Meadowrue
The plan today is to begin hiking at Davenport Gap on the AT. There is a 1.9 mile section I have yet to complete. Then continue on the AT another mile to Lower Cammerer trail and hike it for about 3 miles to a point at which I have completed from the other direction. Then retrace back to Davenport Gap.
It was a very nice day and I made good progress. As I was hiking the coves on Lower Cammerer I recalled a Jenny Bennett blog entry of an off trail route up Mt Cammerer. After consulting my map, I concluded it might be this well worn but unmaintained trail I saw crossing Lower Cammerer. I hiked up a bit and I could clearly see Mt Cammerer and the firetower. This may not have been her route, but it sure looked like it followed a ridge, I later learned was Groundhog Ridge.
This is the glimpse I got. It didn't look far but that last part looked rather steep. So off I went on the path. It was steep and of course did not have any switchbacks. Although steep, the path wasn't technical at all. I kept getting views toward the peak and could judge my progress.
Things went well until I started up a particularly steep section. This one was mired in mud. I would have to negotiate a sea of mud with no handholds. My poles went into the mud 18 inches at one point. I had to be very cautious and deliberate. One slip would have sent me tumbling down in mud. My only route eventually was to crawl through a heath thicket making sure I didn't lose my glasses. I could see sky above and thought I had reached the top. Nope, it was a false summit. I had a flat section to traverse and then the really steep section. The flat section was easy but I kept worrying what lay ahead. Again, I had to crawl in mud and heath.
It doesn't look so bad in the photo. I had just crossed another mud sea and the trail looked a bit better. Suddenly I was on exposed rock and the tower was just a short rock hop away.
Looking back down my route
Seeing the tower just ahead
The hike back to the car was on the AT. I met several thru hikers and day hikers. I also heard a scream which I think was a Barred Owl.
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