THE DARK TOWER

 

 

Our Spring Break trip plans went through a lot of changes, but one thing remained constant – Christy wanted to do a backpacking trip in the Smokies.  I considered a lot of options, but kept coming back to Mount Sterling.  The fire tower on the summit provides one of the best views in the park, and there is a campsite just below it.  It had been 15 years since my last visit, and I was itching to go back.  My only prior visit to Walnut Bottoms was even more distant – approximately 1996 or 1997, if I recall correctly.

 

I considered doing a loop from Cataloochee, but ultimately decided to approach it from Big Creek.  We would hike in from the Big Creek Trailhead to Walnut Bottoms on Friday afternoon.  I figured it would be manageable with a late start, since it is an easy 5 mile hike.  On Saturday we’d hike the Swallow Fork Trail up to Pretty Hollow Gap.  Then we’d follow the Benton McKaye Trail up to the summit of Mount Sterling.  We’d camp there Saturday night and get up early for sunrise on Easter.  On Sunday I’d hike down the Baxter Creek Trail to Big Creek to get the car.  That’s a 4,000’ descent in 6 miles, with most of the downhill in the middle 3 miles.  Christy’s knees don’t like long, steep downhills.  She would hike separately out to Mount Sterling Gap.  That is still a 2,000’ descent in 2 ˝ miles.  That would still be steep, but it would be a lot less than going down Baxter Creek and she could take it slow.  Once I got the car, I would drive back up to Mount Sterling Gap and pick her up.

 

We secured our permit 3 weeks before our trip and claimed the last two spots on Mount Sterling.  We made it out of Charlotte at 1:30 on Friday, but it was the beginning of holiday weekend and traffic was already terrible.  The three hour drive to Big Creek took four, but that wasn’t all bad.  The last hour was through a downpour that was NOT in the forecast.  Surprise!  By the time we reached the trailhead the storm had dwindled to a drizzle.  We might not make it camp before dark, but at least it wasn’t pouring.

 

We still had light rain, and temperatures in the 40’s made for an unpleasant start to the trip.  Incredibly, Christy and I had both misplaced the waterproof covers for our backpacks.  Luckily the rain was light and only a few things got damp. 

 

The Big Creek Trail follows an old railroad bed / road.  It’s double-wide for the first few miles, before narrowing.  Early on we passed high above Big Creek, which was raging.  It would be considered a river in most parts of the North Carolina mountains.  Hundreds of yellow wakerobin trillium kept us company early on.

 

We passed Midnight Hole, a stunning swimming hole, before reaching Mouse Creek Falls.  Here, Mouse Creek tumbles 30’ directly into Big Creek.  It’s a lovely scene, and highly photogenic.  Despite the persistent rain and waning daylight, I dug out the tripod for photos.

 

We crossed a slippery bridge over Big Creek to reach Walnut Bottoms.  We found a lot of tents – apparently the unexpected rain hadn’t deterred anyone.  Pretty much all of the campsites were taken, so we set up in a spot that was the far end of a site occupied by a single tent.  The rain had finally stopped, but everything was wet.  While I was setting up the tent Christy worked on dinner.  She rehydrated and heated up chili that she had made, which was perfect for the conditions.  It was wet and chilly, but we didn’t see any point in attempting to build a fire since it was late and everything was wet.  Instead we went to bed early since we had a tough hike planned for Saturday.

 

It was cold the next morning, which encouraged sleeping in.  Originally, I had considered hiking to Gunter Fork Falls that morning.  However, that waterfall is a 6 mile round trip from camp, and it requires several creek crossings.  The first crossing, of Big Creek, is difficult and potentially dangerous when the water is up.  The water was definitely up, so I decided to skip it.

