LyttleBryan April 9th, 2012

It’s been a while, I know. In truth I would probably not be posting this were it not a handy distraction from cleaning up backpacking gear from this weekends trip. It’s also a handy distraction from packing the house. That’s right, I’m moving! It’s not far though, my fiance and I are simply moving to a new house. At least, we will if everything goes well! But back to the trip that I’m avoiding cleaning up after. We got out for our last trip as an unmarried couple. In just a few short weeks we will be married! Actually, our last trip almost didn’t even happen at all. I came down with a nasty flu mid-week last and was only barely feeling well enough. In truth I probably should have spent the two days in bed recovering, but the prospects of 5 straight weeks without a backpack was unappealing, so I sucked it up and set out.

Our trip was a counter clockwise loop out of Clingman’s Dome via the AT, Welch Ridge, Jonas Creek, Forney Creek, Springhouse Branch, and Forney Ridge trails. The distances were not that great, but the steep elevation changes made it a challenge. We got a relatively late start on Saturday, so by the time we were on the AT the Thru-hikers were already up and active. We enjoyed making small talk with them as we went and regretted not having a small bit of trail magic to hand out to them. We stopped for lunch at Double Spring Gap Shelter where we had a nice long talk with a thru-hiker from Michigan that went by the trail name of Smitters. He said the name was a play on his real name and better than some that others had tried to give him. When asked what he was looking forward to most about Gatlinburg he said an “All you can eat Chinese buffet.” I hope he found that buffet and that the rest of the trip goes well for him.

It wasn’t long past the shelter that we turned from the AT as we made our way down Welch Ridge Trail. The trail was very enjoyable and Julie and I both agree that the small strip of the AT and that section of Welch Ridge were amazing. Things didn’t start getting rough until we began making our way down Jonas Creek. Now Jonas Creek isn’t that rough of a trail. In fact it’s pretty good footing, but the steepness is hard on the quads and calves and even now I feel the sting on my legs. There were several crossings back and forth across Jonas Creek that didn’t help the perception of the trail. Some were easily traversible, some better done wading. Julie swears I didn’t warn her ahead of time, but I was sure I had. Maybe not though, who knows?

We saw a small family of boar along the trail and were thankful that they ran the other direction, because they were directly uphill of us. I hate boar. They are far more scary to me than a black bear.

Once we got to the end of Jonas Creek we also came to campsite #70. The first time I had been at campsite #70 in the Smokies it had a half dozen horses and a ton of people that had made it look wholly unappealing and downright bad. This time it was pleasantly empty, and I have to say somewhat appealing. I again got in trouble with Jules when I informed her that we still had a mile to go. Fortunately it was an easy mile on Forney Creek with just a little up and over ridge section before we came to our final stop for the night at campsite #71.

Campsite #71 is an old CCC camp. It’s still got the foundation and chimney stack of one of the buildings that were on the site. There are artifacts littered throughout such as pipes and other odd metal pieces. We setup camp and gathered what firewood we could before settling in to practice our wedding vows together. That was a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to expressing them in earnest on our wedding day.

The campsite, despite being one of the biggest in the park, was relatively empty. I figure it was due to being Easter weekend. There was only one other group, a small family with their family friend out for a long vacation. We made small talk with them throughout our time at #71 and the father even shared some Easter candy that he said the bunny had delivered outside their tent that morning. I figure they didn’t have the same mice that we did if that candy was still outside their tent in the morning! They were very nice, and the son actually recognized me from my blog. Shout out to “Jester”, and thanks for reminding me that this is actually read by folks other than my parents!

I got up early the next morning around 7:30am. I didn’t sleep real well the night before due to coughing fits throughout the night. Julie got up not long after and joined me. We had just enough fuel for a hot cup of coffee and some lukewarm oatmeal. Almost perfect planning. Almost. We set out from camp around 9:00am and began making our way up Springhouse Branch Trail. We’d come down Springhouse before and I have to say I think it was more enjoyable going down! Truthfully it wasn’t that bad and we were at the gap where Forney Ridge intersects in what seemed like no time. We stopped here for a long while to lunch and simply relax. It’s easy to forget that this is a relaxing hobby and get caught up in putting one foot in front of the other. After a nice break we began the climb up Forney Ridge, and what a climb it was. Now, Forney Ridge is a trail I really loved. It was also a trail I absolutely hated. There didn’t seem to be any middle ground. It was either a crazy-steep washed out trail, or a nice pleasant walk through grassy sections. All told by the time we got to Andrews Bald, we were glad to be toward the end of the hike.

We enjoyed some time at the bald and eventually began hiking out making pleasantries with the tourist types out to see the Bald. The great weather had them out in droves and I can only hope my backcountry odor offended them greatly! There was one couple though that were very upset and stopped to ask us if we had seen a 10 year old boy wearing a red hoodie. We couldn’t remember seeing one, but told them we would keep an eye out before continuing on. The final push to the parking lot was brutal, but we made it.

