Our trip was straight forward enough. We dropped a car off at the Twenty Mile Ranger Station and then carpooled over to Fontana Dam. From there we took the AT up to Gregory Bald Trail over to Campsite #13 for the night. The next morning we took Long Hungry Ridge Trail down to Twenty Mile and on to the Ranger Station.

The Appalachian Trail from Fontana up to Doe Knob is a very pleasant ridge hike. I’d been told by multiple people how brutal the climb up from Fontana Dam is, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a fantastic hike. In fact, there were only two or three half mile sections that were too steep to walk and talk. Something worth noting about the hike though is that it is very exposed on the Western side, so wind coming up the ridge is brutal. Julie made the comment that she’d put on and taken off her layers so many times that she’d lost count. The day was warm (especially for January), but every time the wind blew it stole every bit of warmth you’d earned from the climb. It didn’t help that about the time we got to Shuchstack fire tower a cloud front blew in and cut visibility to almost 0. It was another 2 or so hours before the sun managed to cut through the clouds. Fortunately it made for a dramatic sunset on the bald, which we arrived at just in time to see. I was surprised to find the bald relatively warm with little wind. I had been prepared for brutal winds given the way the day had gone. We discovered later that all the wind and cold had been down at the campsite.

After some time snapping photos on the bald we made our way down to Campsite #13 at Sheep Pen Gap to setup camp. It was colder than my words can do justice and even after putting on all my cold weather layers (see photo), I still couldn’t get warm. I guess there’s no amount of insulation that will work when you’re body has given up on producing heat. It didn’t help that it was so cold at the campsite that water was freezing instantly in some cases. We amused ourselves by putting things in a cup of water and then watching the ice crystals form as you pull it out. It was that cold. Needless to say we made it an early night and climbed into our snug sleeping bags. Even inside a 0 degree down bag it took the help of some hand warmers before I was warm enough to actually give the sleeping bag something to insulate.

After a good nights sleep we got up to find that it had warmed considerably overnight and even with the sun still below the Eastern ridge, it was far warmer than the night before. After a relaxing breakfast we made our way up to the bald and were delighted to find the most amazing views I’ve ever seen on Gregory Bald. I’ve been up there 5 times now and this was easily the most beautiful I’d seen it. We could very clearly see the cars down in Cades Cove and after some orienting we were able to identify the Watts Bar Lake smoke stacks in Kingston, TN as well as the Doe Run stacks up in Oak Ridge. It was truly an amazingly beautiful morning. It really set a great tone for the hike down, which was beautiful and uneventful.

Julie and I are planning one more trip up to Gregory Bald before our wedding in May. We’re going to use it as a time to practice our vows. The wedding plans are coming along nicely and our goal is to have everything finalized before March. I posted some extra albums below. It’s mostly trips that I didn’t find time to post a story about.

Gregory Bald-AT Backpack

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Palmers Creek

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Ace Gap Rich Mountain and Indian Grave Gap Trails

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Albright Grove Loop

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Okay, that was the programmer in me speaking. I apologize for not posting in so long. It's been over 2 months since my last post, and Memorial Day was my last personal post. I've been on a bit of dry spell for posting, but that's not to say I've been on a dry spell for everything else. I've actually been very active, including a trip to Bolivia, South America! I just haven’t been posting those stories. Maybe it’s the wedding planning (which is going great), or everything else I have going on, including fundraising for The Ultimate Hike, a fundraiser for CureSearch for Children’s Cancer. All of that aside, I do apologize for not posting.

I did want to take some time to post about a recent mega backpack I went on with a few friends in the Smokies. Our trip lasted 5 days and covered just over 60 miles in the Hazel Creek area of the Smoky Mountains. My companions on this trip were my friends Adam and Tim, with Julie joining us on the 3rd day for the remainder of the trip. Overall it was a great trip, with great weather, and a lot of fun was had.

