Little Cataloochee and Long Bunk Trails

The Cook Cabin c. 1856

The Cataloochee area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is known for its many elk and for several historic structures that are maintained by the National Park Service.  The main valley at Cataloochee was settled in the 1830s, however the more isolated Little Cataloochee Valley was settled a generation later beginning in 1854.  Farming and cattle raising were how families earned a living.

This hike was a key swap hike, so two of us hiked from the Cataloochee end and two others hiked from Mt. Sterling Gap end.  We drove each others cars, so my car would be where we ended the hike.  The most important part of a key swap is to meet the hikers coming from the other direction and swap car keys.

To reach Little Cataloochee, we began hiking along Palmer Creek on the Pretty Hollow Trail.  After 0.8 mile we turned off on the Little Cataloochee Trail, climbing up the divide to  Davidson Gap and then descending into Little Cataloochee Valley.  It was evident this valley supported several farms.  Trees all the same size had taken over what was at one time cleared land, and stone walls were seen not far off the trail.

Stone wall near the trail.

About three miles in we came to the Little Cataloochee Church, which back in the day would have been one of the centers of the settlement.

Little Cataloochee Church, 1889

Near the Cook Cabin (see photo at the top of this post) a sizable stone foundation could be seen.  We guessed it was all that was left of a house or barn, but the Hiking Trails of the Smokies guide book identifies it as the remains of an apple house.  Apples were widely grown in Little Cataloochee.

Remains of an apple house.

Farther up the trail we came to the Hannah Cabin, built in 1864.  If you look closely on the porch in the second picture, you will see a hiking companion who joined us here.

Unlike the Cook Cabin, the Hannah Cabin has no windows.

Our hiking companion on the porch.

The Catalochee area of the park is not too far from the park boundary, so during hunting season it is not unusual to see a bear hunter's dog with a radio collar on the trails.  Hunting is not allowed in the national park, but I guess the dogs don't read the "Welcome to GSMNP" signs!  The dog followed us to the junction with the Long Bunk Trail, where we met up with our fellow hikers (and swapped keys) and decided to have lunch.  This became a challenge because as soon as the food came out the dog was all over us - he was hungry!  We stood and ate a few bites as he jumped from one of us to another looking for a handout.  He did pose for a picture.

He stood still for a picture. Almost looks like a statue.

Before ascending the Long Bunk Trail to the Mt. Sterling Trail and our waiting car, we had to hike the last mile of the Little Cataloochee Trail out to the trailhead on NC Hwy 284.  Most people would not hike this mile out to the road unless they had a car parked there.  But when you are hiking ALL the trails in the Smokies, these little pieces of the trails need to be covered.  So we hiked 1 mile out and 1 mile back to complete all 5.1 miles of the Little Cataloochee Trail.  

It rained the first hour of the hike, and the rest of the day we were hiking under overcast skies.  As we climbed higher toward the Mt. Sterling Trail, the fog seemed to descend on us.  While not raining, droplets of water collected and fell on us from the leaves of the trees.  We kept waiting for the sun the forecast promised, but we never saw it.  As we hiked on the temperature dropped and the wind picked up.  When we got to the car at 3:15 it was 45 degrees in a stiff wind.  

While we had no sun and overcast skies, the colors were still bright.  Red, orange, and yellow maples were bright despite the grey skies.  Some leaf-peeping pictures end this post.  The day netted me 10 more new trail miles and my total trail miles has hit 295 - almost 300 miles of the 800+ under my belt!

Two Fall Hikes this Week

This week has been one of the best for Fall hiking - cool crisp mornings and mild days under cerulean skies.  I was able to get in two hikes this week: Wednesday along a section of the Lakeshore Trail, and Friday along Thomas Divide.  The fall colors are nearing their peak at lower elevations, and higher elevations are past peak.

Trail Junction sign at Proctor on Hazel Creek

Wednesday's hike began and ended with a boat ride across Lake Fontana from the Village Marina to the north shore and trailheads a section of the Lakeshore Trail.  We hiked a 12.5 mile section of the trail from Pilkey Creek to Eagle Creek.  The Lakeshore Trail covers more than 30 miles of the north shore of Lake Fontana from Fontana Dam to the tunnel at the end of Lakeview Drive near Bryson City.  Before Fontana Dam impounded the lake, the region was dotted with farms and thriving with lumber mills.  The people were relocated as the rising waters of the lake inundated roads and isolated the area.  Parts of the Lakeshore Trail follow old highway 288 that ran through the region.  Along the trail are remnants of the settlements; stone chimneys, rock walls, a few structures, and abandoned cars.