We stopped in the visitors center to see if they had any soda, but they didn’t. We stretched for a while and eventually made our way to the car to start the drive back. Before leaving the parking lot though we spied a small boy sitting next to a van by himself. He was wearing a red hoodie. Julie stopped the car and jumped out to see if it was the lost boy, and in fact it was. We told him that we had spoken to his parents and that he should go to the visitors center to tell the Rangers. Julie walked him over while I parked the car. He was crying and very obviously upset. We got him into the visitors center and prepped a note to put on the parents car in case they came back looking for him. When we left the volunteers were phoning rangers to send them out to find his parents. Hopefully they didn’t venture off trail looking for him. It could have been a very scary ending and I hope everything worked out well. It was definitely an exciting finish to a weekend!

I probably won’t update for another month or so, but when I do I may very well have moved into a new house and married a beautiful woman. I hope that is a good enough excuse

Jonas Creek Backpack 4-7-2012

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Tags: Campsite #70, Campsite #71, CCC Camp, Forney Creek, Forney Ridge, Jonas Creek

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LyttleBryan June 4th, 2011

Ahh, Memorial Day. Traditionally the federal holiday for remembrance of fallen soldiers. It is also one of the best backpacking weekends of the entire year. A nice 3 day weekend on the cusp of the Summer heat. It welcomes Summer in the same way that Labor Day bids it farewell. I posted the backpack to GSHAG and Julie and I along with some old friends and a couple new headed out to the Clingman’s Dome area of GSMNP. Our route was a combination of steep ups and steep downs (what else would you expect when your starting and ending point is the highest point in the state?) through the most history rich areas of the park. Our route was Noland Divide, Noland Creek, Springhouse Branch, and Forney Creek. Originally we had planned to stay at campsites #63 and #70, but we adjusted those plans on the fly.

Day 1

We met up with everyone at Clingman’s Dome where we staged our cars to trim off a couple miles of road walking. Then we crammed into one vehicle and drove to the Noland Divide trail head. Our destination for the first day was campsite #63 along Noland Creek. This meant a lot of downhill hiking, which was fine by me. I still have fond memories of hiking up Noland Divide with Julie last year, or rather I have memories of Julie making me look like a sissy. The upper part of Noland was a beautiful hike through spruce trees and that upper tree line feeling. Flowers were in bloom and the weather was just right. Going down hill is more an exercise in supporting yourself than physical exertion. Gravity does most of the work, but it’s sometimes over zealous at 9.8 meters per second squared. Eventually we made it to Noland Creek and began our big descent.

It was my first time on Noland Creek, and I understand why everyone enjoys it. There are quite a few campsites along the way and we enjoyed stopping to check them all out. In my opinion, #61 was a clean, but small site with limited room and not many hammock options. While #62 and #63 left me with a feeling of grossness due to bugs and the smell of horse manure. As I mentioned we were slated to stay at #63, but upon arrival we were met with a group of horse campers, and along with them all the wonderful smells of the horses. We decided that campsite #64 couldn’t be worse, so we pushed to do an extra couple miles. The hike was enjoyable and we got to see the graveyard along the way. When we got to campsite #64 we were pleasantly surprised at the site. The area was full, but it was beautiful. The group wasn’t too stamped down and there was a nice little field in the middle of the campsite. Not only that, but there were picnic tables! We looked around for places to setup tent and hammock alike, and in doing so introduced ourselves to the rest of the groups sharing the site. We spoke with them for a little while and one of the women, Melissa, mentioned I look familiar. We went through all the usual places we could have met, and then she asked “Do you have a website?” I mentioned my blog, and she realized that she had actually read my blog. Apparently someone other than my mother and my fiance read this, so hello to Melissa on the Trail if you happen to read this. We finished setting up and then began the process of finding fire wood and doing the usual camp chores. As we did so, more and more people kept showing up. In fact they kept showing up until it was almost dark. By the time all was said and done there were over 30 people in the campsite. It was easily the most largest group I’d ever seen at one back country site. The night continued pleasantly, but not without incident. At one point one of the other groups came over and asked if there was a doctor or nurse in our group. One of the guys in their camp was having a seizure. Unfortunately, no one in the camp was qualified, which is unusual because usually we have a nurse or two with us. Fortunately, it wasn’t the first time it happened to the gentleman, and he was prepared for it. Nothing major came of it, but scary none the less. The night continued without incident and we eventually headed off to sleep.