We started on Wednesday from the Lakeshore trail head at Fontana. This was the last stretch of Lakeshore Trail that remained unexplored, and it didn’t disappoint. It was a beautiful section of rolling hills that had just enough uphill to make things interesting before a nice break of down hill ensued. Unfortunately it was on this stretch of trail that my boots started hurting. They weren’t new boots, but they had waited until a long backpack to begin the pain, and the pain was intense. More on that throughout. Just after lunch time we made it to campsite #90 at Eagle Creek. #90 is a nice large campsite that’s prone to “boat campers” throughout the season. The low lake in the Fall usually means it’s empty though, and we found ourselves alone. We had a relaxing lunch on the flood plane deemed “Barkenhinge” by Adam. After lunch we continued on and the day was mostly uneventful as we enjoyed the views and history of the area. We made it to campsite #85 in the early evening and setup camp. Unsurprisingly we were alone. The campsite was nice, but nothing too spectacular. There was a lot of churned earth from hog activity, but they never made an appearance.

Thursday (day 2)was set to be our shortest day with little progress made going up Hazel Creek and a large side trip to Bone Valley Trail. On our way there we passed campsites #84 and #83. #84 was small and quaint, while #84 was massive. I’d stay at both campsites readily, as they were both nicer than #85 we had stayed at the night before. I’ll admit, Bone Valley did not disappoint. It’s regularly regarded as the most remote trail in the Smokies. It’s a shame that it is, because it’s a great trail. The 4 water crossings made things interesting, and while I managed to rock hop on my way down, I just crock hiked it on the way back and went through the water. The graveyard and cabin at the end of the trail are really spectacular and worth seeing. After our little side trip to Bone Valley we continued on to campsite #82. It was a nice wide campsite with sections above and below the trail. I would gladly stay here again. We got to camp very early, around 2pm. It made for a very relaxing afternoon with plenty of time to clean up in the creek and find fire wood. The only odd thing to occur was several rounds of gunfire throughout the day. We attributed it to rangers hunting hogs, but who knows?

Day 3 saw our first real climb of the trip as we made our way up Hazel Creek to Welch Ridge. Hazel Creek Trail got much nicer when it went from “gravel road” to “trail.” I’ll be honest, I didn’t much like Hazel Creek until that point. It was just, well, a gravel road! Once we got to Welch Ridge, we were treated to what quickly became one of my favorite ridge lines in the park. It was a bit windy and cold, but just really spectacular in feel. After Welch Ridge we made our way down Bear Creek to campsite #75, and my darling fiance, awaited us. It was a nice, small, campsite with plenty of firewood. Definitely one of the nicer of the trip. I recommend it. We caught her up on the happenings, and I got some much needed sympathy for my heel, which was throbbing constantly at this point. Still, seeing Jules warmed my spirit.

Day 4 of the trip we were treated to the best views of the trip, and the worst trail I’ve ever hiked in the Smokies. Making our way up Bear Creek was a bit rough. It was a climb, but the wind was howling so it made it hard to take breaks without getting cold. Once we were to the top we continued on Welch Ridge to High Rocks Trail. Now High Rocks Trail isn’t in the Little Brown Book, so we weren’t sure what to expect. What we got was the best views of Lake Fontana that I can remember. Truly spectacular! Unfortunately it was all downhill from that point! We made our way to Cold Spring Gap Trail and, well, I’m going to struggle remembering the trail because I blocked it out. The trail was essentially a creek bed with large rocks that goes straight down. Seriously. It was awful and I intend on never going back. Ever. The day was the longest we had, and it wore on us. Julie didn’t have her trail legs yet so she was getting tired, and the blisters on my heel had burst on one side and was now openly bleeding. It was rough. To top it off the “early stop” campsite we had (#85) was full of fisherman and not welcoming. So we had to push on as to campsite #86, which we feared would be full of fisherman as well. We were pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t full, and the site was really nice. It had a lot of room, and the soft pine needles made for a very warm feeling campsite. We slept well that night, and were ready for the final day.

We didn’t have any new trail left by day 5, it was all backtracking. We made our way at a steady pace, and by the time we had got to the car I had tears on my face from my heels. One side was still openly bleeding, and the other had a hard knot to it. Writing this now one looks like zombie meet and the other looks like a bone deformity. Healing is the most frustrating part because I can’t do anything. Needless to say I won’t be wearing those boots again!

It was a great backpack, and I got to spend a lot of great time with friends. I highly recommend this circuit to those with the stamina and time. Especially this time of year! The pictures are all below.

