AT Day Hikes: Rich Mountain Fire Tower

So, this is the first installment of AT Day Hikes, and I am starting in North Carolina with my hike to Rich Mountain Fire Tower. There are a number of reasons why I am starting with this one. It is winter time and this was a wintery hike, and it is recent so these are a couple of reasons I guess that make it more relative. Also, when I was reading Doris Gove’s book Exploring the Appalachian Trail, Hikes in the Southern Appalachians she said that “Midsummer hiking here can be hot, but spring and fall are pleasant, and main-road access would make this a good winter choice.” This is one of the main reasons my friend Glen Yelton and I decided to head out on this hike on the last day of November.

Snow on the side of US 25/70 headed to Tanyard Gap.

The access trailhead for this part of the Appalachian Trail (AT) is Tanyard Gap, which is 3 miles north (or by AT miles 5.3) of Hot Springs off US 25/70. On Wednesday, three days before our hike Greeneville had been blanked with snow, and it was still there Thanksgiving morning. However, by Friday it was all but gone. So, when we left out Saturday morning I don’t think we really expect to see snow, but as we got toward Allen Gap we could still see white powder on Camp Creek Bald. Once we crossed over into North Carolina it was noticeable colder and a little snowier. It was funny we saw a guy fly fishing in a stream and he was still there fishing when we came back hours later…hardcore!

Parking at Tanyard Gap.

Anyway, getting to the parking area you turn right off of US 25/70 and then a quick left onto Lookout Mountain road. The parking area is where the road turns left across the one lane hiker bridge (which the AT crosses).

A lone hiker follows the AT across the bridge over US 25/70.

According to the Appalachian Trail Parking site there is parking for 5-to-6 cars. On the asphalt there is a double blaze which indicates a trail junction, I guess with the road.
The southbound trails cross the bridge while the northbound part that we wanted headed down an old roadbed to a set of stairs. About another 0.1 miles there is another set of log stairs, these even have a rail. At this point there was some snow, but it was patchy and it was cold, but not too bad. One of the reasons that this makes a good day hike is I would consider the trail moderate in difficulty. Don’t get me wrong this is a backcountry trail, so it always will have a level of difficulty greater than say Sawnee Mountain, but as compared to other spots on the AT I have hiked it is moderate.  

The white blaze & wood steps at Tanyard Gap.

Second set of stairs just up the trail.

Well, there are two things I sometimes like to look for on the trail. One is water, the second places to camp. When it comes to water you never know when you will need some and it is good to know where access to water is. At one-mile in you cross a second log footbridge and here is a small water source. To get to an even better water source you first cross a flat area, at 1.3 mile mark, which sports a nice camping spot, with a fire ring. What makes it even better is that tenth-of-a-mile up the trail is an excellent spring with good water. It even has a plastic spout.

Log footbridge with small stream.

Camping site just off AT.

The spout for the spring is on the left and part of the log footbridge is to the right.

The next spot I have to mention refers to something that is described in the AT Trail Guide for Tennessee-North Carolina. At about the two-mile mark of the hike the Guide says that the trail is on an old road for 50 feet. In actuality the trail skirts the road and hooks away from it. Around this spot is where the snow became real noticeable. For about this point on it was snow covered.

The old service road can be seen in the distance

Roundtop Ridge Trail goes right, uphill.

After a tenth-of-a-mile uphill through mountain laurel and rhododendron we ran into the familiar double blaze indicating the junction for the Roundtop Ridge Trail. This yellow blazed trail is the old AT route to Hot Springs. It is still maintained by the USFS with the trail number designation 295 (for those using the AT Tennessee-North Carolina Maps 3 & 4 or National Geographic map #782).

Our finally junction was still half-mile ahead, and by this point the difference to the lower part of the trail was striking. There was at least 3+ inches of snow on the ground and it was noticeable colder. So, we were almost there at the trailhead to the Rich Mountain Fire Tower, which went left and the AT continued right towards Hurricane Gap and then Allen Gap. If one has two cars an 8.9 mile day hike can be made from Tanyard Gap to Allen Gap. We met two hikers a man and women who came from Allen Gap and were hiking to Hot Springs. They said the snow was even deeper on the stretch from Hurricane to Allen Gaps.

