It is December 25th which is the Xmas part of Yule. The highlights, a fire outside...I know it feels like Heat Miser is in charge this year. but I still built one. A course we had a dinner of Roast Beast (I made the cranberries). I will have another blog with pictures of Yule 2019. Anyway, no bah humbug, Merry Christmas and a Happy Yule!
Today, I went to see Star Wars the Rise of Skywalker, the last of the original saga. While the movie was good I am doing this to see if I can put up a Quick/Live Blog on the updated Blogger App. I didn't do this in Morristown because I wanted a little time to do, so here goes...
Well, Saturday was the Winter Solstice and what better way to celebrate the heart of Yule than a hike. However, this was no ordinary hike but another key swap hike with the Mid-Appalachian Hiking Club. This time the hike was Indian Grave Gap to Chestoa, just outside Erwin.
For me personally, this hike completed the Appalachian Trail (AT) section Iron Mountain Gap to Chestoa (more on that later). Well, the section was actually finished when I reached Nolichucky Campground as I hiked to here back in 2017. For this hike, we were starting at Indian Grave Gap while the Johnson City Hiking Club (JCHC) was starting at Chestoa. If you haven't guessed ours was the mostly downhill part. Another thing that made it feel like the Winter Solstice...snow. While it was not too cold in Johnson City at Indian Grave Gap it was cold and there was still snow lying around.
The highlight of the first half was a side trip to Fort Foster. If you haven't heard of it I hadn't either. It is not on any AT map and the reason is people from both clubs basically bushwhacked the 0.2-mile trail to this beautiful rock outcrop. It wasn't a bad trail, but one of my fellow hikers said it was a lot more grown over in Summer. Still, the outcrop (which can be seen on the drive up) provides wonderful views of Unaka Mountain, Indian Grave Gap, and Erwin. But, it was windy and cold, that is why I care about a thermos of hot tea.
After returning to the AT we headed down to Curley Maple Gap. You first pass the remains of the old shelter before reaching the current one (it is where we met the JCHC crew). This block and wood shelter was originally built in 1961 and refurbished in 2010. It is a double-deck shelter that is roomy as it sleeps 14.
Once leaving the Gap the AT flattened out with a lot of footbridges. When we reached the trail junction to the Nolichucky Campground the section was done but not the hike. It was 1.3 more miles to Chestoa and our vehicles. Overall it was close to nine miles and we actually finished before the JCHC...win!
It is mid-December and that means it is time for the annual The Clinch Coalition (TCC) Holiday Dinner, Tuesday evening at the Tacoma School
I headed over early to help set up, but I did have time for a couple of stops and views plus rime ice.
Like always it was good food, a good speaker (Bill Cawood from Natural Tunnel State Park) and a nice silent auction. We also had snow. We had a good crowd, but some old friends were missed. Overall, it was another fine holiday dinner...
It has taken a few days to get this up, but it was deja vu, Thursday, for another snow adventure in the Cherokee National Forest (CNF). This wasn't the only reason because like my last time here plans changed, but this time the back-up hike was the one I was supposed to do in November...the Turkey Pen Cove-Middle Springs Ridge Trails Loop.
I didn't plan to start in Horse Creek Recreation Area, but next door at Old Forge Campground. I hiked out of here last May Day and camped here in September. My plan for the day was to take the Jennings Creek Trail for about a mile and go left on the Poplar Cove Trail. From here it was almost another mile, connecting with the Sarvis Cove Trail, where the hike begins. From here it was a steep 2.6 miles to Cold Springs Mountain and back.
The trail out of the campground cross Jennings Creek and on my past two visits crossing was no problem, but not today. Because of snowmelt, Jennings Creek was roaring and the crossing was high and as it turns out there was no way to cross without getting my feet wet. With it, in the 20s I didn't want that as it would have ended the hike anyway. So, what to do? I thought about driving an hour to Hot Springs, but that is a long drive. I then thought about Pete's Branch Falls, but it is the one I did as a backup in November. Plus there are some wide Creek crossing that might be just as troublesome as Jennings Creek. Then there is Squibb Creek and it's 15 Creek crossings one way...I thought better of that. However, there is it's neighboring trails, Turkey Pen Cove and Middle Spring Ridge, the loop I was supposed to do back before Thanksgiving. I had to abort this hike because of heavy snow bending rhododendrons down over the trail. This snow wasn't as heavy so I thought it was doable. Oh, I could always do Squibb Creek.
So, I started from the Horse Creek Trailhead, across the bridge into the Sampson Mountain Wilderness. After seeing the water flowing on Horse Creek I decided to head back to the car for my L.L. Bean leather boots. While my Salomon's are waterproof the L.L. Bean's are my winter boots. I have a love/hate relationship with them. They are warm and watertight, but they are heavy and I don't know if they are fully broken in ( I have owned them for six years).
So, I got across the first three creek crossings before reaching the start of the Turkey Pen Cove Trail. While there was some bend down it wasn't like last time and I passed where I got to before. On the way, I slipped and stepped in the water, up the laces. I did have some more rhododendrons to navigate, but I got through without getting too wet. As the trail moved up the ridge turning left away from Turkey Pen Cove the rhododendron gave way to hardwoods and eventually pines.
It is here at about 1.2 miles that it switchbacks up. That also means there are some wonderful views through this section, especially in winter. The higher I went the warmer it got and the less snow there was. Probably was this part of the trail was in full sunshine. When the trail straightens out for the final 0.3 miles it gets steep. It was a little shaded, so there was snow on the trail. A problem I had most of the hike was real evidence, it was icy, slick and hard going with the heavy, heavy boats. It was here where I want my Salomon's back!
After slogging uphill what seemed like forever the trail leveled off and I reached the junction with the Middle Springs Ridge Trail. Something different than two years ago was a new trail sign, which is always a plus. After lunch and some foot repair, I headed down the Middle Springs Ridge Trail. This is a trail I had done twice before and because of that I know it's steep. However, with snow and ice, it was steeper and the narrow spots seemed more so...I was very careful.
As I headed down I ran into tracks in the snow and it was obvious what they belonged too...a bear. It was a good size bear as its paws were as big as my hand. These tracks solved a mystery about some others I found earlier in the day. I had seen tracks in the snow and they were canine, but now I realized they were bear dogs (I had also seen trucks with dog boxes near Old Forge).
The trail finally flattened out as it reconnected with the Squibb Creek Trail which I headed back to the trailhead on. It was amazing how much snow had melted in the hours since I last past through here. It also had increased the water flow even more. Once again a change of plan led to more adventures in the CNF.