Our hike took us up and down several ridges that extend into the lake.  The sourwood trees were on display, their bright red leaves shining in the sunlight.

Our hike ended at Campsite 90 near Eagle Creek and the trail junction with the Eagle Creek Trail.  This trail ascends 8.7 miles up to the Appalachian Trial near Spence Field - another hike for another day.  We crossed an impressive old steel bridge across the creek and waited for the boat to pick us up and carry us across the lake to the marina and our cars.

Sturdy bridge across Eagle Creek

Eagle Creek from the Bridge.

Friday, on an equally clear Fall day, three of us hiked on three trails off Highway 441 on the NC side of the park: Kanati Fork Trail, Thomas Divide Trail, and Newton Bald Trail.  Kanati Fork climbs 2,100 feet over 2.9 miles from the Oconoluftee River to Thomas Divide.  It is steep, but well graded.  While we only had a few glimpses of Kanati Fork, we were rewarded with some nice fall colors.

We reached Thomas Divide and followed the ridge for over 4 miles.  We had glimpses of mountain ridges to the north and southwest through the trees.  This trail was the highlight of the day.

Thomas Divide Trail

While on the trail, Rich and I took a moment to celebrate World Polio Day.  Both Rich and I are Rotarians, and Rotary International has an emphasis to end polio worldwide through its End Polio Now campaign.  Polio is all but eliminated, only endemic in a few countries.  Rotary uses the phrase "We are this close" to remind us how close we are to finally eliminating polio.  Here, Rich and I are showing how close we are.

"We are this close" to ending polio.

The Newton Bald Trail was a gradual descent back down to Highway 441 near Smokemont Campground.  As we lost elevation the colors intensified with orange maples, yellow poplars, and red sourwood.

Both days of hiking added 23 miles to the Smokies trail map.  I now have 285 miles completed of the 800+ miles of trails.  Also, I have hiked 47 new trail miles in October, that with my sponsors has raised $164.00 for End Polio Now.

Hiking Around Deep Creek

I spent the last three days hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  The plan was to camp at Deep Creek near Bryson City and hike the trails in that part of the park.  Because of the forecast for storms and heavy rain, I ended up staying in a cabin in the campground - a guarantee that no matter how wet I got on the trail, I would have a dry place to sleep.  The forecast was correct, it rained heavily Monday and Tuesday nights as well as during the day Monday and Tuesday.

The rain did not deter our planned hikes.  Monday we completed two loop hikes. The first loop was near the tunnel at the end of Lakeview Drive, known to some as "The Road to Nowhere."  This was the road that was to give access to the North Shore of Fontana Lake, but after many delays and only a few miles and one tunnel constructed, the project was abandoned.

Sign on Lakeview Drive near Bryson City making a statement about the abandoned road project.

The unpaved end of the tunnel. Lakeview Drive stops just short of the other end of the tunnel.

We hiked the short two-mile Goldmine Loop Trail and the Tunnel Bypass Trail from the end of Lakeview Drive.  One end of the 35-mile Lakeshore Trail begins at this tunnel and the other end is near Fontana Dam.  Another hike for another time!

The second loop hike began at the Deep Creek parking area and took us by three waterfalls.  The first is Juney Whank Falls, a 40 foot cascade just 3 tenths of a mile from the parking area.  The name Juney Whank is either from a Cherokee phrase meaning "place where the bear passes" (we didn't see a bear) or refers to Mr. Junaluska "Juney" Whank, who is said to be buried near the falls (no sighting of him either).

Juney Whank Falls from the bridge on the trail;

Just a short distance up the Deep Creek Trail Tom Branch Falls can be seen across Deep Creek. The 75 foot cascade is a little more impressive and quite scenic since it is viewed it from across the creek.

Tom Branch Falls

The third waterfall on this loop is Indian Creek Falls appropriately on the Indian Creek Trail just past the intersection with the Deep Creek Trail.  While only 25 feet high, the falls cascade across a broad slab of bedrock, making it fairly impressive.

Indian Creek Falls

We completed a loop by connecting with the Loop Trail back to the Deep Creek Trail and on to the parking area.  I took an alternate trail, the Deep Creek Horse Trail only because I needed to hike the two-mile trail for the Smokies 900 map. Most people would not opt to hike on a trail that solely exists for horses to reach the Deep Creek Trail without going through a parking area and the heavily traveled portion of the Deep Creek Trail.

After a night of hard rain and a wet start to the day, we delayed hiking the next morning for an hour.  Although cloudy and cool, at least no rain was falling.  We began hiking up Thomas Divide, and as the sign shows,  the trail went up for 5.6 miles.

