"SMOKIES TRIATHALON"

We recently returned from a 4-day backpacking trip in the Smokies. We started in Cades Cove, and did a nice loop that included Spence Field and Gregory Bald.

Christy, Kevin, and I endured a nightmarish drive Friday night from Charlotte. Holiday traffic was horrible, but we made the Cades Cove campground by 11pm. Myron and Dorcas arrived a couple of hours later, and we met Bob & Laura Saturday morning.

Christy and I started the trip with an 11-mile "warm-up" bike ride around the Cades Cove Loop. We started just after dawn, which enabled us to beat the traffic. It was a pleasant ride, with deer in the fields and beautiful views of the mountains. However, it was much harder than expected. We had anticipated a nice, flat valley ride. Instead, we were constantly going up and down steep little hills. Riding through stream fords at dawn is cold, too! Somehow, the water always ends up splashing up your shorts.

We got back to camp in time for eggs and hashbrowns. After stashing the bikes and running the car shuttle to the far side of the cove (11 miles, 90 minutes, thanks to traffic on the loop), we were ready to go.

The hike started through the Cades Cove picnic area. It was swarming with people, but we left them behind when we reached the Anthony Creek Trail. We hiked up along a lively stream, and stopped for lunch after an hour or so. We then left the creek, climbing more steeply to Bote Mountain. The trail up Bote Mountain was rocky, muddy, eroded, and covered with horse crap. Despite this, it took us to a lovely place - Spence Field on the Smokies Crest. We found a nice meadow with outstanding views of Fontana Lake, Shuckstack Mountain, and the Joyce Kilmer area. The meadow was even decorated with blooming rhododendron.

We reached the trail shelter at Spence Field late that afternoon. 5 minutes after arriving, a doe wandered by. Later, I encountered 4 wild turkeys nearby. One (papa turkey?) stood up and flailed his wings at me.

We shared the shelter with a couple from Knoxville and a father and son. The young fellow from Knoxville was very ill from heat exhaustion and dehydration. He recovered quickie though, after a long nap.

That evening was pleasant, despite the snoring and the occasional mouse. It actually got cool at night, which was a pleasant change from the heat of Charlotte.

We started Sunday with a pancake feast. We then read through the shelter register. As it turned out, the shelter was raided by bears several times over the last few days. Apparently, one even charged the fence protecting it. This, coupled with the recent mauling near Elkmont, had us a little jumpy. As it was, we had to change our route due to bear activity. The campsite near Gregory Bald had been closed, and we had to come up with a backup plan at the last minute.

Fortunately, we escaped from the shelter without any bear attacks. We spent the morning on an easy dayhike to Rocky Top and Thunderhead Mountain. Rocky Top was an outstanding summit, with nearly 360-degree views. Thunderhead was somewhat less exciting, as it is covered in rhododendron. However, Thunderhead is the highest peak in the Smokies south of Clingmans Dome, or the highest on the AT south of Clingmans Dome, or some such thing. At any rate, it's on the state highway map, so it must be significant. Well, at least it has a cool name.

We returned to the Spence Field shelter for lunch. Afterwards, I found myself waiting for Myron and Dorcas, who were the last ones to leave. What I didn't know was that they decided to take a shortcut to catch up. While I waited for them, they were actually ahead of me. As a result, I got to hike to Russell Field solo.

The hike was pleasant and quiet. I had looked forward to the views from Little Bald, but soon discovered that trees had overtaken the meadow. I was alert to the signs of bears, and saw lots of droppings, but there weren't any actual sightings.

I caught up with everyone at Russell Field, and we hiked together to Mollies Ridge. The shelter there was similar, and had an excellent spring. We ran into our friends from Knoxville again, along with another father and son team. This pair was hiking the whole AT through the Smokies, but had somehow taken 2 days to run the car shuttle from Fontana to Davenport Gap. They were exhausted, and slept through a stunning sunset and an exciting game of "pass the pigs". In the morning, the got confused and started back toward Fontana before we set them straight. I hope they make it.

