CLOSURE (PART II)
Q: What’s black and white and red all over?
A: Andy, after another Linville Gorge bushwhacking adventure!
A year ago, I attempted to
backpack the Rockjock Trail in the Linville Gorge Wilderness, not knowing that
the southern half of the trail was still buried under thousands of fallen
trees. That trip ended in
disaster. I stubbornly tried to push
through the deadfall. For my efforts, I
was rewarded with hundreds of cuts and bruises, and the opportunity to spend
the night in a small, damp cave.
A few weeks ago, I returned
to the area, and hiked most of my intended route from that disastrous
weekend. On that hike, I covered the
other three sides of the loop, including the Pinch In Trail, the Conley Cove Trail,
and the section of the Linville Gorge Trail connecting them. I avoided the Rockjock Trail itself though,
having learned my lesson a year earlier.
A few days later, I was
surprised and delighted by a message posted on the Linville Gorge yahoo group
site. Word was that the US Forest
Service had completed clearing and rebuilding the trail. After my attempt to hike the trail in 2007,
I was sure the trail would disappear forever.
I had to go see the new trail for myself.
A 3-day work assignment in
Michigan left me with Thursday off. I
drove up to Linville Gorge that morning, and brought the dog along with
me. Getting to the Conley Cove
Trailhead took a little longer than normal, as the State DOT was re-grading the
Kistler Highway.
We headed down the Conley
Cove Trail, and after a couple of minutes, reached the unmarked but obvious
junction with the Rockjock Trail. The
trail was in fine shape as I climbed along a small stream and passed a
campsite. A few minutes later, I
climbed a hill, passing near Lost Dog Pond.
I thought about walking over to see the pond, but doing so would’ve
required wading through brush, thorns, and fallen trees. I wasn’t really in the mood for that sort of
thing, and my interests for the day were farther south.
I pressed on, and eventually
followed the trail out to Hacker’s Point.
It was a sunny, blue-sky day, and I was treated to fine views here. I could see the sheer cliffs of the east
rim, all the way from Shortoff up to the NC Wall, the Chimneys, Table Rock,
Hawksbill, and beyond. A thousand feet
below, the river roared through the canyon.
I continued on, descending a
rugged stretch of trail into Blue Jay Canyon.
On the far side, I passed through Split Rock. From there, the trail climbed up higher on the mountainside. A bit later, I reached an obvious junction
marked with a pink ribbon. The main
trail continues ahead here, but I decided to follow the side path down towards
the cliffs below.
I had to negotiate a few
fallen trees on this steep path, but the trail was in decent shape. Eventually I found myself down in Razor’s
Edge Canyon. At this point, the path
split again. Ahead, a small metal sign
affixed to a tree advertised Razor’s Edge Point. Back the other way, a similar sign announced Razor’s Edge
Rock. I had never been to Razor’s Edge
Rock, so I decided to check it out.
After a short distance, I
reached a steep descent into a gully. I
hesitated. I was solo, and the note I’d
left with my wife said that I intended to hike the Rockjock Trail. I was now a good ways off that trail, and
knew I shouldn’t take any chances.
Still, the route wasn’t that bad, and I was confident I could get down
safely as long as I was careful. I
proceeded, and Saucony reluctantly followed.
I passed into a narrow
canyon, and soon reached another tricky drop.
I left my pack behind there, and wiggled my way down. Somehow I was able to convince Saucony to
wait for me there, as I didn’t think I’d be able to get her back up if she
followed.
Once past this spot, I
tiptoed out a narrow ledge (the Razors Edge) towards Razor Edge Rock. Razors Edge Rock is an unusual perch between
Zen Canyon and Razors Edge Canyon, high above the Linville River. I tried to avoid looking down, as it seemed
like the river was directly below me.
I reached the base of the
rock, and hesitated again. Getting to
the top would require a bit of rock climbing.
It looked manageable, but exposed.
I knew I had already pushed my luck going out here. Plus, I was still concerned that Saucony
would try to follow me out here. Reluctantly,
I turned back. I’ll have to save Razors
Edge Rock for another time, when other people are with me.
I climbed back up the gully,
where I found Saucony relieved that I had returned. We backtracked, but took the short path out to Razors Edge Point. Razors Edge Point has my favorite view in
the entire gorge, and I wasn’t about to pass it up.
On my 2007 trip, I had
started from the Conley Cove Trailhead around mid-morning, and had stopped for
lunch at Razors Edge Rock. Today I had
followed the exact same pattern. In
fact, I’m pretty sure I had the same thing for lunch. The beginning of both hikes had been delightful. I was determined that the afternoon portion
of today’s hike would turn out much better though!
After lunch, I backtracked
to the main trail and continued south.
