THWARTED AGAIN

Last Saturday Christy left for a 2-week trip to Denmark. She is chaperoning a group of teenagers from her school on an exchange program. I was left behind, with the task of keeping the dogs entertained. In my mind, the best way to accomplish that was to take them hiking. Since Christy isn’t here, I didn’t feel a need to hurry home. So I decided that this was a good weekend for Kona’s first ever backpacking trip.

Bob S happened to have a rare weekend off, and he was eager to join me. Bob J was also in the mood for a backpacking trip. I planned a route in the Mackey Mountain area near Old Fort, NC. This area was part of the first National Forest in the United States, and it features old growth forest, obscure waterfalls, and lightly traveled trails. I planned a route that would hit some of the highlights of the area, including the waterfalls on Hickory Branch, Mackey Creek, and Mackey Mountain itself.

I was looking forward to this hike for a couple of reasons. First, it’d been about 15 years since I’d last hiked the Mackey Mountain Trail. Also, I was eager to return to Mackey Creek. I’d been there once, quite a few years ago, but I didn’t get the chance to really explore it. I tried to return a few years later, but was thwarted when the trail disappeared deep in the forest below Lead Mine Gap.

I met Bob S near Gastonia and he rode with me from there. We met Bob J at the Curtis Creek Campground, which was pretty busy on Saturday morning. We left Bob J’s vehicle near the campground, where we would finish our hike. From there we rode together up to the Mackey Mountain Trailhead farther up Curtis Creek Road. We found the trailhead where gated Sugar Cove Road (FS1188) meets Curtis Creek Road. The trailhead isn’t otherwise marked, and parking is limited.

We got a late start due to some logistical challenges, but still managed to hit the trail a little after 11am. The Mackey Mountain Trail follows a ridge south about 6 miles, passing just below the summit of Mackey Mountain itself. Beyond Mackey Mountain it drops down to Deep Cove Gap. From there, we hoped to find an old trail leading down Laurel Fork Creek to Mackey Creek. Once at Mackey Creek we’d hike upstream until we found a campsite. On Sunday, we’d try to find another old trail that used to connect Mackey Creek with the Hickory Branch Trail. The last time I’d attempted that route we’d lost the trail about half way down to the creek. I was hoping we’d have better luck this time, but we were all prepared for the possibility of bushwhacking.

We headed up the trail, which begins with a short but stout climb on switchbacks. Once beyond the initial climb we enjoyed some easy walking along the ridge. This part of the trail featured numerous beds of colorful Dwarf Iris and Crested Dwarf Iris. I had anticipated finding a lot of wildflowers on this hike, and the irises did not disappoint. However, there wasn’t much else blooming. I saw only one Trillium, and the Carolina Rhododendron was just beginning to bloom.

Kona and Boone were both enthusiastic about being on the trail. Kona raced up and down the path, while Boone was a bit more subdued. Boone was carrying a pack with food and water for both of them.

We followed the trail to an unmarked junction with the Sam’s Ridge Trail. A bit beyond was another unmarked junction, this time with the Sam’s Creek Trail. We continued ahead, descending steeply before climbing to Narrows Knob. This stretch of trail featured a stunning amount of litter, which was surprising for such a lightly traveled route. The parade of trash was capped by a sweatshirt next to the trail. Bob picked it up and draped it over a tree branch. That way if someone came looking for it they’d be sure to see it.

A steep climb followed another steep descent, but at least there was a payoff. Less than a ½ mile beyond Narrows Knob we reached the first viewpoint of the day. It featured a nice view to the northeast, over rugged ridges and deep valleys cloaked in the bright green of spring. A bit beyond that overlook we found another outcrop with an ever better view. We stopped for lunch there to take advantage of the scenery.

While eating, Bob S mentioned that when he was young some of his friends called him J Bob. This caught my interest, because it can get rather confusing when you’re hiking with two guys named Bob. I decided on the spot to call him J Bob going forward. Bob J would remain Bob J, or possibly Bobba J if I was feeling silly.

Observant readers might point out that hiking with J Bob and Bob J wouldn’t really be any less confusing than just hiking with two guys named Bob. I don’t care – I like those names and I’m sticking with them.

After lunch we resumed our climb. The ridge broadened out and the views faded away as we disappeared into the forest. After some time we passed a tree with an arrow pointing to the left carved into the trunk. This was puzzling, as the reason for the arrow was not apparent. There was no trail (or really anything else) to the left of the tree. We continued ahead, following the obvious trail.

A few minutes later we reached an obscure junction. A prominent trail follows the ridgeline to the left here, while a faint path continues ahead, contouring along the southeast side of the ridge. I consulted the map, which doesn’t show any side trails between Narrows Knob and Deep Cove Gap. I thought we were still a fair distance short of Mackey Mountain itself, but I wasn’t certain. Could the path to the left be a side trail to the summit?

My initial instinct was to follow the trail to the right, even though it was obviously less traveled. One of these days I’ll learn to trust my instincts.