Also, We passed a lot of campsites on this trip, so I wanted to take some time to share my thoughts on them.

• #90 – A very large campsite along a beautiful creek. It’s very beautiful here, but the water access means it’s prone to boat campers who bring in a lot of stuff. Best time to go is when the Fall and Winter when the water is low or it’s too cold for boating. Firewood seemed scared.
• #88 – A newer site that’s set back from the trail a good distance. It’s in a quiet area and the few times I’ve been past it, no one was there.
• #86 – A large campsite right on the creek. It’s popular with fisherman, but seems large enough to support everyone. Finding a restroom was a bit of a haul though.
• #85 – A small site that splits the trail. Bugs seemed to be a big problem and there was a lot of obvious hog activity. When we came back through on Saturday it was so full that it was almost funny. Wouldn’t stay here again unless I had no other options.
• #84 – A small site right at the Jenkins Ridge Trail intersection. Very small and well worn. I’d stay here if a bit begrudgingly. There was also about 8 picnic tables lined up next to it.
• #83 – There’s 2 sections to this site. The giant dirt section from what I can only assume is over use. And the giant grassy section on the other side of a small hill. The grassy section was nice, and definitely large enough to support may folks.
• #82 – A nice site that splits the trail. While it’s large, all of the fire rings seemed nicely secluded.
• #75 – A small cozy site right on Bear Creek. I liked this site, but it probably wouldn’t be that great it if were full. Given that it’s non-reservation, this could happen.

Hazel Creek Backpack 10-1-11

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Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Media Briefing, Monday, July 11, 2011
Drowning at Townsend wye

A drowning victim was recovered from Great Smoky Mountains National
Park today in a section of the Little River at the Townsend Wye, a popular
day use area in Blount County.

Dick Chijioke, 34, from Plano, Tex., was tubing with his family when
his rental tube tipped and he fell into a 12-foot deep pool of water.
Eyewitnesses reported that he failed to resurface after he slipped out of
the innertube. Several people from his group, along with other visitors,
attempted to find him underwater before the emergency personnel arrived.

The Park received a report about the accident at 11:22 a.m. from
Blount County 911. The Blount County Special Operations Dive team was
called in to assist with their underwater rescue gear and they located
Chijioke at 12:26 p.m. near the area where he fell into the water. Rural
Metro paramedics tried to resuscitate him on the way to Blount Memorial
Hospital, but he was pronounced dead by hospital officials at 1:05 p.m.

Other emergency crews assisting Park Rangers were the Townsend Police
and Volunteer Fire Departments, Blount County Sheriff’s Office, and Blount
County Fire Department.

For more information, contact Nancy Gray at 865-436-1208.

Nancy Gray
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
107 Park Headquarters Road
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
865/436-1208 phone
865/436-1204 fax
e:mail: Nancy_Gray@NPS.GOV

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in,
where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike.” John Muir

Great Smoky Mountains Tornado Damage Movie

Before my parents visited I traveled down to the Balsam Mountain area and did Hyatt Bald Trail. The trip didn’t go exactly as planned as my GPS went splat and I got myself lost. The road on Newfound Gap was also stop light controlled so I was way behind. I was supposed to meet Terri J, but she wound up leaving before me. I wasn’t afraid to hike alone, so off I went. I thoroughly enjoyed the trail once I got up to the ridge. There wasn’t much left of the bald portion of Hyatt Bald, it’s mostly been reclaimed by nature. Overall the area is very pretty, it’s a shame it’s not easier to get to.

While my parents were in town we had a picnic at Metcalf Bottoms. We BBQed, socialized, and explored the Little Green Briar School. I like it when my parents come to visit, it’s an enjoyable reminder of the relaxed side of the Smokies.

Then this last weekend I chanced Mother Nature’s fury and went down to Thomas Divide Trail off Newfound Gap Road. Not many people mention Thomas Divide Trail. It’s a loooong trail, among the longest in the park (excluding the AT, Benton McKaye, and the like). It goes from Newfound Gap Road to Deep Creek. This particular trip we traveled from NFG Road to Sunkota Ridge Trail and then back track to take Kanati Fork the rest of the way. I will be the first to admit, there wasn’t much to see along the trail. There’s no epic views, waterfalls, or the like. That being said, it is still probably among my favorite trails in the Smokies. There’s just something about it that makes it thoroughly enjoyable. Maybe it’s the pristine condition the trail seems to be in, or maybe it’s the gentle rolling hills along the divide. I don’t know, but it very quickly earned it’s way into my top 10 hikes, if not my top 5. I highly recommend it for a very pleasurable walk in the woods!

