TIE YOUR SHOES

I finally wore out my last pair of Montrail boots. Since Montrail no longer makes boots, I had to start from scratch. I wanted boots that would be lightweight and comfortable, but supportive. I did a little research and made a trip to REI, without intending to make a purchase. I tried on a pair of Asolo Reston’s, which met my requirements. Initially the fit seemed loose, but the sales rep gave me great service. He showed me a different way to lace the boots, which made them adhere to my feet. I bought the boots, and spent the next few days living in them. I had a 4-day backpacking trip planned for the following weekend, and I was eager to try them out.

For Memorial Day weekend, I headed to the Nantahala National Forest. My goal was to hike sections of the Appalachian Trail and the Bartram Trail that I hadn’t hiked previously. The total hike would cover about 45 miles over 4 days. I would start the trip at Deep Gap and hike the Appalachian Trail up to the summit of Standing Indian. From there I’d continue north on the A.T. over Mount Albert. From Rock Gap I’d traverse new territory, hiking over Siler Bald, a grassy bald mountain with sweeping views. After Siler Bald I’d continue up to Wayah Bald. Just beyond, I’d leave the A.T. in favor of the Bartram Trail. I’d hike section 4 of the Bartram Trail down to the western edge of Franklin, NC. I was particularly looking forward to hiking this part of the Bartram Trail, since it was the only part of the Bartram I hadn’t hiked. I would finally finish a trail that I’d first set foot on back in the late 90’s.

There was a major logistical challenge with my hike plan. It would be a one-way hike, and the two trailheads are 19 miles apart (by road). Luckily, Brenda was interested in hiking on Friday. She decided to join me for the first part of Friday’s hike, up to Standing Indian. She was willing to help me run a shuttle that morning. A huge thank you goes out to Brenda for making this hike possible.

I met her at the Wallace Branch Trailhead on the west side of Franklin Friday morning. We left my car there, and Brenda hauled me and the dogs up to Deep Gap. We found a small parking area there adjacent to the A.T., only a few miles north of the Georgia State Line.

Since my new boots were lighter, I decided to bring along my new Swiss Army Knife. It’s important to carry the 10 Essentials at all times, and this knife has all of them, and then some:

http://www.amazon.com/Wenger-16999-Swiss-Knife-Giant/dp/B001DZTJRQ/ref=sr_1_1?tag=ohmy0c-20

We started our hike around 10am and enjoyed a leisurely 2.4 mile stroll up Standing Indian. Standing Indian is around 5,500’ in elevation, but Deep Gap is over 4,000’, so the climb was fairly gentle. Just short of the summit we took a detour down to a spring so I could water the dogs. Then we followed a spur trail up through a camping area to the grassy summit. Here we found a nice view and a lot of gnats. We didn’t linger long. Instead, we continued south along the ridge. We followed a blue-blazed trail, which was new to me. It leads out to another overlook, which offers a superior view of the headwaters of the Tallulah River and the surrounding mountains. This overlook used to be relatively unknown, and it required a bit of bushwhacking. Now there is a marked, well-traveled path leading to it.

We had lunch there and enjoyed the view. Afterwards, Brenda wasn’t ready to head back. She decided to hike with me as far as Beech Gap. Early on we saw some Great White Trilliums that were still in bloom. Then we passed the junction with the “Girl Scout Trail”, which is marked with cairns and ribbons. The trail isn’t on the map, but it offers a convenient, albeit steep, connection between the A.T. and Case Knife Gap at the head of Beech Creek.

A long descent followed. Just before Deep Gap, we stumbled upon a patch of Catesby’s Trillium in bloom. Brenda had never seen Catesby’s Trilliums, and they are one of my favorites. We stopped for photos before continuing on to the gap for a well-deserved break.

Beech Gap features a nice camping area and a small spring. The A.T. database claims that there is a view from here, but I’m not sure what that refers to. While we were relaxing, a loud boom of thunder grabbed our attention. It sounded close – just on the other side of Standing Indian. Despite this, Brenda had to head back. She started back up Standing Indian while I headed in the other direction. Luckily, the storm stayed away. Later I found out that Brenda made it back to the car without any rain, either.