Before long, I descended into Moonshine Canyon. It was here that the trail had disappeared
back in 2007. The old trail is still
buried under fallen trees on the far side of the canyon, but a new path has
been built from this point. This path
climbs steeply out of the canyon, following a route higher above the
cliffs. I had mixed feelings about
this, as I knew that the new route was missing some great scenery along the
cliffs below. Mostly I was thrilled
though, since I was able to put one foot in front of the other without having
to climb over an endless series of trees.
Ironically, in 2007 I had abandoned the old route of the trail, climbing
higher up the mountain. I believe the
route I had bushwhacked then was pretty close to the route the new trail
follows.
I hiked over numerous ridges
and in and out of countless side canyons.
Before long, I’d completely lost track of which canyon I was in. Eventually I reached a point on the ridge
with some views through the charred forest.
Down below were more cliffs, and I decided to check them out.
I descended through the
soot, getting myself filthy in the process.
Before long, I reached another cliff with more great views of the
gorge. To the south, I could see Mossy
Canyon Ridge, and Pinch In Ridge just beyond.
At the base of Pinch In Ridge, I could see a nice long stretch of the
river. One part appeared to have a
sandy beach. In the distance, the
massive cliffs of Shortoff Mountain loomed over the whole scene.
I returned to the trail, and
climbed again. Eventually I dropped
down into the next canyon, which featured a small stream among mossy
boulders. Presumably this was Mossy
Canyon? A bit later, I reached the
point where the trail turns and begins the incredibly steep climb up to the
road. I paused there, and considered my
options. Back before the fires, a
decent use trail had continued south from here to intersect with the Pinch In Trail. There was no longer any sign of this trail,
except for sporadic blue ribbons heading in that direction. I decided to follow them and see how
difficult it would be to reach the Pinch In.
Following the ribbons was
difficult, as many of the trees had fallen.
I followed my instincts as much as the ribbons, and gradually continued
moving south. Making progress wasn’t
terribly difficult, as the fire had cleared out much of the undergrowth. However, there were plenty of fallen trees
to avoid, and every time I touched one, I acquired a new layer of soot. Thorns were prevalent, too. On more than one occasion I got myself
tangled up in a mass of briars.
Finally, I could see Pinch In Ridge just ahead, on the far side of one
last canyon. On my March hike I had
explored north from the Pinch In Trail, reaching a point near where I was. At this point, I decided to declare my
little side mission a success.
I turned and headed back to
Mossy Canyon Ridge, where I had a decision to make. It was getting late, as all of my leisurely explorations had
eaten up most of the day. If I headed back
(and didn’t fool around), I might make it home in time for dinner. However, I still wanted to finish the
trail. I knew that all that was left
was a steep hump out of the gorge, up to the road. If I did that, I really wouldn’t have time to turn around and
hike the Rockjock all the way back to the car.
The other option would be to walk the road back. This wasn’t terribly appealing, but I’d come
here to finish the trail, and that was what I was going to do.
The climb up Mossy Canyon
Ridge was unpleasant. It’s probably as
steep as the Pinch In Trail, and it was a hot day. The burned over forest provided no shade, and I was constantly
reminded that I had neglected to bring sunscreen with me that morning. Saucony didn’t enjoy Mossy Canyon Ridge
much, either. The many canyons we had
passed through during the hike had provided water, but the ridge was dry.
We eventually reached the
road. Before beginning the trudge back,
I wanted to look for the cave I’d spent the night in a year earlier. I had a rough idea where it was, and knew it
wasn’t terribly far below the road. I
began bushwhacking down the hill, through relatively open forest. Saucony looked after me like I’d lost my
mind. Perhaps she was right. This part of the forest had largely escaped
the fire, and before long the vegetation closed in. The slope was incredibly steep, and it was impossible to see more
than about 50 feet in any direction. I
quickly realized that I could thrash around here all afternoon and not find my
cave. Reluctantly I headed back to the
road.
The walk back was largely
uneventful. I reached the car about an
hour later, and headed for home satisfied.
I’ll definitely have to return to the area again soon, as there’s lots
more there to explore. Unfortunately,
those explorations will have to be delayed for a while. A new wildfire is burning near the gorge,
and the Kistler Highway is currently closed.
The US Forest Service should
be applauded for their efforts to reopen the trail. Otherwise the Rockjock certainly would’ve disappeared forever.
It wasn’t until I stopped at
a gas station in Morganton that I discovered what a mess I was. Most of my bare skin was covered in
soot. Somehow, I had acquired an
impressive gash on my left arm. Oddly,
I had no idea that I’d injured myself!
You’d think I would’ve noticed that when it happened. The wound was bleeding, yet covered in
soot. I’m no doctor, but I’m guessing
that isn’t good. Luckily, I’d gotten a
Tetanus booster a week earlier. I spent
about 5 minutes in the bathroom trying to clean up, with limited success. At least by the time I left, I no longer
looked like I’d spent the day cleaning chimneys!
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