|
|
| Post Number: 1
|
kevinumberger 
Group: Members
Posts: 3632
Joined: Dec. 2005
|
 |
Posted on: Nov. 19 2012, 4:57 pm |
|
   |
went up to joyce kilmer this past weekend....
great weather all around.......not a cloud in the sky...
route was--hangover lead south>hangover>haoe lead trail to naked ground>stratton bald traill> campsite about half mile or so (30 minutes) from naked ground....
route I came out yesterday---campsite>stratton bald trail>slickrock creek trail>nichols cove trail>big fat gap trail...
Parked at big fat gap parking lot...........wasnt really into hiking on saturday as i felt really comfortable in bed but it was a nice day and i knew i'd be kicking myself if i didnt go...
got to parking lot around 1245 pm and figured i'd be good for a quick nap before hitting the trail.......and fwiw, XM radio comes in pretty good at parking lot......listening to the grateful dead channel pre/post hike....
anyways......heading up the trail i was sluggish and not into it.........til.......heard a sound, and looked up to see two bald eagles riding the thermals.....
pumped me up a bit.........
hiking up hangover lead south trail came across a rock embedded into a tree....
climbing up the ridge and passed grassy branch and the campsite there......and came to the overlook.....
got a touch off trail near the intersection up there but found trail and then went out to hangover....
pictures really dont do it justice but here's the view towards the smokies....
after hangover, went out to naked ground......then up stratton bald to find a campsite.........i was running outta daylight and had wanted to see the sunset from a bald but figured i'd have to find a place to camp soon...
so......here's where i picked.......glad i picked up the orange vest friday night as i heard hunting dogs in the area....
view of sunset from campsite.........looking towards loudon....
had a small fire ring and plenty of firewood (which prompted me to stay here).....
next morning, came back through naked ground campsite where i had seen people the night before......
and found this at the fire ring....
since i was running outta time the night before with sunlight, i blew looking for the spring off.........so i went kinda dry through the night but next morning came down slickrock trail, just a few hundred feet from naked ground to fill up at the spring.......
just a trickle...
oh........and here's the view from naked ground....
coming down slickrock trail was interesting to say the least..........glad i came down it instead of up as it was very steep....
the upper reaches coming through the heath bald was cut recently and made for some easy hiking....
came to an overlook and looked back towards hangover lead's overlook that i had taken picture of from day before...
|
 |
|
|
| Post Number: 2
|
kevinumberger
Group: Members
Posts: 3632
Joined: Dec. 2005
|
|
Posted on: Nov. 19 2012, 5:12 pm |
|
 |
shortly after overlook, the trail changed..........less cutting and more blowdowns and whatnot...
basically a glorified manway.....
ya know a blowdown is big where there is a step cut into it.....this is looking up towards the ridge, opposite of travel i was doing....
steep descent with a few blowdowns i had to crawl under/climb over.........
about halfway down, ran into two hunters out looking for their dogs.......i was really surprised to see anyone on this trail but i had been following fresh footprints but i figured it was the people from naked ground campsite....
they called for their dogs and after about 45 minutes of them hiking behind me, found at least one....
while the trail coming down was nice and steep---it wasnt as bad as i thought it was going to be.......but saying that---it wasnt exactly easy...
coming down to the railroad grade is where the trail made another change.....better hiking path, along with a little more around to look at......
the only thing was there were some side trails where things could have become confusing but marked with kairns....
also---one really needs to pay attention to where they are heading as it can be easy to get off trail down in these parts........coming through come of the campgrounds--i just had to use my best judgement as where trail was going....
a few little trickles of streams to cross.....
and then this, which i think is hangover creek, which was the biggest creek crossing i had to do.......but rock hoppable....
down in these parts, there were campsites every so often......especially more near the creek.....
this section of trail, was very beautiful.......nice grade of a trail and creekside.........very nice....
but, i was happy to see this sign as i knew i'd be out soon...
however---one last climb to do.......and i was kinda beat as it had been a long day, so this climb hurt.........
big fat gap coming up from nichols cove was a steep climb and slow going.......
came back to car---turned on grateful dead channel and made my way home....
on the way home, on the tail of the dragon, just a few feet from the overlook near the dam---a bobcat (or that's what i'm guessing it was, as it looked 'cat' like) ran across the road right in front of me........
and literally, coming down slickrock creek earlier in the day-- i had thoughts about wanting to see a bobcat as i had never seen one before..........kinda shocked me a little....
anyway.........thanksgiving is this week and i'm heading north so no backpacking but following weekend thinking about doing another loop in joyce kilmer.......that is---if i want to handle the drive of the dragon.........hate that road and i have been on it a ton this year as i spent a lot of time on fontana earlier in the summer....