Snowy AT.

Me in the snow on the AT.

AT heads downhill toward Hurricane Gap.

Junction for the Rich Mountain Fire Tower Spur.

So, we went left because our final destination lay 0.1 miles up the Rich Mountain spur. I will say it is always nice when going to a fire tower is the first time you see it. Actually one first spots the fire tower on Rich Mountain from about a mile down the trail. However, glimpsing it for the first time when nearing it tells you that the destination is hand.

First look at fire tower & communication tower.

As we approached, there was an ATV parked near the tower (not just a four wheeler, but the really nice ones with seats). The first thing that crossed my mind was hunters, since it was the Thanksgiving holiday and that means deer hunting is in full swing. If you notice from any pictures of me this time of the year I am wearing orange on the trail because I don't want to get shot!

Camp Creek Bald Tower, one can only go up to the first landing.

One might ask how an ATV got to the fire tower. Well the AT is not the only way to the mountain top. Hurricane Gap Road (FS 31) starts at Paint Creek Recreation Area and winds up Rich Mountain where it crosses Hurricane Gap until it ends at the fire tower. The owners of the ATV were a family of four, a Dad, Mom, their young son and teenaged daughter who were from Greeneville (just like us).  Speaking of Tennessee, like a lot of the AT in this area the fire tower straddled the state line between North Carolina and Tennessee.

Some fire towers have limited access like the one at Camp Creek Bald (8 miles away or 15.1 in AT miles) or no access like the Black Mountain Fire Tower near Woody Gap in North Georgia. But one of the reasons I wanted to make this hike was because this tower had full access.

Rich Mountain Fire Tower.

Glen & I at the steps of the fire tower.

Inside the fire tower.

Rich Mountain Fire Tower was built in 1932 by USFS. The 30-foot high tower had a live-in cabin. While it creased as a live-in lookout in the 1970’s it was fully staffed until the 1990’s. Inside the tower is now empty, except for the graffiti on the walls and ceiling. It used to house communication aerials, but they have since been moved to a single tower allowing for the tower to be opened for viewing.

Let me say…what a view! The pictures I post here can give you an idea on how wonderful the view is, but they can’t really do it justice. To the northeast Big Bald, Flatrock Mountain and the before mentioned Camp Creek Bald and fire tower can clearly be seen. Facing east Roan Mountain is in the distance. Southeast of the tower is the Black Mountains, including Mount Mitchell. South is the Great Balsam Mountains. Southwest from the tower is the Smoky Mountains, Snowbird Mountain and Max Patch. Finally to the west is Knoxville and northwest is Greeneville.

Northeast: Camp Creek Bald.

Northeast: Flatrock Mtn, Unaka Mtn, No Business Knob & Big Bald.

East: Roan Mountain.

Southeast: Mount Mitchell & the Black Mountains.

South: Great Balsam Mountains.

Southwest: Max Patch & Snowbird Mountain.

Southwest: Smoky Mountains.

West: Knoxville is out in the distance.

Northwest: Greeneville, TN.

I have been at the top of a number of mountains with fantastic vistas, but there are not too many that are any better than here. Even though it was COLD on the tower the view was more than worth it. Well at some point you have to start the journey back, so it is down the steep stairs and past an old barbeque grill (I take it there used to be a picnic table up here, but I think it is gone now). It was amazing how within a half-mile from the Rich Mountain/AT junction that the temperature difference was at least 10 degrees.

On the way back a lot of the snow had melted.

4WD needed on Mill Ridge Rd.

The hike back was just as delightful as the trip up. It was mostly down hill so that might have been some of the reason. We ran into a number of hikers on the way back, it is always fun to interact and trade stories with others on the trail. When we got back to the parking area a family in a passenger car asked about going up the road over the bridge. I guess they wanted to go toward the Mill Ridge area, but the way the road looked I advised them against it.

I will say that at the end of the day with the snow and hiking with a good friend this was one of my favorite day hikes. Oh, and I would recommend this hike to anyone at anytime of the year. Directions to Tanyard Gap: From Greeneville, TN (27.4 miles) take TN 70 S (Asheville Highway) turns into NC 208 S at 24 miles turn right onto US 25/70. Go two miles to Lookout Mountain Road.
Bonus: There were some cool stuff on the way back from Tanyard Gap, so here area some photos.

