TWEETSIE
Christy is still recovering from a sprained ankle, so we decided to do an easy hike a week and a half ago. We hiked the Doe River Gorge near Hampton, TN. It had been 7 years since I had been there, and I was looking forward to going back. For Christy, the gorge offered a flat 5 mile walk that would help her ease back into hiking.
The "trail" through the gorge follows the tracks of the East Tennessee & Western NC RR. The line, which used to connect Johnson City and Boone, was abandoned in the 50’s. This railroad was the inspiration for the Tweetsie Railroad theme park near Blowing Rock. The tracks through the gorge are still in place. The Christian Conference Center that owns the gorge property is in the process of restoring the railroad through the gorge. A little over a mile is complete, and they ran a train last weekend. They hope to fully restore the line all the way to Blevins above the gorge. Luckily, hiking is still allowed, as long as the train isn’t running and summer camp isn’t in session. I’d recommend Calling ahead if you plan to visit.
Christy and I drove over to the conference center on Sunday morning. Fortunately, it had warmed up a little since Saturday. The day before featured temperatures in the 20’s with light but steady snow. Today promised better conditions, with the brilliant sun compensating for a brisk breeze.
Nobody was at the office, but we found someone at the trailer next door. We signed a waiver and hit the tracks. We walked up to the depot. A steam engine and some passenger cars were there. We checked out the train before starting down the tracks. The line passed an old water tower and immediately entered the first tunnel. It was fairly short, but it curved, which made it quite dark in the middle. We exited the tunnel and found ourselves in the heavily wooded gorge.
We hiked another mile before reaching the second tunnel. We passed through and were greeted with the most dramatic scenery of the hike. From Pardee Point our view took in the sheer rock walls across from us and the rapids and pools in the river far below. We hiked on, twisting and turning as we hugged the wall of the gorge. The sheer walls of the gorge and the narrow gauge railroad would have seemed more fitting in Colorado.
As we hiked deeper into the gorge, the river gradually rose up towards us. The last mile of our hike was only 100’ above the water, and numerous cascades and pools were visible. All too soon though, the end was in sight. Ahead of us, the first trestle loomed. We knew that the bridge was impassable. I started out towards it anyway, and quickly came to my senses. Most of the ties were gone, leaving gaping holes. The few ties that were still in place were hopelessly rotten. The only way across would be by balancing on narrow beam, high above the river. No thanks. I wasn’t ready to head back though, so I found a faint path heading down to the river. It ended below the trestle, which provided a great opportunity for a photo. I thought about rock hopping across the river and finding a way up the far side of the gorge. It looked tricky though, and I wasn’t prepared to wade. It was frustrating, because I knew that another tunnel and a second trestle waited to be explored. I think we’ll come back in warmer weather and river walk up from the first trestle.
We hiked back and saw the first hikers of the day near Pardee Point. These poor people had come to ride the train only to find out that it was closed for the season. They had decided to walk instead, but were a little confused. Somehow, they were under the impression that the tracks eventually led back to the starting point. As if the Doe River went around in a circle. We set them straight, I think, before heading on.
We took an easy side trail down to the river for lunch. We found a sandy beach at the end, which was a great place to sit and watch the fish jump. We hiked back up afterwards, and I decided to explore another faint path I had seen. I followed it up to the ridge above the tunnel. Although it was wooded, rock outcrops provided good views of the river and gorge. The path seemed to continue, heading up towards Fork Mountain. There is another trail up there, so now I’m wondering if they connect. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to find out on Sunday.
I returned to the railroad, and Christy and I hiked back out. We passed another group of hikers before reaching the first tunnel. When we reached the car it was only mid-afternoon. We decided to explore a little more. We drove around to Blevins and found our way to Railroad Grade Road. It was a one-lane road that had been paved directly over the old railroad bed. We followed it downstream and across another bridge that appeared to be an old railroad trestle. We reached a sign stating that the road was closed to through traffic. That seemed silly to me, since it was never a through street to begin with. I wanted to keep going, but Christy decided it was time to turn around. I expect that the road probably ends at somebody’s farm, which means that exploring the gorge from the upper end is probably not an option.
It was a beautiful day, so we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon at Roan Mountain. We drove up to Carvers Gap, passing walls of icicles along the way. The road up to the summit was closed, so we parked and hiked the AT up to Round Bald. The views were fantastic, since there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It was a fine end to another great weekend in the mountains.
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