From "God's Own Drunk", by Lord Buckley

We got off to an early start Monday, leaving Mollies Ridge by 9AM. Kevin, Christy, and I were a few minutes behind, but caught up quickly. Up ahead, Myron, Dorcas, Bob, and Laura were standing around with their cameras out. They had surprised a bear, which had been up in a tree eating berries. When they arrived, it slid down the tree like a fireman on his way to the truck. It disappeared over the hillside before anyone could even get a camera out.

The rest of us were disappointed that we missed it, but we still had high hopes. We descended a huge hill, and then climbed another toward Doe Knob. On two occasions, something large ran away from us through the woods, but we never saw what caused the noise. At one point, Christy saw what was probably a wild boar on the trail ahead of her. It too, ran off before she could get very close.

From Doe Knob, we left the AT on the Gregory Ridge Trail. It was somewhat overgrown, but we enjoyed many species of wildflowers. Through a 100-yard stretch, we identified flame azalea, rhododendron, sundrop, fire pink, black eyed susan, and spiderwort, amongst others.

Eventually we reached Rich Gap. My guidebook indicated that "one of the finest springs in the Smokies" was nearby. I dropped my pack, and headed down the old trail to it. Unfortunately, the park service had gone to extreme lengths to destroy the path. They had covered the entire 1/4-mile trail with deadfall. I cursed the park service and the government in general the entire way there and back. They don't have enough manpower or money to maintain trails, but they've got plenty to destroy one. Go figure.

Somehow I returned with a partially full bucket of water. After filtering, we tackled the final climb up to Gregory Bald. We were pleased to see that the azaleas were still in bloom. However, we were disappointed with the views. Usually, you can see for dozens of miles in each direction. However, the unfortunate combination of air pollution and summer haze restricted the views to a few smudgy miles. Cades Cove was barely visible, and Fontana lake was not to be seen.

Despite the haze, we enjoyed several hours lounging in the meadow soaking up the sun. Myron and Dorcas flew a kite, and several of us took a tour of the azaleas. I found 4 different colors (red, orange, pink, and white) blooming. We were also visited by a very friendly doe. We also encountered a buck, and I ran into a doe with a fawn. Seeing the fawn was probably the highlight of the trip for me. It was probably only a month or two old. It was very awkward, and at the same time curious. I took an absurd number of pictures before we headed on to our next campsite.

We ended the day with a downhill hike to a campsite along Forge Creek. It was an outstanding site, in the midst of an old growth forest. Our camp was literally surrounded by towering hemlocks and tulip poplars.

Monday night's campsite was so nice, we hated to leave. Still, we enjoyed the 2-mile hike out through more virgin forest. At one point, we passed a fellow who had stopped to count the rings on a fallen tree. The fair-sized tree had been 270 years old when it finally fell.

In less than an hour, we arrived at the car and enjoyed some much anticipated cold beverages. After some interesting packing involving getting 7 people and packs into 2 small cars, we were on our way. We returned to the Ranger Station to pick up Christy's car, only to drive back around the loop. We wanted to hike to Abrams Falls, which was at the far end of the road. Unfortunately, traffic was bad. It moved slowly, and occasionally stopped for deer. Of course, it was July 4th. What better way to celebrate than to do something American, like sit in a car and poison the air? As we were sitting in traffic, I found myself wondering, how much of the Smokies air pollution problem is caused by traffic in Cades Cove? It seems that a system of free shuttle buses, perhaps complete with tour guides, would be an efficient and environmentally friendly solution to the problem.

We hiked the trail to Abrams Falls in less than an hour. Without packs, we were practically flying down the trail. The falls were extremely crowded - you'd think the creek was composed of holy water. Despite this, we were eager to jump in. It felt great to soak in the cold water. Christy and I even indulged in a little swimming. In so doing, we completed the first ever Smokies triathlon - 11 miles biking, 20 some miles backpacking, and about 50 yards swimming. That counts, right?

This trip was excellent, and the route is highly recommended. We saw a lot of people though, so if you value solitude, avoid summer holiday weekends. Thanks to Christy, Kevin, Myron, Dorcas, Bob and Laura for joining me.

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