Turkeys...we spotted them not too far from Tanyard Gap.

Man made waterfall...the old Nolichucky Substation.

The old substation building.

More photos of this hike on my Facebook page.

Day Hikes: Sawnee Mountain

Since I went on a hike Wednesday to Sawnee Mountain in Cumming, GA, I thought it would be a good time to start a new feature I am doing on my blog...day hikes. These will be day hikes I have done and just some thoughts and photos about them. Some will be day hikes while others will be called AT Day Hikes which, it is easy to figure out, are about day hikes on the Appalachian Trail (AT).

So lets get started, first it should be said that the Sawnee Mountain Preserve is on a part of Sawnee Mountain, but the actually summit is not in the park. The Preserve is administered by Forsyth County and, this was my fifth day hike there. I first learned about the park from my wife Deb. She told me that a school colleague of hers said it was a good place for day hiking. So, our first trip was back in March and I will have to say that it made for a good day on the trail. That same month, I made a second solo trip to the park. Deb and I would return for a hike in mid-April just as everything started to bloom. It would be seven months before I set foot in the park, this time in early November for the fall colors.
Compared to Buffalo Mountain, which is a Johnson City, TN park, it is not quite as rugged, but the trails are a lot more challenging than say the Alpharetta Greenway. 

Tribble Gap Entrance.

The park has two entrances; on our first trip to Sawnee we used the Tribble Gap Road trailhead. 

The parking here can be best described as ample. There are also bathrooms, picnic pavilion & a playground. Another feature at the Tripple Gap entrance is the small amphitheater used mostly in the summer. The second access point is the main entrance, which is located off Spot Road. Here is where you find the park’s visitors center. Besides the obligatory bathrooms there is also an information desk, exhibits and classrooms for visiting children. There are programs for school kids and scout troops offered by the park. In the back area of the center there is a nice pond with a mini-waterfall. Tucked back behind the visitors’ center off the Laurel Trail Spur is an interative area for kids with nature activates for kids of all ages. Also at the visitors center is what is called the Learning Platform and Tree Canopy Walk. Finally, I would be re-missed if I didn’t mention the wooden statue of the parks namesake, Sawnee.

Visitors Center & Sawnee.

A course the main draw for myself and countless others is the hiking. There are four official trails and two unofficial. All of these are dirt trails and can be rocky in a number of places, but well maintained. I already mentioned the Laurel Trail Spur, which is .17 mile trail that leads from the visitor center to the Indian Seats Trail. Off the blue blazed Laurel Trail one finds the tree house and the short “unofficial” Fairy Trail. 

The tree house.

The Eaglet Trail is a red blazed nature trail which starts at the Tribble Gap entrance and winds .25 miles before connecting with the Indian Seats Trail. The third trail, the Yucca Trail, is a 0.3 mile Indian Seats bypass trail. It is marked with yellow blaze. There is also a fourth trail which measures about 0.2 miles, and is a bypass trail back to the Tribble Gap Parking lot. All the above trails can be described as easy.

The Fairy Trail.

Eaglet Trail.

Fall colors on the Yucca Trail.

November on the Indian Seats Trail.

The final trail is the park’s main path and that is the Indian Seats Trail. Measuring 3.5 miles, this green blazed loop trail snakes around the park and can be described as moderate in difficulty. From the visitors center the trail has an elevation gain of around 500 feet, which is surprisingly steep, add to that a number of rocky areas and the path is a welcomed challenge.

The Indian Seats Trail has a number of highlights. A point of interest is the site of the old Hampton and Herman Mines. 

Hampton & Herman Mine site.

As some know but most don’t Georgia saw America’s second “Gold Rush” in 1828, still it was until the late 1880’s that mining came to Sawnee Mountain. Also found on the trail are two old mine shafts, which area now gated, but I think they are cool (Deb not as much so). 

South mine shaft.

North mine shaft.

However, the highlight of the trail is the place that gives the path its name, the Indian Seats. They are located on the eastern ridge of Sawnee Mountain. Formed by erosion it looks like three seats. 

Indian Seats information sign.

The Indian Seats.

