We finally made it out of the house this past weekend. The weather cooperated, illness and injury subsided, and other obligations were ignored. Most importantly, we decided that we could make it home in time for a football game of some local significance on Sunday night.
We decided to head for the Pisgah area and do 2 dayhikes and car camp Saturday night. I called the ranger on Friday. She warned me to expect icy trails and forest roads. Saturday, we met Myron and Dorcas at the McToilet in Brevard. From there we headed west and north up highway 215 to the Middle Prong Wilderness.
My original plan was to revisit a route we had last hiked in '98. On that trip, we had started from the Parkway just west of 215 and hiked a lightly used trail around Tannassee Bald and Herrin Knob. We had then crossed the parkway and followed a faint route to Mount Hardy. From there we had explored deep into the Middle Prong Wilderness along Fork Ridge before exiting to highway 215 just north of the Parkway. On this occasion though, the parkway was closed. We considered walking the parkway to get to the trailhead, but I decided to revise the hike. I was concerned about bushwhacking in the snow, so it seemed wise to be a little less ambitious.
We drove past a group of ice climbers and continued beyond the parkway to the Mountains To Sea Trailhead. We parked and walked a short distance down the road to the trail itself. Despite getting an early start, it was already 10:30, and I was concerned about having enough daylight to finish the hike.
We headed west on the Mountains To Sea Trail, and immediately found the path ice covered. I pulled on my Yaktrax ice cleats and headed into the woods. It was a nice day, but quite chilly in the shade. I started out in only a t-shirt and lightweight long-sleeve shirt, but that didn't last long. I was still within sight of the road when I stopped to pull on a sweater.
We quickly arrived at a creek crossing, which was exciting since the rocks were all covered in ice. Fortunately the stream was shallow, and we were able to pick our way across without a mishap. We then followed the trail through deep forest before emerging in a clearing. The sun had been working hard here, and the ground was bare and dry. This was great for us, but not so good for the ice cleats. I reluctantly took them off, knowing that I'd probably need to put them back on again.
We headed back into the woods, but I decided to try the trail without the ice cleats. There were some hazardous areas, but we were able to work our way around them. At one point, we reached an open area with a nice view of Mount Hardy. Later, we passed a partially frozen waterfall in the distance.
We climbed through spruce fir forest and reached a faint path leading to Mount Hardy. We decided to skip Hardy this time and head out Fork Ridge instead. We followed the ridge a couple hundred yards and picked up a side trail that led out to a beautiful bald. From the meadow we had a great view of the Middle Prong Wilderness, punctuated by Mount Hardy and Richland Balsam. The best view was to the southwest, where waves of peaks led towards the Jocassee Gorges area. There was a group camping here, so we stopped for lunch at the other end of the meadow. Temperatures were only in the 30's, but it was quite pleasant in the sun. In fact, it was so pleasant, Myron and Christy drifted off into afternoon naps. I thought we might loose them for the day, but we eventually got them going again.
We continued north on Fork Ridge towards Green Knob. The trail was primitive but fairly easy to follow as it stayed right on the crest of the ridge. We passed in and out of sunny meadows and dark forest. Finally we climbed steeply to the top of a knob with a great view back to the south. Everyone else decided to stop here, but I pressed on towards Green Knob.
I descended and climbed again. 20 minutes later I arrived on top of Green Knob and basked in one of my favorite views. To the east is the Shining Rock Wilderness, with Big Sam Mountain and Little Sam Mountain split by the racing cascades of Flat Laurel Creek. Beyond are the bald summits of Black Balsam, Tennent Mountain, and Flower Knob. Meanwhile, back to the south is an equally impressive view of endless waves of mountains. Unfortunately, it was already 2:30, which was my turnaround time. I headed back after only a few minutes and rejoined the group.
We made good time hiking out despite the persistent ice. We made it back to the cars by 5, which was a full hour before dark. From there we headed back to Brevard and over to the Davidson River Campground. We were surprised to find a few other campers there, but mostly we had our choice of sites. We settled in and grilled steaks while we enjoyed a roaring fire. The temperature only dropped to 20, which wasn't bad for the end of January.
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