose behind, that I noticed an old road, blazed orange, heading southwest. It’s possible that these trails connect. If so, the combination would make a nice loop hike starting from either Curtis Creek Campground or the Blue Ridge Parkway.

I returned to the trail, and followed the Bobs towards the Parkway. On this climb, we were treated to a few more nice views. At the road, we followed the Parkway north for a short distance, before picking up the signed trail to Green Knob. After one more climb, we reached the summit and the fire tower.

We ascended the steps to the top of the tower. Here we were treated to the best views of the day. Unfortunately, the view to the north was obscured by stubborn clouds clinging to the peaks of the Black Mountains. Just below the clouds, we could make out snow and rime ice clinging to those same peaks. This wasn’t a surprise, as it was absolutely frigid on the summit. We entered the room at the top of the tower, and sat on the floor below the windows to stay out of the wind. We had lunch there, but it was quick. Even out of the wind, it was too cold to hang out for long. After eating, we packed up to begin the long hike back.

We descended by the same route. By the time we left the Parkway behind, we had warmed back up. A little while later, we passed a large group of young women heading up. This was a surprise, as the Snooks Nose Trail isn’t well known or heavily traveled. Most of the women were wearing orange sweatshirts and hats. This puzzled me at first, but later I realized that they must’ve dressed that way because they were concerned about hunters.

The descent from Snooks Nose seemed even steeper than the climb had. The trail was covered in leaves, which made for tricky footing. I only fell once on the way down, while the Bobs managed to stay more or less upright.

We reached the switchbacks, and began descending adjacent to Slick Falls Branch. At one of the sharp turns, we spotted a passable route leading towards the falls. We decided to check it out.

We followed on old road grade, which brought us to a limited view of a long cascading slide. From here, a steep, tricky descent would’ve gotten us closer to the stream, but I don’t think it would’ve improved the view. The creek is small, and is surrounded by thick vegetation. I did follow a faint path steeply upstream, but that wasn’t worth the effort, either. It led me to a thick tangle of trees and Rhododendron, but the view didn’t improve. We gave up on the falls, and headed back to the trail.

The rest of the hike down to the road was uneventful. At the road, Bob S took a brief detour to check out the campground. The campground was recently renovated, and it looks like a nice place to stay. On the way back to the car, we passed a couple with two kids walking towards the campground. The couple was walking in a cloud of Marijuana smoke that nearly blew us off the road. That provided an unexpected ending to a pleasant hike.

We’re planning on returning to the area for several hikes. I’d like to find out where that orange-blazed side trail goes. Meanwhile, there are a couple of hikes in the Mackey Mountain area I’d like to do. On top of those hikes, Bob S wants to return to the area to look for those giant poplars. As usual, doing a hike only leads me to want to do more.

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