It is believed that Native Americans used the site for ceremonial purposes, which gives the place its name. Besides the seats themselves, there is are number of rock outcrops and an observation deck. All of these areas afford amazing vistas of the surrounding area, but the view of the North Georgia Mountains is outstanding.

Northwest vista in April from the Indian Seats.

Northeastern vista in November from the Indian Seats.

The observation deck offers a panorama display of the mountains of North Georgia. 

From the Indian Seats Observation Deck.

The funny thing about the Indian Seats is it seems higher up than it really is, but it still is wonderful view. It is still high enough to be a popular place for rock climbing, but remember to get a permit. Without one the fine is in the $200 range.

Looking up to the Indian Seats. The observation deck is in the middle & the seats are to the right.

I would be re-missed if I didn’t mention a few other rules. There is no camping or alcoholic beverages permitted and you can’t hunt there either. Maybe the most important rule is no pets allowed in the park.

With that said, that is about it. Still, if you want a park with challenging trails, nice amenities, and points of interest and best of all great vistas Sawnee makes a great place for a day hike. It doesn’t matter if you area a novice or an experienced hiker it is a great place to spend the day. The park is open daily from 8am to dark. For more information or directions call 770-87-781-2217 or visit the park’s website: http://www.sawneemountain.org.

1-31-2014 Update:
Today I decided to drive-up to the summit of Sawnee Mountain. As I mentioned before the Sawnee Mountain Preserve and the Indian Seats are part of Sawnee Mountain, but separate from the summit.

Sawnee Mtn. Summit from visitors center.

You can see the summit area from the visitor center. I heard today that a trail is planned from the Tribble Gap Parking Lot up to the summit, it is 1.32 miles, but the trail most likely will be longer. The lady at the visitor center said it should be open this time next year.

One of the communication towers.

I was not sure if I should have attempted the trip today because of the snow we had Tuesday that paralyzed the Metro Atlanta area. To my surprise it was clear all the way up with just one slushy spot. So, I went right and parked under the bank of communication towers and there were at least five. Anyway, the summit was about .10 of mile straight ahead on Barker Road. 

The Barker House.

At the summit are two structures. The first looks like a giant spaceship, but it is known as the Barker House. Built by the late architect Jim Baker it was completed in 1979. It is now know owned by Forsyth County. Back in 2005 there was a plan to redevelop the Barker House; this was called Garden in the Sky. Since it is almost

a decade later I don't know if this plan will ever go forward. The second structure is the old fire

Old fire tower.

tower, which from where I was looked in good shape. I didn't try to scale it because there were a couple of no trespassing signs and I thought it was best not to go up. Anyway it looked to be locked.

However, seeing these two structures and since there are plans to bring a trail up here, linking it to the Preserve I think it would be a good idea to make the Barker House a visitor center and open the old fire tower. From the pictures on the internet I found the Barker House has a circular balcony which visitors could use and for those who wanted a bird's eye view there is the old fire tower.

Dunwoody.

I still had a hike to do at the Sawnee Mountain Preserve, so it was back down the mountain. On the decent I did get a cool vista of the Chess Piece Buildings in Dunwoody. Oh, and I had a nice hike, there was still snow and it was beautiful.

Snow on the trail.

Snow at Sawnee Mountain Preserve.

The Beauty Of Winter Waterfalls

This blog is a couple of days late, but with the near zero weather, I think it is still very relevant. Just before I left to come back to Georgia on Sunday, I went on a short hike to the Clark's Creek Managment Area just inside Unicoi County off TN 107 (Erwin Highway). It was actually two short hikes that added up to about 3 miles. The first via the Longarm Branch Trail was to Pine Ridge Falls.

An icy Pine Ridge Falls.

The hike was the idea of my old friend Glen Yelton. He had been sick over the Holidays, so we had not been able to hit the trail for the fortnight I was in Tennessee. On Saturday, I thought about going to Pinnacle Mountain and hike to the fire tower. However, Glen sent me a text and said he was feeling better and wanted to do a short hike, so how could I say no. Anyway, I must give a big thanks to him. The hike might have been shorter than normal, but the beauty of these icy falls (the pictures don't do them justice) was just awesome!

What was interesting that on the way up the Erwin Highway there was hardly any snow anywhere.

Just outside the management area.

