Today's hike is a long one, encompassing 4 trails. Beginning and ending on Bradley Fork, I also walk on Cabin Flats, Hughes Ridge and Chasteen Creek Trails. Having spent the night in Smokemont, I was able to walk from my tent site to the Bradley Fork Trail. This is a two track road capable of handling regular vehicles if not for the mud. In fact I did meet an park employee driving a park SUV on his rounds, checking boar traps.
With recent rains, the creek was rushing. I was told by a fisherman, the creek level receded substantially during the day but that went unnoticed by me. The creek is supplemented by many small nameless streams of silvery water, pouring down every forest draw. The roar of the creek was with me until about the 4 mile mark, went I crossed the creek on an old steel bridge and then climbed away from the water, temporarily.
The bridge, pictured below, struck me as odd. It is only 5 feet wide and 8 feet high. Too small for a train or auto and too low for horseback riders. The guidebook calls it a trestle bridge??
From here it is a short stroll to a right turn leading to Cabin Flats, my lunch spot. Back by the creek, this large flat area appears to have supported a home and farm long ago.
My trek today, has me retracing back to the steel bridge and continuing up Bradley Fork Trail to Hughes Ridge Trail. This is a tough uphill that seems to never end. The trail is rutted from horse traffic and not terribly scenic. I'm quite glad to finally reach Hughes Ridge and start back down again.
With a much quicker pace, I descend to Chasteen Creek Trail. Much of this trail is a two track which supports horse traffic but is in good shape. The trail is well above the creek for a long stretch. I enjoy this scenic trail in the late afternoon. When I reach the junction with Bradley Fork trail, an old homesite on the left, deserves a quick look. Daffodils are in bloom and some red bushes I can not identify are located here. The trail from here back to Smokemont has a number of hikers today.
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