Here’s some pictures form the various hikes, until next time!

Thomas Divide Trail 5-14-2011

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Mother's Day Picnic 5-8-2011

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Hyatt Bald 4-30-2011

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If the Government implements a shutdown, nearly the entire Park would
be closed beginning Saturday, April 9, all Great Smoky Mountains National
Park facilities would be closed, including visitor centers, campgrounds,
picnic areas, trails, concession operations, restrooms, and all roads, with
the exception of the Newfound Gap Road between Gatlinburg and Cherokee.
Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441) would remain open to through traffic
only. No stopping or parking along the road or at trailheads and overlooks
is permitted, and all restroom facilities would be closed, including those
at Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg, Tenn., the Oconaluftee
Visitor Center near Cherokee, NC, and Newfound Gap. The Clingmans Dome Road
which is accessed off Newfound Gap Road would be closed.

There you have it…

From The Tennessean

Parks are in question

The Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency has stopped spending money on new projects because there’s still no federal budget for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1 last year, and the agency doesn’t know how much federal money to expect, spokeswoman Julie Oaks said. Community organizations that get agency funding will receive a letter this week announcing the cutoff, Oaks said.

It’s not clear what would happen to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and to other National Park Service sites and national forests in Tennessee.

During the federal shutdown in November 1995, the park remained open, but campgrounds, restrooms and other facilities closed. Other park service sites in the state and other national parks in the country closed.

Precisely predicting the impact of a government shutdown is difficult. Most agencies have refused to release details of their shutdown plans, and there’s no way to tell how long a shutdown would last.

The White House Office of Management and Budget told agencies last month that they “should not state or imply what functions would or would not be continued in the event of a funding gap.”

I tried several times over the last couple of days to find any more details about the incident. I couldn’t find any park press releases, news articles, or posts about it, until this morning. I went back to the WBIR website and noticed that someone from the group of hikers had commented hoping to explain the situation and give more details.

They’re saying that toward the end of the hike one of the group members took a tumble down the side of a hill resulting in an injury and much delayed hike. They sought refuge in the shelter knowing they couldn’t make it all the way down.

Definitely a far cry from “unprepared family gets stuck in Smoky Mountain shelter.” I’ll admit it could happen to anyone. The right thing to do in this case is send someone who is able to continue on to get help. That’s what the rangers are for. They could have easily gone to got help and returned with food, water, and warm gear.

to whom it may concern I am one of the 4 that was lost in the smokeys, this morning we were all surprised to see our story on the news. After that we got online to see if maybe that had gotten our story correct online since there were parts that were incorrect on the news broad cast. In doing this we saw the comments that were left, so that there is no confusion, I grew up in the smokeys spending most every summer fall and spring there. I am a Blount county citizen and know the trails well, however after the winter storms the trail that we were on had been messed up. around five in the evening saturday, I fell down the side of the mountain, hitting 3 trees on the way down this caused me to mess up my right leg severely and my left hip. I had no shoes and what warm clothing we had on us we put on my 3 yr old son both of the men that was on the hike with us were both injured as well. we had only expected to be on the trail for 2 to 3 hrs after the injuries occured we knew that there was no was we would be able to make it out without help. there for we found shelter and huddled together for warmth making sure that my son was taken care of first and foremost. I know that yes we should have taken some kind of gear with us, however i also know that most all of us who are from around here and here been on these trails over 100 times never think that something like this will happen to them, and where we were headed no one would think that this would happen. so if there is any more confusion please add a comment and we will be more than happy to clear up any other questions.

Looks like he attempted to take the Old Black Manway from Ramsey Cascades to the AT, and everything went down the toilet from there. I won’t preach about staying on the trails, but I’ll say that leaving your pack behind in March at altitude is insane. He’s lucky to be alive.