After 1:00 the cloudy skies gave way to rain, not too bad at first, but then the bottom dropped out. For the next 2 hours we plodded up (again) Indian Creek Motor Road Trail back to Thomas Divide and then Stone Pile Gap Trail.  By then the rain ended and we began to see some sun peeking through the clouds.  Another 2 miles and we were back at our cars and ready to get wet clothes and packs off. 

On a rainy week a cabin beats a tent any time.

All night the rain drummed on the roof.  I was getting my mind ready for a day of rainy hiking, but after 8:00 the clouds began lifting and when we started out at 9:30 the sun was out.  All day we had blue sky, bright sun, and crisp Fall-like air.  Like the day before, the morning was mostly a long climb  up Deeplow Gap Trail and Mingus Creek Trail to Newton Bald.  Although it got cooler as we climbed, our effort kept us warmed up.  We stopped for lunch at the high elevation for the day - about 5000 feet - and really felt the cool air and fresh breeze.  Everyone was putting on another layer or two.

The rest of the day was over ridges and down to our cars along another section of Thomas Divide Trail and Deeplow Gap Trail.  We came upon Little Creek Falls a couple miles from our cars; a scenic cascade to wind up the hike.

Little Creek Falls

Over the three days we hiked more than 33 miles, and I logged 26.5 new trail miles toward the Smokies 900.  We were lucky we only had a few hours of hiking in the rain and had such a beautiful day on our last hike.  

I am all smiles since I have over 266 hiking miles marked on my trail map!

Olympic National Park - Part I The Coast

Rialto Beach, Olympic Peninsula

The Olympic Peninsula in Washington State is home to Olympic National Park.  Like the peninsula, the park has several distinct parts: the Pacific Coast, temperate rain forests, high mountains, and glacial lakes.  We recently visited the park spending time in each area, beginning with the coastal region.

We began at Kalaloch, a NPS lodge overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  It had been raining on the 3 hour drive from Seattle, but when we arrived the clouds were parting and the rain had stopped.  Unlike our Atlantic beaches in the Southeast, there are few broad sandy beaches on the Olympic Peninsula.  Thick forests of spruce line the headlands and most beaches are reached by a trail that leads down to the water.

Kalaloch Creek reaches the Pacific Ocean at the Kalaloch Lodge and restaurant.

Evening light and clearing skies silhouette a tree on the coast.

Above and below: Pacific Ocean sunset

The Spruce trees at Beach #1 have formed large burls.  While burls are not unusual, the concentrations of them makes this area unique.

Numerous burls on spruce trees.

At beaches farther north we began seeing sea stacks, more drift logs (drift trees really) and some sea stars as the tide went out.  Enjoy the pictures!

Sea stars cling to rocks as the tide goes out.

Sea stacks at Ruby Beach.

Morning light through the trees.

Drift logs at Rialto Beach.

One huge drift log!

Rough surf and distant sea stacks.

Maddron Bald to Cosby Campground

Yes, we were hiking right by Campsite 29 and the "aggressive bear activity."

A yellow sign attached to the Maddron Bald trailhead sign provided a wake up for me when I arrived.  I wasn't planning on camping, just passing through, so bear or not five of us started hiking at  8:45.  Our hike would take us along the Maddron Bald Trail over the bald of the same name, connect to the Appalachian Trail and hike north to Low Gap Trail which would take us to Cosby Campground.

We faced a long climb - from 2000 feet to 5800 feet - from the trailhead to the Appalachian Trail over 7.9 miles.  It was overcast and a little cool, but the climb warmed me up quickly.  Within a mile we came upon the Baxter Cabin, one of many cabins restored by the park service.  It was built in 1889 by Willis Baxter.

Almost every trail in the Smokies follows and crosses streams that course over the landscape.  The Maddron Bald trail has 9 crossings of several streams, a couple with foot logs, the rest either rock hopping or wading.  Footbridges are convenient, but are subject to removal by flooding.  Rock hopping means you can keep your hiking boots on.  Wading means either get wet boots or change into water shoes and wade across.  Since I knew we would be making several wet stream crossings over a two mile stretch, I kept my water shoes on so I would only have to change shoes twice.

Footlog over none of the numerous creeks we crossed.

Wading across streams lets you enjoy the upstream views at stream level.  Moss covered rocks and rushing water make for great "Kodak moments."

Logging cleared much of what is today the Great Smokies Mountains National Park, but there were areas that were too steep and too remote for commercial logging.  As we climbed higher we soon began to see some forest giants - poplar and tuliptree, American beech, and silver bells - that had escaped the loggers.  Albright Grove Loop Trail branched off and wound it way through the giants.