Day 2

The day started off on a high note when a mother deer and her adolescent fawn decided to stroll through the camp. I had my camera handy, so we got some good shots. It was the right way to start the day. Surprisingly, it wasn’t going to be the last wildlife we came across. In fact we managed to see a couple of snakes and many frogs of varying colors. I’d never seen a red frog before outside of the zoo, so that kind of cool. Our route for the day would take us up and over Springhouse Branch to Forney Creek. The uphill wasn’t too bad and made for a pleasant enough hike. I really enjoyed this trail and look forward to using it in future backpacks. It’s a convenient cut across for several different routes. We stopped at campsite #71 along the way and was surprised at it’s size. It was easily one of the biggest flattest sites I’ve seen in the park. I suppose over use was why they turned this into a reservation site, and not limited space. I definitely plan on staying here at some point! We stayed there for a long time and actually ran into a couple of groups headed to the same campsite as us, #70. We hung out at #71 for a while relaxing and cooling off in the (ice cold) water. When we finally set out we were looking forward to the short hike up to #70. So, it was no surprise at all when the site was full of people and horses, and we decided to move on. The hike to #69 from #70 isn’t a bad hike, but the three major water crossings along the way definitely put a damper on things. I was proud to have mastered my water crossing dance and managed to do all three without getting wet, and without taking off my boots. Something a few of the others didn’t quite manage (sorry Alex!). Water crossings are tiring, and by the time we got to #69, we were all beat. #69 is a nice site with lots of options and easy access to water. The only downside is that the two crossings on each side make finding a privy difficult. It was obvious that others thought so too, because not many made an effort to get very far from the sites. Frustrating, but a reality in the back country.

The rest of the evening was passed in relative peace with each of us taking turns having a bath in the river. It was cold, but man did it feel great to get some clean dry clothes on. We made it an early evening with the intention of getting up early. I slept well for the most part except for when I woke up at 5am to the feeling of my cat burrowing in my hammock with me. Of course it was at that point I shot wide awake at the realization I was in the Smoky Mountains and whatever it was burrowing in my hammock, was not my cat. I have no idea what it was, but something had been interested in my hammock and was pawing at it. Julie confirmed that it actually happened and wasn’t a figment of my imagination when she mentioned the same critter woke her around the same time. Exciting times!

Day 3

Uphill, uphill, uphill, water crossing, water crossing, uphill. That pretty much sums up the entire day. All that glorious downhill from two days prior was now being made up for, with the added tax of being on day 3 of a backpack. It wasn’t bad, but Forney creek from campsite #68 to Forney Ridge Trail is a mixture of poor drainage and large rocks. It was a little rough going, but we got through it. We decided that instead of stopping to wait for everyone, we would just get to Forney Ridge and wait. The result was a nice hour and a half break at the trail intersection and lots of tourists on their way to Andrew’s Bald. It was humorous seeing the kids in flip flops contrasted against 6 backpackers. We had a good time relaxing and even had time to make a pot of coffee. It tasted great! Eventually everyone caught up and we made the last mile and a half out a fun time. Clingman’s Dome and that was a shock to the senses. It’s like going from pure nature, to an amusement park!

Overall it was a spectacular time and went off without a hitch. I’m already looking forward to next year, of course next year I very well may be in Alaska on my honeymoon! The many pictures I took are below, enjoy!

Memorial Day Backpack 2011

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Tags: #61, #62, #63, #64, #68, #69, #70, #71, Backpack, Clingman's Dome, Forney, Forney Creek, Forney Ridge, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, GSMNP

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LyttleBryan January 3rd, 2011

Happy 2011 Everyone! I hope everyone had a safe and happy new year because I certainly didn’t! Most of it was my own doing of course, but what Mother Nature threw our way made it go from “slightly uncomfortable” to “okay, let’s focus on surviving.” The plan was pretty simple and straight forward, Julie and I could take some time to ourselves and do some cold weather backpacking and see some snow. Funny how the simple things always seem to go wrong in a big way.

Our trip started last Thursday when we left late afternoon for an easy evening hike into campsite #24 on Little River Trail. I’ve done the hike countless times, and even in the dark of night it’s not a bad hike. The water crossing towards the end definitely makes it a little tricky, especially with the snow/ice covered boulders, but nothing we couldn’t handle. The trail was covered in a solid 6-8″ of snow that was packed down in areas, but still somewhat slippery. As such we got to camp a little later than usual, around 6ish. It was dark by then, but still plenty of time left in the evening. We setup camp and got into our warm clothes and had a nice dinner. Since it was so cold out we eagerly got into our sleeping bags and eventually fell off to sleep. We were both trying out our new Montbell 0 degree sleeping bags, and I have to say, WOW! Love the bags. It wasn’t quite down to 0 degrees, but we were warm, toasty, and slept like babies.

By the time we crawled out of the tent at 8:15am the sun was already well up. While I tried starting breakfast Julie began packing up our gear. However, after she heard me screaming at my stove she emerged to help cool me off, and heat up the stove. I’m not too proud to say she fixed it almost instantly, so we switched places. As she worked on breakfast I began packing. It wasn’t long though before I heard her yelling in a whisper (still not sure how she does it) to slowly look out and behind our tent. When I did, I was greetied with a deer standing not far away looking at me. This wasn’t the first time I’d seen a deer on the trail, but it was definitely the first time I saw one inside our camp standing so close. Julie grabbed the camera and we snapped some great photos. It wasn’t long though before the deer ran off, and then immediately came back. Round and round our campsite it ran, into the brush and back again, up and down the trail. Julie described it as a possessed cat. Any cat owner out there can relate, because it happens to all cats occasionally. They just seem to get possessed and run around with a wild eye. It wasn’t long though before the deer was gone, and we were packed up and on our way.