The next few miles of the A.T. offered pleasant, easy hiking. We crossed several small streams, which delighted the dogs. At the Carter Gap Shelter I ran into a large group of backpackers consisting of adults and kids. I thought they were staying there, but they were planning to continue on to Betty Creek Gap for the night. That was one of two possible destinations I was considering as well. I really wanted to hike all the way to Pickens Nose for the evening. Pickens Nose features several cliffs with great views. It would be the ideal place for sunset, sunrise, and the meteor shower late Friday night. However, camping there also had several drawbacks. First, it would mean a couple extra miles of hiking Friday evening. Part of that additional distance would be on a road. Although it would be on a dirt forest road, hiking down any road during a multi-day backpacking trip is unappealing. I would also need to carry all of the water I would need that evening out there. Finally, I could only recall one small campsite in the area. What would I do if I hiked all the way there only to find it occupied?

A couple of miles beyond Carter Creek I reached an overlook with a great view south and east. The dramatic escarpment of Pickens Nose was directly across from me. At that point, I knew I had to camp there.

I reached Betty Creek Gap around 6pm. I’d hiked over 12 miles, and the new boots were doing great. The gap was already crowded with other backpackers. However, it didn’t look like I remembered. I’d camped there once, more than 15 years earlier. I remembered a small grassy clearing and a nice stream. Neither of those features was evident.

I followed a blue-blazed trail north from there in search of water. After a few minutes I arrived at the clearing. Mooney Creek is just beyond, and it provides a great water source. Best of all, there wasn’t anybody around. It was late, and the campsite was too nice to pass up. I set up camp and started on dinner. A bit later the group I’d met at Carter Gap passed through. They crossed the creek and headed downstream in search of a campsite.

I was feeling pretty smug about scoring the best campsite around. That lasted right up until dusk. About that time I heard the unmistakable sound of a pickup. I knew I was close to a forest road – from my campsite, it was just on the far side of Mooney Creek. The truck stopped, and before long the night was filled with the sounds of young people setting up camp on the other side of the creek.

Oh well – did I really expect to have a campsite to myself on the A.T. on Memorial Day weekend? They had a roaring campfire and some raucous conversation and (presumably) a lot of booze, but they weren’t too bad. The dogs settled down eventually, and I managed to sleep through most of the noise.

Late that night I got up to check on the meteor shower. I waited for a few minutes, but I didn’t see anything. It was just chilly enough to convince me to head back to the tent. Later I found out that the meteor shower was a total bust. What was expected to be a major event completely failed to develop.

HEY, HEY, HEY

I didn’t get up quite as early as I’d planned on Saturday, but I was still on the trail by 8am. An easy mile brought me to the road crossing at Mooney Gap. 5 minutes later I passed a nice water source and an occupied campsite with room for only one tent. That would’ve been the perfect spot for me the previous night!

From there, I followed the A.T. as it contoured around the flank of Big Butt** (!). Before long I reached a narrow view to the east through the rhododendrons. I was looking right into the rising sun, but the hazy vista was still pleasant. From there I continued up to Bearwallow Gap, where I encountered another dirt road, some cars, and lots of car campers. I took a short side trip over to another overlook, which provided an even better view to the east. I met two guys there enjoying coffee. They had hiked up to Mount Albert the previous evening to view the Northern Lights. They’d been disappointed, as the Northern Lights failed to make an appearance. I’m pretty sure they had mixed up the Northern Lights with the meteor shower, but the meteor shower had failed to make an appearance, too. They had hiked back down the “steepest stretch of the A.T. south of New England” long after dark. I can’t imagine what that was like.

The “steepest stretch of the A.T. south of New England” refers to the 0.3 mile stretch leading up the south ridge to Mount Albert. It gains almost 500’ over that distance. The climb is rugged and strenuous, but I’m not convinced that it’s even the steepest stretch in North Carolina. I think the climb to Little Rock Knob, just south of Hughes Gap and Roan Mountain, is worse. It’s probably shorter, but I think it is a good bit steeper than Mount Albert.

I met a few other backpackers at the summit. I made a quick run up the fire tower, knowing that the dogs would be whining and crying below. They surprised me – both of them followed me up the steps. The top of the tower was locked, but the highest landing still offered a spectacular 360’ view. It encompassed the Southern Nantahala Wilderness Area, though the summits of Pickens Nose and Standing Indian were lost in the clouds.