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 3
|
kevinumberger
Group: Members
Posts: 3632
Joined: Dec. 2005
|
|
Posted on: Nov. 19 2012, 5:15 pm |
|
|
well..........
i take that back......
i think i saw a coyote.....
looking at images on google and seems more like a coyote as the thing i saw had a long tail.....
well........dang......
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 4
|
magicmomma
Wildest Flower in Tennessee
Group: Members
Posts: 2005
Joined: Sep. 2008
|
|
Posted on: Nov. 19 2012, 5:37 pm |
|
|
Thanks for sharing the TR. Great photos and I enjoyed reading it! I was going to be ugly and come up with a nasty route for you that included Nichols Cove Trail but Ashepabst beat me to it! LOL Oy!
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 5
|
ashepabst
Group: Members
Posts: 1005
Joined: Jul. 2008
|
|
Posted on: Nov. 19 2012, 5:57 pm |
|
|
folks kill me with their garbage laziness... ambitious enough to strap 40 pounds to their backs and hike up a freakin mountain, but hike out with a few ounces of trash?? "nah, too much work."
--------------
/\ /\/\ / \ / \
/\/ \ / \ /\ / \-^/ \^. /\
/ \ \ \/ \ \ / \ \ / \ /\
\ \ \ \ / \/ / \
\ / \
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 6
|
bad knees
Group: Members
Posts: 2381
Joined: May 2007
|
|
Posted on: Nov. 19 2012, 6:14 pm |
|
|
hate that road
Why all the hate? That road is great. JK I drove it in my expedition with the fam once. Had to stop at the garage diner and get a drink. White knuckle all the way.
--------------
There's a story behind that!
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 7
|
VAN
Group: Members
Posts: 3175
Joined: Nov. 2006
|
|
Posted on: Nov. 19 2012, 7:06 pm |
|
|
Thanks for the trip report. We were in the area last halloween 2011 (and yes drove the dragon). We say hiked in Joyce Kilmer, but I would love to go back and explore the area more!
--------------
"Long you live and high you fly. And smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry. And all you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be." -Pink Floyd
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 8
|
kevinumberger
Group: Members
Posts: 3632
Joined: Dec. 2005
|
|
Posted on: Nov. 19 2012, 7:15 pm |
|
|
I was wondering if i was being set up for a tremendous route......as in ----"ahhh....that Umberger......im sick of his weeinie hikes......ill show em one"....
But it wasnt bad......
Nichols cove was going to be part of my initial route but coming down it from.yellowhammer........it will probably be one of the next routes i do.....
As for trash.....yeah......and hell l, even if one were really lazy, just burn it.....
And honestly, in this area i saw more trash than i thought.......hangover had beer cans and other trash......and some of the lower ones in slickrock had cans and what not.....
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 9
|
Tipi Walter
Group: Members
Posts: 294
Joined: Jan. 2007
|
|
Posted on: Nov. 19 2012, 8:26 pm |
|
|
Thanks for the trip report and the good pics. I've done the Nutbuster trail 29 times, 25 up and 4 down. It's my favorite trail in the Slickrock but has over the years fallen apart with little or no trail maintenance. If you'd like to see my fotogs of the trail here's a link---
http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/keyword....HJ3XR8F
Just scroll thru them and you'll see some familiar sights. BTW, if anyone decides to do the Nichols Cove trail I highly recommend they link it with the newly maintained Windy Gap trail as it's great.
--------------
http://trailjournals.com/TipiWalter11
http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 10
|
kevinumberger
Group: Members
Posts: 3632
Joined: Dec. 2005
|
|
Posted on: Nov. 19 2012, 8:33 pm |
|
|
I get car sick real easy when othwr people deive but this road is the only one where if i drive i get sick......
Also.......some of the motorcyclists bug me.......
Not my fault if they wanna make it their personal little play park but i aint budgin if im driving speed limit......
Theres a lot of very stupid drivers on this road.........that put themselves in unneeded danger with their actions......
And being in the business that i am in------i have seen results and gave heard from.mist every angle on it.......
|
|
|
|
|
|
Survival Skills 101 • Eat Better
