Jun 16 Gregory Bald

 

I got an early start on the Gregory Ridge Trail. There were 6 cars in the parking area at 7am. The forecast was for some rain coming through late morning so I carried rain gear. The 13 mile roundtrip prompted me to load extra water and quick energy snacks. This is my 7th trip to Gregory Bald. I really expected more people to be hiking today but the blooms weren't quite at peak. My guess is that the weekend would be peak and quite crowded. 

The trail, initially, follows Forge Creek and crosses it a few times in the first mile. At about the 2 mile mark, I passed by campsite 12. There was one tent set up but I did not see anyone. It would be a long hike and the 3300 feet of elevation gain was going to be tough. I stopped about every 30 minutes to hydrate and catch my breath. 

At 4.9 miles, I arrived at the junction with Gregory Bald Trail and knew I was just a half mile from the bald. That last leg, starts up steep and ends steep but in between in a nice easy walk. It was here that I encountered the first hikers of the day. There were 7 of them and they had stayed last night at campsite 13, now headed down the way I had come. 

Prior to entering the bald, I put on my snake gaiters. The bald has lots of tall grass and I knew I wanted to meander about and didn't want to have to worry about snakes. Rattlesnakes are often encountered here but I have never seen one. 

I spent an hour in the bald, trying to see all the azalea bushes. There was one bush in particular I wanted to find. It was the candy-striped one. I never found it but did find all the other colors I knew to be there. Take a look at the various colors and shades. Notice that several bushes were just budding. More were budding that declining.  

I began to run into hikers, not many, but a few. I ate lunch with a couple guys from Farragut TN. While there, 3 rangers on horseback with a mule hauling fuel passed by. I later spoke with them while they ate their lunch. They had come up hauling fuel so they could mow pathways for the expected crowds still to come. They have a couple mowers hidden up there. They are self propelled and had been walked up years ago. These guys came up from Twenty-Mile Ranger Station which is the only access open to horses. As they crossed the bald, a rattlesnake buzzed them. I'm glad I missed that during my walkabout. While I was speaking with them, one of the horses was getting stung by some bees. So, there is that hazard up there too. 

Walking down, I joined the Farragut guys for most of the way. There were probably 40 hikers headed up on my return hike. Three of them were ranger gals headed up to address an issue somewhere other than the bald. They did not say what that issue was. I was just about at my limit when I stepped into the parking area. Great Hike!! Maybe I'll do it again.