On the way down from Mount Albert I noticed that there was something wrong with Boone’s pack. I investigated, and discovered that the front strap had worn through. The pack only has two straps, and the belly strap wasn’t holding the pack on him. I decided to hike down to the new shelter at Long Creek to see if it could be repaired.

I met Balu and Hives there. They are thru-hikers that are promoting the International A.T., which apparently runs through northeastern Canada and even Great Britain. Balu seemed to be younger version of me – we actually had all of the same backpacking gear. Balu and Hives had a dog, Kenzi, and Boone and Kona had a blast playing with her. I was going to try to duct tape Boone’s pack strap, but Hives offered to let me use her sewing kit. I thanked her but declined, since I don’t have nearly enough skill with a needle and thread to actually accomplish anything. Hives then went a step further and offered to try to sew it for me. She repaired it in only a few minutes, which was a huge help. Thanks Hives!

You can read more about the adventures of Balu and Hives here: http://www.ataleofthetrail.com/

They also have a Kickstarter campaign here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/852520456/balu-and-hives-a-tale-of-the-trail

From there I enjoyed pleasant hiking to Rock Gap. This is one of the easier sections of the A.T., and the wildflowers were abundant. Near Rock Gap I found entire hillsides covered in Vasey’s Trillium. The highlight though was a single yellow ladyslipper blooming right next to the trail. It was only the third one I’d ever seen up to that point.

After lunch at Rock Gap I continued to a crossing of old highway 64 at Wallace Gap. Then there was a tedious ascent of an anonymous mountain before a descent to highway 64 at Winding Stair Gap. The road crossing was easily the most dangerous part of the hike, and I was glad to get it behind me.

After the road was a section along a lovely stream with one nice cascade. Beyond was a long steady climb towards Siler Bald. I was determined to camp at or near Siler Bald that night. That meant a 16+ mile day, but I wanted to catch sunset and sunrise from one of North Carolina’s famous grassy balds. I finally reached a spur trail to the Siler Bald Shelter late that afternoon. At that point, I had a decision to make. The shelter is well below the mountain. In fact, from the shelter to the summit is a full mile, and a major climb. Camping at the summit sounded appealing, but there would be no water. Plus, the weather was perfect, so I was sure that there would be lots of people up there.

I decided on a compromise. I turned right onto the spur trail. After a couple hundred yards I reached a junction on the ridge with an unmarked, unmapped trail. There is a nice campsite here, between two huge oaks. From there, it would be fairly easy to get to water and a reasonable hike to the summit. Plus, there was nobody around.

I set up camp before descending (almost) to the shelter for water. I brought up enough for the rest of the evening, the next morning, dinner, breakfast, and the dogs. Then I hung most of my food, except for dinner. I packed it and my cooking gear for the hike to the top of Siler Bald. That hike turned out to be longer and more difficult than I expected. I eventually reached a junction in a meadow on the ridge. From there, it was still another ½ mile of steep climbing through mostly open meadows to the summit.

I eventually dragged myself up there, where I found one of the best views in North Carolina. The vista almost covers 360 degrees. There is no view to the east, but to the south, west, and north were nothing but rolling green mountains. Best of all, the view took in most of my hike, from Deep Gap to Standing Indian and Mount Albert to the south, as well as Wine Spring Bald, Wayah Bald, and the route of the Bartram Trail along Trimont Ridge to the northeast.

Incredibly, I had the entire mountain to myself. I made a dinner of Asian noodles with chicken and fresh vegetables. Afterwards I watched the sun set behind the mountains just beyond Nantahala Lake. From my vantage, the lake looked like a Scottish Loch. The hike down in the dark was a bit of an adventure, but I made it back to the tent eventually.

I went straight to bed, but sleep was slow to come. Unfortunately, the dogs get very territorial when we are in camp. First, I heard a large animal stomping around in the woods very near where I’d hung the food. It was almost certainly a bear, and the dogs went nuts. It eventually moved off, and the dogs quieted down. I had just fallen asleep when the dogs woke me again. This time, it was the sound of a hiker passing by. Once again they eventually settled, and I drifted off for a few minutes. Then the dogs woke me again, as the hiker had returned. Apparently he couldn’t find the shelter. I gave him directions over the dogs’ barking. When I told him it was almost a half mile down, he said, “that’s too far, I’m just going to camp here”. I was thrilled, since I was really looking forward to the dogs barking at least until he had set up camp. At some point all of the barking must have dissuaded him. By the time they finally settled down, I realized that he had moved on.

