RIP VAN WINKLE
BALD
Christy
and I were up fairly early on Sunday. I
made just enough noise to disturb our neighbors as I prepared breakfast. We started the morning with bagel sandwiches
made with eggs and Canadian bacon. Then
we broke camp and headed for the Parkway.
As we left, we noticed our neighbors just beginning to roll out of their
tents.
My
plan was to hike a section of the Mountains-To-Sea Trail, along with a couple
of connecting trails, in the Middle Prong Wilderness. Christy intended to do a 3-hour bike ride on the Parkway as part
of her triathlon training. Since she
wasn’t planning on hiking, I decided to take advantage of our transportation
options. I had her drop me off at the
Parkway overlook just west of route 215.
She would then pick me up at a different overlook later that
afternoon. We planned to meet at 4pm,
which made me a little nervous. I
wasn’t sure how long the hike would take me, and I knew that my route would
probably require some bushwhacking.
The
wind was fierce at the overlook. It was
blowing me around, and I was just walking around the parking lot. I couldn’t imagine being on a bike in those
conditions. I was worried that Christy
was in for a difficult day, but she was committed. I waved goodbye, and Saucony and I headed into the woods and out
of the wind.
We
began the hike on a lightly traveled trail around Tamassee Knob. I passed an overlook with a view of Devil’s
Courthouse and the valleys to the south.
The trail was a bit overgrown in places, but the hiking was easy. At least it was easy until I reached the
climb up Herrin Knob. For some reason,
the trail is routed straight up the mountain.
The climb is short, but exceptionally steep. This probably explains why this short, scenic trail just off the
Parkway is rarely hiked.
Near
the top of Herrin Knob is a cliff with another nice view. From there, the trail virtually
disappears. I wandered around to the
north side of the mountain, and hiked through a dark forest littered with
fallen fir trees. Somehow I stayed on
the path, and before long I found myself back at the Parkway. Ahead of me was the crux of the route. I needed to find an old trail that runs from
the Parkway east of Mount Hardy to the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. I had hiked this route 8 years ago, and at
the time it had required some mild bushwhacking. What would conditions be like now?
I
couldn’t find any hint of a trail. I
knew it wasn’t far to the MST though, and returning to the car wasn’t an
option. I headed into the woods,
contouring below Mount Hardy. As we
hiked, Saucony kept trying to head down into the valley to the northeast. My inclination was to head up, towards Mount
Hardy’s northern ridge. I knew there
was another old trail along the ridge leading to the summit. We eventually attained the ridge, but it
wasn’t the correct one. We were on the
northeast ridge, and between the two ridges is a dense tangle of
rhododendron. We wandered around for a while,
looking for a way through, before I finally conceded. I decided to follow Saucony, and she headed back down to the
northeast. A few minutes later, she
turned around to look at me. She was
standing in the middle of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. If only dogs could talk!
She didn’t have to though, as the look on her face spoke volumes.
We
headed west on the MST, climbing back out of the valley through a dark forest
of spruce and fir. We reached the crest
of the ridge, and I took another side trail.
This time we headed south, along Fork Ridge towards Green Knob. After a few minutes, we turned back to the
west and arrived on a scenic bald looking out over the Middle Prong
Wilderness. The view was spectacular,
despite the marginal weather. I had been
looking forward to a pretty day, but it never materialized. Heavy clouds hung in the air, and rain
seemed likely. It was also windy and
chilly. Despite the conditions, I had
lunch there in the meadow and enjoyed the view. Saucony had a nap. This
wasn’t surprising. Every time I bring
someone to this meadow, they fall asleep.
Christy once took a nap in the snow there. Because of this, I’ve decided to name the (currently unnamed)
peak Rip Van Winkle Bald.
After
a quick lunch, we headed down through the meadows towards the headwaters of
Buckeye Creek. At the creek, we rejoined
the MST for more walking in the woods.
This stretch of trail featured more lovely forest enhanced by numerous
wildflowers. Trout Lilies were
everywhere, and dense carpets of Spring Beauties looked like fresh snow. Along this stretch, I passed a solo backpacker
hiking a long section of the MST. He
was the only person I saw all day.
I
reached the Parkway again, but crossed the road to continue on the MST. In doing so, I crossed from the Pisgah
National Forest to the Blue Ridge Parkway and into the Nantahala National
Forest. A moderate climb ensued, and I
hiked through more spruce / fir forest and another meadow. I then contoured around Rough Butt Knob
before descending to Wet Camp Gap. Here
I found a junction, as well as a small but scenic meadow. There are some nice campsites here, so I’ll
probably have to plan a backpacking trip through here some day.
From
the gap, the MST continues to contour around Rough Butt Knob. It was a bit before 3pm though, so I had
some time to explore. The map shows a
ridge running south from Rough Butt Knob.
The ridge features a series of peaks, including Gage Bald and Charley
Bald. Whether a mountain’s name
includes “bald” or not has nothing to do with whether it actually is bald, but
I was curious. The Middle Prong
Wilderness has several relatively unknown balds, and I thought there might be
more waiting to be discovered.
I
hiked through the gap, which is partially bald itself. At the far end I found a jeep road, which
quickly splits. I took the left fork,
which continues ahead on the ridge.
After a brief climb, I found myself on the partially open summit of Gage
Bald. The mountaintop was rather weedy,
and there were enough trees around the summit to limit the views. However, it was still a nice spot, and it’s
probably one that is enjoyed by relatively few people. The next summit, on the far side of Gage
Gap, appeared to be forested from my vantage point. Also, I was running out of exploration time.
I
headed back to Wet Camp Gap, and continued ahead on the MST. I passed a couple of well-marked junctions,
before turning off the MST on a blue-blazed side trail. The side trail follows an old jeep road as
it curves around the mountain. Before
long, I saw the Parkway ahead, and spotted Christy’s car in the parking
area. I reached the trailhead exactly
at 4pm, and woke Christy from a nap.
She’d had a rough ride. The wind
had been brutal, and there’s nothing easy about biking the stretch of Parkway
through the Balsam Mountains. We headed
for home, but stopped at The Brick, in Columbus, for dinner. I had a great stromboli, and Christy had
some lousy eggplant parmesan.
Apparently it’s best to stick with pizza and stromboli at The Brick.
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