Our route continued up Rough Creek Trail and Sugarland Mountain Trail where we would stop for the night at Mt. Collins Shelter. We figured a 7 mile hike wouldn’t be un-doable even in the worst weather. That proved to be true, but I’ll just say that hiking 7 miles up steep terrain with snow that varied from nothing to chest deep made for some, um, unpleasantness. It wound up taking us close to 6 hours to complete the 7 miles. We probably would have made it faster but about an hour from our destination I saw fit to have a slight breakdown and scream for a little while. After I collected myself and rested a bit, we finished the trip. The climb was enlightening, and taught us a bit about reasonable distances to cover in bad weather. Once we got to the shelter we were surprised to find it almost full. There was a large group of snow shoers there that had taken up a couple days residence.

After some brief introductions Julie and I had dinner and tried to relax. That proved to be a bit of a challenge though. Shelters are always a bit of a challenge to relax in, because there’s almost always a snorer. This time there were two. I managed to fall asleep, but around 11:15pm I heard a “thump” and a muffled shout from Julie. At first I thought she’d rolled off her sleeping pad, but when I asked her what was wrong she replied, “A MOUSE JUST RAN OVER MY FACE!” Ahh, the joys of shelter life! It also didn’t help that around 10pm it had started raining, and it didn’t seem like it would ever stop. With a bad nights sleep working against us, and our knowledge about how long it would take to travel the snow-covered terrain, plus the bad rain, we decided that instead of going forward (for what would be a much longer hike) we would simply backtrack. The plan was to use the downhill to our advantage and cover the entire 12 miles out in a single day to end our backpack a day early. Something I don’t like doing, but it seemed like the right thing to do. It wasn’t until we were at the point of no turning back that we realized the one thing that could stop us, or at least make for one hell of a dangerous turn – the water crossings.

The rain had never let up, and in some ways it seemed to rain harder once we were out of the shelter. The rain and much risen temperatures was rapidly melting the snow. This allowed us to move much quicker down the mountain, and what took us hours to cover the previous day, was done in under an hour the next. We moved quick not wanting to let the dampness and cold cause us harm. So we pushed hard, and before long we came to iRough Creek. In our eagerness to be out we neglected to realize the impact the melting snows and massive rain fall would have on the creeks and rivers. Well maybe neglected to realize the impact is the wrong way to put it. When it rains, creeks go up. That’s the nature of things. However, looking back I wonder if I would have believed it had someone been standing there to tell me what it would be like before we got there. Never in my life would I have guessed the creek would go up 3-4′. It was simply unbelievable. Nothing I can say here could express my shock at how high it had gotten. Our challenge now was getting through it.

I felt confident enough between the speed, depth, and temperature of the water that crossing it was safe(ish). I went first and using my hiking poles as probes managed a smooth easy crossing. Julie followed behind and we were on our way, or at least we were done with the first one. Rough Creek Trail crosses the creek 4 times and each one was a new adventure. The hardest though was actually after we got off Rough Creek Trail and onto Little River. That crossing I mentioned earlier, right before/after campsite #24, is where Rough Creek meets Little River. The area had grown flooded and it was a tough crossing. It didn’t help the fact that the risk this time was not being thrown about in Rough Creek, but being swept into a now wildly powerful Little River. I know it sounds dramatic, and I want it to. Creek and River crossings are serious, and when weather aids them, they can be exceptionally dangerous. Looking back I wish I’d had some rope to tie off to between one side and the next. I usually carry some amsteel rope, but it wasn’t in my pack for some reason. It’s as they say hind sights 20/20, but we made it across safely and are the wiser for it.

All in all it was an amazing backpack. The only thing I truly regret is that the whether would not relent enough to take pictures of Little Rive or any of the creeks. I’ll never forget how violent they were, and I’ll never think of the Little River as being little again.

Now to deal with the fact that the my apartment is flooded from a broken hot water heater and I’m introducing foreign cats on top of it all. Ahh the little joys in life.

New Years Backpack 2010

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LyttleBryan October 26th, 2010

This weekend, that wonderful woman who puts up with me turned 30 years old. In between harassing her constantly about being old, we managed to have some fun in the Smokies. Her trip of choice was Gregory Bald in the South Western corner of the Smokies. Joined by her sister and several of our friends we spent the weekend enjoying the area.

Our route took us up Wolf Ridge Trail from the Twenty Mile ranger station past Parson’s Bald and finally to Sheep Pen Gap where we setup camp. It is the heart of fall and the mountains didn’t disappoint. The colors in the trees were only magnified by the beautiful blue sky. Everywhere you looked there was oranges, yellows, and reds to make you forget everything except the beauty of it.

