In November, I took advantage of some unexpected time off from work with a backpacking trip in the Smokies. In December, I decided to go back.

My first challenge was getting there. I originally planned on a 4 day trip, but a severe ice storm hit Charlotte the night before I planned to leave. I pushed the trip back a day, as the roads throughout western North Carolina were a hazard. By Friday, things had improved only a little. To further complicate matters, I was out of stove fuel. The massive power outages throughout Charlotte left the store shelves empty of fuel. I could only hope that I would find some closer to the park.

Getting out of Charlotte was a challenge. Most of the traffic lights were out. Many of the drivers that were on the road shouldn't have been. I finally escaped, and by the time I reached 321 north of Gastonia, I thought it would be smooth sailing. Then I heard the traffic report on the radio. 321 near Lincolnton was closed. I turned around and headed through Shelby.

The rest of the drive went well. I found stove fuel at the Mast General Store in downtown Waynesville. Although the mountains had received snow as well as ice, the roads were in good shape. I finally reached the Smokemont campground outside of Cherokee at 12:30. A normal 3 hour drive had taken 4 1/2, but I guess it could have been worse. I found the campground deserted. It was a cold Friday afternoon, and there was nobody around. I drove to the end of the first campground loop and found a parking space. The rest of the campground was closed, so I'd have to do a little extra hiking.

I filled out my permit and shouldered my pack. I hiked up through the campground, guessing at the direction of the trail. Fortunately I guessed correctly, and found the trailhead at the far end of the campground. I passed a gate, and followed a service upstream along Bradley Fork. The stream is lovely, and provided a nice backdrop for the first day of my hike.

The road eventually dwindled into a trail. I crossed the creek 3 times on sturdy bridges, before reaching the side trail to the Cabin Flats camping area. I followed this path to a pleasant campsite in an open forest along the stream. I encountered the first snow of the trip in this area. Luckily, there was one spot sheltered under hemlocks that was snow free. I pitched my tent here, where I could enjoy the scenery of the surrounding snow without having to sleep on it.

I arrived a little after 3pm, which left plenty of time to set up camp. I gathered firewood carefully. A fire seemed ambitious, given the wet conditions, but the forecast was for temperatures in the teens. Somehow I was able to get a fire going. It provided welcome warmth as the temperatures plummeted. Star- gazing was outstanding, so it was wonderful to stay out and enjoy it for awhile. Finally I had to retire, though, and my sleep was restless due to the cold.

BRIDGE FREEZES BEFORE TRAIL

Friday night's cold resulted in a late start Saturday. I broke camp at 9, with a long day ahead of me. I backtracked a short distance and started up the Dry Sluice Gap Trail. Initially there was a little snow on the trail, but the real problem was the footbridges. The first was a narrow bridge covered in ice. Fortunately I had my Yaktrax ice cleats with me. The trip would have ended prematurely without them, as crossing the bridge would have been impossible. Wading the creek in below-freezing weather wouldn't have been an appealing option either.

After another footbridge, the hike became a long slow climb through the snow. By the time I reached the top of the ridge, there was a good 8" of packed snow. There was an icy crust, so I put the ice cleats back on. It would be two days before they came off again.

The snow was pristine, as there were no footprints to spoil it. That changed when I reached the AT, where there were signs of a couple of people having passed. I still had 6 miles to go, but I knew it was only a short side trip to Charlie's Bunion. It was lunch time, and the weather was perfect. It was cold but sunny, and the wind was bearable. I couldn't pass it up.

I hiked a short distance on the AT to a meadow and a junction with the steep path up to the cliffs. I ascended through fir trees cloaked in ice and reached the top of the cliffs. From my lunch spot, I had an outstanding view. To the south, Mt. Kephart was connected by the Boulevard ridge to Mt. LeConte. Beyond LeConte, a large slice of Eastern Tennessee was visible. In the other direction, waves of mountain ridges extended to the horizon. It was a spectacular view, and it was hard to leave after lunch. However, I still needed to cover 6 miles in the next 4 hours.

I returned to the AT, and encountered two dayhikers. A little later, I ran into 3 thru-hikers heading south from Maine. They looked like they would just be happy to get to Spinger as soon as possible. After they passed, I didn't see anyone else all weekend.

