Having admired the view from the Jump Off and Charlies Bunion many times, I finally had the opportunity to head into that wild area and experience it as a backpack hiker. It's early November, leaves are putting on a show, weather is chilly and besides being a bit anxious, I'm excited to heft that pack over my shoulders and see this place. The drive from Gatlinburg takes us through the demarcation of colorful leaves and fallen ones. The temperature steadily drops into the 20s. There is a small crowd at Newfound Gap. We strap on the packs and start moving. I'm hiking the first day with a longtime friend just finishing up a section hike of the AT.
The trail climbs steadily from Newfound Gap, first on the NC side and then on the Tenn side. It always colder and more exposed on the Tenn side. We see the first ice and snow of the day. The trail levels briefly at the 1.7 mile mark when the Sweat Heifer Trail drops down the right side to Kephart Prong.
Ice Water Shelter is a mere 3 miles from the trailhead. A stone structure with a tarp across the opening. It get overused and is never appealing to me. There is a water source in the trail just past the shelter.
Now it is on to Charlies Bunion. A couple day hikers pass us in this area. I made the obligatory diversion at the Bunion. Icicles cling to the cliff side here.
Soon we pass Dry Sluice Gap trail and I'm on trail I've never hiked before. In this area, the ridge which forms the border between the two states, narrows to 3 or 4 feet wide in some spots. Its a long way down on both sides. An rock formation here is called the Sawteeth. I didn't note it until after I had passed through.
The afternoon was spent walking on this narrow ridge, sometimes sidesloping it. It was difficult to know where we were due to the lack of notable landmarks. It was late afternoon and beginning to darken, when I made it to Pecks Corner shelter. There were 6 others already cooking and settling in. Ben and his wife from Canada were gathering wood. The other 4 were locals accompanying a young fellow from Peru. Everyone had a hard day but I felt fairly fresh.
Dinner consisted of freeze dried bean chili and a cup of tea. It was dark when I finished. The shelter was quite dark. A tarp covered the opening to hold heat in. Ben continued gathering wood until after dark. He started a fire in the shelter's fireplace. By this time everyone was in bed. I pulled the sleeping bag over my head about 7pm and tried to sleep. Sleep did not come until the wee hours and I don't think I managed but an hour or two. About 7am, we all started stirring. I cooked some oatmeal and more tea. I was ready to go before 8.
This area was seldom traveled until the CCC built the trail. Prior to the trail, Arnold Guyot bushwacked through this area in the 1850s. During his summers off from Princeton, he conducted meteorologist experiments and studied the geography of the Appalachians Mountains from Mt Oglethorpe in Georgia to Mt Katahdin in Maine for the Smithsonian. His work led to the creation of both the Appalachian Trail and National Weather Service. Guyot often camped atop the tallest mountains because he thought the most accurate barometric pressure readings occurred at sunrise. His mountain elevation measurements were lost until 1929. His readings were the most accurate for the time period he made them. The third highest point in the east is named for him, Mt Guyot 6621'. I passed up the bushwack to the top. It would have added almost a mile to my hike.
My hike on the second day will be longer that the initial 10 miles to Pecks Corner. I'm trying to hike out to Cosby Campground. With the added roadwalk, it'll be about 18 miles. My pace is brisk to get it all done in daylight. My hiking companion has opted to head back to Newfound Gap instead of continuing to Cosby.
The climbs up Mt Sequoyah, Mt Chapman and Mt Guyot seemed never ending. Mt Sequoyah is named for the Cherokee Indian who developed the Cherokee written language. The only person to ever have created an entire written language.
As the morning wore on, my spectacular views became shrouded in mist. A cool breeze accompanied it. I passed TriCorner Knob shelter. TriCorner is so named for the 3 ridges which intersect here. Arnold Guyot thought the state boundary went along the the more dominant Balsam Mountain Ridge. So that is where he diverted.
I met several folks along the trail. A group of three were going to Porters Gap, then bushwack down to Porter Flats on a manway. They looked hardy. Another day hiker was doing a 22 mile loop. I met him about 11am and he was only 6 miles into his hike, I hope he had a headlamp and extra batteries.
Somewhere between Mt Guyot and Snakeden Ridge, I passed this lovely section of trail that was bathed in lush green moss. It is reminiscent of Grandfather, Beech and Sterling Mountains. The dark spruce canopy and mist added to the magic.
I stopped to eat lunch at the junction with Snakeden Trail. Then headed down Snakeden. It is a very rocky trail which aggravated my feet. By the time I reached the campground, I had some blisters forming.
I walked to the beginning of the Cosby entrance road and was about to hitchhike on Rt 32 to either my truck at Big Creek or the nearest lodge in the other direction. I met a couple walking their dogs and asked if they thought I would get a ride to Big Creek or was better off heading the other direction. The big fellow with full beard said he'd take me after walking the dogs. So I got to spent about 30 minutes with Alaska Tom and hear his story of living in a cabin north of Fairbanks with no electricity and no running water.
The section of trail from Icewater to Tricorner is among the most spectacular I have hiked. I would love to do it again.
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