After some steep climbs we made it to Parson’s Bald. It was the first time I’d been to Parson’s Bald and I can understand why it’s so rarely mentioned. Compared to Gregory Bald it’s not even worth visiting. Aside from a small section of open grass, there wasn’t much to see. It definitely paled in comparison to Gregory Bald.

Sheep Pen Gap and campsite #13 wasn’t much past Parson’s Bald, and by the time we got there the rest of the group already had camp set. They’d stayed the night at campsite #95 the night before so they had a bit of a jump on us. Fortunately they got the best part of the campsite for us. #13 is easily my favorite campsite in the Smokies. There’s just something about it that makes it enjoyable just being there.

After setting up camp and relaxing a bit we set out for the half mile climb up to Gregory Bald. I had talked Julie’s sister into bring a Frisbee along, so after we got done enjoying the amazing views, we got to play a little Frisbee. I’ll admit it was a little rough playing at that altitude. The wind managed to give the frisbee a mind of it’s own, so at time’s it was comical. Fun was had regardless and left us all ready to relax by the fire.

As we started the raging inferno that would become our campfire, I noticed the wind picking up. I didn’t think it a big deal until I tried going to bed. I had been using my new Big Mamajamba Spinn UL tarp from Warbonnet Outdoors. Spinn UL, or Spinnaker as it’s known, is the material made for sail boat sails. It managed to catch the wind and hold it like nothing else. There were times that big gusts would come through and a combination of the large trees I was hanging in and the tarp connected to them had me convinced I was about to achieve lift off and begin my trip back to Knoxville as the crow flies. It made for an interesting night, but after the third time I got up to tighten the guy-lines I finally got everything tight enough and they stayed for the rest of the night. It wasn’t the best nights sleep I’d ever had, but it also wasn’t the worst.

The next morning we took down camp and set out up and over the bald to Long Hungry Ridge Trail where we descended and set out for home. It was a fantastic backpack and I’m glad Julie had a great birthday.

Gregory Bald 10-24-2010

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Tags: #13, #95, Gregory Bald, Long Hungry Ridge Trail, Sheep Pen Gap, Wolf Ridge Trail

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LyttleBryan July 27th, 2010

This weekend I finally had the opportunity to see one of the staples of the Smoky Mountains: Gregory Bald. It still surprises me that after a hundred or more trips to the Smokies, I still haven’t seen some of the most commonly visited parts of the park.

Our trip wasn’t just a hike up to the Bald, but was actually a two night, three day backpacking trip. I had Friday afternoon off work, so we left around noon to head to Cades Cove. Our trip took us up Rabbit Creek Trail to Scott Gap. From there we took Hannah Mountain Trail to Campsite #14 where we stayed the night on Friday. Saturday we got up and continued on Hannah Mountain and then up Gregory Bald Trail to Campsite #13 for the night. We got up early on Sunday and made our way up to the Bald itself where we had breakfast and watched the sun come up. After that it was all downhill (literally) to the road. From there we hitched a ride back to Cades Cove Loop road and finally to our car. It was a really fantastic trip with a lot of neat things to see and experience.

If I had to pick a theme for this trip, it would probably have to be the heat. It was hot this weekend in the Smokies. Like, really, really, hot. I think there were a couple of times while climbing up to the bald that I could be found sprawled out on the ground with a bandanna over my head. Looking back it was fun, but I can remember some points of pure misery during the trip. Couple this with water sources that were few and far between, and it made for some tense moments. Julie and I were both out of water by the time we got to campsite #14, and by all signs, we weren’t expecting to find any at the local sources. Fortunately the last spring we looked at had enough that we could filter it. The same thing happened on the second day too. It wasn’t until we were within a 1/8th of a mile from Campsite #13 that we came upon the spring. It definitely makes me rethink the 2 liters of water that I carry. I may have to invest in a new three liter bladder.

If I had to pick another theme for the trip, it would be that Julie hates hammocks. You see, this trip Julie decided that she wanted to try hammock camping as well. So I loaned her my spare ENO Doublenest with rainfly and away we went. By 11:45 pm on Friday night, she was pretty darn miserable. So miserable in fact that she spent a good 10 seconds screaming at the cicadas to be quiet. I’ll leave the profanity laden content out of this entry, but needless to say I was both happy no one else was in the campsite and trying hard not to laugh at the situation. Fortunately she was a good sport and made it through the rest of the weeknd. Either way she’ll probably be getting a new single person tent in the near future…

I think one of the most exciting parts of the trip for me, aside from the bald, was the number of campsites we passed on the trip. I enjoy knowing things about the Smokies, and knowing what the campsites look like is great when someone says “hey, where should I go?” I got to go past 5 different campsites this weekend: 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16. I can say without a doubt that campsite #13 is one of the coolest sites I’ve ever seen in the Smokies. The grassy ground, the old trees, and the bald are just amazing! Campsites #12 and #15 were also very cool sites. They’re much easier to get to and have large creeks flowing directly past them. I would gladly go for one of those when I’m looking for a nice easy site. Site #14 was also a nice site, though very small. It definitely couldn’t house more than 2-3 tents, though it can handle quite a few hammocks. Site #16, well, I can’t really think of a good reason to stay here. With site #15 being only 1.1 miles away, I can’t think of a reason not to go there instead!

