Dec 9 Rhododendron and Injun Creeks

 

It is chilly start to a day that never warms up much. On the Greenbrier Rd in the Smokies, I find my parking spot right next to where Rhododendron Creek enters the Pigeon River. This is former Whaley land. The manway I intend to follow roughly follows the creek to Grapeyard Ridge Trail which continues to follow the creek for several miles. The manway starts out on level ground for about one tenth of of a mile, then crosses the creek. The crossing can be creative but was rather straight forward today. 

Sarah Owenby grave off Injun Creek

Now the waterfall show begins. They are all rather small falls but they come right after one and another for an entertaining upward hike. I'd guess you pass 10 waterfalls but several are quite obscured by vegetation even in winter. The trail narrows and has several "too close to the edge" moments. This is the area in which I encountered 4 boar last month. None today.

Christmas decorations

Eventually I make it to the top and join the Grapeyard Ridge Trail. Just below this intersection are the ruins of a Messer homesite. The Grapeyard Ridge trail is like a highway compared the Rhododendron Creek manway. The trail crosses the creek several times. They are easy enough crossings with today's water flow but they can all be wet crossing very easily. 

Not a chimney

The steam engine wreck

Dodgen-Rayfield cemetery

Oyster mushrooms

Snakeskin liverwort

First waterfall headed up Rhododendron Creek

More waterfalls

More Waterfalls

Nov 2 Hemphill Bald Hike

 

Today's hike included side diversions to Soco Falls and the Masonic memorial before arriving late morning at Polls Gap ready to hike.

Soco Falls, on Cherokee land, has been an attraction for generations. The roadside pulloff and scramble route down to the waterfall has been an a fun stop for me for years. During the past year, the access received a major upgrade. There is now a long looping parking area along a former section of Rt 19. From there, a rather long and steep trail leads to the waterfall. The old previous route was very short but sketchy. This new alignment is much much longer but can be accessed by many more folks. 

The spot is actually the site of two waterfalls on separate creeks as they flow together here. You do have to scramble down to the plunge basin to see both falls.

Polls Gap trailhead

Blue Ridge carrion flower berries form these cool balls of blueish black berries, popular with wildlife. I saw one in bloom back in June on Andrews Bald. It is in the Smilax family and gets its name from its hideous odor. 

Hemphill Bald Trail is a 5.5 mile long trail from Double Gap to Polls Gap. The hike today is a mile shorter to Hemphill Bald and back today. That makes a 9-10 mile out and back. I very much enjoyed the wonderful trees along this route. Older trees develop character. This trail certainly had a lot going on in that respect. Lots of Buckeyes, Birches, Basswoods, Beech and some others that don't begin with "B". 

At the bald.

Looking toward Max Patch

Lots of burls today

Cataloochee Ski lift out there

Lung lichen

Much of the trail follows  old road bed with the remains of a Locust split rail fence. The trail was the property line, once you a get to the open fields owned by the adjacent high end Cataloochee Ranch resort. I checked to see what a room tonight would cost. $1387.50 including all meals. My 3 night stay at Stonebrook set me back $405 (breakfast included). 

The walk in a mature hardwood forest became forest on one side and open areas forever on the other once the Cataloochee Ranch property is reached. Most of the forested hike is side sloped with occasional views to the north. 

Once out in the open of the bald area, winds picked up and shortened lunch despite it being one of the great view sites in the park. Long range views were in 3 directions, all mountainous terrain. A beautiful stone picnic table is open to the public here on Ranch property. 

That hollow tree

Nov 1 Charlies Bunion

 

On the morning drive to Newfound Gap, this elk is enjoying a salad in the morning mist. Temperatures slowly dropped on the drive from Cherokee to Newfound Gap. Once at the parking area, bundled up, the hike began. From Newfound Gap, it is about 4 and a half miles to Charlies bunion. The first couple of miles are steadily upwards. Once the trail makes the crossover from the NC side of the ridge to the Tennessee side, ice begins to appear on trail puddles and treetops.  

This is the side trail leading to Charlies Bunion off the AT. Charlies bunion is a large exposed rock that resembles a giant bunion. Apparently that is what Horace Kephart thought when he saw it on a hike with George Masa and their guide Charlie Conner. Somehow, Kephart was able to get that nickname for the rock listed as Charlies Bunion on government maps. 

Check out the red berries of the Witch hobble bush. There were many of these Viburnum bushes along the higher elevations of the trail. This photo looks out over the Porter creek watershed. 

Delicate fern moss shivers in a shady spot on the trail. Once up close to the 6000 foot elevation, ice was a large factor for hikers. As the sun warmed up the ridge, ice from the treetops began to fall, sometimes in softball size clumps. A hat provided little protection here. 

Ice clumps form around the Witch hobble berries, bringing entire berry ice clumps falling along the trail. 

After lunch by the bunion, peering out over the Porter creek watershed, the return hike included a stop at The Jumpoff. This photo was taken on the top of Mt Kephart (6217 ft) along the spur trail to The Jumpoff.  

The view from The Jumpoff is also looking out over the Porter creek watershed but from a much higher vantage point. I could spot people at the bunion. 

It is almost straight down from the scenic spot.

Looking north from The Jumpoff, a group of six 6000+ footers line the mountainscape. 

Sequoyah 6003'

Chapman 6417'

Yonagusta 6120'

Marks Knob 6169'

Guyot 6621'

Old Black 6370'

Oct 18 Hammonasset Beach

 

The rugged shoreline here is part of the massive moraine left by the last glaciation. The small rocks here are of many different types, different ages and from so many different places. 

Hammonasset has a sizeable wetland which has some forest on the edges. This is a popular birding location. We saw quite a few birders and groups enjoying a Saturday morning. 

Common glasswort grows in the salt marshes here. Pannes are depressions in the salt marsh which hold a little salt water between tides. This gives the mud a high salinity, inhospitable to most plants except glassworts. This is the fall "red" stage of the plant. It gives the salt marsh a red tint as you look out over it. 

Between the salt marsh

More glasswort

Another salt loving plant, Triangle orache. Check out those leaves. 

Slipper snail shells

Although, Hammonasset has a beautiful sandy beach that seemingly never ends, this beach is composed not of sand, just slipper snail shells. If you dig down in them, some of the shells have broken down but it is still almost 100% slipper snail shells. There is some worry about this. The slipper snail population is soaring. Some folks think the overharvesting of oysters has left a void the snails are filling. 

Hints of red from the glasswort