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Post by tipiwalter on Jul 28, 2016 9:14:19 GMT -8
Okay boys, here are the highlights of my last 3 backpacking trips into the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina and into Cherokee, Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests. The first trip was in March 2016 and is titled "17 Days with the Cranberries" and includes hiking most of the trails in the Citico/Slickrock wilderness. All pics here--- tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpack-2016-Trips-171/17-Days-with-the-Cranberries/ I get dropped off by my shuttle at Beech Gap TN which is the entrance to the Citico backcountry and run into the Cranbrook School pulling their 46th annual 10 day backpacking trip into the area. This is just one group of about 12 in the area.  Several days later I run into more Cranberries along with Josh and his two boys. It's the same month and time as the Blizzard of '93 but it's a whole different kind of weather.  On Day 6 of my trip I run into my backpacking buddy Patman who wants to camp and hike with me down the Jenkins Meadow trail.  On Day 8 I run into more Cranberries during a surprise snowstorm and we camp together on Haoe Ridge.  On Day 17 it's time to leave the national forest and meet my ride at the Jeffrey Hell trailhead. So ends an excellent trip. |
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Post by tipiwalter on Jul 28, 2016 9:26:13 GMT -8
The next trip happened in May 2016 and is titled "24 Days in the Pisgah Holyland" as I gear up and return to my old backpacking destination from 1980---Upper Creek and Harper Creek etc in Pisgah NF. All pics here--- tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpack-2016-Trips-171/24-Days-in-the-Pisgah-Holyland/ Amy Willow and I used to backpack together in 1985 and so she shuttled me from Asheville and hikes in on the Upper Creek trail which has Heartbreak Hill (as shown) which is steep as my pack is around 100 lbs with 24 days worth of gear, fuel and food. The hump kicks my sac.  Ye olde important Wilson Creek trail map showing The Fish---Pine Ridge trail and Phillips Branch trail, my loop goal.  I pass thru Upper Creek valley and Harper and North Harper valley and climb up to this spot above Huntfish Falls on Lost Cove Creek.  On Day 10 of the trip I finish the Timber Ridge/Lost Cove Creek loop and return to North Harper Creek and visit the falls. Note scale by my water bottle.  On Day 19 I return to Upper Creek Camp to wait for Amy Willow to arrive and set up a basecamp for a reunion of old Pisgah hands. She arrives after a rainy nighthike and I help her set up her tent.  Our group gathers on Upper Creek in the secret canyon gorge and we're having a 34th year anniversary as we all gathered on Upper Creek back in the early 1980s.  On Day 24 it's time to leave Pisgah but first my old backpacking buddy Johnny has to try on Amy's pack. Another good trip comes to an end. |
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Post by llamero on Jul 28, 2016 9:31:17 GMT -8
Looks pretty good. Thanks for posting.
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Post by tipiwalter on Jul 28, 2016 9:37:16 GMT -8
My very last trip happened in June 2016 and is titled "19 Days in a Rattlesnake Furnace" and is a return mainly to the trails of the Citico backcountry. All pics here--- tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpack-2016-Trips-171/19-Days-in-a-Rattlesnake/ After two tough sweaty trips (and Pisgah is hot and humid) I begin this next trip by thoroughly washing my Mystery Ranch pack in Dawn detergent and it comes out looking new.  On Day 7 of my trip I finish several Citico trails and get on Slickrock Creek on the NC side and start up the dreaded Nutbuster trail (my 41st climb of the beast) but near the bottom I run into my hero John Quillen and his GF Laurel. We have a great meetup before they have to leave.  As I climb the Nutbuster trail I run into 6 backpackers from Memphis and they are leaving down the trail as I catch them crossing Hangover Creek.  After I finish my nut eating climb of the Nut trail (3,300 feet in about 4 miles) I reach the high ground at 5,300 and run into another of my backpacking buddies Bryan DeLay on right with his friends.  On Day 11 I leave the high ground and descend the South Fork Citico trail where I run into this guy who wants to share his forest story. We talk and exchange trail notes.  I finish the South Fork trail and backpack up the North Fork trail and head down the rugged Brush Mt trail and run into my second pit viper of the trip. We exchange emails.  And so here I am descending the tough Brush Mt trail and in about 5 days will meet my ride out of the area. Anybody who has backpacked the Brush Mt trail knows how difficult it can be. Great trip overall despite the rattleheads. |
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Post by tipiwalter on Jul 28, 2016 9:46:57 GMT -8
And btw, Backpacker magazine had a writeup of the "toughest trails in America" or something and named the Upper Slickrock Creek Nutbuster one of the 12. They called it the Ballbuster. Here is the article--- www.backpacker.com/trips/wyoming/twelve-toughest-trails/And here is the blurb--- North Carolina
Slickrock Creek Trail
Early afternoon and already our legs quiver. Lungs wheeze like we’ve got a four-pack-a-day habit. For all our effort, though, we’re only partway up the infamous Slickrock Creek Trail in Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness. Two more miles of unrelentingly steeps lie ahead. We’d been warned about this trail, but that’s like telling a kid to stay away from the cookie jar.
The upper section of the Slickrock Creek Trail is widely considered the hardest hike in the southern Appalachians. Its nickname among local hikers is "The Ballbuster." As we found out, all kinds of body parts get worked over on this hike. The fun begins where Slickrock Creek Trail leaves the creek and rockets skyward through dense rhododendron. Successfully completing this climb takes stamina and willpower. You’ll know you passed the test when you burst into the bright sunlight on Stratton Bald and delight in the jaw-dropping vistas of untrammeled wilderness.
Where: Slickrock Creek Trail begins on US 129 near Cheoah Dam and Robbinsville, North Carolina.
Route: Hike a 21.7-mile loop by climbing up the Slickrock Creek Trail and descending the Haoe Lead, Hangover Lead, and Ike Branch Trails. A side trip to Bob Bald adds 2.8 miles.
Grunt factor: 5. The climb from the trailhead to Stratton Bald is 4,181 feet. Then, of course, you have to go down.
The payoff: Camping amid the lush meadows on Stratton Bald, where the delicious combination of cool breezes and wide-open views is unparalleled. |
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Post by rwtb123 on Jul 28, 2016 10:23:45 GMT -8
Thanks for posting.You look still stuck in the 80s, which is a good thing,imo.That backpacker article put Slickrock Creek on the top of my list for NC.I would head down to NC because I liked to climb the steepest trails and still do when I can get to the mountains.And note, Bradwell Bay Wilderness,a swamp hike in No.Fl. that I have done,made the list as well.
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Post by tipiwalter on Jul 28, 2016 12:10:18 GMT -8
The old Nutbuster is still one of the steepest trails no matter how much time goes by. It's well worked and mostly cleared except for a half mile section midway up which is a hell zone full of briars and brush and saplings on poor muddy tread with numerous giant hemlock blowdowns. It's always a struggle for me to get thru. Why the mess? Because we lost most to all of our big hemlock trees to the woolly adelgid several years ago and now these monsters are all starting to fall, obliterating trails. Here's my pics of just the Nutbuster trail taken over the last 15 years--- tipiwalter.smugmug.com/keyword/nutbuster%20trail/ I have divided the Nutbuster trail into 10 sections or legs and Leg 5 is the one full of fresh hemlock blowdowns as above. This shows just two or three of the many big trees that have fallen recently in the leg.  Leg 6 is the steepest and toughest leg of the Nut trail and at the top of leg 6 this used to be the best reststop in the wilderness because it's level and has a little creek. No anymore.  Here is the same spot after a recent hemlock blowdown almost obliterated it. |
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