We debated the route for a bit before I concluded that we might actually be a short distance from the summit of Mackey Mountain. I didn’t think we’d made it that far, but I knew that the Mackey Mountain Trail contoured below the summit on the southwest side. Perhaps we were already at the point where the trail left the ridge? If so, we should follow the ridge to bag the summit, before backtracking to rejoin the trail.

We continued climbing along the ridge. The trail remained in good shape all the way to the summit, which we mistook Mackey Mountain. The peak was wooded and there was no view, but we paused there anyway for a rest. After a breather, we pushed ahead, as the trail continued. Originally I thought that we’d have to backtrack, but if the map was correct, following the ridgeline ahead would lead us back down to rejoin the main trail. At that point, my guess was that the official trail was lightly traveled because most hikers took the alternate route over the summit.

All of these thoughts were horribly, horribly wrong.

We descended steeply along a rather primitive trail. A couple of spots required some mild scrambling, but we pressed on. Eventually we reached a modest gap in the ridge. This was unexpected, and definitely didn’t look right. Consulting the compass revealed that we were heading northeast. We should’ve been moving southeast. Oops.

I decided to shed my pack to scout ahead. I hiked over a minor knob before resuming the descent. The whole time I continued moving northeast. After less than 10 minutes I reached a knob with a thru-the-trees view of an impressive lake far below. It was obviously Lake Tahoma, which was not a welcome sight. That view of Lake Tahoma confirmed my growing suspicion – we were waaaaay off course.

I hurried back to where J Bob and Bob J were waiting. I explained the situation. The good news was that I knew where we were. The bad news was that it wasn’t where we were supposed to be. This didn’t go over well, but we all knew what we had to do.

We climbed back up to the summit of the peak that isn’t Mackey Mountain. My map refers to it as point 3,890’, but I think it needs a proper name. Since there was a startling amount of liter on that mountain, I’ve come up with several appropriate suggestions:

Mount Trashmore

Redneck Point

Slob Knob

Leave No Trace of Responsibility Mountain

Additional suggestions are always welcome.

We decided to hike back to the original junction and pick up the correct trail. It was getting late, but we had enough time to hike at least as far as Deep Cove Gap to camp. We backtracked down the mountain in silence. After a few minutes I realized that we needed to watch for the trail, since the junction would be at an angle behind us. I began to keep a close eye out, but after a few minutes I began to suspect that we’d already passed it. A couple of minutes later we reached the tree with the mysterious arrow carving. I turned around and headed back, sure we’d missed it. J Bob and Bob J thought otherwise, and after again backtracking for 5 minutes, I began to think that they were right. We turned around again, but this time I pointed out that I wasn’t going to spend the rest of the evening hiking back and forth along this stretch of trail. If we didn’t find it this time, we would just have to retreat to the car and find a place to camp for the night. Camping on the ridge wasn’t an option, as we were all running low on water.

We continued backtracking, but the junction failed to materialize. When we reached our lunch spot we stopped for a well-deserved break. From there we had to suffer through a couple of steep climbs, but at least we knew where we were headed! We were well past Narrows Knob when I realized that I hadn’t seen the sweatshirt Bob had picked up earlier in the day. J Bob and Bob J didn’t see it, either. Had another hiker taken it? It seems unlikely, as we didn’t see anyone else all day. My guess is that we were all so tired that we’d hiked past it without noticing it.

We returned to my car without further drama. My initial thought was to drive back down to Curtis Creek Campground for the evening. However, I didn’t really want to stay in a campground, and I figured that the primitive sites along Curtis Creek Road would be full. Instead, we headed up Curtis Creek Road towards the Parkway. We cross the Parkway and picked up another gravel forest road heading down towards the South Toe River. After a couple of miles we reached an official primitive campsite. We took the site, which featured lots of room for tents and a nearby stream. The dogs were particularly enthusiastic about the creek. They had finished off 3 quarts of water between them during the hike but were eager for more. Both of them played in the creek while I filtered water, and Kona actually got a case of the “zoomies” in the stream, sprinting at full speed in random directions for no apparent reason.

That evening we dined on our backpacking meals, and J Bob and Bob J generously shared some wine. That night was Kona’s first in a tent, and she did well. The only problem was the hooting of a nearby owl. Each time the owl called out, Kona barked in response.

Our hike had started out well, but ended in disappointment. Mostly I felt bad because J Bob rarely gets weekends off, and therefore doesn’t get the chance to go backpacking often. I knew he’d been looking forward to a true backpacking trip, and car camping at a primitive site just wasn’t the same thing. I hoped to make it up to him with a great dayhike on Sunday. Fortunately, we were surrounded by some of the best hiking destinations in the southeast.

I don’t take failure lightly. I’m already planning a return to Mackey Mountain. I think I’ll take a different approach next time. Mackey Creek is probably most easily reached from Curtis Creek Campground. I also want to do a separate hike on the ridge to Mackey Mountain itself.

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