Before we get to that let's rewind. My plan was to go hiking from the Old Forge Campground and then camp here later. It was going to be the home base for the weekend. However, the first sign that things weren't going as planned is I went to bed Friday with a sore right ear. It had happened before and when I woke Saturday morning it was feeling better, so we headed out. I mean I was serious about camping. I stopped for wood and tea for the evening. Once at Old Forge (they took out the old sign & moved the one from the road) I picked out my spot, number eight, and paid.
Besides camping the other part of the plan was hiking from Old Forge up to Coldsprings Mountain. I could have done it from Horse Creek, but this way was just a bit longer, so since I was going to camp at Old Forge why not? Well, it turned out to be a bad choice. The hike called for going left on to the Jennings Creek Trail for a mile to the Poplar Cove Trail which was another mile to the Sarvis Cove Trail. From here it is 2.3 miles up to Coldsprings Mountain and the Appalachian Trail close to where I camped in September.
I have been wanting to do this for a while, but the hike up the Poplar Cove Trail was pretty steep, but where I thought the junction would be (at the high point of the path) it wasn't. No, it was on down a steep slope and my ear had started to really bother me. So, not feeling great and still with two-thirds of the hike to go I decided to cut it way short. I also realized it is going to be easier to come up from Horse Creek, so I decided to finish it later.
I then planned to just do the Old Forge Loop, but my ear was hurting even more. So, when I got back to the Jennings Creek Trail I decided that I was throwing in the towel for both the hike and the camping. Pete being disappointed was an understatement. But I have until the Winter Solstice to camp at Old Forge.
Oh, there was one bright spot in this fiasco. There was plenty of nice fall colors, which was a pleasant surprise.
pictures look amazing!
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