After 8 miles we reached the AT and a well deserved lunch break.  It was foggy and after sitting for a few minutes the chilly 50 degrees had me putting on a jacket.  We hiked north on the AT toward Low Gap.  Along the way the sun came out and we came upon a volunteer trail crew doing some heavy work on the trail.  Many thanks to trail crews how make the trails safer and a joy to hike!

The Low Gap Trail has two parts; one part leads toward the Big Creek area, and the other leads to Cosby Campground.  We took the trail that led downhill toward Cosby. The trail was rocky and rooty, but well graded.  We covered the 2.9 miles in short order and arrived at the cars at 5:15.  A short car shuttle took us back to the Maddron Bald trailhead.

One last look at Cosby Creek.

Tale of the tape:
Total miles hiked: 16.5
Elevation gain: 4066 feet
New trail miles: 15.5
Total trail miles to date: 236.6

Noland Divide and Noland Creek in the Smokies

This week the Margaret Stevenson Wednesday Hikers sponsored one of its bus hikes.  Different hikes are organized beginning at trailheads along the Clingmans Dome Road off Highway 441 and ending in the Deep Creek/Lakeview Drive area near Bryson City, where a chartered bus picks up the hikers and takes them back to their cars parked at the trailheads.  This allows for longer hikes without having to shuttle cars back and forth from one end of the hike to the other.  35 hikers on five separate hikes used the bus shuttle.

I joined four others on a 20.6 mile hike on part of the Noland Divide Trail, the Noland Creek Trail, and a part of theSpringhouse Branch Trail.  A long hike means an early start; we began with headlamps at 6:10 AM.

Trailhead sign illuminated by my headlamp. On to Noland Creek.

The predawn sky was brilliant with stars, but they quickly vanished as were entered the red spruce forest.  A faint line of light to the east slowly brightened and light began filtering through the trees as we headed down the trail.  There was some conversation, but mostly we enjoyed the quiet solitude of experiencing nature greeting a new day.

We covered the 3.8 miles to the Noland Creek Trail fairly quickly, stopping only once to remove a layer as the day warmed with the sun.  At this point the Noland Divide Trail generally follows the ridge line of the Noland Divide, another 7.8 miles to Deep Creek near Bryson City.  The Noland Creek Trail follows Noland Creek, first its tributaries and then the creek itself.

Noland Creek Trail - 4.8 miles to Springhouse Creek Trail

When you look at a trail map of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you notice that several trails follow and are named for divides and ridges or creeks.  The main spine of the park is the long line of high peaks on the NC/TN border; the Appalachian Trail generally follows this undulating line for 74 miles from Fontana Dam to Davenport Gap.  Several lateral ridges extend from this spine creating divides that separate large watersheds between the ridges.  

The sound of Noland Creek grew louder as we descended on the well-graded trail.  Soon, the trail followed an old roadbed, evidence that this area was once home to several farm settlements and later logging operations.  Our gradual descent changed with a side hike up Springhouse Branch Trail.  The trail climbs up Forney Ridge, and eventually descends to Forney Creek.  We hiked the 2.8 miles up to Forney Ridge.  Along the lower part of the trail we saw stone walls and fallen chimneys, all that remains of the homesites of the farm community that once supported several families.

Springhouse Branch Trail - it is steeper tun it looks here.

Remnants of a stone wall.

All that remains of a fireplace, evidence of a cabin.

Frank, our hike organizer had information about the homesite of Cornelius Laws and some graves just off the trail.  The remains of the chimney were easily seen, but the graves were not marked.  Reportedly there are five Indian graves near the homesite.  Using his dowsing rods, Frank located the graves not far from where they were reported to be.  Dowsing showed two rows of graves, three in one and two in another.  Were they Indian graves?  Our compass showed them to be north-south oriented, which is consistent with Indian graves.  White settlers were almost always buried east-west, with the headstone facing east.

The remains of the fireplace at the Laws home site.

Frank dowsing for evidence of graves.  You can make out the wire rods he is holding.  They cross when held over a grave.

After lunch at the Springhouse Branch/Forney Ridge trail junction we retraced the 2.8 miles back to Noland Creek and then continued 5.2 miles to the end of the trail.  The trail ends close to where Noland Creek flows into the Tuckaseegee River near its confluence with Fontana Lake.  We hiked back one mile to Lakeview Drive where we waited for the bus to pick us up and take us back to our cars near Clingmans Dome.  Total time from when I left may car in the morning to the time I got back to it was just under 13 hours.

A day of bright sunny weather, good company, and the always beautiful and varied landscape of the Smokies.

Tale of the tape:

Total miles hiked: 20.6

New trail miles: 16.8

Total trail miles to date: 221.1