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'
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