Even the snow that had blanked the Bald Mountains just the day before was now almost unnoticeable.

Snow capped Camp Creek Bald on Friday.

So, when we got to the first trailhead I don't think the temperature had yet reached 20 degrees. With this backdrop the trail was like the Christmas song "Walking in a winter wonderland." The cold temperatures had also turned any rocks with water into frozen flows of icicles.

Wall of ice.

Beautiful icicles.

A course, with snow and ice there was also another favorite winter favorite of mine a creek crossing.

Showing how not to try & fall into an ice cold stream.

One of the things about these crossing is that in the summer if you fall into a stream or creek you get wet in the winter you get hypothermia. However, this was by no means even in the same ballpark as the number of crossings on the Squibb Creek Trail that we did back at Thanksgiving.

One of the 16 creek crossing (32 both ways) on the trail to Squibb Creek Falls.

Icy Squibb Creek Falls, but not even close to the ice on my latest outing.

While Pine Ridge Falls were nice it was just the warm-up (pardon the pun). We next went to the trailhead for both the north and south portions of the Sill Branch Trail.

Sill Branch Trailhead.

The trail splits at about .25 miles and the trail we took was the north trail to the Sill Branch Falls.

Sign for the north trail.

The one creek crossing was at the start of the trail, Another hazzard that comes with crossing this time of year happens when you put a foot on a rock and it is fine. Then the next guy comes along and finds a rock coated in black ice. So kids be careful those rocks can be slick.

Glen hopes that rock doesn't have black ice.

When we finally got to the Sill Branch Falls it was a winter post card.

The partially frozen Sill Branch Falls.

While not the biggest or tallest falls, it was beautiful and one of the reasons I like going out in the winter time. One thing I found interesting was it looks like at the base of the falls a glacier was forming. The snow was at least 6 inches thick and one could stand on it.

Standing on the mini-glacier at the base of the falls (I am off the bank).

A frozen pool on Sill Branch.

So, overall it was a nice end wind down my Holiday in Tennessee. To get to Sill Branch Falls from Greeneville, take TN 107 (Erwin Highway) east for approximately 15 miles. Turn right onto Clark Creek (FS 25). Drive approximately 3 miles and the trailhead will be on left. The trailhead for Pine Ridge Falls is another quarter of a mile down FS 25. For more pictures check out my Facebook photos.

Hiking Etiquette On The Trail Or In The Parking Area

Well, this is my first blog of the New Year I thought a good start for 2014 would be a short essay on trail etiquette. Now how one acts on the trail is important. I have met so many nice people, and my last hike at Buffalo Mountain was an example of that as I came across a number of nice people.

Most etiquette on a hike involves how one acts on the trail. Saying hi to other hikers is one piece of trail etiquette. Another, always try to give the right away to those climbing a slope. A third is not to steal from other hikers. I read a store about a guy on the AT (Appalachian Trail) who went on a crime spree back in 2004 (here is a good story about David Lescoe).The morale to this story is just be nice and have consideration for others on the trail is the best policy.

What most don't understand is this should also extend to the parking area too. I think everyone would agree that vandalism or breaking into cars are no-no's at hiking parking areas. However, one thing that some might never consider is parking too close to someone. That is either beside another car and dinging there door or making it hard to get for a person to get in or out of their vehicle. The other no-no, that would seem like common sense is parking too close behind someone and blocking them in. The reason I bring this one up because it just happened to me at Buffalo Mountain.

When I got to the park it was early and my car was one of only two vehicles parked at the Lower Trailhead, and the upper parking area was closed. So, I did come across a number of other hikers on the mountain which means the lot would be full. But, I got back to the car around 5pm the area was almost empty. That is except for someone beside me and another that I will just mince no words about, a complete jacknuts with Maryland tags, had parked right up behind me.

My car is the dark gray one & the Jack-nuts car is the white one.

I did get my car out (after a struggle), but not after scraping the lower right front bumper on a log I was parked next too (and I haven't heard the end of from my wife five days later). It happened right as I cleared the asshat's bumper. I guess I could have waited until this ass-hole showed up and moved his car, but I was afraid I might have ended up in jail. So, idiot from Maryland if your out there or to anyone else just show common courtesy in the parking lot like you would on the trail.