 

We had eggs, bagels, and coffee for breakfast.  We broke camp at 11:30 and considered immediately stopping for lunch.  Instead, we hiked up the Swallow Fork Trail a couple of miles.  It’s a pleasant trail, passing some large trees and nice cascades on Swallow Fork.  The first half of the trail was easy, except for a minor tributary that we had to wade due to the high water levels.  A bit later we stopped in a sunny glade for lunch.  Afterwards, we started a long, steep grind up to Pretty Hollow Gap.  There we met three young women from Wisconsin that were backpacking over Spring Break. 

 

From there, the final mile and a half on the Benton McKaye Trail was a pleasant stroll along the ridgeline.  A short distance below the summit we reached a junction with the Mount Sterling Trail, which climbs up from Mount Sterling Gap.  That is the route that Christy would descend on Sunday.  From here we saw lots of dayhikers that were eager to enjoy the sunny weather and expansive views from the fire tower on the summit.

 

We arrived at the summit around 4pm.  After the crowds at Walnut Bottoms, we were surprised to find the camping areas deserted.  We’d had to settle for a marginal spot Friday night, but on Saturday we had our choice.  We considered one of the more private sites in the woods, but ultimately chose the spot in the meadow immediately below the fire tower.  We set up camp, and Christy relaxed while I hiked down the Baxter Creek Trail .4 mile to the spring.  Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the filter with me.  I ended up doing that stretch of trail 4 times – well, 5, if you count the hike out on Sunday morning.  At least the spring was flowing nicely and it was easy to fill up.

 

By the time I returned to camp (the second time) the dayhikers had all departed.  One other group arrived from Walnut Bottoms.  They were a friendly couple from Huntsville, AL.  Oddly, nobody else showed up that night.  Apparently, some of the people that had booked sites on Mount Sterling had changed plans.

 

I finally climbed the fire tower to take in the view.  The tower is rickety, and it was really windy once I climbed above the level of the surrounding trees.  The 360 degree view of the Smokies, Plott Balsams, and Newfound Mountains from the top makes it worth it though.  From there I spotted Mount Cammerer and Cosby Knob in the Smokies, the FAA tower on Snowbird Mountain, and the grassy bald of Max Patch. 

 

We had an early pasta dinner before heading back up the tower for sunset.  It was a nice one, with just enough clouds to create some nice color.  Afterwards we built a campfire and watched the moon rise behind the tower.  That made for a spooky scene!  I took a few nighttime photos before letting the fire die and heading to bed.

 

 

EASTER SUNRISE

 

 

We got up at 7 on Easter and bundled up for the cold walk back to the tower.  The wind was howling, and we only climbed high enough to get a view of the colorful eastern horizon above the trees.  The sun eventually emerged in the middle of a band of clouds.  Afterwards we were eager to return to the tent to warm up.  We napped for another hour before getting up.  I made pancakes, eggs, and coffee for breakfast before we broke camp.  After a chilly start, it was another pleasant day that promised nice conditions for the hike out.

 

The Baxter Creek Trail is one of my favorites in the Smokies.  The first mile follows a high ridgeline through a mossy spruce / fir forest.  Eventually the trail began to drop in earnest.  The next few miles are less enthralling, as this stretch of trail is all about getting down to Big Creek.  The highlight was the occasional large tree, and a few lovely patches of spring beauties in bloom.  The low point was a couple of huge trees that had fallen across the trail.  I had to take off my pack to get over the second one.

 

The final two miles of the Baxter Creek Trail passed through a riot of wildflowers.  Entire hillsides were covered with trilliums, spring beauties, trout lilies, wild geraniums, and more.  The hillsides were lush and green, and water was flowing everywhere.  Eventually those small streams led me to Big Creek, which was still raging.  This part of the trail was a delight, and I was a little sad when the parking lot came into view. 

 

I made fast work of the drive up to Mount Sterling Gap, as I was a little behind schedule and I didn’t want to keep Christy waiting.  I found her waiting at the trailhead.  We had a celebratory post-hike beer before driving back down the mountain and on to Knoxville.  We had a very late lunch of tacos, chips and queso, and beer at Sunspot before heading off for our next adventure.



Continue reading about our trip as we join Stephanie for a hike to an undocumented waterfall.


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