** Yes, I’ve used that joke before. No, it doesn’t get old.

CIVIL WAR

I slept in a little the next morning. I had originally planned to hike back up to the summit for sunrise, but I was exhausted. Plus, there is no view to the east from there. That was a pretty good excuse to skip it. After breakfast I packed up and hiked back up to the meadow and the junction with the summit trail. I hiked it again, this time with my full pack. I found Brenda waiting for me on the summit. We had arranged for her to hike with me on Sunday morning before we parted ways on Friday. She was sprawled in the grass, taking in the view and collecting ticks. I hated to tell her how many of the little bloodsuckers I’d pulled off the dogs the previous evening.

The view was still nice, but conditions were hazy and overcast. Also, the peace and quiet was frequently interrupted by gunfire in the distance. I’d heard it all weekend long, but now it seemed closer. Brenda mentioned that she’d heard that there was a Civil War re-enactment somewhere nearby. I blurted out that I hoped there were a lot of fatalities before remembering that I’m not supposed to say those things out loud (or put them in trip reports). Of course, any time the topic of Civil War re-enactments comes up, I immediately think of this hilarious bit by George Carlin:

http://youtu.be/FL7kAEnqe74?t=1m30s

NOTE: This is absolutely NSFW due to language featuring most of the words you (still) can’t say on television.

A long descent to Wayah Gap followed. We took a break at Brenda’s car, and she gave me something else to carry. At least that something else was a chocolate bar! From there we began the long climb up Wine Spring Bald. This stretch of trail is rather blah, as the road to Wayah Bald runs parallel to it. Around noon we reached a junction with the Shot Pouch Trail, which follows an old grassy forest road. The road crosses a small stream originating at Rattlesnake Spring. From there spring it drops almost vertically. The terrain suggested the potential for waterfalls, even though the stream looked small. We decided to give it a look.

It only took a few minutes to reach the stream. It was indeed small, and choked with rhododendron and other dense vegetation. If it has a waterfall, it’s probably not far upstream. I wasn’t up for that degree of bushwhacking with a big pack on. I encouraged Brenda to have a look, but she declined. We agreed that the stream was probably too small to be worth bothering with.

We had planned to eat lunch at the creek, but there wasn’t a good spot. Instead, we returned to the A.T. Afterwards, she decided to head back to the car. She wanted to do the short hike to Rufus Morgan Falls before heading home. Not long after we parted ways the rain finally arrived. For me, the rain was nothing more than a chilly nuisance. Brenda had a different experience. She was only a few miles away, but she caught the brunt of a massive downpour.

The rain let up just as I arrived at another patch of Yellow Lady Slippers. This was a nice one, too. There were 7 or 8 in bloom, with more coming. Since the rain had eased I was able to get some photos.

The hike across Wine Spring Bald to Wayah Bald was beautiful despite the wet weather. The views were limited, but the forest was green and lush. At the summit of Wayah Bald I ran into a road and cars and lots of tourists. I thought the weather would scare them off, but that didn’t seem to be the case. At least the worst of the storm had passed by the time I reached the tower at the summit. The view north and east was completely fogged in, but the vista to the south was impressive. Dark mountains rolled away from me under a sky as black as death. I wasn’t sure which direction the storm was moving, so I didn’t linger long.

A quick descent through high-elevation forest brought me to the junction of the A.T. and the Bartram Trail. I was now 11 miles from my car, and I had a decision to make. According to the Bartram Trail guide, there are only two water sources on section 4 – Wallace Branch and Locust Tree Gap #1 (there are two Locust Tree Gaps within 5 miles of each other on Trimont Ridge). The closest source was 8 miles away, and I wouldn’t make it that far. I needed enough water for the evening, the next morning, dinner, and breakfast. Plus, the dogs would need water, too. The map suggested the presence of a small stream along the trail a short distance east from the junction. It was iffy though, and the guide didn’t mention it. I knew there was water a short distance farther down the A.T. though. I decided to head down there for it, even though it meant going a bit out of the way.