Though one thing of note about site #16, is that Hannah Mountain Trail, which goes right past it, is absolutely amazing. It is easily one of the nicest trails I have hiked in the Smokies. It doesn’t have a lot of amazing views, and there isn’t anything special about it like waterfalls, but it’s just an enjoyable trail. I can understand why it’s referred to as “the softest trail in the Smokies.” It is!

Another thing probably worth mentioning was some of the wild life we saw on the trip. Not once, but twice we got a little too close to a bear we didn’t know was there. Just outside Campsite #16 on Hannah Mountain Trail we came over a ridge and scared one in the middle of the trail. It was about 30′ away when I saw it. Fortunately it was just as startled as we were because it immediately started running up the ridge. The other bear was about 25 yards from campsite #13. It was just off in the brush and we didn’t see it until we were about 10′ from it. Both times we were too close for me to safely get pictures. Unfortunate, but I’d much rather remain a safe distance from bears!

Overall it was an amazing trip. Pictures are below. If you’re wondering which campsites are which, the order we passed them and the order with which they’re shown in the photos are: 15, 16, 14, 13, 12.

Enjoy!

Gregory Bald Backpack 7-26-2010

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Tags: Campsite 12, Campsite 13, Campsite 14, Campsite 15, Campsite 16

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LyttleBryan July 16th, 2010

Man, where do I even start a post like this? I guess the beginning is as good as any! Right before the 4th of July, I had a big change in my life. The company I work for offered me a full time position. I’d been working there for well over a year, and this was going to be a big step up for me. To celebrate the new position, and take advantage of unlimited vacation one last time, I decided to take a nice long vacation in the Smokies. Our plans start originally as an AT hike from one end of the park to the other. Unfortunately a rock slide on US 129 forced us to re-evaluate. We decided on a large loop around the Eastern half of the park. A picture is worth a thousand words as they say. Below is the route that Julie and I covered over the course of the 5 days:

I don’t blame you if reading all of the routes we took is too hard to follow. It took me about 15 minutes to figure out all of the trails we touched when I was writing this up. In order, the trails we covered were:

• Baxter Creek Tr
• Mount Sterling Ridge Tr
• Balsm Mtn Tr
• Beech Gap Tr
• Hyatt Ridge Tr
• Enloe Creek Tr
• Chasteen Creek Tr
• Bradley Fork Trail
• Dry Sluice Gap Tr
• The Appalachian Tr
• Hughes Ridge Tr
• The Appalachian Tr (again)
• Low Gap Tr
• Big Creek Trail

It was an experience, and I learned a lot about what I’m capable of. I also learned a lot about some different parts of the park I’d never been to before. For instance, I learned that if you’re going to be going up to the AT ridge multiple times on a trip, don’t plan to do 13 miles a day. that was an important lesson. Another important lesson was that Baxter Creek Trail is the most awful trail in the entire park. Bastard Creek Trail was the name we ultimately decided upon for it. I’m sort of glad we got that one done on the first day, but it did kind of start us off on a rough foot.

Our favorite part of the trip was definitely the AT. There’s something so great about being up on a ridge like that being able to look down both sides. Not to mention the views that seemed to stretch forever. It was truly amazing.

I won’t go into the day-to-day of the trip. I’ll let the pictures do that. Some thoughts I will add though. The Eastern side of the park could really use some TLC. In a few of the photos you’ll see what just looks like weeds/plants and sunbeams. Believe it or not, that’s actually what the trail looked like. Some maintenance is definitely needed, and needed big time! Laurel Gap and all of the AT shelters were in great shape. The campsites we saw and stayed at were pretty nice, and mostly empty. Definitely less trafficed than “my side” of the park!

I’m really looking forward to my next big backpack in the park. Currently it’s scheduled for Labor Day weekend!

-LB

4th of July Backpack 7-4-2010

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LyttleBryan May 25th, 2010

This weekend I had the opportunity to venture into the most dangerous section of the park. An area that’s so unnerving, parlous, and ruthless that only the truly hardened adventurer would dare go. So with ice flowing through my veins, I took Julie and we ventured out. That’s right folks, we went into Cades Cove ON A SATURDAY!

In all seriousness though, I now understand why it’s been well over a year since I went to Cades Cove. The traffic, the tourists, and noise is more stress than I want to put up with. Fortunately we got there just as the gate was being opened from it’s standard Saturday morning closure for cyclists. It still took us over an hour to go the 7 miles to Abrams Falls trail head, but at least that’s all it took. Our route consisted of going up Cooper Road Trail, down Hatcher Mountain, and up Little Bottoms to campsite #17. Sunday we would hike out Abrams Falls trail to our car after stopping for some pictures and leisure at the falls themselves.