I continued on the AT into the Sawteeth, which is a narrow ridge on the crest of the Smokies. The route was rocky and precarious, and the icy snow added to the excitement. I found an even better view along here. It featured the shattered rock face of Charlie's Bunion in the foreground, with the massive bulk of Mount LeConte behind it. I pulled myself away, and began a long section of snow-covered trail through an old-growth spruce / fir forest. This was a beautiful section of the hike, which really got me in the Christmas mood. It was like having miles of your own Christmas trees. Although many of the Balsams on Mount LeConte and Clingmans Dome have died, the trees in this area appeared fairly healthy.

I neared Pecks Corner, and found a couple of additional viewpoints. One of the highlights was Bradley's view, which gives a spectacular vista down the Bradley Fork valley. I stopped briefly to enjoy it, but couldn't linger long. I still had over a mile to go, and the sun was dropping fast. I didn't relish the idea of hiking through the snow in the dark.

I reached Peck's Corner at dusk. I found the sign directing me to the shelter, but could barely read it. It claimed that the shelter was .2 miles down the Hughes Ridge Trail, but I don't believe it. It was now completely dark, and it took 15 minutes to get there. I'll admit I was moving slow due to the conditions, but that was still the longest .2 mile stretch of trail I've ever experienced. It was a huge relief to get to the shelter.

I settled in, and noted signs requesting that hikers not cook or eat at the shelters due to the danger of bears. The Smokies shelters are infamous for bear encounters, as the bears know they are a reliable location to find food. This shelter wasn't fenced. Unfortunately, it was too late for me to cook and eat elsewhere. Hopefully I wouldn't have anything with a strong odor. Let's see, what's on the menu? Oh yeah, salmon cakes. Bear's don't like salmon, do they?

Dinner was a disaster. The salmon cakes required mayonnaise, which came out of the package in a frozen clump. By the time I combined the mix and salmon, my hands and clothes reeked of fish. I could only hope that the bears were already hibernating.

It was a little warmer the second night, which was fortunate, since I was in a high-elevation shelter. I slept well, despite my concern about bears. Of course, hiking 11 1/2 miles, mostly uphill, in the snow, will tire you out. Falling asleep wasn't a problem for me.

I THOUGHT I SAW A PUTTY-TAT

I got an even later start Sunday. It was 9:45 before I left the shelter. I expected an easier hike though. My route followed Hughes Ridge, which was a gentle route through more spruce / fir forest and snow. The highlight of the hike was the absolute solitude. No one had hiked the trail since the snow fell on Wednesday. Well, I shouldn't say no one had hiked it. It appeared to be a wildlife superhighway. I followed bobcat tracks for miles. Deer prints were everywhere. I spotted markings that were probably from a grouse, or possibly a turkey. At one point, bear prints crossed the trail and descended into the valley below. I guess the bears weren't hibernating yet, after all.

Despite all of the tracks, I didn't see much wildlife. I did spook two grouse, but that was all. Of course, it's hard to sneak up on the wildlife when you're crunching through the snow.

I reached a junction with the Chasteen Creek Trail. My map showed that the Hughes Ridge continues to the far side of Smokemont. However, I had passed a junction with the lower end of the trail on Friday afternoon. This conflicted with what my map showed. Furthermore, another map I'd seen didn't show this section of trail at all. I didn't really want to get lost on the last day of the trip. Instead, I decided to return to Smokemont on the Chasteen Creek Trail.

This trail started out as an ugly old road, which was rocky and difficult to walk on below the snow line. It improved though when I reached the headwaters of Chasteen Creek. Here I found a nice campsite, which offered a nice place for lunch. Beyond, the road stayed high above Chasteen Creek. At one point, a steep path descended to an impressive cascade.

After the waterfall, the trail continued to Bradley Fork. Here I joined the route I had followed on Friday. I backtracked for the final mile, enjoying the opportunity to hike along Bradley Fork once again. I returned to Smokemont at 3:30, which gave me a head start on the long drive back to Charlotte. On the way back, I was already plotting future trips to the Smokies. It had been another wonderful solo trip. Hopefully there will be more to come this winter.

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