The descent to the relatively new shelter below Wayah Bald was much longer than advertised. From there, I had to hike even further to reach the stream. Fortunately the water source was excellent, so maybe it was worth it.

I hiked back up to the Bartram Trail and followed it east. Before long I crossed a substantial stream. Grrr! I could’ve saved a lot of time and effort if I had scouted it. Oh well, at this point I was just happy to be off the A.T. Don’t get me wrong, the A.T. is great and all, but it’s pretty civilized for my tastes. It was busy all weekend, and it’s so heavily traveled that it is practically a highway. Section 4 of the Bartram Trail is a different beast. If the A.T. is a highway, the Bartram is a dirt road. The trail bed was thick with leaves, and the narrow track would be hard to follow in places without the frequent yellow blazes.

The minimal traffic on the Bartram Trail has one major drawback - spiderwebs. Here’s some video I shot during my hike with a GoPro camera: http://youtu.be/WM-g6rnlids?t=4s

Yes, I’m the short fellow with the ugly feet. No jokes.

The descent from Wayah Bald was exciting. The narrow trail hugs a sheer cliff at one point. There were no views, but the sensation of empty air below was impossible to ignore. We also passed an old mine shaft that looked scary. It’s blocked by a fence, but Kona walked right under it and headed towards the abyss. Fortunately she came right back when I yelled at her.

Section 4 of the Bartram Trail lacks campsites as well as water. I didn’t see any possible sites all the way down to Locust Tree Gap #2. Just before the gap is a wildlife clearing, but it was too overgrown for camping. At the actual gap I found a meager site right in the middle of the trail. It was late though, and I was tired. Plus, I hadn’t seen anyone on the trail, and didn’t expect to see anyone that evening. This was a good choice, as I only found 2 other possible sites on Monday, and they were equally grim.

ICE CREAM MAN

I was up early Monday morning for the hike out. Although section 4 of the Bartram Trail descends 3,000’ from Wayah Bald to Wallace Branch, it isn’t all downhill. In fact, there is about 2,000’ of a climbing (and a total of 5,000’ of descending) during those 11.5 miles. I felt every bit of both on the hike out. At least it was a quiet walk through lovely ridgeline forest. There weren’t many highlights, though I did spot another single Yellow Ladyslipper. Incredibly, I’d seen Yellow Ladyslippers only twice in my life prior to this weekend, but had three sightings on this trip!

I stopped at Locust Tree Gap #2 for water. Although there is an official water source here, it is pretty meager. In fact, despite recent wet weather, it was just a muddy trickle. I hate to think what it is like in a dry summer. I still had some water, and I didn’t want to clog my filter. Instead a dug out a small pool for the dogs and filled up two bottles for them.

The other highlight of section 4 is William’s Pulpit, an overlook from a cliff with a view to the south. I reached it in time for lunch, but initially had some trouble finding it. I knew it was off the trail a short distance to the south. When the trees thinned, I spotted cliffs below. I continued ahead, hoping to find a side trail, but I didn’t see one. So I backtracked and bushwhacked down to the edge of the escarpment. There is a nice view here, though it is pretty modest compared to the vistas from Standing Indian, Mount Albert, and Siler Bald. There were also quite a few wildflowers, including Spiderwort and Fire Pink.

While I was eating lunch, I heard music drifting up from the valley below. There was a lake, some homes, and other signs of civilization down there. It took a minute before I realized what I was hearing. The music was coming from an ice cream truck! What kind of cruel joke was this? I was hot, thirsty, and tired, and I was still a long way from ice cream.

After lunch I returned to the trail and descended a ¼ mile to a sign and the side trail out to William’s Pulpit. Sigh. I hiked it, and found a slightly different view than the other end of the cliffs that I had visited.

The rest of the hike was uneventful. I passed several dayhikers bound for the cliffs in the last couple of miles. They were the first people I’d seen in almost 24 hours. Near the end of the hike I reached Wallace Branch. I took a break there to soak my aching feet in the icy water. Farther downstream were some nice cascades and slides, and even a modest waterfall on a tributary.

I doubt I would do this same trip again, though I’d probably go back to hit some of the highlights. Standing Indian and Mount Albert are long-time favorites, and it’s hard to beat the view from Siler Bald. Plus, now I know where to find Yellow Ladyslippers!

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