Cooper Road from Cades Cove was the only portion of the trail that was new to me. I have to say, at this time of year, it was a great trail. The condition of the trail was excellent, it was just physically demanding enough to get a good exercise, and the amount of wild life was unparalleled to anything else I’ve seen in the park. In fact, I want to rename it Critter Road Trail. It may have been the time of year, but there were a lot of animals.

In no particular order we saw:

• Bear(s)
• Dear
• A Blacksnake
• A Lizzard
• (a TON of) Butterfly

Most of the sightings aside from one young buck, and the snake, were from a safe distance. There was an incident at our campsite involving a bear outside our tent at ~10pm, but a little loud talking and some headlamps and it vamoosed. I think the only thing we were missing of the major animals was bobcat and boar. I’m glad I didn’t see any boar.

 

The falls were quite enjoyable, and was a nice cap to a wonderful weekend.


Cooper Road & Abrams Falls Backpack 5-23-2010

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LyttleBryan April 24th, 2010

Yes, yes, I know. It’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything. I assure you it’s not for lack of wanting to, but more because my time is limited lately and I have chosen eating and sleeping over other options. I did want to write about my trip last weekend, because it was so cool. It had everything from awesome wildlife, to me finally knowing what it’s like to be the one in the back who someone is waiting on!

I had originally posted this backpack as a group event, but only 4 people signed up, myself, the-woman-who-currently-puts-up-with-me (TWWCPUWM ), and a couple of guys from the hiking group. For various reasons others dropped out until it was eventually just my girlfriend and I. The backpack was down in the North Carolina side of the Smoky Mountains, in the Deep Creek Area near Bryson City.

The backpack got off to an amazing start when there, not far from the trail head, sat a little baby black bear. A small group of people had already begun to gather, and it was obvious that they were creeping closer, and closer. My first thought was “where’s mom?” After a few minutes I grabbed my camera out of the car and took advantage of my nice zoom lens to get some pretty good shots of the little guy/gal. After a few minutes we went back to the ranger station to let them know what was going on. It was kind of fortunate we did all of that, because we had actually been at the wrong trail head!

With all of that excitement we started our backpack. Since I knew we would staying the night near Deep Creek, and it was just the two of us, I had decided to pack my tripod in with my good camera. As such my pack was about 8 lbs heavier than it usually is. Of all the hikes to pack in extra weight, I would pick one as insane as going up Noland Divide!

Truth be told my pack was relatively light even with the tripod. I know I’ve carried far more when backpacking, so i don’t really know why I felt like I was dying the entire time. I couldn’t go more than a 1/4 mile without having to stop and catch my breath. Maybe it was allergies? The pollen has been rather brutal this year. Either way, the 11+ miles it took to get to the campsite took us just under 7 hours, which is certainly not my usual pacing, even on exceedingly hard terrain.

All-in-all though, the hike was enjoyable. The views from the ridge were quite impressive, and it was nice seeing the birds of prey floating on the wind. The area suffered significant damage to the hemlock population which was quite sad, and the bridge from Pole Road Creek Trial to Deep Creek Trail was out which made for an exciting (AND COLD!) crossing in Deep Creek. It was all worth it though because we had a beautiful campsite right next to the river (#56) completely to ourselves. Actually not completely to ourselves, there was a little field mouse that kept popping up occasionally to say hello and search for crumbs. It was very peaceful, and very relaxing!

The next morning we took our time getting up and going. TWWCPUWM enjoyed some morning yoga by the river while I got to play around with some slow shutter speed shots. Unfortunately the morning sun was a little too bright to get many good ones, but with the help of some deep exposure, I did manage to get a few nice looking shots. Before setting out for the day we rearranged our packs so that I would carry more of her gear, and she would take my tripod. Despite equivalent weights, my pack felt much better and I was able to handle the terrain with no problems. I can only conclude that the manner I strapped my tripod to my pack was causing me to be lopsided. At least that’s what I’m telling myself. After we got back to the car we stopped in Bryson City at a little place called Anthony’s Italian and Pizzeria. It had a nice front porch that looked out over an historic train yard. Their pasta was divine! I had spinach manicotti, and TWWCPUWM had Chicken Parmesan. Her’s was much better than mine, but they were both very good. With that, our weekend was concluded and we made our way back home. I did discover something interesting during the drive. We calculated the mileage from my apartment to the Deep Creek parking lot going through Sevierville on the way there, and going via Little River Road/Maryville on the way home. Sevierville is 99.3 miles, and Maryville is 100.7. There’s less than 2 miles physical distance between the two routes. Definitely handy to know in the future!

Lotta pictures, I hope you enjoy them.

Nolland Divide 4-17-2010

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LyttleBryan March 21st, 2010

This is part of a series of posts from my Mt. Kilimanjaro journal.  The contents may, or may not, have been affected by serious altitude delusion.  I’ll leave that for the reader to decide…

2/13/2010

Well, we’re here!  We arrived in Tanzania at 11:30 last night.  The flight was probably the roughest flights I’ve ever been on.  I guess it wasn’t too bad, but after 26 hours of airport/airplane, I was ready to be done!