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
MEDIA BRIEFING – MONDAY, MARCH 21, 2011, 7:00 P.M.
MISSING BACKPACKER EVACUATED

Around 8 p.m., Sunday, March 20, Park dispatch received a broken cell call from hikers at the Tricorner Knob Shelter on the Appalachian Trail (AT) that the missing backpacker, Chad Hunter, had arrived at the shelter on his own. Park Rangers were dispatched immediately to hike from the Snake Den Ridge Trail in Cosby to the shelter. The three-person team, including two medics, arrived around 2:30 a.m. They treated the subject for minor injuries, dehydration and provided clothing and equipment to warm him. Because of the remote location, a decision was made to evacuate Hunter on Monday by helicopter in lieu of a large ground carryout operation.
On Monday morning, in preparation for an air rescue, rangers hiked the subject a distance of about 2.5 miles to a clearing at Deer Creek Gap along the AT. A National Park Service helicopter flew from the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport, in Sevierville, Tenn., to the proposed landing zone this morning, but was unable to land because of high winds and limited size of the landing zone.
The Park had contacted the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Sunday and found that they had available a Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) helicopter with hoisting capabilities in case it was needed. The THP helicopter was dispatched from Nashville this morning. After receiving a briefing by Park Rangers at the airport, the THP pilots, along with a THP medic, flew to the landing zone. After confirming that they could not land, the medic was lowered to the ground to prepare the subject for air lift into the hovering aircraft. The THP ship returned to the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport at 12:30 p.m. where Hunter was reunited with his family. He was then was transported by Sevier County ambulance to LeConte Medical Center in Sevierville for evaluation and treatment.
Park Rangers accompanied Hunter to the hospital to debrief him on his ordeal in the Smokies.
Hunter relayed to Rangers that he had spent Monday night, March 14 at Campsite 32 as scheduled and set out on Tuesday when he hiked into Greenbrier up the Ramsey Cascades Road to the Ramsay Cascades Trail on all the way to its end at the falls. He climbed past the falls and hiked cross-country along Ramsay Prong for about half a mile but found the going very steep, rocky, and blocked by obstructions, so he decided to make his way up towards the ridgeline instead. By Tuesday night he realized that he was off course and he camped that night with his sleeping bag and other gear.
Wednesday he made extremely slow progress due to dense rhododendron and estimated that it had taken him 6-7 hours to cover just over ½ mile. At that point he decided to abandon his pack because it was continually snagging on the heavy brush, slowing his progress. He hoped that without his pack he could make faster time and reach his goal of Tricorner Shelter more easily. Wednesday evening he reached a relatively flat and somewhat open area where he stayed from Wednesday night, March 16 until Sunday morning, March 20. During this time he had only the clothes he was wearing plus a fanny pack with a little food, and a headlamp but had no sleeping bag or other overnight gear. He said that he melted snow for water until Sunday when it had melted, but had no other food after his small supply ran out.
Sunday morning he set out first light and, considered going back down, but chose to continue up to the AT. He apparently did end up on Mt. Guyot Spur and followed it to where it crosses the AT which he followed south to the Shelter.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Chief Ranger Clayton Jordan said, “We are extremely pleased with the outcome of this search in that the subject was found and suffered only minor injuries, and that no searchers were injured in the effort. At the same time we always advise hikers to stay on our established trails, file a backcountry permit with the Park and to provide their itinerary with a responsible friend or family member who can contact the Park in the event that they do not come out as planned.”

For more information, contact Bob Miller at cell: 865/335-9188 or home (865) 428-7113

Our hike started in Metcalf Bottoms where we headed out toward the Little Green Briar School and the Walker Sister’s Cabin. I’d never been to either place, so it was a fresh experience. Both sites were very well preserved and had that feeling of history to them. I had my new camera tripod with me so I was able to take some great shots. I did go a little overboard with the HDR photography though, but hey that’s what tripods are for, right? RIGHT?! Oh and taking 360 degree panoramas of arbitrary trail heads!

Not a whole lot to say about this trail, other than it was really great and make sure to do it on a clear day. The views are pretty great, and you get some really pretty shots of Wears Valley.

Laurel Falls The Back Way 3-12-11

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Laurel Falls HDR

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