Our driver from the airport to the hotel was a native by the name of Joe.  I got the feeling that wasn’t his real name, but who knows.  I did notice something odd about driving in TZ.  They use their blinkers to signal the cars behind them that there are cars coming and it’s not safe to pass.  they also do something with their brights, but for the 45 minute drive, I couldn’t figure it out.

Anyway back to my internal monologue.  I was a little disappointed we got in at night because I couldn’t see the mountain from a distance.  Adam had echoed the same sentiment.   For now it’s time to see what exploring we can do.

(later that day) Our hotel in Arusha is pretty cool. It’s decorated in traditional African decor. Actually I wonder if it’s just designed to look like what foreigners expect Africa to look like. Adam says it looks like a Disney style hotel. Like the Disney Safari what’s-it-called. Maybe he has a point. Anyway, time will tell I guess. Soon we’ll be out of the tourist town of Arusha, and into the trail town of Marangu. I guess that’s still a tourist town, just a different kind of tourist town.

P.S. I had liver for breakfast. I don’t know what animal it was from, but we’re calling it elephant liver.

(later that night) Well the days about to end and the most physically demanding thing I’ve done so far is wander around the hotel between our room and various areas. We tried to walk out into Arusha to explore, but we got a lot of attention. it wasn’t negative attention, and I never truly felt threatened, but when you’re a people-watcher like me, it’s disconcerting to be the one being watched.

Since our exploring Arusha failed, Adam and I found ourselves with a few hours to kill. It didn’t take long for us to find a few comfy chairs and a list of African beer! The beer we had was rather cliche in name (Kilimanjaro, Serengeti, etc.), but it was pretty good. I preferred the Serengeti as it was a little darker and richer while Adam liked the Kilimanjaro. We passed the time with good beer, good conversation, and Chinese food. The Chinese food in our African hotel was a very, very, good. Don’t ask me!

After lunch we were in the lobby with our KE Adventure duffel bags when a woman noticed them and inquired. It turns out she and her boyfriend were on the exact same trip. They had arrived in town the night before on a slightly later flight. We sat in the lobby for a while chatting and waiting for our ride to Marangu. Eventually our guide and KE representative arrived and we began the painfully long 3 hour drive. It was on the drive that I got the first glimpse of “real Africa.”

As far as I can tell there is no middle class in Africa. you either live in a walled Plantation, or you live in a shack. This may be generalizing a bit, but it’s what I saw in the areas between Marangu and Arusha. I’ll be honest, some of the things I saw made my heart ache. i simply cannot fathom what living in these conditions must be like. It made the fat wallet I was carrying feel like all the wealth in the world, and that left me feeling more than a little guilty. No matter how much I told myself my presence there supported the economy, I know that tourists are not what these people truly need. My religious opinions aside, I have a new found respect for Missionaries.

We arrived in our hotel in Marangu around 5:30pm. The hotel was in a walled and gated area that reminded me of a compound. It is an AMAZING hotel. Everything except the rooms were open air. This was especially awesome as the sun went down. Now I’m sitting in the open air sipping a glass of tonic water listening to bugs and enjoying the breeze. the hotel has a beautiful garden out back and I got some great pictures of various flowers. I’m hoping I can stump Maya with these foreign flowers. Now it’s off to get some (hopefully) good sleep before another long drive and our first day of real hiking.

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LyttleBryan March 19th, 2010

This is part of a series of posts from my Mt. Kilimanjaro journal.  The contents may, or may not, have been affected by serious altitude delusion.  I’ll leave that for the reader to decide…

2/12/2010

I’ve now been either in an airport or on a plane for 26 hours. It’s not been as bad as I would have expected, honestly. I slept for 5 of the 8 hours of the transatlantic flight from Detroit, MI to Amsterdam, NE. The Amsterdam airport isn’t that remarkable an airport really. Though they do have good coffee. It was here while waiting for the connection to Kilimanjaro International Airport that we met a fellow American by the name of Jack Stagge. Jack is a missionary from Washington state who runs the faces4hope mission. I spoke with him for quite a while about the things he does. His primary goal, that I could gather at least, is increasing the social placement of women in the rural parks of Tanzania. Their social status is below cattle and only slightly above children.

Some of the more traditional missionary things they do include education, health, general life improvement and of course spreading Christianity. I was impressed with the amount of stuff his mission has accomplished, and it was an excellent start to my trip. It was also an excellent start to the information gathering tasks my girlfriend, Julie, had assigned to me on behalf of her Public Health class. Anything in the name of education, right?

I’ll pause there and complain that I’m sitting on a plane at the gate an hour after we were supposed to leave. The captain is on the intercom informing us the gate switch was caused by another planes flat tire blocking our original gate. At the end of the speech though, I just can’t help but smile because he gave the speech in 3 different languages! I love international travel. For the first time on thi8s trip I really feel like I’m on vacation. Maybe it’s because this flight takes me over the snow covered peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

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